Dragon Technology Consultants Corp

My Review of Ilford Galerie Smooth Gloss Resin Coated Inkjet Paper, 280g/m2, 5x7", 100 Sheets

2011-11-02T20:58:00.001-05:00

Originally submitted at Adorama

Ilford Galerie Smooth Gloss Resin Coated Inkjet Paper, 280g/m2, 5" x 7", 100 Sheets

I only use Ilford pagers

By The Picture Man from Grand Rapids MI on 11/2/2011

Pros: Professional Weight, Bright, Doesn't Jam, Good Value, Durable, Sharp Tones & Colors

Best Uses: Professional Documents, Graphics & Charts, Color Photos

Describe Yourself: Heavy Duty User

Primary use: Business

Blacks are black, which is important with what I do as a professional photographer.

(legalese)

On-Line Retail Sales - Boon or Bust Who are the Losers

2011-09-01T14:41:00.000-05:00

I'm surprised that Office Depot</b> is under the banner of performing poorly given their affiliation with Amway. But, then, I never did like their web site offerings. To combat the loss of revenue to their stores, Office Depot instituted a new program last year which allowed for the stores to get credit for any on-line sales by allowing on-line purchasers the option to pickup the items at their local brick and mortar store. Thus, I think, they instituted their own self-destruction of the on-line environment. Get the customer into the stores to purchase more on the pretense the shipping charges will be waived. While there, tease them with other sales so they never go back to the on-line store.

Meijer is doing that now, as well. It will be interesting to see if their on-line processing increases or not. Oddly, the Meijer on-line store has product that cannot be purchased in its stores. And, it doesn't carry every item in the stores on it's web site. What's with that? (excluding food).

The last paragraph in the MSNBC article sums up WalMart's dismal failure for on-line sales this way:

"The most notable result of the analysis is how poorly Walmart did, given its position as the number one retailer in the world and tremendous financial and merchandising resources. Walmart received one of the worst ranks among all the companies considered. Walmart.com is the second most visited e-commerce site on the Internet, based on Hitwise numbers. But the portion of Walmart’s sales that come from e-commerce are extremely small — less that 2 percent, or $6 billion, according to analysts from Wells Fargo Securities. The world’s largest retailer recently dismissed its two senior online executives. Craig Johnson, president of Customer Growth Partners LLC, told Bloomberg, “Wal-Mart has been lagging in e-commerce, and the loss of two executives won’t help where the company’s going. It will be challenging for them to build the momentum they need.”

The sad part of on-line stores vs the brick and mortar stores is the so-called retail price. Many retailers price their products differently for the on-line product then they do in their stores. That, in itself, is most confusing. Meijer is notorious for doing this. And if you bring it to the stores attention, they simply look at you like deer staring into headlights.

Best Buy got into trouble with the Feds a few years back for having pricing discrepancies, especially when they allowed on-line purchases to be delivered to the stores for customers to pick up. The stores would then attempt to charge a higher price much to the consternation of the customer who already paid for the product. I remember purchasing camera equipment through the affiliate account held by Amway for the now defunct Circuit City. When I went to the store to pick it up, the store refunded about 15% of the gross saying they had a better price then their on-line division. And now we know why these kind of practices and games played by big box chains give pause to consumers.

And so the games continue. The winners? No one. The losers? Employees who find themselves without jobs because management hasn't a clue what they are doing to increase business. As long as these big box chains play these games with the economy, consumers will go where they are treated with decency, respect, and are not subjected to corporate greed and ineptness.

This is the opinion of the principle owner of Dragon Technology Consultants Corp., a Michigan Corporation, and is © 2011 All Rights Reserved, Reproduction in whole or in part prohibited except for those portions allowed under the Fair Use section of the Copyright Code. Any other use must be coordinated with the Public Relations office of Dragon Technology Consultants Corp.

Teaching an Old Hen New Tricks

2011-05-06T04:34:00.000-05:00
Oddly enough I've been a good study for the use of words and phrases of the English language. One of the obstacles, of course, is knowing when to use certain concatenations for certain kinds of words. For example:

It's and Its

One is possessive while the other is two words concatenated into one word just to save a space between the two.

The use of Its means that whatever It represents it means it owns whatever it is that it is the object of the Its. The problem with this version of possessive is the confusion it brings with it because of the rules for the use of a possessive noun, which requires the apostrophe to be used. This is one of the many reasons why English is a bitch to learn. The rules appear to constantly change although, they really do not.

The It's version is not possessive at all which is why there is a rule change. In this case, the word It's is really two words joined together. Those words are It and Is. It is a wonder any of us can talk, write, and speak at all and expect others to comprehend what it is we are conveying.

There are several cases where we have these variations. The question we must ask, as we type or talk, is to rapidly think ahead as to what we are conveying. Are we describing something that IT owns or are we putting the two words together?

I find myself asking the question all the time when I proof a document. We all have to be careful when we write because of how others perceive the conveyance of our thoughts to themselves and understanding what we say in our writings.

Now, why am I writing this note? Because I have been proofing several documents for inclusion of the contents into web sites that I manage for clients. The clients send me the documents which contain their thoughts on what must be said.

And, I noticed a consistent use of the misappropriation of the apostrophe. Hope this helps you with your future writings.

"Remember when they used to make movies in Michigan? Yeah. Now you can say that". Brett Thomas WoodTV.com

2011-02-22T15:21:00.002-05:00
In response to:

The Avengers Pulls Production Out of Detroit
www.movieweb.com
Other films lined-up to shoot in Michigan may follow suit after the governor proposes a cut in film incentives for the state.

On Tue, Feb 22, 2011 at 3:03 PM, Facebook notification+zrdoozddczd1@facebookmail.com> wrote:
Garry Murphy also commented on Brett Thomas Woodtv's link.

Garry wrote:
"If the state doesn't make money off the film industry...why should the 'state" give the tax breaks. Bottom line, the state needs to make money above what the cost is to the state. And, people, time to realize that the state is NOT something separate from the people. We the people ARE the state. IF the state loses...we lose. Unless, of course, you'd like up pay more out of your paycheck to support the Hollywood types."

To see the comment thread, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?daybrett%2Fposts%2F113529215389593&mid=3ce13b1G5af32e241955Gbd0902G13&bcode=uFmEs&n_m=photos%40photomarketingusa.com

Thanks,
The Facebook Team

My response to anyone who believes all film incentives should be minimized and/or stopped.

Money comes into the State coffers from various entities. One of which are, indeed, from the State Income Tax. If the film industry hires extras, the State gets a bite of anything that is paid to locals who are hired as extras, stage hands, lighting assistants, etc. Then there are the local businesses which are patronized by the locals who get paid by the film industry, the actors, the directors, etc etc. Each of these business have to ante up property taxes, collect sales taxes, pay the income tax, pay on top of all the other taxes that blasted Business Tax, pay into the MI Unemployment Compensation Commission, and, above all, hire more people who pay property taxes, pay sales taxes, State Income Tax on their earnings, and buy other stuff. In turn, all those benefiting from all that "new" money coming into the local economy pay property taxes etc etc.

So, all you people advocating that we should say "bye bye" to the film industry are willing to have your neighbor, your children, and anyone else from benefiting from it? Now, what? No money is flowing back into the State coffers. Huh! Who is having a brain fart now?

Past Present Future

2010-09-29T03:50:00.001-05:00
I'm becoming nostalgic reading about all the "friends/links" within the various connected social networking sites. Where would we be if these networks were available 40-years ago? For most of you reading this, that period of time was before you were born. I'm on the eve of my 67th birthday thinking I have another 25-30 years of contribution left in my soul to give to mankind.

While there were periods in my life that I regret, I realize the overall effect of those periods were learning times. As a result, where I am today is something that could not have occurred without going through those periods. What if I had better mentors? What if I could 'see' the error of my ways and do course corrections? All these issues are available to us today whereas 40-years ago they were not. The personal computer, as we know it, hadn't even been invented yet. Social networks were the local bars church groups and professional groups.

Announcements from Sunset Promotions, Inc. via @constantcontact

2010-07-30T00:53:00.000-05:00
Announcements from Sunset Promotions, Inc. via @constantcontact

Principled, Consistent, Conservative - a Politician's Prayer

2010-07-22T18:14:00.005-05:00
The title of this posting is odd because it came from a politician.

Since I'm not running for any kind of political office and not a seasoned veteran of political matters, it is quite odd how politicians use religion and other words to say they are better then the other person.

Unfortunately, Politicians are known liars. Not that they want to be that way and they say church and state should be kept separate - that's what the U.S. Constitution says. Yet, these same people, who claim to uphold the Constitution, deliberately use religion to justify their right to cut into the competition. Under the same auspices, the politician says because he/she is religious and principled, he/she has the right to bad mouth those he/she is running against.

Politicians speak with forked tongue - like a rattle snake waiting to strike when you least expect it.

I got this flier from Justin Amash for Congress where all of the above is spelled out. I think, since he speaks with fork tongue that he cannot be trusted for any political position. Personally, I wouldn't trust him in my own home so why would I trust him to represent me in any governmental position?

What do you think? Who likes any kind of politician that plays dirty and only provides half facts? If I were you, when August 3rd roles around, remember you cannot do a spit ticket like you can in the national voting in November.

On August 3rd, you have to define what party you support at 100%. Then you can select from within that party only. If most of those running in your selected party are numb-nuts, then you have the prerogative of choosing the best numb-nuts to not only represent you but also every other citizen at the National voting booths in November.

Michigan Primaries suck for that reason. However, sigh, it is what it is.

Personally? It's none of any ones' business what political affiliation I represent. For that reason, I don't do Michigan Primaries. So, if you don't care about bragging about your political affirmations, please remember the responsibilities you carry with your decision about which numb-nut politician with forked tongue will go to the National voting in November.

Politicians and Their Priorities Targeting Your Freedoms

2010-07-16T16:36:00.005-05:00
The OB Criticizing Certain Members of Congress While in Holland MI

WOODTV 8
Obama seems to chide Hoekstra over stim. President Barack Obama appears to have taken a shot at Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra during his speech for the groundbreaking of a battery plant for electric cars. ...

Related: President, battery, plant, Barack Obama, electric cars]
Jul 15, 2010
http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/elections/Obama-seems-to-chide-Hoekstra-over-stim

Obama seems to chide Hoekstra over stim

President Barack Obama appears to have taken a shot at Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra during his speech for the groundbreaking of a battery plant for electric cars.

Did anyone catch the criticism the OB sent towards a current sitting Congressman sitting in the audience in Holland MI on July 15, 2010?

OB will throw darts if he believes it to be important. Unfortunately, that nut (in the audience) complained about the criticism and lashed back.

That's what's wrong with our Congress people. They want to outlaw freedom of speech including reigning in a sitting President from saying something which is perceived as inappropriate.

This nut is running for Governor of MI - PLEASE don't vote for him in the primaries because he WILL STIFLE your freedoms of speech, in the long run as well as doing whatever he can to make life miserable for the small business entrepreneurs. We can't afford that kind of politics nor should we expect political promises to be kept.

Get your head out of your behinds and either skip the Primaries or be careful whom you choose. Your freedoms of Internet use, speech, and rights to grow business without tax hungry politicians are at stake.

Do your own research if you don't want to believe my position. You'll come to the same conclusions, unless you are a die hard Republican or Democrat pushing the Party mandates - realize when you do that the people you are voting to go into the general election may not be the right people to protect YOU and your FREEDOMS of CHOICE.

America is slowly moving towards communism or some form of it with loss of freedom rights by limiting your ability to read/have access to the Internet and criticize actions of government officials.

REF: Joe Lieberman (Dem Connecticut) said Thursday, June 17, 2010, that enactment of his bill needed to be a top congressional priority. "For all of its 'user-friendly' allure, the Internet can also be a dangerous place with electronic pipelines that run directly into everything from our personal bank accounts to key infrastructure to government and industrial secrets," he said. "Our economic security, national security and public safety are now all at risk from new kinds of enemies--cyber-warriors, cyber-spies, cyber-terrorists and cyber-criminals."
http://cbs4.com/technologyinternet.freedom.regulation.2.1757643.html
Some nut in Germany did something similar during the 30's and then attempted to eradicate an entire group of people because of his beliefs. Look where it got him! There are examples upon examples not only in current times (Tienanmen Square, China, Cuba, Iran) but also through out history.

Do your own research if you don't want to believe my position. You'll come to the same conclusions, Unless you are a die hard Republican or Democrat, By voting straight tickets, in the primaries and general elections ,without regard as to whether the candidates are qualified.

Is this what you want? If yes, vote for those who will be glad to suspend your rights to freedom of speech and access to information whether it be the Internet, printed publications, books on tapes, TV, radio, and other means.

The NERD in All of Us

2010-05-21T20:11:00.004-05:00
Politics - most of the time the big P is disgusting what with infighting amongst the various parties to candidates who would prefer to trash one's virtues then admit their own misgivings.

There you have it.

Does Rick Snyder have any bones to pick? I did a lot of research on this guy only because I was interested to know who he is. I couldn't find any dirt. Mike Cox - well, let the history of the man speak for itself. The Good and the Bad. Don't look at what he is doing today, look at the past 8-years for the proof whether he will be a good governor or just another slime ball politician who hasn't a clue on matters to get us out of a slump.
Responsible government begins with everyone pulling for solutions, not criticizing the mistakes.
Responsible government learns from its history and changes the future, not criticizing the mistakes of the past for those mistakes were attempts to find a solution to economic issues.
Responsible government plans for the future and not for the current day as the current day was written many years ago.
Responsible government looks to the community of many as in mentors - find out where the successes are and investigate if those solutions can help solve the crisis of the day, not criticize what others are attempting to achieve.
I'm no politician although I came pretty darn close to being one. I'm glad I didn't because
Politics isn't about solving problems, it's about negotiating friendships which yield you the most money for yourself and those that went before you.
Politics is about critiquing the opposition by attempting to hide their own misgivings.
Politics is about getting cozy with certain institutions and looking the other way rather then preventing disasters.
Politics is about allowing crap to happen rather then being proactive in keeping the constituents and environment safe from harm.
Politics is about taking unnecessary risks without taking responsibility for risk failure.
So, who is Rick Snyder? I suppose we could all vote him into office to find out because he does have a squeaky clean record. If he becomes the next Michigan governor, we'll find out within 6-months if he can control a runaway legislature intent on bankrupting the State of Michigan.

Are You Doing Everything Possible to Build Your Clientele?

2010-05-21T18:35:00.007-05:00

Restaurant Combines Email Marketing and Social Media to Lure In Customers
Posted on May 21, 2010 by Jason Meserve under Email Marketing

When it comes to breakfast and lunch, I love little hole-in-the-wall places with character and delicious food. It’s a win when you find a good one and a win-win when you discover it’s also great at marketing through email, social media, and word of mouth. We recently sat down with Tim Burke, owner of In a Pickle in Waltham, Mass., to learn his keys to marketing success.

As you can see and hear in the video, Tim isn’t afraid to try different things when it comes to marketing In a Pickle. I love how he uses Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Yelp, and email marketing to get people in the door.
Tim embraces the concept that you use email as your communications hub, driving his subscribers (raving fans) to all the other available channels for connecting with their favorite restaurant. He puts links to In a Pickle’s social media pages in all of his emails, and he also links back to his email sign-up page from those social media pages. It’s a two-way street for driving subscribers, fans, and followers.

In addition, Tim adds a card to every outgoing order that shows off the many ways customers can connect with the restaurant. Very savvy.

If you’re in Waltham, and are looking for a great breakfast or lunch, head straight to In a Pickle. I recommend the M&M Pancakes.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Response to the Constant Contact BLOG posting:

From us

As a major partner with Constant Contact, all I can say to potential clients is "if you aren't "touching" your clients visually, along with all the other marketing you are doing, then everything else is a waste of resources.

We touch 10K pairs of eyeballs multiple times a week from cross-linked web sites producing a network of opportunities. The other component to this visual approach is through Social Networks; which is where we achieve close to the same ratios..

If you don't tell everyone who you are, how do you expect everyone to know about you? And, to ensure not only current customers, clients, patients, whatever label you place on them, you must be repetitious although not annoying.

Numeric Code: 21

2010-05-15T21:44:00.001-05:00
Dear Google

I haven't been able to access my gmail for the past several hours. I get the following message:

We’re sorry, but your Gmail account is temporarily unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience and suggest trying again in a few minutes.

If the issue persists, please visit the Gmail Help Center »

Try Again Sign Out

Show Detailed Technical Info
Hide Detailed Technical Info
Numeric Code: 21

This has been an on and off situation for a couple of weeks. What is going on? What is Numeric Code: 21?

There is no addition information within your system Help forums except other people having similar issues without any response from you. Not a good way to run a business - a simple explanation is in order.

I may have to switch to a competitive product if this continues - yuk, that's not what I want to do but you might not give me any choice. I rely heavily on your product and would rather stay with Google. Up until your last enhancements, you've been very reliable.

Please Also Include:
Operating system (e.g. WinXP): Win XP Pro SP3
Program and version you use to access Gmail (e.g. Internet Explorer 7 or Outlook 2003): Mozilla Fire Fox 3.0.4
Your antivirus software (e.g. Vipre): Vipre
Any extensions, toolbars or plug-ins: Google toolbar

Sunset Promotions, Inc. Joins the Constant Contact Business Partner Program :: Press Releases :: Constant Contact

2010-04-14T12:09:00.000-05:00
Sunset Promotions, Inc. Joins the Constant Contact Business Partner Program :: Press Releases :: Constant Contact

'Attend Picture Man Photography Craft Show'

2010-04-13T07:19:00.000-05:00
'Attend Picture Man Photography Craft Show'

Save a Life or Save Your Money? How to Cure Sun Glare

2010-03-26T18:30:00.004-05:00

Well, gee, there is a fix for this. It's called Polarized Sun Glasses". Eliminates 99% of the glare. And, while some may feel they are a tad expensive, when you consider the alternative, that is a price worth paying. Some of these you purchase as clip-ons but shame on us who take vanity as a shield from being a laughing joke from peers to accepting responsibility for safety first.

Actually, they aren't that expensive. On the MAStore, these glasses run from a low of $9 to as high as $250 (for the really sporty person), They even have not only fashionable clip-ons for a mere $9, they also have enlarged designs to go over your regular glasses much like safety glasses you might wear in a factory (for those who do).

If you wear prescription glasses, you can get prescription Polarized glasses as well. I've driven well over 300,000 miles with Polarized clip-ons as well as prescription. My dad drove over a million miles. Talk about safety, he swore he saved more people's lives because he could see them, thus could slow down rather then killing them as they crossed the road. When is it more critical for saving lives? When the sun is rising or during sun sets. When near water watching your kiddies out in the water on a bright day, down hill or cross-country skiing. Any time there is glare that prevents you from seeing clearly what's ahead. Just think, the life you save could be yours.

You really need to ask yourself which is more important - it's an easy question with an easy answer. Saving a life or saving your money?

Live Octopus - It's For Dinner Tonight?

2010-03-17T18:16:00.004-05:00
Ya gotta read the article to appreciate some of the weirdness in this world. Click on the link (part of the title). Then, see my comments below.

Sounds disgusting, right? Maybe even nauseating to some; so before you spill your guts on the table, remember that when you eat lettuce, tomatoes, and the like, you are eating a living organism in its natural state.

Pig brains, however, are dead. As is any meat product like chicken, cow, snake, turtle, pig, and other such animals. Remember, anything from your garden or a field somewhere is still alive. When it completely rots away is it dead. Like a blackened banana.

Although, something slithering in pain on one's dinner plate may be going too far. Snakes have the curiosity to kill their prey before eating it whole or otherwise. The same with those nasty vultures.

Many of the best tasty delicacies include rocky mountain oysters, hearts from any animal, gizzards, liver, tongue just to name a few. I'm sure you can come up with some as well.

Why is Obama Doing the Best He Can?

2010-03-12T15:06:00.006-05:00

Actually, I'm for the guy that appears to get it. I thought the OB was too immature for the post (not enough on-hand experience managing a big machine). I knew that many of the promises he made could not be kept for the simple reason he was not in the privilege class for access to information to make such radical promises. However, once sworn in, he became part of that privileged class by being informed. Much of what goes on in the world is known only to a few - the need to know syndrome. If all the citizens had access to the information that OB now has, there would be wide panic and distrust of many other societies, if not all of them.

Every one wants the troops to come home. Good idea but they would have to go on welfare to minimally survive and that is overlooked by many. The law says that companies must place the vets back in the jobs they were doing before they went off to do their thing. Problem is, those jobs no longer exist for most of the troops.

Americans have a narrow minded thought about how they fit in the world. They want to separate themselves from the world. That's impossible because our economy will plummet further then it is if we actually put up a wall between us and them. The world is a small place today. It is shrinking rapidly with technology. If anything, America is farther behind in certain matters then their European and Asian counterparts. That's actually quite scary.

Bush (GW) plundered the Social Security system and used the money for his initial move into Afghanistan and Iraq. He was hoping it would really be shock and awe - in and out. He completely misjudged who was actually running those countries (religious leaders). Actually, he was most likely misinformed by ignorant advisers and was gullible enough to believe them because of his own ignorance of world religions and how those religions play out in politics. Because the Bush established war has over extended the original exit date, the Social Security program looks like it will need some assistance from Congress in about 20-25 years, maybe earlier.

As far as health care is concerned, many in the practicing industry will continue to have economic woes because the number of people using emergency rooms without any way to pay for the services. Yes, medical services are expensive. Chances are that 80% of the cost is due to labor. You can't cut the labor without loosing the people needed to service the sick. If you do, then you have a fight between institutions offering higher pay to someone so they can keep the bottom line intact. That's the simple explanation. It's a lot more complicated then that but I really believe, based on my accounting background, that labor costs have skyrocketed. For one thing, education for the specializations is extremely costly - like $50,000 plus for each year of schooling. The only way they can pay the loans off is to have an income which will support nearly a million dollars of education debt. Remember that most health professionals are unionized, another contributing factor.

One example of not being able to afford some medical costs is that I don't take two drugs that I should be taking. The 30-day co-pay is over 60% of my monthly budget for medications. Could I die because of this? Possibly but the money isn't there to support life. So what to do? Nothing is the answer. Mine is only one example. We have hundreds of thousand, perhaps millions, of people in the same situation. One way or another that tab is going to be paid and most likely at a much higher amount then what National Health Care requires.

By the way, I haven't been to a dentist for ten years due to the cost of dental visits. I know I have issues, about $4,000 to fix, yet I don't have the funds to cover. So what to do - is status quo. Same with eye glasses. The money doesn't exist for new lenses. Everyone thinks there is an easy solution but there isn't. Do you want to have a million kids snot nosing all over in schools, churches, restaurants, play ground equipment because their parents don't have the cash flow to get medical advice and medicine or do you FIX the system to provide them with tools to seek medical attention? Actually, there is a solution but our system of beliefs prohibit us from exercising it. Such as treat them like they had Leprosy. Or, do what the Germans did before WW2 and dig a big hole in the ground. I'm sure you get the picture. I'm not advocating that resolution at all. I don't have a resolution. Although a National Health Care solution would go a long way is resolving these kind of situations.

Did the bail-outs and extended unemployment benefits prolong our poor economy? I doubt it, actually. Why, because the economy is programmed to react to market demands. If a product costs too much, no one will buy it. So what do you do as a company? Well, most companies only look at their bottom line and because they have share holders to answer to, they must maintain a certain profit margin. One way they can do this is to lay off their workforce because labor is an expensive commodity in any organization (between 60% and 80% of adjust gross margin). Unfortunately, when people get laid off, their buying power shrinks. And, if it happens in too many industries, then oops!

Housing was getting too expensive and the mechanism that was fueling the increased property values began to unravel. Now, you have whole industries shedding labor to get those profits back in line with expectations. Oh my, the buying power in this country began to shrink and shrink rapidly. So fast that it began a global snowball effect.

Unfortunately, legal eagles have no clue about how the economy functions. Odd, however, most economists don't have a clue either. It's because of market forces. We have way too many people who walk around with their heads in the clouds and ignoring basic facts of how the buy/sell process works in a free economy.

That's why I think the OB is doing the best he can with the tools he has to make everything work reasonably well. Only time will tell if he is making the right choices. That's the case with any of the stuff he is doing. He has well qualified advisers and he has his own thoughts about how things should be. Yet, to be able to do the things he believes is right, he has to have concurrence from Congress and the political watch dogs.

How to Control Your Future

2010-02-26T22:58:00.002-05:00
If I've said this once, I've said it a gazillion times. Disposable products mean income. People find money for TP, food, shampoo, bathing, drinking, and kleenex type products. Unlike cars, paint, shovels, dirt, snow blowers, TVs, and other such items which last so long that companies go out of business.

Now, let's look at the first part. If you are a woman, you most likely use another product in the disposable area - cosmetics. Now, here's the deal - somebody has to sell this stuff. If you are a user, you know your product inside and out and become the best sales person of that product. First, however, you need a good product - a product with a huge reputation for quality, a product that is at the top of the list for sales to millions.

Men, you wouldn't think about leaving home without some cologne sprinkled on your face and neck, behind the ears, and other parts. You won't leave home smelling like a garbage pail either. So, this is for you as well.

Where do you find these kind of products, that you actually get for free by selling it to others? How about direct selling? Lots of choices there.

You say "you tried selling and don't like it"? Well, maybe because you have an attitude issue to deal with trying to do something you figure is only for special people. Maybe! I use to be that way. Not any more. I found out how to get over that attitude after meeting with a professional in the business.

And, here's the nice part, you don't need an education to do it. Although, if you have lots of degrees and certifications, that could be a hindrance because of your ego. Get over it. This is a changed world. Move on with it or continue in your pathetic state. Take what you do know and apply it positively. You can do it ONLY if you want to and remember one point - people use TP every day. There's money in TP with no returns. Let's just say you can make more money selling TP then you can any other product except for Tampons.

It's time to take charge OF YOUR LIFE and quit depending on WDC and others to take care of you. Do you have the guts, fortitude, and attitude to take CHARGE OF YOUR FUTURE?

Property Taxes vs. No Property Taxes.

2010-02-15T19:55:00.002-05:00
In response to the critics of Wyoming and Grand Rapids over the possibility of their fire departments merging to get a grip on costs.

What we really need is Unigovernment similar to Atlanta and Indianapolis. We don't need umpteen city managers, mayors, chiefs of police, road crews, drain commissioners, garbage haulers, council people, buildings, vehicles, fire chiefs and sub chiefs, etc etc which are redundant with one another. I'm willing to bet/speculate that if all that redundancy went away, we would have a better system, more efficient, and less costly to operate/fund.

Over time, both cities under Unigovernment have found what didn't work. Because of those findings, we should be able to craft a better mouse trap to get our costs under control.

Or, we just shutter the fire stations and police stations. However, we know that isn't a good option. So, like a good business, we raise our fees to help cover our costs. Sounds like a plan to me - unfortunately, raising our fees requires all those getting those services to approve the increase. Because most of the voters have no clue how to budget their own money systems, they have no clue how to understand the income/costs of government. The result is disastrous as they vote NO on the request to raise property taxes (fees).

Yes, there are options like the equalized tax proposal which, by doing the math, provides all the money necessary including removing the property taxes for all businesses and individuals. Do you think government will adopt it? No, because it eliminates most of their jobs as well.

Where do you stand on paying for the services you receive?

Haiti relief by the numbers

2010-01-22T19:08:00.001-05:00
Haiti relief by the numbers

Posted using ShareThis

Greener Renewable Energy

2010-01-12T16:56:00.001-05:00
Consumers Energy should look into renewable energy from animals. That way, instead of burning coal, they could get millions of pounds of renewable energy right in their own backyard. Look at it this way - you eat, you poop, you eat, you poop. How simple is that. Cows, chickens, bulls, even politicians. It all produces methane. Pigs are the best because they poop more then any other animal, including politicians.

Granholm should look into building Poop farms to create energy. "Mad Max" had the right thought. The heck with battery plants. Poop is a good for the environment all the way around. And if it sits long enough it turns green.

'Click the Share button to create links to this email on popular social networking and bookmarking size like Facebook, Twitter, and Digg.'

2009-12-23T00:27:00.001-05:00
Marry Christmas & Seasons Greetings to All

There's a new low-cost grocery leader

2009-11-23T20:07:00.003-05:00
There's a new low-cost grocery leader

This augmentation appeared in the Comments section to the article posted on woodtv.com Click link to read.
I found the spreadsheet showing the comparisons interesting. None of the stuff I buy.

I don't go store to store. Meijer has all of its weekly sales on-line and a "shopping list" you can create and print out to take with you. Plus, if you want anything shipped, they can do that too. Family Fare has a different concept for the "shopping list" in that you can save it and use over and over; adding new sales items and deleting expired sales items. The reason you can save it is so you can put your stuff on there that you use and most likely will buy when at Family Fare.

I compare the two lists together to see which has the best sale prices and then go to the lowest for everything. Meijer wins out on everything. Haven't looked at Target yet nor Walmart. Those two have always been more expensive on clothes and white goods then Meijer. I like to mosey through Meijer and look at everything. I take two - three hours once a month to do that.

Family Fare likes to freeze its customers. You have to dress up like an Eskimo to shop at Family Fare. I can wear short sleeves in Meijer. Only thing I don't like about Meijer is the smell of raw meat and raw fish. It's yucky.

My Life & How I See It

2009-11-01T12:30:00.002-05:00
(Written in no order of importance)
1: i love music – it's soothing, relaxes my feeble brain, an inspiration when needed.
2: i love - all things beautiful from the smallest creature to the tallest tree.
3: i think the financial downturn is a necessary process so that we learn to live better and more responsibly.
4: i am amazed and proud of my two sons and what they have accomplished with their lives.
5: i love how my first son and his family are raising Aleia and teaching her how to accept life and have fun in the process.
6: i really love my privacy and the ability to live how I want, go to bed when I want, and do things differently!
7: i believe you should do what you are good at and surround yourself with those who can help you achieve your dreams.
8: i don't like people who are selfish and self-centered, have vision but don't know how to execute.
9: i think the Internet is just at the beginning the new world. It will bring the world to an understanding that we are all equal in thoughts, words, and deeds.
10: i enjoy watching action movies.
11: i love my laptop which my son got me because he sells a good brand.
12: i do not enjoy rotten eggs.
13: one day i will live in a nice warm place. Do they make coffins with heaters?
14: i do not like when people are control freaks.
15: i love to wash clothes but you can have the ironing bit.
16: i like to be somewhat pragmatic.
17: i think i should write a book about photography and all things beautiful
18: i love computers but would rather have a rose garden without the bugs and mites.
19: i am looking forward to going back to Hawaii and travel the Island with a moped
20: i have strong memories about my child hood, both the good and the bad.
21: i remember those that have gone before us but not in a spiritual way.
22: i tell the truth more often then I should, like always.
23: i think this is a moment in time which should be cherished. The past is the forerunner of the future and the present is what it is with the future not yet treaded upon.
24: i love to have conversation with friends and family. It gets lonely too often.
25: i hope someday that the human race can learn to get along.
When I photographed this it reminded me of life, being born as a bud, maturing, and eventually getting ready to bloom.

Cedar Springs shows off Red Flannel

2009-10-04T18:07:00.004-05:00

Ahhhh! it was exciting. I loved being there. Looking south on Main Street from nearby Maple Street, you could see the massive crowds walking north, checking out all the open merchants, stopping in to buy something. A few merchants had 'flannels' for sale and on sale. In the air, smoke hovered along with the aroma of the grilling by the Rotary Club. The RC's grilled chicken dinners were so delicious. You almost got a whole chicken with their chicken dinners - almost.

Yes, it rained, did not pour, some spitting, some very lite rain drops. During the parade, the rain held off, even the sun peaked out several times. It wasn't all that cold, maybe a bit cool, not cold. I was there with my jacket unzipped, facing north and south, sometimes west and east, as I held my expensive professional camera capturing the images of a fun day. A little water doesn't keep Cedar Springs residents, friends, relatives, and others away from all the festivities.

All the bands, both private and public, were very good, never missing a step, cadence, note. They didn't look cold. At least they didn't have to swelter under a hot sun. If you moved about, you were warm. The bands' directors were interesting in their suits, none of which were wet. One band director from the High School was all smiles. You could tell he was enjoying himself. The band director from the Middle School looked like he wanted to be somewhere else yet the band was very good. As he walked past you could hear him mutter "1, 2, 3"

More photos at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=115251&id=541023143&l=69a646090c

And the 2009 AGT Winner IS ----

2009-09-17T10:15:00.003-05:00
Kevin Skinner . . . . . . . . . The Winning Video (my opinion)

The Winning Moment

After the show Interview

Piers Morgan Interview

The HOF Interview

Sharon Osbourne shares her thoughts

Nick Cannon shares

How to Prove Certain Business Expenses

2009-08-21T13:27:00.000-05:00

5. Recordkeeping

Table of Contents

How To Prove Expenses
What Are Adequate Records?
What If I Have Incomplete Records?
Separating and Combining Expenses
How Long To Keep Records and Receipts
Examples of Records

If you deduct travel, entertainment, gift, or transportation expenses, you must be able to prove (substantiate) certain elements of expense. This chapter discusses the records you need to keep to prove these expenses.
If you keep timely and accurate records, you will have support to show the IRS if your tax return is ever examined. You will also have proof of expenses that your employer may require if you are reimbursed under an accountable plan. These plans are discussed in chapter 6 under Reimbursements .

How To Prove Expenses

Table 5-1 is a summary of records you need to prove each expense discussed in this publication. You must be able to prove the elements listed across the top portion of the chart. You prove them by having the information and receipts (where needed) for the expenses listed in the first column.
You cannot deduct amounts that you approximate or estimate.
You should keep adequate records to prove your expenses or have sufficient evidence that will support your own statement. You must generally prepare a written record for it to be considered adequate. This is because written evidence is more reliable than oral evidence alone. However, if you prepare a record on a computer, it is considered an adequate record.

What Are Adequate Records?

You should keep the proof you need in an account book, diary, statement of expense, or similar record. You should also keep documentary evidence that, together with your record, will support each element of an expense.

Documentary evidence. You generally must have documentary evidence, such as receipts, canceled checks, or bills, to support your expenses.

Exception. Documentary evidence is not needed if any of the following conditions apply.

You have meals or lodging expenses while traveling away from home for which you account to your employer under an accountable plan, and you use a per diem allowance method that includes meals and/or lodging. (Accountable plans and per diem allowances are discussed in chapter 6.)

Your expense, other than lodging, is less than $75.

You have a transportation expense for which a receipt is not readily available.

Adequate evidence. Documentary evidence ordinarily will be considered adequate if it shows the amount, date, place, and essential character of the expense. For example, a hotel receipt is enough to support expenses for business travel if it has all of the following information.

The name and location of the hotel.

The dates you stayed there.

Separate amounts for charges such as lodging, meals, and telephone calls.

A restaurant receipt is enough to prove an expense for a business meal if it has all of the following information.

The name and location of the restaurant.

The number of people served.

The date and amount of the expense.

If a charge is made for items other than food and beverages, the receipt must show that this is the case.

Canceled check. A canceled check, together with a bill from the payee, ordinarily establishes the cost. However, a canceled check by itself does not prove a business expense without other evidence to show that it was for a business purpose.

Duplicate information. You do not have to record information in your account book or other record that duplicates information shown on a receipt as long as your records and receipts complement each other in an orderly manner. You do not have to record amounts your employer pays directly for any ticket or other travel item. However, if you charge these items to your employer, through a credit card or otherwise, you must keep a record of the amounts you spend.

Timely-kept records. You should record the elements of an expense or of a business use at or near the time of the expense or use and support it with sufficient documentary evidence. A timely-kept record has more value than a statement prepared later when generally there is a lack of accurate recall. You do not need to write down the elements of every expense on the day of the expense. If you maintain a log on a weekly basis that accounts for use during the week, the log is considered a timely-kept record. If you give your employer, client, or customer an expense account statement, it can also be considered a timely-kept record. This is true if you copy it from your account book, diary, statement of expense, or similar record.

Proving business purpose. You must generally provide a written statement of the business purpose of an expense. However, the degree of proof varies according to the circumstances in each case. If the business purpose of an expense is clear from the surrounding circumstances, then you do not need to give a written explanation.
Example.

If you are a sales representative who calls on customers on an established sales route, you do not have to give a written explanation of the business purpose for traveling that route. You can satisfy the requirements by recording the length of the delivery route once, the date of each trip at or near the time of the trips, and the total miles you drove the car during the tax year. You could also establish the date of each trip with a receipt, record of delivery, or other documentary evidence.

Confidential information. You do not need to put confidential information relating to an element of a deductible expense (such as the place, business purpose, or business relationship) in your account book, diary, or other record. However, you do have to record the information elsewhere at or near the time of the expense and have it available to fully prove that element of the expense.

What If I Have Incomplete Records?

If you do not have complete records to prove an element of an expense, then you must prove the element with:

Your own written or oral statement containing specific information about the element, and

Other supporting evidence that is sufficient to establish the element.

If the element is the description of a gift, or the cost, time, place, or date of an expense, the supporting evidence must be either direct evidence or documentary evidence. Direct evidence can be written statements, or the oral testimony of your guests or other witnesses setting forth detailed information about the element. Documentary evidence can be receipts, paid bills, or similar evidence.

If the element is either the business relationship of your guests or the business purpose of the amount spent, the supporting evidence can be circumstantial, rather than direct. For example, the nature of your work, such as making deliveries, provides circumstantial evidence of

Table 5-1. How to Prove Certain Business Expenses

If you have expenses for . . . THEN you must keep records that show details of the following elements . . .

Amount Time Place or
Description Business Purpose
Business Relationship

Travel Cost of each separate expense for travel, lodging, and meals. Incidental expenses may be totaled in reasonable categories such as taxis, fees and tips, etc. Dates you left and returned for each trip and number of days spent on business. Destination or area of your travel (name of city, town, or other designation). Purpose: Business purpose for the expense or the business benefit gained or expected to be gained.

Relationship: N/A

Entertainment Cost of each separate expense. Incidental expenses such as taxis, telephones, etc., may be totaled on a daily basis. Date of entertainment. (Also see Business Purpose.) Name and address or location of place of entertainment. Type of entertainment if not otherwise apparent. (Also see Business Purpose.) Purpose: Business purpose for the expense or the business benefit gained or expected to be gained.
For entertainment, the nature of the business discussion or activity. If the entertainment was directly before or after a business discussion: the date, place, nature, and duration of the business discussion, and the identities of the persons who took part in both the business discussion and the entertainment activity.

Relationship: Occupations or other information (such as names, titles, or other designations) about the recipients that shows their business relationship to you.
For entertainment, you must also prove that you or your employee was present if the entertainment was a business meal.

Gifts Cost of the gift. Date of the gift. Description of the gift.

Transportation Cost of each separate expense. For car expenses, the cost of the car and any improvements, the date you started using it for business, the mileage for each business use, and the total miles for the year. Date of the expense. For car expenses, the date of the use of the car. Your business destination. Purpose: Business purpose for the expense.

Relationship: N/A

the use of your car for business purposes. Invoices of deliveries establish when you used the car for business.

Sampling. You can keep an adequate record for parts of a tax year and use that record to prove the amount of business or investment use for the entire year. You must demonstrate by other evidence that the periods for which an adequate record is kept are representative of the use throughout the tax year.
Example.

You use your car to visit the offices of clients, meet with suppliers and other subcontractors, and pick up and deliver items to clients. There is no other business use of the car, but you and your family use the car for personal purposes. You keep adequate records during the first week of each month that show that 75% of the use of the car is for business. Invoices and bills show that your business use continues at the same rate during the later weeks of each month. Your weekly records are representative of the use of the car each month and are sufficient evidence to support the percentage of business use for the year.

Exceptional circumstances. You can satisfy the substantiation requirements with other evidence if, because of the nature of the situation in which an expense is made, you cannot get a receipt. This applies if all the following are true.

You were unable to obtain evidence for an element of the expense or use that completely satisfies the requirements explained earlier under What Are Adequate Records .

You are unable to obtain evidence for an element that completely satisfies the two rules listed earlier under What if I Have Incomplete Records .

You have presented other evidence for the element that is the best proof possible under the circumstances.

Destroyed records. If you cannot produce a receipt because of reasons beyond your control, you can prove a deduction by reconstructing your records or expenses. Reasons beyond your control include fire, flood, and other casualty.

Separating and Combining Expenses

This section explains when expenses must be kept separate and when expenses can be combined.

Separating expenses. Each separate payment is generally considered a separate expense. For example, if you entertain a customer or client at dinner and then go to the theater, the dinner expense and the cost of the theater tickets are two separate expenses. You must record them separately in your records.

Season or series tickets. If you buy season or series tickets for business use, you must treat each ticket in the series as a separate item. To determine the cost of individual tickets, divide the total cost (but not more than face value) by the number of games or performances in the series. You must keep records to show whether you use each ticket as a gift or entertainment. Also, you must be able to prove the cost of nonluxury box seat tickets if you rent a skybox or other private luxury box for more than one event. See Entertainment tickets in chapter 2.

Combining items. You can make one daily entry in your record for reasonable categories of expenses. Examples are taxi fares, telephone calls, or other incidental travel costs. Meals should be in a separate category. You can include tips for meal-related services with the costs of the meals. Expenses of a similar nature occurring during the course of a single event are considered a single expense. For example, if during entertainment at a cocktail lounge, you pay separately for each serving of refreshments, the total expense for the refreshments is treated as a single expense.

Car expenses. You can account for several uses of your car that can be considered part of a single use, such as a round trip or uninterrupted business use, with a single record. Minimal personal use, such as a stop for lunch on the way between two business stops, is not an interruption of business use.
Example.

You make deliveries at several different locations on a route that begins and ends at your employer's business premises and that includes a stop at the business premises between two deliveries. You can account for these using a single record of miles driven.

Gift expenses. You do not always have to record the name of each recipient of a gift. A general listing will be enough if it is evident that you are not trying to avoid the $25 annual limit on the amount you can deduct for gifts to any one person. For example, if you buy a large number of tickets to local high school basketball games and give one or two tickets to each of many customers, it is usually enough to record a general description of the recipients.

Allocating total cost. If you can prove the total cost of travel or entertainment but you cannot prove how much it cost for each person who participated in the event, you may have to allocate the total cost among you and your guests on a pro rata basis. To do so, you must establish the number of persons who participated in the event. An allocation would be needed, for example, if you did not have a business relationship with all of your guests. See Allocating between business and nonbusiness in chapter 2.

If your return is examined. If your return is examined, you may have to provide additional information to the IRS. This information could be needed to clarify or to establish the accuracy or reliability of information contained in your records, statements, testimony, or documentary evidence before a deduction is allowed.

How Long To Keep Records and Receipts

You must keep records as long as they may be needed for the administration of any provision of the Internal Revenue Code. Generally, this means you must keep records that support your deduction (or an item of income) for 3 years from the date you file the income tax return on which the deduction is claimed. A return filed early is considered filed on the due date. For a more complete explanation of how long to keep records, get Publication 583, Starting a Business and Keeping Records.

You must keep records of the business use of your car for each year of the recovery period. See More-than-50%-use test in chapter 4 under Depreciation Deduction.

Reimbursed for expenses. Employees who give their records and documentation to their employers and are reimbursed for their expenses generally do not have to keep copies of this information. However, you may have to prove your expenses if any of the following conditions apply.

You claim deductions for expenses that are more than reimbursements.

Your expenses are reimbursed under a nonaccountable plan.

Your employer does not use adequate accounting procedures to verify expense accounts.

You are related to your employer as defined under Per Diem and Car Allowances , in chapter 6.

Reimbursements, adequate accounting, and nonaccountable plans are discussed in chapter 6.

Examples of Records

Examples of records that show the information you need to keep for different types of expenses are included in this publication as Table 6-2 and Table 6-3. They are part of the illustrated examples shown at the end of chapter 6.

Favorite Quotations

2009-08-19T18:59:00.002-05:00
From my Face Book account.

The future is what you make it! Without the future, there is no hope, no love, and no security. - Robert M Worth, Jr.

Sex is for the young, unless you are on Viagra.

Lewis Carroll once said "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there".

Why not focus and do what Alan Kay recommends when he said "The best way to predict the future is to invent it".

Will Durant has another take on the future when he said "The future never just happened. It was created".

Maybe Dwight D. Eisenhower had the focus when he stated "Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of future to run over him".

Think about it a minute as Alvin Toffler said "Our moral responsibility is not to stop the future, but to shape it ... to channel our destiny in humane directions and to ease the trauma of transition".

Carl Sagan looks at the present when predicting the future by "The visions we offer our children shape the future. It matters what those visions are. Often they become self-fulfilling prophecies. Dreams are maps".

Can we afford to ignore the writings of Peter Drucker when he says "The only thing we know about the future is that it will be different".

The best but not the last, the auto and health magnet Charles F. Kettering looks at the future a different way - "We should all be concerned about the future because we will have to spend the rest of our lives there".

My own thoughts concern all three dimensions of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - "What you learn from the past will influence the present which ultimately shapes the future, not only for you but everyone around you". - Robert M Worth, Jr.

And the 2008 AGT Winner IS ----

2009-08-11T14:12:00.003-05:00

Who will win the 2009 prize? Kevin Skinner WON! Wow. I thought for sure it would be Grandma Lee!

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Literacy

2009-07-12T22:29:00.001-05:00
I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg.The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

When Unemployment Runs Out

2009-07-09T19:20:00.004-05:00

Extensions aside, unemployment runs out
22% will fall off the rolls by January, job or not
That's the headline for the link that if you click on the title will take you to the article. In the article, they highlight the fact that Kevin Heine's unemployment will run out soon. His background is admirable yet he hasn't found a job that he wants nor one that he is qualified for at this time. The article goes on to say that by January, nearly 100,000 (22%) of the people on the Michigan Unemployment Roles will simply drop off because the money has been exhausted for them. Including all their extensions.

Below is the response that I provided in the Comment section.
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I can relate. I was suppose to get 26 weeks but they cut me off at 22 weeks claiming they ran out of money. That was in 2004. Complaining got me no where. Fortunately, I had a small part time job. I never collected the full amount of the unemployment so I don't know how they ran out of money. 6-months later I filed for Social Security. Otherwise, I would be homeless.

I sincerely feel for these people who can't find work. Yet, there are a lot of jobs out there to be had if people will only change and learn a new craft. Most won't because they have a narrow view of themselves and their capabilities. Thus, many of these people will probably starve, become criminals, or simply learn a new craft before it is too late. Just think about Kevin Heine and where he would be had he turned those energies into creating his own business . . . But he didn't and here he is!

Michigan Works doesn't encourage people to be their own boss. Their charter says that everyone should be sheep and work for someone else. Maybe because people who work for themselves don't fund the Michigan Works system. Or maybe the people who work at Michigan Works don't know any better.
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I know several people who make minimum wage, simply feel they will always be poor so why try to change, and live their lives scraping about.

Yet, there are thousands of jobs every day that go unfilled. As an example - consumable products. Every body uses them, everybody! Even the unemployed. Like deodorant, toothpaste, soap for the laundry, soap for the dishes, band aids for the kids or themselves, food. Every day, this stuff gets used. That's why they are called consumables. Where do you get these items?

You can buy them from your own business and keep the profits or you can buy them from the grocery store and make the owners of that store wealthier. Huh? Well, think about it; what if you were the store owner? You don't need an inventory to be able to sell consumables. All you need to do is figure out a way to change the way people shop. You want them to buy from you all those consumables. Then you can keep the profits and buy food, shoes, stuff like that. Maybe, as your business grows, you can buy a new car and a new house. Just convince people that you have a better product and they should buy from you.

It works. I know people who do this and they are quite wealthy. And it is all about consumer consumables. Toothpaste, deodorant, food, that kind of stuff.

You can remain unemployed feeling sorry for yourself or you can get with the program.

Burns on Children

2009-06-24T15:51:00.005-05:00
Sept 25, 1954, four 9-10-10-11-year olds decided to play in the alley behind the house of three of them, all brothers. The fourth was a friend from school. One of the kids say they had this liquid that could burn on bare ground. So, being adventuress, one of the brothers went into the garage to get this liquid. The friend said "give it to me to pour since I have the matches". He put a little on the ground and lit it with some matches he had in his pockets. Wow. The 4 waited til it burned out and the friend began to pour more on the bare ground. They were watching hell burn, as they put it. One of the other three decided to throw a lit match into the liquid being poured.

Immediately, the fire climbed up the stream of gasoline being poured from the can. And, flames on the ground made their way to the pant leg of the small, 47-pound young boy. Within a matter of milliseconds, flames had engulfed the entire right side of that child. He immediately began running toward the brothers' house, screaming at the top of his lungs. The brothers' father came rushing out of the house to see what was wrong. Saw, went back in and grabbed a blanket. In the meantime, one of the brothers got a pan of water and threw on the boy, flames got worse and began to turn to steam.

The father returned with a blanket and began to roll the boy on the ground to put out the flames. He then put the boy in the back seat of his car and took him to the hospital emergency room. His parents were called. The hospital had to look up their phone number in the phone book because the young lad was in and out of consciousness. Burns were quite evident from his knees all the way up to his shoulders. Hands had second degree burns.

Family arrived minutes later and conferred with doctors as to best treatment. There were no burn centers in those days.

For the rest of this story to find out if the boy lived, scroll down to my post on
Friday, May 15, 2009

Power of Prayer

"i" Before "e" If You Can Remember

2009-06-21T10:23:00.005-05:00
The Brits have done it again. Changing the rules for the English language by simplifying the rules.

As one gets older and learns thousands of new words, almost daily, it really is difficult, if not entirely impossible, to remember the rules and all the exceptions to those rules. I know, I'm there. Most spell checkers can't keep up so you're left to your own wits with simply guessing at the spelling. The Internet isn't helping either what with so many abbreviations that confuse the older generation as well as neophytes who don't twitter, facebook, or even myspace. My spell checker is going nuts now with facebook and myspace telling me of the incorrect spelling according to its rules.

And what about it's and its? See, even with the rules of construction, we violate several rules about run on words. Or do we? Yes, we do! The word it's is not one word when the apostrophe is replaced with the letter i. Then it becomes two words. Yet, the word its is spelled correctly because it is a possessive noun.

So as to keep my keen awareness of words and their meanings I practice looking at several words each day by figuring out their meanings by changing one or more letters within the words. It's a wonder how anyone can master how the English language is constructed. I never got it until I took Latin as a freshman in high school at a private school. I never really got Latin either; however, the rules for the English language all fell into place correctly. I was fortunate to transfer to a public school system where I learned how to lay out the structure of a sentence. I use that method a lot when I get confused.

The other aspect of the English language is what is known as readability. Readability is at what grade level we speak, write, and invoke communication. As an example, the "Wall Street Journal" is written to a Masters level of understanding (grade 18 and above). Your local newspaper is written to a 4th grade level. Technical journals are written in jargon that a regular person has no clue what is being said.

I ask my peers when they are going to begin communicating on FaceBook and Twitter. The response, typically, is negative as their perception is that it is for the very young. Yet, business is finding the social networks are a good marketing method because of whom they are targeting for their products. Yet, the language, while English (depends on country) for many in the world, is different. Weird combinations of words and letters. Like BFF. At first, I thought it had to do with the gay community and bi-sexual orientations. But, before I opened my big mouth, I asked someone in the know what it meant. That's the hard part - the asking. You feel really stupid when they look at you like you should have known. Or is that my imagination playing games with me.

So, what's with this their and there? And what happened to the i before e rule?

LMAOROF really gets a lot of people. Although the short FU does not. See, most people are just now getting it because they learn how to shorten words for phone text (not to be confused with phone sex), twitter, and facebook commenting.

Quackery - Watching Out For It

2009-06-12T00:09:00.009-05:00
I found this quack site because of an article from MSNBC News today. Out of curiosity I decided to see what this site is all about www.quackwatch.com. Me thinks that is is a bit of a quack as well. Not many references are dated in recent years (like 2008/2009). Most of the references go back to the mid-to late 90's and very early in this century. What does this say? Old news is just that - OLD NEWS. Chances are that it is so old that the writings could be considered pure quackery.

However, with that said, I found an article on Reiki dated in April of this year. And, based on my experience, the article is all wet. True to form, medical practitioners with the MD credentials ALWAYS claim that alternative medicines have no value. Frankly, this isn't true - alternative medicines DO HAVE value and I can firmly attest to that in many ways.

Regardless of the alleged credentials for this man who owns quackwatch.com, I'm thinking that he is and always will be the biggest quack there is. He's using this web site for his own agenda and that could be of great danger to anyone seeking an honest opinion. His opinion is skewed considerably based on his own doctrine, by which in and of itself, can be highly toxic and dangerous.

For many of us, as with any kind of medicine, one needs to be receptive. Many medical practices don't always work even if they are accepted by the establishment. The same holds true for alternative medicines.
I use to be a terrible sales person before I got hypnotized and got cured. Now, I'm a top notch sales person.

Acupuncture helped with the pain of arthritic deterioration in my thumb areas.

Reiki helped tremendously with my leg infections, the thumb pain, and other maladies.

I miss those days when I could afford the alternative medical care. It helped me a lot. Given all that I have said, there were a couple of times it would not. However, I truly believe that alternative medicine is much akin to traditional medicine because TM (traditional medicine) doesn't always work.

Just so you know, my point of view is my own and has nothing to do with the professional relationships that I have with two clients in this area Dayton Acupuncture and The Therapy Center of Practical Medicine. The Reiki was performed by Ginny Hayataka who has an office in Rockford Michigan. She doesn't have a web site yet although I have been talking with her about it.

Insurance companies recognize alternative medicine techniques as a healing mechanism. State licensing legislation has been 'loosened' in recent years to allow for more practitioners. So, I would like to know where this guy who runs the quackwatch.com web site gets off with publishing information so old that it probably is no longer applicable nor valid.

Faith Discrimination in America, the Land of the Free

2009-06-09T16:06:00.004-05:00
We are a people who profess freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of who we are whether we be of yellow, red, white, brown, or black skin and everything in between. Yet, a close friend of mine was recently discriminated against because of her faith, what she practices, whom she believes in, and isn't afraid to profess it. She believes in an ancient faith based system known as Buddhism.

This is her story and I ask those who did the discrimination "whom in hell gave you permission to judge another person's faith? And if you are Christians, then you surely have committed the most grievous sin that your faith does not approve".

Recently, my Faith has been tested. I have not yet been judged or excluded from any activity due to my belief system, but I was this week. I was strong and confident in my belief to speak my truth about what I believe, and it stopped me from being part of something. So, I sat and sat, vented to a couple of friends ( thanks ) and stood strong. I came away with something I had not before... a deeper understanding of how Faith can be comforting and a deeper respect for living in a country where I can have my own Faith. Did it cost me a project I would have loved to be a part of, Yes. Did it help me connect more deeply and stronger to my Divine, Yes. My belief is that if I am destined to be part of this project, I will. Lesson learned...

Our world is made up of all kinds of humans (people), many different faiths, many different cultures, and many different languages. Our forefathers came to America to rid themselves of regimes that barred them from practicing their faith among other wrongs. Have we, as a people, forgotten the rights that our Constitution provides our citizens? Why do we continue to behave in discrimination when we know in our hearts and souls that it is wrong? Whom or what gave you that right? No one and no Deity gave you permission to behave in this manner.

Whomever did this to my friend should look into their soul and ask themselves "what have I done?" How many pieces of silver did you earn by turning against your neighbor because she only wanted to tell you about her Faith? What Deity said it was OK to shun those who believe and practice their Faith different from you? Please explain yourself or be considered the worlds worst coward, ignorant, and just plain inhumane in your deeds.

Dreams & Goals

2009-05-29T11:33:00.010-05:00
My son has dreamed about driving one of those race cars around the Indy 500 track. He got his chance last week. Here's a quip from my daughter-in-law about that dream. She sends these anecdotes daily to a number of folks in her sphere of influence. Today, she sparked this BLOG because it all came home to me today about why we dream of doing stuff.

"Watching my spouse drive around that Indy track was quite amazing.. the energy was wonderful.

"So, message is simple for today. Do what you dream, take time to play and remember that you are here in this life time for only a " moment.""

My response to her message:

"That's always been my motto. So many people like to shred your dreams because of their own perceived idea of what they are - I can name a few in my life that have attempted to take my dreams away from me, and almost succeeded. Until I realized, my dreams are not their dreams. What I do is and always will be much different then they can ever understand. A dream is what you make it."

I've always had this dream of being the Ansel Adams of color photography. Everyone says that black and white photography is the coolest, I've found that color can be as well IF you play the angles, light, and shadows as each plays a specific role in color photography. I've always wanted to be in business for myself even though, as a teenager, I was denying the inevitable. My dream was to be successful, whatever that meant (when you are young, the term successful, eludes you and you have all kinds of ideas what it means). I've been successful. I'm not rich in terms of money but I am successful. Two photos have been published in a New York Times Best Seller. America 24/7.

As far as being in business? I own three companies all doing different things. One is in photography, web site designs, and brand promotion; one is in the e-commerce business; and a third helps other people realize their dreams as well through mentoring and encouragement. Am I successful with these dreams? Sure because I like what I do. Although, again, I'm not in it for the money. I'm in it for the satisfaction that I have accomplished my dreams.

As a teenager, I had another dream to be able to grow sideburns and long hair. I couldn't do it until a year ago. I'm 65+. Go figure. My hair would curl and I could go days without shaving. It was that way for years. Seven years ago, I began shaving my head. It was fun going around bald. However, I would only have to do it for a couple of days each week. Hair would simply not grow. In May of last year, I quit shaving, don't know why, just did. Now there are sideburns the hair is down to the shoulders and still growing straight, no curls. Go figure but the dream came true because I was patient.

And that leads up to the next tip: Dreams come true if you work them and have patience. Rome wasn't built in a day nor did it fall in a day. Treat your dreams like building an empire. Once there, treat them with respect and they will not fail you.

How Did You Spend Your Stimulus?

2009-05-27T18:35:00.003-05:00
I've been thinking about this for quite some time. The Stimulus was designed to jump start the economy. Whether it has remains to be seen. I got $250 because I receive Social Security. That's it. How did I spend it?

1) I got a hair cut - first one in over a year
2) I purchase a pair of Crocks
3) Paid a couple of bills
4) Went to the movies
5) Purchased some ink for my printer
6) Purchased a few pieces of clothing - T-shirts
5) Purchased a fluffy chair pad for my couch
6) Purchased a lot of food - mostly fruit
7) Purchased a better grade of TP
8) Purchased twice as many Go-Bus ADA tickets
9) Purchased lunch when meeting with my CPA (he always buys)
10) Purchased breakfast for a client at a business meeting

Now, I'm broke again. Did I stimulate the economy? Maybe. Will it repeat? No! Why not? I'm back on the fixed income of Social Security. While every business 'thinks' they are going to continue getting an influx of business, the truth is they won't. It was a one time shot.

At least I have new T's. Now, if I can only find shorts that fit me. Meijer's use to carry my size. Not any more! Bummer. I'll wear what I have until they wear out - only they are and I continue to have restricted funds. Maybe one pair a month.

I'm back to eating poorly because of the high cost of edibles at the grocery store. My renal specialist wants me to eat more tomatoes. I use to when I could get them for 99 cents a pound. Too expensive now.

My fridge is empty. My freezer is empty. Have you ever noticed the grocery stores come out with specials at the end of the month? They know that no one has any money, especially the 41 million plus Senior Citizens. Now, they know that no one is going to buy the stuff any way except, next week when the Social Security checks hit the bank accounts, all those sale prices will revert to the higher prices.

Why have a Stimulus when the people who should benefit have to pay more? It doesn't make sense.

Gay or Straight or Straight or Gay

2009-05-26T15:56:00.001-05:00
I'm as straight as you can get. However, I do believe each person should be able to decide for themselves if they want to lead a straight life (through drug induced therapy) or as a gay/heterosexual. As a people, we should never never deny the right of people to live or choose the kind of life between gay and straight. That's as bad as the nuns in the Catholic school that my son attended saying that it was a sin for him to be left handed and then attempted to change him to a right handed person. It's just wrong to attempt or even tell people to live one kind of sexual style.

As a straight person I'm all for gay rights, left hand rights, disability rights, religious rights, and all that those rights encompass.

It's just like all the males in the world telling females that they have no rights because they are females. Yea, right - go find some other cause like telling the Muslims, Jews, and Hindu's they have no right to practice their faith because it conflicts with yours. You DO NOT HAVE THAT RIGHT and legislating it is a pure violation of why we are who we are as a nation.

You've Got To Be Kidding Me America

2009-05-19T11:42:00.004-05:00

Well, next week is the big show. This definitely will be interesting and I'm looking forward to just being a spectator in the audience. In this day and age, comedy is what keeps our minds off of our perceived problems and challenges.

If ya'll have a chance, come out to this event. Read the press release here:

http://www.partnerstoresinc.com/newsreleases.html

Have Scientist Really Found How Life Began?

2009-05-16T16:24:00.004-05:00
Do we really know for sure? If your kids ask you a question that you do not know the answer to, most likely you'll make something up rather then look stupid. 30-years later, those kids will be faced with the same question and their response will be (almost) identical to what their parents said. After centuries of questions and answers, there will be inevitably a response that has no bearing to the first answer millineums before.

Rather then admit that we really don't know, we tend to lean on a hand written work that was penned thousands of years ago and processed through interpretation into other languages. Yet, it was written as the true FAQ in such a manner to answer all those questions asked by kids. Plus, a bit of dramatics around the answers to make it interesting. Still, it was written in a language that neither you nor I and many thousands people in the world cannot read. This leaves for many errors in interpretation. Yet, as a people we take for granted the interpretation is correct when there is the distinct possibility it could be full of flaws and inaccuracies.

So, the end result is "do we really know?"

Power of Prayer

2009-05-15T17:09:00.001-05:00
Praying gives comfort to know a higher authority just might help with the healing and other anguishes in this world. It isn't important whether it comes or not, yet you never know.

I'm a firm believer in prayer as well as a victim of it. When I was ten I was involved in a terrible accident. I died and came back because I had one of those out of body experiences . . . Prayer? maybe.

I wasn't suppose to live. Kids in these type of accidents have a 99% chance of dying and, to put it in perspective, only a 9/10 chance of living. Prayer? Perhaps.

One of my injuries wouldn't heal. My aunt had returned from being on vacation where she visited one of the most sacred spots in the world known for helping people heal. She brought with her several vials of the holy water with her. She poured them on my back. It healed much to the amazement of the doctors. Miracle? Perhaps.

My mother was so overwhelmed by everything that she went out and got drunk every night and then drove to the hospital where they had to turn her away because of her drunkenness. My father took care of his grief by going to work 70-hours each week and coming to see me monthly. Nice parents - dorks.

I was in the hospital for 4 1/2 months for an injury that should have killed me. Did prayer save me? Perhaps.

What do you think?

Congratulations Graduates

2009-05-10T23:35:00.003-05:00
The most important part of graduating is the important part of 'saying you did it'. It can never be taken away from you. It is the greatest moment in time when you are awarded with that diploma/certificate/degree that says "you did it". It is one of the greatest achievements in life and simply proves the human brain is more then what we give it credit for.

You can fall in and out of love, get the greatest job in the world and then loose it through no fault of your own, make a ton of money and then be poor as hell but you will always know that you accomplished your greatest roll in life. A roll that no one can take from you. The roll of learning what you may have thought was impossible.

Again, congratulations on the huge achievement.

Tweet Tweet Tweet

2009-04-15T22:07:00.003-05:00
Interesting title, don't you think? Well, unlike Twitter, I can write as much as I want here.

I hear Google is interested in purchasing Twitter. That would be a hoot. One more neat item they can add to their family.

You know, if you are not doing the technology thing, you're still living in the past. Me, I really like living in the future. You see I firmly believe that once the past has past, we learn from it, create what we are doing for today and then plan for tomorrow - the future. Because once the future is here and we had a part in creating it, then today is a much better day. Why allow someone else to actually control your future? Don't you want a hand in it as well? OK, so you don't - just as well, saves me from having to work harder to make my future better. The less clutter we have from the those who could care less about their future the better it is for all of us helping to make our future better. I have only a few words for you - tweet tweet tweet!

Speaking of getting with it and I don't care how old you are, get with the program.

Sign up for MySpace. It's a fun place.
Sign up for facebook. It's more of a fun place.
Sign up for LinkedIn. It will allow you to network with your peers, whomever they are.
Sign up for Twitter. You'll learn how to write very short sentences that make sense.
Sign up for viewpoints. Here's a way you can express any views you have - generally you have a lot which is why you gossip as much as you do. So, now you can share those views with a few million rather then your inner circle.

And quit complaining you don't have hi-speed access to the Internet. You don't have to have wires running to your house/home to get hi-speed access to the Internet.

And quit complaining you are too old to learn how. All those are excuses for wanting to die. While you bitch about the world today, that same world is passing you by while you are out standing in your field of pity. You'll die a lonely death. How sad that is. Bite your tongue and get with it.

On the other hand, maybe I should simply find a nice rocker, sit in it, and stare out the window waiting for the end to come. How boring!

Some Things Never Change

2009-04-14T21:59:00.010-05:00
Today I had the opportunity to visit my personal library to take some time to read up on my profession of photography. I have a collection of magazines that go back several years - some what of a pack rat with these specialized rags. My rationalization says I might need them some day. The rag I chose was the April 2003 issue of "shutterbug". Hey, that's six years ago. A lot of technology changes have taken place during the last six years. Amazing!

This issue was a virgin issue meaning I never took the time to devour it and then flag tag a number of articles that I might learn from. Or use in some web site. I got all kinds of flag tags on it now. I found an article that talks about panning the camera to capture motion without blur. I've done that a number of times with ducks in flight. My technique is a bit different then what the article described but nevertheless, some things never change.

Another article is on "Creating Panoramic Images Digitally". What caught my eye was a reference to the Olympus Lithium Polymer battery pack. Supposedly, that pack can give you enough of a charge to last several days. Hum, wonder if it still exists. I could use that sucker and I bet a lot of others could too. So, off I go to Google to see what I can find. Turns out to be the model B-12LPB and one place has it for $118.00. I wonder how it attaches? I'll have to get more info on this beast. Maybe I can offer it in one of my stores. I'm sure there would be some need for it.

The next flag got placed on an advertisement for the Cloud Dome. Of course I read it wrong because of the way the graphics were placed. I thought it read "Cloud Do Me" and it took me a while before I realized that "Do Me" was one word and not two words.

The next flag was placed on a Canon ad about the EOS Elan7e with eye control. I think I own one of those and will be offering it on eBay now that I know what I want to say. Another one of those Some Things Never Change. I liked that camera. It was sweet the way I could control it with just my eye. Film and processing, unfortunately, was getting very expensive and by that time I had a very nice 5-mega pixel camera from Olympus.

And last but not least, an ancient Chinese Proverb caught my eye - "Be not afraid of growing slowly, be afraid of standing still". I flagged that article because it is about web profiles and having multiple images and multiple web sites. Hum, I feel better now because I too have all of that and more. Some Things Never Change, they only look different in how you perceive them to be.

Dr. Kutner Commits Suicide and Leaves House

2009-04-07T13:22:00.003-05:00
Kobi Ghosh, a writer with zap2it.com, says it best "The suicide of Kal Penn's "House" character Lawrence Kutner came as a major surprise to not only viewers of the show on Monday night, but to Kutner's on screen colleagues too".

Interesting article and a darn good review. There were many comments to the story line. I left mine and I'm repeating it here.

"If I wasn't on medication, I could be in the same shape. Depression is a really nasty mental disorder caused by issues that none us really can fix. It's one of those really sickening things that happen to humans. Now, combine that with bi-polar and you have an extremely dangerous situation. Not only from the person who is suffering but also to everyone around that person.

"What makes it even worse is when you have employers who could careless and organizations who shun everyone in these situations. That's even sadder. But it speaks to how we as humans behave towards one another for illnesses of this type. It's because we can't get a grip on it nor our hands around it. An elusive beast at best.

"This episode brought all of these things out into the open. I hope FOX does more of these shows. Then maybe the human race can come to understand these illnesses are just what they are - dangerous!".

Organic Gardening & Bill HR 875 = absurd news

2009-04-06T19:33:00.003-05:00
Have you ever gotten an email from a trusted friend who wants to be sure you know that something is going down that is just not right? Sure you have, we all have. And when we find out we were victims, we feel violated, embarrassed that we fell for such things. Well, let me tell you, this is the way of the Internet and the power of the humans sharing information. Our friends, mutual acquaintances, family members, business associates, and others mean no harm - they want you to know about potential dangers.

How do you protect yourself and them from such absurdities and urban legends? Easy - too easy for most of us. Go to www.snopes.com and do a few minutes of research. For, after all, if you pass on the rumors then you become a double victim. Remember, you are smarter then the average 5th grader and they would swallow what you tell them hook, line, and sinker without question. We learn later in our growing years when to question things rather then simply acting on faith.

There are a few emails circulating about how Bill HR 875 is intended to outlaw Organic Gardening. That's pure and simple bunk! HR 875 is legit although for different reasons.

Reference information to get your act together and get it right:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/organic.asp
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:h875

Don't forget to remember what happens if you yell 'Wolf' more then 3-times. Sure, you know, what you say in your business and personal life will no longer be trusted. Weird, huh! We want to share and we want to have faith that what we hear and read is for real, yet we condemn those who get it wrong - repeatedly.

Moral of this story? Check it out before you pass it on - www.snopes.com

FAT City

2009-03-27T07:01:00.006-05:00
I was remarking to a health care provider yesterday about an observation that I make each time I visit one of my health care offices. Fortunately, the lady I was talking to had her weight under control at 5 ft 2 in and 60 years old. Jay Leno is on a rampage about the oxymoron between what we're suppose to be doing with our life styles and what we actually do.

See, I can write about this because I am a bit overweight. I know I should exercise and probably will when the weather gets better. I've been tracking my weight for several years and I have discovered that when I am really stressed, I tend to eat all the bad foods. Odd, however, I do have my cholesterol under control and my heart, lungs, and other body organs are the correct size for a skinny person (except one). Even the doc that did my annual physical had a hard time finding my prostrate gland. Of course, he said it was small and normal.

Yes, I have a few debilitating medical issues that tend to baffle the medical profession but that's another story for a different byline. Today, I want to make one statement to the medical profession. PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH.

Have you ever been told to LOOSE some of that gut if not all? Have you been told that you risk a heart attack if you continue the lifestyle of pounds vs life? Probably. We all know, or should know, the correct foods to consume, the exercises we should do, and all that other stuff to live a long and healthy life.

Yet, the same people that tell you to loose weight have a penchant for employing whales or even semi-whales. Plus, some of those telling you about how your life style should be reflect the axiom of Don't Do As I Say, Do As I Do. You look at them with a jaundiced eye and wonder why they preach one thing and, seriously dude, refuse to practice their own words. Makes you wonder, right?

Here's the thing, I gave up fast foods years ago. Once in a while I might have one of those fat burgers just to get the grease into my system, the taste of the trans fats, and the replenishment of the salts in my body that I need for survival. Once in a while. Like once or twice a year.

I'm on three conflicting diets for health reasons - a low oxalate for help to minimize kidney stones, low salt to minimize edema, and a diabetic diet to ease that insulin issue. I do what I can to balance those diets without serious harm. Last May (2008) I gave up ice cream. It was hard. When I went shopping, I tested my will and ALWAYS went down the ice cream aisle. Then in November I got stressed out, for some reason, and broke the will. For a month I splurged on ice cream gaining 25-pounds. Now, if I had a 110 lb frame, that wouldn't be so bad but I don't. I'm over 250 and have smashed the 300 mark again. It will take me six months to get rid of that 25 pounds of splurging for 1-month. Still, my frame is bulky so I have the right to criticize the medical profession for saying one thing and doing another.

Fat City is about FAT MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS. And my comment to them is like my comment is to smokers - QUIT.

Are you a Twit

2009-03-11T06:58:00.010-05:00
I did it again. Now, I'm a twit. http://twitter.com/Rob_Worth First it was a nerd, then someone said I was an entrepreneur, and lastly, a guru.

What's this world coming to? MySpace and FaceBook aren't enough for keeping up with invading other people's privacy? And today I've joined the world for Twits.

I always new I was a twit. When I was in high school, I was known as the school twit.

Back in those days, the word "Twit" had a whole different meaning then it does today. In some other circles, twit takes on a sexual connotation. I can't remember what Twit meant meant back then. We didn't have gurus although we did have nerds. Except we didn't have a clue what a computer was because we communicated with cheap stamps, paper, pen, and an envelope. If I wanted to tell a girl in a far distant city how I felt about her, I had to write a letter. Sure, I could call but it would be from the home phone and long distance rates were something like $2 per minute. We had pay phones too but you better have had a bunch of quarters handy or they cut you off after 3-minutes.

Nerds were those people that were brainiacs. They carried pocket protectors in their shirts and it was filled with lots of pens. They never wore T-shirts nor jeans. And they certainly never fit in with ordinary people.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Twitter, Inc.

Type Private

Founded 2006

Headquarters San Francisco, California, USA

Key people Jack Dorsey, Chairman
Evan Williams, CEO
Biz Stone, Creative Director

Industry mobile social network service, micro-blogging

Employees 34^[1]

Website http://twitter.com/

Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length. Updates are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default). Users can send and receive updates via the Twitter website, SMS, RSS (receive only), or through applications such as Tweetie, Twitterrific, Twitterfon and Feedalizr. The service is free to use over the web, but using SMS may incur phone services provider fees.
------------------------------------------------------
Now that's heavy. So far, there are no blasting of advertisements like there is on MySpace and FaceBook. So, I'm wondering how these people do this for free. Obviously, they have other business interests that pave the way. You never know, I guess. Hopefully, they aren't accumulating addresses and selling them. Some organization make millions off captured private data like where you live and then sell it to those Snail-Mail Spammers. We call that Junk mail.
Why am I twitting? Networking. I'm after every conceivable means to update potential buyers of the products I am selling, for afterall, the business I am in is promoting my clients' interests as well as my own.
You network for success. You build those relationships. How you do it, is the key in this economy.

Time to Get Real

2009-03-06T13:30:00.016-05:00
I went to see a couple of M.D.s this week. One was a Urologist and the other was a specialist in sleep therapy. You're probably wondering why I'm bringing this up. Well, I've been thinking about it and I'm irritated with the medical profession in general.

A few posts back I mentioned a child hood illness that I had. It was, more or less, self-induced. Primarily by doing stupid things when I was 10-years old. Like playing with a bunch of other kids in an alley pouring gasoline on the ground and watching hell burn. In some ways, it was more exciting then anything I had ever done . . . until one of the other kids got more stupid and threw a lighted match while I was pouring. OK, from my knees to my shoulders I burned and burned. 3rd degree, some of it very deep, almost to the bone on my skinny arms.

I had on Army Surplus pants. Those are the ones with deep square pockets. I had a church Missile in the right pocket. That area on my thigh was spared from the burning flesh. I had on a wide belt so my waist was spared as well. But the rest of it got me pretty good on both legs. More so on the right, except for that one patch and mostly in the front. Because I also had matches in my right pocket, those flared up and took out my right front and back sides as well as a portion of my right upper arm.

Then another lad decided the best way to help me, as I ran towards the house screaming at the top of my lungs, he decided to throw a pail of cold water on me. Oops! That is the worst thing you can do to a gasoline burning flesh eating chemical. It turns to instant steam which burns deeper and faster then the flames. The ends of my fingers got singed but only to the 2nd degree.

Keep in mind I was ten years old and barely weighed 47 pounds. The father of one of the lads quickly threw a blanket over me and rolled me in the dirt of their back yard. Lucky me. He then put me into the back seat of his car and drove me to the hospital. I remember a neighbor lady repeatedly saying "I thought they were just playing and screaming, I had no idea this was going on". Yea, right.

My mom and dad were called. Dad went into emergency gear, called some family doctors in a town 100 miles away who said to bring me there for experimental treatment. They did that in the back of an ambulance, which in those days looked like a hearse. By that time I had become numb, and was in and out of conscientiousness. This all took place in Greenville Ohio. The town they were taking me to was Indianapolis Indiana. Indianapolis was two and half hours to the west. All by hearse and no sirens. Supposedly they weren't licensed to use the sirens in Indiana. I think that has all changed by now. The time period was September 25, 1954.

And for those wondering ab0ut those other special organs, yes they were cooked. However, and lucky for me, only 2nd degree burns. Had it been anything worse, they would have no alternative then to amputate because certain functions would not be permissible. . . like erections later in life. Nevertheless, the heat and degree of the burn sterilized me for life.

I wasn't suppose to live. When they eventually got me to St. Vincent's Hospital, it was strange. And much different then today. I got my own private room on the fourth floor. I remember them standing me up to weigh me. I passed out. Plus, the pain started again. The experimental treatment was something new because it was saving lives out west. The typical burn patient is wrapped in gauze so they look like a mummy. Me? They put me in a tent, no dressings. Kids wrapped up had a 99% chance of dying due to infection setting in almost immediately. Having an open air approach allowed the burns to 'dry' out. It worked, I'm still here.

I'll talk about the rest of my 4-month healing process later. For now, I want to concentrate on why I'm irritated with the medical community and I don't think it is isolated.

We have a lot of people in the US and the world that have suffered from extreme burns. Those who survive have weird stories to tell about the medical profession later in life. Almost to the point where we want to strangle some doctors and wonder why they are permitted to practice their craft.

Skin grafts stand out. They are brown, have ridges known as scar tissue, lots of patch work and don't stretch. During the winter, they crack open due to dryness of the air. It's painful as well as itching all at the same time. I keep the grafts 'wet' with oil and creams but 'moisturizing the graft is much different then normal skin. The reason is because there are no sweat glands, no oil pores, nothing, just the graft with weird nerve endings attached to it, if at all. Grafts also tend to want to 'attach' themselves to the layers of muscle beneath them as compared to normal skin that floats on a liquid layer. To get a better picture of what this is like, think about chewing gum. When it is warm you can stretch it every which way. Now take that same gum and dip it into cold water. Now stretch it - you can't. That is what a skin graft is like.

The scar tissue is the worse. If it gets irritated it burns as a pain. Getting it to heal is darn near impossible because any clothing touching it just makes it worse. I've developed a few concoctions over the years that help although those concoctions aren't always the best for clothing.

Now, this urologist is doing his examining of me and says in an ignorant voice "what surgical operation did you have on your waist and back that produced such a long scar?" I wanted to punch the asshole because here is a Medical Doctor (M.D.) who knows squat about burns even though it is on my paper work I gave him. I looked at him and said in an irritating voice "That's scar tissue from skin grafts, it has nothing to do with any kind of a surgical operation". What an idiot.

The Nephrologist (Renal specialist) who I've been going to see for the last 7-years for a renal deficiency is almost as bad. I leak high levels of protein in my urine. They don't know why because every test they can do on my kidneys says they are normal except for the leakage. I asked this guy, nice M.D., to do some research to see if the condition is because of the burns. You think he would, right? Nope. Hasn't done anything like that. He continues to practice text book medicine on me and gets nowhere.

When my grafts break open, the primary physician group sends me to the Wound Clinic at Metro Hospital. The Wound Center staff want to do diopler testing on my legs to see how much pressure I can stand for certain kinds of pressure stockings. Every lab I go to refuses to do the testing because they say the skin grafts will burst if any kind of pressure is applied to them and then it would be so painful that I would pass out. They don't want the liability. All this is reported back to the Wound Center medical staff who are befuddled by the challenge. Yet, this same medical staff refuses to do any research in how to treat burn victims correctly. They all want to follow the norm for normal people.

That's why I'm irritated by the current slate of medical professionals in this town.

Time to Get Real

2009-03-06T13:30:00.015-05:00
I have no clue why this title was duplicated. And if I delete it, the other one get's deleted too. aaarrrrgh!

Weather Watch - Huh?

2009-02-18T21:20:00.003-05:00
Test time. I get weather warnings. Lots of them. Most are gibberish like the following:

----- Original Message -----
From: <StormTeam8-WxWarn@wood.weatherwarn.net>

To:

Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 4:14 PM

Subject: Winter Weather Update

> /O UPG KGRR WW Y 0007 000000T0000Z-090220T0000Z/
> /O NEW KGRR WS W 0004 090219T0100Z-090220T0000Z/
>
>
>

Most of the time I'd like to wring the web master's neck that created these kind of emails. Obviously, there is no quality control on the garbage he sprews forth on unsuspecting readers. Sad.

This one's a little weirder:

----- Original Message -----
From: <StormTeam8-WxWarn@wood.weatherwarn.net>

To:

Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2009 2:42 AM

Subject: Winter Weather Update

> /O CAN KGRR WW Y 0007 000000T0000Z-090218T1800Z/
> INCLN THE CITIES OF REED CITY CLARE BIG RAPIDS
>
>
>

The time stamps are all wrong as well. Or, they have been sitting somewhere waiting for a signel to be sent. These were not in my in-box two hours ago. It is now 9:30 pm on the 18th.

The World from the eyes of a handicapped senior citizen

2009-02-18T18:23:00.008-05:00
I debated whether to write this. It's been on my mind for some time. Now, for those of you who know me, you're probably asking why would I write something like this. It's simple. I've been a handicapped person all my life or at least since I was ten years old. No body knows that except family members. It's one of those things that you can't see and when it isn't evident, its tough to convince anyone that it is true. However, since last summer, I have had a new medical condition that manifested itself big time. I get around with a cane, decided not to drive a car, and rebuilding my life as best as I can.

What the . . . Yep. let me tell you about the handicap that began when I was ten years old. Me and some buds were playing with gasoline and matches in 1954. OK, you got the picture. I'm not going further. Well, maybe. I died. Clinically. Yes, I had an out of body experience. And what I saw, heard, and 'felt' gave me hope for decades for a better life. It was tough. There were times when my handicap got in the way. When those who were affected responded weirdly, I did everything I knew to feel normal and fit in. What I didn't know until only a few years ago was that I have been manic depressive with a severe case of being bipolar. Was all this caused by the burns? No one knows. They didn't have rehab in those days. Not even counselors. On top of that my mother was a severe alcoholic and my father was something else again. He liked to beat his kids with the belt buckle after they were ordered to remove all their clothes. I had five sisters and no brothers. You can imagine the number he did on them. In those days, they could get away with murder and no one would notice.

I'm surprised I didn't turn to drugs. But then, in small communities, that stuff wasn't around. I had lots of sympathetic friends. People I could talk to about my issues. Maybe the combination saved me from doing myself in. I don't know. However, a bad marriage that I did on the rebound finally took its toll on me 12-years ago and I went into a severe depressive state. Medical science came to my rescue and I'm still here on medication, the maximum for mental health issues.

I can tell you about the horror stories I experienced from the local Chamber of Commerce, various organizations that I worked for, and the public in general. I'll keep those for a later time.

What I want to reveal to you today is what it is like as a handicapped senior citizen.

I have been certified for para-transit buses - meaning they come to my door and take me where I need to go. They call it the Go-Bus in this area. Haven't used it yet because I have no way to go and buy the tickets. I'm working on that aspect. The tickets are only $1 through Senior Neighbors.

RideLink available which is $2 one way. RideLink is a tax supported as well as a charity that provides handicapped senior citizens with transportation. They do take donations.

When I shop, I search out the scooters. Now, this is where it gets scary. You see, I don't 'look' handicapped. In Family Fare, the people who work there like to stare at me in a disgusting way. What they don't know and why should I care anyway.

Family Fare is not handicap friendly. The managers put stuff in the aisle, have too high of shelves which require that I maneuver close to the shelves so I can reach up for the item I want. Rude shoppers are every where. That stuff they have in the aisles block most of the product I need. You'd be amazed as to the number of those merchandising cardboard displays I've destroyed. They don't move well when fully stocked. Then all the stuff spills into the aisles. NO, I don't pick them up - I leave them there hoping they get the message. Sometimes the scooter can't get down the aisles without having to zigzag around these obstacles.

Then there are those cart pushers who behave like idiots. They push their carts in front of you on purpose because they don't want to follow or be polite. How do they know I want to go up their aisle. I've taken on the attitude that if they get in my way I'm going to run them down. I'm hell on wheels after all that abuse - why should I sit back and let normal shoppers bully me? On the other hand, I try to be polite but there are some bitches that just won't move out of the way and they put their carts in the middle of the aisle while they shop both sides. When I ask if I can get through, they look at me with disdain. Like I said, normal shoppers are so rude. Like they brought their road rage into the market and they behave the same way with their carts.

And then there are the kids. They just gotta stare out of curiosity. They tug at their mother's coats and ask if they know why I'm on this scooter.

Now, onto the Deli. I need assistance but the staff doesn't see me because I'm down so low. I ended up one day driving into their domain and asked them what it would take for them to give me some assistance. They don't like to be embarrassed. Some of the Deli staff are extremely courteous while others feel and show they are bothered by handicap people. There's this one staff person who is handicapped herself (cancer survivor?) and is extremely rude. Sometimes I just want to throw the food at her. She got all pissed off one day because I asked her what it would take to get some assistance. Since then she is always rude. I should complain.

Robert was a fine example of the typical Deli worker at Family Fare when he first got hired. He told me if he didn't do his job first before assisting customers that his boss would yell at him. I told him, in response, that if he didn't want to help me that was fine but my next call would be to his bosses boss. Robert, now is a nice guy. He just had to get over the newbie stage.

Many times when I get to the Deli counter with the scooter I literally have to yell for help. Now, that's sad and also unnecessary.

Over at Meijers its a little different. They do cater to the handicapped riding scooters - wide aisles, no merchandising displays to clutter them up, and prices are better most of the time. Everything is at the appropriate height. Although those self-checkouts leave a lot to be desired. I got so frustrated with them last week that in the middle of ringing stuff up, I drove away to a manned station. Those self-checkouts are not handicap friendly. The Deli counter has its moments but I found it more friendly then the Deli counter at Family Fare; so now I buy all my Deli stuff at Meijers. Besides, Meijers fully cooks its roaster chickens. I've never gotten a pink one and they taste so much better. Their prices are better as well.

Government Regulation

2009-02-18T17:58:00.004-05:00
Who's watching who? I'm all against government interference in the rights of business owners but when those same business people abuse their rights, then I'm all for government regulation.

What to regulate, unfortunately, is a difficult process of due diligence. Georgia, this week, passed legislation that NOW requires that peanut producers report any kind of contamination within 24-hours of occurrence. And if they do not, then the violation is a felony. Fairly stiff and I know that self-regulation is needed. But with abusive business owners who are greedy, self-regulation is a farce. And what happens when business people abuse their right to do business without the interference of government regulation? People die. It's that simple.

Then there are those people in the automotive industry that really need their heads examined. They are so far out of reality of struggling every day Americans that they each fly private jets to Washington to ask for billions of dollars in needed funds. Or the idiots at Merrill-Lynch which gave out millions in bonuses they were crying that they were going bankrupt.

Are we that stupid that we allow such corruption not only in government for failing to understand that business people are like kids when when the cookie jar is wide open. Or that politicians have no clue how market forces actually work?

My own thinking, in these matters, is to require every lawmaker have a business degree with emphasis in marketing and economics as well as finance be fore they are allowed to sit foot into the hallowed walls. Maybe then they would make better decisions in regulating rogue businesses and people who intend on cheating whenever possible. And, why not? How many deaths are we going to allow from food borne illnesses caused by unethical businesses and the people who run those businesses?

How much longer are we going to allow government oversight organizations (FDA) that overlook or turn the other way when unethical businesses are allowed to kill people. Or when the SEC fails to monitor people who have large Ponzi Schemes cooking to bilk billions from the entire country.

It makes me mad when regulation doesn't make sense. And it also makes me mad when regulation of the food industry is not enforced.

Everyone involved with allowing contaminated food into the food chain should be arrested for Murder 1 as it was all premeditated. Those quality control technicians at other companies, like Kellogg's, should be arrested for Manslaughter for participating in allowing for the contaminated products entering in the food chain via their processed foods.

And then there are those in the Deli Kitchens of the supermarkets that sell partially cooked hens as 100% baked. I lost count the number of hens I've purchased from Family Fare that were PINK. Don't those people know that they can cause extreme harm to their customers? I remember once I complained about it and all I got was an earful that it wasn't their problem. Sorry, you should take one chicken out of every batch and tear it apart. If any portions of it are pink, you have a choice of throwing all the chicken out or putting them all back in the roaster for additional cooking time. YOU DON'T SELL THEM WHEN THEY ARE PINK and if you do, you should be fired on the spot and prosecuted accordingly. Maybe then and only then, you'll get to see the wider picture.

Why Restaurants Go Out of Business

2009-02-16T14:00:00.001-05:00
I've been sitting on this thought for a few days, formulating what I want to say, and then more thinking. Because, this is my take on why restaurants go out of business.

A business friend and I have our favorite restaurants. We visit them often. Yet, when those owners decide it is time for us to take our money elsewhere, they have a funny way of expressing it. Plus, I've always wanted to be a food critic. Instead, I've decided to 'squeal' about services. Food is food and everyone has a different palate. But, services are suppose to be consistent rather then sporadic.

I've put together several web sites for restaurants. My observations as to why some succeed while others do not is all about the amenities. The exceptions, to some degree are McDonald's, Wendy's, places like that. What they lack in customer service, they make up for with brightly color decor.

East Garden Chinese Buffet

6038 Kalamazoo SE
Kentwood, MI 49508
Map

Phone: 616.698.8933

Open from 11am-10pm with a full buffet.

Better then average food selections although somewhat skimpy. The owners are moody people. One minute they are sweet and the next they can be so rude. My friend spends about $50 a week in this place. That would be $200 each month or roughly $2,500 a year. This doesn't include tips.

Sometimes he gets rushed and packs up his cookie deserts in napkins and puts them into his pocket. No big deal because he doesn't do it all the time. Now, the owner sees the cookies sticking out of his pocket last week and charges him an extra $2 for them. Well, that cost her not only his business but mine (I eat there twice a month but no more). Plus, we generally have two other guests with us and I know they won't be going there either. So, collectively the owner said to us "take your business somewhere else as we don't want it here. And be sure to tell all your friends too because we will treat them as shamefully as we do you. We want to go out of business in the biggest way. We're tired of being nice to people".

We're going to take her up on her offer.

Besides the cookies, there were other issues that we kept overlooking on purpose figuring it wasn't part of their culture. Like, leaving dirty dishes on the table rather then getting them off of there. I blackballed them once for almost a year for that rudeness.

Bella Mia

6333 Kalamazoo Ave SE
Kentwood, MI 49508
Map

Phone: 616.554.9930
Fax: 616.554.3893
Website

This place use to be my favorite until I got sick on their cheese. And their consistently rude service.

Plus, their owners would constantly complain about local government, their officials, how rotten they were being treated, why other restaurants go out of business, tight wad West Michigan customers, the economy, and their neighbors. I don't remember them saying anything nice about anyone in the area. Well, they are not from this area anyway. Both of them are from the New Jersey. One of them is an immigrant from Italy. And they don't even live anywhere near their restaurant. In my opinion, they are worse then a true absentee owner. While they live in Kent County, they don't know the area they are attempting to serve. And they are really teaching bad business habits to the high school kids they hire.

I did some work for them. Did their menus, created a web site, did art work, had our graphic designer do stuff for them and all we asked for in return was food. Not a bad trade and we didn't take advantage of it. Yet, they complained we weren't paying customers. Last year I got sick and decided not to eat there any more. Then they wanted me to produce for them a couple of thousand Take Out Menus. Since I chose not to eat their food, I asked them to pay for the ink and paper and labor to fold the menus. They said they couldn't afford it. Heck, it was only a couple hundred dollars. They spend thousands of dollars every week on worthless advertising that they complain loudly about because it never works.

Here I was doing them marketing favors for some food and they were gushing with funds for advertising that really wasn't doing anything for them. Odd, how people think. These guys had no clue how business is done - they are just cooks. And not that good either. I never printed the menus. They go over to Staple and have them print them for about 4-times what I was charging. Go figure.

They will soon be out of business anyway. Their lease expires this year and they have already said they are going to close up and go back to New Jersey. They'll blame the economy on their losses anyway. They'll never blame their own stupid behavior as business wanna be's.

Culver's
245 54th St SW Phone: 616.530.8680
Wyoming, MI 49548
Map

Someone not wearing a hair net one day. I got this hamburger that was 25% meat and 75% hair. And I mean it was a huge wad of hair. I still gag when I think about it.

Oh, they were apologetic and all but still, it should never have happened.

New Beginnings

5400 Division Ave S
Kentwood, MI 49548
Map

Phone: 616.988.2898

Do I have horror stories on this place. Another favorite restaurant until I was kicked out of there by some old kute. I would have business meetings there. Sometimes schedule them back to back and sometimes with a small amount of space in between. I would always make sure my visitors had something so we didn't just take up space. And I left generous tips for the wait staff.

But this old kute was a strange duck. He said that I shouldn't be using the restaurant for an office as it was not designed for that. Huh? Come on, then what is the restaurant for? Little old ladies and senior citizen day? I don't eat there anymore and neither do any of my business associates. The sooner they go out of business, the better as that side of town will be much better off without that kind of stupid thinking.

Mr. Burger Restaurant 616.455.8604
1750 44th St., SE
Kentwood MI 49508

Sometimes I wonder why it is named the way it is. I know why but given what happened to me and a friend one day, the name is a little inappropriate. Here's what happened and it was only a few months ago as well.

They are a great place for a quick meal. A tad on the expensive side given they don't have any real wait staff. Still, it was a great place. Was might be an overstatement.

Not quite a buffet style, more along the lines of a cafeteria setting. With this style, the cooks and food preparers are out in the open where you can see how they handle the food. Now, I'll tell you there is this one guy that refuses to wear a hair net and gloves because he says they are unnatural and crimp his style. We never let him touch our food preparation, but still. . . We've complained to the Health department of Kent County. It works for a while but he settles back into his comfort zone much to the chagrin of his customers.

And he supposedly is a manager. Wow, what a role model he is.

This one specific day he sneezed into his hands. Then he wiped those hands on his apron and proceeded to touch the food. We haven't been back since. How people like that can keep their job is beyond my imagination. Why would the owners of this establishment put up with someone endangering the health and welfare of an entire community? I fraught with frustration over such matters.

I really liked the place but I can't and won't cater to an establishment that puts their customers at risk in this fashion. The sooner that whole chain goes out of business the better. The citizens of Kent County Michigan don't need to be exposed to such senseless behavior.

There are a super number of good restaurants in the area. Some day I'll write about why you should visit them.

Foods that Kill

2009-02-12T17:44:00.004-05:00
Because of profits, greed, and stupidity we now have an industry that is about to go the way of the horse and carriage. Peanut butter. And, not far behind as a byproduct, will be jelly, crackers, and a host of others.

No more will we be able to get great laughs out of watching the pooch do its best to get the peanut butter of the roof of the dog mouth. No more will we be able to temp the squirrels into thinking they are in 7th heaven and get fat in a few days rather then in a season. No more will we see advertising for Reese's peanut butter and chocolate cups.

It's a terrible thing when the government allows two men the right to poison and kill their fellow human beings but, hey, that's how the Bush Administration ran things anyway. Now, we all live with the consequences. Ref: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29158355/

Speaking of the government watch dog, what's this I hear that they allow chicken growers to feed arsenic and phosphorus to chickens. ref: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28677495/

First, the news that peanut butter is a killer and second, chicken. This is bad news for all Americans, especially KFC and related industries. Supposedly, if you consume chicken every day, it could kill you within weeks. If someone is depressed, this might be an option because then it wouldn't look or be labeled a suicide.

I can see the headlines now "Insurance industry takes steps to prevent suicide payouts on undetected suicides! The insurance industry today announced they are adding disclaimers to their policies forbidding any payouts of insurance for claims against food borne illnesses causing deaths or disabilities".

It hasn't happened yet, but give it time. Those greedy companies will figure it out soon enough. Especially, if they read this BLOG, although that would be a rarity.

Add to the killer list some species of mushrooms, bad red meat, room temperature eggs (sitting out most of the day), and many others. For more information and what causes these killer foods that aren't related to greed from business people and government agencies can be found at these addresses:
http://www.cdc.gov/Ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/foodborneinfections_g.htm#mostcommon
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/foodborn.html
http://www.fightbac.org/content/view/15/22/

How do you stack up with your wage?

2009-02-09T20:27:00.002-05:00
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its latest survey on National Compensation. The reports come out four times a year and gives hourly wages for just about every job description you can imagine. The reports are chock full of information and may give clues about why some areas face employment hurdles. You can look to see how your wage stacks up against workers in other industries or you can determine if there is a surplus or shortage of workers in your field simply by looking at wage growth or declines. Here are is, supposedly, an indepth article by Anne Schieber regarding one section of her analysis.

The article written on February 9th, 2009 at 4:23 pm by Anne Schieber. The full article is at http://blogs.woodtv.com/2009/02/09/waging-the-wages-grs-top-earners/ and http://www.bls.gov/oes/2007/may/oes_24340.htm#b00-0000

Ms. Schieber says the following:

"The next highest might surprise you - public school teachers, who command $50.54 an hour. They make more than architects, engineers, geologists, and computer scientists. One reason is the time they actually spend on the job. I did a report on this in November. I found West Michigan teachers are now spending between 152 to 180 days teaching students. Salaries may not have gone up, but when there is more time off, it will boost hourly pay. And when it comes to pay, teachers in Grand Rapids and Michigan are close to the top. I looked at a hand full of cities and found teachers making much less, even in places with a high cost of living like San Jose, California ( $46.49) and Northern New Jersey ($48.37) Other lower paying areas include Raleigh Durham($27.44), Rochester, New York ($36.45), Austin, TX ($29.33) and Salt Lake City ($31.62)

"The $50.54 mean hour wage for local teachers does not include teachers in the private sector Their mean pay is $19.16 an hour".

My response to her article (on teacher's pay follows and was posted to her blog).

Well, I can see where this writer hasn't a clue about the hours put in by teachers. They don't get paid for grading papers, having to attend off school hours events like teacher meetings, staff meetings, chaperoning various events, things like that. The average teacher works 60-hours a week. Average meaning some work more hours and some less. Also, they don't get paid for tutoring students after regular school hours.

That pay then degrades to about $20 per hour, which is why they are on a salary of sorts. If they were on an hourly basis, all schools would be in a bankrupt state with today's economy, many schools would be closed, and class size would increase to 60 students or more. Given those stats, it doesn't make any difference what the pay is, the teaching profession would soon have a shortage making it one of the worst professions on the planet.

Buy or not to Buy

2009-02-03T23:10:00.006-05:00
I am always amazed when I listen to the various economists and others when they say how they are going to "fix" the economy. Sadly, most of those doing the talking haven't a clue about how all this works. It's really quite simple and one only has to look at the stock market for a basis of understanding.

Sure there are complexities but . . . When it is all said and done, if you don't have something to sell, then there will be no buyers. A sobering thought, at best.

There are three elements to a healthy economic climate. Everything is relative.
You have to have disposable income - income you have available after you pay your fixed expenses, such as utilities, and after you put something away for a rainy day - like putting it in a savings account.
You have to have a quality product.
You have to have buyers.
I think President Obama is on the right course. At least it appears that he is. The fear is that after a certain amount of time, it is easy for those that are being shielded to forget about those who are struggling.

I'll be the first to say I didn't vote for President Obama but I am sure glad he got elected. For once we have a president who is down to earth and truly cares about the country rather then some hidden agenda. My choice for the Republication voice was skewed due to my age and belief that the younger generation wouldn't be able to handle the nation's challenges. I was wrong and knew it. I was mad that Clinton dropped out when she did and I took my rebuttal to the Republicans.

Now, back to buy or not to buy issues.

For years, manufacturing thought its role was to produce and produce even if the products it made were cruddy. Manufacturing got by with that thought for decades because there were no alternatives and we all were duped into believing we had to settle for all that crud. Well, guess what? Better than products came onto the scene but, as usual, manufacturing behaved like storks and ignored the obvious.

We, as buyers, wanted something better but didn't know how to express it to the crud people. Now we had a chance, we bought the better than. Oops! That may have been a mistake because the better than products came from manufacturing companies that were located in other countries.

Guess what happens to jobs in the crud companies when their cruddy products don't sell? You guessed it, all those jobs went bye bye and thousands of people were fired. Oops! Because those cruddy companies no longer had our hard earned money coming into them, they weren't able to maintain employment nor able to fix the problems which were created by their cruddy products.

That was the start of our down fall because the buyers evaporated from those companies that made cruddy products. Not a big deal because there were not that many being fired.

Well, let's move on. The Clinton and Bush administration figured if they could sign a few treaties that they could open up more markets where the cruddy manufacturers could sell their cruddy products. Well, that backfired because the people in those countries didn't have enough income to buy cruddy products. Those people found they had better products and, wait a minute, they found they could make more money thus raising their standard of living if they sold their better quality products to us. Oops! More politicians making decisions based on market forces they do not understand.

Before you know it, many more US Citizens get fired. Companies begin to shut down. Utility companies such as gas, water, electric etc are now finding their incomes are being reduced. Hey, since they don't have any competition, they duped their public utility commissions into thinking they could raise their prices to make up for the short fall. Oops!

How short sighted can these politicians get. You take more money away from that disposable income and now you start a cascading domino effect to where no excess money is available for those things we all like. Cars, trucks, airplanes, boats, designer jeans - well you know.

To buy or not to buy - what a quandary. Let's look at another more terrifying challenge. Fuel! The leaders of several middle eastern countries decided they should get on the band wagon and drive up the cost of fuel. In the end, their greed gets to them and they drain us of all of our excess cash. Then some crazy politician says the best way to conserve is not to use. Uh oh. We all turn the thermostats down. That cuts into the profits of the utility companies. Which in turn allows these stupid politicians to give the utility companies permission to double their rates - Consumers Energy ring a bell? How about the Postal Service?

Consumers Energy doesn't really have any competition. The Postal Service does - really you say? It's called free mail. And you can send your mail all over the world for free. So what happens? We go from a 2 cent stamp to a 47 cents stamp. Now, that's ugly and it will never be better. And since we no longer need pencil, pens, and paper we no longer by it. One more market segment going down the drain.

We haven't yet seen the ugly part of these challenges. The ugly part is inflation. Conserving doesn't create inflation, greed does; commonly known as market forces based on supply and demand. Look at the recent obscene profits by Exxon.

Oh, let us not forget about health care. Those costs are running away from everyone. If we all quit being druggies, would you see a drop in prices? No! You would see another tens of thousands of people being fired and the prices being raised to insure profits remained the same or grew.

To buy or not to buy - Why not? There is a simple solution. Remember these three points:
Quality Products
Sellers
Buyers
Sellers need to be honest and not try to BS their way through the sale process. Show me why I need what you are selling. Show me why your product is better than. Show me that your product keeps people employed because you make a better than product. Once you convince me on all those points, I'll buy it. Lie to me and I'll make sure you go out of business. Sell me an inferior product, I'll make sure you never do so again.

To buy or not to buy - that's what this economy needs.

You've Got To Be Kidding Me America

2009-01-29T23:12:00.006-05:00
I have a friend who has joked for years about putting together a TV show about stupid things we do as a people. You know, whenever we see something that we think is odd we always say "You've got to be kidding" to show we are in disbelief about whatever it is.

My friend finally got his way and has decided to put on a full fledged TV production doing this precise spoof. We have a couple of the videos from selected TV shows within the Google Video area.

This is what U-Tube editors described it as:

"This video is a prelude to the obscure as well as really good bone head satire about life in general. Filmed in Grand Rapids and Wyoming Michigan for the community television (cable) stations, the video presents several clips that show some of the dumb myths and absurdities that exist in today's society. It looks at all those things that we observe as totally unbelievable yet these things do happen, not just on this film but also every day life. All the weird stuff that you can imagine. Enjoy".

So now, we come full circle. I'm putting together a web site titled 'complaintsfromamerica.info' which will concentrate on those areas where real life companies do dumb things to their customers. The web site will show the absurd, idiot things marketing people think are cool, and, of course, you've got to be kidding real life experiences (I'll leave the spoofing for my friend to do). The web site is not intended to be a focal point for people with a hidden agenda with no sound reasoning and ways to fix. It's not about crying in your soup, it's about pointing out stupid things.

Who knows, it might just be a success. We'll see. For the most part, the beginning episodes will be stupid experiences that I've experienced first hand. If I complain to a company about their practices, I'll not only post that complaint but also any response that I get from them.

My Info

2005-10-14T10:34:00.000-05:00

Yep, as close as you can get to the real thing. My resume reads like a historical novel. Not too much though much of the right stuff. I have a broad background spanning many years in business and volunteer activities. One of my greatest attributes is my style. It is flexible depending on customer needs as I put customer needs ahead of my own.

Several business associates recently observed that I consistently think outside the box as well as outside of the perimeters of common thought. To this end may be why I continue to have tenacity in the face of obstacles.

The beginning of the . . .

2005-10-14T10:19:00.000-05:00
Ever have one of those days when, as a photographer, you do not do as you suggest? There are days like that when the camera is not with you and you see a shot to capture - thus, the beginning of the lost composition - forever.

If you have expenses for . . .	THEN you must keep records that show details of the following elements . . .
	Amount	Time	Place or Description	Business Purpose Business Relationship
Travel	Cost of each separate expense for travel, lodging, and meals. Incidental expenses may be totaled in reasonable categories such as taxis, fees and tips, etc.	Dates you left and returned for each trip and number of days spent on business.	Destination or area of your travel (name of city, town, or other designation).	Purpose: Business purpose for the expense or the business benefit gained or expected to be gained. Relationship: N/A
Entertainment	Cost of each separate expense. Incidental expenses such as taxis, telephones, etc., may be totaled on a daily basis.	Date of entertainment. (Also see Business Purpose.)	Name and address or location of place of entertainment. Type of entertainment if not otherwise apparent. (Also see Business Purpose.)	Purpose: Business purpose for the expense or the business benefit gained or expected to be gained. For entertainment, the nature of the business discussion or activity. If the entertainment was directly before or after a business discussion: the date, place, nature, and duration of the business discussion, and the identities of the persons who took part in both the business discussion and the entertainment activity. Relationship: Occupations or other information (such as names, titles, or other designations) about the recipients that shows their business relationship to you. For entertainment, you must also prove that you or your employee was present if the entertainment was a business meal.
Gifts	Cost of the gift.	Date of the gift.	Description of the gift.
Transportation	Cost of each separate expense. For car expenses, the cost of the car and any improvements, the date you started using it for business, the mileage for each business use, and the total miles for the year.	Date of the expense. For car expenses, the date of the use of the car.	Your business destination.	Purpose: Business purpose for the expense. Relationship: N/A


Type	Private
Founded	2006
Headquarters	San Francisco, California, USA
Key people	Jack Dorsey, Chairman Evan Williams, CEO Biz Stone, Creative Director
Industry	mobile social network service, micro-blogging
Employees	34^[1]
Website	http://twitter.com/