tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-220109732024-02-07T18:15:49.617-08:00310 degrees kelvin.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010973.post-63039237626279851582012-10-27T07:00:00.000-07:002012-10-27T07:00:00.301-07:00Send your junk mail back to the advertiser!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sample reply mail.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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It never fails. The mail box lid slams shut and you proceed to see what goodies were left for you by the postal worker. Of course you have a bill or two which there is nothing you can do about (unless you are a. wealthy, or b. just better organized than most). Looking further into the stack will most likely reveal spam. Whether it is a time share sale, insurance advertisement, get cash now ad (or whatever) chances are you do not want it. To help stop this unwanted mail I have a proposal for you that will not only send the mailer a message, but will clean up your mailbox.<br />
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1) Find a reply mail that contains a prepaid envelope.<br />
2) Sort through all of your junk mail<br />
3) Remove your personal address (optional but recommended)<br />
4) Stuff all unwanted mail in the prepaid envelope<br />
5) Place back into the mailbox for the next pick up<br />
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If nothing else, you cleaned up your box. It is amazing how heavy a person can make these envelopes. If everyone was to try this - maybe, just maybe - we would annoy a company so badly they would reconsider what it sends. Doubtful, but I feel better sending a message back.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010973.post-38332387042770937022010-07-27T19:57:00.000-07:002010-08-07T07:31:42.152-07:00What if I stumble, what if I fall?A fork in the road. Something that you feel that you cannot describe. What does it mean? The questions scroll through my mind. Who am I, what am I and what am I really doing with the time that I have here? They are all questions that a person faces at some point or another<br />
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Last week I was on vacation and took a break from life as I knew it. I ch<br />
anged my daily habits. What is it about taking a step away from the normal? The questions are consuming. However, they are still overwhelming. I have four kids at the moment and a beautiful wife. Yet "more more more" screams out loud. I have thoughts rambling through my head to write a book, start a business, go on random <br />
trips etc. Another part of me wanted to start blogging again. I even mentioned to my wife this week that I wanted to blog about something. I was thinking about music and new music that I am listening to at them <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.anujanezhikode.com/accumulating_thoughts-2b2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="http://www.anujanezhikode.com/accumulating_thoughts-2b2.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="200" /></a></div>time to expand my tastes. It never seems enough though. There is a void that I cannot explain. I have found myself listening to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfAhpX_wIBk&playnext=1&videos=gDaHR3gl9yw&feature=artistob">Jars Of Clay</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbB0QrBIs9k&feature=avmsc2">DC Talk</a> alot the past few days. Yes - I am a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian">Christian</a>. I profess the Lord as my savior - but fail to come close to what someone should be, when acting as a carrier of the title. <br />
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This is not a normal post. Normally, I try to fit the topics into something; a category that I have set up. So, for the time being that I have set up a "personal thoughts." I figure even as a dedicated blogger of a certain topic I have to vent, and I am not going to create multiple blogs. You have me - as I am - will be - and that is all I can say about that.<br />
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Sorry for the rambling. Just had some things on my mind that I needed to share. Thank you for listening.<br />
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Let me leave you with the song that I cannot get out of my head at the moment. That will maybe lead to the music blog I was talking about.<br />
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<object height="344" style="background-image: url("http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/kbB0QrBIs9k/hqdefault.jpg");" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kbB0QrBIs9k&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kbB0QrBIs9k&hl=en_US&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010973.post-43987694058506909412010-07-19T06:19:00.000-07:002010-07-19T06:21:10.271-07:00Virtual FriendsAt one time they were considered to be unhealthy. Depending on what generation you have grown with they may even have been called scary, potential criminals, stalkers - weirdos etc. However, it is nearly impossibly today to not have them: Virtual Friends. Whether you play an online game, or participate in social networking sites - you develop a social online network that you would not have in real life. That is not to say that you cannot cross friends over, or meet your online buddies. And yes - as with anything you still need to retain caution. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.igstamps.com/shop/shop_image/product/20504.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="143" src="http://www.igstamps.com/shop/shop_image/product/20504.jpg" width="200" /></a>How many years ago was it? Did you ever have a pen pal? Or perhaps you have written a soldier overseas to help them through the war. Why was that not considered odd? Criminals only visit the internet, I see. Consider gambling at the casino, a game, and chatting with the people around you over a quick beer or soda in between hands or while the dealers are changing out. What is different between that - and any other online game?<br />
<a href="http://vishows.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/facebook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://vishows.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/facebook.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
I have a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/joe.pederson">Facebook page</a>, had a Myspace page, play an <a href="http://www.guildwars.com/">online game (mmo)</a> and even have a blog. I also chat on <a href="http://ventrillo.com/">Vent with people</a> while playing the game that I play. I hope you would have guessed that by now. I live my life in the open and only keep certain information hidden. I will not tell you my address or social security number. Most other information is restricted as well but it is nothing that you could not find by going to your local record holder. Much of this information is free or costs minimal amounts.Of course none of my 392 friends are weird and I know each one of them. Sure...<br />
<br />
I can tell you from experience that I have had family members have their sole social interaction online. Another family member "left" their significant other to meet an "online friend." Another family member has met several people in various spots of the US. I cannot say that I agree, however, that is not the point. Where we have sites like <a href="http://www.eharmony.com/">eHarmony,</a> <a href="http://match.com/">Match.com</a> etc. why are some things acceptable and others not?<br />
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If you want an eye opening experience visit <a href="http://www.familywatchdog.us/">http://www.familywatchdog.us/</a>. While visiting this site think about the stigma of online predators. You have some living next door.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010973.post-10810367053885966182010-03-18T18:09:00.000-07:002010-08-07T07:29:17.227-07:00Google owns the internet. Now, they pay indie bands!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/computing/internet-and-broadband/images/youtube-musicianswanted-728-75.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://cdn.mos.techradar.com//classifications/computing/internet-and-broadband/images/youtube-musicianswanted-728-75.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>At <a href="http://sxsw.com/">South By Southwest</a> which is a major media convention that seems to be growing in popularity with <a href="http://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a>, <a href="http://www.myspace.com/">MySpace</a>, and now - <a href="http://www.google.com/">Google</a>?<a href="http://www.google.com/"> Google</a> is promoting partnering bands, and paying the bands for advertisement. The videos which can be uploaded for free are shared with the world. The musician can display his or her content, sell some add space and earn revenue. In the event that the band's video gets embedded into another web page, the earning can go up. Very interesting concept for the aspiring artists. That being said, when <a href="http://www.facebook.com/">Facebook</a> and others are trying to find a way to tap into the music industry. The media giant, Google, did and is offering payment for content while cutting out the music record industry. No middle man means more profit for the little guys.<br />
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To find out more, go here <a href="http://www.youtube.com/t/partnerships_faq">http://www.youtube.com/t/partnerships_faq</a> to sign up, or <a href="http://www.techradar.com/news/internet/youtube-introduces-musicians-wanted-for-indie-bands-677420?src=rss&attr=newsall">review the article</a> which I found from <a href="http://wnpr.org/">WNPR.org</a>.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010973.post-59223508051388590792010-03-16T13:02:00.000-07:002010-03-16T15:11:08.917-07:00FYI: California Earthquake Los AngelesI posted an article the other day explaining the kinetic energy of plate tectonics. My predicted zone of impact was San Francisco since it was a hot spot. <a href="http://310degreeskelvin.blogspot.com/2010/03/earthquakes-plate-tectonics.html">The article can be viewed here.</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8VYyzkvslEW-Fm20wKn1814I6k-By7-1tE2MwxRO0sFfnv1KzFiQNGzJATVby457HlcStfv4FtWR3YZwYeS5IMNBIVq99px5j98HqyNPxw2rejXRoYRox5088wVZAVeYbeam/s1600-h/3-16-2010+2-57-22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb8VYyzkvslEW-Fm20wKn1814I6k-By7-1tE2MwxRO0sFfnv1KzFiQNGzJATVby457HlcStfv4FtWR3YZwYeS5IMNBIVq99px5j98HqyNPxw2rejXRoYRox5088wVZAVeYbeam/s320/3-16-2010+2-57-22+PM.png" /></a></div>Today, there was an earthquake in LA. The Nazca plate and Pacific plate also connect to the Eurasian plate and Indian Australian.Also today on the other side was an earthquake in Russia and China where the Pacific plate meets the Eurasian plate. By the flow of this energy I would suspect that earthquakes will appear around Africa, to eastern Europe.<br />
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If you go to <a href="http://www.iris.edu/">www.iris.edu</a> you can actually see the impacts.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010973.post-65519003254268642312010-03-13T06:05:00.000-08:002010-03-13T06:06:53.463-08:00Breasts Don't Have PCB's.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I am not an expert. Nor do I have the proper organs to facilitate the argument of this quick blog. However, while I was looking for pictures for a website that I am assisting with - I noticed something. Breast feeding is a natural function of the human female body and was the intentional design. The rest of the <a href="http://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/infantfeeding/9241561300/en/">world and world health organization, supports breast feeding and notes the advantages.</a> So, why have we, as Americans, downgraded human life to an expendable, form? Our animals are now considered babies by most. Our babies are considered vermin by some. After that confusion we then move to the people that actually "want" children. You can cut your baby out if you like (c-section), <a href="http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=abortion&FORM=BIFD">you can cut your baby up (abortion)</a>, you can drop your baby off at random places if you do not want them... Before I continue, I must also state that dropping your baby off is a MUCH better option in efforts of preserving life. We can hire someone to even raise our babies for us. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgWUHZywljac5vyXr2gk51KEaStAXqSeIfvUKQWHqC-iasQX4A4oE1uNPUCfcefSGuLNxZD8oOkeXg-5xY4396qoFlE95ATfPO7odkVF6IGJY7M_1106b0O0YP5khfEgg0cIL/s1600/CBP0034064_Veer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWgWUHZywljac5vyXr2gk51KEaStAXqSeIfvUKQWHqC-iasQX4A4oE1uNPUCfcefSGuLNxZD8oOkeXg-5xY4396qoFlE95ATfPO7odkVF6IGJY7M_1106b0O0YP5khfEgg0cIL/s200/CBP0034064_Veer.JPG" width="200" /></a>So, while I was looking at photos - I just wanted to note that most people would call these beautiful... The animals are naturally performing a feeding. We will place these on public office walls, admire on our screen savers, send photos to friends, show our children, play on tv commercials.... This is a work of art divinely inspired!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuez4tkW1xfYOlYQ_UYrx_Mp1F7HuzjnG2BgdBJOEsa1OlJedstw-R8IXnp6KlwXYXJN3kTvvEUTbNwxVBFIRMFegtIsfCuu6ihaDgw0-e0kif_xbNiP6edlDqr7bu5H3ypN8f/s1600-h/IMP0020028_Veer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuez4tkW1xfYOlYQ_UYrx_Mp1F7HuzjnG2BgdBJOEsa1OlJedstw-R8IXnp6KlwXYXJN3kTvvEUTbNwxVBFIRMFegtIsfCuu6ihaDgw0-e0kif_xbNiP6edlDqr7bu5H3ypN8f/s200/IMP0020028_Veer.JPG" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOmV_SQVqha6cK_kAf0kWzDpqzyiCURFYjPc5c4oi3mZ8S1Ln09beW2AINb22igJVpX75fE6hgk0QDIVqkb_O9qqDWN8s93pafWviDs9D6j35jprsg0tWry0zn90hXMfIafSd/s1600-h/CBP0016851_Veer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOmV_SQVqha6cK_kAf0kWzDpqzyiCURFYjPc5c4oi3mZ8S1Ln09beW2AINb22igJVpX75fE6hgk0QDIVqkb_O9qqDWN8s93pafWviDs9D6j35jprsg0tWry0zn90hXMfIafSd/s200/CBP0016851_Veer.JPG" width="159" /></a>I have not really seen advertisements of the animals being hand fed and that being associated with beauty. Unless, of course, it was some sort of rehabilitation. Even the little piglets are tandem nursing. Which, for those of you that do not know, is nursing more than one infant at a time. Humans turn their heads at two children nursing at the same time. The cute little pigs though are expected to nurse 7-8 in a sitting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a topic that I could continue blabbing about for a long time so I will just skip the body and hit the main point.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fuMAMig-UE-m0utVll0YL56OCt-zBow08FsxKaXAMSl33SpUuYLRnBSlkgM1oqYqxegtba2zGRP7Tsf2xuZzv60AFGlPpJ0u8gemrqYqVT-GOFQmn8xsU-hc0Nb7m2JakcMP/s1600-h/AYP0751904_Veer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7fuMAMig-UE-m0utVll0YL56OCt-zBow08FsxKaXAMSl33SpUuYLRnBSlkgM1oqYqxegtba2zGRP7Tsf2xuZzv60AFGlPpJ0u8gemrqYqVT-GOFQmn8xsU-hc0Nb7m2JakcMP/s200/AYP0751904_Veer.JPG" width="131" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7TG8nNv_FYvIqyuVEIsIgjhDbpR8FrnNRXJcZciZkIwJQ2Nyc4aMUjUrWyi4YVqhuyuJbc7sdSQFkaNBjw46Kjq59FE5v2c7cy0labe08XNYU36-aKS_n6kH5Q5GSCJhJEQW/s1600-h/AYP2300030_Veer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja7TG8nNv_FYvIqyuVEIsIgjhDbpR8FrnNRXJcZciZkIwJQ2Nyc4aMUjUrWyi4YVqhuyuJbc7sdSQFkaNBjw46Kjq59FE5v2c7cy0labe08XNYU36-aKS_n6kH5Q5GSCJhJEQW/s200/AYP2300030_Veer.JPG" width="200" /></a>Look at the baby's faces in these photos. The nursing vs. bottle fed. I am not even going into the health (nutrients) of feeding. Only the attachment. The bottle fed baby stares into the sky, or out into the world - no real look other than dazed. Of the 65 pages for the stock photos, I only found 1 photo of a bottle fed baby smiling at his or her mom. The other photo is of a breast fed child. How can you deny the absolute connection that the feeding shares? </div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifaDt2CELlEvVIVpKjm0AmG1CYarvNU7VXI17OaHUFsUd1ljefJXgJCQP05RGlYZCJuGUa8cdhHVAknJknCbz_1iv46lzrhvUZTUpNZ0tuBMtfGBVSZWlZ3QEXH3bUaBuus1o/s1600-h/DVP4982278_Veer.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiifaDt2CELlEvVIVpKjm0AmG1CYarvNU7VXI17OaHUFsUd1ljefJXgJCQP05RGlYZCJuGUa8cdhHVAknJknCbz_1iv46lzrhvUZTUpNZ0tuBMtfGBVSZWlZ3QEXH3bUaBuus1o/s200/DVP4982278_Veer.JPG" width="200" /></a>Of course then we wonder why our kids need supplements, are detached, and cannot confide in us. We fed them a replacement from birth, let them feed themselves from a replacement mother <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferber_method">and Ferberized them for the remainder of their life. Deal with it, cry it out.</a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010973.post-62736919259929286502010-03-12T04:48:00.000-08:002010-03-12T04:48:23.075-08:00New Cisco Router Supports 322TbpsWow. This is amazing...<br />
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"Among other 322Tbps tasks: Transmitting every motion picture ever made (5 minutes), downloading the entire printed collection of the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1268290000_6">Library of Congress</span> (1 second), or transmiting the entire <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1268290000_7">DNA sequence</span> of 56,000 people (also 1 second)." <br />
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<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20100309/tc_pcworld/newciscoroutersupports322tbpsdesignedforinternetvideo_1">Full article here. </a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010973.post-65870805400518044232010-03-04T18:51:00.000-08:002010-03-13T07:49:39.513-08:00Earthquakes & Plate Tectonics<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Listening to the news - you would have seen that another<a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703862704575100252339864376.html?ru=yahoo&mod=yahoo_hs"> Earth Quake happened today in Taiwan.</a> It was a 6.2 on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_scale">Richter Scale, or way to measure seismic activity.</a> This comes days after Chile and a short time after Haiti. It has been some time since my last science class so I wanted to look at the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tectonic_plate"> tectonic plates.</a> Originally, millions of years ago, according to science, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pangea">the world was on continent called a Pangaea.</a> Over time, the plates shifted to the current continents, or earth that has raised above water level.<br />
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Tectonic plates are the sections of the earth or major a layer. I am not going to get into the details, you can click on any of the links listed to study for yourself. However, I find it interesting that the major fault lines for Chile and Haiti lay along the edge of the Nazca Plate and Pacific Plate. According to the Seismologist view that would imply that the plates are shifting. They are colliding, overlapping or shifting. The impact causes the earthquake. Mountains are also formed this way, as a way for the earth to shift when under stress. One moves inward as the other buckles which creates the mountain. Now back the point...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://jbartin.com/SPS/sps%20unit%202/tectonic%20plates.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="http://jbartin.com/SPS/sps%20unit%202/tectonic%20plates.gif" width="320" /></a></div>Every action has a reaction, which is the case in<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_energy"> kinetic actions</a>. One movement creates another. In this case, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tectonic_plate">Nazca, Pacific, Eurasian, South American, and African plates are shifting.</a> If you plot the major recent (announced) earthquakes they fall within the plates touching the Pacific plate. This plate is also a part of the <a href="http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Maps/San_Francisco.gif">San Francisco fault line</a> which has not moved for sometime - so that we can note. However it would not be suprising to see another noted earthquake along these plates. With several ranging up to an<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_scale"> 8 on the Richter Scale</a> this would show a large amount of movement within the plates.<br />
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<a href="http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Maps/San_Francisco.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="313" src="http://quake.usgs.gov/recenteqs/Maps/San_Francisco.gif" width="320" /></a>A great resource to see the actual noted Earth seismic activity is <a href="http://www.iris.edu/dms/seismon.htm">www.iris.edu</a>. Amazing and humbling site. To finish, I have added some additional information since we were talking about San Francisco. Accorging to the USGS-UCB there have been several small motions around the US West Coast area which indicates that there is motion with the Pacific Plate.<br />
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Not to bombard you with information - but while I was in Rochelle, IL a few weeks ago there was a recorded earthquake in the area. So I did due diligence and researched to find another image which shows recent activity in the world, which included the small "shaker" in IL. Granted, it was nothing to note - but this map does show <b>major </b>movement along the Pacific plate.<br />
<a href="http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/qed/thirty.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/qed/thirty.gif" width="320" /></a>To close this entry, I also want to show you an image from the <a href="http://www.iris.edu/">www.iris.edu</a> website that I discovered during my short research. Below, you will find another view from Seismologists. All of the data points to the Pacific plate moving. I would speculate that another earthquake will happen around this plate or touching plates based on kinetic energy and the severity and frequency of the recent events.I have also included a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/">YouTube.com </a>video to show the basic concepts of plate tectonics.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil01qiTJk2JveVXQCs1uSseTuPja4QdMeDX8f4aJsmYEDJwQQr6E6TL1TNWB3_yWVfkq3YoUXIO3p9YI0tZM2sVJA6D-85yfavyZ5-8UNCItKFafEXjxNsArij7BHQn7cU8p5C/s1600-h/3-4-2010+8-45-23+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil01qiTJk2JveVXQCs1uSseTuPja4QdMeDX8f4aJsmYEDJwQQr6E6TL1TNWB3_yWVfkq3YoUXIO3p9YI0tZM2sVJA6D-85yfavyZ5-8UNCItKFafEXjxNsArij7BHQn7cU8p5C/s320/3-4-2010+8-45-23+PM.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.blogger.com/goog_1267754693936"> Image is from www.iris.com extracted by Snag It on 03/04/1</a><a href="http://www.iris.edu/dms/seismon.htm">0</a></span></div><br />
<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/QDqskltCixA&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/QDqskltCixA&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010973.post-11011766610956066492010-02-21T15:51:00.000-08:002010-03-16T15:10:01.292-07:00Updated Links: Barter & Trade: Bring it back.A few days ago, I posted an<a href="http://thebusinessofitall.blogspot.com/2010/02/barter-trade-bring-it-back.html"> entry about Bartering</a>. Since, that time I have created a<a href="http://www.facebook.com/?sk=messages&tid=1254669322550#%21/group.php?gid=353945472500"> Facebook page</a> to support that concept and looked into several websites that embody the concept of barter. Below, you will find the links, and also a short description about them.<br />
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<a href="http://help.barterquest.com/attachments/token/0mzjv5elrz2s0f6/?name=summary_05trade.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="193" src="http://help.barterquest.com/attachments/token/0mzjv5elrz2s0f6/?name=summary_05trade.png" width="200" /></a><b></b><a href="http://www.barterquest.com/%20"><b>BarterQuest </b>is a cashless trading site</a>. A trade occurs when a user makes an offer (or counter offer), another user accepts the offer, and the first user confirms the trade. (In the case of a MultiParty trade involving three or more users, the trade is automatically confirmed when all parties have accepted.) The following explains how to use our site.<br />
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You can also view more information about trading by visiting the help desk portion of their site. <a href="http://barterquest.zendesk.com/forums/29911/entries/93557">http://barterquest.zendesk.com/forums/29911/entries/93557</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.swaptree.com/images/howdoesthiswork.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="http://www.swaptree.com/images/howdoesthiswork.gif" width="320" /></a></div><b><a href="http://swaptree.com/">SwapTree.com</a></b> is another barter trading site. I could not find a true "about me" other than the photo below, so I signed up and began experimenting. It is actually much like a dating site. You put up your wants and likes, and it will match you with someone who has the opposite. (Your want is their has, and theirs is yours etc.) This one appears to be the best. However, I cannot tell you a success rate of traded items at this point.<br />
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This site does seem to be a bit more limited than <a href="http://barterquest.com/">BarterQuest.com</a>, yet much more user friendly. <br />
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Lastly, I will briefly mention <a href="http://www.paperbackswap.com/">http://www.paperbackswap.com</a> which is a paperback book trading site. I never really enjoyed the idea of this site. I have been a member for some time and yet to make a trade. It has always been much easier to go to <a href="http://www.halfpricebooks.com/">Half Price Books. </a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010973.post-83245753052186995102010-02-20T07:24:00.000-08:002010-03-16T15:09:35.659-07:00Powerful SpeechesAmazing speech. Examine how he empathizes with the team, exploits his weaknesses. Yet, he shows knowledge, and determination and pulls the team back in. Consider what you say - how you say it and realize in 2 mins. the team turned around and won the game.<br />
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<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/vVkh8nkKPW0&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/vVkh8nkKPW0&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010973.post-75971890477481821472010-02-16T15:33:00.000-08:002010-03-16T15:08:58.922-07:00Barter & Trade: Bring it back.I have heard about it in a text book as a way of life "back when." I can only relate to trading my entire baseball card collection for a Dynamo bike. (That is a stunt bike). Yet, the idea does have promise... What would it be like to barter now, in today's world?<br />
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Well, consider the world as you know it. Everything requires cash. Even cash is not accepted in some areas - where electronic funds or plastic are required. You purchase a house, you must have the money - or have someone with money to pay for you. Then you pay them money for the money they paid you to pay someone else. Well - it's the truth. The same applies to most major purchases. So, in light of breaking it down to smaller level because no one that I know has $100,000 to toss around, what about going to the grocery (or grocery store, depending on what part of the country you are from)? When you want to purchase meals for your family to eat, or foods to prepare the meal, cash is tendered to the store of choice. Now, try to follow me as I paint outside the box...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thesneeze.com/art/loose_art/hobo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.thesneeze.com/art/loose_art/hobo.jpg" width="215" /></a></div>The item you purchased... Let us say that it is a can of soup. What ingredients are in the soup? What about the can? Label? As I break down each item below, I will take a look at it from a high view. Granted, I do not know the entire process per item, but am simply trying to paint a picture. Each portion of the process adds money, which will later lead to the topic sentence that I laid out to write this. <br />
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The Label: Pre printed from a supplier of materials to the company making the soup. The soup company buys from the material supplier and incorporates into the cost model, or cost to make the product. The material supplier creates fees or cost of making the label based on the inks and paper (more than likely two separate companies), which are purchased from another company who then pays his or her employees (X's 2 remember we are looking at paper <b>and </b>ink) <br />
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The Can: Purchased from a supplier of materials to the company making the soup. The soup company buys from the material supplier and incorporates into the cost model, or cost to make the product. Let's just assume that that can material is purchased material and Jim Bob's Ore company makes some money and pays his/her employees.<br />
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Now look at each of the other items. The above two were merely to get you thinking. What about the meats? Further processed by the soup maker from the "ready to eat" company which may or may not be the slaughter facility... Each of these has employees. Many of the other companies involved have multiple materials - but look at the salt, corn syrup, hydrogenized... and every other word you cannot say. There are SEVERAL other material suppliers involved. Not one supplies all of them, but some many supply more than one. Each of these companies has to pay the bottom line. Which means that a cost is instituted, and passed on to the next person or company until it gets to you who pay for each part of the processes.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/LaborNote.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/LaborNote.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Now, where the heck am I going with all of this? I have had, for some time, a fetish for bartering. Most PC's that I work on have bartered fee's. The websites that I have done, are based on some form of barter. <a href="http://www.bing.com/Dictionary/search?q=define+barter&FORM=DTPDIA">Barter is by definition</a>, is <span class="DefQuick"></span><span class="DefBody">to exchange goods or services in return for other goods or services. Many cultures still do this by trading handmade garments or livestock for other items. Some of the more civilized versions used currency or notes to indicate what was owed. Still, I do not think it has to be that complex. I think the simply beauty of having your own items to give in exchange for something else is amazing. Part of this thought process comes from a movie, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439511/">a documentary, called Commune</a>. Granted that<i><u><b> I do not agree with many things in the movie</b></u></i> - there are some great truths to the governance of life. The idea to farm and make your own produce. Why would you need to go to a store to purchase "organtic?" You would be aware of every additive to your process. You would not have to work to go to the store to purchase a can of soup which has hundreds to thousand of people involved. You would have made it. Not to mention that the time you spent away from home to get that money so the company you worked for could make profits... Or the sales tax on the money you worked for so that other people can perform their jobs... </span><br />
<a href="http://www.artistsurvivalskills.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/barter-thumb.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.artistsurvivalskills.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/barter-thumb.gif" width="155" /></a><span class="DefBody"><br />
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<span class="DefBody">Look... this subject could go on and on. I could break it down to taxes, the complex part of the processes such as companies involved, lack of family togetherness (working outside the home) or simply enjoyment of working a good days work, making your own living and being rewarded from that. The simplicity of life without the media selling you things or even being a part of your life. The community being a large<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmer%27s_market"> "farmer's market"</a> where you trade goods for goods or services. Simply put we've made things way too difficult. </span><br />
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<span class="DefBody">Bring barter back.<a href="http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=353945472500&ref=nf"> Visit the FaceBook Fan Page here.</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Soup Image retrieved from http://www.thesneeze.com/art/loose_art/hobo.jpg, on 02.16.10</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Labor Certificate retrieved from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c7/LaborNote.JPG on 02.16.10 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Circle of Trade retrieved from http://www.artistsurvivalskills.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/barter-thumb.gif on 02.16.10</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010973.post-46209628758194918662010-02-14T06:55:00.000-08:002010-03-16T15:10:26.635-07:005 - S Your Life<a href="http://www.bing.com/reference/semhtml/5S_%28methodology%29?fwd=1&qpvt=5+s&src=abop&q=5+s">5-S </a>- you may ask? What is that? More than likely it is something that you do - in many instances of your life. Clean out the clutter and put things away.<a href="http://www.bing.com/reference/semhtml/5S_%28methodology%29?fwd=1&qpvt=5+s&src=abop&q=5+s"> 5-S</a> stands for <i>Sort, Straighten, Sanitize, Standardize, and Sustain. </i>It is a part of a lean journey where the waste is removed. Directly, you may remove waste by the discarding of unused items. Indirectly, you may gain time, or make your task more efficient.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://lizette.i.ph/photo/d/760-1/DSC02131.JPG?g2_GALLERYSID=TMP_SESSION_ID_DI_NOISSES_PMT" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://lizette.i.ph/photo/d/760-1/DSC02131.JPG?g2_GALLERYSID=TMP_SESSION_ID_DI_NOISSES_PMT" width="240" /></a></div>Consider the following: Imagine a day that you were late for work. The alarm clock "did not" go off and you are frantically running around your house. The "Flight of the Bumble Bee" is playing in the background. Thing about your clothes. Now, knowing that you are late - find what you need in the pictured room.<br />
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The very thought is a logistical nightmare! Yes, I will admit that my room does look like this, but this is not my room. However, I never claimed to be efficient in the process of keeping my room clean. Regardless, it is a point that relates from the largest of manufacturing plants down to something you do everyday.<br />
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The idea of lean, which is what <a href="http://www.bing.com/reference/semhtml/5S_%28methodology%29?fwd=1&qpvt=5+s&src=abop&q=5+s">5-S</a> is a part of, is waste reduction. In this case it is time by removing all the items that you are not using. If you find that you are using all the items - great - except we must now organize. It is an art as well as a discipline. When you begin this journey in your home it will take some time to establish. Consider small things first. Go through your sock drawer and remove all the unmatched socks. Match all the socks while you are there. Make sure your socks have a certain spot, your shirts, your jeans, your shoes, etc. Everything has a<b> SPECIFIC</b> place. This is not the hard part by the way. The use of the system is the easy part and you will be very thankful for it when you get accustomed to it. I must warn you, the hard part, will be to put everything back the <b>SAME WAY, EVERY TIME. </b>Everything has a place, and everything in its place.Once you have the standard set - label it. Place a label that can work for everyone. Make it kid friendly too! If you set up a standard process - and find yourself deviating take a moment and revisit the process. If you place your socks in drawer 4 and your map says the socks belong in the other room - should you adjust your map? Your standard process should also be realistic, and adaptable. I caution the adaption portion - only if your plan changes the standard. If your plan does not change, and you just start adapting here and there based on "time" or "laziness" then you have broken your process and the 5-S will crumble. However, you may get to play the "Flight of the Bumble Bee" song.<a href="http://www.playlist.com/searchbeta/results/273537809"> If you just want to hear the song, go to this site.</a><br />
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One last visual to help you understand the effects of 5-S. Consider a word search puzzle. Consider the length of time that you spend looking for the words. The diagonal, vertical, and horizontal words that cross or share letters - even the really tricky ones that go backwards. Now if the words were already circled, or listed out in the same order or manner so they were easy to pick out - how long would that puzzle actually take?<br />
<a href="http://webscripts.softpedia.com/screenshots/Word-Search-Game-24400.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="http://webscripts.softpedia.com/screenshots/Word-Search-Game-24400.png" width="400" /></a><br />
Once you have this down, consider all of the other things that you could do? The garage, your tool box, the cupboards, etc. Other examples can be found by visiting <a href="http://www.tocforme.com/5s/qa5spicturesn.html">this site of "before and after" pictures of 5-S.</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><b>Pictures found at:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://lizette.i.ph/photo/d/760-1</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">http://webscripts.softpedia.com/screenshots/Word-Search-Game-24400.png/DSC02131.JPG?g2_GALLERYSID=TMP_SESSION_ID_DI_NOISSES_PMT</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010973.post-3953356003028062472010-01-09T08:09:00.000-08:002010-03-16T15:10:51.545-07:00Plastic and Modeled<div class="MsoNormal"><o:p>On a recent business trip I stayed at a very fancy hotel. Of course it was not like the MGM or anything comparable in Vegas – but for my meek salary any tiny spot of positional latitude, it was nice. Now that I have stated how far down on the totem I am, I must admit the trip was paid for by the company. That which is not already paid for will be when I submit the receipts.</o:p></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now as I prop my feet up and listen to “Bama Breeze,” by Jimmy Buffet I am pondering over the day – thoughts – and events. The song really has nothing to do with the story here – other than its significance to simplicity.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">What started this train wreck of my imagination and slight frustration? Well, upon check in to the hotel, I was asked for my name and photo ID. I handed over the requested materials. The gentleman asked me for confirmation of my stay and I nodded in affirmation. The next statement was the stray bullet. “Can I have your credit card?” </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The hotel has been pre-paid by the company for which I work so I just asked him to look at the file and see that all is in good order. However, he still persisted that a credit card was due. I let the man know that I do not have one (as nice as I could without making it obvious that I was a little embarrassed/irritated). His next comment sealed the deal.”So you are not going to take any refreshments out of the room?” My reply was “No.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">“Well Sir, I will send someone to your room to take all the refreshments out of the room.” He commented back. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My rebuttal, “Would you like me to go now and open the door for them?” (I have something more on this later...)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.fairloanrate.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/creditcarddebt-thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="http://www.fairloanrate.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/creditcarddebt-thumb.jpg" width="320" /></a>This event was not the end of my day but consider the impact of the situation. We live in a society that demands we are culturally sound with amenities for every situation. I must admit that if my own personal finance was in order I would have a small credit card. However, I do not have a credit card or even a cellular phone. Thinking about this event I began to illuminate all the advertisements that I have seen recently. Many of them require a credit card for the discount, or a cellular phone so that you can be “texted” a code. <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-11-26-salvation-army-credit-cards_N.htm">Heck, even the Salvation Army (in many bigger cities) has credit card swiping capability. </a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I wonder what happened. It is almost like we are reverting to the beginning of the credit card, or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Credit_card">“Diner’s Card.”</a> It makes you exclusive. The very fact that the Salvation Army has the ability to accept credit cards is an oxymoron. Understand that the purpose is to collect more money – that many people do not carry cash today. So, to keep up to the culture they have adapted. Basic business is to adapt with the culture, however, I struggle with the other side of the coin. There will be some people who give when they cannot afford it, creating more debt for themselves, or sharing their debt. I am sure that it is the middle man being cut out. The rich get richer and the poor live rich getting more into debt with the middle man taking sides with the previous.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In a world where bigger is better and faster is more – I wonder what wall we will slam up against to realize that “hey – it is ok to just be average.” Materialism is an addiction that we must come to terms with. The prices continue to rise and the customers will continue to justify the needs. Basic Business: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supply_and_demand">Supply and Demand. The price will continue to rise to find the equilibrium or ideal quantity for the store to have on hand that the customers will buy.</a> Then, in many cases, the stores will offer a sale when their inventories are high to turn product. Guess what – it’s a deal only to move product. The price between sale and retail is the extra profit the store makes. Most of the items at full retail have a nice sticker on them. The splendid word that feeds the addiction is “New!” Now how is all of this rant tied in to the above?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We are expected to have money available at all times based on society. If you do not have the funds available now, then simply charge it – this will help us be culturally savvy. But, before I finish my little topic - I wanted to share a small tidbit of information. In the event that you do fall behind in your credit cards and you need to settle to get out of the compound interest rates you do have options. Before you go to bankruptcy there are options. You do have options to negotiate. I have successfully cut credit card bills up to 50% off of the collected rate. According to <a href="http://creditcard.com/">CreditCard.com</a>, the profits are very large. Which means they have room to cut fees - and still make a profit. That is the beauty of compound interest.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; line-height: 17px;"></span></div><div style="color: black; font: 12px/17px Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Profitability </span></b></div><div style="color: black; font: 12px/17px Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><u><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Profits or Losses at Top 10 U.S. Credit Card Issuers in 2008</span></u><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1. Chase: $780 million profit</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">2. Bank of America: $520 million profit</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">3. Citi: $530 million loss</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">4. American Express: $850 million profit</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">5. Capital One: $1.00 billion profit</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">6. Discover: $710 million profit</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">7. Wells Fargo: $990 million profit</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">8. HSBC: $520 million profit</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">9. US Bank: $1.07 billion profit</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">10. USAA: Not listed</span></div><div style="color: black; font: 12px/17px Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></div><div style="color: black; font: 12px/17px Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Ok - I have grossly got off topic but wanted to throw several ideas at you about this subject. The point is, we should avoid a cultural view of ourselves when looking at material items. It is ok - to not be what is expected by the worldly view or status quo. And just to cap off the blog - remember when I mentioned "more of this later" about the hotel stay. They never did remove the refreshments. He was "calling my bluff." </span></div><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Images of credit card trap as viewed: </span><a href="http://www.fairloanrate.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/creditcarddebt-thumb.jpg"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://www.fairloanrate.com</span></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010973.post-51102443150194717632009-12-31T16:25:00.000-08:002010-03-16T15:06:41.920-07:00The Dangling Carrot<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Consider a goal. Imagine the goal was able to be completed in the desired amount of time. Or maybe, the completion date would be ahead of schedule and this would be much needed "r&r" time. How does that feel? Good right? The idea of success in this picture probably makes you want to achieve the imaged goal. The reciprocal, however, would be that the goal was nowhere near completion and no definite items on the action list completed. You may be cancelling a vacation to make a deadline or putting in longer hours that you are used to. Some may the light at the end of the tunnel as a hope, or a "carrot."<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
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</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/jko/lowres/jkon675l.jpg"><span style="color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; text-decoration: none;"></span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/jko/lowres/jkon675l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="282" src="http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/jko/lowres/jkon675l.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Chest Elton and Adrian Gostick have even written a book, entitled, "The Carrot Principle." Now, that book examines more about reward systems and engages talent. The contrary would be Alfie Kohn's, "Punished by Rewards." The opposite is stated in this book. From my initial readings A+'s, Stickers, Star's etc do more harm than good. We put the focus on getting the grade, or being number 1 vs. what it means to actually do it. We, as a geo-culture (there are exceptions), focus more on the finishing line than the extended training to get there. However, this is really an age old battle of the science. Skinner or Pavlov? Do we shock them to results or build a system to reward them for results with expectations from both sides?<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">My opinion is that we need to look at it as a business decision. We want to set goals, where we can. For example, let us say that you have a production workshop where you make those great items Peeps. (I could have picked anything but secretly I have a fascination / curiosity with how they are made - yucky cute sugared dipped marshmallows.) In this magical Peep Production there are two shifts, 1st and 2nd. This week you have received word that your customer is shorting orders. "INCREASE THE PRODUCTION!" Shouts the production plant planning teams. Let's explore a couple of scenarios.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">As we explore there are a couple of terms that many people will not know.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><ul type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Lean is the process of removing tangible and intangible waste in a process. How to work faster, smarter, with the same results. <o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="color: black; line-height: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Efficiency is how well you are operating or doing, as compared to how you could be doing. If my machine is capable of making 100 Peeps per hour, and I only make 50, then I have a 50% efficiency. This number does not reflect the cost of making it, only machine capability. Cost would be linked, considering now that it is taking you twice as long to complete the task.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Scenario 1: The demand is there - we need production. As the foreman (or supervisor, manager, boss etc.) you instruct your crews that we are in a grave crisis situation and need all the Peeps that are possible. The shifts start. Production continues to go on, and on, and on... Every case made is one that was needed. There is no end in sight. The crews are getting tired. They enjoy the pay check but never the time to spend it. The numbers are average, about 70-75% efficiency barring any real issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Scenario 2: The demand is there - we need production. As the foreman (or supervisor, manager, boss etc.) you instruct your crews that we are in a grave crisis situation and need all the Peeps that are possible. So the schedules are placed with a 6 day work week with 500 cases per day, or 250 per shift if we were looking at it from a lean perspective 500 cases is enough to fill orders and create a safety stock. The efficiencies are running higher than normal. The shifts are averaging 80-90% efficiency. Each shift looks at the schedule and runs half.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Granted, in this example we are assuming the repeatability of the process. We are assuming predictability and sustainability. In your life, your business, or your home, you will need to make "what works best" work for you. Human form requires hope. Look at your current process or situation. Is there any incentive to continue the daily grind? This does not have to be the monthly office award for the "most (fill in the blank) completed." That will simply single out one person, annoy the rest, and actually hinder your desired goals. The annoyed will soon become numb to the incentive program and only a few will continue to get that once sought after prize. Look at the scenarios above. A simple change in the thought process allowed for everyone to partake. The schedules were attainable in less than a full shift without the risk of quality. The employees would produce the same quality of product (reference to lean) in less time and feel good about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;">Sometimes the grind and a paycheck are not enough to sustain a "quality of life." Consider the bigger picture when you dangle the carrot or the employees will hunger for something else or the very rewards you are going for may be a hindrance. Humans need the light at the end of the tunnel – even if not meant as a reward. They need to know that if they give it their all, sweat relentlessly for extended periods of time – they can enjoy moments away from the normal.<o:p></o:p></span></div><br />
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</div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22010973.post-33652352674269220462009-12-29T18:02:00.000-08:002010-03-16T15:03:34.230-07:00The Precautionary Principle<div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;">"</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">The <b>precautionary principle</b> states that if an action or policy has suspected risk of causing harm to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public" title="Public"><span style="color: #002bb8; text-decoration: none;">public</span></a> or to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_environment" title="Natural environment"><span style="color: #002bb8; text-decoration: none;">environment</span></a>, in the absence of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_consensus" title="Scientific consensus"><span style="color: #002bb8; text-decoration: none;">scientific consensus</span></a> that harm would not ensue, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burden_of_proof" title="Burden of proof"><span style="color: #002bb8; text-decoration: none;">burden of proof</span></a> falls on those who would advocate taking the action. Effectively, this principle allows policy makers to make discretionary decisions in situations where there is evidence of potential harm in the absence of complete scientific proof. The principle implies that there is a responsibility to intervene and protect the public from exposure to harm where scientific investigation discovers a plausible risk in the course of having screened for other suspected causes. The protections that mitigate suspected risks can be relaxed only if further scientific findings emerge that more robustly support an alternative explanation. In some legal systems, as in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_the_European_Union" title="Law of the European Union"><span style="color: #002bb8; text-decoration: none;">law of the European Union</span></a>, the precautionary principle is also a general and compulsory principle of law."</span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0in;"><i><span style="color: black;">(As seen on "</span></i><span style="color: black;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle"><i>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle</i></a><i>")</i><o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;">Recently, I was listening to the radio when I first heard about this principle. For example, the “Y2K bug.” The interviewee started rambling on and how many people would argue that we never had the issue to begin with. Of course the world was going to end at the stroke of midnight on January 01, 2000. However, nothing happened. We waited.... some purchased water, food, extra health supplies, flashlights... and nothing happened. Could it have been that we blew the entire thing out of proportion? Yes, that is quite possible and even probable in that scenario. However, the other option is that we put the efforts into the problem to fix the root cause prior to the needed evidence to suggest facts that an issue could occur.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0in;"><span style="color: black;">I would hope that in the event of a discovery significant enough to attract merit of potential we would act.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15463507600096739233noreply@blogger.com0