Students Of Success

I asked a simple question at the last seminar:

“How much has everyone improved in the year since we last got together?”

I’ve practiced the same basics everyday for decades.

Everyday Rain or shine. Summer, winter, spring and fall. Over and over and over………………………………………

And I’m never satisfied. I’m not fast enough, I don’t hit hard enough, my basic “technique” is NOT at all satisfactory.

I don’t train a lot of “techniques”. But, I train those “techniques” a lot.

Basic fundamental stuff. That’s all I can handle.

Over and over and over and over and over…………………………..

Know why?

Because I’m NEVER satisfied. I’m not fast enough, I don’t hit hard enough, my basic “technique” is NOT at all satisfactory.

Nope! I’m NEVER happy.

It might be nice to “do” more advanced, complex, and exotic stuff.

But personally I can’t justify it. I see far too much room for improvement in just the most basic fundamental stuff.

Because I’m never satisfied. I’m not fast enough, I don’t hit hard enough, my basic “technique” is NOT at all satisfactory.

I guess the problem is that I don’t have a clue as to when these basics become “good” enough. Seems to me I could spend the rest of my life constantly working at improving just a handful of solid basics and still NEVER be satisfied. Never be fast enough, never hit hard enough.

Damn. Consigned to an existence of fundamental basics. Well, I guess I’m just one of the unlucky few.

Copyright 2003 http://www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com ©

Carl Cestari began his study of the martial arts with judo at the age of 7 under the direction of Yoshisada Yonezuka. During the past forty plus years Carl has dedicated his life to studying the martial arts, hand to hand combat systems, history and religion. What makes Carl unique is his combination of martial arts, law enforcement, military and real world experience. Carl has been exposed to a multitude of people with a wide variety experience. The following is a list of some of Carl’s ranks and honors.

Shinan (Founder) Tekkenryu jujutsu
Ryokudan (6th degree) Koshinkai Karate under John Burrelle
Godan (5th degree) Jujutsu under Clarke of the World Jujutsu Fedaration (now defunct)
Sandan (3rd degree) Nippon Kempo under Narabu Sada
Nidan (2nd degree) Judo under Masafumi Suzuki
Shodan (1st degree) Judo under Yoshisada Yonezuka
Shodan (1st degree) Shukokai Karate under Kimura, Kadachi and Yonezuka
Shodan (1st degree) Daitoryu Aikijujutsu
Instructors Certificate- Charles Nelson System of Self Defense under Charlie Nelson
http://www.thetruthaboutselfdefense.com

When you get a puppy, one of the first things that you
need to do is make an appointment with the vet to get
your new family member his or her vaccinations. Along
with any recommended shots, your cuddly canine will
probably get a dose of a de-worming formula to rid
them of any internal parasites.

Hookworms

Some parasites can be very dangerous to your dog,
especially to puppies. For instance, a hookworm (about
1/8″ in length) will adhere itself to the small intestine
and begin to suck the blood from your pet. It can cause
severe anemia, followed by circulatory collapse, severe
diarrhea, hemorrhaging, shock and finally death.

Puppies may receive hookworms through the mother’s
placenta during the gestation period or through the
mother’s milk when nursing. This is why it is very
important that new puppies receive a de-worming formula.

These parasites can also enter an adult dog quite
easily when your pet walks over soil that contains
any contaminated feces from other animals. In turn,
your dog then licks his or her paws and ingests the
hookworm larvae. Even without the paw licking the
larvae can burrow through the skin and into the dog.
Once inside, the larvae migrate to the small intestine
where they grow into adult hookworms, usually within
14 days.

A female hookworm will begin to lay eggs… 20,000 of
them per day! As you can see, it is vitally important
to have your favorite canine de-wormed should they
become infested with hookworms. If you see symptoms
such as diarrhea, weakness, pale gums, or weight loss,
take your canine to the veterinarian immediately for
diagnosis and treatment. Diagnosis is usually made
through a small stool sample. Treatment consists of
an oral or injected medication which kills the adult
hookworms, but not the larvae. This treatment needs
to be repeated again in 2 to 4 weeks to kill the larvae
that have emerged as adults. In cases of severe anemia,
your dog may require a blood transfusion.

Roundworms

Roundworms are another common parasite most often found
in puppies. The worms are usually heavy-bodied and
grow to about 6″ in length.

Infection usually occurs as larvae that have lain dormant
in an adult female dog are reactivated when the female
dog becomes pregnant. The larvae begin to migrate through
the placenta to the liver of the fetus. They also will
migrate to the mammary glands of the mother, so that the
puppies can also become infected while nursing.

The time from roundworm larvae infection to the adult
stage is about 27 days. Most roundworms live about 4
months in the puppy and are usually expelled by the
natural immune system of the puppy before 6 months of
age.

So, if puppies naturally expel these parasites, how do
adult dogs end up with them? The adult dog ingests them
by eating some food supply that contain the larvae.

Tapeworms

Another very common worm is the tapeworm. This worm
lives in the intestines of both dogs and cats. The worm
is transmitted by fleas. When a dog or cat has fleas,
they will naturally ingest the tapeworm while grooming.
The tapeworm then makes its way to the intestine.

There are usually no noticeable symptoms for the most
part, although sometimes your dog may show some stomach
upsets, diarrhea or just seems somewhat lethargic. You
can often tell if your pet has tapeworms by finding
small, whitish worm segments that look like small grains
of rice under the tail of your pet or on its bedding.
Also, you dog may begin “scooting” their rear end along
the floor because of irritation. It takes approximately
three weeks from the time your dog ingests the flea
until you begin to see tapeworm segments.

Although not generally harmful to an animals health,
tapeworms are certainly something you’ll want to rid
your dog of. One of the first treatments for tapeworms
is to begin a program of flea control treatment program
for your pet and the immediate environment of your house
and yard.

About the Author

Rose Smith is the author and owner of Caring For Canines,
a web site that provides information on natural dog health
care. Please visit us at: http://www.caringforcanines.com

With fresh air in the lungs and boots on your feet hike along…

Beaver Ponds
One of Yellowstone’s shorter loop trails then wanders through both meadows and forest. Black bears and Wild Flowers usually dominate the flora and fauna of this part of the world.

Fairy Falls
197-foot Fairy Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in Yellowstone, The longest and most scenic route starts at the Fountain Flat Drive barricade.

Grebe Lake
A trail used mainly by fishermen and backpackers, the trail goes to Grebe Lake, which make up the headwaters of the Gibbon River system. Deer and moose are oftentimes spotted along the trail and at the Lake.

Grizzly Lake
Starting out in a meadow, then climbing 250 feet up a ridge and traveling through burned forest, the route offers excellent views of Mount Holmes and the Gallatin Range.

Lost Lake
An easy trail, which starts behind Roosevelt Lodge (Tower Junction) then, goes into the forested hillside, coming to a fork, going westwards to the Lost Lake which is about quarter of a mile away.

Monument Geyser Basin
This is short but steep hike, where you can see the stunning view of Elk Park meadow and the wandering Gibbon River leading to Monument Geyser Basin, a small geyser basin.

Osprey Falls
Whether you start south of Bunsen Peak on the Bunsen Peak road or north of Bunsen Peak on the other end, you will be traveling about three miles along the road to reach the breathtaking Osprey Falls Trail

Specimen Ridge
This trail takes us to the lip of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone at the one mile point, then to east reaching the top of 9614-feet Amethyst Mountain.

Storm Point
This trail offers a good view of Yellowstone Lake, off the beaten path.
Start from the Indian Pond parking area, then drops into the tree line until you reach Storm Point.

Yellowstone River
Starts at the Yellowstone River Picnic Area and rises up to the eastern lip of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. There are some spectacular views of the Canyon and River from this trail.

read more travel facts here.

Business impact analysis is a critical part of the business continuity planning process. This step quantifies data and gets into the real world issue of potential losses that can negatively impact your business. It is used to understand the most important impacts and how to best protect your people, processes, data, communications, assets and the organization’s goodwill and reputation.

Organizations often think in terms of disaster recovery. Business continuity and the business impact analysis is more focused on keeping the business up and running and less focused on recovery after a disaster. The business impact analysis also is not focused only on the potential disasters, but on all potentially critical discontinuities. Key elements of the Business Impact Analysis are to identify critical business functions, establish the maximum acceptable outage time for each of these functions and then to determine the impact of not performing those functions. This can be measured against regulatory, legal, financial, operations or customer service requirements.

Once the adequacy of security and controls is evaluated and critical business functions and outage times are defined, the business continuity planner needs to develop an understanding of the probability of threats factored by the severity or impact and to start to develop a cost benefit analysis of the largest impact and highest probability threats.

It’s virtually impossible to create an absolute value and prioritization of threats and impacts. Generally, a relational system is used to drive out the key priorities. Often, each threat is evaluated according to its probability and assigned a 1, 5 or 10 rating. Then, each threat is evaluated according to its impact on critical business functions and on the business overall. For example, a discontinuity in a critical business function of less than one hour might receive a value of 0. A discontinuity of one to eight hours might be ranked a 1, eight to twenty four hours might be ranked a 2 and over 24 hours might be ranked a 3. Obviously, these rankings need to be developed on a company specific basis. Probability factored by impact creates the relational prioritization list.

This approach to risk evaluation and control allows management to start to quantify the risks and potential impacts on the organization in a thoughtful and analytical way. This results not only in higher quality decisions, but also provides an audit trail that demonstrates that management is paying attention to its risk management responsibilities. These responsibilities might be established by regulatory or legal bodies, demanded as a contractual commitment by customers or simply expected by shareholders as sound and prudent management. The key corporate goals are to protect people, protect assets, protect data and to protect the brand and reputation of the organization.

About The Author

Robert Mahood has significant technology and management experience in data communications, internet, storage, disaster recovery and data recovery. He is currently the president of Midwest Data Recovery. www.midwestdatarecovery.com

bmahood@midwestdatarecovery.com, 312 907 2100 or 866 786 2595

Omega3 - Nutrition for the Pregnant Mother and Child

It is widely accepted that a woman’s nutritional needs change when she becomes pregnant. This includes both an increase, as well as a decrease of certain foods, drinks and supplements. While we all know that an increase in nutrients during this time is beneficial, however, just as an increase in certain nutrients can support fetal development, deficiency of a number of nutrients can lead to birth defects or complications.

Essential Fatty Acids (omega3 and omega6) in the correct ratio and quantify can offer exceptional benefits in terms of fetal development, the health of the mother-to-be and the health of the baby after being born.

How Can Omega3 Fatty Acids Help During Pregnancy?

Overall Wellbeing

It is becoming common knowledge that omega3 fatty acids are exceptionally important for human health. Unfortunately in most Western lifestyles our diets include dangerously low levels of omega3s and a level of omega6 fatty acids that is far too high. This shift in our diet can be very closely correlated with the increase in incidence of degenerative diseases over the past hundred years.

Omega3 and omega6 fatty acids are labeled‘essential’ because the body cannot synthesise them on its own. It relies upon a food source, and unfortunately, given the nature of the average, modern western diet – the majority of us severely lack a natural source of omega3 fatty acids, with omega6s are provided at damagingly high levels through cooking oils, butter etc. To compound this, the omega6 fatty acids that we do intake are often cooked or spoiled by heat, light and oxygen and have therefore become toxic to our bodies.

Hundreds of research studies have now proven, beyond doubt, that a diet including optimal levels of omega3 and 6 (in the correct ratio) on a regular/daily basis can lead to a myriad of health benefits, and can also help to prevent (and reverse) the symptoms of degenerative diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular disease, arthritis as well as Type 2 diabetes.

Other benefits that are gained from including omega3 and 6 essential fatty acids in your diet include a stronger immune system, stronger bones, an increase in energy, weight loss and healthier hair, nails and skin.

It is important to remember that pregnant women can experience a deficiency in omega3 fatty acids as more are required during pregnancy. This deficiency can be compounded after a woman’s first pregnancy as her maternal stores can become depleted, rarely returning to pre-pregnancy levels.

Fetal Development

Omega3 fatty acids are vital to healthy fetal development. A deficiency can easily occur with modern, Western diets and supplementation has been recommended by many researchers, health experts and doctors (not only for pregnant women, but for everyone!).

During fetal development, omega3 fatty acids are especially important for neural development and cell growth. Throughout pregnancy, omega3’s supply ‘brain food’ to the fetus, as important brain and eye development takes place during fetal development, continuing well into the child’s infant years. In fact, the lack of omega3 fatty acids during pregnancy and during the formative years after birth have been discovered to be a critical element for both the neurological and visual development of the baby. DHA is especially vital, as fetus cannot produce DHA efficiently independently.

In fact, research has shown that by adding omega3 and omega6 fatty acids to the mothers diet during pregnancy can almost certainly have a very positive effect on the child’s cognitive abilities. These effects have even been proven to exist in the development of the child until the age of four!

Perhaps, even more critically, studies have shown that effective supplementation of omega3 fatty acids during pregnancy can greatly decrease the likelihood of complications such as pre term labour, and pre-eclampsia (toxemia) – a significant contributor to maternal mortality.

Research is proving beyond doubt that omega3 supplementation is almost vital during pregnancy and can greatly increase the health and development of both the child and the mother. However, it is recommended that these fatty acids are not added solely to the diet through consuming fish or fish based supplements. There are growing concerns regarding the toxicity of fish, particularly from mercury poisoning. A safer option would be to seek specific pre-natal supplements, or those such as Udo’s Choice which contain only plant based fatty acids.

Infant/Child Behaviour and Development

Modern research is showing a strong link between infant/child behaviour and nutrition. Over the past thirty years, the focus of this research has turned to omega3 fatty acids and their role in the behavioural development and learning skills. ADHD, in particular, has been very closely associated with omega3 fatty acid deficiency both in terms during pregnancy and in the infants diet until at least the age of four. Research has shown that infants with lower omega3 levels are more likely to suffer behavioural problems including hyperactivity, impulsivity, anxiety, temper problems and unsettled sleep patterns.
Interest in this area was first shown following a breakthrough study in 1981 which hypothesised that children with ADHD are more likely to have a diminished nutritional status of EFAs due to them showing greater thirst than non-ADHD children.

This study was further strengthened two years later, when EFA levels were measured in 23 children diagnosed with behavioural disorders and 20 average children. The results showed clearly that the children with behavioural problems were significantly deficient in EFAs.

More recently, a UK-based study has been undertaken and monitored by the BBC to show the effects of nutritional supplements of omega3 fatty acids on the behaviour of children. The study has focused upon both infants (as young as 20 months) and children up to the age of 12. The children were assessed on their reading skills, IQ, spelling, behaviour and motor skills over a period of six weeks. The study was led by Dr Madelene Portwood of the Durham Local Education Authority and the Durham Sure Start trial and she concluded that ‘The performance of almost 60 per cent of the children has improved dramatically…some two-year-olds went from having a vocabulary of 25 single words to being able to use whole sentences while others were able to sit down and concentrate for the first time in their lives’.

Post Natal Depression

It has long been accepted that using supplements of omega3 fatty acids can play a vital role in treating and preventing depression. When considering the increased requirement for omega3s during pregnancy and the depletion of a mother’s omega3 reserves after giving birth it is no surprise that an omega3 deficiency may play a role in post-natal depression.

A major UK study on over 11,000 women has found that the more omega3 fatty acids consumed by women during the third trimester, the less likely she was to suffer from depression both during pregnancy and for the eight months after giving birth.

The reason behind EFAs being so effective at reducing depression is that they are used extensively by the brain through many different functions. Omega3s are converted by the body into both EPA and then DHA. The majority of the human brain is comprised of DHA, and a deficiency of DHA has been linked to the Alzheimer’s epidemic. Low levels of EFAs are also highly associated with low levels of serotonin, the major brain chemical that is responsible for our mood levels. Low serotonin levels almost always results in depression.

Summary

Pregnant women and new mothers should definitely consider supplementing their diet with omega3 fatty acids. The nutritional benefits are manifold both during pregnancy and in everyday life. Most significantly, the intake of omega3 fatty acids during pregnancy can prevent pre term delivery, improve the babies neural development, retina development, skin and cell health, reduce the likelihood of behavioural problems and can also help prevent the mother from experiencing prenatal and postnatal depression.

On top of the non-pregnancy related benefits, this subject is certainly worth further research and consideration.

Energise for Life offer free guides and resources for those looking to achieve optimal health and energy. With a slant towards the alkaline diet approach to health they offer a huge range of nutritional supplements, health equipment, superfoods and essential fatty acids.

The aim of Energise for Life is to give you every resource you need to reach your own individual health goals.

Sadly, not many of us will catch a glimpse of Santa Claus at Christmas. Of course, there will be plenty of people disguised to look like him visiting shopping precincts and local schools. But capturing the real Santa is pretty tricky.

It’s not much use waiting at the bottom of the chimney. Most people don’t have an open fire these days. And, if he did come in that way, there would be soot everywhere and, quite frankly, it makes an awful mess.

So, the front entrance is your best bet. And don’t think he will be early - he will have to wait until all the kids are tucked up in bed and fast asleep. This means that you’ll have to set up your gear and be prepared at about 4am.

Flash is best as Santa moves pretty darn quickly - he has to, there are hundreds of visits to make. Red material looks great lit by flash - beware of the highlights from the sweat on Santa’s face.

Santa is fat, let’s not pretend otherwise. You would think differently wouldn’t you, considering all the rushing about he does each year. I guess, he sits around and eats at most other times. And “fat” means wideangle lenses are best - get out your 28mm just to be sure.

Don’t expect any pleasantries. Santa is a busy man and works hard and fast, at least, certainly on Christmas Eve. Requesting actions such as “face slightly to the left” and “could you tidy the beard a bit” will offend. Just snap away.

If you are lucky, you might get a quick picture of a reindeer or two. Although be careful as they sometimes bite and the climb up to the roof can be treacherous for the uninitiated photographer. It’s mighty cold too - especially at 4am.

Have fun and …. be at the ready

Eric Hartwell is an enthusiastic photographer. He owns and runs the photography resource site http://www.theshutter.co.uk and the associated discussion forums http://www.theshutter.co.uk/forums as well as the regular weblog at http://thephotographysite.blogspot.com Anyone interested in getting involved contact him at shutter@theshutter.co.uk

God in America, R.I.P

One of the great mysteries that’s plagued me is the existence of “God”. I admit to referencing God in my columns and sometime praying to a higher power for guidance when the path before me is unclear and clouded. But still, I often find myself wondering; what is God? And why are so many people going out of their way to keep him out of courtrooms, school houses, town meeting halls and government. God must surely have torqued off several institutions and people to warrant such banishment and fervor at the mere mention of his name. Let me caveat the above paragraph by saying that I’m not a church going individual and have a great many “issues” with organized religion. Those who know me well can attest to this claim. I tend to lean more toward Taoism in practicality and view “God” as the binding intellect and fabric of the Universe. I believe in a supreme being, but I don’t necessarily agree with how organized religions do things and interpret things in Gods name.

Now it’s common knowledge that God has been given a bad wrap in several Christian biblical stories and with the Catholic Church. God is kinda like Santa Clause with super powers; “he sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake, he’s marking off every bad thing you’ve done so you’ll burn for eternity’s sake.” Well, the Catholic Church has enough problems with priests, altar boys, affairs with secretaries, and a long history of simply unpleasant things that have been done to people in “God’s” name. I’m sure Galileo would have some choice words on this topic but I digress. Bottom line; is God an avenging force that will burn you in hell, a real Old Testament deity that has no tolerance for anything? Or is he the New Testament God of love and forgiveness that many newer, younger religions are depicting God to be? Is God the burning sword of justice or the tranquil dove of peace? The answer is probably both. Not being a religious scholar and not knowing the mind or intent of God, I can only guess at what God is and what God thinks. I can’t comprehend the power or the intellect of a being so vast that he has reign over everything. Perhaps that’s why God is feared by some. Such a great power makes Man and his institutions paltry and irrelevant in comparison.

I simply don’t know. My view on organized religion, especially the Catholic Church is skeptical at best (Being in Boston at the heart of the priest pedophile scandal jades my outlook a bit). Churches are run by men and men are corrupt and fallible, history proves this point over and over again. But again, religion aside, why is there this inane fear of God? Everywhere on the news, there’s some group trying to squash the Ten Commandments or have a Nativity scene taken down over the holidays. Who is God and what is his message and why are so many people terrified of it? Let’s examine some of the recent Anti-God activities occurring locally and nationally.

1. Prayer in School. This is a big to do over a few moments of silence in the beginning of the day for each student to reflect privately on his/her faith or lack of faith. I don’t ever recall reading one of these bills that say you must pray a Rosary of meditate towards the West or cite a Wicca chant. It’s simply a minute for each individual to address his or her faith before facing the rigors of the upcoming day. Is it the word prayer that has School Officials in such an uproar? Well, I‘ve got some news; every kid prays in school; before a Math test, before a Science Test there’s the “Oh God, PLEASE don’t let me blow this.” That, dear friends, is a prayer and one I’ve muttered on many occasions in my academic career. So what’s the big deal? I hope somebody can give me a rational explanation for banning prayer in school in the form of a few moments of silence. Again, the bills as drafted did not mandate and particular form of prayer or particular religion be mandated; just prayer in general in a non denominational fashion.

2. The Ten Commandments. Man I just loved that movie with Charlton Heston as Moses. I can still sit down on Easter afternoon and sit through it and be mesmerized by the story. I’ve read these commandments over and over again and after careful consideration have come to this conclusion; what’s the problem?
ONE: ‘You shall have no other gods before Me.’
TWO: ‘You shall not make for yourself a carved image–any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.’
THREE: ‘You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.’
FOUR: ‘Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.’
FIVE: ‘Honor your father and your mother.’
SIX: ‘You shall not murder.’
SEVEN: ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
EIGHT: ‘You shall not steal.’
NINE: ‘You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.’
TEN: ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.’

Don’t steal, don’t lie, Honor thy parents (Ok I’m paraphrasing here), Have no other God before me etc. As far as the other Gods part and the false idol one, I can’t see too much to be riled up over. I don’t see any religion, or people in this country worshiping statues of cows or goats. When was the last time somebody in this country made a temple to Zeus or Apollo? God is whomever or what ever an individual makes God out to be. That’s an exploration and a journey that each individual embarks upon alone. Faith/ belief in these rules are an individual decision. Most of the 10 are, in my humble opinion, non- denominational. Don’t kill, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat on your wife, don’t boink your neighbor’s wife or anything else of your neighbors. I really don’t see a whole hek of a lot wrong with these; maybe we could post the items six through ten. Even the religious ones as they’re written aren’t offensive. Don’t take the name of the Lord..YOUR GOD in vain. Meaning each individual perception of what God is should be respected and honored and not defiled by said individual. Again, what’s the problem?

These ten rules have pissed off more attorneys in the AFLCIO than any Union busting case in history. Again there’s this vendetta against God in this country. Yet most people claim to believe in a God in some form. I can see why Lawyers wouldn’t like them; don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t bear false witness. That would put every lawyer everywhere out of business; then where would the courts be?

3. The Nativity Scene. Again, I’m sorry, bear with my stupidity. We can celebrate Kwanza and learn about that in school, we can teach our children about the Menorah and Hanukkah in school but we can’t learn about Christmas or display a Nativity scene because of some separation clause of church and state that isn’t really a separation clause at all. The Constitution merely claims that there shall be no State sponsored religion. This simply means that the government cannot favor one philosophy over another. OK, then don’t allow any religion in schools. Ban discussing Kwanza and every African American political activist would be screaming racism of every 6:00 news broadcast from sea to shining sea, but ban a nativity scene and that’s proper interpretation of the Constitution. Fine, then all non Christian students have to go to school on December 25th since that’s a religious holiday, after all, the Christian students don’t get the Jewish Holidays off. Can anyone else see how stupid this is? We have a bunch of liberal socialist wacko’s who have insecurity about God and religion trying to ban anything spiritual in favor of everything secular by utilizing the courts as a bludgeoning hammer. Christmas vacation is now Winter break, COME ON !!!

This country was founded on the basis of religious freedom, not the lack of religion or freedom from religion, whatever one’s spiritual or lack of spiritual beliefs may or may not be. Why is it that those who don’t believe in the existence of a supreme being are given favor and preference over those that do? The word God appears in our Pledge of Allegiance, it is printed on our currency and the word God is said at the beginning of every court session. So, I must be missing something. For a society that mentions God on our currency, in our nation’s pledge and in the courts, the foundation of our Justice System, we still seem to want Him squelched out of existence. This seems to be a rather large dichotomy of beliefs, dare I say even hypocritical.

There seems to be an active movement by the intellectual elite to banish faith or spirituality from our governing bodies and our learning institutions. The effort to eradicate God in our schools and our government is real and alarmingly successful. The religious majority, whatever their faith may be, need to step up and make their voices heard. If those who have faith are silent, God will go the way of the Plains Buffalo and the Dodo; into extinction. Cultural decay begins with the loss of spiritual belief. These lessons are evident in history; one need only study the Greeks and the Romans as examples of the decaying of a society over time. Ban God from our country and we are following in their path of decline, a path we, as a nation, are already walking.

Nuff said.

-Esper

About the Author

None

Type “email etiquette” into the search bar of any popular search engine and you’ll get over one million hits. Because email is used so broadly, it poses certain problems for the professional who is attempting to communicate well. Any of those over one million hits will tell you the benefits of using email to conduct your business because it is a fast and efficient form of communicating. However, email is often the least preferred method of communicating by many readers.

With that in mind, I want to address one of the many options of email—the “Reply All” function. Using this function carefully will help you protect and enhance your professional credibility and prevent you from alienating your readers—especially those who don’t like email to begin with.

I’m a member of many online groups, and frequently a group’s leader will send an email to the entire group giving out information or delivering a point of instruction. Far too frequently, recipients of this group message will respond to the sender by hitting the “Reply All” function. The problem with that is all their “will do,” “got it,” and “thanks” responses end up in my Inbox becoming clutter I have to sort through and delete.

Deliberate Purpose

The “Reply All” function should be reserved for when all members of the recipient list need the information being sent. Let me say that again, reserve the “Reply All” for when ALL members need the responder’s answer. In how many cases do you need to know that one of the recipients said “okay”? Not often. Instead, in the interest of time, efficiency, and professionalism this type of response should be sent only to the person who generates the original email.

You’ve read in my other articles that poor communication is the Number One problem in business. Hitting “Reply All” as a matter of habit and not as a carefully chosen option is poor communication because it clutters our inboxes with information we don’t need. If we consider that every “Reply All” is a piece of paper on our desks, would we want all those responses? Absolutely not. We’d be buried in paper!

Certainly, “Reply All” has its uses. In a collaborative project where all members of the team need to be kept apprised of the goings-on of team members, using “Reply All” is the right thing to do. This is especially important if the team works remotely or when members of the team work on opposite shifts or don’t see one another frequently. Then using “Reply All” is good communication because it keeps the lines of communication open and moving. But again, I caution judicious use of the “Reply All” function.

Real-Life Consequences

We have another really good reason to use the “Reply All” function judiciously and that has to do with the functioning of a unit as a team. Using “Reply All” well can increase a team’s ability to function by keeping communication open, thereby helping the company reach its goals. However, using “Reply All” can also be used as a weapon and become destructive to a team relationship. Let me tell you a story to help you understand this.

I’ve been working with an organization that has had quite a bit of internal strife for various reasons. In an effort to be more supportive, the president of the organization sent a complimentary email about one staffer’s efforts to her entire staff. Nice email. Good job of communicating how staff is making the organization better. This was a responsive, proactive thing to do on the part of the president. Here’s what happened next: another of the president’s staff members hit “Reply All” and said “Don’t forget that Jane did her part, too.”

To the casual observer this exchange may not seem to be a big deal. But while that message might seem innocuous, it conveys testiness as well. The staffer’s reply was designed not only to acknowledge Jane but to “show” the rest of the staff that the president didn’t really know what was going on in the organization. The fact that the staffer sent the “Reply All” to acknowledge Jane had a subversive intent, and that was to expose the failings of the president. The president then scrambled to give Jane the proper acknowledgement and sent another message via “Reply All” acknowledging Jane’s contribution. The result: the president was put on the defensive in front of her entire staff. Not a good position for a leader to be in.

Different Results

Could this situation have been handled better? Sure. The staffer should simply have replied, called, or spoken to the president directly to remind her of Jane’s efforts. Doing so would have shown respect to the president and allowed the president an opportunity to revise the original message to give Jane proper credit without being put in a defensive position.

Using the “Reply All” option may be one of those things people do to make their jobs easier, but they do it without considering the potential negative effects on the organization and workers involved. My advice: be cautious. Use “Reply All” only when all those people in the recipient list need the information you have and when they need it from you. Otherwise, respond only to the initiator of the message and let them do their jobs better.

About the Author:

Dr. Tracy Peterson Turner works with organizations that want to turn their managers into leaders and with leaders who want to get their messages heard. She is an expert in both written and verbal communication and conducts presentations and workshops to help individuals and corporations meet their communication goals.

Visit Tracy on the web at http://www.Mgr-Impact.com. Email her at Tracy@Mgr-Impact.com

John Keats, the poet who knew beauty like no one else, once said, ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever: its loveliness increases; it will never pass into nothingness.’ There are some things that stand the test of time; their beauty and charm have an enduring value. Vintage buttons are among those things whose value increases with each passing year.

According to experts, buttons made before the year 1918 can be called vintage while those made later, belong to the modern times. The allure of vintage buttons captures the imagination of buttons-collectors years after they have been made, used and saved for posterity. Made usually of glass, gold, silver, enamel, bakelite or celluloid, these buttons have a nostalgic appeal. Vintage buttons are a coveted acquisition of button-aficionados, jewelers, fashion-designers and antique-dealers. Czech and oriental buttons are among the most sought-after vintage buttons.

The last decade has seen a never-before surge in the number of button collectors. Enthusiasts now buy and sell buttons over the internet in addition to estate sales and thrift stores. Button prices according to the ‘The Big Book of Buttons’ have also reached an all-time high.

Vintage buttons go very well with vintage fabrics, giving your apparel a classic look. Similarly, they lend a traditional feel to jewelry. Needless to say, they make a fine addition to a button collection. These tiny works of art, hand-crafted to perfection are among those things that add value to life. Vintage buttons are tokens of everlasting beauty, to be cherished and preserved.

You may want to refinance your home for several reasons. The biggest reason that people refinance their homes is to save money.

If you qualify for a lower rate you could lock in that lower mortgage rate and stretch out the payments so that every month you are paying less to live in your home than before.
Once you decide to refinance your home, you will undoubtedly be confronted with a variety of choices as to what sort of new loan you can get.

One tactic people use is to shop the rate around to several banks to see what the best deal is for them. Refinancing your mortgage can certainly free up a lot of capital but you have to be careful. Some unscrupulous lenders may advertise a lower rate, but once you work out the math the lender may have added so many points and fees to your refinancing that you are actually paying more than some of the other advertised rates.

When you refinance your mortgage, you may be able to substantially reduce your monthly payments, especially when we are in a low interest rate environment like we are today. You may have bought your home in times of relatively high mortgage rates and therefore are locked into higher payments than you should be. These days, mortgage rates have been hovering around 6% and lower for a while. If you want to refinance your home and cut your monthly payment, now may be the best time to do it.
Mortgage rates rarely stay the same for long time periods.

Refinancing Your Home to Free Up Money for Other Purposes

Many people who are deeply in credit card debt or who have recently filed for bankruptcy may want to refinance their homes in order to free up some of their home equity and pay off their other debts. This can be a good strategy if the other debts are high interest rate debts. It’s not too hard to figure out that paying off debts that are charging you 20% per year with debt that is only costing you 6% a year might be a good deal.

People who refinance their homes often come out better than before, but as usual it pays to shop around. Find the best deal your can for your mortgage and your may be able to have a lot of spare money every month.

Richard Martin is a contributing writer at LegalClips.com. LegalClips.com has Vioxx and injury lawyerarticles. This article may not be altered and links must be kept live.