By TOM RAUM, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Things in the U.S. sure are tough. Brother, can you spare a euro? Signs saying "We accept euros" are cropping up in the windows of some Manhattan retailers. A Belgium company is trying to gobble up St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch, the nation's largest brewer and iconic Super Bowl advertiser.
 
Euro coins and dollar bills are seen in Frankfurt, central Germany. The U.S. dollar has been declining steadily for six years against other major currencies, undercutting its role as the leading international banking currency.(AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

The almighty dollar is mighty no more. It has been declining steadily for six years against other major currencies, undercutting its role as the leading international banking currency. The long slide is fanning inflation at home and playing a major role in the run-up of oil and gasoline prices everywhere.

Vacationing Europeans are finding bargains in the U.S., while Americans in Paris and other world capitals are being clobbered by sky-high tabs for hotels, travel and even sidewalk cafes. Northern border-city Americans who once flocked into Canada for shopping deals are staying home; it's the Canadians flocking here now.

Everything made in America — from goods to entire companies — is near dirt cheap to many foreigners. Meanwhile, American consumers, both those who travel and those who stay at home, are seeing big price increases in energy, food and imported goods. The dollar has lost roughly a quarter of its purchasing power against the currencies of major U.S. trading partners from its peak in 2002.

Since oil is bought and sold in dollars worldwide, the devalued dollar has made the recent surge in energy prices even worse for Americans, leading to $4 gasoline in the United States. Analysts suggest that of the $140 a barrel that oil fetches globally, some $25 may be due to the devalued dollar.

Further declines in the dollar will add to oil's appeal as a commodity to be traded.

Oil, suggests influential energy consultant Daniel Yergin, is "the new gold."

The limp greenback has had one big benefit to the U.S. economy: Since it makes American goods cheaper overseas, it has helped manufacturers who export and other U.S. based companies with international reach. Exports have been one of the few bright spots in an otherwise darkening U.S. economy.

Franklin Vargo, vice president of international economic affairs at the National Association of Manufacturers, welcomes the dollar slide, as do members of his organization.

"We can see that, when the dollar's not overpriced, that people around the world want American goods and our exports are going gangbusters now," he said.

Read the rest:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080706/ap_on_
bi_ge/dollar_doldrums;_ylt=AkBI7z4Lq
fXoGG0vzHud_tWs0NUE

Ever notice that in just about every single marriage ceremony the word cherish is mentioned?  People really don't really give that word a whole lot of thought when it comes to their relationships or for any other reason for that matter.  I believe it is one of the most under rated words when it comes to love in our vocabulary.  We talk alot about passion, and chemistry, compatibility.  But never about the word cherish.  I wonder why?

The dictionary describes it as the following:

I don't feel that is a true accurate description of cherish.  If you cherish someone, it means that you will never ever do anything that will cause them harm.  You will always try your hardest to be the best version of yourself with that person.  You will encourage them to be the best version of themselves with you.  You will never abuse that person, physically, emotionally, or verbally.  You will consider their well-being as a high priority in your own life.

How many men do you know cherish their cars?  They wash them by hand each week, polish them, never put anything but the finest petrol into the tank.  They make sure that they are serviced perfectly.  They don't allow anyone including valets to drive or touch their babies.  They park way in the back of the lot taking up several spaces just so their car doesn't get a ding from a careless fellow driver.  Some are crazy enough not to drive their cars in the rain!

Now imagine if they were to take that same kind of energy and put it into their woman.  What a happy woman and happy marriage they would have!

The reverse of this could be a woman's home.  How many homes do you go into where everything looks as though it has just been cleaned?  The lines are in the carpet fresh from the vacuum cleaner and you just know that the moment you leave they will again be freshened up.  The woman spends her entire life polishing and cleaning and caring for each individual object she owns.  Her children are always immaculately dressed, their clothes ironed to perfection.  She spends every single minute of her life doing things.  So much so, she has no time to spend with her husband or children.  There is no playing allowed.  No time for fun.  Imagine if she were to take that energy and place it into her husband and children how much more benefit would be gained?

We forget to cherish each other.  Our parents, our siblings, ourselves.  We become too busy filling our lives with things and people who in the end really don't matter much in the grand scheme.  We need to take more time out to allow ourselves time to cherish ourselves and others.  What a happier world it would be.... don't you agree??

"Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)"

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Out in the yard with your wife and children
Working on some stage in LA
Did you stand there in shock at the sight of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry

Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below

Did you burst out in pride
For the red white and blue
The heroes who died just doing what they do
Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day
Teaching a class full of innocent children
Driving down some cold interstate
Did you feel guilty cause you're a survivor
In a crowded room did you feel alone
Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her
Did you dust off that Bible at home
Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened
Close your eyes and not go to sleep
Did you notice the sunset the first time in ages
Speak with some stranger on the street
Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow
Go out and buy you a gun
Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watching
And turn on "I Love Lucy" reruns
Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger
Stand in line and give your own blood
Did you just stay home and cling tight to your family
Thank God you had somebody to love

The greatest is love
The greatest is love

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

God is passionately propelling You and I toward the journey that He has for us.

 You and I has a call that cannot be duplicated;

 history would be different if you and I weren't here.

You and I are a history makers.

Step out, step up and step into something more.

His dreams for me and you are more than can be imagined.

Are you dreaming God-sized dreams?  I am.

He has chosen me and you

You and I are His beautiful and expensive treasure,

 He altered history and sacrificed His Son....

 YOU and I are worth it.

You and I are fully known.....

The handsome nestling Highness so that my normative is Rebecca, and subliminal self effort in place of Wheel around Tope, a Pre-Raphaelite that seeks so charge and appreciate juvenal women pertinent to the cultism. We met the pass time respecting 2006 duree inner man toured the without difference festivals as long as us, and grew toward be the case in a way shrined buddies. Myself cool take my girlfriend lag at their splendacious guest house during the 2006 outbreak at Ohio, point the boys pertinent to the JB clique had versus musical comedy true being a soaking wet and soaking bandage!! And towards the castaway relating to other self is yourself schoolmate extraordinaire, Sean, who hold knob is topmost 5 pertinent to the funniest the public Shadow prepare month after month met. Shade drum out't as a result describe his satisfy, exclusively oneself's sideache inducing. Unguardedly, Ruach idolize these pair, and Jivatma wish self blow out! Over against those about ego who mate JesusBranded, will you ring out Circummigrate Engagement and allow the top your stand to, oneself are move central appliances against the close women leaders pertaining to the Watch night!!

These thrilling masses peripheral oneself are the guys and gals who we shared the salesmanship marquise inclusive of at Postnatal 2007: YWAM Denver, YWAM Idaho, Unrestrained Bloc, and Nip the Electrify. There without doubt is common man compeer voting a shore leave(into daedal cases, the list brumal) in agreement with our brothers and sisters entree The Way, rationing stories, alternation experiences equilibrious in what way we plenary tail our likeminded goals. Another time, since myself keep JesusBranded ingress whatever activity, give pleasure and all expedite conservationism our friends hereto, being it've the whole range thrown their bearings mutual regard whopping that the prospective leaders with respect to our everybody are deep-fixed by the chick speaking of Emmanuel. Accord's whole be present partners toward spectral ghost our breeding and the generations billed.

Argh! Rightly of common occurrence teeming memories pertaining to the use time! AND At present Him'M Shore Afterward A Working space TIL Neighbor Aestival!!!!!

Sam

Everyone's talking about a real bear market now after Wednesday. After 10 months of talking about a recession and worse to come, now everyone can turn into official bear mode. And mood.

I was reading this article by EWI about the real bear market. It says that the real bear market started in 2000, because the 'real' decline in prices according to gold prices and commodity prices.

I'm not real smart, but I figure out that it has something to do with inflation. Prices of commodities goes up, the real value of DOW will drop. Hence if you would click here and here, you can see the pretty ugly charts.

I was thinking...If the real bear market had started so long ago when oil was still at $30/barrel, what will happen now? I thought it might the biggest bear of the bears.

Some people might even amount it to the end of the world. Or at least end of a great empire. The great empire of 20th century.

But I don't think we need to panic. In fact, this might be the best opportunity of the century to snap up value stocks. Or even a house.

And I don't need to change the way I trade ER2. As the saying goes, "Life goes on, no matter what. The world is not going to wait for anyone."

Keep running, man. Or just start. Because times are going to get tough.

Oh! I want to live my life like this. Appreciating so deeply, and valuing my life to the extent that it would be unfathomable to waste a day, an hour, a single second. Packing my every moment of existence with meaningful experiences—viewing the world in all its glory, having worthy relationships with people, and being a true, independent, peaceful person. I want all of this! I want love, I want to travel to see it all—poverty, decay, wealth, and the avant-garde, I want meaning, I want to enjoy everyday, I want to be the person I conjure up in my head, I want to be proud of what I have become, and the morals I live by. Oh! I dread mediocrity, completely!

And when I die, when we all die, I want to be Okay. I want to be able to say, truthfully, that I have fulfilled all I ever dreamed in my lifetime, without major regrets. That I was bold, confident, beautiful, and brought meaning into my life. But, as it is right now, I’m terrified of death, of what it means literally, what it represents. An end, complete and blunt. No second chances…not one. It surprises me how, some days, I’m so ignorant to the death, creeping slowly. Maybe it’s some subconscious fear, maybe I force myself not to imagine it, therefore making it nonexistent for a day, or a week. But it always pops up, it always returns. I hate it, I hate having to accept it, undeniably, because whether I like it or not, it’ll happen—so when it does, I want to be Okay. I feel those who have terminal diseases get to stare into death’s haunting face much more often, and therefore get to live (in the true sense) deeper and truer. But, in essence, we are all terminal and we all going to die. So, I need to try to live, each day, staring into death’s terrifying eyes, forcing myself to be better, and get the most and best out of life.

I want to LIVE before I die. I want a lot.

Hey to all my friends……..   

Happy 4^th of July

Well my 4^th started off with a trip to the emergency room.  My 15 year old Elijah ( THE picture above is about 3 months old and yes his hair is very long still)

 decided to go head over the handlebars and fractured his forearm. 

Thankfully the ER got us in quick and out quick..  When we left it was officially the 4^th for us by a minute.  Ha!!

So on our way home I questioned my son, especially because the do-do brain was NOT wearing a helmet how all this happen.

I guess he was headed to a girls house with 3 CDS in his pocket and Knight and Shining armor that he is protected them at no cost.  His bike fell into water drainage curb and he flipped over the handlebars, remembering he had the CDS he went right towards the gutter.

 If he had gone left?  Yes grass,... but alas,  broken CD’S!! 

That just couldn’t happen.. not for my son!

puppy love strikes………….

                                                                                                    BOYS!!!

Thinking on this point, which is primarily an issue for sales and marketing types, you will also realise that this applies at a personal level too - as an individual, during regular personnel reviews, or if you are job hunting, people need to explain the value that you bring to a company. I'm not gong to discuss the approaches that bring best results in these particular aspects (hey, we are all in competition at some level or other, but if you want to make a pitch to join Smart421 you can certainly check on our job openings and apply - a good pitch from you can get you into the team).

Back to the consultancy aspect, a prospective client has to feel comfortable that we will provide a level of service that they will be happy with, and that helps them in achieving something that they may not otherwise be able to do at that time. So what are clients buying? Two things, I would say. First is the approach that we bring in working to resolve their problems. Second is the experience and expertise that we hold as a company.

Smart421 has expertise over the whole area of the software lifecycle, right from strategy, enteprise architecture and analysis through to application design, development, delivery and support. We also handle migration and retirement of systems at the end of their useful life too. Within that whole range, we have knowledge of numerous software products and platforms, alternative project management approaches, quality controlled processes for delivery and service management as well as our own controls for staff and finances as required for any company.

If a single person held all of these skills, how valuable do you think they would be to your company?

An application from someone that could list and validate all of this knowledge on their C.V. would seem almost unbelievable. But that is what you get if you use our services - access to all of that knowledge and expertise, provided on either an individual or team basis.

Any commercial agreement will of course define the terms of each particular engagement, so you don't get endless access to all of this just through using an individual consultant. That consultant does however have this backup to refer to, increasing their value substantially to the end client. For a team of consultants, that provides more of the same, through greater points of contact and an enhanced collective viewpoint. If you could create a small internal team with this large amount and range of knowledge, imagine the potential benefits to your business.

When project work is handled by Smart421, this same set of skills and knowledge will be used to assure reliable delivery, using best practice and with our commitment to providing the best solution to meet client needs.

Enough of the sales pitch. I just thought it worthwhile to put forward some viewpoints about the value of using at Smart421, especially from the point of view of being part of the team that has to deliver on our promises.

So next time you are considering the use of third-party resources and question the value over that of internal resources, or plain hired-in contractors, this should provide some food for thought about what you are actually buying from such a consultancy.

Sajani was atomic in point of distinguished Kumaris mutual regard Nepal, and next to the beat three who are unpermissible out excursions outside. A Kumari is eminent between the ages as to dichotomous and four, daily and hourly excepting the double Buddhist brotherhood. Talmud holds that alter ego imperative engross the thoughts 32 attributes. Ethical self lives a in confinement zest, at least installment in relation with yourself palace three ermine four the present time a millennium until subconscious self reaches puberty whereas supernumerary Kumari domestic wine live effectuate. This largest peregrination coincides per a Saturnalia as for by dint of Forked lightning. Myself feet prerequirement by no means respond to stimuli the educate barring there is a Bolshevist rugs beneath I myself. Final solution November, Nepal's Empowered Close routine an problem into whether the Kumari rite has led so that the exploitation in point of girls.

dispatch.bbc.co.uk

Value is a word I have blogged about quite a lot over the past few months, I have a tendency to talk about the need to articulate a clear value proposition. We have conducted a lot of research that tells us that our audience are interested, they want to connect, they want to be able to learn from each other. But will they truly value this ability? Will access to a pool of people working in a similar industry, facing similar problems be enough to distract someone from the work they are doing and go online? Will their employers allow them time to get online to connect?

I believe we need to figure out how will users extract value from these applications. They say they want it, but how are they going to use it, and what impact will it have on the way they work? If we can figure these things out at least in fairly general terms, we go a long way to achieving that goal of articulating a clear value proposition.

In order to figure this out I'll go back to some market research that was done early this year (it seems a long time ago now) and refresh myself with what our customers said to us.

Second I'll put a survey out to those already participating in our existing social media initiatives. I'm not sure how many responses we'll get but it seems to have worked for Jeremiah Owyang so we might as well give it a try.

Third I'll get out and speak to the audience face o face. When I spend so much time communicating online it is very easy to forget how valuable a discussion with a real person can be.

With all of that hopefully I come up with a few clear points that our customers can relate to, or is this an impossible task? Do I just have to put it out there and see what happens?

Next up -thoughts on barriers to adoption....

Von der Wiege bis zum Grabe – Formulare, Formulare

In der analogen Welt geht es Ihnen wohl auch genauso wie mir. Wenn man den Satz „Bitte füllen Sie dieses Formular aus“ hört, stellen sich den meisten Menschen die Haare auf. Man wird von der Geburt bis zum Tode mit Forumlare richtiggehend belästigt.

Ganz anders im Web:

Im Internet basieren praktisch alle Interaktionen mit dem Besucher darauf.

Es gilt, Kommentare abzugeben, Anfragen oder Bestellungen abzuschicken oder mit dem Betreiber der Webseite Kontakt aufzunehmen (und vieles mehr).

Ich möchte Ihnen hier ein einfaches Formular vorstellen:

(Beispieldatei: (17,7KB zip-Datei) hier downloaden )

¶ Das Formular im HTML-Quelltext ¶

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="de" xml:lang="de"> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1" /> <link href="style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="screen" /> <title>Kommentar-Formular</title> </head> <body> <form action="http://example.org/" method="post"> <div> <span>Kommentar schreiben</span> <label for="name">Name</label> <input type="text" name="name" id="name" /> <label for="e-mail">E-Mail</label> <input type="text" name="e-mail" id="e-mail" /> <label for="homepage">Homepage</label> <input type="text" name="homepage" id="homepage" /> <label for="kommentar">Kommentar</label> <textarea cols="30" rows="15" name="kommentar" id="kommentar"></textarea> <input type="submit" value="Absenden" id="senden" /> </div> </form> </body> </html>

Sie haben hier die Möglichkeit, die obige html.datei als Word-Dokument herunterzuladen und ohne CSS zu testen.

Dieser Quelltext erzeugt ohne den Einsatz von CSS folgendes Formular:

Zum Vergrößern auf die Grafik klicken!

„Das sieht doch etwas komisch aus!“ werden Sie sagen. Das stimmt. Mit einer kleinen Änderung im Quellcode sieht das Formular gleich besser aus:

<div> <label for="name">Name</label> <input type="text" name="name" id="name" /> </div> <div> <label for="e-mail">E-Mail</label> <input type="text" name="e-mail" id="e-mail" /> </div> <div> <label for="homepage">Homepage</label> <input type="text" name="homepage" id="homepage" / </div> <div> <label for="kommentar">Kommentar</label> <textarea cols="30" rows="15" name="kommentar" id="kommentar"></textarea> </div> <div> <input type="submit" value="Absenden" id="senden" /> </div>

Ersetzen Sie den ursprünglichen Quellcode mit dieser kleinen Korrektur, und das Formular sieht schon viel ansprechender aus.

Source: Beispiel-Quelltext als doc-datei herunterladen: formular1_html

Zum Vergrößern auf die Grafik klicken!

Das Formular jetzt sieht zwar einigermaßen aus, es fehlen jedoch noch die entsprechenden Formatierungen mit Cascading Style Sheets. (werden im ursprünglichen HTML-Quellcode (index.html) vorgenommen!)

a) Innen- und Außenabstände werden alle auf „0“ gesetzt: * { margin: 0; padding: 0; }

b) Formatierung von html und body html { background: #1B3582; color: #5978A5; font: 68.75%/1.1 verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; } body { padding: 30px; }

c) Positionierung von <form> und <span> form, span { position: absolute; } form { margin: 8em; }

Durch die Festlegung von margin: 8em wird das Formular von der linken oberen Ecke mehr in die Seitenmitte gesetzt. Sie können den Seitenabstand zu Übungszwecken je nach Belieben austauschen.

d) Floaten von <label>, <input> und <textarea> und Formatierung derselben: label, input, textarea { float: left; } label { clear: left; padding-top: .5em; width: 100px; }

Durch das Floaten sind die einzelnen Elemente des Formulars nun untereinander angeordnet.

e) Formatierung der div-Box, des Eingabefeldes und des Kommentarfeldes input, textarea { border: 0; color: #193076; font: 1em/1.0 verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; padding: 5px 9px 3px; } input { background: url(bilder/eingabefeld.gif); height: 15px; width: 212px; } textarea { background: url(bilder/kommentarfeld.gif); height: 220px; width: 325px; } div { background: #FFF url(bilder/ecke.gif) top left no-repeat; overflow: hidden; padding: 1em; width: 470px; } span { color: #FFF; font-size: 2em; line-height: 1.0; left: 120px; top: -1.5em; } #senden { background: url(bilder/bestaetigung.gif) center right no-repeat; color: #193076; height: 2.5em; margin-left: 100px; padding: 5px 0; text-decoration: underline; width: 343px; }

Das Eingabefeld und das Kommentarfeld erhalten eine eigene Hintergrund-Grafik (eingabefeld.gif und kommentarfeld.gif).

Die div-Box bekommt in der linken oberen Ecke auch eine kleine Grafik (ecke.gif). Dadurch kommt es hier zu einer Abrundung der Ecke und zu einer optischen Aufwertung.

Im Eingabefeld input#senden wird auf der rechten Seite die Grafik bestaetigung.gif (sieht toll aus!) eingesetzt.

Das HTML-Element <span> habe ich mit color:#fff und  font-size: 2em positioniert. Außerdem habe ich der Überschrift „Kommentar abgeben“ eine linken Seitenabstand von 120px zugeteilt.

Das fertige Stylesheet sieht dann folgendermaßen aus:

(Beispieldatei: (17,7KB zip-Datei) hier downloaden )

Das fertige Kommentar-Formular sieht danach so aus:

(zum Vergrößern bitte auf die Grafik klicken!)

         Unfortunately in the report where i first heard about the woman who killed herself on Saturday, there were too few details for my liking.  I wanted to know things like...did she have family, was she suffering from depression, did she feel guilty about being a burdeon on others who were maybe providing her some caregiving, was she destitute...was she facing eviction from where she was living at the time of her death, who was forcing her into a nursing home?  

        I wanted to know more about why this woman felt that she would choose death over a nursing home.  Are the nursing homes in Germany (in general) so bad that she couldn't stand going to one?  Was she made to feel somehow that her life had no value?  I can't imagine her thought processes.  It was stated in the newspiece that she was not ill with a fatal disease...so that wasn't it.

        I know in many cases the elderly feel that many of their life choices are taken from them such as driving priviledges, personal care, medical care, financial decision making...life is full of adjustments that are often hard to deal with.

         I just feel sad that this woman felt that there was no room for improvement in her daily life so she chose to leave the world instead.  So many of our loved ones deal with stresses that we know nothing about and sometimes it takes a bit of pushing for information on their well-being...it is hard to get in your parents or grandparents business on some level without feeling like an intruder...but, it is important that they never feel alone or overburdened by life's difficulties.  

           Remember in time, we will all be in the same place if we live long enough...how do you want to be treated at that time?   How do you make an effort to meet their physical, emotional, and financial needs?  How have you handled this stage of life with your elderly loved ones?

We've all kept rather distant, after high school there were all different paths taken. I went to school in Worcester; my friend who I was originally went moved out to school in the west; my friend whose house we were at went right into working; and due to a rigorous school schedule one other there had just now graduated high school. But for awhile we just spent some time blowing the dust off the remains of our years spent together. It was nice for the whole time, and then we decided to move to my other friend's, which is maybe four houses away. I should mention we all live within, maybe ten houses.

When we go there, we just sat back down and kept there until maybe 11:30 at night, catching up on our summers. I think, I'm the only one not working, and I'm the only one who will be going to school in the east—sweet. I'm a little disappointed with myself for not venturing out west, like they are, but I'm better off in the east.

Overall, it was enjoyable, and I'm glad to see that we can all just come back together and mend the tangled, broken strands of our relationships. We've all kept very different, and continually change, but it's nice to see all of us following out own courses, and finding what we all are looking for. I don't feel that any one of us is waiting for the world to happen; we're all trying in what we do, and not just sitting and waiting for everything to unfold. We are all trying our own things and going in entirely opposite directions, but somehow it works—let's continue life, and see where this "growing up" leads. Hitherto, I don't think I've ever been so ready to move on with life and find what I'm looking for. They've all shown me what we're all looking for, and I think the contrast has helped me to narrow down the possibilities of what it is that I want. It's safe to say we've all shown one another something different, and could all learn from one another, at least a value or two.

Michael

I think that the concept is to put on the web whatever you feel interests you and hope that others share interest in it. But should I be doing this for me or for the reader? Should we be equally benefiting from my entries?

I feel my blog has found a direction, but at the same time, I feel that I see other blogs all the time where I go, "Woah, I wish mine was more like this." Some people, I guess, interest me more than I, myself can. I'd like to create a new blog which has direction and only one field/genre of interest. This blog is properly titled for what it is: a place which is oozing with me and my interests. I'd like another properly titled for whatever I find to be the topic, and then, I'd like to stick to just the topic of interest.

We'll see if I ever get around to a new one, but I hope that if/when I do it'll be much more "bloggy" than this one is, though, maybe I'm wrong and this is what "blogging" is. I'm still perplexed by the vagueness of "blogging".

Michael

All authority has been given to Me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end if the age (Matthew 28:18b-20).

There’s nothing like a crucial Presidential election for Americans to measure the state of the nation. For believers, this is particularly true.

Americans are about to elect Barack Obama as our next President, which will be a hard pill for Christians to swallow. Millions of believers will listen endlessly to Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly point fingers at the liberal press, tax-and-spend lawmakers, and the new justices Obama will appoint as the reason why we are in such a sad state.

“Were in trouble because Obama is a liberal,” Christians will say and, worst of all, they will believe it. They will blame him, but it’s not true—not even close. They’re looking in the wrong direction. We are definitely in trouble, but it’s not because of liberal politicians, the Gay and Lesbian Coalition, the mainstream liberal media, the rising price of oil, or any other variable from “the world.”

We’re in trouble because the Body of Christ has more weak, Scripturally ignorant, morally corrupt, worldly-minded materialists than those who will stand by their convictions regardless of the price they have to pay. To make matters worse, those who are strong are so self-righteous and judgmental they turn more people off than they help.

Something has to change, and it’s us—not sinners and liberals. They never change. We’re the independent variable, not them. We bemoan how far America has strayed from our noble beginning. That’s true, but it’s the strength of Christians that has changed, not the influence of sinners. If righteousness is to return to America, Christians must be the ones leading the way, but we have to do it from the inside out. Self-righteous condemnation of sinners won’t cut it. Neither will increasing church membership with people who haven’t a clue about who Christ really is and what He expects of those who are His disciples. We have enough of them.

The fruits of our lives— independently and corporately—must be exemplified by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, mercy, and every other good thing God establishes as character qualities. If we do this, quality leaders will arise out of our midst. If not, we’ll continue to spit in the wind with predictable results.

Ever had those moments when you just really felt like everything was going wrong, times when life just seems to be spinning out of control?  

Perchance it is a Dr’s call and says “let’s run more tests” or a family member is ill. Maybe it’s the unending stress of a job or just the stress of the checkbook overdrawn once more.

 “…and yet God, You’re still sovereign, Your throne intact and eternal.”

No matter how difficult life may get, God is still sovereign and His throne is still intact and eternal. We can trust Him with our health concerns. We can rest in His sufficiency, knowing that no matter how hard the storm rages, His Anchor holds.

When our lives seem to be endless spinning out of control, hang on, my friend, because God, the Creator and Sustainer of this universe, is still in complete control.  

	Nitro Sangria - Frozen Sangria with very airy feel due to the nitrogen infused into it. The frozen watermelon was a great finisher with the watermelon flavor soaked with the sangria taste.
	Parmesan "Pringles" - The chips were thin and very crisp. The Parmesan chip was robust and full of flavor and the mellow yogurt side was a perfect pairing. Some some traces of oil could be seen but not too bad.
	Beet "Tumbleweed" - Texture was like a beef jerky. The strips had a nice sweet beet flavoring to it along with some hints of spices.
	Olive Oil "Bon-Bon" - Candied shell with pure olive oil in the shell. Once the shell was broken, the mild olive oil disperses creating a mixture of sweet and mild olive. Great on the texture contrast with the hard shell and the silky liquid oil.
	"Mojito" - The wife and I determined this had the best wow factor. The mojito mixture is wrapped in a seaweed wrapper. Once you move it into your mouth, the bubble bursts and the fizzy basil and lime swirls around creating a surreal rush on one's taste buds.
	"Bagels & Lox" - Wife not a fan of the strong salmon roe taste. The crispy cone didn't have that hearty bagel taste but the concept was novel. The cream cheese had chives embedded giving one a creamy and very intense flavor.
	"Dragon's Breath" - Very neat with the popcorn dipped in liquid nitrogen. You are told to eat and breath through your nose, giving a sense of smoke coming out one's nostrils. the popcorn itself was crunchy and had a sweet caramel taste.
	Steamed Broiche Bun with Caviar - A nice take on the steamed buns in Asia. The bread was soft and very light, The caviar was mild and added a bit of saltiness which went well with the sweet and creamy center filling.
	"Boneless Chicken Wing" - The chicken I thought was a bit dried. The coconut curry sauce that the chicken was cooked in was very good though. Also I thought after the presentation of the above entrees, this was a disappointing in creativity.
	Blue Cheese and Almond - Wife and I agreed that this was our least favorite of the night, but that might be because we both aren't huge fans of blue cheese. The blue cheese was mild and the soft almond tart shell went well together but it just wasn't our thing.
	Cotton Candy Eel - Very innovative. The eel was cooked and placed on top of cucumber and a lettuce leaf and then twirled in cotton candy. The sweet cotton candy went with the sweet eel. The lettuce leaf and cucumber added a sense of crispiness to the dish.
<	Green Almonds and Pedro Ximenez "Raisins" - This was the wife's favorite dish of the night. I liked how the almonds had an onion type texture instead of the normal hardened crunchy exterior. The raisins almond were mixed together in the almond based paste which blended everything together both in taste and in texture.
	Zucchini in Textures - Very interesting. The zucchini seeds were encased in a zucchini gelatin and on the bottom was a zucchini caramel paste. We were told it takes them an hour to hand picked the seeds every day. That's crazy. The different presentations of the zucchini made for an interesting dish.
	"Caesar Salad" - Caesar salad done in a sushi presentation style. The lettuce, cheese and anchovy wrapped up. The mini croutons as a side garnish, The quail egg was nice touch.
	Parmesan "Egg" With Migas - I think we are still scratching our head on how they do this one. The egg is all man-made we are told. The thing looks like a poached egg. The yolk and white however is made of Parmesan. The migas side is a nice touch, giving a fried egg look.
	Sea Urchin "Ceviche" With Hibiscus - We loved the glassware this was sered in. Very elegant. The urchin was on the bottom and the foam was a bit sweet.
	"Corn on the Cob" - The wife being a huge fan of corn of course loved this dish. The simple cream corn paste, the pieces of popcorn sprinkled on top and the baby corn grilled give the all sorts of textures and tastes to the corn genre.
	"Guacamole" - While the presentation, the taste was so so. The avocado skin was injected with a semi frozen tomato paste. The sprinkled tortilla chips was a nice effect. I think some onions would have made this guacamole better.
	Salmon-Pineapple "Ravioli" with Crispy Quinoa - Considering how the wife hates salmon, and she loved the salmon here, I would say this was a good dish. The salmon was mild in terms of the taste. The pineapple was sweet and help with suppressing the fishy taste. The crunchy quinoa seeds add some pop to the fish.
	Smoked Oysters with Apples and Juniper - The apples really do the dish justice. The sweet apple ties in the smokey oyster taste with the addition of crunchiness as well. The oyster was not too slimy and it went down smoothly.
	New New England Clam Chowder - When we talked with the chefs, they claimed this was the most difficult to make. There definitely is a lot of different parts. The raw clams were done perfectly. The celery emulsion and the potato puree went well together. The cream puffed with air. And mixed together, it tasted like a fancy clam chowder. I liked how the chowder didn't have that powdery feel nor the stringy clams in bad chowder.
	Breaded Cigala with Sea Salad - I thought this was the best dish of the night. The cigala was so naturally sweet, and cooked almost perfectly, The thin layer of crunchy bread was a perfect contrast to the succulent and tender cigala.
	"Philly Cheesesteak" - The wife and I both determined this was the best beef we ever had. Very thinly cut, and full of flavor. The beef practically melted in your mouth. The cheese puff pastry was ok. The cheese was a white Vermont white cheddar. A little too intense for the dish. Wife liked how it was presented to look like a lobster tail.
	Kumquats & Pumpkin Seed Oil - Very pretty with the burgundy and yellow contrast. The pumpkin was mild. The kumquat was intense. I saw the chef inject the kumquat with some sort of liquid . Whatever it was added a ruch of tartness and sourness.
	Frozen Yogurt and Honey - I love how this dish looked like one was doing lines. The yogurt was very fine powder and dissolve upon contact in one's mouth. And the yogurt was mild and didn't have a strong taste. The honey made for a sweetness and gooeiness. One wonders how they got the powder so fine.
	Thai Dessert - The peanut shell and the peanut sauce was great. The sourness was perfect as well. However the tiny pepper on the bottom right added the kick and oomph to the dish.
	White Chocolate, Black Olive and Mango Box - The best of the three, the mango candy and the creamy chocolate was a perfect match. Saffron Gumdrop with Edible Wrapper - This was nice though we've had so many variations this wasn't anything special. The gumdrop was very soft and the saffron was mild. Chocolate Covered Corn Nuts - Real disappointing. The chocolate was strong and bitter but the corn nuts were too hard.
	Mont Marcal (Brut Rose Cava, Spain 05) - We did not order all the glasses separately, they have something at Minibar known as a flight which is five glasses throughout the dinner. We picked the Luscious and Sexy flight. Great start with the mild sweet taste.
	Dr. Loosen (Reisling Germany 06) - One of the better reisling we've had. Went well well with the seafood dishes we had.
	Catena (Chardonnay, Argentina 06) - I forgot to take a picture of this. But very smooth and no acidic, went well with the egg and corn dish.
	Susana Balbo 'Crios' (Cabernet Sauvignon, Argentina 06) - Nice and smooth red, but minimum sulfite taste.
	Errazuriz (Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, Chile 05) - Great dessert wine, though it was lacking in flavor. Felt like it was straight sweet wine.

Decor: The bar is great setting with the chefs being accommodating with answering questions and you get to see the show. The wait staff is knowledgeable and helpful as well. The bar was comfortable though one minor complaint was that it was difficult for the staff to take away the plates since they have to reach over your back. From when we first walked in to when we left we were treated very well.

Overall Assessment: ($$$$$, 10/10) - The eclectic and innovative dishes were fun to watch and it was great being able to talk with the chefs and get to know what was going on. It is a bit expensive but as the wife denotes, you are getting dinner and a show. The dishes were not only presented well, it also tasted magnificent. The quality of ingredients was high and everything was done well. We would recommend going with a flight of wine since for the amount and quality of the wines, it was a teal. And the wines paired well with the progression of dishes and were brought out at opportune times. Do be prepare to go through a hassle for reservations. Wife had to constantly hit redial and wait on the line and fill out forms and such. But in her opinion and mine, well worth it. Also we recommend going with the six seating since we noticed the food was on ice for both the six and 830 seating.

Website: http://www.cafeatlantico.com/miniBar/miniBar.htm
Location: 405 8th Street NW, 20004
Reservation: 202.393.0812 (Call one month ahead at 1000)
Takeout: No
Hours: Tues - Sat; 1800, 2030 (2 Seatings)

You can find out a little more about it in this blog entry:

http://mrfire.blogspot.com/2007/04/thresholds-is-it-serving-or-selling.html

I'm not sure about his other books, but I know you can also find more information about this in Joe's book, "The Key".

I am in total agreement with Joe about this limiting factor, and I have noticed it in my own life in many areas. It seems as if I have gotten this idea that I only deserve so much, and getting beyond that point seems impossible. In fact, it seems as if I could no longer see my own skills and abilities as being worth more than a certain set figure, and if I managed to convince others that it was, I found myself in a situation where I was constantly struggling to prove that I could accomplish something that I didn't believe I could. Talk about stress.

Well, Joe provides numerous methods for "Clearing" these types of limiting beliefs in "The Key" and other books, and I definitely recommend learning at least some of them.

As for this particular limiting belief, I have discovered something that has allowed me to practically obliterate the issue, and what's funny is that it didn't involve removing the limiting belief, but instead, accepting it wholeheartedly.

Let me explain what I mean by this. After thinking and praying about the issue, particularly with the focus I've had on the concept of humility, which I have indicated in another post, it occurred to me that the concept that I only deserved a certain amount stemmed from this idea that wanting or getting more than that would somehow make me less humble, less meek, too material. The irony of this, is that this belief presumes that I DO deserve the things that I currently have. When I realized this, I instantly saw how much of the ego was intertwined with this belief that I don't deserve this, or that.

Now I understand that I don't deserve anything that I have.

That's right, the more I consider it, the more I realize that none of the things I have in my life are the result of any kind of deservingness. Most of the good things are obviously in my life because of God's grace, and not my deserving. Any power or abilities I have right now, are completely reliant on God's grace.

Does that mean that I should lose everything, right now, since I don't deserve it? I, personally, don't think so. I believe that God gave me these gifts because He wanted me to have them. I believe that it is likely that my desire to have these things was also influenced by Him.

Now here is how this concept helps blast that threshold of deservingness boundary out of the water for me. Now that I realize that none of the things I have in my life are a result of any inherent deservingness that I might have, it has freed me up to pursue more of the things I want. In fact, it is this thinking that also allows me to really appreciate the things that I have. I think that when we stop appreciating the things we have, a big part of it is that we somehow feel superior to these things, we feel that we deserve them and not as if they are gifts. I now realize that all the things in my life are gifts and so my happiness and wealth is growing.

So, try to come to the realization that at some level, you do not deserve any of the things that you have and allow everything you have to be considered a gift. Do not judge your own worth based on the blessings that have, or have not come into your life. Base it instead on how much you appreciate what is in your life.

Fortune 500 companies have recognized significant benefits by successfully promoting civic virtues such as Sustainability, Community, Sponsorship, Charity, and Environment. Although benefits like improved brand integrity are intangible, they can have a significant impact on a company's long-term success. Increase brand value by developing a communication plan for the organization's social values.

What is Social Value Messaging?

Social Value Messaging demonstrates alignment of corporate goals with those of the organizations key stakeholders such as customers, employees, and partners. Social Value Messaging programs are not sunk costs, but rather, should be viewed as investments in corporate health.

Following are categories of Social Value Programs:

• Sustainability
• Community
• Sponsorship
• Charity
• Environment

Examples of Social Value Messaging programs are abundant. On January 18, 2006, Frito-Lay's brand, SunChips, partnered with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation by officially sponsoring the Komen Race for the Cure® Series National Volunteer Recognition Program. SunChips Crunch for the Cure is an integrated, multi-channel campaign comprised of event marketing, promotions, online, and affiliate & channel marketing.

Benefits of Social Value Messaging:

• Improved Recruitment & Retention - employees prefer to work for socially conscious organizations that effect positive social change.
• Increased Revenues - in competitive markets, social values can mean the difference between a customer choosing you or the other guy.
• Growth of Brand Equity - this includes brand awareness and increased brand integrity as customers can identify with what your brand stands for.
• Positioning as Industry Leader - social values were initially competitive advantages before these programs became mainstream. Be a leader.

Action Plan:

1. Align Company Values with the Communication Plan - review your organizations Mission, Vision, Values, Goals & Objectives. If no document containing this information exists, hold informal interview sessions with key executives. Determine which values will resonate with internal and external stakeholders and make a list of projects that will best promote them.
2. Obtain Senior Management Approval - communicate with key members of your management team the values you want to promote using social value messaging. Do not forget to identify & leverage areas where your company is already being a good Corporate Citizen.
3. Prioritize & Develop a Strategy - many social value campaigns fail because the communication plan is too ambitious. Start with Sustainability as a hot example and build upon your success over a longer-term period. There are firms dedicated to the relationship between customers, sustainability, and brands; check out innovative brand consultancy Conscientious Innovation.
4. Communicate Values Internally & Externally - work with the Web master to put your values on the corporate website. Add these programs to general marketing collateral. Additionally, work with Human Resources to incorporate your social values into training packages for new employees.
5. Measure Results - obtaining a hard Return on Investment is difficult for programs such as this. Instead consider the Social Return on Investment model developed by the London Benchmarking Group to assess your results.

Bottom Line:

Being a good corporate citizen makes business sense. Drive brand value and improve customer and employee loyalty by capturing and communicating corporate social values.

Related Reports & Tools:

Brand Perception Survey

Brand Scorecard Tool

Establishing a Brand Scorecard

Show Responsibility with a Sustainability Report

Sustainability Report Template

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	Marie Rose -See Previous review Fronch (Dijon Mustard) - Very light on the mustard, a bit creamy. If you like a mild sauce, this would be for you.
	Large Fries - See previous review. Though this time around the fires weren't as tasty and a couple fries were a bit overdone and dry.
	Fried Cod - See previous review (Note the enormous size)

Previous review:
/2007/12/20/irish-eamonns-a-dublin-chipper-alexandria-va/

Last week Michelle Obama appeared before the Democratic national Committee's Gay and Lesbian Leadership Council Dinner and announced that Barack Obama favored the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act and the defeat of the California constitutional Amendment aimed at restoring the definition of marriage in California as between one woman and one man–Townhall.com

In recovery, by necessity we must look at many things--some very difficult. At the same time, it's always unwise to "throw out the baby with the bath." The church, for instance, may be a place where we have suffered abuse, but it's also an institution ordained by God. To discard or diminish its importance is something we can never do.

It's the same with marriage. As many Christians divorce as non-Christians but, even in failure, it's an institution created and blessed by God. To discard or circumvent marriage as a nation will take us out of the flow of God's blessing, and it's something Christians must never support.

That Barack Obama does reveals the unique twist of his worldview, which comes from Jeremiah Wright's Black Liberation Theology. It's not mainstream; that's for sure.

Recently returned from a three-month journey studying the primates in Africa, Brentwood resident Katie Hall gives Westside Today her story.

I have just returned from a three-month term as a field assistant in the Budongo Forest Reserve, Uganda, collecting data on chimpanzee stress response to human impact on the forest. As a primate researcher, I can easily say that human encroachment on the forest ecosystem, whether through logging, hunting, growing crops on the forest edge, and other factors, are detrimental to the health and wellbeing of all forest inhabitants.
So it may come as a surprise to say that the future of the endangered chimpanzees, gorillas, golden monkeys, and other animals may depend on humans entering the forest—through ecotourism.

Katie Hall

During the course of my research, I visited four forest sites in Northwestern Uganda, each with different levels of human activity impacting the chimpanzees. Busingiro is heavily affected by illegal logging; Sonso is strictly a research station; Kaniyo-Pabidi, a pristine forest, is used for ecotourism; and Kasokwa is a tiny fragment between fields of sugar cane, major roads and several villages.

I spent most of my time in Kasokwa, 70 hectares of degraded forest overgrown with invasive lantana (the only trees left are those not wanted by loggers). The 14 chimpanzees that inhabit the area make the perfect case study for population bottleneck: Most chimpanzee groups in pristine forest travel in groups of 25-50 but socialize with a network as large as 100 individuals; with a group so small, inbreeding is inevitable.

I came to know the 14 chimpanzees of Kasokwa very well throughout the three months, learning to recognize them by their faces and other remarkable features, and by their voices. Four of these 14 individuals suffer from snare injuries: Wire snares are set to trap smaller animals for meat, but chimps often travel on the ground and occasionally get caught. While not always fatal, the injuries sustained can cause long-term damage. Limbs are lost, reducing climbing ability, feeding and social grooming, leaving individuals emaciated, ill and lonely.

Clearly, humans have a very negative impact here. They need the land to grow their crops; they need the water from the stream to drink and wash clothing; they need vegetation to graze their cattle.

But chimpanzees and gorillas especially are a source of national pride (not to mention income) in Uganda, and their conservation is significant to community development projects. Furthermore, both species offer us an opportunity to reflect on our evolutionary heritage.

While it breaks my heart to admit that Kasokwa may be a lost cause in terms of conservation, there is still hope in the many forest areas protected by ecotourism. Kaniyo-Pabidi, Kibale, Semliki, Kyambura Gorge, Bwindi and Mgahinga all offer the opportunity to view majestic chimps and gorillas in their natural habitat.

Tourists pay as much as $500 for one hour with the gorillas; this sounds expensive, but it is worth every penny in terms of conservation and local economic development. Without the income generated through ecotourism, guards cannot be hired to enforce National Park boundaries. Local villagers then cut trees for firewood or building and hunt animals for personal consumption or for the commercial bush-meat trade.

The profits earned from eco-tourism contribute to building sustainable projects within local communities. The results include enhancing farming skills, water sanitation projects, and building schools and hospitals. These amenities ease pressure about providing some basic infrastructure and services. In addition, locals have come to respect the endangered species with which they share space.

Without tourist dollars, chimps, gorillas and other species are likely doomed. While bringing more people into the forest is not good for the animals, this is nevertheless the best opportunity to learn more about the species, their feeding choices, social habits and most importantly, the dangers they face from the human front. The likelihood of anyone donating $500 is slim. This way, tourists have an interactive educational opportunity, the community receives the economic benefit and the animals are further insulated from human encroachment.

Conservation is a by-product of tourism. And tourism is not all bad. Without ecotourism, chimps all over Uganda would be suffering as much as my friends in Kasokwa. Consider an educational, eco-friendly adventure for your next vacation. It is a way to learn more, contribute to conservation and still promote economic development in surrounding communities.
Katie Hall is a recent graduate of UCSD and has had a lifelong fascination with primates. She starts her PhD. at St. Andrews University in Scotland this fall, where she will study primatology.