A GOOD SUMMER READ: Shadows in My House of Sunshine

I would like to recommend a good book to all of you readers out there. It’s called “Shadows in My House of Sunshine” and it’s written by Emilie Betts, a first time writer.

Emilie, 85, writes a very colorful and often painful history of her life experiences. Going from a rich childhood in the pre-depression era to nearly penniless during the Great Depression and then back to the high life again during the wild and crazy sixties and seventies, Emilie, the wife of the late Robert Betts, former chairman of the William Esty advertising agency, is a natural writer who easily creates a visual experience of her life.

The book is raw and real and gives everyone something they can relate to. You’ll get lost in every page and wonder, what happens next? Nearly every experience reminded me of some memory in my own childhood or life.

It’s a relaxing and easy summer read and one you’ll come away from feeling as if you know her and are much the better for it.

I know I am. I had the honor and pleasure of meeting her recently while she was on her book signing tour here in Connecticut. When I got the email from my local library that she was coming, I read the description of the book and was immediately mesmerized by both the woman and the book.

We missed each other that day, but she was kind enough to contact me afterward. She welcomed me into her home and, on a beautiful sunny day, we had lunch on the back patio of the adorable English cottage she refers to so lovingly toward the end of the book. I look forward to future lunches and interesting discussions with my new friend.

Check out Emilie’s website.

Click here to buy the book.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Spam Alert

I need to alert everyone to a dangerous spam scam. Today, I put an ad on petfinder.com to try to find a home for my mom’s cat. I put my real name, my email address, and my cell phone number (real smart move, Lynn).

Well, within three hours, I had three emails all from guys wanting to pay top dollar for my cat. They think my cat would be perfect for their little family – they’re all married with a couple of kids, of course, and live in quaint towns with a big house and lots of yard space – and would send the bank check right away if I would only give them my complete name, address and phone number. Yeah, right.

One guy was all the way on the other coast. The second guy was about 8 states away, and the third guy – well he tried to get me to believe he was in the U.S., but he didn’t do his homework. He said he lived in Rockville, Delaware. Hey stupid, Rockville is in Maryland, not Delaware. Then he followed that with “US”, as in, “I live in Rockville Delaware US.” Again, hey stupid, if you live in the U.S. and I live in the U.S., do you really need to clarify that point? I think I know where Delaware is – or Maryland, which ever state you decide you live in. And here’s the kicker – there was an ad on the bottom of his email for Swiss Air!

I tried to remove the cat ad but couldn’t get my user name and password to work. I found the phone number of the president and company founder, Becky Saul and called. She picked up the phone and was very nice. She told me that in recent weeks their spam complaints have picked up, and that they were working on making the site blind like dating sites are, so you can’t see the personal information of the pet owner. Great idea.

In the meantime, I wanted to alert everyone to the problem and caution them not to put any personal information on such sites. I learned a hard lesson.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Thanks, Tim for All Your Wisdom and Entertainment

I am very sorry to hear about the sudden death of political anchorman Tim Russert who ran the Sunday morning NBC television news show Meet the Press.

I met Tim last year when he was on tour for his book, Big Russ and Me. As a journalist, I was assigned to write an article for the Greenwich (Connecticut) Citizen — a small local weekly newspaper — on an author breakfast, for which he was one of the guest speakers. I had the honor and pleasure of interviewing him for 10 minutes after the breakfast.

Every time I saw him on television afterward, I felt proud that I once was within just a few feet of him and had a live conversation with this very important journalist and man.

Tom Brokaw, who broke the news, said that, among the many losses associated with Tim’s death, was the fact that Tim would never be able to report on such a historic presidential election, which he was looking forward to. That is truly unfortunate.

I didn’t buy the book that day. Now I wish I had. I would have gotten an autographed copy, something that everyone who is rushing to the Internet to buy his book tonight will never have.

What I do have is the memory of him, brief though it is, and that I will cherish. My condolences go out to his family and his colleagues.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

I Don’t Care What Your Thumbs Think

Lately, there seems to be a run-on of TV and radio commercials featuring objects brought to life. Some of these are so ridiculous I can’t believe they passed client approval. It started with a Stop & Shop supermarket commercial where the products themselves told listeners about their new low prices. More recently, I’ve heard a radio commercial where the letters “H” and “R” (as in human resources) introduce themselves. In another commercial, a guy stops furiously texting to talk to his “Mr. and Mrs. Thumb”.

Perhaps the creators of these types of commercials saw the genuinely sincere and funny success of “I’m a Mac and I’m a PC” TV commercials and said, “hey, this is a great idea,” and thought automatically that consumers would gravitate to other objects coming to life. Perhaps they’re one of those people who give their private parts names and thought they could translate that idea into a winning ad.

They were wrong. They forgot the part where the creative has to be interesting and unique and the message has to offer value. After all, they are speaking to adults, not kids who will laugh at anything. They also forgot they need to be compelling enough to get these adults to open their wallets.

To me, these types of commercials seem like a copout – a lazy “let’s put anything on the air” attitude from people who have forgotten everything they learned in college or from the leaders of the industry. Or perhaps they simply had a hangover that day. Who knows.

But in today’s market, where consumers are successfully skipping over, fast forwarding through or simply ignoring ads, who can afford to be anything less than exceptional? Let’s retire these slapstick attempts at garnering attention and get back to some real quality creative. I promise I’ll pay attention if you give something worth paying attention to.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Thank you, God - Nelson's Back

On Thursday, May 10th, 2007, I wrote a blog post about Nelson - a man who was being deployed to Iraq - and how his deployment made me feel.

Two nights ago, just shy of one year overseas, Nelson walked into one of our karaoke spots. He's home and in one piece. Not a scratch or a mark on him.

Thank you, God. Now could you please work on bringing the rest of them home?

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Who Needs Television?

That’s exactly what I began wondering when I started watching “Lost” on the Internet a few weeks ago. I became addicted to the series during season 1, three and a half years ago. It is, in my opinion, the best written script on television. But I never watched it, because I had missed the bulk of the first season and I didn’t want to start in the middle. I decided to wait until I could watch the pilot and all the subsequent episodes in order.

I finally got that chance three weeks ago — halfway through season 4. And I did it on the Internet. ABC makes every episode available through its website. So there I went. I watched every episode from seasons 1, 2, 3 and the first half of 4 (before the writer’s strike) sitting in front of my computer, all in a space of about three weeks. I am now fully caught up in time for the first new episode since the writer’s strike ended, scheduled for next week.

The whole experience was really great, and it changed my views on television as a medium. I was in control of what I watched and when. I wasn’t beholden to a TV schedule. I could pause, replay, fast forward. There were commercials, but most of them were just 30 seconds — not the four to six minutes of advertising you get from the broadcast networks.

And I realized, who needs television? I wished I could do that with every show — watch it when it’s convenient for me. For a fleeting moment, I thought, hey, that’s what TiVo’s all about. Maybe we should get TiVo. But then, I had a second thought. Who needs TiVo? Will watching TV on the Internet put TiVo out of business?

Experts say that the “second screen” — the computer — will never replace the first screen — the television — because people want larger screens and they want to be able to sit and relax in front of them without doing any work. I get that. And I agree with that. But we all know that there are companies figuring out how to hook up computers to the television, and early adopters are already doing it.

So what happens when early adoption moves to early majority and all of a sudden everyone is sitting back on their leather couch in front of their 60-inch flat screen surfing the Internet for TV shows? What happens to television then? And TiVo then?

A major paradigm shift is taking place in 2009 — all of television is going digital. The significance of this is, all television is being formatted to fit the Internet medium. When that happens, the question will become, how many broadcast networks are smart enough to take advantage of it?

I watched approximately 72 episodes of Lost on the Internet. Each show had one advertising sponsor, which generated approximately 10 commercials. That’s 720 impressions just on me. How many mes were out there last week? And the week before? A hundred? A thousand? Just 10,000 people watching on the Internet would generate 7.2 million impressions. That’s a sizeable number.

But here’s the big catch: as much as I said I wasn’t going to watch those commercials, I found myself doing it again and again. There was a 30 second countdown to click back to the show. Many times, those 30 seconds were up before the commercial ended but I clicked back to the show anyway, missing the tail end of the commercial. But there were plenty of times when I found myself watching the commercial and forgetting to click back to the show until the commercial ended.

This is a major paradigm shift in consumer behavior. And I’m sure I’m not the only one. In fact, I’m certain this is a trend that will only grow.

Will this result in the generation of online-only television? New shows that aren’t good enough to bear the multimillion expense of a television pilot but would cost less to produce for the Internet? There is tremendous potential here. And I’m ready to be the guinea pig. The test case.

Now I find myself 10 days away from the next Lost show being available and there is nothing I can do but wait. Sigh. I guess I’ll just have to watch television.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Funny? Maybe. Sad? Definitely.

This video is supposed to be funny. Yeah, it is funny. But it’s also – and even more so – really frightening and sad. There’s actually two different points that I think are being made in this video:

1) That the illegal immigrants – while they are illegal – are human and deserve to be treated like human beings and not like things or cattle.

2) Be careful how you treat them because one day you might be in their position too. With all of our customer service and tech support going out of the country, all of our farmers going bankrupt and all of our money going to Iraq, this is not a far-fetched idea.

In my community, our one and only factory is closing down by 2010. What else are 3,000 factor workers going to do? While anyone can go back to school and start over at any age, it’s easy to say when we’re not in that position. Recently, in my town, a 59-year-old man who was laid off from his job jumped in front of a train. Sure he had lots of options. Apparently, he didn’t know what any of them were. Sad. Very sad.

On the first point, I’m not happy about the fact that we have hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens in this country. They use our hospitals and don’t pay for them, and their children, some of whom are born here which makes them citizens — a twisted idea in itself — and many who are not, go to our public schools for free. And they don’t pay any taxes. But on the flip side, whose fault is it that they’re here? Not theirs.

How can you blame someone for trying to make a better life? It’s not their fault they were able to get through the border. It’s ours. If we don’t want people walking over our borders or staying longer than their visa allows, then we should stop them.

Meanwhile, have you ever seen a street corner full of day laborers? I have. In my community we have a corner where the city even put up a “day laborers” sign. You should see how they converge by the dozens on a single truck when someone pulls up. And they stand out there in all kinds of weather, all day long. All they want to do is work. Is that so bad? They’ll do anything for any price just to survive, which is more than I can say for the spoiled rich teenagers who won’t even work in a grocery store. Or tennis moms who would rather spend all day at the spa than making her own spending money running a cash register. We should be grateful for some of these people who are willing to do the jobs that the average American thinks isn’t good enough for them.

Yes the illegal immigrant problem is completely out of control. But blame the politicians. Don’t blame the immigrants. They’re just trying to feed their families.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

The U.S. Dept. of Census Is Misinformed

I believe the U.S. Dept. of Census is misinformed when it comes to those little check boxes on their forms, and on any other document in which they ask you for your race.

While there is only one check box for the entire black race, in fact, all people of color do not actually fit under one race. In fact, people from the Caribbean are very different – extremely different – from African Americans.

They don’t think alike. They don’t talk alike. They don’t dress alike. They don’t eat the same food. They don’t worship the same way. They don’t listen to the same music. They don’t dance the same. They are in fact, quite different. Yet, the U.S. Dept. of Census has but one box, labeled African American, where I think they should have two: one for African American and one for Caribbean/West Indian. I think this would provide a much more accurate representation of the American population.

Everyone talks about how the Hispanic population is growing. The Asian population is growing. What about the island population? Jamaicans, Haitians, Bahamians, Dominicans. There are more and more of them in the U.S. every day, but does the government really have an accurate read on their growth?

Think for a moment how this information is used. The make-up of your region’s population could determine how much federal and state funding your schools get and what the money is used for. It could play a role in which grants are set up, where they’re set up and how much money is put into them. It could make a difference where nonprofits set up shop, do their work and what they determine their mission to be.

It’s also used to deliver marketing messages. Today, it’s a top priority for marketers to create a message that is relevant to its audience. Marketers jump through hoops and over barrels on a daily basis to try to understand who their audiences are, where they are and how best to reach them without wasting their message on people it is not appropriate for. Marketers would definitely benefit from more accurate Census data.

Some people are uncomfortable filling in these boxes and feel they should not be there at all. But if they are going to be there, and we are all going to be required to fill them out, then at the very least, they should be accurate. It’s time for a change. I strongly recommend that the U.S. Dept. of Census add one more box to their population form – for Caribbean/West Indian. Let them stand up and be counted. They deserve it.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

My wish list for 2008

1. Peace on earth. You can think it’s cheezy if you want to. It’s on the top of my list and it’s staying there until we achieve it.

2. An equal opportunity healthcare system for all Americans.

3. No more dead our wounded soldiers. Ever.

4. Reversal of global warming, with the majority of our energy output coming from carbon neutral sources. And let’s figure out how to make garbage to energy work so we can stop burying all our garbage. Someday the entire planet will be made of garbage. Ewe.

5. A workfare welfare system. Nobody who is healthy and able to work should get something for nothing. And for all the women who say I can’t work because I have a child, provide a national free or subsidized day care system.

6. Fire the IRS. Why do we put ourselves through the agony of filling out tax returns every year? Just take the tax out of our pay and be done with it! Then take all that money from the IRS and put it into socialized medicine.

7. Enough affordable housing for all, including the homeless.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

What I'm Thankful For

As the holidays approach, I would like to take a few moments to reflect on what I am thankful for:

1. My husband, who loves and respects me and works hard to help us build a future together.

2. My mom, who is always there for me and is more than just a mom; she is a friend who I enjoy being around.

3. My friends, who never complain when I vent, appreciate and miss me when I’m not there, and enrich my life just by being them.

4. Soldiers. For all the freedoms I have, and all the sacrifices you’ve made so that I can have them. If I said the word thank you a thousand times it would never be enough.

5. God. Even when I forget to pray, or forget to say thank you, he is always always there for me. He never ever gives up on me, even when I’m cranky or not as nice as I should be.

6. My pastor and my church. For giving me back my spirituality, giving me a venue for reaching out and helping others and for all the new friends I’ve made.

7. My clients who keep me busy and appreciate me. This one is also a thank you to God for allowing me to be my own boss and run my own business for four years. It gets better every year.

Happy holidays everybody!

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Please Watch This Video

I encourage everyone to take two minutes out of their busy day to watch this video and take it to heart.

http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/fullmovie.php

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Nicks Fans Are Concerned About the Wrong Thing

Last night on the news I heard something that really got my goat. Fans of the New York Nicks were holding up signs outside Madison Square Garden calling for Isiah Thomas to be fired. At first I thought, well, yeah, the guy does deserve to be fired. But it’s the reason why they were carrying signs that riled me.

The Nicks have lost 6 games in a row and the fans are outraged. Where were they when he was being tried and eventually found guilty for sexual harassment? Why weren’t they calling for his firing then? Was that not more important than the Nicks losing 6 games? Are you kidding??!!!!

It’s a pitifully sad day in America when we value winning over integrity and having a conscience.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Telemarketers - Are You Really That Stupid?

I have a business line at home. This type of line is not exempt from the FTC's Do Not Call list, so I am destined to deal with telemarketers.

For the past four months or so, I have been getting phone calls from a toll free number. No one calls from a toll free number except telemarketers. But when I pick up the call, all I hear is, "All our representatives are currently busy. Please hold the line for a representative."

Do they really think people are going to do that? Do they really think people will hold the line just to hear what they have to say?

Telemarketers have been trying to reduce abandon rates - the percentage of people who hang up because there's no service rep on the other end of the phone when their phone rings and they pick it up - since the 80s. Haven't they figured this out yet?

This isn't rocket science. If you're going to use an automated dialing system to get people on the phone, then make damn sure there is a representative on the line when they pick up!!!

Why should I wait for you? What do I care about why you're calling? I don't!

Ninety percent of the time I don't even pick up the call and stubborn as they are, they keep calling back. Today I picked it up just for the heck of it to see how long it would take for a representative to pick up. I waited four seconds after the recording.

Are you kidding???? I don't care who you are or what your reason for calling is. If you can't get it right, you don't deserve to speak with me. Besides, I am absolutely certain I don't care why you're calling - even if you're one of my favorite charities. I don't need to speak to you on the phone. I can go to your website.

Some day, telemarketing as an outbound service will be extinct. And the killers will be the marketers who couldn't figure out how to get it right.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

It Is Not a Person’s God-Given Right to Live On the Street

I get really irritated when I hear this. And I’ve heard it many times. “We can’t take a person off the street. It’s their God-given right to live on the street if they want to.”

When you’re born, you’re given a lot of freedoms. In the U.S., you have freedom of speech, equal opportunity education and jobs, and the freedom to worship your religion of choice. But never does a parent say immediately upon birth “my baby has just as much right to be a homeless crack addict as anyone else.”

Nobody wants that for their child. And when we leave people on the street, we ignore them, turn our backs on them, when we should be helping them.

Recently, in my town, a legless alcoholic in a wheelchair was begging for money in the parking lot of a CVS. This went on for about two weeks before the police chased him away. This man looked like he hadn’t had a bath in months. His clothes were so filthy I would burn them, not wash them. I asked one day why he didn’t go to the shelter. He said he didn’t like the shelter.

Another time, a big woman approached me asking me for a dollar for french fries. When I pulled out the dollar she asked for two. She said she was pregnant and homeless. I said why don’t you go to the shelter. She said they won’t take me because I’m not clean. She looked very clean to me. What she meant was, I’m a drug addict and you have to be clean and sober to live at the shelter. Meanwhile, four hours later the woman apparently still hadn’t gotten her french fries because she was still out there begging when I was leaving the area. She tried to beg from me again and I just help up my hand and said “don’t”.

The thing is, there are these people who are rejected from the system because they want to remain an alcoholic and a drug addict. Or at the very least, they’re not strong enough to give it up.

I think that when someone is homeless, and they have nothing left, and they’re not strong enough to take care of themselves, we should do it for them…whether they want us to or not.

Like this legless guy in the wheelchair. Since he’s disabled, he would easily qualify for a bed at a convalescent center. A permanent warm, dry and clean place to sleep and three square meals a day. But he won’t go because he can’t get the drink there. I think we should pick him up against his will, lock him up in detox for as long as it takes, and while we’re at it, scrub the hell out of him and put clean clothes on him. Who cares if it’s not what he wants today? He’s too sick to know what’s best for him.

Nobody wants to be homeless. Nobody really wants to be a drunk or a drug addict. I know that people would argue where do you draw the line. But sometimes it’s an open and shut case, like with this legless man. If he won’t do it for himself, we should do it for him.

It’s nobody's God-given right to live like a pig or to beg. Technically, it is their right. But this is America. We’re all brethren under God…brothers and sisters in one universe. We’re supposed to be helping our fellow man. And I think there are times when we should be doing it, whether they want to be helped or not. They may not thank us, but God will.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Workaholics…Take Time Out to Smell the Roses

Last weekend my husband and I made a last minute decision to fly down to the Bahamas to celebrate his mom’s 80th birthday with her and other members of the family.

It was a crazy, insane thing to do because we were in and out in three days, but I’m glad we did it. I never do anything crazy or insane. Everything I do is planned and structured. If I ever do anything impulsive, you should call The New York Times.

But I agreed to do this because, when your mom is 80, or even 71 like mine, you have got to take advantage of every moment. I come from a long line of workaholics and “I’m too busy” is too often heard in our family.

During the week, one of the people I saw in the Bahamas — a man who goes by the nickname Kitty — passed away from a long illness. He didn’t look ill when we were there. He looked full of life. Just three days after we left, he was gone. He was in his mid-forties.

Today, I ran into my neighbor Liz who told me her boyfriend Mino, who is just 36 years old, is dying of a brain tumor. He had always wanted children and he will never be able to fulfill that dream.

All in all, three men my husband knew, all in the forties, died in the space of two weeks. It made me realize that life is short and I need to get out and enjoy it. I don’t spend enough time with my friends and family and I need to do more of that.

If you’re a workaholic like me, please don’t forget to take time to stop and smell the roses. And to spend time with your friends and family. Our time on this earth is borrowed. You just never know when your name is going to appear on the pages of the book of life. Enjoy it now while you can.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

PIN Transactions Are Cheapest for the Retailer

Often when I am in a store and use my debit card, the cashier will ask, "debit or credit?" since the card can go both ways. Sometimes, it doesn't matter to me, and I will say, "I don't care, which ever is easier (i.e., less expensive) for you." But not once has anyone ever actually said which is easier for them. Now I know.

According to an article on CreditCards.com ("Merchants Encourage Use of PINs for Debit Card Payments"), a typical supermarket pays $.24 in fees when a shopper spends $40 with their debit card using their PIN, vs. $.35 when they apply their signature. For payment with a regular credit card, the fee would be more than $.50.

Thanks, CreditCards.com, for clearing that up! I'm using my PIN from now on.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Thank You, Soldiers, for My Freedoms

I do not believe in war, I believe in freedom for all. I do not believe in fighting, I believe in soldiers. I prefer peace, but sometimes you have to fight to get there. I don’t approve of President Bush and I think he’s the worst president who has served in my lifetime, but I’m not sorry we got Saddam Hussein. I’ve wanted his head on a platter since Desert Storm.

I have a great life. I have water that flows right out of the faucet whenever I need it and it’s always there. I don’t have to walk a mile with a bucket on my shoulders. I can sleep at night without the sound of gunfire whizzing over my head. I can walk down my street without looking over my shoulder. I can go to my place of worship without worrying about who doesn’t approve and what they might do to me.

I have all this because of soldiers who fought for the freedom of this great country so many years ago and who have continued to fight for freedom around the world over the past several decades.

There is no one I appreciate more than a soldier. When I see one, I walk up to them and say thank you. I started doing this long before anyone else did. I did it in public when it wasn’t popular to do so and people would look at me funny. I didn’t care.

To all the current and former soldiers around the world, and the fallen soldiers who are now angels in heaven, thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me the luxuries that I have. You are my heroes and I will forever be grateful. May God bless you and keep you always in his care.

Let freedom ring. Happy independence day.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Keeping the Memory Alive

This is a really awesome story. I'm not even going to give you any hints or details. Just watch this video. Enough said.

http://www.militarytimes.com/hancock/

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

GREEN WATCH: Evan Almighty

While watching a video on Yahoo this morning, I learned that all the set materials from the movie Evan Almighty were donated to Habitat for Humanity. Imagine if every movie and TV set did that!

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Recycle Your Jewel Cases!

Are you one of those people who doesn’t like jewel cases? Who perhaps likes to keep your CDs and DVDs in a book? Well, don’t throw those jewel cases away. They’ll just sit in the landfill for thousands of years, because they don’t biodegrade.

Here’s an alternative solution: Box them up and mail them to Earthology Records. Earthology is a fully recycled and earth friendly CD production facility.

According to an article today on Yahoo.com, Craig Minowa, leader of the band Cloud Cult, couldn’t find any CD production firms that were up to his environmental standards, so he built his own facility.

Their website says that all CD inserts are made on 100% post-consumer recycled paper; all jewel cases are 100% recycled or reused; both are printed entirely with soy ink; and all energy is supplied by alternative sources, from Earthology’s geothermal heating system, Allete's Wind Sense Program and Native Energy wind turbines.

Also, 10 trees are planted for every 1,000 CD production order to offset greenhouse gas emissions produced.

Are you a musician who needs to print CDs? Consider Earthology. Each CD is slightly more expensive than regular production, but you would be saving a lot of garbage from sitting in a landfill, and you would be preventing greenhouse gas emissions.

If you are the kind of music aficionado who has a stack of empty jewel cases in your closet, do something good with them: recycle them. Pack them up and ship them to:

Earthology Records
46970 Tenquist Lane
Hinckley, MN 55037
1-320-237-0432
mailto:info@earthology.net

The next generation thanks you!

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

It Couldn't Have Happened to a Nicer Gal!

I don’t spend a lot of time with my local newspaper these days. I follow mostly the national and international news via Yahoo and the major TV networks. But we do get the Sunday edition of our local paper, The Stamford Advocate, and I like to read the Arts section because it covers the author/book writing market.

Tonight, I finally got around to picking up last Sunday’s Arts section and got quite a surprise. There on the section’s front cover was a photo of Lisa Marie Peterson — a former staff reporter for the paper.

We used to work there together — I worked in Ad Sales, she in editorial — two departments with an invisible Berlin Wall between them — but for at least a year or two, the two departments were inseparable outside the office, hanging out at the guys’ softball games on Tuesdays, the girls’ on Thursdays. We also played together on another corporate team that summer.

Also, her (then) boyfriend Jim lived in a house with a bunch of guys who played in a band. The something Cats. Fat Cats? Wild Cats? It was so long ago. They had a beach party in the middle of winter and filled the living room with sand, then turned the heat up and everyone walked around in shorts, sandals and Hawaiian shirts, with sunglasses on and sunscreen on the tips of their noses. That I remember like it was yesterday.

Anyway, I digress. So Lisa Marie, who was once a local staff reporter (and a very nice person), eventually left here to work for the Bergen Record, a hefty-sized New Jersey paper, then at one point I caught her on the front side of a television camera as a TV reporter somewhere, and that was the last I had heard of her. And every once in awhile, I would think back and wonder what she was doing. Now I know. She packed up, moved to Hollywood, had a baby girl and, oh yeah, tried to break into the really competitive field of screenwriting. But here’s the punch line: she succeeded!

Have you seen the previews for a movie called Gracie? A story of a girl who fought all the odds to play on a boys soccer team? Well, Lisa wrote the screenplay!!! And according to the article in The Advocate (by Beth Cooney), she also writes for Law & Order SVU, where she won an Edgar Allen Poe award for mystery writing.

I never knew she had these kind of aspirations, but I’m so happy for her. She also said something very interesting in the article that I completely agree with. She said she wanted to be a novelist but she wasn’t any good at it. She says that “books, movies, sitcoms, dramas and plays are very different crafts. That writers who are good at plays are surprisingly good at sitcoms but a best-selling novelist who tries her hand at adapting her story to the screen will fail miserably. I couldn’t agree more. I write novels but have never felt the calling, nor the talent, to write a screenplay. She, on the other hand, writes screenplays, but can’t write novels.

Lisa Marie deserves this success and I’m thrilled for her. Way to go Lisa Marie!!!

To read the Advocate article:
http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/features/scn-sa-gracie2jun10,0,6705407.story

You Have Got to Rent the Movie “Music & Lyrics”

I just rented the movie Music & Lyrics starring Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore and I am completely addicted to it. I think the song is so great, I can’t believe it isn’t all over the charts!

This movie really got to me because it’s about singing and songwriting. I sing and if I can ever find a spare nanosecond, I have actually dabbled in songwriting. So I “get” both the song and the movie on several levels. I guess I really relate to the character Sophie Fisher. Although I will admit that songwriting doesn’t come as easily to me as article writing does. But then, that could be because songwriting doesn’t pay the mortgage. I’m a realist.

Anyway, I love this song soooo much that I bought the CD today AND even ordered the sheet music so I can learn how to play it on the piano. I will probably go buy the DVD tomorrow. Next I’m going to see if I can find a karaoke version of it. Then all I'll have to do is get my husband to learn Hugh Grant’s part.

If you like comedy and love stories, I highly recommend you rent this movie! I feel like I could watch it a dozen times!

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

The African Children's Choir

I was very blessed to have experienced the African Childen’s Choir this week. This is the same choir that was featured on American Idol’s Idol Gives Back show with Josh Groban. However, it was a different set of children. There are three sets of children all part of the ACC traveling around the world right now.

The African Children’s Choir was started in Uganda during the dictatorship of Idi Amin by a missionary worker named Ray Barnett. Today, the children also come from Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Nigeria and Ghana. They all come from very poor villages. Some are orphans.

As the story was told to me, volunteers tried to save the original choir members from certain death by gathering them all in a bus and driving them across the border into another country. But the borders were closed and the soldiers did not want to let the bus through. Suddenly, a little boy began to beat his drum and one by one the children began singing. The soldiers were so moved by the voices that they opened the gates and let the bus through.

Money raised by the ACC is used to build schools and educate more than 6,500 poor children of Africa who would otherwise not have access to an education. They have also helped thousands of destitute families obtain emergency food, clothing and medical care.

This is the 22nd year of the African Children’s Choir. Children from the original choir have gone on to be doctors and lawyers and are working to build a better Africa, all because of the education they received through the ACC.

To find out more about the African Children’s Choir, to make a donation or to purchase one of their beautiful CDs, go to http://www.africanchildrenschoir.com or call 1-877-532-8651.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Go With God, Nelson

I met a man last night. No, not that kind of “met”. I’m a happily married woman. I mean, I met a man who is being deployed to Iraq. His name is Nelson.

This wasn’t the first time I met someone who either was leaving for or had just come back from Iraq. But for some reason, meeting Nelson stopped my heart.

I worry about the soldiers who fight for freedom every single day. But this was different. All of sudden, “soldier” had a name. A face. And friends. All around him, he had friends. And he was leaving them. I felt somehow guilty. Responsible.

What if he doesn’t come home alive? Now he’s no longer just "a" soldier. He’s Nelson. He’s this guy from my town who has friends and family. And he hangs out where we hang out. He sat where I’ve sat and walked where I’ve walked. And he was real.

I had never met this man before, but suddenly I became concerned for his safety. I didn’t even know him, yet I instinctively wanted to protect him. To say, “don’t go”.

When we read the body counts in the newspaper of those who died in Iraq the day before, you can’t help but feel bad. But it’s a distant sense of guilt or sadness. It’s not the kind of guilt or sadness that sits squarely on top of your heart and makes it heavy. It’s like your brain is reminding you what guilt and sadness feel like and you recognize and acknowledge it, but it doesn’t engulf you or encompass you.

Putting a name and a face on a solider changes the entire game.

Go with God, Nelson. Be safe, and come home alive and in one piece.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Place Your Bets: Will RadioShack Still be Here Next Year?

RadioShack is a “nice” store. It’s clean, everything is always in order, the colors are bright. You can never get lost in one because they’re “boutique” size. And the people are very friendly and helpful and know their merchandise. If you ask a question, they generally have the answer.

But as the CompUSA store across the street from one of my local RadioShacks closes, I couldn’t help but wonder, if such a huge store as CompUSA couldn’t make it against tough competitors like Circuit City and Best Buy (also across the street), how can a little guy like RadioShack survive?

The brand certainly has its niche. If I need a cable connector or audio or cable wire, it’s the only place I would go. But the margin — and the sales volume — on that kind of stuff has got to be pretty low. Their signature products — stereos, tape recorders, answering machines, cell phones — all their competitors sell them.

The other thing is, there’s so many RadioShacks. There’s only one Best Buy. One Circuit City. One CompUSA (for now). One Home Depot. And three RadioShacks in my town — each with less than one-tenth the merchandise of these big guys.

So how do they make enough money to stay in business? How have they survived all this time? I know they’re franchises, not corporately owned, but these people have to compete with the giants and still make enough money to put food on the table.

And what if they don’t stay in business? Where am I going to go to get those few unique things that they sell? Perhaps Best Buy or Home Depot already sell connectors and wire and I just never noticed.

The way I see it, they have a limited time span from which to completely change their game plan or, by this time next year, RadioShack could be a brand no more.

So here’s what I think they need to do. Start a corporate rewards program. Rewards programs have a major influence over where I shop. Best Buy has a great program and I will definitely go there before going to one of their competitors because I get rewards points. Same thing with CVS. Stop & Shop sells the same merchandise. I can get cards at Hallmark and get gold crown points. But for my money, CVS has the better coupons and points rewards. So I take my business there. And I will go out of the way to get to a store where I am a loyal rewards shopper, if I have to.

If they don’t start a loyalty program to grow their customer base and build a loyal following, well… I shudder to think what could happen. Anyone want to bet me that they won’t be in business by this time next year?

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

A Dream Come True

I have achieved a lifelong dream. About 5 years ago, I joined an original rock band, along with my good friend Cami, and we became their backup singers. For over a year, we drove an hour away to practice and record in their studio in New Jersey.
We never asked for nor received any remuneration for this work. The purpose of our efforts was to get our voices on the CD as a stepping stone to singing careers.
After several months in the studio, we moved out into the spotlight and began doing live gigs, included among them singing at Toad's Place -- a very "you have arrived" club in New Haven, CT, where names as big as the Rolling Stones have played.
Eventually, the band as we new it disbanded and regrouped, sans the female voices, as a heavier metal band. At the time, I thought all our work would be for nought as they rerecorded screams and guitar riffs, and presumably, left out all Cami's and my parts.
But recently, I was given a nice surprise. We ended up being included on the album after all, in five songs. You can hardly hear us -- it's mostly oos and ahhs. Some of the softer ballads in which we had bigger parts were not used. But still, I'm proud of the fact that my name is listed in two separate places on the CD and, noticeable or not to the human ear, my voice is definitely on there.
Listening to the CD brings back great memories of the good times we had, the great work we did and the incredible talent these guys have, and I just want to say thanks a heap to Joey Dia (lead guitarist, singer and songwriter), Marc Chandler (drummer, backup singer and songwriter) and Andy Kaden (the most incredible keyboard player you ever saw, backup singer and songwriter).
The band's website is currently under construction. Once it is finished, I'll come back and point you to it. Until then, I just wanted to share my proud moment with my loyal followers! : )

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Bob Marley Said It Best

I often have a difficult time understanding why world peace is so hard. Why can’t the Israelis just GIVE the Palestinians the land they want (and deserve) and be done with it? Why can’t England just GIVE Ireland Belfast and be done with it? Why can’t the insurgents in Iraq sit down at the bargaining table and use their words to say what drives their anger and discuss how we can fix it?

Then recently, I was listening to a Bob Marley song called “War” and it all became clear. The song very eloquently explains why we can’t all get along today, and provides a very clear explanation for what it will take for world peace:

“Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned… until there are no longer first class and second class citizens of any nation… until the color of a man’s skin is of no more significance that the color of his eyes… until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race… Until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship…international mortality… will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued but never attained. Until that day…everywhere is war.”

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

I Offset My Carbon Footprint Today

Have you seen former vice president Al Gore’s documentary, An Inconvenient Truth? If not, you should. It should be required viewing for all. The fact is, global warming is a serious problem. Most people who ignore think it won’t affect them. It will. Just as much as crime, terrorism, or natural disasters such as hurricane Katrina.

Anyway, after seeing the movie, I was moved to do something about my own carbon footprint. Your carbon footprint is how much carbon dioxide is released into the air every year just by what you do to live and survive. Driving your car. Using electricity and water. How the simple day to day things you do affect the environment.

So I went to ClimateCrisis.net, the website for An Inconvenient Truth, clicked on the link that says “Take Action”, then followed the steps, clicking on “Calculate Your Personal Impact”, then fill out the form about the kind of car I drive and what type and how much energy I use in the home. It turns out I produce 6.65 tons of carbon dioxide a year, and that’s low. A family of 4 with both parents driving to work every day would produce triple that amount.

So then I clicked on the link for “NativeEnergy” and I made a donation to fund wind powered electricity. It was $12 a ton and I bought 7 tons worth, or $84. So for $84, I offset my carbon footprint for the entire year! Pretty reasonable.

Again, I strongly encourage you to take the time to view An Inconvenient Truth. It’s important that everyone understand how they are being affected by global warming and what they can do to help. If we don’t all do our part, we may be facing another “ice age” type extinction and a complete do-over of the planet and its inhabitants.

If you would like to offset your carbon footprint:
http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/carboncalculator/

To find out little things you can do every day to improve the environment:
http://www.nativeenergy.com/more_you_can_do.html

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

What’s Wrong With the Welfare System Today

I believe in the “Workfare” system. I believe that nobody should get something for nothing unless you are disabled. If you are physically able to work, you should, and the government should not have to support you because you have children and can’t afford to take care of them. My mother worked two jobs her entire life and raised four children. I started working full time when I was 14.

That said, while there are certainly many lazy people on welfare, there are also many women who are on welfare because when they did try to go out and work, their paycheck didn’t even cover the cost of daycare, let alone rent, food, etc.

The problem with welfare is this: if the government offered subsidized daycare (in addition to food stamps and medical insurance), many women could afford to work and live on their own. In addition to insurance and food stamps benefits, if the government offered subsidized daycare, I bet 80% of the women on welfare today could handle the rest and support themselves and their family.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Socialized Medicine in Lieu of Tax Returns

Why do we need the IRS? What is the point of taking all the time and effort to file tax returns at the end of the year? I propose that we do away with tax returns, do away with the IRS, except for a team who would investigate criminal cases, and take that multi-billion budget and put it all into socialized medicine.

This country was founded on the premise of equality. Over the years, we have fought for equals rights to worship, to education, to work, to get paid, to vote. But never yet have we fought for equal rights to medical care. That is the most unequal system that exists in the U.S. today, in my opinion.

People who come from other countries sometimes say that socialized medicine doesn’t work. The lines are too long and the care isn’t the best. Well, then, make it work. We certainly can learn a lot from other countries. Figure out what they do right and copy it. Figure out what they do wrong and don’t. It’s not rocket science. In fact, if we’ve already figured out rocket science, we can figure out how to make socialized medicine work and bring equality healthcare to all.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

It’s No Longer An Option…Everybody Has To Do Their Part

I have been on the environmental soap box since I was a junior in high school. It wasn’t an epiphany or anything. I had already been environmentally conscious for a few years. But in my 11th school year, something happened. The junior class decided to sell recycled note paper as a fundraiser. I was very active in the student body and I attended the demonstration given by the representative of the paper company.

It’s a presentation I still remember vividly — and I would even say, fondly — today although it was more years ago than I care to mention. The reason is, this man did not stand up on our auditorium stage and simply spew facts at us. Instead he told us a story about how he had taken time off from the corporate rate race to drive around the United States. Barely an hour outside of his northeast hometown, he picked up a male hitchhiker. The two hit it off and the hitchhiker stayed with him for the entire trip.

On that trip, they took photos, which he converted into slides…and that was his presentation to us. The pictures were absolutely breathtakingly beautiful…foamy waves, wet sand, blue skies, breathtaking mountains, forests, birds, lakes, trees, redwoods, multicolored sunsets, oceans, animals…all the things in America that we not only don’t see on a daily basis, but that we often forget exists. He showed the beauty of America, the vulnerable parts of America — what we abuse and take advantage of every day when we throw out our trash, spew emissions into the atmosphere and take the Earth for granted.

He didn’t try to sell us on recycling. He didn’t need to. He sold us on America. It worked.

It was only a year later that we celebrated our first Earth Day. But since then, Earth Day has been like a typical American holiday. People get together and make nice one day a year and then we all leave and go about our business, forgetting that taking care of the environment is as daily a ritual as taking a shower and brushing our teeth.

Then global warming started to rear its ugly head. The tsunami happened. And hurricane Katrina. And former vice president Al Gore released his frightening documentary. Now people are starting to sit up and listen…and they’re asking what they can do to help.

If you haven’t been listening as of yet, please listen to me now. We’re killing our planet. And if you think it doesn’t matter because you’re not going to be around when it all goes to hell in a hand basket…or because it’s easy to turn your head and look the other way…you’re wrong. Entire communities are being built on top of landfills. Landfills release fumes and gases that can cause lifelong health problems.

On top of that, it takes more than 50 years for a bag of garbage to decompose. If hundreds of millions of people throw out two to three bags of garbage a week, each taking more than 50 years to decompose, how long do you think it’s going to be before there is no planet left that is not a landfill?

The time is now to start recycling every possible thing you can. And to start buying recycled materials, organic foods and alternative forms of energy. This is your planet. You don’t get a free ride in life. You helped create this mess. Now it’s your turn to help clean it up before there’s no planet left to clean.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

You Didn’t Have to Like Her to Feel Bad

I feel compelled to say something about the tragedy that befell Anna Nicole Smith. I was in no way a fan, and I liken her to Paris Hilton in that I feel her notariety is her claim to fame, rather than actually doing something worthy of fame. If she wasn’t in the news so frequently, I wouldn’t even know who she is.

For days, I struggled with whether I should say something or not. I was afraid that a post about her would embarrass me, making me look less than professional. This is a personal blog after all, but it is read by many professional people I interact with, so I have to take that into consideration.

But after several days of not being able to get her out of my head, I finally came to the conclusion that, irregardless of how she lived her life, and whether I agreed with her lifestyle or not, I am overcome with compassion for the people who are suffering as a result of her loss, and I needed to let it out.

The fact remains, she left behind a very innocent and vulnerable baby girl who not only did not ask to be part of any of this tragic mess but, worst of all, will never see her mother again. And that is so incredibly sad.

In addition, I don’t think much of Howard K. Stern. He has a very phony expression and looks a bit like a male gold digger to me. But he loved her, and he is now a devastated broken man. As is Larry Birkhead.

The point is, these are not soap opera characters, although we may treat them as such. They’re real people with real hearts that are really broken. And my heart goes out to them. All of them. Parents, sisters, ex boyfriends, her ‘quote un quote’ husband. It is not for me to judge. I can only pray for them and wish them the strength, hope and faith to go on.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Thanks, Sidney

My hero is dead. Sidney Sheldon. The man I have always wanted to be, and still want to be.

When I was 17, my family went on a camping trip to Lake George, New York – a beautiful, crisp, clean place with mountains and clean air and clear blue water.

After helping set up the tents and getting everything else set, I pulled out a book I had brought with me and sat down on a rock to read. The Other Side of Midnight, by Sidney Sheldon.

By the third or fourth chapter, I knew. I knew that his style of writing was exactly the way my mind worked. Contrast. First you introduce one character or theme, then the other. Then you go back and forth until you've weaved them both so close to together that by the end of the book they are completely intertwined and boom! Climax.

And I always liked his characters, especially the women. Too smart to be in a Danielle Steele novel but not so complex that they belong in a Michael Crichton book. And no bimbos.

Through all the John Grishams, Nelson DeMilles, Ken Follets and other great writers I've read, Sheldon has always remained my favorite – my idol.

Thanks for the inspiration, Sidney. Someday, I hope to join the best seller list and make you proud.

If you are interested in reading more about Sidney Sheldon:
http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/features/sidneysheldon/index.html

Here's his obituary in The Wall Street Journal (you might need to be registered to read it):
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117021786073193419.html?mod=home_whats_news_us

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

The History of Television As Told By Nielsen Media Research

Hey, if any of you readers out there have a kid in school who needs to write a report about the history of television, I just stumbled on a really great timeline and history perspective at Nielsen.com.

As the pioneers of being able to measure who watches what television when, Nielsen has the first-hand experience to write this digital documentary, which starts with the 1920s and goes through, of course, today.

Even if you're just curious about the history of television, it's a fun review. Check it out through the link below:
http://www.nielsenmedia.com/nc/portal/site/Public/menuitem.138fa1f1af8ff0919a69c71047a062a0/?vgnextoid=fb5579a21afc5010VgnVCM100000880a260aRCRD

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

We Should All Try Out for American Idol

I’m not a big fan of bars. Never was. And when I go out, I don’t drink alcohol. But what I get high on is singing, and bonding with my friends who sing.

You see, my husband Adrian and I are certified karaoke junkies. We have our set places where we go. We know all the DJs, we know all the regulars. And we’ve made some really awesome friends over the years through the karaoke circuit.

The interesting thing is, none of us suck. We’re all really good singers and should be doing it professionally, or at least as a serious side job.

Last night was my husband’s birthday, and it just so happened to fall on our regular weekly karaoke night. Everybody was full of energy because we were celebrating — Sue, Lili, Cami, Ursula, Judith, Brie, and Bryan the DJ, among others.

But I couldn’t help looking around the room at all the great friends we have and thinking, God, American Idol should look here.

I’m not a bragger, but I have to be honest here. If American Idol came to O’Neill’s in Norwalk, Connecticut last night, they would have given out at least a half dozen golden tickets. In particular, my friends Ursula and Cami rocked the house. Ursula even got a standing ovation from the crowd.

I would love to see both of them on the big stage and I know they would love to see themselves on the big stage, as well.

But for now, I thank God and karaoke for bringing me (and Adrian) such great friends. And if American Idol doesn’t discover them, that’s their loss. At least we have each other.

Check out Ursula’s MySpace profile:
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=46495872

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Check Out This Video: "212 the Extra Degree" -- It's Really Interesting!

One of my favorite clients just turned me on to a really inspirational video clip that is totally worth everybody’s time to watch and listen to. It’s only 3 minutes long.

It’s called 212 the extra degree, and it was made by SimpleTruths.com.

It reminds us that we are in control of our lives and we have the power to give 10% or 150%, and that the paths our lives take, both professionally and personally, are entirely up to us.

I encourage everyone to watch it.

You can find the video clip at:
http://www.212movie.com/

Don’t forget to put your speakers on!

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

I’m Addicted to My SportBrain

I’m sure you’ve heard it before — that every step counts when you’re trying to add more exercise into your day. You should park far away from the grocery store entrance, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc. etc.

Well, SportBrain helps you keep track of all those extra steps you take so you can accurately judge how much exercise you’re getting each day. But it also does much more than that. Each SportBrain comes with its own personal web page that lists:

- how many steps you take each day/week/month
- how you’re doing compared to all other SportBrainers of your sex and in your age group
- how many miles you covered
- how many calories you burned

You can record your weight, check your body mass index, and interact with other SportBrainers. They even have contests about every other month. If you reach a certain point level, you get a prize such as a SportBrain t-shirt, mouse pad or keychain. They have loftier prizes for the serious running or walking enthusiast.

I started wearing a SportBrain pedometer back in 2001 about three months before the dot com crash. Unfortunately, they were a dot com and when the recession hit, their investor funding dried up and they closed their virtual doors. I had paid $99 for the device through Amazon.com and couldn’t get my money back. But I kept it.

After we pulled out of the recession (around 2004), they regrouped, found new funding and reopened their doors. They still had my name and keycode in their database and when I reregistered they recognized me and welcomed me back.

To me, they were worth the wait because I really love this thing. I even wear it to bed in case I get up in the middle of the night! I urge you to go to their homepage and check it out!

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

My Rating for the Arbitron Diaries Program: F

Last summer, I received a telemarketing phone call from Arbitron, the company that tracks consumers’ radio listening habits, much like Nielsen’s television diaries. Since I write about marketing for a living, I thought it would “behoove” me to get involved, so I agreed to fill out diaries for myself and my husband for 7 days.

Ironically, what I thought was going to be a simple, easy experience turned out to be the commitment from hell. After agreeing to record our listening habits, we received a letter telling us that the diaries would come shortly. They came about a week later. We also received another phone call about that time thanking me for agreeing to do the diaries and reminding me to fill them out. I didn’t feel that I needed the reminder, but okay, whatever.

That wasn’t so bad, but then, about two weeks before the diary period, the phone started ringing every other day with the same message: don’t forget to fill out the diaries. Once the official diary period started, the calls came daily. We also received another letter.

The constant calling got real old real fast. I got so sick and tired of their nagging that during one of the calls I threatened to rip up the diaries if I received one more call. They stopped calling after that.

But that wasn’t the end of it. About two weeks after the diary period, I started getting survey phone calls about radio listening habits. Either they were doing a survey or they had sold my data to someone who was. But I fixed them. Since I could identify the number every time it came in, I simply refused to answer the phone when they called. And boy did they call. They called at least 30 or 40 times over a period of four weeks. Sometimes they called in the morning and the evening on the same day. They called during the week and on the weekends. They were quite persistent. Eventually, however, their timeframe for doing the project ended and they had no choice but to give up on me.

In my opinion, this entire experience gets an F in customer service. It was overwhelmingly and unnecessarily intrusive, and I will never ever agree to do it again.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Happy New Year!

Another year has come and gone. It's hard to believe. It came and went so fast. I have great memories of 2006. It was an exciting year for me. I got married on May 20th to a really great guy. The year did have its down moments. My husband lost a sister six weeks before the wedding. But I have so much to be thankful for.

I thank God for all the blessings I received in 2006 and vow to do all I can to give back in 2007.

I wish you all success, health and happiness in the new year.

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

The Sparky Series — A Great Kids’ Christmas Gift

I recommend that you all check out the children’s books written by my friend Rick Arruzza:

- Sparky’s Walk
- No Rest for Sparky
- Sparky Coast to Coast
- and his just released newest book, Sparky’s Big Race!

Rick began writing children’s books four years ago featuring his female mixed pit bull/pointer dog, Sparky, as the star. He saved Sparky from being euthanized at a New York City pound years ago.

Rick’s books, illustrated by Pilar Newton, are original, cute, funny, and fun. The interior black and white pages are designed for children to color in their very own special way. And $1 of every purchase goes to Adopt-A-Dog!

If you want to give your kids something unique and original, and not the same old same old, and help save another pet from extinction, check out Rick’s books.

You can order through Amazon.com or directly from Rick. Just email him at rarruzza@optonline.net. That way, you can have your books personalized! You can also take advantage of special offers for the books (such as a Sparky Three-Spot Pack - any three titles for $20; and the Sparky Four-Paws Set - the set of four for $26).

And don't forget to check out Sparky's very own website: www.sparkyswalk.com. Your kids can write to Sparky and she'll write back.

Want Rick to come to your child's school and hold a book reading? Just send him an email! Rick has given book readings in children's schools everywhere from Connecticut to Miami to California to upstate New York, just minutes from the Canadian border.

P.S. All Rick’s books are also available in Spanish!

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Alwaleed — A Prince of a Guy

I just read a really awesome article in an email newsletter I get from the consulting firm McKinsey. The article, written by Kito de Boar of McKinsey’s Dubai office, is a Q&A with His Royal Highness Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Alsaud—or Alwaleed, as he’s known in the Middle East, the article says.

What completely grabbed my attention and pushed me to read the article was the fact that he owns shares in some very major corporations in the U.S., including Apple, Disney, Citigroup and News Corp.
At first that scared me. But as I read through, I realized this is a guy that the United States really needs in its court. Here are some highlights that I feel are important:

1) He believes women in Saudi Arabia should be able to drive and do much more. He employs a female pilot, jockey and flight attendant — positions apparently unavailable for the average woman in SA.

In the article, he says:
“I am Islamically conservative—I will do anything to help people, especially in the Islamic community—but I believe in the women’s cause, not just for their sake, but for the sake of the economy and for Saudi Arabia. You cannot have a population that is 50 percent female and have it account for only 4 or 5 percent of productivity. In my company I am trying to set an example. And what I do gets monitored because I have a relatively high profile. I have, for example, hired the first lady pilot, the first lady flight attendant, and the first lady jockey. And I use my media outlets to promote that. The jockey went to the Emirates, and all they talked about was her, even though she didn’t win. On television the pilot pointed out that she was not permitted to drive on the roads, but she could fly a plane and look down on everyone from the air.”

2) He says we all believe in one God, something I have been saying for years:
“There is very little difference between Islam, Christianity, and Judaism—they all believe in one God, one day of judgment, and a scripture that teaches about heaven. OK, one says the Bible is the word of God, the other that the Koran is the word of God. There are differences, but we are so close.”

It’s comforting to find a Muslim who feels we are all on the same team. I don’t think we get exposed to a lot of that in our media today. All we ever see is the hatred.

You will need to register at the McKinsey site to read the full article, but it is worth your time:http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/article_page.aspx?ar=1881&L2=10&L3=51&srid=27&gp=0

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Remember Wounded Soldiers Around the Holidays

The Wounded Warrior Project is one of my favorite charities, and one that I think about more often around the holidays. Their mission is to help critically wounded soldiers and their families during the time between their initial rehabilitation (while still on active duty) and their transition to civilian life.

One of the things they do that I especially like is the backpacks they give to soldiers in the hospital. They fill these backpacks with things that wounded soldiers need and, in particular, can use in bed, if they can’t get out of bed. Items include things like razors and other toiletries, long-distance phone cards, hand-held games, books, writing paper, etc. They even include a t-shirt.

These backpacks are tremendous comfort for soldiers during a great time of need, especially for those who either don’t have families to care for them or for those whose families are too far away to visit the hospital.

Think of a soldier during the holiday season. They’ve been thinking of you all year long.

Backpack sponsorships are $99. To sponsor a backpack:
https://www.kintera.org/site/c.iqLTI2OBKlF/b.1109139/k.C1F3/Donate/apps/ka/sd/donorcustom.asp#backpack

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More Photos Like This Would Be Nice!

I just received this awesome photo/article in an email from a friend. Here's the copy that's underneath:

Comforting Embrace
Airforce Chief Master Sgt. John Gebhardt of the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group at Balad, Iraq, cradles a young girl as they both sleep in the hospital. The girl’s entire family was executed by insurgents; the killers shot her in the head as well. The girl received treatment at the U.S. Military Hospital in Bagdad, but cries and moans often. According to nurses at the facility, Gebhardt is the only one who can calm down the girl, so he has spent the last several nights holding her while they both sleep in a chair.

The photo is courtesy of David W. Gilmore Jr. of the U.S. Air Force. I can't source the newspaper because it didn't show in the email.

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Finally, a Better Search!

If you’re like me, you don’t have much success when doing a Yahoo! or Google search. I still get a ton of responses to my queries, and after the first half dozen (if that much), the rest aren’t very helpful. I tend to look at the top 3 to 5 links that come up (called ‘organic’ links — meaning links that come up naturally) and completely ignore the links across the top and along the right hand side that are in blue (called ‘paid’ links — links that companies pay money to have come up, like advertising). I hardly ever scroll down below the fold (the fold is the bottom of your computer screen — anything you can’t see without scrolling is called ‘below the fold’) and almost never bother clicking to the next page, because the responses get less and less useful.

Well, finally, after more than a decade of using search engines, I have found a real solution to that problem. It’s called ChaCha. ChaCha is a search engine that combines automated technology with real people. Yes, real people!!! Called Guides, who are part of the ChaCha ‘Underground’, each person has certain areas of expertise, which determines who gets the search request. They live all over the United States. Also, they prewrite and submit information that goes into the automated repository based on their expertise, similar to the way Wikipedia is built.

The first time I tried it, I got the best answer to a search query I’ve EVER gotten. Try it! Go to http://www.chacha.com and put something in the search box. Underneath, you’ll see two links. The first is called ChaCha Search. That’s a fully automated search without human help. I tried that first and got a great answer to a question — the same question I had asked Yahoo! and Google, neither of which gave me an answer that satisfied me.

The link on the right — Search with Guide — brings up a live chat box on the left side of your screen. The automated system instantly locates the best person for your query and sends it to them. If they accept your query, you’ll see them listed in the chat box and they’ll begin looking. You can chat with them while they’re looking. Guides get paid for their work, so they definitely want to help you find what you’re looking for. Also, you get to rate them at the end of each search!

And by the way, see that banner on the bottom of the home page that is a collage of photos? Those are real pictures of real guides!

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What’s the Difference Between the House and the Senate?

Somebody asked me this question the other day and I didn’t feel that I answered as well or as thoroughly as I wanted to. So I decided to surf the web for better, more succinct definitions. Here is some very detailed information I found on Wikipedia, by way of Lisa, a search consultant, or ‘Underground Guide’, on ChaCha.com:

The United States Congress is the legislature of the U.S. federal government. It is bicameral — i.e., having two sides, those sides being the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House has 435 voting members (plus non-voting delegates from American Samoa, the District of Columbia, i.e., Washington D.C., Guam, the Northern Mariana Island, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), each representing a congressional district and serving a two-year term. House seats are apportioned among the states on the basis of population. Each state has two Senators, regardless of population. There are 100 senators, who each serve six-year terms. Both Senators and Representatives are chosen through direct election.

The powers of Congress are limited to those enumerated in the U.S. Constitution. Through Acts of Congress, Congress may regulate interstate and foreign commerce, levy taxes, organize the federal courts, maintain the military, declare war, and exercise certain other necessary and proper powers.

The House and Senate are coequal houses. However, there are some special powers granted to one chamber only. The Senate's advice and consent is required to confirm presidential nominations to high-level executive and judicial positions, and for the ratification of treaties. Bills for raising revenue must originate in the House of Representatives, as well as any impeachment proceedings.

Congress meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. The term Congress may also refer to a particular meeting of the Congress. For instance, as of 2006, the 109th Congress is in session.

In a separate search on ChaCha.com, I also found this:The Senate is presided over by Dick Cheney. He has some very major influence in the structure of commitee formation, which, in essence, determines the introduction of bills. It is A LOT harder to start a bill in the House, but it is even harder for Senators to get their bills to the President due to fillibusters who are common among House voters. The House seems to attack Bush more frequently over homeland security matters and the proposed militarization of Mexico (as well as the biometrics part that they employers will need to verify while completing I-9 documents). The Senate, as they appropriate budget bills, seems to be more concerned with defense spending and getting us OUT of Iraq ASAP.

If you want to read more, here’s another interesting article I found:http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/blhouseandsenate.htm

Thanks to all the contributors!

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Recycling — It’s Not Just About What You Put in Your Blue Bin

As consumers, we recycle what ever the state allows and what ever the state demands. That usually includes newspapers, magazines, catalogs and colored direct mail pieces, brown kraft cardboard, bottles, cans and plastic. In my state, we only recycle plastic that has a number 1 or 2 on it. (Sadly, the little numbers in the recycling triangle on the back of plastic containers go up to 6, so we are still throwing away quite a bit of material.)

But recycling is about much more than just what we put in our blue bins. For instance, do you recycle your printer ink cartridges? Staples has always had a bin in their stores where people can drop their used ink cartridges for recycling. For several months now, they’ve also been running a promotion that gives a $3.00 coupon for every ink cartridge handed in at the checkout counter.

Stop & Shop grocery stores have a carton in the entranceway that accepts used plastic bags. There are companies that recycle cell phones, and if you do a web search, you should be able to find one you can mail your phone to. For decades, we’ve been recycling glasses — not in the sense that they melt them down, but they are given to less fortunate people who need them. In fact, there are recycling bins for glasses in every Pearle Vision Center in my market. I even take my old hangers to the dry cleaners for recycling, and of course, any books, clothes or other materials that might be useful to others to the Goodwill.

The point is, recycling is not something we should take lightly. The planet earth is our home. When it takes one bag of garbage 50 years to decompose, and we produce millions of bags of garbage every year around the world, how much longer do you think we can go on before we run out of landfill space? In some areas of the U.S., children’s parks and even entire living communities are built on top of landfills, leaving the residents there to silently inhale the gases that composting garbage emits.

Please think about this every time you throw something away. Ask yourself, is this item recyclable? The survival of nature and your very own neighborhood depends on it.

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Fight Back!

About four years ago, I had a really bad customer service experience with Sears. I was so enraged by their clueless lack of proper customer relationship management that I surfed the Internet for a website I could vent on and found one:(http://www.complaints.com/directory/2005/june/8/2.htm).
I wrote a scathing and detailed description of my experience, posted it on the website and walked away feeling like I had unloaded a burden. I did receive satisfaction from Sears, but I still felt the story needed to be told — I’m a writer, and writers can’t resist a good story.

The interesting thing is that about every six months, I get an email (still!) from someone who is in the midst of a horrifically awful Sears experience that has not yet been resolved and found my scathing missive. One woman and I exchanged several emails where she asked my advice on how to get them to pay attention to her and to solve her problem to her satisfaction.

Here’s what I told her, and these suggestions would apply to any company you could be having a problem with:

1. Write a letter to the CEO of Sear’s and FedEx it so it gets hand-delivered to his/her desk. Write under your signature that you have CC’d your lawyer, the FTC, the Better Business Bureau, the Direct Marketing Association, all your local newspapers and television stations, The New York Times and any of those TV programs where the investigative reporter goes out and fights for the consumer. Then, make sure you send out all those copies. Don’t pretend to do it. Do it.

Note: If you don’t have a lawyer, find one and ask their permission to include their name on the letter and to send them a letter. Tell them if you decide to hire a lawyer for your case, they’ll have first dibbs.

2. Call those TV programs where the investigative reporter goes out and fights for the consumer and try to get your situation resolved by them, on television.

3. The day after the letter arrives, pick up the phone and call the CEO’s office. When the admin asks who you are and why you’re calling, tell her your name and that you’re following up a letter you FedExed to him/her yesterday. If she wants more information, tell her it’s a personal matter. Always be pleasant, never rude or upset. Usually the CEO will not toss your letter. He or she will forward it on to the head of customer service or some other executive, who will be required to follow up because the directive came from the CEO.

4. If you don’t get any satisfaction, call the Better Business Bureau and/or the FTC and any other organization and file a written complaint. For instance, if you’re complaint is against a doctor or medical facility, you can call the American Medical Association in your state.

4. If you still don’t get any restitution or satisfaction, consider hiring a lawyer and taking them to court.

When the Westin Hotels chains started advertising that they were equipping all their rooms with feather pillows and comforters, I wrote a letter to the CEO of Starwood Hotels, the parent company, questioning their judgment. I told him that I was allergic to feathers, as were most asthmatics, and that they were losing a very large group of customers who could never sleep in a Westin, since about one out of every 10 persons has asthma (that’s not a real statistic, just a good guess). I got a personal phone call from the director of marketing of Starwood Hotels. Today, the Westin chain still uses feather pillows and comforters, but they stock enough cotton comforters and pillows to replace the entire suite of rooms if they have to. And the few times I have stayed in a Westin, housekeeping has arrived within five minutes to change out the bedding for me.

When you’re right, it pays to be the squeaky wheel. If you believe in your cause, don’t give up!

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Don’t Forward My Email Address!

Everybody does it. You get a funny joke or an inspirational message and you want to pass it on to your friends and family. So you put a dozen names in the “to” field of a new email and you hit send. But there is a serious problem with doing that—you are putting your friends and family at risk of receiving spam and other unsolicited messages. Also, I believe that you are violating someone’s privacy when you show their email address to others without their permission.

Think about all the emails you receive from your friends. There are often about five different sets of forwards in the email before you actually get to the joke. Now you probably couldn’t care less about these names. But think about it. Your name is on that list. Do you want your email address given out to tens of dozens of people you don’t know?

Just recently, I received an email from a woman who’s name I didn’t recognize. She turned out to be a friend of a friend. Someone I had had dinner with once. My friend had sent out a blanket email once to gather people for a brunch, and this woman had kept all of her friend’s friends’ email addresses. That really bugged me, because I hadn't given her my email address myself.

Here are some rules of email etiquette I believe we all should follow:

1. Only group together the email addresses of friends and family who already have those other email addresses. Otherwise, send out emails to your friends and family individually without other people’s addresses in it.

2. When you receive a joke or another type of message you feel is worthy of passing on, after you hit the forward button, go down into the body of the message and delete the names of the previous recipients. Keep deleting until the actual content of the email comes up in the window.

Remember, if you’re forwarding messages with other people’s email addresses on them, then other people are forwarding messages with your email address on it. Start respecting other people’s privacy today and teach others to do the same. Not only is it good etiquette, but it’s less fodder out there for spammers to get ahold of.

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