As I See It...

Speak of the devil

2012-01-24T17:09:00.001-08:00

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203806504577181193691941660.html

A new and more aggressive plan for the future.

2011-12-31T13:28:00.001-08:00

After the initial shock of being fired waned, i knew i had to figure something out.

What are my immediate needs? what is most basic? food, shelter, and love. Food, i have covered because i can cook which lowers the overall cost. Love, i get lots of but must make a conscious effort to give to myself while existing in this revisited survival mode. I've been here before and it most affects shelter. Rent is high, although it could be higher in this neighborhood, and it must be paid regularly in most cases. My landlord is uberforgiving but she is bound to reach her limit in the next month or so. Paying the households has a direct effect on my subconscious. So does the dreaded term "service disconnection". it's easier to feel better about not paying the rent as long as the cable/internet service remains functional.

At some points, i wonder if there is a breakdown hiding behind my calmness around all of this. However, most of the time i know this isn't the case. "They'll get it when I got it" and "pay yourself first" are two pieces of mom's good advice that have been invaluable over the past month and a half. Even this process of documenting the experience honestly and openly is catharsis.

I need two kinds of money making positions:
-a hustle that brings cash in quickly
-a career related position for longterm financial gain

That's where 'a new and more aggressive plan' comes in to view.

The hustle draws on skills gained before my non-profit life. Becoming a restaurant bartender/server or slaving away as a semi-anonymous cater waiter isn't an overwhelmingly appealing part of my future. However, it can be undeniably lucrative and relatively quickly. That'll keep me in good standing with my landlord and bill collectors. That'll keep me living in San Francisco, a city that tries to spit me out every few years or so to no avail.

Acquiring a career position can be a complicated and cumbersome task. The issue is further agitated by the pressing need to make money as soon as humanly possible. Rounds of interviews are taxing and time consuming.

I need an immediate plan that works to fulfil my immediate needs.

posted from Bloggeroid

Fired: Ask and you shall receive

2011-12-31T12:24:00.001-08:00

Getting fired wasn't exactly what i had in mind when i asked God for a way out of my then current work situation. But i was begging and therefore won't be choosey about the way in which it unfolded. This post isn't even about the details of the terminating event. Lesson learned: when the employee and employer agent (i.e. Direct Supervisor) reach an impass, the clock is ticking. In this instance, the ax swung before i had been offered suitable employment elsewhere. I had interviewed with two separate entities, turned one down (still no regrets - it was an extremely bad fit.) and had been turned down by the other. The latter had been difficult since i had actually wanted the position. The frustration of not being able to get away from my then current boss and position drained me. Insert axe one month later.

What now? I had nothing saved. A little shaken by their awkwardness during the firing conversation, i walked out, went to a friend's place where i applied for Unemployment insurance. We then laughed it off over a lunch of comfort food.

Book ||| Co-Active Coaching by Laura Whitworth

2010-04-12T00:06:00.000-07:00

Co-Active Coaching, 2nd Edition: New Skills for Coaching People Toward Success in Work and, Life

Co-Active Coaching, 2nd Edition: New Skills for Coaching People Toward Success in Work and, Life
By Laura Whitworth, Karen Kimsey-House, Henry Kimsey-House, Phillip Sandahl
List Price: $39.95
Price: $24.04 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

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Product Description

A newly revised edition of the book that helped define the coaching profession, Co-Active Coaching captures the essence of what it takes to design and maintain successful, collaborative, and empowering coaching relationships. The authors describe in detail their flexible and adaptive model-placing the client's agenda at the heart of the coaching partnership, define the skills required for success, provide dozens of sample coaching conversations, and a power-packed Coach's Toolkit of over 35 exercises, questionnaires, checklists, and forms to make these proven principles and techniques eminently practical and immediately actionable.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #4200 in Books
* Published on: 2007-02-25
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 336 pages

Features

* ISBN13: 9780891061984
* Condition: NEW
* Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.

Editorial Reviews

Review
New edition of this 1998 book, which ushered in the age of professional career coaching, can give you some ideas on how to help that budding executive blossom. -- Triangle Business Journal, April 13, 2007

The book provides a recipe for the necessary ingredients to serve as a business coach. -- T&D, March 2007

From the Publisher
Discover what's new in this classic work that helped define the field of coaching.

With the first edition of CO-ACTIVE COACHING, Laura Whitworth and her pioneering coauthors set the stage for what has become a cultural and business phenomenon--and helped launch the professional practice of coaching. Durable and flexible, their Co-Active Coaching model has stood the test of time as a transformative communication process that co-workers and teammates, direct reports and managers, teachers and students can use to build strong, collaborative relationships. Now, in this new edition, the authors bring current their original work to reflect today's reality: how coaching has moved beyond its initial focus on life skills to become an integral part of an organization's toolkit for developing leaders, working with teams, and building individual competencies essential for success.

Already used as the definitive resource in dozens of corporate and professional development programs, CO-ACTIVE COACHING has been updated to include the latest terminology and a wide-ranging set of fresh coaching examples drawn from the authors' firthand experience with thousands of international coaching trainees and clients. The power-packed Coach's Toolkit has been expanded to include more than 35 exercises, questionnaires, checklists, and reproducible forms. And a CD containing sample audio coaching sessions and printable forms from the Toolkit has been added to make these proven principles and techniques both practical and immediately actionable.

From the Inside Flap
Laura Whitworth and her coauthors--pioneers who have been at the forefront of the coaching profession for more than a decade--build on the power of their original Co-Active Coaching model to update this classic work and reflect today's realities. This new edition includes

* Dozens of sample coaching conversations and a wide-ranging set of fresh coaching examples drawn from the authors' firsthand experience with thousands of international coaching trainees and clients

* The power-packed Coach's Toolkit now offering more than 35 exercises, questionnaires, checklists, and reproducible forms

* Updated terminology

* A CD containing real-life audio coaching sessions and printable forms from the Toolkit

Now you can learn this transformative communication process that co-workers and teammates, direct reports and managers, teachers and students use to build strong, collaborative relationships.

Hermes Mens Titanium 8 mm Ring

2010-01-30T01:55:00.000-08:00

Adidas: ZXZ ADV running shoes

2010-01-25T03:29:00.000-08:00

Bangin kicks. Gotta get em.
Flash back to 1980s athletic style with the ZXZ ADV running shoes from adidas.

* Leather upper with reflective details

* Ghilly lacing, adidas logo details

* Sporty leather and suede overlays

* Padded tongue and collar

* Leather and fabric lining, cushioning insole

* Webbed EVA midsole

* Traction rubber outsole

I'm not saying John Legend is gay...

2010-01-24T12:16:00.000-08:00

I'm just sayin', "he just looks like he'd take a dick like a champ!". Cmon, you know what I'm sayin. He'd make pretty dick taking faces and sweet dick taking sounds. wimper. lol!

Domino's Pizza's New Recipe

2010-01-22T18:53:00.001-08:00

So I want to try it. I know it's gross. It's one of the grossest pizza chains there is. Mr. Gatti's or Godfather's would have to be the worst... CiCi's is worse than frozen pizza from the damned Safeway. But, shit, it's only like $1 for ass many fucking pieces as you can fit in your fucking head in one sitting!

But i'm all about Domino's new pizza because the commercial told me it's delicious. Commercials are my consumer religion. They tell me what to buy.

Infomercials are the worst! They're my crack. For instance, i ordered the girls gone wild vid series not once but twice. My boyfriend was pissed. He made me be his piss play bottom for a whole week. But that's not the bad part! He wouldn't even let me swallow. Selfish bastard.

So, anywayz, I've seen the commercial approximately 760 times while smoking weed and watching Comedy Central. [walking like a zombie] That was just enough times to send me salivating to my computer to the website to find the nearest delivery service in my area. It's as if i'd been bitten and now hungered for the flesh of the living. [Zombie moan]

The dominos pizza site was like hardcore fat girl porn. Ohhhhh . There it was all cheezy and sexy. Lists of toppings. Uh, sauces. I almost blew my load at the words Peppercorn Parmisian Dipping Sauce. Gasp.

Holiday 2009 [Day 1]

2009-12-23T06:57:00.000-08:00

December 23rd through the 4th of January. That's a long time but for two cities, that's not really long at all. And for as much as I feel like I need a break from the bubble, SF, that doesn't seem long at all. Let me count the days in my head... 13 days. Today [Wednesday] I'm flying home to Baton Rouge. Flight leaves at 2:35 and it's 7:42 now. I just went to grab a coffee. I should go for a walk since I won't be able to see the city and breath its air for the next two weeks. I need to pack tho. Maybe I'll get that outta the way first. Now that i've grabbed some coffee, the wheels will start turning and I'll get everything to fall into place. I wonder how many joints i'll smoke before I go.

I'm always a little anxious about going home. The reality of being back in a place that I left gladly and never want to live in again. It's been 8 years since I left but I go back at least once a year.

I don't know what makes it so anxiety inducing. I am glad to be getting out of SF, though. Work is overwhelmingly underwhelming. My performance in life isn't where I'd like it to be. I can't even focus long enough to figure out what needs to be done before I leave. It's been nice not having Gretch the Retch in the apartment. The goal is to allow the next two weeks shape the next two months, two years, etc.

Focusing on discipline and self-understanding is important. There will be things that I won't want to change because they are comfortable.

I'm posting the vacation on A4A even though I won't be able to hang out until Monday or Tuesday of next week. I'm going to try to post for both baton rouge and Houston.

I spoke to Jenna and Jordan this morning. That was crazy. Here are some outtakes:

"I'm the one with HIV and you're the one dying. WTF?"-J. Beroid

"I can but... If I found out I was the same blood type, I might."

Gimme two g's for my kidney... ok, 850 each. Or you gon die, how bout that.

I wanna slit his throat for him. He's so depressing.

Advanced Personality Test Results

2009-12-23T05:56:00.000-08:00

Advanced Personality Test

Extraversion 82%
Stability 26%
Orderliness 38%
Accommodation 54%
Intellectual 54%
Interdependence70%
Mystical 23%
Materialism 77%
Narcissism 63%
Adventurousness70%
Work ethic 43%
Conflict seeking70%
Need to dominate70%
Romantic 23%
Avoidant 43%
Anti-authority 77%
Wealth 37%
Dependency 57%
Change averse 30%
Cautiousness 43%
Individualism 57%
Sexuality 83%
Peter pan complex 30%
Histrionic 43%
Vanity 57%
Artistic 43%
Hedonism 77%
Physically active30%
Religious 70%
Humanitarian 83%
Fiscal acumen 17%
Self image 70%
Honor 30%
Accountability 50%
Paranoia 70%
Extravagance 30%
Family drive 30%
Indie 10%

Extraversion results were high which suggests you are overly talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting at the expense too often of developing your own individual interests and internally based identity.

Stability results were low which suggests you are very worrying, insecure, emotional, and anxious.

Orderliness results were moderately low which suggests you are, at times, overly flexible, improvised, and fun seeking at the expense of reliability, work ethic, and long term accomplishment.

Accommodation results were medium which suggests you are moderately kind natured, trusting, and helpful while still maintaining your own interests.

Intellectual results were medium which suggests you are moderately intellectual, curious, and imaginative.
Advanced Analysis (this is private info, for your eyes only)

| prominent scores | moderate scores | average scores |

Extraversion - you love social interaction. You might not enjoy a career which involved working alone exclusively.
Low Stability - you are not very stable. Regular aerobic exercise has been proven to improve emotional stability, happiness, anger, and anxiety issues.

Materialism - you value lots of cash. If you truly value money, you might as well make sure your energies go into activities which are more likely to yield it.

Narcissism - you like awards, achievements, accomplishments.

Conflict seeking - you enjoy a little bit of violence, discord, and trouble making. This is a tendency that should be exercised with consideration of the happiness of others.

Low Romantic - not very romantic, eh? :( for you! Researchers have found that romantic love can act like a powerful narcotic on the brain. That can't be all bad.

Sexuality - you like sexual pleasure (and probably pleasure in general).

Hedonism - you enjoy the pleasure of libations. Moderation will ensure a longer life.

Humanitarian - you want to make the world a better place. I hope to hell you recycle.

Low Fiscal acumen - you can't take it with you and there is no debtor's prison anymore but running a balance on a credit card (if you do) is not very wise.

Low Honor - you tend not to keep your word. Don't you think that's something to change?

Low Extravagance - you are not into the bling-bling. Vapid attractive people might not want to sleep with you.

How to Keep a Positive Attitude | eHow.com

2009-12-06T06:33:00.000-08:00

How to Keep a Positive Attitude | eHow.com

Keeping a positive attitude isn't always easy, especially when you are going through a difficult time in your life or you are trying to get past years of habitual negative thoughts. Positive thinking is the key to having an optimistic outlook on life. You can keep a positive attitude, even when things aren't going smoothly in your life.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Step 1

Fill your mind with positive things. Read encouraging, affirming books and listen to upbeat, happy music. Think about happy memories or things you have to look forward to rather than bad things that have happened or things you dread.
Step 2

Develop yourself spiritually. Research shows that those who are spiritual live longer and more satisfying lives.
Step 3

Keep positive people in your life. Avoid people who have a negative mindset and surround yourself with people who are upbeat, spiritual and fun.
Step 4

Practice positive thinking. Try not to let negative thoughts enter your atmosphere. Think instead of all the good things in your life, even if there aren't very many. Concentrate on your good features instead of your faults.
Step 5

Laugh often. Watch a funny movie or hang out with someone who you can be silly with. Laughter is a great way to get a positive attitude.
Step 6

Learn something new or take up a new hobby. Get out and do things you love to do and enjoy yourself.
Step 7

Reevaluate your situation. It's easy to think negative or pessimistic thoughts when something happens. However, when you think rationally about the facts instead of the fears, you can see a more positive side of things.

Tips & Warnings

If you have a habit of thinking negatively, try this: divide a sheet of paper into two columns. On one side write every negative thought that comes into your head the moment it occurs. On the other side, find a way to rewrite that negative thought into a positive one. Keep practicing this until your habitual negative thoughts turn into habits of positive thinking.
Read books on techniques to develop positive thinking if you are having trouble looking on the bright side of things. Remember, you are in control of your own thoughts.
Negativity can adversely affect your health. Positive people have fewer health issues and live longer, happier lives.

Gemini 12/6/09 Health of your integrated system

2009-12-06T04:48:00.000-08:00

December 06, 2009

Gemini (5/21-6/21)

Your physical health depends on your emotional health, and vice versa. More than ever, you're aware of yourself as an integrated system of separate parts. Two obvious game plans emerge from this point. The first is to keep your attitude positive whatever happens. The second is to live comfortably in your body. If you're not already an expert at doing these things, you could easily become one. Hanging out with other optimistic people puts you in the right frame of mind. You know where to find the right crowd.

Common Side Effects of Xanax

2009-11-30T00:28:00.000-08:00

A few common side effects of Xanax® (alprazolam) include fatigue and tiredness, memory problems, and drowsiness. In most cases, side effects are minor and don't require treatment. It is possible, however, to develop serious side effects that require immediate medical attention. Among these more serious Xanax side effects are suicidal thoughts, problems with balance or falling down, and hostility or aggression.

(Click Xanax Side Effects for more information about side effects that may potentially occur with the use of Xanax, including more detailed lists of the common and serious side effects seen in previous clinical trials. You can also click on any of the links to the right for additional drug information.)

6 Ways to Treat Excessive Gas

2009-11-28T17:02:00.000-08:00

Excessive gas can be embarrassing and uncomfortable, but there are easy treatments that can help.
By Beth W. Orenstein
Medically reviewed by Christine Wilmsen Craig, MD
Print Article Print E-mail Article Email

treating excessive gas
Aside from the social embarrassment of belching and passing gas, excessive gas in your stomach can be rather painful. If you experience this common digestive health concern, your first step in treating it is to find the cause.

Foods such as dairy products, beans, and certain vegetables cause some people to have excessive gas. Foods like these and others have carbohydrates — like fiber, sugar, and starch — that don't get digested and absorbed, eventually causing gas when they are finally broken down in the large intestine.

“Certain foods don’t get along together in certain people,” says Donald Novey, MD, an integrative medicine physician with the Advocate Medical Group in Park Ridge, Ill. “For example, some people find they are gassy if they eat fruits with proteins, or if they eat starches and proteins together. It’s personal and requires a little experimentation to find out what the culprits are.” Dr. Novey suggests keeping a food diary and noting when you feel gassy. “If you find you’re gassy after eating a certain food, eliminate it from your diet and see if it helps.”

Excessive Gas: Not Just (Hot) Air

Passing gas is a usual part of the digestive process — but many people mistakenly think a "normal" amount is excessive. Here’s what you can do to help cut down on gas pain:

* Drink before meals. If you drink liquids with your meals, you lose stomach acids and they can’t break down the foods as well, Novey says. The acid is there for a reason. You wouldn't pour water in your car’s battery — it would cause your engine not to start. "So, why would you pour water on your stomach battery?” If you drink about 30 minutes before a meal, you will rev up your stomach engine, so it will be better able to digest food, Novey says.
* Eat and drink slowly. When you eat or drink fast, you can swallow a lot of air, which can cause gas, says Stephen Bickston, MD, professor of internal medicine and director of the inflammatory bowel disease program, at Virginia Commonwealth University Health Center in Richmond, Va. The simple solution? Slow down when you eat — you will swallow less air and be less gassy. If you have dentures, check with your dentist to be sure they fit properly so you’re not gasping air while eating.
* Eat fewer gassy foods. Everyone reacts differently, but common gas-causing culprits are fruits (apples, pears), vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, onions), whole grains (bran), and dairy products (milk, cheese, ice cream.) Foods containing sorbitol, a naturally occurring sugar found in fruits that's also commonly used as an artificial sweetener, are on some people’s gas-happy list. Some people also are bothered by carbonated soft drinks and fruit drinks. If you discover that these foods are causing you excess gas, eliminate them from your diet or eat them in small portions.
* Take over-the-counter digestive aids. Digestive enzymes are available as over-the-counter supplements. “I recommend going to the health-food store and getting a digestive enzyme,” Novey says. “You can take one or two. You will know very rapidly — within a few weeks — if it makes a difference.” People who have trouble digesting foods that contain lactose may find that taking lactase enzymes (Lactaid) helps. Some people also find that activated charcoal helps to reduce and treat excess gas, which is unlikely to cause any harm. However, antacids won’t do much for excessive gas, says Dr. Bickston.
* Be a Beano counter. Another over-the-counter digestive aid, Beano, contains an enzyme that can allow the body to digest the sugar in beans and many vegetables. The sugar-digesting enzyme is sold in liquid and tablet form. Add five drops of the liquid form or swallow one Beano tablet per half-cup serving of food before eating. Heating degrades the enzyme in Beano, so adding it to foods while cooking reduces its effectiveness. Beano will not help if excessive gas is caused by fiber or lactose.
* Don't fill up on air. Habits like smoking and chewing gum may cause your stomach to fill with air, leading to gas.

6 Ways to Treat Excessive Gas
Excessive gas can be embarrassing and uncomfortable, but there are easy treatments that can help.
By Beth W. Orenstein
Medically reviewed by Christine Wilmsen Craig, MD
Print Article Print E-mail Article Email

treating excessive gas
Aside from the social embarrassment of belching and passing gas, excessive gas in your stomach can be rather painful. If you experience this common digestive health concern, your first step in treating it is to find the cause.

Foods such as dairy products, beans, and certain vegetables cause some people to have excessive gas. Foods like these and others have carbohydrates — like fiber, sugar, and starch — that don't get digested and absorbed, eventually causing gas when they are finally broken down in the large intestine.

“Certain foods don’t get along together in certain people,” says Donald Novey, MD, an integrative medicine physician with the Advocate Medical Group in Park Ridge, Ill. “For example, some people find they are gassy if they eat fruits with proteins, or if they eat starches and proteins together. It’s personal and requires a little experimentation to find out what the culprits are.” Dr. Novey suggests keeping a food diary and noting when you feel gassy. “If you find you’re gassy after eating a certain food, eliminate it from your diet and see if it helps.”

Excessive Gas: Not Just (Hot) Air

Passing gas is a usual part of the digestive process — but many people mistakenly think a "normal" amount is excessive. Here’s what you can do to help cut down on gas pain:

* Drink before meals. If you drink liquids with your meals, you lose stomach acids and they can’t break down the foods as well, Novey says. The acid is there for a reason. You wouldn't pour water in your car’s battery — it would cause your engine not to start. "So, why would you pour water on your stomach battery?” If you drink about 30 minutes before a meal, you will rev up your stomach engine, so it will be better able to digest food, Novey says.
* Eat and drink slowly. When you eat or drink fast, you can swallow a lot of air, which can cause gas, says Stephen Bickston, MD, professor of internal medicine and director of the inflammatory bowel disease program, at Virginia Commonwealth University Health Center in Richmond, Va. The simple solution? Slow down when you eat — you will swallow less air and be less gassy. If you have dentures, check with your dentist to be sure they fit properly so you’re not gasping air while eating.
* Eat fewer gassy foods. Everyone reacts differently, but common gas-causing culprits are fruits (apples, pears), vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, onions), whole grains (bran), and dairy products (milk, cheese, ice cream.) Foods containing sorbitol, a naturally occurring sugar found in fruits that's also commonly used as an artificial sweetener, are on some people’s gas-happy list. Some people also are bothered by carbonated soft drinks and fruit drinks. If you discover that these foods are causing you excess gas, eliminate them from your diet or eat them in small portions.
* Take over-the-counter digestive aids. Digestive enzymes are available as over-the-counter supplements. “I recommend going to the health-food store and getting a digestive enzyme,” Novey says. “You can take one or two. You will know very rapidly — within a few weeks — if it makes a difference.” People who have trouble digesting foods that contain lactose may find that taking lactase enzymes (Lactaid) helps. Some people also find that activated charcoal helps to reduce and treat excess gas, which is unlikely to cause any harm. However, antacids won’t do much for excessive gas, says Dr. Bickston.
* Be a Beano counter. Another over-the-counter digestive aid, Beano, contains an enzyme that can allow the body to digest the sugar in beans and many vegetables. The sugar-digesting enzyme is sold in liquid and tablet form. Add five drops of the liquid form or swallow one Beano tablet per half-cup serving of food before eating. Heating degrades the enzyme in Beano, so adding it to foods while cooking reduces its effectiveness. Beano will not help if excessive gas is caused by fiber or lactose.
* Don't fill up on air. Habits like smoking and chewing gum may cause your stomach to fill with air, leading to gas.

There's more content below this advertisement. Jump to the content.

Having some digestive gas is normal. However, if it causes pain or embarrassment, you can play food detective and try and eliminate the cause. Some over-the-counter digestive aids may help. If the problem is persistent or severe, consult your doctor — it could be a sign of a more serious digestive condition, such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Last Updated: 07/01/2009

Center For Substance Abuse Treatment’s Quick Guide to Finding Effective Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment

2009-11-22T23:10:00.000-08:00

Center For Substance Abuse Treatment’s Quick Guide to Finding Effective Alcohol and Drug Addiction Treatment

If you or someone you care for is dependent on alcohol or drugs and needs treatment, it is important to know that no single treatment approach is appropriate for all individuals. Finding the right treatment program involves careful consideration of such things as the setting, length of care, philosophical approach and your or your loved one's needs.

Here are 12 questions to consider when selecting a treatment program:

^1. Does the program accept your insurance? If not, will they work with you on a payment plan or find other means of support for you?

2. Is the program run by state-accredited, licensed and/or trained professionals?

3. Is the facility clean, organized and well-run?

4. Does the program encompass the full range of needs of the individual (medical: including infectious diseases; psychological: including co-occurring mental illness; social; vocational; legal; etc.)?

5. Does the treatment program also address sexual orientation and physical disabilities as well as provide age, gender and culturally appropriate treatment services?

6. Is long-term aftercare support and/or guidance encouraged, provided and maintained?

7. Is there ongoing assessment of an individual's treatment plan to ensure it meets changing needs?

8. Does the program employ strategies to engage and keep individuals in longer-term treatment, increasing the likelihood of success?

9. Does the program offer counseling (individual or group) and other behavioral therapies to enhance the individual's ability to function in the family/community?

10. Does the program offer medication as part of the treatment regimen, if appropriate?

11. Is there ongoing monitoring of possible relapse to help guide patients back to abstinence?

12. Are services or referrals offered to family members to ensure they understand addiction and the recovery process to help them support the recovering individual?

Time for a new New Deal for California

2009-11-22T23:09:00.000-08:00

Richard Walker,Gray Brechin

Sunday, November 22, 2009

The Great Recession hit California hard. Long the largest and most dynamic part of the American economy, the state has fallen far and fast. Unemployment stands at the third-highest level of any state, and underemployment is catastrophic: 1 in 5 Californians.

What can be done? This is no natural disaster but a man-made one. We are not helpless in the face of a faltering economy. When the private sector fails to generate enough investment and jobs, government can act to combat the economic downturn and get people back to work.

It's an old lesson, first learned in the Great Depression of the 1930s. Too many of us have forgotten it, while some are mulishly blind to it, preferring to believe that the market can do no wrong. Does anyone still believe that after the financial fiasco of last year?

The lesson was taught the nation by the New Deal. After three years of economic collapse, Franklin Roosevelt was elected in 1932 and went to work reviving the country. His actions marked a radical break with the previous administration of Herbert Hoover, which had studiously balanced the budget in the belief that government deficits are always harmful.

The New Deal began by sorting out the mess at the banks. Then it put millions to work within months and ultimately employed about 12 million people in public works. It reduced unemployment by 60 percent and spurred a dramatic revival of the whole economy, which was back to normal growth by 1942.

At the outset, no one was sure the New Deal would work, but it did. Soon afterward, economist John Maynard Keynes provided the reasoning: Contrary to economic orthodoxy, government action and deficit spending are essential tools to combat the failure of the private economy in a depression.

Today, we face a similar crisis. The Obama administration is wisely applying New Deal tactics with its stimulus package of $750 billion. The Great Recession would be worse without it.

Meanwhile, what is California doing? The governor and Legislature are applying the same tactics as Hoover, the state's onetime favorite son. They are balancing the budget by cutting spending. It is a formula for disaster.

The results are the same as they were in Hoover's time: making the Great Recession worse. Cities, counties, schools and universities are laying off workers, cutting expenditures and charging more, thereby raising unemployment and reducing consumer spending.

Meanwhile, there is silence from President Obama and the California congressional delegation (dominated by Democrats) about the meltdown in the Golden State. Have we learned nothing from the past?

Our representatives in Washington and Sacramento should all be crying out for a second stimulus and, above all, for aid to states and local governments. The Republicans cut such aid out of the first stimulus. Now it must be restored.

The cost to cover all the yawning deficits, including California's, would be about $200 billion in 2010. This is about one year's worth of war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Then the federal government should add $500 billion more for public works to put the unemployed back to work.

The New Deal stimulus package ran on two legs, while Obama's stimulus is limping along on one.

During the New Deal, the Public Works Administration (PWA) built fundamental infrastructure, like dams and buildings; these are costly, require long lead times and employ mostly skilled workers. This is what Obama is doing.

By contrast, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built smaller and simpler projects, such as roads, sidewalks and picnic grounds, but put to work many more ordinary people.

It was money well spent. Not only did the New Deal give millions of desperate people hope, it served vital public needs. In California, the great Long Beach earthquake of 1933 wrecked schools throughout Southern California. Within three years, New Deal workers built or rehabilitated 536 school buildings.

They were built so well that most are still in use seven decades later. Scarcely a town in California lacks a PWA or WPA school. Entire campuses, such as the Spanish Revival acropolis of San Diego State University, rose virtually overnight, providing opportunity for generations of students to better themselves and their state.

The long-term economic payback for this burst of activity has been incalculable. Yet today's Californians are largely unaware that they have been benefiting from the public works of another era. Though New Deal structures are ubiquitous, most are unmarked and unrecognized.

So what are state leaders doing today? Instead of building, they are destroying - cutting back on state and local programs and, worst of all, gutting our schools, colleges and universities. The University of California alone has suffered a $1 billion, or 20 percent, cutback, with more to come next year.

The benefits of California's public schools (once the nation's finest) and the world's greatest public university system have been incalculable. We know - we're both products of that educational opportunity. Now is the time for Californians to remember the lesson of what a great, public-spirited generation did for us. Instead of leaving our children a ruined public sector, we should be crying out for a new New Deal.

Richard Walker is a professor and Gray Brechin a visiting scholar in geography at UC Berkeley. They direct the California Living New Deal Project: livingnewdeal.berkeley.edu. Submit your comments at SFGate.com/chronicle/submissions/#1.

Janet Jackson's Make Me

2009-11-22T19:44:00.001-08:00

8 Minutes of Janet Jackson

2009-11-22T19:35:00.000-08:00

nice ring...

2009-11-22T00:24:00.000-08:00

14k White Gold Overlay Men's Signet Ring

Rating 3.5

Today: $19.49

Brief Description

Item#: 11272023

Click for Ring Sizing Help
Men's ring features pave cubic zirconia
14-karat white gold overlay jewelry

King Baby Onyx Bead Bracelet with MB Cross in Black/Silver

2009-11-22T00:22:00.001-08:00

King Baby Onyx Bead Bracelet with MB Cross in Black/Silver
Santa Monica based, King Baby Studio offers handcrafted pieces that unite chunky sterling silver with precious stones and leather. Mitchell?s creations are bold and substantial, featuring edgy motifs such as skulls and daggers for the King Baby line, and slightly scaled down feminine motifs such as roses and crowned hearts for the Queen Baby?s out there.
•	Color - Black & Silver
•	Onyx bead and silver charms
•	Measures approx 4" flat
•	Revolve Style No. KBAB-MA1
•	Manufacturer Style No. K40-5144
•	One size fits all

Crate Low Rise Shoe Cut Raw in Vintage

2009-11-21T23:55:00.000-08:00

Another great pair from CRATE.

A revolution of denim has hit the men's circuit. With a crisp fresh look--Crate offers year round style with a new perspective on jeans, fashionable and casual all at once.

Reg. $138.00

•	Wash - Vintage
•	35" Inseam
•	9.5" Rise
•	100% cotton
•	18" in the knee breaks to 19" at the leg opening
•	Button up fly
•	Styled with Common Projects Cap Toe Low Nylon in White.
•	Modeled in size 32. See fit guide for model's dimensions.
•	Revolve Style No. CRAT-MJ17
•	Manufacturer Style No. Low Rise Shoe Cut 2

Diesel Ruky Jeans in 88Z

2009-11-21T23:50:00.000-08:00

I want these jeans!

Complete your sexy Diesel look with these quality pieces that add just the right amount of heat to your already revved-up closet.

Reg. $170.00

•	Wash - 88z
•	10" Rise
•	100% cotton
•	17" in the knee breaks to 20" at the leg opening
•	Button fly
•	Back flap pockets
•	Styled with Common Projects Cap Toe Low Nylon in White.
•	Modeled in size 32x32. See fit guide for model's dimensions.
•	Revolve Style No. DIES-MJ143
•	Manufacturer Style No. 00CEX1

The Miracle of Self Discipline

2009-11-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

Your ability to discipline yourself "to do what you should, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not, " is the key to becoming a great person and living a great life.

A Star Idolized and Haunted, Michael Jackson Dies at 50

2009-06-26T12:18:00.000-07:00

June 26, 2009

By BROOKS BARNES
LOS ANGELES — For his legions of fans, he was the Peter Pan of pop music: the little boy who refused to grow up. But on the verge of another attempted comeback, he is suddenly gone, this time for good.

Michael Jackson, whose quintessentially American tale of celebrity and excess took him from musical boy wonder to global pop superstar to sad figure haunted by lawsuits, paparazzi and failed plastic surgery, was pronounced dead on Thursday afternoon at U.C.L.A. Medical Center after arriving in a coma, a city official said. Mr. Jackson was 50, having spent 40 of those years in the public eye he loved.

The singer was rushed to the hospital, a six-minute drive from the rented Bel-Air home in which he was living, shortly after noon by paramedics for the Los Angeles Fire Department. A hospital spokesman would not confirm reports of cardiac arrest. He was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm.

As with Elvis Presley or the Beatles, it is impossible to calculate the full effect Mr. Jackson had on the world of music. At the height of his career, he was indisputably the biggest star in the world; he has sold more than 750 million albums. Radio stations across the country reacted to his death with marathon sessions of his songs. MTV, which grew successful in part as a result of Mr. Jackson’s groundbreaking videos, reprised its early days as a music channel by showing his biggest hits.

From his days as the youngest brother in the Jackson 5 to his solo career in the 1980s and early 1990s, Mr. Jackson was responsible for a string of hits like “I Want You Back,” “I’ll Be There” “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” “Billie Jean” and “Black or White” that exploited his high voice, infectious energy and ear for irresistible hooks.

As a solo performer, Mr. Jackson ushered in the age of pop as a global product — not to mention an age of spectacle and pop culture celebrity. He became more character than singer: his sequined glove, his whitened face, his moonwalk dance move became embedded in the cultural firmament.

His entertainment career hit high-water marks with the release of “Thriller,” from 1982, which has been certified 28 times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and with the “Victory” world tour that reunited him with his brothers in 1984.

But soon afterward, his career started a bizarre disintegration. His darkest moment undoubtedly came in 2003, when he was indicted on child molesting charges. A young cancer patient claimed the singer had befriended him and then groped him at his Neverland estate near Santa Barbara, Calif., but Mr. Jackson was acquitted on all charges.

Reaction to his death started trickling in from the entertainment community late Thursday.
“I am absolutely devastated at this tragic and unexpected news,” the music producer Quincy Jones said in a statement. “I’ve lost my little brother today, and part of my soul has gone with him.”

Berry Gordy, the Motown founder who helped develop the Jackson 5, told CNN that Mr. Jackson, as a boy, “always wanted to be the best, and he was willing to work as hard as it took to be that. And we could all see that he was a winner at that age.

Tommy Mottola, a former head of Sony Music, called Mr. Jackson “the cornerstone to the entire music business.”

“He bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and pop music and made it into a global culture,” said Mr. Mottola, who worked with Mr. Jackson until the singer cut his ties with Sony in 2001.
Impromptu vigils broke out around the world, from Portland, Ore., where fans organized a one-gloved bike ride (“glittery costumes strongly encouraged”) to Hong Kong, where fans gathered with candles and sang his songs.

In Los Angeles, hundreds of fans — some chanting Mr. Jackson’s name, some doing the “Thriller” dance — descended on the hospital and on the hillside house where he was staying.
Jeremy Vargas, 38, hoisted his wife, Erica Renaud, 38, on his shoulders and they danced and bopped to “Man in the Mirror” playing from an onlooker’s iPod connected to external speakers — the boom boxes of Mr. Jackson’s heyday long past their day.

“I am in shock and awe,” said Ms. Renaud, who was visiting from Red Hook, Brooklyn, with her family. “He was like a family member to me.”

Dreams of a Comeback

Mr. Jackson was an object of fascination for the news media since the Jackson 5’s first hit, “I Want You Back,” in 1969. His public image wavered between that of the musical naif, who wanted only to recapture his youth by riding on roller-coasters and having sleepovers with his friends, to the calculated mogul who carefully constructed his persona around his often-baffling public behavior.

Mr. Jackson had been scheduled to perform 50 concerts at the O2 arena in London beginning next month and continuing into 2010. The shows, which quickly sold out, were positioned as a comeback, with the potential to earn him up to $50 million, according to some reports.

But there had also been worry and speculation that Mr. Jackson was not physically ready for such an arduous run of concerts, and his postponement of the first of those shows to July 13 from July 8 fueled new rounds of gossip about his health. Nevertheless, he was rehearsing Wednesday night at the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. “The primary reason for the concerts wasn’t so much that he was wanting to generate money as much as it was that he wanted to perform for his kids,” said J. Randy Taraborrelli, whose biography, “Michael Jackson: The Magic and the Madness,” was first published by Citadel in 1991. “They had never seen him perform before.”

Mr. Jackson’s brothers, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy, have all had performing careers, with varying success, since they stopped performing together. (Randy, the youngest, replaced Jermaine when the Jackson 5 left Motown.) His sisters, Rebbie, La Toya and Janet, are also singers, and Janet Jackson has been a major star in her own right for two decades. They all survive him, as do his parents, Joseph and Katherine Jackson, of Las Vegas, and three children: Michael Joseph Jackson Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, born to Mr. Jackson’s second wife, Deborah Jeanne Rowe, and Prince Michael Jackson II, the son of a surrogate mother. Mr. Jackson was also briefly married to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley.

A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department said the department assigned its robbery and homicide division to investigate the death, but the spokesman said that was because of Mr. Jackson’s celebrity.

“Don’t read into anything,” the spokesman told reporters gathered outside the Bel-Air house. He said the coroner had taken possession of the body and would conduct an investigation.

At a news conference at the hospital, Jermaine Jackson spoke to reporters about his brother. “It is believed he suffered cardiac arrest at his home,” he said softly. A personal physician first tried to resuscitate Michael Jackson at his home before paramedics arrived. A team of doctors then tried to resuscitate him for more than an hour, his brother said.

“May Allah be with you always,” Jermaine Jackson concluded, his gaze aloft.
In Gary, Ind., hundreds of people descended upon the squat clapboard house were Mr. Jackson spent his earliest years. There were tears, loud wails, and quiet prayers as old neighbors joined hands with people who had driven in from Chicago and other nearby towns to pay their respects.

“Just continue to glorify the man, Lord,” said Ida Boyd-King, a local pastor who led the crowd in prayer. “Let’s give God praise for Michael.”

Shelletta Hinton, 40, drove to Gary from Chicago with her two young children. She said they had met Mr. Jackson in Gary a couple of years ago when he received a key to the city. “We felt like we were close to Michael,” she said. “This is a sad day.”

As dusk set in, mourners lighted candles and placed them on the concrete doorstep. Some left teddy bears and personal notes. Doris Darrington, 77, said she remembered seeing the Jackson 5 so many times around Gary that she got sick of them. But she, too, was feeling hurt by the sudden news of Mr. Jackson’s death.

“He has always been a source of pride for Gary, even though he wasn’t around much,” she said. “The older person, that’s not the Michael we knew. We knew the little bitty boy with the big Afro and the brown skin. That’s how I’ll always remember Michael.”

Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary on Aug. 29, 1958. The second youngest of six brothers, he began performing professionally with four of them at the age of 5 in a group that their father, Joe, a steelworker, had organized the previous year. In 1968, the group, originally called the Jackson Brothers, was signed by Motown Records. The Jackson 5 was an instant phenomenon. The group’s first four singles — “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There” — all reached No. 1 on the pop charts in 1970, a feat no group had accomplished before. And young Michael was the center of attention: he handled virtually all the lead vocals, danced with energy and finesse, and displayed a degree of showmanship rare in a performer of any age.

In 1971, Mr. Jackson began recording under his own name, while continuing to perform with his brothers. His recording of “Ben,” the title song from a movie about a boy and his homicidal pet rat, was a No. 1 hit in 1972.

The brothers (minus Michael’s older brother Jermaine, who was married to the daughter of Berry Gordy, Motown’s founder and chief executive) left Motown in 1975 and, rechristened the Jacksons, signed to Epic, a unit of CBS Records. Three years later, Michael made his movie debut as the Scarecrow in the screen version of the hit Broadway musical “The Wiz.” But movie stardom proved not to be his destiny.

A Solo Sensation

Music stardom on an unprecedented level, however, was. Mr. Jackson’s first solo album for Epic, “Off the Wall,” released in 1979, yielded four top ten hits and sold seven million copies, but it was a mere prologue to what came next. His follow-up, “Thriller,” released in 1982, became the best-selling album of all time and helped usher in the music video age. The video for title track, directed by John Landis, was an elaborate horror-movie pastiche that was more of a mini-movie than a promotional clip.

Seven of the nine tracks on “Thriller” were released as singles and reached the Top 10. The album spent two years on the Billboard album chart and sold an estimated 100 million copies worldwide. It also won eight Grammy Awards.

The choreographer and director Vincent Paterson, who directed Mr. Jackson in several videos, recalled watching him rehearse a dance sequence for four hours in front of a mirror until it felt like second nature.

“That’s how he developed the moonwalk, working on it for days if not weeks until it was

organic,” he said. “He took an idea that he had seen some street kids doing and perfected it.”
Mr. Jackson’s next album, “Bad,” released in 1987, sold eight million copies and produced five No. 1 singles and another state-of-the-art video, this one directed by Martin Scorsese. It was a huge hit by almost anyone else’s standards, but an inevitable letdown after “Thriller.”

It was at this point that Mr. Jackson’s bizarre private life began to overshadow his music. He would go on to release several more albums and, from time to time, to stage elaborate concert tours. And he would never be too far from the public eye. But it would never again be his music that kept him there.

Even with the millions Mr. Jackson earned, his eccentric lifestyle took a severe financial toll. In 1988 Mr. Jackson paid about $17 million for a 2,600-acre ranch in Los Olivos, Calif., 125 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Calling it Neverland after the mythical island of Peter Pan, he outfitted the property with amusement-park rides, a zoo and a 50-seat theater, at a cost of $35 million, according to reports, and the ranch became his sanctum.

But Neverland, and Mr. Jackson’s lifestyle, were expensive to maintain. A forensic accountant who testified at Mr. Jackson’s molesting trial in 2005 said Mr. Jackson’s annual budget in 1999 included $7.5 million for personal expenses and $5 million to maintain Neverland. By at least the late 1990s, he began to take out huge loans to support himself and pay debts. In 1998, he took out a loan for $140 million from Bank of America, which two years later was increased to $200 million. Further loans of hundreds of millions followed.

The collateral for the loans was Mr. Jackson’s 50 percent share in Sony/ATV Music Publishing, a portfolio of thousands of songs, including rights to 259 songs by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, considered some of the most valuable properties in music.

In 1985, Mr. Jackson paid $47.5 million for ATV, which included the Beatles songs — a move that estranged him from Mr. McCartney, who had advised him to invest in music rights — and 10 years later, Mr. Jackson sold 50 percent of his interest to Sony for $90 million, creating a joint venture, Sony/ATV. Estimates of the catalog’s value exceed $1 billion.

Last year, Neverland narrowly escaped foreclosure after Mr. Jackson defaulted on $24.5 million he owed on the property. A Los Angeles real estate investment company, Colony Capital L.L.C., bought the note, and put the title for the property into a joint venture with Mr. Jackson.

A Scandal’s Heavy Toll

In many ways, Mr. Jackson never recovered from the child molesting trial, a lurid affair that attracted media from around the world to watch as Mr. Jackson, wearing a different costume each day, appeared in a small courtroom in Santa Maria, Calif., to listen as a parade of witnesses spun a sometimes-incredible tale.

The case ultimately turned on the credibility of Mr. Jackson’s accuser, a 15-year-old cancer survivor who said the defendant had gotten him drunk and molested him several times. The boy’s younger brother testified that he had seen Mr. Jackson groping his brother on two other occasions.

After 14 weeks of such testimony and seven days of deliberations, the jury returned not-guilty verdicts on all 14 counts against Mr. Jackson: four charges of child molesting, one charge of attempted child molesting, one conspiracy charge and eight possible counts of providing alcohol to minors. Conviction could have brought Mr. Jackson 20 years in prison. Instead, he walked away a free man to try to reclaim a career that at the time had already been in decline for years.

After his trial, Mr. Jackson largely left the United States for Bahrain, the island nation in the Persian Gulf, where he was the guest of Sheik Abdullah, a son of the ruler of the country, King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa. Mr. Jackson would never return to live at his ranch. Instead he remained in Bahrain, Dubai and Ireland for the next several years, managing his increasingly unstable finances. He remained an avid shopper, however, and was spotted at shopping malls in the black robes and veils traditionally worn by Bahraini women.

Despite the public relations blow of his trial, Mr. Jackson and his ever-changing retinue of managers, lawyers and advisers never stopped plotting his return.

By early this year, Mr. Jackson was living in a $100,000-a-month mansion in Bel-Air, to be closer to “where all the action is” in the entertainment business, his manager at the time, Tohme Tohme, told The Los Angeles Times. He was also preparing for his upcoming London shows.

”He was just so excited about having an opportunity to come back,” said Mr. Paterson, the director and choreographer.

Despite his troubles, the press and the public never abandoned the star. A crowd of paparazzi and onlookers lined the street outside Mr. Jackson’s home as the ambulance took him to the hospital.

Reporting was contributed by John M. Broder from Washington; Randal C. Archibold from Los Angeles; Susan Saulny from Gary, Ind.; and Melena Ryzik, Ben Sisario, Brian Stelter and Peter

Keepnews from New York.

Pussycat Dolls I Hate This Part

2009-05-25T01:59:00.000-07:00

Sea of Love 1959 by John Phillip Baptiste

2009-05-25T01:44:00.000-07:00

Sea of Love (song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

“Sea of Love”
"Sea of Love" sheet music
Song by Phil Phillips
Published	1959
Released	1959
Recorded	1959
Genre	rock and roll, pop, rhythm and blues
Length	2:30
Label	Mercury Records
Writer	Phil Phillips, George Khoury
Composer	Phil Phillips, George Khoury

"Sea of Love" is a song written by John Phillip Baptiste (aka Phil Phillips) and George Khoury. Phillips' 1959 recording of the song peaked at #1 on the U.S. Billboard R&B chart and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[1] In the UK, Marty Wilde covered the song, and Phillips' version failed to chart there. It was the first and only top 40 chart song for Phillips, who never recorded another hit.^[2]

The song has been covered by a number of artists since then, most notably by The Honeydrippers, whose version (from the album The Honeydrippers: Volume One) reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #1 on the adult contemporary chart in 1984.^[3] Tom Waits gave the song a darker twist for the soundtrack to the 1989 Harold Becker film Sea of Love starring Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin, and Waits included it on his 2006 collection Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards. "Sea of Love" had made the Top 40 just one other time, when Del Shannon took it to #33 in 1981.

[hide]

[edit]Background

Baptiste, who was working as a bellboy in Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA, wrote "Sea of Love" for a love interest. He was introduced to localrecord producer George Khoury, who brought Baptiste into his studio to record the song. At Khoury's request, Baptiste took the stage nameof Phil Phillips. The song, originally credited to Phil Phillips with The Twilights, was released on a small record label owned by Khoury, but due to its success was eventually leased to Mercury Records. Despite the song's success, Phillips claims that he has only ever receivedUS$6,800 for recording it.^[2]

[edit]Usage in film and television

The song was the subject of the 1989 Harold Becker film Sea of Love starring Al Pacino and Ellen Barkin. The 2007 film, Juno, features a cover version of the song by Cat Power in its soundtrack.

The song was featured at the end of an episode of The Simpsons entitled "Future-Drama" in 2005. It also can be heard in the 2008 episode "The Burns and the Bees", put on by Moe while the queen bee is making out with all the little drones.

A skipping record of the song is played during a scene in the 2000 film Frequency.

[edit]Cover versions

Marty Wilde (1959); reached No 3 in the UK charts. This version was engineered by British record producer Joe Meek.
Jimmy Velvit recorded a version of "Sea Of Love" for his 2001, Grammy nominated, album Sun Sea & Sand (Seduction Records SCD-103). (2:57)
The Heptones; available on On Top (Studio One, 1968)
Kevin Coyne; available on re-release of "Marjory Razorblade" (1973)
The Persuasions (2:27); available on Live In The Whispering Gallery (1976)
Iggy Pop (3:37); available on Party (1981)
Del Shannon (2:36); available on Drop Down And Get Me (1982)
The Honeydrippers (3:03); available on Volume One (1984)
Shakin' Stevens (3:12) ; Available on A Whole Lotta Shaky (1988)
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (3:05); available on Ka 'Ano'i (1990)
John Fahey (2:08); available on Old Girlfriends and Other Horrible Memories (1992)
Arvingarna (2:28); available on Eloise (1993)
The Fire Ants; available on the Stripped EP (Dekema, 1993)
Horace Andy; available on "Wicked Dem a Burn: Best of Horace Andy" (2001)
Cat Power (2:19); available on The Covers Record (2000)
Robert Plant (3:04); available on Sixty Six to Timbuktu (2003)
Tom Waits (3:43); available on Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards (2006)
Tony Hadley (3:35); available on Passing Strangers (2006)
Cat Power (2:23); available on Music from the Motion Picture Juno (2007)
Jim & Shirley (3:07); Tareco 1001, B-side of 45 rpm single, Country Girl, I Miss You
Australian singer Jason Donovan recorded the song for his album "Let It Be Me" (2008).
German chanteuse Judith "Ribbons" Sofia records a ukelele and vocal cover to critical acclaim (2009)

[edit]U.S. chart succession

Preceded by "Poison Ivy" by The Coasters	Billboard Hot R&B Singles number one single by Phil Phillips with the Twilights October 12-October 18, 1959	Succeeded by "You Better Know It" by Jackie Wilson

[edit]References

^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications), page 491.
^ ^a ^b Hamilton, Andrew (undated). "Phil Phillips Biography". allmusic/Macrovision Corporation. Retrieved on 2008-04-13.
^ Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications), page 289.

[edit]See also

One-hit wonders in the United States

The Nutritional Value of One Hard-Boiled Egg

2009-05-20T09:47:00.000-07:00

Nutritional value
Chicken egg, whole, hard-boiledNutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 150 kcal 650 kJ
Carbohydrates
1.12 g
Fat
10.6 g
Protein
12.6 g
Water
75 g
Vitamin A equiv. 140 μg
16%
Thiamine (Vit. B1) 0.066 mg
5%
Riboflavin (Vit. B2) 0.5 mg
33%
Pantothenic acid (B5) 1.4 mg
28%
Folate (Vit. B9) 44 μg
11%
Calcium 50 mg
5%
Iron 1.2 mg
10%
Magnesium 10 mg
3%
Phosphorus 172 mg
25%
Potassium 126 mg
3%
Zinc 1.0 mg
10%
Choline
225 mg
Cholesterol
424 mg
For edible portion only. Refuse: 12% (Shell)Percentages are relative to USrecommendations for adults.Source: USDA Nutrient database

Eggs add protein to one's diet, as well as various other nutrients.
Chicken eggs are the most commonly eaten eggs.

They supply all essential amino acids for humans,[17] and provide several vitamins and minerals, including vitamin A, riboflavin, folic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, choline, iron, calcium, phosphorus and potassium.

They are also an inexpensive single-food source of protein.

All of the egg's vitamin A, D and E is in the egg yolk. The egg is one of the few foods which naturally contain Vitamin D.

A large egg yolk contains approximately 60 Calories (250 kilojoules); the egg white contains about 15 Calories (60 kilojoules). A large yolk contains more than two-thirds of the recommended daily intake of 300 mg of cholesterol (although one study indicates that the human body may not absorb much cholesterol from eggs[18]).

The yolk makes up about 33% of the liquid weight of the egg. It contains all of the fat in the egg and slightly less than half of the protein and much of the nutrients. It also contains all of the choline, and one yolk contains approximately half of the recommended daily intake. Choline is an important nutrient for development of the brain, and is said to be important for pregnant and nursing women to ensure healthy fetal brain development.[19]

Recently, chicken eggs that are especially high in Omega 3 fatty acids have come on the market. These eggs are made by feeding laying hens a diet containing polyunsaturated fats and kelp meal. Nutrition information on the packaging is different for each of the brands.

Health issues of eating chicken eggs

Cholesterol and fat
More than half the calories found in eggs come from the fat in the yolk; a 100 gram chicken egg contains approximately 10 grams of fat. People on a low-cholesterol diet may need to reduce egg consumption, although only 27% of the fat in egg is saturated fat (Palmitic,Stearic and Myristic acids) that contains LDL cholesterol. The egg white consists primarily of water (87%) and protein (13%) and contains no cholesterol and little, if any, fat.

There is debate over whether egg yolk presents a health risk. Some research suggests dietary cholesterol increases the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol and, therefore, adversely affects the body's cholesterol profile;[20] whereas other studies show that moderate consumption of eggs, up to two per day, does not appear to increase heart disease risk in healthy individuals.[21] Harold McGee argues that the cholesterol in the yolk is not what causes a problem, because fat (particularly saturated) is much more likely to raise cholesterol levels than the actual consumption of cholesterol.[14] A 2007 study of nearly 10,000 adults demonstrated no correlation between moderate (6 per week) egg consumption and cardiovascular disease or strokes except in the sub-population of diabetic patients which presented an increased risk of coronary heart disease.[22] Other research supports the idea that a high egg intake increases cardiovascular risk in diabetic patients.[23] However, some "no correlation" findings have come under attack by independent observers for flawed methodology and financial ties to the egg industry.[24]

Type 2 diabetes
Consumption of eggs has been linked to an increased risk of Type 2 diabetes in both men and women. A 2008 study using data on over 50,000 individuals collected by the Physicians' Health Study I (1982-2007) and the Women's Health Study (1992-2007) determined that the “data suggests that high levels of egg consumption (daily) are associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.”[25]

Contamination
A health issue associated with eggs is contamination by pathogenic bacteria like Salmonella enteritidis. Contamination of eggs exiting a female bird via the cloaca may also occur with other members of the Salmonella group, so care must be taken to avoid the egg shell becoming contaminated with fecal matter. In commercial practice, eggs are quickly washed with a sanitizing solution within minutes of being laid. The risk of infection from raw or undercooked eggs is dependent in part upon the sanitary conditions under which the hens are kept.
Health experts advise people to refrigerate eggs, use them within two weeks, cook them thoroughly, and never consume raw eggs.[26] As with meat, containers and surfaces that have been used to process raw eggs should not come in contact with ready-to-eat food.

A study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2002 (Risk Analysis April 2002 22(2):203-18) suggests the problem is not as prevalent as once thought. It showed that of the 69 billion eggs produced annually only 2.3 million are contaminated with salmonella - equivalent to just one in every 30,000 eggs - thus showing that salmonella infection is quite rarely induced by eggs. However, this has not been the case in other countries where Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium infections due to egg consumptions are major concerns [27], [28], [29].
Egg shells act as hermetic seals which guard against bacteria entering, but this seal can be broken through improper handling or if laid by unhealthy chickens. Most forms of contamination enter through such weaknesses in the shell.

Food allergy
One of the most common food allergies in infants is eggs.[30] Infants usually have the opportunity to grow out of this allergy during childhood, if exposure is minimized.[citation needed] Generally, physicians will recommend feeding only the yolks to infants because of the higher risk of allergic reaction to the egg white.[citation needed]
The egg allergy is prevalent enough in the United States that food labeling practices now include eggs, egg products and the processing of foods on equipment that also process foods containing eggs in a special allergen alert section of the ingredients on the labels.

Chicken egg grading
The US Department of Agriculture grade eggs by the interior quality of the egg and the appearance and condition of the egg shell. Eggs of any quality grade may differ in weight (size).
U.S. Grade AA eggs have whites that are thick and firm; yolks that are high, round, and practically free from defects; and clean, unbroken shells. Grade AA and Grade A eggs are best for frying and poaching where appearance is important.
U.S. Grade A eggs have characteristics of Grade AA eggs except that the whites are "reasonably" firm. This is the quality most often sold in stores.
U.S. Grade B eggs have whites that may be thinner and yolks that may be wider and flatter than eggs of higher grades. The shells must be unbroken, but may show slight stains. This quality is seldom found in retail stores because they are usually used to make liquid, frozen, and dried egg products, as well as other egg-containing products.

Chicken egg sizes

Medium White Eggs in Carton
Chicken eggs are graded by size, for the purpose of sales. The United States Department of Agriculture sizing is based by weight per dozen. The most common US size of chicken egg is 'Large' and is the egg size commonly referred to for recipes. The following egg masses have been calculated on the basis of the USDA sizing:
Modern Sizes (USA)
Size
Mass per egg
Cooking Yield (Volume)[1]
Jumbo
Greater than 2.5 oz. or 71g
Very Large or Extra Large (XL)
Greater than 2.25 oz. or 64g
56 mL (4 tbsp)
Large (L)
Greater than 2 oz. or 57g
46 mL (3.25 tbsp)
Medium (M)
Greater than 1.75 oz. or 50g
43 mL (3 tbsp)
Small (S)
Greater than 1.5 oz. or 43g
Peewee
Greater than 1.25 oz. or 35g

Beautiful at any angle...

2009-05-11T15:14:00.000-07:00

Why are black folks leaving San Fran?

2009-05-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

By: Michael E. Ross
Posted: May 6, 2009 at 7:29 AM

Why Are Black Folks Leaving San Fran?

The City by the Bay moves to stop the hemorrhaging of a black population that’s been playing out for generations.

Michael R.

The City by the Bay moves to stop the hemorrhaging of a black population that’s been playing out for generations.

The City by the Bay moves to stop the hemorrhaging of a black population that’s been playing out for generations.

05/06/2009 07:29

“San Francisco is beautiful. You shouldn’t have to be upper-middle class to be a part of that.”
—Micah in Medicine for Melancholy

In April 1858, perhaps as many as 700 black settlers—about 14 percent of the blacks then living in California—began an exodus from San Francisco to Victoria, British Columbia, 750 miles north, in a bid to escape the force of the Fugitive Slave Act and other segregationist policies that presaged the coming Civil War.

For a variety of reasons, those black settlers found the city of San Francisco an inhospitable place. Now, little more than 150 years after that first migration, many black San Franciscans understand how they felt.

Today, city officials and concerned citizens are grappling with a continuing depletion of black residents in San Francisco, as many of them leave, in part, because of a wave of gentrification that’s pricing them out of the market; and partly because of a sense of cultural and social marginalization at odds with the city’s reputation for tolerance and diversity.

The decline in the population of black San Francisco has been the result of a perfect storm of social ills and social transitions. The Bay Area’s long reputation as a nexus for high technology has jacked up home prices for years, often out of the range of black and minority households; there are high crime rates, particularly in the Bayview-Hunters Point district, where many blacks reside; and a decades-long drop in black businesses has had a corrosive effect on minority entrepreneurship in the city.

Chuck Collins, president of the YMCA of San Francisco, put it more bluntly in August 2007: “Black people really don't matter in San Francisco. It's what this generation of political leadership inherited,” he told USA Today. “There's been a very uneasy truce with the black population.”

In June 2007, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and supervisor Sophie Maxwell formally launched the African American Out-Migration Task Force, charged with developing strategies to stem the latest migration of its black residents.

Almost two years later, after consulting with a range of community leaders, activists and educators, the task force’s recommendations have been vetted and forwarded to Newsom, who is reviewing them. Whatever the particulars, they’re sure to address concerns Newsom laid down shortly after the task force was formed.

In an opinion piece [1] for the San Francisco Chronicle Web site, Newsom said he wanted the task force “to focus on asset creation—to come up with strategies that help African Americans, Latinos and others create wealth by owning homes and businesses in San Francisco.”

Newsom outlined several initiatives—closer work with nonprofits, micro-loan programs focused on women and youth; and a city-funded bank program meant to help low-income residents avoid predatory check-cashing outfits—that were already underway, and which will almost certainly be a part of the task force’s proposals.

“San Francisco's strength is the fact that we don't just tolerate our diversity, we celebrate it,” Newsom wrote.

But the issue of the social and cultural cost of gentrification is hardly new in San Francisco, a city with a vivid labor history and a social activism that’s as much a trademark of the city as the Golden Gate Bridge.

To some degree, regardless of what action the city ultimately takes, the matter of reversing the black depopulation of San Francisco will likely remain hostage to several factors: the sometimes fractious relations between business and the city’s underserved communities, a battered state and national economy, and history. (Newsom’s own role in stemming the city’s black exodus is likely to change, however slightly, given the mayor’s recent announcement that he will run for California governor.)

Rev. Amos Brown put the problem and the potential solution in historical perspective. “We need a Marshall Plan,” he said, referring to the U.S. plan to aid Europe in its recovery after World War II.

In the years after that war, the Fillmore District was the hub of black commerce and culture in the city. Hailed as “Harlem of the West,” the Fillmore was home to a range of black-owned restaurants, night clubs, barbershops and beauty supply houses, markets and light industries.

But displacement started in the 1960s as the city assumed tracts of district land by eminent domain.

In 1966, the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR), a citizens and business-community action committee, wrote a manifesto, "Prologue for Action":

“If San Francisco decides to compete effectively with other cities for new ‘clean' industries and new corporate power, its population will move closer to standard white Anglo-Saxon Protestant characteristics. Selection of a population's composition might be undemocratic. Influence on it, however, is legal and desirable for the health of a city.”

According to Census Bureau estimates, the number of black people in San Francisco declined from 13.4 percent of the population in 1970 to just 6.5 percent in 2005—a drop said to be the worst percentage decline in any major American city. The actual number of black San Franciscans has dwindled to about 40,000 out of a population of roughly 809,000 people.

The task force charged with devising possible solutions got off to a slow start. A draft report of the task force findings was finished in 2008, but not in time to have an impact on that June’s election, in which voters approved the Florida-based Lennar Corporation’s plan for a $1.2 billion luxury condo development—in Bayview-Hunters Point.

Lennar spent about $5 million to rally public support last June for Proposition G, the vote on the condo development. Prop G passed with the public’s endorsement, but Lennar was forced to compromise with city labor and community organizations. The company agreed to increase the number of affordable units from the 25 percent it proposed up to 32 percent of the total, according to the San Francisco Bay Guardian [2].

But there’s affordable and there’s affordable. For the residents of Bayview-Hunters Point—with more than 50 percent unemployed and a median income of about $42,600, compared to the citywide median income of $65,500—the prospect of owning the luxury condos destined for the land they live on will be out of the question. Most Bayview-Hunters Point residents earn less than $15,900 a year.

But black San Franciscans’ sense of being outsiders has already been noted or reinforced more than once. The city’s gentrification issue reached pop culture’s radar recently with the release of the Barry Jenkins film Medicine for Melancholy [3], in which the black protagonists—San Francisco residents—wrestle with their city as an alien place.

Maybe nothing, though, reinforces that sense of alienation quite like what awaits users of the realestate.com [4] online resource for buyers and sellers of homes in California. There, on the People Summary page [5], under the category “Race Distribution,” among the words on a list of racial descriptors, you’ll find the neutering word that substitutes for “African Americans,” the word that, for many, reveals San Francisco’s true feelings about its black identity.

“Other.”

Michael E. Ross is a regular contributor to The Root.

Do-it-yourself Greening...

2009-05-01T23:32:00.000-07:00

Street Parks

Do it yourself medians

Planning

1. Talk to your neighbors, including merchants. You need to have reliable, demonstrated

community support for your project. You will also need a reliable team of 3-5 people who

will consistently fundraise, participate, and organize planting and maintenance for each

median.

2. Contact Liz Lerma at the Department of Public Works (415-641-2627) to assess your

initial concept and identify concerns. It is helpful to connect with DPW at the outset,

before investing a lot of time and effort in a project. DPW has the most experience with

gardening in the public right-of way; and can partner with you to build a successful

project.

3. Select one person, and one alternate to be the main point of contact for your group.

These two people will need to be regularly and consistently available to facilitate and

coordinate the project. City agency staff assigned to these projects sometimes begin

work as early as 7 A.M., or work on weekends and holidays. Consider having your group

representative and alternate make available their cell phone numbers and e-mail

addresses to make communicating easier.

4. Approach a landscape designer. They will either survey or ask you to survey the median

you are considering greening. Make a plan drawing, to scale, that shows all existing

conditions, including exact utility box locations, signs, existing trees or plants, and

lighting. You will also need to measure the thickness of the curb itself, as the median

width minus the curbs is the actual planting area. Note: You may not be able to remove

all of the concrete on any particular median, depending on existing conditions; so

prepare to be flexible.

5. Ask your landscape designer to prepare a preliminary plant list. Contact Liz Lerma at the

Department of Public Works again to have your preliminary plant list considered. A DPW

Street Parks Committee will review your plant list. DPW will provide technical assistance

necessary to establish a reasonable and appropriate plant list for your location.

6. Next, have your landscape designer prepare a preliminary planting plan. Consider also

consulting with the Friends of the Urban Forest (http://www.fuf.net) regarding their tree

recommendation for your location – they may have experience in your neighborhood

already. Be prepared to be flexible about the choice of plants and/or trees. Most trees

and plants are inappropriate for median plantings. Your architect or landscape designer

will need to consider local microclimate, soil conditions, the width of the median, the

amount of automobile exhaust, visibility and other codes (e.g., no trees within 25’ of any

traffic signal or sign, or within 5’ of any gas or water meter, adequate vehicular

clearance, no plant taller than 3’), your budget and other limiting factors. DPW will assist

your landscape designer with obtaining the proper codes and regulations, as necessary.

7. Contact Liz Lerma at DPW again to have your preliminary planting plan considered by

the Street Parks Committee. Despite the best planning and design, you may find that

your preliminary plan has to change, even radically, based on actual conditions in the

median – many medians have been poured over another layer of concrete roadway

(sometimes even over old train tracks), and the site’s soil may be completely different

from what your preliminary plan anticipated. Again, be flexible.

Budgeting

8. Once your Plan is approved by DPW, establish your baseline budget for construction

and maintenance. Factor in the plants and/or trees your Plan calls for, replacing the

existing soil under the concrete, to a depth of anywhere from 12-24”, with a grade of soil

appropriate to your location (your landscape designer will be able to help you with this),

landscape fabric (weed block) and fabric pins (1 every 8-10 feet, with extra for curved

sections), decomposed granite to a depth of 2-2.5” (for mulching around the plantings

and discouraging weeds), water hookups (see the attached sample budget and notes)

and ongoing maintenance costs (watering, weeding, trash collection, etc.).

9. For your Planting Day budget, try to find bright, recognizable hats for experienced

gardeners willing to lead teams of volunteers – this will help volunteers figure out whom

to ask for instructions. You might also include a few pairs of size small or medium ladies’

gardening gloves (City loaner gloves are all men’s size large), several sizes of

disposable latex gloves (for trash collection or for persons with allergic reactions to

certain kinds of plants), food, bottled water or other refreshments, and sanitizing hand

cleaner. If you can, try to rent a portable toilet and sink unit. Consider renting or

borrowing a canopy or similar structure to provide shade and keep food and

refreshments out of the elements. A few folding chairs, dollies or hand trucks can be

useful too.

10. Once you have a baseline budget, determine if you want to fundraise independently, or if

you want to apply for grant funding. Grant resources include San Francisco Beautiful

(http://sfbeautiful.org), and the Neighborhood Beautification Fund/Community Challenge

Grant Program (http://sfccgp.org). Local institutions and businesses also frequently wish

to participate in neighborhood activities. Local nurseries, hardware or landscaping

supply stores and other suppliers may also offer you discounted materials or services in

order to be included in your project. Contact your district Supervisor’s office for other

possible funding suggestions and possible partners. Bear all of these resources in mind

as you plan your event and how or if to publicize it.

Organizing

11. Once your funding is established, begin planning your planting date. This should always

be in the fall in order to give plantings the rainy seasons to establish themselves before

they require additional watering. Planting in the dry season is not environmentally

friendly; it’s hard on plants and trees, and it’s unnecessarily expensive. Planting days will

also have to be on a Saturday in order to minimize conflicts with automobile traffic. Be

sure to coordinate closely with DPW staff. Planting days will need to be completed by

2:30 P.M. in order to fit into regular DPW staff workday schedules.

12. Obtain an estimate from your landscape designer of how many hours your plant

positioning, planting, mulching, staking and clean up will take. This estimate will be your

guide to how many volunteers you will need. Plan to break volunteers into groups of 4-6,

each led by an experienced gardener, or tree planter (planting trees is a different skill

set, using different tools than other gardening). Make sure that you have and can

distribute any special planting instructions (unusual planting depths, for instance) or

precautions (some plants cause mild allergic reactions to some people’s skin) to both

your gardening team leaders and DPW gardeners. DPW will arrange for an appropriate

number of experienced DPW gardeners to teach your volunteers how to plant using

landscaping fabric, to assist with the planting, and to make sure that everyone is

following appropriate safety precautions.

13. Depending on the size of your project, schedule your volunteers to come in shifts. You

don’t want to tire your volunteers out! You also don’t want too many people to show up,

only to be confused, or turned away for lack of work. Your landscape designer should be

able to help you with this scheduling, in consultation with DPW. Add in a few volunteer

positions to help you with trash collection, bagging, loading and unloading and general

going back and forth. You may also want to find one or two people to help you sign in all

of your volunteers and event participants, in order to document your planting day. These

same people might also pass out information about your project or group, and answer

questions from media, interested passers-by, and so on. You may also wish to find one

or two people to take pictures of your planting day for future reference, and to share later

on with participants.

14. Determine which tools, and how many of them, you will need. Your landscape designer

and DPW will be able to help you with this too. DPW will be able to lend you some of the

tools you need, including safety vests and gloves, but availability varies. Consider

contacting the San Francisco Clean City Tool Lending Center

(http://sfcleancity.com/tool-lending/index.html) at 701-TOOL, where appropriate tools are

lent out, free of charge, for up to 3 days. Many volunteers may have tools of their own.

Ask DPW to provide trash and garden debris liners, brooms and dustpans so your

volunteers and group can do a local clean up during down times, as well as gather up

refuse produced by your project. Consider borrowing a bullhorn and/or walkie-talkies to

communicate with the entire group, or from one end of your project area to the other.

15. Plan to have an appropriate amount of food and refreshments, particularly water, for

your volunteers. Gardening, especially tree planting, is hard work. Gardening in the

middle of a street can also be quite hot. Don’t let anyone get dehydrated. For related

reasons, consider renting and locating a portable toilet and sink close to your project site

(if you do this, borrow a padlock to lock the facility before and after your event).

16. Select a location for everyone to meet, sign in, receive instructions, eat and relax. This

location should be large enough to safely accommodate all of the people you expect to

participate in your planting day, including members of the press, public speakers you’ve

invited, and people who want to cheer you on. If there is no space large enough, you

may be able to have a few parking spaces vacated and cordoned off in advance for the

duration of your event. This requires adequate public notice, and can be arranged

through DPW, SFPD or DPT.

17. You may wish to structure your planting day so that mealtime or snack time coincides

with a celebration or public speaking opportunity. Food and refreshments can act as a

natural way to gather people together, at which time they can be entertained or engaged

in additional activities. Your district Supervisor, Police Captain or other community

leaders will appreciate being invited to your event, and welcome an opportunity to

address everyone. You may also wish to use this time to thank key people, city

agencies, companies or contributors who have been instrumental in bringing your project

to life.

18. DPW will work with you to establish the day’s schedule. It will take DPW some time to

cone off lanes of traffic, as necessary, to work with you to unload and set up tools and

supplies, and to cover the medians with landscape fabric. Make sure that a few reliable

volunteers in your group are available during this time to work with DPW, help set up

tools and coordinate supplies. Keep these volunteers separately tasked from the

volunteers you will need to run your refreshments, volunteer coordination, sign-in,

information desk, and so on. Try to keep your two main project leads free from specific

tasks so that they can move freely between tasks, coordinate and make decisions as

necessary. Expect the unexpected!

Planting/Construction

19. Plan to place the plants early, according to your planting plan, well before volunteers are

expected to begin planting. Because of their nature, median planting days operate on a

tight schedule.

20. Start your planting day with a short period for people to socialize, sign in and familiarize

themselves with the location and surrounding intersections. Some of your volunteers

may not be familiar with the area or traffic patterns. Consider making an opening

announcement that welcomes people and gives them useful safety precautions, as well

as initial instructions about where to find team leaders, tools and safety equipment. If

you find that you have more volunteers than you were counting on, encourage extra

hands to grab gloves and trash liners and help do a local clean up. There’s no sense in

making a median look beautiful and green if it’s surrounded by street tree wells full of

trash and weeds. Use this time and protection from weekday traffic volumes to give the

whole surrounding area a small facelift.

21. Have fun!

Maintenance

22. Remember, on a calm residential street, you need a reliable team of neighbors and

interested parties to regularly weed, water, pick up trash and keep an informed eye on

your plantings. Have a procedure for what to do when a tree is knocked down or a

branch breaks. Have a DPW Street Parks Committee - approved maintenance plan for

how to assess and/or replace damaged or diseased plants, add mulch, and so on.

Finally, a garbage-strewn, planted median can be as much or more of an eyesore as

concrete. Don’t let your investment go to waste.

23. Landscaped medians require a higher level of maintenance than concrete. Depending

on the location, level of organization and local support, your project may provide this

maintenance through volunteers or hired professionals. Landscapes require regular

weeding and watering (until plants are established), ongoing litter pickup, pruning,

occasional replacement of plants, and mulch. While any single project may require

minimal care, as green medians increase citywide, city crews cannot support

maintenance requirements with current funding levels.

Sample Project Budget

Street Parks: Guerrero Medians

(between C. Chavez and Duncan + C. Chavez island @ Guerrero)

Type Description Quantity Retail Price

Design Guerrero Street Gardens Design Fee 8 hours $800

Demolition DPW: concrete removal and overhead 3 DAYS $14,365

Hauling DPW: concrete and soil dump fee 120 cubic yards $2,000

Soil Sandy Loam 110 cubic yards $3,461

Delivery Sandy loam delivery charge ($85 per 10 cubic yard trip) 110 cubic yards $1,014

Mulch Gold Path Fines (Decomposed Granite) 10 cubic yards $694

Delivery DG delivery charge ($85 per 10 cubic yard trip) 10 $92

Tree 24’ boxed Olea europaea 'Swan Hill Olive' 7 $3,380

Tree 24” boxed Tracycarpus Wagnerianus (Miniature Chusan Palm) 6 $1,411

Plant 5-Gallon Agave huachuensis 10 $616

Plant 5-Gallon Agave medio-picta alba 10 $616

Plant 1-Gallon Dyckia remotiflora 4 $93

Plant 1-Gallon Dyckia hybrid 1 $20

Plant 1-Gallon Aloe 'Johnsons hybrid' 26 $100

Plant 1-Gallon Agave parisana 1 $20

Plant 1-Gallon Euphorbia myrsinites 48 $760

Plant 1-Gallon Leucadendron s 'Red Tulip' 20 $432

Plant 1-Gallon Libertia peregrinans 30 $498

Plant 6” Sedum 'Blue Carpet' 30 $598

Plant Various 4” succulents/cacti (sedum, cotyledon,aeonium) 159 $1,577

Plant 5-Gallon Adenanthos drummondii 3 $175

Shrub 6” Cussonia spicata 10 $116

Supplies Landscape fabric (weed block) 500 feet of 4' rolls $390

Supplies Landscape fabric staples 3 boxes $29

Supplies Small and medium garden gloves 6 pair $3

Supplies Latex gloves 1 box $14

Rental PortoSan (portable toilet) with sink unit 1 $150

Supplies Team leader baseball hats 10 $23

Food & Bev Breakfast, lunch, coffee, beverages & snacks for 100 volunteers multiple $483

Plumbing PUC: Water meters * 3 $12,903

Plumbing DPW: Hosebibs 3 $1,500

Plumbing DPW: Cement work at hosebibs 3 $270

Approximate total Square footage 1703

Total Cost $48,117

Approximate cost per square foot $28

Approximate linear footage 500

* Water-Plumbing Cost variables

Water meters (when there is none at the location) 1 $4,301

Water meter resets (when there is a meter) 1 $742

Hosebibs (faucets) 1 1 $500

Cement work (at hosebibs) 1 $90

1 Irrigation systems (automated) require considerable additional expense.

for more information, see http://www.sanjoseguerrero.com, or call 415.285.8188

Guerrero Medians Draft Plant List

design by Flora Grubb, Flora Grubb Gardens

http://www.guerrerostreetgardens.com 415.648.2670

Code Type Description Quantity

OL Tree Olea europaea 'swan hill' 7

TR Tree Trachycarpus wagnerianus 6

3 Agave Agave alba media picta 10

2 Agave Agave huachuensis 10

1 Agave Agave parisana 21

4 Succulent Aeonium 'Cyclops' 16

5 Succulent Cotyledon orbiculata 20

6 Succulent Aloe 'Johnsons hybrid' 31

7 Shrub Adenantos drummondii 3

8 Shrub Leucadendron 'Red Tulip' 20

CU Shrub Cussonia spicata 10

9 Grass-like Libertia peregrinans 30

10 Groundcover Euphorbia myrsinites 48

11 Groundcover Sedum 'Blue Carpet' 30

12 Groundcover Sedum 'Dragons Blood' 48

How to manage your relationship with a "problem" boss

2009-04-26T12:28:00.000-07:00

Does the Bad Boss Know?

Start your campaign by understanding that your boss may not know he is bad. Just as in situational leadership, the definition of "bad" depends on the employee's needs, the manager's skills and the circumstances.

A hands-off manager may not realize that his failure to provide any direction or feedback makes him a bad boss. He may think he’s empowering his staff. A manager who provides too much direction and micromanages may feel insecure and uncertain about his own job. He may not realize his direction is insulting to a competent, secure, self-directed staff member.

Or, maybe the boss lacks training and is so overwhelmed with his job requirements that he can’t provide support for you. Perhaps he has been promoted too quickly or his reporting responsibilities have expanded beyond his reach. In these days of downsizing, responsibilities are often shared by fewer staff members than ever before.

This bad boss may not share your values. The newer generation of workers expect that they can use their vacation time and take action to make work-life balance a priority. Not all bosses share these views. If your values are out of sync with those of your boss, you do have a problem.

Recommended Approach to the Unwitting Bad Boss

Talk to this boss. Tell him what you need from him in term of direction, feedback and support. Be polite and focus on your needs. Telling the boss he’s a bad boss is counterproductive and won’t help you meet your goals.

Ask the manager how you can help him reach his goals. Make sure you listen well and provide the needed assistance.

Seek a mentor from among other managers or more skilled peers, with the full knowledge of your current manager, to enlarge your opportunity for experience.

If you’ve taken these actions, and they haven’t worked, go to your boss’s manager and ask for assistance. Or, you can go to your Human Resources staff first, to rehearse and gain advice. Understand that your current boss may never forgive you, so ensure you have done what you can do with him, before taking your issues up the line.

You may never hear what the boss’s boss or the HR staff did to help solve your bad manager’s behavior. It’s confidential. But, do allow some time to pass for the actions to have their desired impact.

If nothing changes, despite your best efforts, and you think the problem is that they don’t believe you, draw together coworkers who also experience the behavior. Visit the boss’s manager to help him see the size and impact of the behavior.

If you think the problem is that your boss can’t – or won’t – change, ask for a transfer to another department. This recommendation presumes you like your employer and your work.

If a transfer or promotion is unavailable, begin your search for a new job. Fleeing is always an option. You may want to conduct your job search secretly, but under the circumstances, it may be time for you to go.

When the Bad Boss Knows

Working with a manager at a client company, we discussed his approach to employees. He looked down his nose at them. He criticized and screamed at employees. He publicly humiliated any employee who made a mistake. One day he called me to ask a question. I thought, “Great. Break through.” I was doomed to disappointment when he said, “I know that you don’t approve of me screaming at staff as a regular thing.” I agreed. “So, can you tell me, please, what are the circumstances under which it is okay to scream at them?”

This manager thought his behavior was perfectly acceptable. (The end of the story? He never did change and was eventually removed as manager.) Most managers that bully, intimidate, cruelly criticize, name call and treat you as if you are stupid likely know what they are doing. They may know they’re bad and even revel in their badness.

They may feel their behavior has been condoned - and even encouraged - within your organization. They may have learned the behaviors from their former supervisor who was viewed as successful.

You don’t have to put up with demeaning behavior. You deserve a good boss who helps your self-confidence and self-esteem grow. You deserve a good boss who helps you advance your career. You deserve civil, professional treatment at work.

Recommended Approach to the Bad Boss Who Knows

Start by recognizing that you have the right to a professional environment in your workplace. You are not the problem. You have a bad boss. He is the problem.

You can try talking with the bad boss to tell him the impact that his actions or words are having on you or your performance. In a rare blue moon, the bad boss might care enough to work to modify his behavior. If he does decide to work on his behavior, hold him to his commitments. If you allow him to yell at you, even just a little bit, you are training him that he can get away with his former behavior. Don’t go to war publicly, but draw his behavior to his attention as soon as you have the opportunity, privately.

If the behavior does not change, appeal to his supervisor and to Human Resources staff. Describe exactly what he does and the impact the behavior is having on you and your job performance. You may never hear what the boss’s boss or the HR staff did to help solve your bad manager’s behavior. It’s confidential. But, do allow some time to pass for the actions to have their desired impact.

If nothing changes, despite your best efforts, and you think the problem is that they don’t believe you, draw together coworkers who also experience the behavior. Visit the boss’s manager to help him see the size and impact of the behavior.

If you think the problem is that your boss can’t – or won’t – change, ask for a transfer to another department. This recommendation presumes you like your employer and your work.

If a transfer or promotion is unavailable, begin your search for a new job. Fleeing is always an option. You may want to conduct your job search secretly, but under the circumstances, it may be time for you to go.

Moving On – Leaving the Bad Boss

These resources will assist you to move on.

Learning Meditation

2009-04-18T21:01:00.000-07:00

2009-04-18T20:11:00.000-07:00

April 18, 2009

Gemini (5/21-6/21)

Why don't you focus on understanding your own emotions and forget about trying to figure out why someone else is acting so weird? You need to take a new point of view regarding a difficult friend -- if they are pouting or being moody, just leave them be. Their problems, while annoying or troubling to you as well, are their own to solve. You can't fix their life for them, as much as you might want to. You're doing them no favors by offering advice that they're never going to take.

Chasing Pavements

2009-04-12T14:47:00.001-07:00

ve made up my mind
dont need to think it over
if im wrong i am right
dont need to look no further
this aint lust i know this is love

but if i tell the world
i'll never say enough
cos it was not said to you
and thats exactly what i need to do
if i end up with you

should i give up
or should i just keep chasing pavements
even if it leads no where,
or would it be a waste
even if i knew my place should i leave it there.
should i give up
or should i just keep chasing pavements
even if it leads nowhere

i build myself up
and fly around in circles
waiting as my heart drops
and my back begins to tingle
finally could this be it

or should i give up
or should i just keep chasing pavements
even if it leads no where,
or would it be a waste
even if i knew my place should i leave it there.
should i give up
or should i just keep chasing pavements
even if it leads nowhere

should i give up
or should i just keep chasing pavements
even if it leads no where,
or would it be a waste
even if i knew my place
should i leave it there

should i give up
or should i just keep chasing pavements
even if it leads nowhere

yeaaah ehh

should i give up
or should i just keep chasing pavements
even if it leads nowhere
or would it be a waste
even if i new my place should i leave it there

should i give up
or should i just keep on chasing pavements
should i just keep on chasing pavements

ooooohhh

should i give up
or should i just keep chasing pavements
even if it leads no where,
or would it be a waste
even if i knew my place
should i leave it there

should i give up
or should i just keep chasing pavements
even if it leads no where

London at night from above

2009-03-15T21:19:00.001-07:00

Ascension of Christ

2009-03-15T21:15:00.000-07:00

Ascension of Christ

2009-03-15T21:14:00.000-07:00

Ascension of Christ

2009-03-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

Tattoo background

2009-03-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

Master of Business Administration (MBA): Nonprofit Management Degree Overview

2009-03-11T23:20:00.000-07:00

In nonprofit organizations, employers need individuals with strong communication and fundraising skills who can mobilize public support for their causes. A Master of Business Administration: Nonprofit Management degree will give you these skills and others to help you rise to the top. An MBA in Nonprofit Management is great for individuals who want to work in the fast-growing and rewarding world of civic or charitable work.

MBA in Nonprofit Management Degree Summary

The field of nonprofit and civic work is growing fast. Although job opportunities should be excellent in most employment settings because of high job turnover, it can be tough to get a management position in this field. That's where higher education comes in: a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Nonprofit Management prepares individuals to head non-profit corporations, foundations, educational institutions and associations.

Skills Acquired

In the course of an MBA program in Nonprofit Management, you'll learn the principals of business management, public administration, accounting, human resource management, taxation and business law as it applies to nonprofit organizations. Such programs also teach students to deal with unique challenges such as generating operating finance, attracting high-caliber professionals, maintaining goodwill services and finding meaningful tools to measure success with.

Required Courses

Courses in an MBA Nonprofit Management Program are designed to develop the skills specific to management work in charitable and civic organizations. Classes may include:

Statistical Analysis
Public Management Economics
Law and Public Affairs
Environmental Affairs
Public Management
Management in the Nonprofit Sector
Financial Management
Public Policy Process
Negotiations
Public Program Evaluation
Urban Management
Executive Leadership
Human Resource Management

Career Related Information

Job Outlook

Now is a great time to get into the nonprofit sector. Jobs are increasingly plentiful, the field is growing fast, and Americans are giving more than ever to charitable causes: nearly $250 billion in 2004, according to the Giving USA Foundation, www.aafrc.org. Most projections show the sector continuing to grow for the foreseeable future, too, meaning your involvement in the field will pay off now and over the long term.

Salary Information

It's called nonprofit for a reason: salaries in the nonprofit sphere tend to be low. However, directors and upper-level managers can make decent money while still doing very rewarding work. According to the Nonprofit Times Annual Salary Survey, www.nptimes.com, directors of various organizations can make upper-level management wages of up to six figures for some positions. Additionally, managers of nonprofit organizations often receive fringe benefits that vary by region, sector, and organizational budget.

argh. right?

2009-03-09T23:58:00.000-07:00

We could all bitch and moan. But that's just why it's a waste of time. We all have issues. Every now and again one of us has a freakishly offbeat, excitingly weird, or uniquely san francisco experiences that we just gotta share. other than that. too much. I'm trying to work on what I send out to people but I feel the trade off is for me to be able to pause, stop, halt what people are trying to give me. I don't want it. No, I am not interested in going in there with you. I have enough crazy on my plate. Learning from your housemates is the reason why they're there. Not necessarily the lessons they feel they have been sent to instruct but the lessons you learn inadvertantly learn. Like "I don't ever want to be like that" or "so that's why calivirtues get on people's nerves." We have the right not to care. This is a balance between a thourough discussion between me and them.

Don't Bring Me in There with You...

2009-03-03T10:07:00.000-08:00

My grandmother used to always say, "when people ask you how you are say, 'Good, thank you.' People don't really want to know. It's just something kind to say in a greeting". I wish more people felt this way. Don't take me in there with you. I just wanted to say, "hi'. Next time i'll know better. Putttttter....

Ten Reasons I Cannot Live Alone in SF

2009-03-02T23:07:00.001-08:00

Mar 2 - $2350 / 1br - Marina, Very sweet 1-bedroom garden apt, excellent loc, pets negotiabl - (marina / cow hollow) img

Mar 2 - $950 / 1br - Small In-Law Apartment w/ parking garage space - (sunset / parkside)

Mar 2 - $1650 / 1br - Remodeled w/ view, parking, storage, deck - (twin peaks / diamond hts) pic

Mar 2 - $1700 / 1br - Charming and Cute Apartment with Assigned Parking - (mission district) pic

Mar 2 - $4500 / 2br - Marina Flat - 2BD+SUNROOM / 2BA / 2-CAR - (marina / cow hollow) pic

Mar 2 - $1950 / 1br - VIEWS of GG Bridge for Rent! Classic Top Floor Edwardian Condo! - (russian hill) img

Mar 2 - $3000 / 3br - Great 3 bedroom 2 bath flat in the Sunny Mission has JUST come availab - (mission district) pic

Mar 2 - $1250 / 1br - True one bedroom, heart of SOMA - (SOMA / south beach)

Mar 2 - $3200 / 2br - 2BA, TOP FLOOR UNIT - (north beach / telegraph hill) pic

Mar 2 - $2100 / 1br - New redec quiet large closets hardwood stone floors laundry in bldg - (pacific heights) img

I AM KING

2009-02-23T20:27:00.000-08:00

Solace in Self

2009-02-23T20:06:00.000-08:00

Laugh quietly. Smile only behind closed doors. Enjoy your happiness in silence. Exist boldly with caution. That's why they call it boldness. Expect the snare for it was created for you. Be too busy creating new successes that old failures don't have time to occupy your space. Be too good at being the you that exists in the now. Be focused on the you that you are creating. The you that exist at the end of the day. Laugh boldly. Run Faster. Scream louder. Learn to find solace in self. Let that give you deep satisfaction.

Re-ignite career passion

2009-02-22T23:53:00.000-08:00

Human Resources

The Mid-Life Challenge: Make a Plan to Re-ignite Career Passion

Take Stock of Your Career Passion to Target a Career Change and a Career Search

From Craig Nathanson, for About.com

Nobody will stop you in the hallway at work to ask if your career provides meaning and personal fulfillment. Recognizing that something’s missing in your career and vocational life and taking the initiative to change must come from within.

Serena Williamson found a way to turn her passion — helping writers hone their skills in order to get published — into the catalyst for a new, more fulfilling life. Serena now runs her own small publishing house.

Software engineer Bonnie Vining needed a new career that would value her warm personality, not suppress it. So she left the high-tech world and opened Javalina’s Coffee and Friends.

After Anita Flegg lost her engineering job, she embarked on a program of self-improvement. The journey led to personal discoveries and her calling: She provides information and support to those who, like her, suffer from hypoglycemia.

I have found that many high achievers who lose enthusiasm for their work share common traits:

Their work has little connection to the things they really care about. Work is a barrier rather than a path to fulfillment.

While they may be doing something they’re good at, it isn’t something they want to do. Unfulfilled professionals haven’t taken time to align their abilities with their interests.

They have never made a long-term plan to guide them toward a more fulfilling vocational life. They tend to set short-term goals, or set no goals at all.

As they reach mid-life and understand the need for meaning, they turn to their current workplace as a source of what’s missing. Most organizations, though, are structurally incapable of providing nourishment for the soul. So the mid-life employee’s frustration grows.

Mid-lifers like Serena, Bonnie, and Anita take stock of their lives and careers. They develop a plan to re-ignite their energy and enthusiasm for work. The process involves a number of steps, but the common thread involves taking responsibility for making life changes. Read on to learn how¹.

Want to re-ignite your career passion? Take responsibility for making changes in your career and life.

Identify what’s most important to you, then develop and work a plan to get there. The plan should involve short-term goals that lead to a long-term objective. When Bonnie decided that engineering management was no longer for her, she applied the discipline of the corporate world to her new career: owning a gourmet coffee shop. Bonnie learned everything she could about specialty coffees and how to run a coffeehouse. She made good use of experts in the field. She then moved quickly toward her goal of opening Javalina’s Coffee and Friends in Tucson, Ariz. The thorough approach increased her chance of success.

Make a list of your abilities and interests, and then see how they match. You may be doing something you’re good at, but don’t enjoy. Instead, find something you enjoy and then learn what it takes to get good at it. Serena was fortunate that her vocational calling was right under her nose. For years she helped friends and colleagues improve their writing skills through informal coaching sessions. She realized that the gift for teaching others how to transform ideas into prose wasn’t just a hobby. It was a career and vocational calling. Today, she runs Book Coach Press, which has launched 13 book titles (including my own P Is for Perfect: Your Perfect Vocational Day).

Don’t be afraid to move toward your goals. Many people understand the need for change but are frozen in place. There’s fear that we may be jumping from the frying pan into the fire. When Anita lost her engineering job, she avoided self-pity and instead grasped the possibilities of her new freedom. She began a journey of self-discovery that uncovered a long-undiagnosed illness, hypoglycemia and with it a new calling. She soon wrote a book on hypoglycemia. Now, she helps others understand and manage the disease. Anita turned what could have been a series of unfortunate events into a new calling that has brought career passion to her life.

Remember: No one will pull you aside at work, look you in the eye, and ask if you’re really happy with your career and your life. The power to understand what’s missing and do what’s necessary to find it is yours alone. Take responsibility for change, and change will happen.

Read Take Stock of Your Career Passion².

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Craig Nathanson is The Vocational Coach™ and the author of the new book, P Is for Perfect: Your Perfect Vocational Day by Bookcoach Press and the publisher of the free Ezine, Vocational Passion in Mid-life. Craig believes the world works a little better when we do the work we love. Craig Nathanson helps those in mid-life carry this out. Visit his on-line community³

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Top 10 ways to be happy at work

2009-02-22T23:52:00.000-08:00

Human Resources

Top 10 Ways to Be Happy at Work

By Susan M. Heathfield, About.com

Working at Google sounds very cool. I'd be the first to tout Google as a motivating employer: free food, engineers who are enabled to spend 20 percent of their time on their own projects, and a work environment that fosters play and creative thinking. At Google, Genentech and other Fortune magazine top 100 companies, employers provide the best workplaces.

At the same time, perks that enable employees to spend all of their time at work exploit people and destroy work - life balance. So, even the best employer may not be best for everyone. These are the factors that will help you find happiness at work.

1. Choose to Be Happy at Work

Happiness is largely a choice. I can hear many of you arguing with me, but it's true. You can choose to be happy at work. Sound simple? Yes. But, simplicity is often profoundly difficult to put into action. I wish all of you had the best employer in the world, but, face it, you may not. So, think positively about your work. Dwell on the aspects of your work you like. Avoid negative people and gossip. Find coworkers you like and enjoy and spend your time with them. Your choices at work largely define your experience. You can choose to be happy at work.

Image: Copyright Rasmus Rasmussen

2. Do Something You Love Every Single Day

You may or may not love your current job and you may or may not believe that you can find something in your current job to love, but you can. Trust me. Take a look at yourself, your skills and interests, and find something that you can enjoy doing every day. If you do something you love every single day, your current job won't seem so bad. Of course, you can always make your current job work² or decide that it is time to quit your job³.

3. Take Charge of Your Own Professional and Personal Development

A young employee complained to me recently that she wanted to change jobs because her boss was not doing enough to help her develop professionally. I asked her whom she thought was the person most interested in her development. The answer, of course, was her. You are the person with the most to gain from continuing to develop professionally. Take charge of your own growth; ask for specific and meaningful help from your boss, but march to the music of your personally developed plan and goals. You have the most to gain from growing - and the most to lose, if you stand still.

4. Take Responsibility for Knowing What Is Happening at Work

People complain to me daily that they don't receive enough communication and information about what is happening with their company, their department's projects, or their coworkers. Passive vessels, they wait for the boss to fill them up with knowledge. And, the knowledge rarely comes. Why? Because the boss is busy doing her job and she doesn't know what you don't know. Seek out the information you need to work effectively. Develop an information network and use it. Assertively request a weekly meeting with your boss and ask questions to learn. You are in charge of the information you receive.

5. Ask for Feedback Frequently

Have you made statements such as, "My boss never gives me any feedback, so I never know how I'm doing." Face it, you really know exactly how you're doing. Especially if you feel positively about your performance, you just want to hear him acknowledge you. If you're not positive about your work, think about improving and making a sincere contribution. Then, ask your boss for feedback. Tell him you'd really like to hear his assessment of your work. Talk to your customers, too; if you're serving them well, their feedback is affirming. You are responsible for your own development. Everything else you get is gravy.

6. Make Only Commitments You Can Keep

One of the most serious causes of work stress and unhappiness is failing to keep commitments. Many employees spend more time making excuses for failing to keep a commitment, and worrying about the consequences of not keeping a commitment, than they do performing the tasks promised. Create a system of organization and planning that enables you to assess your ability to complete a requested commitment. Don't volunteer if you don't have time. If your workload is exceeding your available time and energy, make a comprehensive plan to ask the boss for help and resources. Don't wallow in the swamp of unkept promises.

7. Avoid Negativity

Choosing to be happy at work means avoiding negative conversations, gossip, and unhappy people as much as possible. No matter how positively you feel, negative people have a profound impact on your psyche. Don't let the negative Neds and Nellies bring you down. Take a look at:

And, keep on singing in the car on your way to work - or start.

8. Practice Professional Courage

If you are like most people, you don't like conflict. And the reason why is simple. You've never been trained to participate in meaningful conflict⁶, so you likely think of conflict as scary, harmful, and hurtful. Conflict can be all three; done well, conflict can also help you accomplish your work mission and your personal vision⁷. Conflict can help you serve customers and create successful products. Happy people accomplish their purpose for working. Why let a little professional courage keep you from achieving your goals and dreams? Make conflict your friend⁸.

9. Make Friends

In their landmark book, First, Break All The Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently (Compare Prices⁹), Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman list twelve important questions. When employees answered these questions positively, their responses were true indicators of whether people were happy and motivated at work. One of these key questions was, "Do you have a best friend at work?" Liking and enjoying your coworkers are hallmarks of a positive, happy work experience. Take time to get to know them. You might actually like and enjoy them. Your network provides support, resources, sharing, and caring.

10. If All Else Fails, Job Searching Will Make You Smile

If all of these ideas aren't making you happy at work, it's time to reevaluate your employer, your job, or your entire career. You don't want to spend your life doing work you hate in an unfriendly work environment. Most work environments don't change all that much. But unhappy employees tend to grow even more disgruntled. You can secretly smile while you spend all of your non-work time job searching. It will only be a matter of time until you can quit your job - with a big smile.

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Managing Millenials...

2009-02-22T23:27:00.000-08:00

Human Resources

Managing Millennials: Eleven Tips for Managing Millennials

Seven More Tips for Managing Millennials

By Susan M. Heathfield, About.com

The millennials joining your workforce now are employees born between 1980 and 2000, or 1981 and 1999, depending on the author. Unlike the Gen-Xers and the Boomers, the Millennials have developed work characteristics and tendencies from doting parents, structured lives, and contact with diverse people. Millennials are used to working in teams and want to make friends with people at work. Millennials work well with diverse coworkers.

Millennials have a “can-do” attitude about tasks at work and look for feedback about how they are doing frequently – even daily. Millennials want a variety of tasks and expect that they will accomplish every one of them. Positive and confident, millennials are ready to take on the world.

They seek leadership, and even structure, from their older and managerial coworkers, but expect that you will draw out and respect their ideas. Millennials seek a challenge and do not want to experience boredom. Used to balancing many activities such as teams, friends, and philanthropic activities, millennials want flexibility in scheduling and a life away from work.

Millennials need to see where their career is going and they want to know exactly what they need to do to get there. Millennials await their next challenge – there better be a next challenge. Millennials are the most connected generation in history and will network right out of their current workplace if these needs are not met. Computer experts, millennials are connected all over the world by email, instant messages, text messages, and the Internet.

Eleven Tips for Millennial Management

Provide structure. Reports have monthly due dates. Jobs have fairly regular hours. Certain activities are scheduled every day. Meetings have agendas and minutes. Goals are clearly stated and progress is assessed. Define assignments and success factors.

Provide leadership and guidance. Millennials want to look up to you, learn from you, and receive daily feedback from you. They want “in” on the whole picture and to know the scoop. Plan to spend a lot of time teaching and coaching and be aware of this commitment to millennials when you hire them. They deserve and want your very best investment of time in their success.

Encourage the millennial's self-assuredness, "can-do" attitude, and positive personal self-image. Millennials are ready to take on the world. Their parents told them they can do it - they can. Encourage - don't squash them or contain them.

Take advantage of the millennial's comfort level with teams. Encourage them to join. They are used to working in groups and teams. In contrast to the lone ranger attitude of earlier generations, millennials actually believe a team can accomplish more and better - they've experienced team success. Not just related to age, watch who joins the volleyball match at the company picnic. Millennials gather in groups and play on teams; you can also mentor, coach, and train your millennials as a team.

Want seven more tips about managing millennials¹? Read more.

Here are seven more tips about how to successfully manage millennials.

Listen to the millennial employee. Your millennial employees are used to loving parents who have scheduled their lives around the activities and events of their children. These young adults have ideas and opinions, and don't take kindly to having their thoughts ignored. After all, they had the best listening, most child-centric audience in history.

Millennial employees are up for a challenge and change. Boring is bad. They seek ever-changing tasks within their work. What’s happening next is their mantra. Don’t bore them, ignore them, or trivialize their contribution.

Millennial employees are multi-taskers on a scale you’ve never seen before. Multiple tasks don’t phase them. Talk on the phone while doing email and answering multiple instant messages – yes! This is a way of life. In fact, without many different tasks and goals to pursue within the week, the millennials will likely experience boredom.

Take advantage of your millennial employee’s computer, cell phone, and electronic literacy Are you a Boomer or even an early Gen-Xer? The electronic capabilities of these employees are amazing. You have a salesman in China? How’s the trip going? Old timers call and leave a message in his hotel room. Or, you can have your millennial text message him in his meeting for an immediate response. The world is wide, if not yet deep, for your millennial employees.

Capitalize on the millennial’s affinity for networking. Not just comfortable with teams and group activities, your millennial employee likes to network around the world electronically. Keep this in mind because they are able to post their resume electronically as well on Web job boards viewed by millions of employers. Sought after employees, they are loyal, but they keep their options open – always.

Provide a life-work balanced workplace. Your millennial employees are used to cramming their lives with multiple activities. They may play on sports teams, walk for multiple causes, spend time as fans at company sports leagues, and spend lots of time with family and friends. They work hard, but they are not into the sixty hour work weeks defined by the Baby Boomers. Home, family, spending time with the children and families, are priorities. Don’t lose sight of this. Balance and multiple activities are important to these millennial employees. Ignore this to your peril.

Provide a fun, employee-centered workplace. Millennials want to enjoy their work. They want to enjoy their workplace. They want to make friends in their workplace. Worry if your millennial employees aren’t laughing, going out with workplace friends for lunch, and helping plan the next company event or committee. Help your long-term employees make room for the millennials.

By Internet research counts, 75,000,000 millennials are preparing to join or joining the workforce. These are desirable employees. Make your millennial employees happy in a fun, yet structured setting, and you are building the foundation for the superior workforce you desire. You are developing the workforce of your future.

As always, when I characterize a group of employees based on age, or any other characteristic, some employees will fit this description; some employees will fit part of this description; some employees will not fit this description. Yet, I believe that, if you heed these tips, you will steer your organization forward, more times than not, with a positive approach to managing your millennial employees.

Want to know why millennial management is important and four more tips about managing millennials²? Read more.

More about Millennials

Millennials Quiz³.

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Puerto Rico - about.com

2009-02-22T23:10:00.000-08:00

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico destination guide, including our picks for the island's best budget and luxury hotels and resorts, restaurants, attractions, beaches, nightlife, events and shopping.

Attractions (11) Nightlife (2) Beaches (1) Puerto Rico Events (1) Hotels and Resorts (27) Restaurants

Travel to the Caribbean: Puerto Rico Island Guide
It’s hard to believe that a destination this exotic is not only close to the United States (2.5 hours from Miami) but a part of it. When you travel to Puerto Rico, you’ll discover gorgeous white sandy beaches, delicious food, fascinating Spanish history, and extraordinary natural attractions.

Puerto Rico Airports and Flights
Looking to travel to Puerto Rico? Use this list of all commercial airports in Puerto Rico to book a flight to the city that's most convenient to your destination.

See more links below...

Lessons in Life from the President

2009-02-22T22:59:00.000-08:00

Barack Obama

Lessons in Life from the President

Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Barack Obama

By: Peter Moore, Photographs by: Frank W. Ockenfels III

Name: Barack Obama
Occupation: 44th president of the United States
How he makes a difference: Showing how health and fitness can drive your success

You have to grant Barack Obama two things: He has accomplished a meteoric rise to the verge of vast power, and he's managed an innovative political organization that energized millions of people and raised even more millions of dollars. And regardless of where you stand on his fitness to be president, he has the fitness part of it down pat.

And on those grounds you can learn a lot from him, even if you didn't flick the lever for him on Election Day. Here's some of what we learned in an August interview.

Lesson 1: Learn from your father, even if he wasn't a good one

"Somebody once said that every man is either trying to live up to his dad's expectations or make up for his dad's mistakes. And I'm sure I was doing a little bit of both. But I feel that somewhere in my late 20s or early 30s I sort of figured out what his absence had meant. It is part of what I think has made me a pretty good dad. I don't think it would have too much of an impact on my decision-making as president. There's no doubt that it has contributed to my drive. I might not be here had it not been for that absent father prodding me early in life."

Get more from the Obama interview, including his lessons on: Leadership, Inspiring Others, Parenting, and Staying Healthy

Lesson 2: Be there for your family, even if you're not around

"I don't miss the important things. I haven't missed a dance recital. I haven't missed a parent-teacher conference. But there are some things I do miss, and those are some of the tradeoffs you make. But, look, there's no question there are sacrifices involved here. I'd like to say that quality time replaces quantity, but sometimes it doesn't. You know, a lot of the best moments of family life happen spontaneously. If you have less time to devote to them, there are fewer of those moments. What I've been able to do is create a zone of normalcy for my kids. Michelle's been wonderful about that. I have been able to transmit to them my absolute interest in them and my absolute love for them."

Lesson 3: Manage your time, manage yourself

"I'm part of an organization," he says, "and one of the things I really try to push in the organization is to make sure that everybody is focused on the two or three things that are really going to be game-changers. I ask them to design my schedule in a way that focuses not just on what's coming at us, but on being active instead of reactive. I think we've been pretty successful. I don't spend a lot of time returning phone calls or e-mails. If somebody needs something, most of the time there's somebody else who can handle it. Eliminating TV has been helpful." Wait, a confession: "I'm still a sucker for SportsCenter," he notes.

Go on to the next page for more lessons in leadership...

Lesson 4: Think.
"The most difficult thing is to carve out time to think, which is probably the most important time for somebody who's trying to shift an organization, or in this case, the country, as opposed to doing the same things that have been done before. And I find that time slips away."

Lesson 5: Quit smoking (as often as you need to)
"There wasn't some dramatic moment [when I quit]," he says. "Michelle had been putting pressure on me for a while. I was never really a heavy smoker. Probably at my peak I was smoking seven or eight a day. More typical was three. So it wasn't a huge challenge with huge withdrawal symptoms. There have been a couple of times during the campaign when I fell off the wagon and bummed one, and I had to kick it again. But I figure, seeing as I'm running for president, I need to cut myself a little slack."

He does have advice for people, like him, who are wrestling with the dependency. "Eliminate certain key connections—that first cigarette in the morning, or after a meal, or with a drink. If you can eliminate those triggers, that should help."

Get more from the Obama interview, including his lessons on: Leadership, Inspiring Others, Parenting, and Staying Healthy

Lesson 6: If you want to avoid disappointing others, don't disappoint yourself
"I always try to make sure that my expectations are higher than those of the people around me," he says. "A lot of people have a lot at stake in this election. The American people are having a tough time. And I never want people to feel as if I've overpromised to them. I try to explain in a real honest way how difficult some of the changes I'm talking about will be. But I never want the effect to be that I'm not working as hard as I can on their behalf . . . that I'm not continually trying to improve. I'm actually glad for the high expectations. One of the interesting things about a campaign like this is that it really does push you to the limit and then some. And it turns out that you have more in your reservoir than you expected."

http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do
?site=MensHealth&channel=guy.wisdom&category=life.lessons
&conitem=7987743a7fddc110VgnVCM20000012281eac____&page=0

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Contents

[edit]Background

[edit]Usage in film and television

[edit]Cover versions

[edit]U.S. chart succession

[edit]References

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argh. right?

Don't Bring Me in There with You...

Ten Reasons I Cannot Live Alone in SF

I AM KING

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Re-ignite career passion

Human Resources

The Mid-Life Challenge: Make a Plan to Re-ignite Career Passion

Take Stock of Your Career Passion to Target a Career Change and a Career Search

Top 10 ways to be happy at work

Human Resources

Top 10 Ways to Be Happy at Work

1. Choose to Be Happy at Work