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Praying Mantis Symbolism ...

8/30/2011

I am in hibernation today trying to catch up loose ends and taking care of some things that had slipped through the cracks. I must admit I have been distracted lately with weather events and world events. I looked up at the screen door and saw a praying mantis clinging to it. I have not seen one in a long time, so I knew I had to look up its animal symbolism.

It seems to be a symbol of meditation and contemplation. It hung around for a long time so I guess it really wanted me to get the message of taking a break, being still and looking within. It is also a sign to be more aware, more patient, to trust my intuition and be more mindful of the choices I make and to be congruent in mind, body and spirit.

Apparently the mantis never makes a move unless she is 100% positive it is the right thing for her to do. I have a tendency to be more spontaneous ... who knows which way is right? It's all about balance for me. Guess I will meditate on that for a bit ...

THE BOTTLE OF WINE

8/29/2011

A little bit of humor ...

For all of you who are married, were married, wish you were married or wish you were not married, this is something to smile about the next time you see a bottle of wine: Sally was driving home from one of her business trips, in Northern Arizona, when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride.

With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car.
Resuming the journey, Sally tried - in vain - to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to Sally.

"What in bag?" asked the old woman.

Sally looked down at the brown bag and said: "It's a bottle of wine. I got it for my husband."

The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then, speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said:

"Good trade . . ."

5 Places Never to Use Your Debit Card

8/28/2011

I ran across this article today by Brian O'Connell and found it important to share. I had not considered these things before reading the article but then I don't use a debit card much. Glad I am aware of them now ...

No doubt about it, debit card usage is a big part of the new normal on Main Street these days as consumers try to manage credit card debt. According to the TSYS & Mercator Advisory Group Debit Survey 2011, debit is now the preferred payment type in most point-of-sale locations, beating cash, credit cards and checks.

But that doesn't mean you should use debit cards all the time. In fact, there are some places and times that using a debit card is actually a lousy proposition.

For example, using a debit card online can work against you. If you have a problem with the purchase or your debit card number is stolen, it's a huge hassle to get the money restored to your account and making your card number safe and secure again. In the online world, credit cards are usually a better bet.

Here are some other instances where debit card usage is a bad idea:

Rental or security deposits. If you have to put money down to rent a car or heavy duty home improvement equipment, try not to use a debit card. Why? Because the business will actually take the money out of your account in the form of a security deposit. You'll get the cash back when you return the car or equipment. But with a credit card, the money is just "frozen" but not actually charged and you won't ever notice it's gone.

Restaurants and bars. There are way too many prying eyes around a dining establishment to trust using your debit card. Apart from the risk of having your card stolen, restaurants are one of those rare places where someone actually walks away with your card and you don't see them for a few minutes. Much better to use cash when dining out.

Regular payments. Businesses love to get their sticky little fingers on your debit card number so they can extract dues straight from your bank account on a regular basis. Whether it's a gym or your insurance company, you're better off using a credit card. That's because if there's a dispute, the business won't take the cash right out of your checking account if they don't have your debit card number.

Wi-Fi hot spots. Never use your debit card for an online purchase while at a coffee shop or other business that offers free Wi-Fi access. Many of those businesses have unsecured wireless connections, so it's much easier for hackers and scammers to log on and steal your data.

Any retail outlet where you choose the "credit" option. Debit cards allow you to choose between a debit (having cash taken straight out of your account) and a credit transaction (where the money will be taken out but it could be a few days later). For one, credit purchases cost the retailer more cash in swipe fees, so you could be hurting a small business owner. But the real problem is the delay when choosing credit — you may forget the purchase and not account for the money. That can lead to an overdraft situation and the onerous fees that go with them.

Debit cards are great financial tools, and it's easier carrying a card that a wad of cash. But debit cards shouldn't be used all the time — and the situations listed above should be at the top of your list of "no debit" zones in the future.

http://finance.yahoo.com/banking-budgeting/article/113389/places-never-use-your-debit-card-mainst?mod=bb-debtmanagement

Acceptance

8/27/2011

Today I experienced an awkward moment with a close friend. I suppose I asked for it in a way ... we were discussing personality tics a few weeks ago and I asked her to notice if I had any. <A good example of "be careful what you ask for" if ever there was one.>   Anyway, apparently there are a couple of things I do that annoy her and to give her credit, she asked if it was a good time to tell me what she has observed. <Hmmm ... is there really ever a good time? I wonder ... > Anyway, I listened to what she had to say ... defensiveness bubbling beneath the surface and it took all I had to stay silent while she talked. The whole time, I kept telling myself that I asked for this: that we are mirrors for each other ... act don't react ... she means well ... it's her stuff ... where there's smoke there's fire ... all the enlightened things I know. Then one of the things she said really got to me: "I thought you were trying to be so enlightened ... if you were you wouldn't have done ... "   I've got to admit I really had to bite my tongue at that point.

If we are truly mirrors for each other, then we both had something to learn from this experience. Although what she said is her perception of what I did, her perception is valid as far as she can see. I don't know what part of what I did triggered her response ... nor does she know what I was thinking and feeling when she ascribed a motive to my action.

What this helped me see is that when a stranger appears gruff and incompetent ... they are probably doing the best they can and I don't know their circumstances any more than they know mine. So maybe next time I will try to be more enlightened and compassionate and see the light within them <no matter how dim … sorry, I just had to throw that in!>.   I learned that even though I think I am in a neutral stance with a neutral facial expression that it may be perceived differently.   We can't be in resonance with everyone but I am OK just the way I am ... and so is everyone else. The only person I can change is myself ... and maybe I don't even need to change.   Maybe they don't either.    I learned that there is a fine line between discretion and friendship and walking that tightrope is a precarious endeavor.

I know that life is too short and we can't get mad at every perceived slight. Forgiveness and tolerance are high on my list of values as well as loyalty and acceptance.   I realize that acceptance is a two-way street … we have to give it in order to get it.   I really do try to be non-judgmental but it is an ongoing process.   I choose to not be around people I don't enjoy but on a practical note, I know that you can only end so many friendships before you are alone. Even if you make new friends at some point they will also disappoint you … and then you can either choose to let it go or choose to be alone again.

I choose my friends carefully and I can't imagine life without their love and support. We might not always see eye to eye about everything <or anything in some cases> but that's what makes life so interesting and fun. I am grateful for my friends and I want them to know that I love them just the way they are. Remember:

            Friends are like butt cheeks.
            Crap might separate them,
            But they always come back together.

In the end, things are only about us if we choose to take them personally ...

4 Social Media Tips to Prepare Your Business for Hurricane Irene and Other Disasters

8/25/2011

I found this on the internet and thought it valuable information to share by Lani and Allen of http://www.epiphaniesinc.com/blog/2011/08/4-social-media-tips-to-prepare-your-business-for-hurricane-irene-and-other-disasters/ .

In the hours before Hurricane Irene strikes the East Coast, all businesses and organizations in the path of the storm need to be prepared to be offline for as much as two weeks or more, due to power losses, downed trees, washed out roads, lost Internet access, and lack of access to offices, stores, and other business locations.

In fact, David Paulison, former executive director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), says that “Small businesses that don’t have a plan in place generally don’t survive after a disaster, whether it’s a flood or a tornado…We see that anywhere from 40-60 percent of those that are hit like that simply don’t come back to business.”

We had the honor earlier this year of working on a joint initiative of USDA Rural Development, the NH Division of Economic Development, and the NH Community Development Finance Authority on “When Disaster Strikes,” a series of workshops focused on business continuity planning, public relations, and social media in natural and man-made disaster situations. (See all three presentations at the Division of Economic Development’s Slideshare channel.)

Social media has tremendous power and value for people and businesses during disasters. Sharing information on evacuation conditions, communicating with employees, notifying key stakeholders about your business outages, showing customers and clients the human side of what’s going on in your business, getting updated storm information, coordinating assistance in areas where it’s needed most…those are just some of the ways you can use social channels like blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, and more to connect to the people and agencies that matter most.

Social Media Checklist for Business Disaster Preparedness There’s a free “Social Media Checklist for Business Disaster Preparedness” download from us at the Division of Economic Development’s Slideshare channel, too. While some steps you may not be able to complete in the next 48 hours, here are four things you can and should handle as quickly as possible.

1. Set Up Mobile Access. If you have a smartphone, be sure to install apps from social channels, like Twitter and Facebook, you already use personally and in business. If you don’t have a smartphone, you can still post updates to Facebook and Twitter using SMS text messaging, once you set up mobile access.

For your Facebook Profile, start at https://www.facebook.com/editaccount.php and go to the “Mobile” tab. For your Facebook Page, go to your admin panel (reached by clicking “Edit Page” when you’re on your page), look for the “Mobile” tab. For Twitter, once you’re logged in, click your name in the upper right, then in the drop down under “Settings,” go to the “Mobile” tab.

2. Keep Passwords Handy. Sometimes people store passwords in their web browsers and just forget what they are. Other times, people have so much on their minds in the midst of a disaster that they just plain forget what their passwords are! Passwords get changed at different times, some require numbers while others don’t, or special characters, or different minimum lengths…you get the idea.

It’s not a good idea to just have your passwords lying around the office or store, but kept in a locked fire safe…well, that’s a better idea. Make sure you’ve documented all your passwords for social sites (heck, for banking and insurance sites, too), in case you need to reference or share them on the fly.

3. Have a Back-up. If you can’t get to your social channels to post updates or communicate, is there someone else who can do it for you? It’s always a smart policy to have more than one Admin for a Facebook Page, for example, in case one person gets locked out of his or her account. Same concept in the event of a disaster – if you’re the only person with access, and you don’t have the time or means to control and communicate with your social channels, it’s going to look to the outside world like no one’s at the wheel of your business.

Find someone you trust to designate as a back-up for you – if not an employee or business partner, then a trusted spouse, relative, responsible friend, or relevant vendor, who can access and update channels for you in a time of need.

4. Create Emergency Agency Social Lists. FEMA has said it expects to concentrate more of its information sharing through social media channels in the event of a disaster. FEMA is on Facebook and Twitter, as are many other support agencies. Don’t forget, too, that economic development agencies also serve businesses in times of disaster. The US Economic Development Agency is on Facebook and Twitter – check in your state or region to see whether more localized agencies are there, too. Here in New Hampshire, for example, the state is on Facebook and Twitter, and shared a “Hurricane Irene Storm Awareness Update for NH Businesses” on their blog yesterday.

To track and receive information easily from business support agencies in Facebook – once you’ve gone to their pages and “Liked” them – go to the “Account” link in the top right of your window, select “Edit Friends,” then look for “+ Create a List” button at top right of the center column. In Twitter, click the “Lists” tab, then click “Create a list” link in the dialog box that appears.

Follow Real-time Hurricane Irene Information, Conversations, Resources, and Reactions on Twitter Here are a few other agencies to consider following on Twitter to keep on top of the Hurricane Irene buzz:

As of 2:30 am EST Saturday, “State of Emergency” and “Katrina” are trending topics on Twitter, and the popular hashtags following the threatening tropical cyclone include #hurricane, #irene, #hurricaneirene. The trending topics will change quickly and often, cluing you in to what’s nabbing people’s attention from a global perspective. So when “chatter” rises about hurricane information, you really get a sense of how much this storm is occupying the collective conversation.

A word about following hashtags and conversation threads on Twitter: Some of it might look like nonsense or unrelated trivia. Many people often jump into the stream of popular topics to crack jokes, get attention, showcase wit, and just plain contribute from their perspective. It’s human nature. However, there’s lots of really valuable insight, views, resources, timely updates, and full-throttle humanity in there. Check it out, and let us know what you think.

Web 2.0 Disaster Management Presentation If you have 45 minutes and want to take a deeper look at why social media is more relevant than ever to the disaster preparedness and business continuity process, the full presentation from the “When Disaster Strikes” initiative is below (and on Slideshare if you need it, too). Designed for business owners, entrepreneurs, and professionals using social media for business purposes, the presentation allows you to scan through the slides quickly or listen to the whole audio that accompanies it, which includes nine things you can do before, during, and after a disaster situation.

Web 2.0 Disaster Management

Weekly DSO Tips

8/24/2011

24.   Call someone just to say hi and I love you

25.   Purge items in your “favorites” tab on your computer … the links may be broken anyway

26. Apologize to someone for something you feel guilt over

27.   Go through and purge files in your computer

28.   Update your calendar with paperwork from your child’s school on upcoming events

29.   Make time for things that are important to you

30.   Make a new habit of decluttering 5 items today and commit to doing this every day for the rest of the year

The Passing of Common Sense

8/22/2011

This is an oldie but goodie ... Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:-Knowing when to come in out of the rain; - Why the early bird gets the worm;- Life isn't always fair; - And maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies, don't spend more than you can earn and adults, not children, are in charge. His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion. Common Sense lost the will to live as the criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. Common Sense was preceded in death, by his parents, Truth and Trust, by his wife Discretion, his daughter Responsibility, and his son, Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers: I Know My Rights, I Want It Now, Someone Else Is To Blame, I'm A Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, do nothing.

Do You Believe That the Rich Are Different — and Not in a Good Way?

8/21/2011

This was an interesting article I came across recently ... The 'Haves' show less empathy than 'Have-nots' By Brian Alexander msnbc.com contributor   updated 8/10/2011 9:12:12 AM

Psychologist and social scientist Dacher Keltner says the rich really are different, and not in a good way: Their life experience makes them less empathetic, less altruistic, and generally more selfish.

In fact, he says, the philosophical battle over economics, taxes, debt ceilings and defaults that are now roiling the stock market is partly rooted in an upper class "ideology of self-interest."

“We have now done 12 separate studies measuring empathy in every way imaginable, social behavior in every way, and some work on compassion and it’s the same story,” he said. “Lower class people just show more empathy, more prosocial behavior, more compassion, no matter how you look at it.”

In an academic version of a Depression-era Frank Capra movie, Keltner and co-authors of an article called “Social Class as Culture: The Convergence of Resources and Rank in the Social Realm,” published this week in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science, argue that “upper-class rank perceptions trigger a focus away from the context toward the self….”

In other words, rich people are more likely to think about themselves. “They think that economic success and political outcomes, and personal outcomes, have to do with individual behavior, a good work ethic,” said Keltner, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley.

Because the rich gloss over the ways family connections, money and education helped, they come to denigrate the role of government and vigorously oppose taxes to fund it.   “I will quote from the Tea Party hero Ayn Rand: “‘It is the morality of altruism that men have to reject,’” he said.      Whether or not Keltner is right, there certainly is a “let them cake” vibe in the air. Last week The New York Times reported on booming sales of luxury goods, with stores keeping waiting lists for $9,000 coats and the former chairman of Saks saying, “If a designer shoe goes up from $800 to $860, who notices?”

According to Gallup, Americans earning more than $90,000 per year continued to increase their consumer spending in July while middle- and lower-income Americans remained stalled, even as the upper classes argue that they can’t pay any more taxes. Meanwhile, the gap between the wealthiest and the rest of us continues to grow wider, with over 80 percent of the nation’s financial wealth controlled by about 20 percent of the people.

Unlike the rich, lower class people have to depend on others for survival, Keltner argued. So they learn “prosocial behaviors.” They read people better, empathize more with others, and they give more to those in need.

That’s the moral of Capra movies like “You Can’t Take It With You,” in which a plutocrat comes to learn the value of community and family. But Keltner, author of the book “Born To Be Good: The Science of A Meaningful Life,” doesn’t rely on sentiment to make his case.

He points to his own research and that of others. For example, lower class subjects are better at deciphering the emotions of people in photographs than are rich people.

In video recordings of conversations, rich people are more likely to appear distracted, checking cell phones, doodling, avoiding eye contact, while low-income people make eye contact and nod their heads more frequently signaling engagement.

In one test, for example, Keltner and other colleagues had 115 people play the “dictator game,” a standard trial of economic behavior. “Dictators” were paired with an unseen partner, given ten “points” that represented money, and told they could share as many or as few of the points with the partner as they desired. Lower-class participants gave more even after controlling for gender, age or ethnicity.

Keltner has also studied vagus nerve activation. The vagus nerve helps the brain record and respond to emotional inputs. When subjects are exposed to pictures of starving children, for example, their vagus nerve typically becomes more active as measured by electrodes on their chests and a sensor band around their waists. In recent tests, yet to be published, Keltner has found that those from lower-class backgrounds have more intense activation.

Other studies from other researchers have not produced the clear-cut results Keltner uses to advance his argument. In surveys of charitable giving, some show that low-income people give more, but other studies show the opposite.

“The research regarding income and helping behaviors has always been little bit mixed,” explained Meredith McGinley, a professor of psychology at Pittsburgh’s Chatham University.

Then there is the problem of Tea Partiers’ own class position. While they are funded by the wealthy, many do not identify themselves as wealthy (though there is dispute on the real demographics). Still, a strong allegiance to the American Dream can lead even regular folks to overestimate their own self-reliance in the same way as rich people.

As behavioral economist Mark Wilhelm of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis pointed out, most people could quickly tell you how much they paid in taxes last year but few could put a dollar amount on how they benefited from government by, say, driving on interstate highways, taking drugs gleaned from federally funded medical research, or using inventions created by people educated in public schools.

There is one interesting piece of evidence showing that many rich people may not be selfish as much as willfully clueless, and therefore unable to make the cognitive link between need and resources. Last year, research at Duke and Harvard universities showed that regardless of political affiliation or income, Americans tended to think wealth distribution ought to be more equal.   The problem? Rich people wrongly believed it already was.

What do you think?

Burn Treatment

8/20/2011

Healing Miracle for burns: Taught to beginner fireman because the egg white is a natural collagen and when dried, forms a protective layer on the skin. Might be helpful to know ...

First aid consists to spraying cold water on the affected area until the heat is reduced and stops burning the layers of skin. Then, spread egg whites on the affected area. Then continue for at least an hour to apply layer upon layer of beaten egg white.

One woman burned a large part of her hand with boiling water. In spite of the pain, she ran cold faucet water on her hand, separated 2 egg whites from the yolks, beat them slightly and dipped her hand in the solution. By afternoon she no longer felt any pain and the next day there was hardly a trace of the burn. 10 days later, no trace was left at all and her skin had regained its normal color. The burned area was totally regenerated thanks to the collagen in the egg whites, a placenta full of vitamins.

12 Rules to Live By

8/19/2011

I came across these rules which have been circulating for decades and decided to look them up on the internet for a source. I was amazed at how many versions are out there ... from zen to religious to humor and everywhere in between. Hope you enjoy this compilation:

12 Rules to Live By - Robert Louis Stevenson

Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.
Make the best of circumstances. No one has everything and everyone has something of sorrow.
Don’t take yourself too seriously.
Don’t let criticism worry you. You can’t please everybody.
Don’t let your neighbors set your standards; be yourself.
Do things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.
Don’t borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than actual ones.
Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish enmities and grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.
Have many interests. If you can’t travel, read about places.
Don’t hold post-mortems or spend time brooding over sorrows and mistakes.
Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.
Keep busy at something. A very busy person never has time to be unhappy.

A more generic version:
If you open it, close it.
If you turn it on, turn it off.
If you unlock it, lock it.
If you break it, repair it.
If you can’t fix it, call someone who can.
If you borrow it, return it.
If you use it, take care of it.
If you make a mess, clean it up.
If you move it, put it back.
If it belongs to someone else, and you want to use it, get permission.
If you don’t know how to operate it, leave it alone.
If it doesn’t concern you, mind your own business.

I am going to have to think of my own set of 12 principles and post them later ... what are some of yours?