Life in the Suburban Jungle

The Last Lecture

I caught some of this last night and was pretty touched by this story.  I will read his book. This is from his site on the book:

A lot of professors give talks titled “The Last Lecture.” Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can’t help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn’t have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave—“Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”—wasn’t about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.

In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.

For more information visit http://www.lastlecture.com

Pepsi, Coke Rivalry Becomes Physical

INDIANA COUNTY, Pa. -- Pepsi or Coke? The battle continues. State police in Indiana, Pa., are investigating after a Pepsi employee allegedly assaulted a Coca-Cola employee while making a delivery at a Wal-Mart in White Township on Oct. 1. A According to police, Robert Koscho, 48, of Ebensburg, and the Pepsi employee, David Paulina, 42, of Clymer, were bickering back and forth while making their deliveries at the Oakland Avenue store. Police said the two are also accused of trying to run each other over with pallets full of soda bottles. As Koscho left the store, police said, Paulina called him over and punched him three times in the face, breaking Koscho's nose and giving him a black eye. "As the victim left the store, the suspect came over and got into a physical confrontation with him and struck him a few times," said Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Jeanne Martin. "He hit him in the face, gave him a black eye and broke his nose." A Coca-Cola representative told WTAE Channel 4 Action News that the fight started over shelf space in the aisles of the store. Shelf position is very important for product sales, and the competition for prime space can be fierce, according to Gary Baum, who owns Cook's Market in Greensburg. "Most places have to pay premium prices for each linear foot of shelf space, especially when you get to the frozen food, beverages, cigarette companies," Baum said. Pepsi said they have fired Paulina over the incident, saying they don't tolerate violence in the workplace. At this time, police continue to investigate the incident.

from Pittsburgh News  I always wondered if this every really happened...

Miller & Coors join forces in the US

This shouldn't have any real effect on my business, but it is pretty interesting: Molson Coors, SABMiller Combine U.S. Ops

Tuesday, 09 October 2007

NEW YORK: The makers of Coors and Miller Lite plan to combine their U.S. brewing operations in an effort to compete better against industry leader Anheuser-Busch. The joint venture announced Tuesday will be known as MillerCoors and will have responsibility for selling brands including Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft, Coors, Coors Light and Molson Canadian in the U.S. Anheuser-Busch Cos. accounts for about half of the U.S. market with brands such as Budweiser, Michelob and Bud Light.

For complete article click HERE.

This One Really Got to Me

I ran across this story today and thought about how great our trip out there was this past summer.  I can't imagine the pain this family must be experiencing right now...

4-year-old girl dies after falling off edge of Grand Canyon

By The Associated Press

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. — A 4-year-old girl was killed Tuesday when she slipped off the edge of the Grand Canyon and fell several hundred feet.

The girl’s father immediately scrambled down the cliffs and started CPR with the help of a park ranger who rappelled into the canyon, National Park Service spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge said.

The child’s body was 400 to 500 feet below the rim, Oltrogge said. The area where she fell is a combination of sheer drops of 30 to 50 feet, then slopes leading to more drop-offs.

Patrick Henry Hughes

Patrick and his father appeared in Chicago earlier this month at the Leadership Summit in Chicago and he and his incredible story inspired us all! I am not sure which one of them impacted me more - Patrick or his dad. Not a dry eye in the house....

Patrick was born blind and somewhat deformed yet discovered an amazing musical gift. He is an amazing kid with an inspiring story.

Check it out on this You Tube video HERE from an ESPN clip.

Also from Patrick's web site (www.patrickhenryhughes.com):

Patrick is a remarkable young man who was born without eyes and without the ability to fully straighten his arms and legs, making him unable to walk. Additionally, two steel rods were surgically attached to Patrick's spine to correct scoliosis.
Despite circumstances that seem overwhelming to you and me, Patrick has overcome these physical issues to excel as a musician and student. Patrick started playing the piano at the age of only nine months, and also plays the trumpet and sings. He even participates in the University of Louisville School of Music Marching and Pep Bands with help from his father (Patrick John Hughes), who tirelessly maneuvers his wheel chair through the formations with the other 220+ members of the Cardinal Marching Band. Patrick is usually a straight 'A' student, having received only 5 'B's' since 6th grade up to and including his freshman year of college.
        A virtuoso pianist, vocalist and trumpet player, Patrick has won or finished very high in numerous competitions, as well as winning awards acknowledging the circumstances he has overcome to achieve these heights.  He has been featured on ESPN, ABC-TV, Oprah, CBS-TV, FOX-TV, CSTV, People Magazine, Sports
Illustrated, and many, many others.  Patrick has made appearances from California to Chicago to New York and Miami and countless points in between,  even performing in South America and Europe. 

UPCOMING  APPEARANCES  -   Springfield, Illinois
                                            Williamsburg, Virginia
                                            Hickory, N. Carolina
                                            Chicago, Illinois
                                            Houston, Texas
                                            Phoenix, Arizona
                                            Roanoke, Virginia
                                            Perrysburg, Ohio

If it sounds too good to be true...

BurnLounge blitzed through Columbia a few months ago - I think my brother-in-law may even have gotten  involved. Reminds me of a Ponzi scheme that I was scammed out of lots of $$$ a few years ago. Folks - if it sounds too good to be true then it usually is.  Greed is very powerful and alluring. 

The following is from an article by Jason Ryan in The State Newspaper in Columbia, SC about BurnLounge being under investigation:

FTC lawsuit says the online music store business is a pyramid scheme

The pitches came in Columbia offices, restaurants, nightclubs, living rooms — and even the USC football complex.

How about opening your own online music store with BurnLounge?

USC receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. paid $500 to start his a year ago.

So did Charles Wilkie, an owner of Headliners music club in the Vista.

S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster and his wife were asked to invest. They declined.

Former USC football standouts Rob DeBoer and Todd Ellis became two of the company’s biggest promoters.

Columbia has generated more visits to BurnLounge’s Web site than any other city worldwide, according to Google.

Now the company that caught Columbia’s eye is under scrutiny.

BurnLounge is accused of being an illegal investment scheme in a lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission last week. The company declined comment Saturday.

For the entire article go HERE.

Isle of Palms Beach Erosion

Sandbags used to stop erosion become hazard

By The Associated Press

ISLE OF PALMS — Hundreds of 5-gallon sandbags used as emergency erosion fighters in the Wild Dune resort have been seen floating at sea and in estuaries.

Property owners who used the bags are being fined, but they say regulators told them to use them.

Environmentalists worry the bags will be mistaken as food by turtles and other marine life, leading to deaths.

Property owners were cited Friday for violating an enforcement order to remove the smaller bags by the state agency that regulates their use. Homeowners say the state Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management is the agency that told them to use the bags in the first place.

The coastal resources office and the city of Isle of Palms had required residents to use the 5-gallon sandbags until recent state emergency orders and municipal ordinances allowed the more stable 50-gallon bags that residents initially asked for.

Property owners are responsible for cleaning up the bags and could be fined $1,000 a day for each day the bags are out floating around.

So - first they tell us to use them, then they threaten to cite us daily for not removing them. Go figure.

Identity Theft on the Rise

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America. It occurs every 79 seconds and if it hasn't already affected you or someone you know, it likely soon will.

The Federal Trade Commission reports that for the 5th year in a row identity theft topped the list of consumer complaints. Identity theft accounted for over 37 percent of all complaints lodged in the FTC Consumer Sentinel database in 2005. That means that out of 686,683 fraud complaints in 2005, 255,565 were related to identity theft. It is estimated that almost 11 million people have been affected by this crime at this point.

How Identity Theft is Characterized:

If you are a victim of identity theft it does not necessarily mean that someone is out there impersonating you.

These identity crooks may not be buying a house, committing crimes, or obtaining employment using your good name. The definition of identity theft is much more broad than that and to the contention of some, includes crimes of credit card fraud and the like. By today's classification, if someone illegally uses your credit card, that would be a crime of identity theft.

To better explain how identity crooks use the information from their victims, the following subtypes of identity theft can provide some reference;

• Credit Card Fraud. About 26% of identity theft related crimes involve fraudulent credit card activity.
• Phone or Utilities Fraud. About 18% of all identity theft cases involve fraud where the crook is either making charges on the victim's existing accounts or opening new phone or utility accounts in the victim's name.
• Bank Fraud. Approximately 17% of identity theft cases involve bank related fraud.
• Employment-Related Fraud. This type of fraud is involved in approximately 12% of identity theft cases.
• Loan Fraud. In about 5% of identity theft cases, some type of loan fraud is involved.
• Other Identity Theft. This subtype of identity theft involves things not listed in the previous categories such as evasion from law enforcement, medical identity theft, bankruptcy, child support, etc.
• Government Documents or Benefits Fraud. In about 9% of identity theft cases some type of document or benefit fraud is involved. Examples of this would be fraudulent tax return, driver's license, Social Security, etc.

Article by Brian Koerner,
Your Guide to Identity Theft. For complete article go HERE.

Biofuel vs Beer!

Trouble Brews in Germany as Biofuel Boom Jacks up Price of Beer

May 29, 2007

AYING, Germany: Like most Germans, brewer Helmut Erdmann is all for the fight against global warming. Unless, that is, it drives up the price of his beer.

And that is exactly what is happening to Erdmann and other German brewers as farmers abandon barley - the raw material for the national beverage - to plant other, subsidized crops for sale as environmentally-friendly biofuels.

"Beer prices are a very emotional issue in Germany - people expect it to be as inexpensive as other basic staples like eggs, bread and milk," said Erdmann, director of the family-owned Ayinger brewery in Aying, an idyllic village nestled between Bavaria's rolling hills and dark forests with the towering Alps on the far horizon.

"With the current spike in barley prices, we won't be able to avoid a price increase of our beer any longer," Erdmann said, stopping to sample his freshly brewed, golden product right from the steel fermentation kettle.

In the last two years, the price of barley has doubled to euro200 (US$271) from euro102 per ton as farmers plant more crops such as rapeseed and corn that can be turned into ethanol or bio-diesel, a fuel made from vegetable oil.

As a result, the price for the key ingredient in beer - barley malt, or barley that has been allowed to germinate - has soared by more than 40 percent, to around euro385 (US$522) per ton from around euro270 a ton two years ago, according to the Bavarian Brewers' Association.

For Germany's beer drinkers that is scary news: their beloved beverage - often dubbed 'liquid bread' because it is a basic ingredient of many Germans' daily diet - is getting more expensive. While some breweries have already raised prices, many others will follow later this year, brewers say.

Article from Beverage World. Complete article is HERE.

Senator Lindsey Graham

This photo was taken at Senator Lindsey Graham's Milk & Cookies reception following the Silver Elephant Dinner this past Monday night. You might think it would be the Senator that couldn't keep his mouth shut...