What would John Adams have made of this Fourth of July?

What would the venerable John Adams, who more than anyone was responsible for the Continental Congress' acceptance of the Declaration of Independence and who celebrated the date of Independence (July 4) as much as he could before he died (Oddly enough on July 4), think of:

• The NASA shuttle launch that took place this past July 4th?
• Boston's annual "dash for space' closest to the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade?
• Retail stores being open on July 4?
• Hot dog eating contests taking place on July 4?
• Almanzo Wilder's father, James' observation that it was the "shovels and pickaxes that made America"?
• Enron chief Kenneth Lay's death?
• President G.W. Bush's trip to visit the troops in an "unnecessary war"?
• Steve Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith performing with the Keith Lockhart of the Boston Pops?
• the fact that the most popular song that is performed at the Boston Celebration being the 1812 Overture, which had more to do with France and Russia and less to do with the United States?
• The fact that the number one beer consumed was probably the beer that bears his cousin's name-Sam Adams?
• The fact that many American school children cannot spell 'Declaration of Independence' much less tell anyone that is listening what it is about beyond, "We hold these to be self evident" and " the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness"?
• The fact that his cousin Sam Adams is known more as a beer than for the work he did to found the country and for the state of Massachusetts?
• The fact that his wife Abigail would not have been allowed to bring her knitting needles onto the Esplanade? (Not that she would have...)
  
• That the USS Constitution-"Old Ironsides", one of the ships that he worked hard to have built based upon his belief that the United States needed a navy, is brought out for a spin around the harbor every July 4?
• That there are people who spend most of their lives reenacting the events of the "serious times" that he lived through?
• That he is a cartoon character on "Liberty's kids"?
• That the United States has so far survived 230 years (thought there would have been a bigger celebration for such a milestone)?
  
• That a gill of hard cider cannot be had anywhere on July 4?
  

Where have all the Quarters gone?

Where have all the Quarters gone?

I ask because on more than one occasion recently have I received change back from a purchase where the cashier went out his or her way to give me anything but quarters.

I used to work as a cashier so I know that if you are running low on quarters, it is perfectly acceptable to substitute six dimes and three nickels for 75 cents. When this happens once on a weekday afternoon (Wednesday), you think nothing of it. When it happens twice on a weekday
afternoon, you notice but go on with your day. However, when it happens four times, you have to wonder if there is a shortage taking place. In two of the instances, I was asked insistently if I had pennies so that I would receive dollar bills in my change rather than change that would have consistently usually of quarters. I said no and was treated as if I was a liar or worse. I also received more change than I ever could have conceived of in my life.

This pattern of "no quarters in my change" has continued for about a week. It seemed as if there was a silent boycott of ol' George. Only at the bank did I find an exception to the rule but the teller made it seem as if she were making an exception to hand me 40 cents that consisted of a dime, a nickel and a quarter.

I am sure there are many theories as to how this situation came about. Some would place the blame squarely on sales and meal tax , which never work out evenly. Others would blame the penny. Pennies are small and annoying to carry around. It seems like a lifetime would go by before you end up in a situation where the total charge is $4.02 and you have the 2 cents on you to pay $4.02 instead of the more likely scenario, where you have either $5.00 or $10.00 and no change.

Still another would place the blame square on coin-op laudromats, coin-op laundry rooms and the hours of the local bank. Laundry is a necessity and unfortunately for those who do not own a home, they must rely on the coin-op. Those who travel to the local laundromat have the convenience of the every present changemaker that is usually located by the soap. Those who don't have to travel find that there is a price to be paid for the convenience of having a laundromat in the apartment building. The price is the weekly or monthly hunt for quarters. Quarters can be obtained at the local bank, assuming that you are able to make it during business hours. If you are not able to, your options are limited. Slowly and surely in some cities, token booth collectors that could once be counted on to provide change are being phased out in favour of rechargeable fare cards. Local stores of course can be selective about whether or not they will give a person change for a dollar without purchase of an item.

Well, I have no answers as to why quarters are looking to be an endangered species. I do know that I better remember how to count change in dimes and nickels and I need to buy a purchase to hold all of the change that it seems I will now accumulate.

Save the Date

Friday, June 16, 2006 12:4 PM
Subject: Save the Date! 9/16/06 Eagle Eye Institute's Hike-A-Thon
Message: Saturday ~ 16 September 2006 ~ 8am-4pm

Mark Your Calendar!

It’s Eagle Eye Institute’s 4th Annual Hike-A-Thon!

Join other Eagle Eye supporters while hiking the
beautiful Tully Trail at the Trustees of
Reservations’ Tully Lake Campground in Royalston, MA

Whether you hike 5 miles, 8 miles or 22 miles, all
of the funds you raise go to support Eagle Eye
Institute programs, which to provide life-changing
environmental learning and career-bridging
programs for urban youth!

Last year, supporters raised $15,000. This year's
goal is to raise $25,000.

Sponsorship and volunteer opportunities are also
available.

Please contact hikeathon@eagleeyei.org or call
617-666-5222 for more information.

Come hike and have fun!

Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 11:09:28 -0600
From: Moderator 2
Subject: Seeking reco for a computer (pc) consultant

From: tahmed@lexlrf.org


Hi there,
I'm looking for a knowledgeable, experienced p.c. consultant with excellent
communication skills for my company. We need to buy new computers as soon
as possible, and would like to hire someone to come into our office and help
us decide on a purchase, figure out which software to update, then configure
our new machines, network them, and transfer our data safely. We are a very
small company and only need two computers, but could use a lot of guidance!
We hired
someone from Computer Geeks and weren't happy with the service, and would
rather go on a recommendation.

Please reply to me at tahmed@lexlrf.org, not this address. If you are
applying for the position, I'd appreciate if you could include a resume and
references.

Thank you!
Tara Ahmed


Google's strategy is not to create me-too Microsoft products that are loaded with tons of features. As I see it, Google is taking a much longer view, going for unserved and overserved markets that Microsoft apparently doesn't want. And they're doing it brilliantly, under the experimental "beta" banner that tells people not to take them too seriously. This is the strategy outlined in Clayton Christensen's book, The Innovator's Solution. (If you're in business and haven't read this book, stop reading this post and order it now. Seriously.)

Let's make this into a much broader discussion around the general principles.

1. Many products are too complex for a lot of people (domestically and internationally.)
2. People don't like to pay for what they don't use.
3. Many would be willing to pay less for a niche product with less functionality.
4. Unserved and overserved markets can often be larger than established markets served by incumbents.
5. Industry disruption happens with innovators create simple, low-cost options that are initially scoffed at by established markets.

The Japanese car manufacturers were initially not perceived as a threat to American car manufacturers. The Japanese started at the bottom of the market, selling inexpensive and lower-quality vehicles that didn't yield the high margins of bigger luxury cars. They were considered 'safe' competitors because they tackled a market that the incumbents didn't want. Yet the Japanese slowly and quietly gained experience, improved quality, kept costs low and crept up-market. Now American car makers have been pushed into a corner; they still lead in trucks and SUVs, but not much else


he bad news about earthquakes is that there's no way to predict when it will hit. Yet a shake-up in business can be predicted, so there's really no excuse. Here's a quick checklist for 'business shake-up preparedness:'

* Find bedrock. Where is the unmet need that your company can uniquely fulfill?
* Monitor. Are you tracking customer perceptions of your business over time?
* Identify fault lines. Where are your vulnerable points?
* Reinforce. Are you investing in customer support, usability and/or other table-stake attributes that will strengthen customer loyalty?
* Take small tremors seriously. Is there a new company in your space that's "too small to take seriously" yet is attracting customers and buzz? What can you learn from them?
* Retrofit. Are you evaluating new technologies or processes that will help you withstand changes in your industry? What are you doing about the web 2.0 trend? How can you instill some flexibility, openness and collaboration into your processes?

Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami, and the 100-year anniversary of the Great Quake have been categorized as wake-up calls. And yet we still go through our lives with blinders on -- myself included. How differently would we live, love and work if we were open to all the inevitabilities of life? If we lived in anticipation of change instead of in denial or complacency?

Or better yet... instead of anticipating a shake-up, why not initiate one? That's so much more exciting than the status quo. It's going to happen anyway... you might as well be the one in control.
http://brand.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/engagement.jpg
Jennifer Rice, and I specialize in aligning business with unmet customer needs. My clients hire me for one or more of the following reasons:
- Revive a stagnating brand
- Establish a new, scalable brand platform
- Increase marketing effectiveness
- Establish ongoing "customer-listening" mechanisms to improve performance
- Create internal brand adoption and alignment

Summary:

• Highly successful, motivated self-starter with over 15 years’ international business experience. Skillful in working across geographic, language, and functional boundaries. Fluent in Spanish, proficient in Portuguese.

• Senior business operations professional expert in creating, improving and innovating on key business initiatives.

• Proven to be adept at start-up initiatives, crisis intervention, project oriented methodology, and change management.

• Established a reputation as the ‘go-to’ person for results. Adept at problem solving, networking and building productive relationships to further the organization’s goals.
Specialties:

Management
International Business Development
International Program Development
Event Planning

Summary:

Executive with substantial experience in running technology companies. Broad experience in technology, marketing, business development, etc.
Specialties:

management, marketing, business development, mergers and acquisiting, deep understanding of technologyResposible for all collection development and programming for patrons birth to teens. Created and advise Youth Advisory Board, a a book review group and library forum for teens in North Reading. Manage the teen blog and maintain the children's and teen pages of the library website. Provide reader's advisory and reference assistance to children, teens, teachers and parents.
Specialties:

Library programming, website maintenance, teen advocacy

http://www.mantrabrand.com/

http://monster.typepad.com/monsterblog/2006/06/what_work_super.html#comments

I am....

You Are Dr. Bunsen Honeydew

You take the title "mad scientist" to the extreme -with very scary things coming out of your lab. And you've invented some pretty cool things, from a banana sharpener to a robot politician. But while you're busy turning gold into cottage cheese, you need to watch out for poor little Beaker! "Oh, that's very naughty, Beaker! Now you eat these paper clips this minute."

The Muppet Personality Test

What character from 'Will & Grace' are you?

You are Will!
Take this quiz!








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Which Queer As Folk Character Are You?

You are Debbie. You are very strong willed and always fighting for what you believe in. Your clothes are just as colorful as your personality. You are an absolute sweetheart.
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Your Seduction Style: Sweet Talker

Your seduction technique can be summed up with "charm" You know that if you have the chance to talk to someone... Well, you won't be talking for long! ;-) You're great at telling potential lovers what they want to hear. Partially, because you're a great reflective listener and good at complementing. The other part of your formula? Focusing your conversation completely on the other person. Your "sweet talking" ways have taken you far in romance - and in life. You can finess your way through any difficult situation, with a smile on your face. Speeding tickets, job interviews... bring it on! You truly live a *charmed life*

What Kind of Seducer Are You?

You Are The Sun

You represent the best of life - vitality, success, and and truth. You tend to have a strong, centered, balanced personality. Inspiration and discovery are your fortes. You are very mentally strong. A talented mind, you tend to excel at math, philosophy, and music. Your fortune: As well as you have done in the past, the future is going to be filled with more success. A new creative project is coming your way. Feed it, and it will grow into something huge. Great riches, recognition, prosperity, or happiness is coming your way. And it's possible that a fantastic vacation, or a new baby, is coming sooner than you think.

What Tarot Card Are You?

Your 2005 Song Is

Boulevard of Broken Dreams by Green Day "My shadow's the only one that walks beside me My shallow heart's the only thing that's beating" In 2005, you bummed everyone out. Like you care.

What Hit Song of 2005 Are You?

Drawing Conclusions

In some grammar schools, there was a book they used to teach reading comprehension called "Drawing Conclusions."

There are times where I feel that my whole life is an exercise in "drawing conclusions."

Sometimes given the evidence that we have, we draw the right conclusions. Other times, we are dead wrong.

Another monthly installment of "Sites that I visit"

(I decided to make this a monthly feature since I feel compelled to share the good, the bad and the ugly of internet surfing.)

I was rooting around in boston.craigslist.org and I found a posting for a job for a large private party host/ess for date that had already past. As always, curiosity gets this cat so I went to the poster's website to find out about the company. It turns out that he coordinates and hosts high-end cocktail parties in the Boston area-something that I am sure many thought went the way of white gloves and white sport coats.

While I found this all fascinating (particularly because it seemed to be a moderate success and because he seemed to think that Davis Square was in Cambridge and not Somerville), my strongest reaction was to the "Girlfriend Job description."

I was not so much offended by it as I was amused by it. My first thought was that the times are changin' when you need to frame what you want in a mate as a job posting. However, I must applaud him for knowing exactly who he wants to be with as well as outlining dealmakers and dealbreakers.

I agreed with some of the dealbreakers although I wonder how many of those will become negotiable, if he is still single after a certain age.

The "Girlfriend Job Description" can be found at http://www.kensingtonllc.com/parties/jm_girlfriend_job_description/default.htm

The website for the author of that description is http://www.kensingtonllc.com/parties

Starbucks vs. Dunkin Donuts

Unless you have been living under a rock, you have seen Dunkin Donuts new ad campaign. We are told everyday that "America runs on Dunkin Donuts." Apparently, the marketing staff at Dunkin Brands (manages Dunkin Donuts) had a deep thought about what is actually selling in their franchises and how they could leverage that in their "cold war" with Starbucks.

Apparently what is selling is their coffee and their variety of beverages that look like the Wal-Mart version of Starbucks' offerings. While ideas about installing a sandwich display still speak of "trying to be like Mike," Dunkins has decided to market their products in such a way as to say: That's Starbucks. We're Dunkin Donuts. People buy Dunkin Donuts products not to be posh and ruminate about the quality of the grounds. They buy it because it is good and it keeps them going through out their day.

The new ad campaign seems to be working, in terms of receiving favourable notice. I have not seen Starbucks' answer. I did learn that they are tweaking themselves further. John Moore, who is the deity behind Brand Autopsy and was a Starbucks employee, weighs in on all things Starbucks in his posts at his blog, which is called Brand Autopsy.