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Vol. 27, No. 5 • May, 2009
Now you can find this newsletter on the web, at Freeman-Spicer.com
A Few Networking Aphorisms:
• You don’t have to know everything as long as you know the people who do.
• If you want to impress people with how much you care, show them how much you remember.
• One thing in life is constant: the relationships you develop.
• It’s a myth that people do not like to be asked to help. Don’t be afraid to ask.
• There is no such thing as having a poor memory. You either have a trained or an untrained memory.
• The people you are closest to and need most are the ones you are most likely to take for granted. (Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty)
Quick Reactions . . . . . . . . If you’ve ever worked for a boss who reacts before getting the facts and thinking things through, well . . . . .
Arcelor-Mittal Steel, feeling it was time for a shake-up, hired a new CEO and he was determined to rid the company of all slackers. On a tour of the facilities, the new CEO noticed a guy leaning against a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant business. He walked up to the guy at the wall and asked, “How much money do you make a week?” A little surprised, the young man looked at him and replied, “I make about $400 a week. Why?” The CEO then handed the guy $1,600 in cash and screamed, “Here’s four weeks’ pay, now GET OUT and don’t come back!” The guy left without saying a word to the CEO. Feeling pretty good about himself, the CEO looked around the room and asked, “Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-ball did here?” From across the room came a voice, “Pizza delivery guy from Domino’s.” (LaFree)
Tax Hikes . . . . . . . Are there any plans to speed up the tax hikes on upper incomers? No. But three tax increases will take effect in 2011: The 33% and 35% tax rates will rise to 36% and 39.6% respectively. The 15% maximum tax rate on dividends and capital gains will rise to 20% for filers who are above the 28% bracket in 2011 . . . couples with taxable income over about $215,000 and singles above $175,000. Also, the phaseout of personal exemptions and the partial cutback in itemized deductions, two tax hikes that are set to expire after 2009, will return after a one-year hiatus. (Kiplinger)
How The International Space Station Was Put Together . . . . . . The International Space Station is larger and more complex than you can imagine. Watch this graphic and watch the time-line or the building of the Station. Just takes a couple of minutes - but worth watching. Send the link to people that might be interested. Watch the time-line in the upper right-hand corner. (Casteel)
http://i.usatoday.net/tech/graphics/iss_timeline/flash.htm
Top Baby Names . . . . . . . Emma ousted Emily as America’s favorite name for a baby girl, according to just-released government data, while Jacob held on to the top spot for baby boy names for the 10th year in a row. But tradition did not completely hold sway: Each gender got a new addition to its’ Top 10 list. Alexander joined the boys’ club, coming in at 10. 6. Chloe arrived at No. 10 in the girls’ ranking. Emma - the name of a Jane Austen heroine, the daughter of Rachel and Ross on “Friends,” and, for a certain generation, television’s sexiest spy (Mrs Peel, played by Diana Rigg on “The Avengers”) - shot to the top after coming in at No. 3 the previous year. The name is based on the German word “ermen,” which can mean “strong,” but is usually defined as “whole,” or “complete.” The No. 1 ranking represent something of a comeback for Emma. While very popular in the late 1800s, the name dipped in the 1970s and fell out of the Top 300. But Emma came roaring back in the past seven years, always finishing in the Top 5. Emily had been the most popular baby girl name since 1996. Every year the Social Security Administration compiles the rankings based on the names of babies applying for Social Security numbers. (Most children receive their numbers at birth.) More than 4.2 million births were registered in 2008. The rankings are based strictly on spelling, not how the name sounds. That’s why the names Kaitlin, Kaitlyn, Kaitlynn, Katelin, Katelyn, Katelynn, and Katlyn are considered separate entries. (In 2007, Kaitlin ranked Number 421.) The latest Top 10 names for baby girls and boys based on 2008 statistics compared to 1958:
Top 10 - 2008 - Girls
1. Emma
2. Isabella
3. Emily
4. Madison
5. Ava
6. Olivia
7. Sophia
8. Abigail
9. Elizabeth
10. Chloe
Top 10 - 1958 - Girls
1. Mary
2. Susan
3. Linda
4. Karen
5. Patricia
6. Debra
7. Deborah
8. Cynthia
9. Barbara
10. Donna
Top 10 - 2008 - Boys
1. Jacob
2. Michael
3. Ethan
4. Joshua
5. Daniel
6. Alexander
7. Anthony
8. William
9. Christopher
10. Matthew
Top 10 - 1958 - Boys
1. Michael
2. David
3. James
4. Robert
5. John
6. William
7. Mark
8. Richard
9. Thomas
10. Steven (MSNBC)
Personnel Ready To Hire . . . . . . When it comes to temporary employment, most of us envision the clerical worker who answers phones, not the marketing director who parachutes in for six weeks to help launch a new product. It’s hard to know how many intern executives are among the approximately 2 million American currently temping, but they’re out there, and a bad economy could encourage more top-level people to temp their talents. Using a temporary executive can be very cost effective. Be prepared to discuss the scope of the role, payment terms and confidentiality. Interim execs want to make an impact and they can often be a huge help. (Entrepreneur)
On-line Plagiarism . . . . . . . If you wish to see if your web page or any web page is using others information or has stolen your content - go to http://www.copyscape.com. Having your work stolen or plagiarized can be aggravating. Check it out for yourself. (Komando)
“One of the advantages of being young is that you don’t let common sense get in the way of doing things everyone else knows are impossible.” Anonymous
Mildred . . . . . Mildred, the church gossip, and self-appointed monitor of the church’s morals, kept sticking her nose into other people’s business . . . . ! Several members did not approve of her extra curricular activities, but feared her enough to maintain their silence. She made a mistake, however, when she accused Frank, a new member, of being an alcoholic after she saw his old pickup parked in front of the town’s only bar one afternoon. She emphatically told Frank (and several others) that everyone seeing it there WOULD KNOW WHAT HE WAS DOING! Frank, a man of few words, stared at her for a moment and just turned and walked away. He didn’t explain, defend, or deny. He said nothing. Later that evening, Frank quietly parked his pickup in front of Mildred’s house . . . . walked home . . . and left it there all night! (You gotta love Frank) (LaFree)
Paul Harvey - Radio Giant . . . . . (From Steve Forbes’ Editorial about Paul Harvey) . . . . Harvey knew the power of brief, declarative sentences. He was a wordsmith, coining or popularizing such terms as “skyjackers” and “guesstimate.” He laced his plain-talk broadcasts with humor. One of his classics: “White House occupants come and go. They are just like diapers. They should be changed often, and for the same reason.” Harvey’s belief in honesty, hard work and thrift, along with his spiritual values and Lincolnesque incorruptibility, resonated with an America buffered by social and cultural upheavals. (Forbes Magazine)
Coins . . . . . . American coins - Those ridges on the edge of coins are called reeds. Pennies and nickels don’t have them but dimes, quarters and half dollars do - 118, 119 and 150 tiny lines respectively. Is it legal to mess with money - weld it, cut it - whatever? Yes, as long as there is no “fraudulent intent.” (Chicago Tribune)
Don’t Try This At Home . . . I tried to talk my wife into buying a case of Miller Light Beer for $14.95. Instead, she bought a jar of cold cream for $7.95. I told her the beer would make her look better at night than the cold cream. And then the fight started . . . . . . (Pinewynd)
OK - One More . . . . . A woman was standing nude, looking in the bedroom mirror. She was not happy with what she saw and said to her husband. “I feel horrible; I look old, fat and ugly. I really need you to pay me a compliment.” The husband replies, “ Your eyesight’s damn near perfect.” And then the fight started . . . . . .
Read Everything You Write Aloud . . . . . Your ear will pick up the mistakes that your eyes missed. Your ear will read the document the way your recipient hears it, too. If you proof read only with your eyes, your eyes will deceive you because they know what you said. They will tend to see what you think you wrote, rather than the actual words on the paper. When you read aloud, you hear the mistakes. Your ears, being musical, also will hear awkward rhythms. Smooth those out and your copy will flow for the reader, The reader will read more easily, enjoy the ride, and appreciate the person who provided it. After you write
something, be sure to hear it. (You, Inc.) Sincerely,
“Success is not the key to happiness.
Happiness is the key to success.” Albert Schweitzer Edward C. Levy
President
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