10.31.07
Haunted locations in the United States
1. US Route 66, traveling from Chicago to Los Angeles was one of the first US highways. Along the route are many areas of haunting. One of these are in Albuquerque New Mexico at the Albuquerque Press Club. Staff and visitors often hear sounds of hi-heeled shoes. At times the piano will play by itself. A woman in a black shawl is known to appear from time to time.
2. At the JFK Library in Los Angeles, it is said that at closing time, after hours and at night faucets turn their selves on and off and locked doors are forced open and eerie stoned laughter is heard. The story has it that some people in the 3rd floor bathroom was getting stoned and in a drug daze one of them was bludgeoned.
3. At the Blue Coat Inn in the Dover, the capital city of Delaware an older man and a young boy has been seen on the grounds. They appear to be in revolutionary period clothes and the boy could be a drummer boy.
4. Edgar Allan Poe’s house in Baltimore Maryland has a heavyset female spirit dressed in gray that roams the house. In the room where Poe’s grandmother lived, people have been tapped on the shoulder. Is it the spirit of his grandmother?
5. In Justice, Illinois there is a story about a young girl, Mary, who was killed in an accident after a night of dancing. One cold snowy night in 1939 a cab driver picked up a young woman and instructed him to drive north on Archer drive. She asked him to stop, but when he turned to look at her, she was gone. He was stopped at the entrance to Resurrection Cemetery.
6. One of the strangest stories deals with the appearance of a black cat at the US Capital building before occurrences of national dangers. Stories abound about the cat, but nothing is certain, and of course ghost hunters would not be allowed entrance into the hallow halls of the Capital.
10.30.07
Horror Films of the Silent Era
6) Frankenstein (1910). Perhaps the first Horror film. The 16 minute film was made at Edison Studios directed by J. Searle Dawley with Charles Ogle as the Monster.
5) Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923). The Victor Hugo classic starred Lon Chaney as Quasimodo with Wallace Worsley as Director.
4) Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1920). Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s story called The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The movie starred John Barrymore in what some consider his greatest performance.
3) Nosferatu (1922) – Okay folks, this 1922 F.W. Murnau film is really creepy. Based on Bram Stoker’s epic novel Dracula, directed by F.W. Murnau and starring Max Schrek as the amazingly frightening as the Vampire Nosferatu.
2) The Phantom of the Opera (1925). Lon Chaney is again brilliant in his role as the disfigured Phantom of the Opera.
1) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1921) stars Werner Krauss as Dr. Caligari tells the story of his connection to a string of murders in a German mountain village, Holstenwall. This could be the best horror film ever made.
10.29.07
Unusual Halloween Treats
1) Little Packets of instant Hot Chocolate. This become a real treat on a cold evening.
2) Microwave Popcorn. Who doesn’t like popcorn and it doesn’t have the sugar that many treats have.
3) Temporary Tattoos or Stickers. Older kids love the tattoos and the younger ones will enjoy the stickers.
4) Pencils. Not just the plain yellow pencil, but ones with colorful designs.
5) Erasers. Get them unique shapes and colors, but also ones that can’t easily be confused as candy to the younger ones. It may be wise to not hand them out to those real young.
6) Game Tokens. Are most of your trick-or-treaters older children? A couple of tokens from the arcade will last longer than a couple of pieces of candy
10.28.07
Halloween
1) Halloween, or as it’s called in Ireland the Hallow E’en, means All Hallows Eve. It’s the night before the ‘All Hallows’. This day is also called ‘All Hallowmas’, or ‘All Saints’, or ‘All Souls’ Day and is observed on November 1. The word ‘Hallow’ means ‘sanctify’ in Old English. All Hallows Day was observed by Roman Catholics, Episcopalians and Lutherians to honor all the Saints in heaven.
2) Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The day marked the end of summer and the harvest. The Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred and on the night of October 31 the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.
3) In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints’ Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday.
4) When the Irish immigrants came to America in the 1800s They brought with them the traditions of Halloween and the use of Jack-O-Lanterns. The lantern, carved from a turnip, potato, or beet and lit with a burning lump of coal or a candle, represented the souls of the departed loved ones and were placed in windows or set on porches to welcome the deceased. They also served as protection against malevolent sprits or goblins freed from the dead. Since turnips and gourds were not as readily available in the Americas the pumpkin was used as a replacement.
5) One possible origin of Trick-or-Treat may come from the Druids who believed that the dead would play tricks on mankind and cause panic and destruction. They had to be appeased, so country folk would give the Druids food as they visited their homes. Another is an old Irish practice of going door to door to items in preparation for the festival of St. Columb Kill.
6) The wearing of costumes at Halloween comes from the Celts. During Samhain, Celtic villagers would don costumes to represent the souls of the dead and dance out of town. They did this in hope of leading the dead along with them. As it moved to the Christian religions, parishioners would dress as their favorite Saints and display relics of these souls.
10.26.07
About email etiquette
1. Be polite. Some people will send an email with a demanding tone. Emails to friends are all right to be silly, but professional emails should always be professional. Address them as seems proper, if in doubt don’t use first names, but titles. If responding back to someone who signed off with their first name, it’s probably ok for you to address them as such. Don’t make an email longer than it needs to be.
2. Check for spelling and grammar mistakes. Don’t type an email message and send it off without reviewing its contents, you may have just told your stockbroker to sell when you meant to say do not sell. Don’t use ‘short-hand’ codes. While it may be to an advantage to use U instead of ‘you’ or R in¬stead of ‘are’ in a text message, it should never be used in an email.
3. Don’t leave out details, but at the same time don’t put in to much information. When asking a question or requesting information, give enough details so that your recipient will understand your request, but not too much information that they won’t bother to read it. When replying to an email that was sent to you, answer all of the questions in the email. Some times the first question is answered, but one later in the email wasn’t, possibly because it wasn’t read. It’s also a good idea to send information for questions not asked, but you suspect may follow. It’s a good idea to keep the message thread. The message thread is the prior emails of the same subject. Some people think that since an earlier email was sent, the prior information is not needed. People receive many emails each day, and may not remember all of the details of prior messages. By keeping the thread intact, they can quickly review the topic.
4. Watch the use of attachments. Attachments have become the bane of many email users. Over the years attachments may have contained viruses and the common practice is not to open attachments unless you have requested someone to send a file or know they may be sending one. Some companies may even filter out some or all attachments before they reach the recipient. You may even be violating copyright laws by forwarding certain attachments sent to you.
5. Use email responsibly. Do not use CAPITAL LETtERS. To many this is interpreted as shouting. Use the proper layout and short paragraphs with blank lines between each paragraphs makes an email easier to read. Email programs have an option of sending an email as high priority. Many people ignore priority in email messages, and some may even see a high-priority message as slightly aggressive and act. It’s best not to send it this way unless you know the one you are sending it to wants you to use it. Watch what you forward. Some people may be comfortable sending you information, but may not want others to know. Refrain from requesting delivery and read receipts, they may be annoying to the recipient. Don’t attempt to recall a message, it has probably already been delivered. It’s better to send a second email acknowledging your mistake. Answer your emails within a reasonable amount of time, but don’t continue the email chain by returning one when a response is no longer required.
6. Address emails correctly. If sending out an informational email to many different people, use the Bcc: field. It’s not always advisable to use the Bcc: field instead of the Cc: field. Blind copy only when it’s necessary. People don’t like their email address passed around without their permission. If addressing too many people in the To: field, that is what’s happening. Watch the usage of Cc: field. Many people may not realize they were simply copied on the email and not act upon the message. Beware using the Reply to: or the Reply to All:. Only reply to those who need to see your reply. This goes double if you are you are replying to an email sent by a subordinate to criticize their email.
10.25.07
For Better Business Writing.
1) Identify your audience. Is this for your boss? A colleague? Or, as sometimes happens, colleagues with both technical and non-technical backgrounds? Your tone and message will likely differ depending on your audience, and you may need to revise your writing to address specific audiences. You may need to craft different summaries for different readers. Depending on their experiences and knowledge what’s clear to you isn’t necessarily clear to them.
2) Determine Your Writing’s Objective or Goal. Knowing your goal will help you determine how to approach a piece of writing. You may approach someone differently if you are requesting information, or demanding an explanation.
3) Spell Out Words: Shorthand may be appropriate when Instant Messaging a colleague, but it’s not in an email.
4) Define Technical Terms in the Document. Not everyone may know the meaning of technical terms and placing the definitions in parentheses will help the reader understand and maintain the document’s flow.
5) Use Headings, Subheads and Bulleted Lists. These help you organize your writing and guide the readers to the points you are trying to present.
6) Edit: Read and reread your messages, especially those to managers and clients.
10.24.07
To bring warmth into your workspace.
1) Pictures of love ones. A smiling child or spouse will take your mind away from the pressures of work for a few seconds when you look upon them. As the saying goes a picture paints a thousand words.
2) Something of yours that brings peace to your life. If you enjoy painting, having one of yours hanging it the office can make you feel better. If you don’t paint, bring something that you enjoy.
3) Your favorite drink. Whether it’s coffee, tea, soda or your favorite mocha latte, having a comfortable drink nearby seems to make life less stressful. But spills do happen so it may be best to have it in a closeable travel mug.
4) Pens and pencils that you like. Many times office pens are a cheap ball points that never feel comfotable. By having your own it seems to make the task of writing with pen and paper more enjoyable.
5) A radio or MP3 player. When you are listening to the music you enjoy, things just seem to get done and the time will pass smoothly.
6) A timer. Sometimes you may only have a short period of time to get something accomplished, a timer may help get it done. Set the timer for 55 minutes and know you can take a short break when it goes off. If working at a computer, it’s best to take short breaks once an hour and the timer can help you remember those important breaks.
10.23.07
About Professional networking
1) It’s as popular as it ever was. Some people may feel that networking is “old school”, but in today’s ever changing business climate, it may actually be more important than ever.
2) Many people may be uncomfortable in crowds and believe that they can’t network. There are many different area than going to a trade show to network with others, the Internet has given us the chance to network from afar via chat rooms and forums.
3) If you understand that every chance encounter is a time to network, such as in line at a store or at the gym then you understand it’s not a time consuming effort. It just becomes a part of your ordinary life
4) Don’t be ashamed of small talk. Even if the initial conversational topic is about the weather or a good place to eat, you are getting to know one another and talking about business related items becomes easier.
5) Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Everyone at one time or another will get into a bind, and even if you think the question may be bothersome, it may not be to the one who you asked.
6) Give as well as receive. Offer to assist and respond promptly to any request you receive. One way to keep in touch is to forward relevant news articles and information. By doing this you will build a steady rapport with people as well as stay in touch.
10.22.07
When reaching a persons Voice Mail
1) Be prepared to leave a detailed message. It’s nice to have the bit of chit-chat with some one you are calling but be aware you may get voice mail and plan what you want to say before you call.
2) Speak clearly and slowly. Some people seem to speak faster when leaving messages on voice mail, and those are harder to understand.
3) Leave a concise message spelling out reason for calling. If applicable leave referral names and mention mutual business associates. If you are delivering bad news don’t leave it via voice mail.
4) Always ask for a call back. Give a day and time you’d be available to receive their call back
5) Mention your name and phone number at the beginning and end of each message.
6) Allow a reasonable amount of time for them to call you back. Your question may be important, but calling back within the same hour and leaving another message just shows impatience.
10.21.07
About the Boston Red Sox
1) The Boston Red Sox began as one of the American League’s charter franchise in 1901. One of the leaders of the team was Cy Young, who would win 33 games that first season. They would win the first American League pennant as well as winning the first World Series against the National League in 1903. Even though they won the 1904 American League pennant, they were not able to defend it since the National League winner decided not to play. In all the team from Boston in the American league would win 3 of the first 4 American league pennants. They were one of the finest clubs during the first 20 years of the American League winning all 5 of the World Series they played. However between their 1918 and 2004 championships they only appeared in 4 World Series, losing them all.
2) In 1986 the Red Sox looked as if they would win their first World Series since 1918. They were ahead in the series 3 games to 2 and had just taken a 5-3 lead in the top of the 10th inning of game six. But win 2 outs and 2 strikes on the batter, the New York Mets recorded three singles and a wild pitch to tie the game. Mookie Wilson hit a weak grounder to first baseman Bill Buckner. The rest as they say is history, the ball took a strange hop and rolled between Buckner’s legs, allowing Ray Knight to score the winning run from 2nd. The Mets then went to win game seven and the series.
3) The Red Sox have won 6 Divisional tiles and 5 Wild Card berths. They have won 12 American League titles and won 7 World Series with the last being in 2007 when they swept the series against the Colorado Rockies. (The information here is up-to-date as f November 1, 2007)
4) The Red Sox have retired the numbers; 1-Bobby Doerr, 4-Joe Cronin, 8-Carl Yastrzemski, 9-Ted Williams, 27-Carlton Fisk.
5) In 1912 in the Fenway section of Boston, the Red Sox moved into their new Ball Park. This is the oldest park in baseball and they still currently play their home games there.
6) The Red Sox are owned by John Henry and Tom Werner. At the beginning of the 2007 season their manager is Tony Francona. It was under Francona that the Red Sox’s in 2004 won their first World Series in 86 years and won again in 2007, the 2nd time in four years.
