AchieveMax® Blog by Motivational Speakers and Consultants

More Resources You May Find Useful

Harry K. Jones — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:00:07 +0000

Here’s our fourth installment of a new feature designed to assist you in your efforts to save some time and effort in your day-to-day quest for information. As we locate valuable resources, we’ll post them here for your convenience. Browse the listing, identify potential assets, make a quick trip to those sites you choose to see if they may be worthwhile to add to your Favorites.

If you happen to have resources you feel might be valuable to others, please feel free to send them to us, and we’ll certainly consider posting them as well.

You Might Be Surprised!

Have you ever wondered about the contents of such things as Silly Putty, Cheese Wiz, artificial snow, self-tanners, new car smell, light sticks, asphalt, fireworks, aircraft deicers, shampoo, teeth whiteners, jello, sticky notes, Catnip, marshmellows, pool chemicals, or lava lamps? Well, these are just a few of the items you’ll learn about as the Chemical & Engineering News presents a collection of articles that gives you a look at the chemistry behind a wide variety of everyday products.

Protect Yourself

We all get more than our share of daily scams, spam and other junk mail. The majority of it is rather easy to spot but, every once in a while, you get one that may cause you to pause for consideration as to its authenticity. For that reason Dr. Audri Lanford created Scambusters.org, a public service website and e-mail newsletter that has helped over 11 million people protect themselves from Internet scams, identity theft and spam since 1994. You’ll find lots of great free resources here on how to avoid the most popular scams, and identity theft threats and urban legends making the rounds. You can also subscribe to the free weekly newsletter, which has become the #1 publication on Internet fraud.

Women of Our Time

Navigate through this Smithsonian Institution website that offers an interactive gallery and explore photographs of some of twentieth-century America’s famous and influential women. Also Included is brief biographical information and a discussion of photographic styles.

U.S. Economy at a Glance

This site by the U.S. Department of Labor provides information on the U.S. economy. Data includes the unemployment rate, average hourly earnings, consumer price index, and productivity.

Colorblind

Are you colorblind? Have you ever wondered why colorblindness occurs? Do you think you are colorblind, but aren’t sure? Well, this site has answers and explanations that will answer all these questions.

Of Mind and Matter

The human brain is a fascinating thing. This Internet resource aims to promote awareness about the marvel of the human brain. Let your brain begin its journey to understand itself!

Jigzone

Jigzone is the place on the web for free online jig saw puzzles. Jigzone allows you to choose between 6- to 240-piece puzzles and numerous different backgrounds/pictures (changes daily). Jigzone also times the amount of time it takes you to complete each puzzle. Be sure to check out the puzzle of the day (changes daily).

Harry K. Jones is a professional speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of motivational speakers who provide custom-designed keynote presentations, seminars, and consulting services. Harry has appeared all over North America addressing topics such as change, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork and time management for a number of industries, including education, financial, government, healthcare, hospitality, and manufacturing. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2MAX or fill out our contact form.

The Wisdom of the Towel

Harry K. Jones — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:00:29 +0000

Let me begin by admitting that this title is a little misleading. Of course, a towel has no wisdom. It might boast a few cool threads, but that’s nothing more than a fashion statement. However, for the sake of this conversation, the towel does play a key role.

When it comes to dealing with difficult, challenging times, there are two types of people in the world today, and they both find themselves dealing with a towel.

Type # 1—Most of you know someone like this person. When the going get tough, they simply play it safe and throw in the towel. They give up. They share their wisdom and experience by researching reasons why something won’t work. They invest their time, energy, money and resources in search of finding a variety of ways to insure failure. They blame the economy, the industry, the government, competition, customers and anything else they can come up with as to why things aren’t going well. Their game plan is to sit, do nothing, wait, and hope things will change. They reject change, bench-marking, trying something different, or thinking out-of-the-box. It’s so much easier to sit, do nothing, wait, reject responsibility, and blame the world for current circumstances. Every organization has someone who fits this description.
Type # 2—This person also feels frustrated during challenging times. It’s a natural emotion. However, this person will use the towel to wipe his/her brow of the perspiration generated by the effort to make something happen! Followed by a deep breath and renewed vigor, this person will again return to the battle by trying something new, bench-marking, networking, thinking out-of-the-box, searching for solutions, embracing change, and refusing to throw in the towel.

Which of these two people would you prefer working for? We see examples of both approaches in every industry today. How can one retailer produce revenues and profits surpassing their top ten competitors combined at a time when talk of the economy is nothing but doom and gloom?

Why do we see one particular airline not only surviving but actually thriving at a time when all competitors are devastated as they face continuous head count reductions, strikes, downsizing, mergers and even bankruptcy.

Pure and simple … it’s a choice.

Let me prove this point. Most everyone would have to agree that the airline industry is currently experiencing what is probably the most challenging year in its history … mergers, acquisitions, downsizing, strikes, rising fuel prices, delays, lost luggage, a slowing economy, threat of terrorism, growing competition, aging technology, reduction in the number of flights, airport security, lost luggage, fare wars, regulatory issues, bad image, and poor customer service. What more could you ask for? I can certainly understand why some airlines might consider “throwing in the towel.” In fact some have done just that. It’s somewhat tempting to wait for a government bail out, hope the competition dies before you do, or simply sit in hope and anticipation that things will change.

Well, based on recent industry reports, a few others have wiped their brow and focused on making something happen!

Delta, Northwest, US Airways, United and Continental have recently decided to start publishing advertising on the boarding passes that customers print at home as a way to generate extra revenue. The boarding passes will be filled with targeted ads, coupons, restaurant and shop recommendations and other tailored lists of events. The information will be based on destination and duration of stay.

Several airlines already puts ads on tray tables while ad agencies have also targeted overhead bins and even air-sickness bags with varying degrees of success. Many airports are hoisting ads on electrical outlet stations and baggage carousel conveyor belts. TSA recently approved selling ads on the bins used at security checkpoints.

More and more boarding passes are being printed at home in hopes of avoiding airport delays. Research estimates about 40% of 700 million flight check-ins a year are now conducted online. That’s 280 million blank billboards that could be utilized to advertise!

While these ideas may have been laughed at a few years ago, they certainly make sense in today’s chaotic environment. What are we going to see next, ads on the back of flight jackets worn by pilots or painted ads on the pavement in the spaces where we park our cars at the airport? Maybe even ads painted right on the airplane we’re about to board. Oops, never mind, that’s already been done.

Examples abound in all areas of those who choose NOT to throw in the towel. The results include creativity, solutions, opportunities and success. The next time you’re facing a challenge, consider the Tale of the Towel. Think about the outcomes you truly desire, consider both options, and make the appropriate choice.

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Fact-A-Day from Harry K. - August 5, 2008

Harry K. Jones — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:00:31 +0000

In the spirit of C.A.N.I. (Continuous And Never-ending Improvement), here are this week’s new facts—one for each day of your coming week. Pass them on to others to keep the spirit alive or invite your friends and family to visit our blog where they can also view previous entries.

The first CD pressed in the United States was Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA.
The human heart beats 40 million times each year.
The mask used by Michael Myers in the original Halloween was actually a Captain Kirk mask painted white.
The three best-known western names in China: Jesus Christ, Richard Nixon, and Elvis Presley.
The numbers 172 can be found on the back of the U.S. $5 dollar bill in the bushes at the base of the Lincoln Memorial.
The United States is the most heavily armed society in the world, with 90 guns for every 100 citizens.
The word “pound” is abbreviated “lb.” after the constellation “libra” because it means “pound” in Latin.

Little-known Facts about Well-known Leaders - Warren Buffett

Harry K. Jones — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 14:00:12 +0000

Here we find a somewhat unusual man. Let’s start with his name. His full name is Warren Washington Albert Johnothan Samuel Armididajad Buffett.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve asked friends, neighbors, relatives, and clients what they knew about Warren Buffett. The majority of them had heard the name before. Few knew why. Some knew him for his wealth, a few for his relationship with Bill Gates, a smattering knew him as a noted philanthropist, some knew him as one of the world’s greatest stock market investors, a couple knew of his sense of humor and frugality, others knew him as ad advisor to governments and organizations, and several knew him as the largest shareholder, Chairman & CEO, of Berkshire Hathaway. Oddly enough, those in the last category knew little or nothing about Berkshire Hathaway. All were correct.

This is indeed a very complex man who has little concern for being in the spotlight. Let’s take a quick look at each of the areas mentioned above in hopes of gaining greater insight into a man we should know more about.

Wealth

The 78-year-old Warren Buffett happens to be the richest man on the planet. He has seen his fortune swell to an estimated $62 billion, up $10 billion from a year ago. As of February of 2008, this tidy bundle puts him ahead of his good friend, bridge partner, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates who was the richest man in the world for 13 straight years.

Frugality

Buffett’s current salary as CEO is a mere $100,000 per year with no stock options, which is among the lowest CEO salaries in the U.S. among larger companies. He lives in the same house in his Omaha, Nebraska, neighborhood that he bought in 1958 for $31,500—today valued around $700,000. He does not carry a cell phone, does not have a computer at his desk, and drives his own car. Not one for dining out at fine restaurants unless absolutely necessary, Warren Buffett is reputed to usually eat burgers; he drives himself to McDonalds for meals—steaks and Cherry Cokes.

When Buffett plays golf with his friend, Bill Gates, who’s on his board, their typical bet is $1. He chooses to fly coach rather than first class. His children will not inherit a significant proportion of his wealth. Buffett once commented, “I want to give my kids just enough so that they would feel that they could do anything, but not so much that they would feel like doing nothing.”

Philanthropy

Buffett is a noted philanthropist. He also announced plans to contribute additional Berkshire stock valued at approximately $6.7 billion to the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation and to other foundations headed by his three children.

In June of 2008, e-Bay conducted a five-day online charity auction for a “Power Lunch with Warren Buffett.” It was won with high bid of $2,110,100 allowing the winner to dine with Buffett, at New York’s Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse, along with up to seven companions for the private lunch. They were allowed to ask Buffett anything at all, except what he’s buying or selling. Auction proceeds benefit the San Francisco Glide Foundation.

In 2006, he auctioned his 2001 Lincoln Town Car on eBay to raise money for Girls Inc. Also in 2006, Buffett announced a plan to give away his fortune to charity, with 83% of it going to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The donation, which will come from his Berkshire Hathway shares, will amount to about $31 billion, based on current values, making it the largest charitable donation in history.

Sense of Humor

Often called the “Oracle of Omaha,” he was listed in 2007 among Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. Buffett’s speeches are known for mixing business discussions with humor. Each year, Buffett presides over Berkshire Hathaway’s annual shareholders’ meeting in the Qwest Center in Omaha, Nebraska, an event drawing over 20,000 visitors from both United States and abroad, giving it the nickname “Woodstock of Capitalism.” Buffett’s writings are known for containing literary quotes ranging from the Bible to Mae West, as well as Midwestern advice and numerous jokes.

Berkshire Hathaway

In 1962, investor Warren Buffett began buying stock in Berkshire Hathaway. After some clashes with the owners, he bought up enough shares to change the management and soon controlled the company. Buffett initially maintained Berkshire’s core business of textiles, but by 1967, he was expanding into the insurance industry and other investments.

Today, Berkshire Hathaway is a holding company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, whose core business is insurance, including property and casualty insurance, reinsurance and specialty nonstandard insurance. However, it also oversees and manages a large variety of subsidiary companies which include: International Diary Queen, Benjamin Moore & Co., The Pampered Chef®, H.H. Brown Shoe Group, Helzberg Diamonds, GEICO Auto Insurance, See’s Candies, Fruit of the Loom®, Star Furniture, Nebraska Furniture Mart, Boat U.S., Buffalo NEWS, NetJets®, and the Acme Brick Company to name just a few. It also has a controlling stake in Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, and Wells Fargo.

Early Years

Buffett, son of a Nebraska politician, was the second of three children, and displayed an amazing aptitude for both money and business at a very early age. He delivered newspapers and would go door-to-door selling chewing gum and Coke from his grandfather’s grocery store. He purchased six packs of Coca Cola for a quarter and then sold them for a nickel a bottle. He bought his first stock at age eleven and filed his first tax return at age 13, claiming a $35 deduction for his bicycle. He bought a 40-acre farm at the age of fourteen, using money he had saved from his paper route. Acquaintances recount his uncanny ability to calculate columns of numbers off the top of his head—a feat Buffett still amazes business colleagues with today. In his senior year of high school, Buffett and a friend spent $25 to purchase a used pinball machine, which they placed in a barber shop. Within a few months, they owned three machines in different locations.

Buffett graduated from Columbia Business School. While working as a stockbroker on Wall Street, he purchased a Sinclair gas station as an investment. During that time, Buffett also took a Dale Carnegie public speaking course. Using what he learned, he felt confident enough to teach a night class at the University of Nebraska, “Investment Principles.” The average age of the students he taught was more than twice his own. His investments and partnerships continued to grow until his destined relationship with Berkshire Hathaway. The rest is history.

Major Weakness

He admits his inability to put up with bureaucracy and inefficiency. Though Berkshire has about 190,000 employees, he runs the $141-billion company with 17 employees at its Omaha Headquarters. He says, “We delegate almost to the point of abdiction.”

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Absolutely August

Harry K. Jones — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 14:00:43 +0000

You’d better start taking advantage of what few good summer days you have left as August means your summer is coming to an end. Ironically, that may be difficult as you can’t get a day off in August, because it is the only month without a real holiday.

The Romans originally called the month Sextilis, which means sixth, because August was the sixth month of the Roman calendar. They later changed the name to August in honor of the Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar, grandnephew of Julius Caesar.

August is often known as the Weed Month simply because it is the month in which weeds grow more rapidly than any other. The hottest days of the entire year often fall during August, and there’s an old adage that says: “If the first week of August is warm, the winter will be white and long.”

Some consider August to be rather boring as television is wall-to-wall reruns, newspapers are thin and the sports pages whither into nothingness. Pre-pennant baseball is all that remains unless you actually have an interest in NFL training camps. If so, you have other problems.

Weekly Celebrations and Observances:

National Smile Week
Be Kind to Humankind Week
National Simplify your Life Week
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally Week

Monthly Celebrations and Observances:

National Golf Month
National Peach Month
National Picnic Month
National Catfish Month
National Eye Exam Month
National Family Fun Month
National Water Quality Month
National Romance Awareness Month
National Admit You’re Happy Month

August Daily Celebrations and Observances:

1 Air Force Day
3 Friendship Day
3 International Forgiveness Day
3 National Watermelon Day
3 Friendship Day
3 Sisters Day
4 Coast Guard Day
5 National Mustard Day
7 Daughter’s Day
7 National Lighthouse Day
8 Summer Olympics
9 Book Lovers Day
10 National S’mores Day
11 Son and Daughter Day
13 Left Hander’s Day
14 National Creamsicle Day
14 V-J Day
19 Aviation Day
20 National Radio Day
21 Senior Citizen’s Day
26 National Dog Day
26 Women’s Equality Day
27 Global Forgiveness Day

Mass Media Betrays Citizenry

Harry K. Jones — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 14:00:11 +0000

I recently addressed a group of close to 300 parents and college-bound high school graduates in what turned out to be a very educational, eye-opening experience for me and everyone in attendance. The evening was designed to mentally and emotionally prepare both students and parents for the new and very unique experience of moving from a high-school mind-set and environment to that of a more challenging and demanding college encounter.

I must admit that I was very impressed with the outcomes and would highly recommend such an event for parents and students of every high school in the nation. The evening began with the high school superintendent sharing the objectives and agenda for this very unique event. I then presented our most requested program, “Productive Chaos,” as they felt this content certainly provided the ideal foundation for what they had planned for this event.

Following my presentation, several breakouts were offered, facilitated by a college professor, a career consultant, a high school counselor, and a college freshmen who was a graduate from this high school. The subject matter was certainly pertinent, the presenters were well-prepared and those in attendance were very interactive with their questions and comments.

They wrapped up the event with a panel discussion that provided captivating debate involving panel members, students, parents and special guests. For example, a local journalist asked the panel why the number of students interested in journalism seemed to be experiencing a continuous decline over the past decade. Both students and parents were quick to respond, and I think their answers should be shared with every newspaper, magazine, television and radio station in the nation.

Their remarks were certainly on the mark and very revealing. One parent reminisced about the media “back-in-the-day” and the role of public protector it played so well and so often. Newspapers and television/radio stations focused on protecting consumers from bad service, government bullies, and a wide variety of con men. They fought injustice and righted wrongs. They went to extremes to safeguard the “underdog,” “the little guy,” the “average citizen.” Government corruption was exposed, “Big Business” iniquities were revealed, and we felt safe and secure knowing we had a champion available at our beck and call at all times! You could hear the sadness in this mother’s voice as she realized that her media memory was, in fact, just that—a pleasant memory.

A student then shared his feeling that the day of the sophisticated, iconic TV anchor or the highly respected and trusted columnist was gone forever. He felt media personalities were very political, outlandish, and obviously more interested in generating dollars and a career than in protecting the public from greedy and dishonest characters in the community.

Other students shared feelings that today’s media has lost integrity, pride, and a longing for doing the right thing for the masses. There was little, if any, desire to pursue a career which left so many disillusioned and longing for more satisfaction. Most members of the media today can be described as liars, jokes, or disgraces to what was once a distinguished pursuit. The local journalist appeared quite stunned and offered no rebuttal.

In reviewing the many remarks on this subject, I truly longed for the days when a journalist was truly a journalist rather than a personality. I thought how nice it would be to see a reporter post a story with no fear of political pressure or losing an advertising dollar. Will our next generation move farther away from pride, respect, and integrity as they pursue a career? I think not. I’m looking forward to being pleasantly surprised in these young whipper-snappers. You should have heard them speak up in these sessions. I think they’re quickly moving toward a mind-set of being “fed up and not wanting to take it any more.” And they’re certainly intelligent enough to pull it off. They did themselves proud with their “give-and-take” comments all evening. In fact, they made the recent Democratic and Republican political debates look more like a meager “toddler tug-a-war” of mental midgets!

Have you seen the televison game show “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” If you have, I’m certain you realize how much more today’s students are exposed to than we were at that same age. Listening to these high school seniors share their insights, dreams, and concerns left me with the feeling that they were already capable of “making a difference.” And they’ll do it regardless of the hurdles and speed bumps we create for them on what seems like a daily basis. I think we’re going to be okay. In fact, I’m downright confident that we will be. We’re in good hands with this next generation, and we should be offering more support, opportunity, and appreciation and less resistence, pessimism, and negativity. I know I’m going to. Why not join me?

Fact-A-Day from Harry K. - July 29, 2008

Harry K. Jones — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:00:15 +0000

The energy from a thunderstorm equals 12 atom bombs.
The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time television were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
The first Harley Davidson motorcycle was built in 1903 and used a tomato can for a carburetor.
The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player for automobiles. At that time the most-known player on the market was the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.
The human body consists of about 60 trillion cells, and each cell has about 10,000 times as many molecules as the Milky Way has stars.
The human brain continues sending out electrical wave signals for up to 37 hours following death.
The world’s youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.

Give a Little - Get a Lot!

Harry K. Jones — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 14:00:49 +0000

In browsing a recent copy of Success Magazine, I found some alarming percentages. The data was presented in a very positive article describing how the Success Foundation’s goal was to provide personal-development content and programs to more than 10 million teenagers. This material will provide the fundamental life-skills and personal-development philosophies necessary for success in school and in life.

I highly commend the Success Foundation for its ambitious efforts as there’s obviously a tremendous need for such programs today. Our young people today are facing challenges we never dreamed of dealing with. They can certainly use the cooperation and support offered by such a campaign. If you’d like to learn more about this extraordinary endeavor, simply visit: http://successfoundation.org/.

Reading about ambitious initiatives such as this one renews my faith in at least a small portion of this country’s leadership. I can also understand how such an inspiring venture might intimidate some people. One might think: “How can I, as an individual, compete with such a massive effort?” Well, there are two answers to that question. First of all, you can’t compete. Second, you don’t need to compete. Let the large programs deal with a group of 10 million teens. They’re much better equipped to do so. However, why not attempt to make a difference in the life of just one or two teens? There are so many creative ways to do so, and the need is so great today.

As we’ve mentioned so many times in previous blog articles, mentoring is indeed a noble cause and can generate extraordinary results. If your efforts caused a young person to rethink his or her future, graduate from high school and go on to college, start a business, or just strive to perform to their full potential, there’s the potential to change lives, reverse negative trends and improve communities.

Consider the research by the Success Foundation which discovered:

More than 40% of young people doubt they can achieve their goals.
70% wish they had more opportunities to help them fulfill their dreams.
Fewer than 60% feel a sense of purpose.
Fewer than 65% are motivated to achieve.
Fewer than 30% feel they have skills like planning and decision-making.
25% of all public high school students fail to graduate on time, if at all.
50% of African-Americans and Hispanics fail to graduate on time, if at all.
85% of adolescents who get training in success skills graduate on time, resulting in a 50% drop in welfare dependency.

Think of the impact YOU, as a mentor, can have on a young person, a family, and even a community! Over the years, I’ve had the privilege and opportunity to speak to parent groups, civic organizations, and teacher in-services on a variety of mentoring possibilities. Our young people need to be exposed to leadership skills, basic life skills, communication skills, job skills and personal-development philosophies which will assist them in their quest for success. Prior to attending our sessions, many were unaware of how they might contribute support and assistance.

For additional suggestions on how YOU can make a difference today as a mentor, review our previous articles: Pass the Torch and Mentoring Magic: Take a Moment - Make a Difference.

Discuss this life-changing potential with your organization, church, neighborhood, or civic group and offer much-needed leadership at this crucial time in our history. Take a minute, change a life!

More Time-saving Resources #3

Harry K. Jones — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:00:15 +0000

Here’s our third installation of a new feature designed to assist you in your efforts to save some time and effort in your day-to-day quest for success. As we locate valuable resources, we’ll post them here for your convenience. Browse the listing, identify potential assets, make a quick trip to those sites you choose to see if they may be worthwhile to add to your Favorites.

If you happen to have resources you feel might be valuable to others, please feel free to send them to us, and we’ll certainly consider posting them as well.

What Happened the Year You Were Born

This site takes you on a nostalgic trip down Memory Lane. Want to show your children or grandchildren what things were like when you were young? This site will provide you with everything you need. Pick any year … the year you were born, the year you graduated, the year you were married—your choice. Simply enter your year of choice, click, and back you go.

You’ll find a list of events that took place in that year.
You’ll find a list of the most popular musicians of that year.
You’ll learn about the popular culture of that particular year.
You’ll see the most popular inventions of that year.
You’ll learn about the technology that emerged that year.
You’ll find out the price of typical purchases for that year (gallon of gas, new car, house, average wage, etc.)
You’ll see actual videos from the news of the day.

Free Telephone Reminders:

Wakerupper is the web’s easiest telephone reminder tool. Schedule reminder calls on the web. It couldn’t be simpler. Use Wakerupper to:

Set a wake-up call at a specific time.
Remind yourself of important events.
Remember to take medication on time.
Escape from a boring date or meeting.
Remind child or spouse to do chores.
Set reminders for tasks and follow-ups … and much more!

It works with any phone in the U.S. and Canada. You can even test drive Wakerupper before you trust it to wake you for an important meeting or task. Schedule a test call—it’s free! Wakerupper even has its own blog providing a demo and additional information.

Time Zone and Other Travel Tools

The World Clock shows current time in all parts of the world. The International Dialing Codes includes area codes for many countries. Day and Night Map shows the current position of the Sun and indicates which parts of the Earth are in day and which are in night. The Sun Calculator shows local time, adjusted for daylight savings time for when the sun is rising or setting, or in twilight, dusk and dawn. The Distance Calculator calculates distance between any two cities available in the World Clock. If you want to display local time for a location in any time zone on your website or blog, you can do so with the free clock. The Time Zone Converter calculates your local time, based on a day and and time in another location. You can also calculate between any other two locations. It handles past, current, and future dates and locations in 200 countries.

Calendar Clock

This is a unique calendar clock displaying the year, month, day, hour, minute, and second digitally. The uniqueness emerges in witnessing a person’s hand actually writing each second on the screen.

Area Code Listing

Find area codes areas within each state in the U.S. Codes are listed, in order, by number.

Conversion Calculator

If you need to make a quick conversion for length/distance, area, volume, weight/mass, temperature, time, or cooking, this site will solve your problem with a single click.

National Belt-tightening Continues

Harry K. Jones — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:00:27 +0000

I often wonder if we live on the same planet or in the same dimension as those within the beltway in Washington. Don’t they have access to the same newspapers and magazines that we do? Do their TVs have no news channels? Do they not visit the areas they represent? Do they not hear from those they supposedly serve?

I’m constantly hearing the top leadership in the nation, from both parties, tell us that “We are not in a recession!” or “Thing’s are looking up!” or “It’s only a matter of time” or “Elect us and we’ll change things!”

If you have eyes and ears, it doesn’t take long to discover that few people in this country agree with these claims. Let’s take a look at a few of the situations which may contribute to these feelings:

The most recent AP poll declared that “81% feel America is headed in the wrong direction!”
Detroit’s own home town newspaper recently produced a glaring headline that dominated much of the front page. It read: “Auto Sales Plunge to Worst in 15 Years!”

Major Job Cuts Continue

Airlines

Northwest Airlines says that it’s cutting an additional 2,500 jobs; Delta Airlines is cutting 4,000 jobs; Continental will cut 3,000 jobs; United Airlines is trimming 950 pilots; Air Canada is cutting 2,000 jobs; Air Tran is cutting 300 flight attendants and 180 pilots, ATA announces 260 job cuts, and Frontier Airlines cuts 600 jobs. Can you imagine how difficult it will be for these airlines if times gets tough?

Siemens

Many people have heard the name Siemens but few realize how much it impacts our lives here in the U.S. The Munich-based conglomerate is improving America’s infrastructure through technology and innovation in medical, power, automation and control, transportation, information and communications, lighting, building technologies, water technologies and services and home appliances. Siemens employs 70,000 employees in the U.S. and 400,000 worldwide. In a bid to streamline its operations and deeply cut costs, Siemens plans to cut 16,750 jobs, accounting for 4.2% of its workforce worldwide. The industrial conglomerate said the cuts would include 12,600 administrative jobs as well as 4,150 positions at other units.

Steve & Barry’s

Here’s a discount retailer that took the world by storm just a very short time ago. It arrived on the scene with a storybook history offering customers from coast to coast quality products at tremendously discounted prices. Steve & Barry’s offered several lines designed by such celebrities as Sarah Jessica Parker, Amanda Bynes, Venus Williams, Stephon Marbury and the WWE. Industry experts said the “perfect storm” of a poor economy, razor-thin profit margins, growing too fast too quick, and too many celebrity relationships combined to cause this unexpected calamity. The company, with 275 stores in 40 states, opened 10 new stores this year and had plans for at least 10 more in the near future. To learn more about Steve & Barry’s storied beginning, simply click on Little-known Facts about Well-known Businesses - Steve & Barry’s.

Starbucks

Here’s another shocker. After years of ambitious expansion, the coffee retailer plans to close 600 U.S. stores, most of which were opened only in the last two years. Starbucks says it will try to place affected employees in neighboring coffee shops.

Rite-Aid

The third largest drugstore chain in the U.S., operating more than 5,000 stores in 31 states with 116,000 associates, Rite Aid announced that it will be closing 28 stores and re-evaluating dozens of others that aren’t earning their keep. This action comes at a time when Americans are used to seeing Rite-Aid seemingly open a new location on every corner.

Foot Locker

With income down 78% last year, this gigantic shoe retailer is running for the hills. Formally known as the Venator Group, it evolved from merger of the F.W. Woolworth CO. and Kinney Shoes. It operates 3,785 stores in 20 countries. After announcing the closure of 274 stores last year, Foot Locker recently added an additional 140 stores to that list.

Disney Stores

The Walt Disney Co. announced earlier this year that it was assuming management of 220 Disney Stores in North America that had previously been run by Children’s Place. It plans to close 98 of those U.S. stores and two in Canada.

Linens ‘N Things

Employing 7,500 employees, the #1 large-format retailer of home textiles, housewares, and decorative home accessories in the U.S., boasts 571 stores in 47 states and six in Canadian provinces. Earlier this year it announced a Chapter 11 filing followed by plans to close 120 underperforming stores.

All I can say is that it’s a good thing for these companies that we’re not in a recession. Did you note a hint of sarcasm there? We’ll all be better off when leaders in key positions stop denying the current crisis and start taking action to address it.

Fact-A-Day from Harry K. - July 22, 2008

Harry K. Jones — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:00:53 +0000

On July 2nd, after Merrill Lynch analysts downgraded General Motors’ stock from “buy” to “underperform” and said that bankruptcy was “not impossible,” GM shares closed at 9.98, a 54-year low.
Toyota’s market cap (calculated by multiplying the current share price [per share] with the number of shares outstanding) as of July 1, 2008: $163 billion. GM’s: $6.1 billion.
Anheuser-Busch reportedly has agreed to be acquired by Belgian brewer InBev for about $52 billion. The deal being reported by The Wall Street Journal would create the world’s largest brewer and put the iconic American beer maker in the hands of the Belgian-based company behind Stella Artois and Beck’s beers.
Baby boomers are retiring at the rate of 10,000 every day!
To improve its chances of winning medals in next month’s Olympic games, China runs 3,000 special academies where 400,000 young runners, weight lifters, swimmers, and other athletes are rigorously screened and trained for hours every day.
Chrysler said it will include wireless Internet as an option for all of its 2009 models, in a first for any automaker. Chrysler is hoping the Wi-Fi option will raise flagging sales. Highway Safety Associations are not happy with this announcement as they foresee an obvious safety hazard.
Amazon.com’s website was down for a total of three hours in June. Amazon, which drew 58 million visitors in April, loses an estimated $1.8 million in sales every hour it is down.

Persistence Is Newest Category for Words of Wisdom

Harry K. Jones — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:00:17 +0000

Our “Words of Wisdom” feature on our website continues to grow as we add our 22nd category today. A glance at today’s headlines might convince you that timing is everything when it comes to our current subject choice … persistence.

Federal regulators seized the assets of the largest regulated thrift to fail and the second-largest financial institution to close in U.S. history. Home prices continue to tumble. Foreclosures are rising. Credit is tighter than ever. $5 gas is predicted by summer’s end. Food prices are skyrocketing. Iran’s testing missiles. Weather’s gone amuck. Stores are closing from coast to coast. Jobs become more scarce daily. Add to this growing list the challenges of immigration, social security, energy, veterans, trade balance, education, health care, foreign policy, military, global competition, abortion, affirmative action, the budget deficit, tax reform, campaign reform, crime, death penalty, drugs, foreign relations, gay rights, guns, labor unions, the environment and our obvious lack of strong Presidential candidates as we approach November. Whew! Had enough?

It took a great deal of “persistence” to simply finish reading that list of downers. We’re going to need even more persistence to weather this perfect storm of challenges currently confronting the nation.

Read what some of the greatest minds in our history had to say about the importance and benefits of maintaining persistence during trying times. You might want to share a few of these thoughts with others who could use a boost. You’ll both benefit from the investment of just a few moments.

Also feel free to check out our in-depth offering of quotes on many subjects should you be in need of a refreshing thought, idea, slogan or profound nugget for an upcoming meeting, presentation, or lunch room bulletin board.

We offer interesting quotes on the subjects of leadership, teamwork, customer service, time management, goals, change, motivation, sales, potential, gender, creativity, repetition, enthusiasm, employees, attitude, networking, fear, sense of urgency, passion, empowerment, women, and now persistence.

Click on “Words of Wisdom” in order to review our entire offering.

Little-known Facts about Well-known Leaders - Larry Page and Sergey Brin

Harry K. Jones — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:00:03 +0000

Most of those NOT born in a barn have certainly heard of Google. However, the two young men responsible for the world’s largest Internet search engine may not be as well-known to many. Known by those in the technical community as “Geeks Gone Wild,” Sergey Brin and Larry Page, are No. 32 ($18.7 billion) and 33 ($18.6 billion) respectively on the 2008 list of Forbes list of the world’s billionaires.

Obviously, things weren’t always that way. The co-founders first met as Stanford University graduate students in computer science in the summer of 1995. Sergey was in a group of potential new students which Brin had volunteered to show around the campus. They actually weren’t very fond of one another until they found a common interest retrieving relevant information from large data sets. They went on to co-author what is widely considered their seminal contribution, a paper entitled “The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine.” The paper has since gone on to become the tenth-most accessed scientific paper at Stanford University.

In August 1996 the initial version of Google was made available, still on the Stanford University website. Although they don’t quite qualify as a “rags to riches” story, they did share a humble beginning by renting a garage in Menlo Park, California, for $1,700 a month. Today they boast four core buildings, fondly called Googleplex, in Mountain View, California, totaling 506,317 square feet as well as branch offices all over the globe. This complex must be seen to be believed. We’ll tell you more about this unique culture in a future article. The original two employees now lead a staff of about 17,000 full-time employees.

That growth is a result of the fact that this dynamic duo have virtually cornered the search engine market, holding about 58% of the market while their next two competitors, Yahoo and Microsoft, hold 22% and 9% respectively. Even if these two competitors were to join together they would still trail Google by 27%. They also extended ad business into TV, cell phones, and various online venues; they bought Web video portal YouTube for $1.65 billion last year and recently partnered with EchoStar, LG Electronics, Salesforce.com.

Page and Brin ran Google as co-presidents until 2001 when they hired Eric Schmidt to become Chairman and CEO of Google. Now that Google is the world’s entry point to the Internet, Google plans to become the world’s dominant advertising broker, the world’s dominant social network, the world’s dominant mobile supplier, and the world’s dominant product of alternative energy. Talk about ambitious goals!

Now let’s take a look at the co-founders individually:

Mikkhailovich Brin

Mikkhailovich (Sergey) Brin is a 35-year-old Russian-born American entrepreneur.
Brin was born in Moscow in 1973 and emigrated to the U.S. in 1979 at the age of 6 with his mathematician parents. His father gained work as a mathematics professor at the University of Maryland and his mother went on to work at NASA.
He attended grade school at a Montessori School in Maryland, received further education at home, attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School, and enrolled in the University of Maryland to study computer science and mathematics, where he received his B.S. degree in 1993 with high honors.
Brin began his graduate study in computer science at Stanford University on a graduate fellowship from the National Science Foundation. He earned his Master’s degree in August 1995 ahead of schedule in the process of his Ph.D. studies.
Brin has also received an honorary MBA from the IE Business School.
Brin expressed interest in the Internet very early on in his studies at Stanford. He authored and co-authored various papers on data-mining and pattern extraction. He also wrote software to ease the process of putting scientific papers often written in TeX, a text-processing language, into HTML form, as well as a website for film ratings.
While studying for his Ph.D., he met Lawrence Page and went on to work with him on a project to organize the Internet and improve the way people search for information. They first nicknamed the project “BackRub” as it relied heavily on the number and relevancy of links pointing to a website.
Brin has appeared on television shows and many documentaries, including Charlie Rose, CNBC, and CNN. In 2004, he and Larry Page were named “Persons of the Week” by ABC World News Tonight. In January 2005 Sergey Brin was nominated to be one of the World Economic Forum’s “Young Global Leaders.”
In 2007, Brin was cited by PC World as #1 on a list of the “50 most important people on the Web,” along with Larry Page and Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
In May 2007, Brin married Anne Wojcicki in the Bahamas. Wojcicki is a biotech analyst and a 1996 graduate of Yale University with a degree in biology. She co-founded 23andMe, a personal DNA genotyping service.
He is also an investor in Tesla Motors, which is developing the Tesla Roadster, a 221-mile-range battery electric vehicle. He has also placed an order for the Roadster. It is reported by Conde Nast Portfolio that Brin drives a Toyota Prius.
In June 2008, it was announced that Brin had made a $5 million investment in Space Adventures, the Virginia-based space tourism company. His investment will serve as a deposit for a reservation on one of Space Adventures’ proposed flights in 2011. So far, Space Adventures has sent five tourists into space.
Brin currently holds the position of President of Technology at Google and has a net worth estimated at $18.5 billion as of March 9, 2007, making him the 26th richest person in the world and the 5th richest person in the United States. He is also the fourth-youngest billionaire in the world.

Lawrence Edward Page

Lawrence Edward “Larry” Page is a 35-year-old U.S.-born American entrepreneur.
Page was born in Lansing, Michigan, in 1973 to the late Dr. Carl Victor Page, a professor of computer science and artificial intelligence at Michigan State University and one of the University of Michigan’s first computer science Ph.D. graduates, and Gloria Page, a computer programming teacher at Michigan State University. Page is also the brother of Carl Victoer Page, Jr., a co-founder of eGroups, later sold to Yahoo! for approximately half a billion dollars.
Page attended a Montessori school in Lansing, Michigan, and graduated from East Lansing High School. He holds a B.S. degree in computer engineering from the University of Michigan with honors and a Master’s degree in computer science from Stanford University.
While at the University of Michigan, Page created an inkjet printer made of Lego bricks. He was also a member of the solar car team and served as the President of the HKN, a national electrical and computer engineering honor society.
After enrolling for a Ph.D. program in computer science at Stamford, Page was in search for a dissertation theme and considered exploring the mathematical properties of the World Wide Web. His supervisor encouraged him to pursue this idea, and Page later recalled this as the “best advice I ever got.” He focused on the problem of finding out which web pages link to a given page, considering the number and nature of such backlinks to be valuable information about that page.
Sergey Brin soon joined Page in his research project, nicknamed “BackRub.” They developed the Page Rank algorithm and realized that it could be used to build a search engine far superior to existing ones.
In 2007, Page was cited by PC World as #1 on the list of the 50 most important people on the web, along with Brin and Schmidt.
Page is also an investor in Tesla Motors, which developed the Tesla Roadster, a 250-mile-range battery electric vehicle.
Page currently holds the position of President of Products at Google and has an estimated net worth of $18.5 billion, placing him at rank 26 on Forbes’s list of the richest persons in the world, together with Brin.
The World Economic Forum named Page as a Global Leader for Tomorrow, and The X PRIZE chose Page as a trustee for their board.
Page married Lucinda Southworth at Richard Branson’s Caribbean island, Necker Island, on December 8, 2007.

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Whew! Let’s Take a News Vacation

Harry K. Jones — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:00:04 +0000

I recently made the challenging trek to Lost Wages, Nevada (also known as “City of Lights” - “Glitter Gulch” - “Sin City” - “The City That Never Sleeps” - oh, and Las Vegas) to speak at an annual meeting. It was 110 to 112 degrees every day! New casinos were going up everywhere. There was no sign of recession or depression anywhere.

I’ve been coming to Vegas for decades, and while it looks different every time you get off the plane, some things simply never change. This town is full of gambling devices … roulette wheels, crap tables, slot machines, and wedding chapels!

I personally don’t drink or gamble and seldom have time to make it to pool side at these events so I skipped the obligatory “Cooks’ Tour” … getting baked in the sun, stewed at the bar and burned at the crap tables!

One of the challenges for anyone flying from east to west is the time change. It’s interesting to leave Detroit at noon and arrive in Vegas at 1 p.m. It certainly doesn’t feel like a mere hour of flight time and, of course, it isn’t. The non-stop flight is actually 4 hours and 11 minutes, which feels more like 4 days and 11 hours. Add the hour you must arrive early prior to the flight, another hour for the usual delay and the eternity between touching down and actually arriving at your gate, and you’re pushing close to 7 hours.

I learned long ago to come prepared by bringing my laptop and the enormous stack of magazines and newspapers I review weekly to keep current on business news, political situations, and world events. However, on this particular trip I think I may have overdosed on negative news. In the future, I think I’ll be limiting myself to just a few sources a day. Here’s some of what I learned on this trip.

12,000 Laptops Lost Each Week! (624,000 Per Year!)

A new study by the Ponemon Institute estimates that about 12,000 laptops are lost every week (based on interviews with officials at 106 American airports). That same study revealed that half of all the business travelers surveyed said they fly regularly with important information on their laptops. Most of them—more than two thirds—don’t use any type of security system in the event that laptops are lost or stolen. Eventually, one of those laptops is going to be loaded with our Social Security numbers and names. I wonder what they do with all those computers?

Growing Trend

The Wall Street Journal reports that many small towns and community colleges are switching to four-day workweeks in an effort to help employees cope with the rising gasoline prices and could soon be joined by some larger local governments. Expect to see this trend become the norm if something isn’t done about oil prices.

Waterless Washing Machines?

BusinessWeek reports that researchers at Xeros, a British company linked to the University of Leeds, have developed a machine that washes a regular laundry load using as little as one cup of water, about 1% of the 10 to 15 gallons a typical washer requires. The machine uses tiny plastic chips and a bit of detergent to rub dirt from clothes, which emerge virtually dry—and extremely clean. According to research, washing machines in Britain alone consume about 120 million gallons daily, enough to fill 145 Olympic-size swimming pools!

Bye-bye, Billy

In one of the most carefully orchestrated transitions in corporate history, 52-year-old Microsoft Chairman William H. Gates, third richest man on earth, walked away from his day-to-day duties at the company he co-founded. He plans to spend more time working on philanthropy. He will continue to play a key role in Microsoft’s biggest long-term technical bets.

Going to the Dogs

Real estate baroness Leona Helmsley apparently earned her famous nickname, “The Queen of Mean,” by the way she treated her staff. However, following her death, she left instructions that her estate, estimated to be up to $8 billion, be spent on the care and welfare of dogs. The Humane Society of the U.S. and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said they will be suggesting programs for applying the funds in the most productive method.

Fact-A-Day from Harry K. - July 15, 2008

Harry K. Jones — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:00:42 +0000

In the city of Washington D.C., no building may be built taller than the Washington Monument.
There are four cars and eleven light posts on the back of a $10 dollar bill.
There are more Irish in New York City than in Dublin, Ireland; more Italians in New York City than in Rome, Italy; and more Jews in New York City than in Tel Aviv, Israel.
There are more than 300 different types of Barbie Dolls.
There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple, and silver!
Tiger Woods is the highest paid athlete. He makes around $80 million per year (or $219,000 per day).
The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin during World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.

Success Is in the Reframe

Harry K. Jones — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:00:23 +0000

Last month, I had the privilege of speaking to a group of young people who were preparing to move on to the next plateau in their lives after graduation. On my return trip home from the Florida panhandle, I had a layover in Atlanta. My plane was delayed due to local storms so I grabbed a bite to eat. Like most airport restaurants, they had several TV monitors mounted on every wall. Waiting for my meal, I checked my e-mail on my laptop while glancing at the news headlines on the TV monitor.

For some reason, I happened to catch a commercial from start to finish. I’m not what you would call a commercial-lover. In fact, whenever possible, I fast forward through the majority of them. I obviously didn’t have that option in the airport, and I’m actually thankful for that fact. I watched a one-minute commercial which left me with a tear in my eye, a smile in my heart, and a valuable lesson on my mind.

It was so captivating that I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. There was a young boy about 7 or 8 years old standing at home plate on a deserted baseball field. He had a big smile on his face and a baseball cap askew on his tiny head. He held a bat on his shoulder with one hand and a baseball in the other. With enthusiasm he yelled, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world,” as he tossed the ball into the air, swung the bat, missed the ball completely and fell to the ground. He jumped up, replaced his dusty hat, picked up the ball off the ground, repositioned his bat and said, “Strike one.”

Again, with enthusiasm, he yelled, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world,” as he tossed the ball into the air, swung the bat, missed the ball completely once again and fell to the ground. Again, he jumped up, replaced his hat, picked up the ball off the ground, repositioned his bat and said, “Strike two.”

Again, with a little less enthusiasm, he yelled, “I’m the greatest hitter in the world,” as he tossed the ball into the air a third time, swung the bat with all his might, and once again missed the ball by a country mile as he fell to the ground. This time he got up a little bit slower, replaced his dusty hat, left the bat in the dirt and sadly said, “Strike three!”

He stood there at home plate dusting himself off with a sad look of shame and disappointment on his face. Then, as the camera closed in on his face, you could see his frown change to deep thought as he raised his eyes to the clouds in the bright sunny sky.

His facial expression quickly changed from deep thought to total joy as he tossed his hat high into the air and screamed as loud as he could, “I’m the greatest pitcher in the world!”

Now there’s a young man who has obviously learned the true value of a simple “reframe.” I wonder how many times, we, as adults, could share that same joy if we’d just put forth an effort to look at things differently … a simple “reframe.”