These two policies are very different--HIPAA ensures individual privacy and safeguards information, while SOX mandates more transparency in publicly traded corporations--yet both of these policies have had an enormous impact on Americans' everyday lives. HIPAA brought about the protection of Social Security Numbers; some of us remember when our SSNs were used for driver's licenses and student IDs. SOX made it possible for anyone to review financial records of publicly traded corporations. This was supposed to help individual investors and level the playing field.

Of course, not everyone is enamored of government regulation. Some opponents of SOX say record keeping has become burdensome and expensive and that SOX actually promotes publicly traded corporations moving overseas to avoid the regulatory hassles of SOX. And any healthcare provider will tell you that HIPAA compliance is an ongoing struggle, requiring huge amounts of training and oversight.

All in all, these two policies have been remarkably effective in achieving their aims. Despite the current financial crisis, SOX has made publicly traded corporations much more responsive and responsible, especially to individual investors and HIPAA has revolutionized the disclosure of private information. The standards set by HIPAA have flowed into the non-health care sector (schools, employers, and organizations) and transformed how private information is protected and disclosed.

For the full text of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, go here: http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/15C98.txt .

For the full text of HIPAA, go here: http://www.legalarchiver.org/hipaa.htm .

Thurrock Independent Working Class Association (IWCA) comments on the East Thurrock Masterplan

A few weeks ago, we went along to the exhibition held at Stanford-le-Hope library as past of your consultation process for the East Thurrock Masterplan. It’s not that we wanted to endorse the notion that this ‘consultation’ is any substitute for a regeneration process subject to full democratic scrutiny – we firmly reject any such idea.

However, with no democratic oversight available, while principled abstention may be an attractive option, it leaves you totally in the dark as to how we feel about the way the regeneration process is being presented and about the options on offer! So it was on that basis that we attended the exhibition. The issues we raised with the representatives from the TTGDC and Urban Practitioners covered housing and infrastructure.

With regard to the issue of housing, we did get an assurance that around 30% of the new homes mooted were to be ‘affordable’ with housing associations being involved in the process. However, it was made clear that the provision of affordable homes would be tied in with the rest of the new housing that would be built by private developers.

With the credit crisis having turned into a full scale financial panic and a severe economic downturn, it looks as though events have overtaken the plans for regeneration in Thurrock. The drying up of the supply of mortgages and the uncertainty created by an economy heading into a severe recession are putting the future prospects of many developers and builders in grave doubt, with many likely to go out of business.

Bearing this in mind, are the proposals developed by Urban Practitioners for new housing still viable?

If developers are not willing or able to build new housing for private sale – as well as the promised proportion of affordable housing – is there a Plan B that will deliver the social housing that is needed to reduce, or even eliminate, the waiting list in Thurrock?

As you are doubtless aware, the issue of housing is a contentious one with many people feeling that a considerable proportion of the new homes mooted are for people moving out of London with the people of Thurrock placed at the back of the queue. The BNP have been ruthlessly exploiting these concerns for their own nefarious ends.

From our point of view, the reason why these rumours have surfaced and have been fanned is down to the lack of transparency from the TTGDC as to who was going to benefit from the new housing that was mooted. All that was required was a clear, unambiguous statement to the effect that the first priority in allocating the affordable housing, would have been the people in Thurrock who are on the housing waiting list – once that had been cleared, then what remained would be available for people wishing to move into the area. Regrettably, no such statement has been forthcoming with the result being that the BNP have made considerable political capital from exploiting people’s legitimate concerns about the fairness of allocation policies.

We do recognise that as a planning authority, the TTGDC don’t have a remit to get involved in discussions about allocation policies for social housing. However, we would suggest that mooting housing developments without realising that for them to be accepted, it is a matter of courtesy to explain to people living in Thurrock, exactly who was going to benefit from them, was a miscalculation. Not offering such an explanation indicates a failure to undertake basic research into people’s concerns about the chronic shortage of affordable housing for the many residents of Thurrock who cannot get onto the housing ladder.

At this point, we would like to state that we have no objection to people moving into Thurrock from London – after all, it was how much of the population got here! All we are asking for is that a) the housing needs of the people in Thurrock are fully taken into account and that b) the physical and social infrastructure can cope.

Assuming the mooted new housing does start to get built in East Thurrock, we obviously seek reassurances that the infrastructure will be expanded in tandem to cope with the growing population rather than added as a grudging afterthought. The reason we are raising these concerns is that as a result of the ongoing economic and financial crisis, at some point there may well be considerable pressures to reduce public expenditure. This could result in shortcuts being made in the provision of the essential physical and social infrastructure that will be needed to cope with a growing population.

Can you reassure us that every effort will be made to ensure that the social and physical infrastructure necessary to accommodate a substantial increase in the local population will be provided?

If you want to discuss any of the points we have raised, please feel free to contact us.

This morning, Brian Mageirski  pointed me to an article in TechCrunch about  a Reduction in Force at Jive Software in Portland, Oregon.  The post highlighted a former employee’s take on the layoffs, and his thoughts on why he felt the company mismanaged the process.  This employee was not laid off - he had already found another job and given his notice, but he was surrounded by the folks who were caught off-guard by the layoff.  Chris’s post and the associated comments didn’t say anything different than what we heard during the dot com bust.  There’s nothing surprising or outrageous here.  Nothing I didn't hear from (or, for that matter, say to) my friends and family when my husband was laid off.  What’s different this time is the audience.  Chris is no longer sharing this with his closest friends and family – he’s sharing it with the world.  And the world is listening and responding.

And so are the world’s former and future bosses.  Uh-oh.  Are those bridges I smell burning?

This, of course, started some conversations internally.  I was talking to our Social Media Studette, Susan Scrupski, about it, and she mentioned that this was something she was already addressing.  We got into a discussion about how we have a choice as we move forward…  We either change the way we react to other people’s honest postings, or we encourage self-censorship to head off potential future problems. 

Social media advocates (like Susan) will say we need to change the way we react. They believe that this type of transparent, vibrant, open discussion is how we’re changing the world.   We need to “get over ourselves and our big egos” and encourage people to say what they feel, and use that to develop better processes and solutions in the future.   They’re drippy, lovey Liberals that way… 

I, on the other hand, am terribly old-fashioned.  I encourage self-censorship.  Thinking before you post.  I’ve said it before and I will say it again – the internet is pretty much permanent.   If you might be embarrassed by something five years from now, I suggest you refrain from posting it.  I’m a boring, old, humorless Conservative that way…

Back to Chris’s post, though…  There are some important points in this post.  Companies might be able to take away some valuable lessons about how you treat exiting employees.  Keeping their personal items isn’t just harsh – it’s sort of stealing.  And it looks REALLY bad.  Even if we don't have all the information, it doesn't matter.  Perception is 9/10ths of reality, and Jive’s going to have a hard time recovering their employment brand after this.  And, what's worse is that it was a pretty cool brand before they kept people’s wedding pictures.

Employees might be able to take away some valuable lessons, too.  Remember that HR doesn’t generally make the decisions about who stays and who goes during a layoff.  That’s a decision that’s handed down from the business leaders.  And most of the time, HR doesn’t have a lot of input into severance packages and exit details.  So, projecting your anger on the messenger (HR) isn’t fair, and it’s not healthy.  HR people get laid off and find new jobs, too, you know. 

I can understand the anger (my husband was working and laid off during the dot com era, too), but I could appreciate who made the decisions and who had the unenviable task of delivering the news.  Be careful how loudly you cry and gnash your teeth – your potential future employers might not be able to fully empathize with your circumstances, and your on-line behavior may be used against you in your job search.  Google is a hiring manager’s best friend, after all, and in a market where there are more potential employees than there are open jobs, hiring managers will be picky.

I guess Chris got a lot of feedback, because while I was writing this post, I was alerted to another post by Chris, which comes across as much more positive.

The very best reply of the entire year came from someone claiming to be Chris’ mother:

Chris, you are blessed beyond words in so many ways. God protected you and gave you another job before this all happened. Don’t forget that Jive was a blessing for you. You made a lot of new friends and learned a lot. Changes in your life have always been for the better and this won’t be any different. Your new company will be better to have you just like Jive was!! I know you aren’t upset about this, just surprised that stuff in the world happens in the manner in which it did!!

If we’d all just listen to our mothers, our lives would be so much easier.

And, since it’s my birthday, I need to give a hat tip to my mother and father, Bernadette and Bob Carty.  Thanks folks.  I appreciate the gift of a very happy life.  Here's to another 36+ years!

In my opinion, it will not. Banks themselves are unable to actually tell how much toxic debt they actually hold because it has been packaged with other types of assets. Also, as the stock market has recently fallen by massive amounts (down 350 right now), even more toxic debt has been created as assets based on the stock market also begin to decline in value. The entire banking sector is based off of a pyramid of debt founded on the sub-prime fiasco and the structure is beginning to tumble into a deflationary black hole. As quickly as banks are recapitalized by the money gouged from taxpayers, they lose more money from devaluations in other assets. The housing market still has not found a bottom and the end is nowhere near in sight.

At the moment, Steve's giving us a guided tour of the ironically named PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) system that federal and appelate courts use to archive their documents. The site has a search engine that charges you per query (!) and per page.

It's an absurdity given the fact that these documents are not copyrightable and that the intention of the folks who set this up was to provide legitimate public and open access to court documents. A classic case of high-minded goals and well-meaning government programs that need an overhaul.

As Steve points out, the courts face a serious challenge of cost recovery (all of this digitization and database archiving costs money), but in trying to resolve that issue with PACER, the judiciary has introduced obtuse barriers to entry and facilitated the rise of de-facto donwstream monopolies (folks re-archive and sell access to PACER documents on the web).

There's got to be a way out, here. In the meantime, though, I'm going to sit back and enjoy Steve's bar charts demonstrating how the cost recovery model currently employed by the federal judiciary is pretty much a crock.

Depending on whom you ask, a resume may be viewed as the single most important vehicle to securing your next job, or it may be viewed as an unnecessary nuisance.

In both cases, this is incorrect. A resume is a professional introduction meant to encourage a one-on-one interview situation - the opportunity for communication that can lead to a job offer.

It is a rare candidate who is hired by his or her resume alone. It is just as rare to be offered an interview without one.

A resume is often the first line of contact. It establishes a first impression of a potential job candidate's skills, background and hiring value. If written well, this impression can be a positive one, offering the reader a sense of the candidate's "fit" for the  position and company being targeted. If written really well, it may convince the reader that the job candidate is ideally suited for the job. When coupled with an effective cover letter, the resume can be a very strong marketing tool.

Preparing a resume may be seen as a nuisance, but having a well-constructed, well-designed resume is an important part of your job search. Consider that for each available job opening there may be as many as 100 to 1000 resumes submitted. If your resume fails to adequately and accurately convey your hiring value (for the specific position), fails to establish your hiring value over competing candidates, or is difficult to follow, your ability to compete against those 100 to 1000 professionals vying for the same position your are will be greatly diminished.

If your resume secures an interview, it has done its job. If it sets you ahead of the competition in the mind of your interviewer, then it has given you a distinct advantage, and has gone beyond its job.

A great resume does what all good marketing pieces do: it sells the "consumer" (the potential employer or hiring manager) on the "product" (you).

Like it or not, the job of looking for employment is a job in sales and marketing. The product you are "selling" is you, and the "customer," who has unique needs and interests, needs to be sold on the fact that you have what it takes to get the job done and to meet the needs of the position. He or she is going to want to know how you are going to solve his or her problems, and he or she is going to give your resume about 15 seconds, or less, to sell this. 15 seconds is the average time a hiring manager will allot to a new resume - before giving it a potential "yes" or "no" response.

Will your current resume succeed under these conditions?

Preparation is Key

In preparing your resume, the more you know about the position you are targeting, the better. If you know the company's missions and goals, if you understand the needs of the position, if you recognize the company’s “concerns,” and if you know who comprises the company's competition... AND you (and your unique skills and experience) can meet the needs of all the above (you have accurately assessed your own value to those who have employed you in the past), you will have the material necessary to create an effective marketing piece.

As in any type of marketing material, it is important to present the information so that it captures your customer’s interest quickly. Your goal is to encourage the reader to stay with your document as long as possible. Your chance for a more detailed reading increases when you give the reader that information which he or she most wants to secure, early in the document.

One of the best ways to accomplish this is to create a Summary Section at the beginning of your resume. A Summary Section highlights for your reader those personal and professional skills you possess that allow you to excel in your chosen field and position. Items and skills of greatest importance (from your readers' viewpoint) should be listed in priority, supporting an impression of both “fit” and potential success. In addition, these should be  aspects of your background that set you apart from your competing candidates, particularly candidates with skill sets similar to your own. You are, in effect, showing your reader how you will solve their problems - better than the competition - and why interviewing you will be a worthwhile expenditure of their time.
For Whom Are You Writing?

You are not writing your resume in order to put your career autobiography out there for posterity. This is not about you. Seriously. It is about how you can meet the needs of your reader - in this particular position at this particular company. It is all about them. During the interview is when your first opportunity for negotiation takes place and you get to discuss what you get out of the deal. But right now, the only person who matters is your reader. They hold all the marbles.
When writing your resume, keep in mind your specific reader. Listing information that will be of no value to the position or company being targeted is just a waste of time.

Check for redundancy in your statements. If the positions you have held are similar, then repeating the same functions in detail throughout your document is unnecessary (heard it, got it). However, do not short-change yourself on your accomplishments.

Your potential employer is most interested in seeing how hiring you will benefit him/her and the company. If you are dealing with a hiring manager or human resource director, you can bet he or she has a lot resting on the fact that, if you are hired, they found the right person for the job. It is expensive to hire, train, and let someone go - and it is their job to make sure this does not happen. All parties involved want to know they are making the right decision, and it is your job to assure them that they are.

The most effective way to do this is by identifying how you have benefited employers in the past. Take credit for your participation and accomplishments. While aspects of your background may seem minor or of little value to you, they may be seen as a valuable asset to those looking to fill a need.
Presentation, Presentation, Presentation

The layout of your resume is extremely important. Your resume needs to maintain a “clean” and professional appearance (remember, it is representing you!). It should allow the reader to access the information quickly. Neat margins, adequate "white space" between groupings, and indenting to highlight text, aid the ease of reference and retention of the material. Use "bolding" and italics sparingly. Overuse of these features actually diminish their effectiveness of promoting the material they are intended highlight.

Your contact information (how the reader can reach you) is essentially the most important information in the entire document. Make certain your name, address, phone number, and e-mail address (if included) are clearly visible and at the top of your document (from habit, this is where your reader will look for this information - do not make them search for it). If you are including additional pages, be certain that your name is on these secondary pages (consider including your phone number here, too) in case your sheets become separated.

The standards for resume length have changed. It used to be typical for resumes to be one-page in length, and no longer. For candidates with years of experience, having held multiple positions, or with outstanding achievements, this one-page constraint often results in a document that is unreadable, looks “squashed,” or utilizes a font size so small that the reader is required to squint (no, they won’t actually bother). The one-page standard no longer holds true.

Use as much space as you need to concisely, accurately, and effectively communicate your skills, history, achievements, and accomplishments - as these relate to the position and company being targeted. A two-page document, if presented well, will not diminish the effectiveness of your marketing strategy - as long as the information you provide is relevant and valuable to your reader’s goals and interests.

A three-page resume is requiring much of your reader's time (and patience), and may not be as effective as a more concise presentation. In academic fields and European markets, it may be necessary to go over two pages in length, but only provide this much information if you absolutely can not present your history and achievements in less (and if you are certain your reader will agree with you). An overly long presentation may leave your reader wondering if you can be concise in anything you do.

Document, in detail, your most recent 10-15 years of employment and/or experience. Longer if the most recent position extended 10 years or more. Be certain to document growth in a company where multiple positions have been held, including identification of promotions and increased responsibilities. List positions held prior to this in decreasing detail, unless a previous position more effectively documents relevant skills for the position you are currently targeting.

You want to entice you reader into wanting to meet you (the interview) to learn more. Current history and recently utilized skills will hold the most value.

Remember, you will have an opportunity to expand on the information in your resume during the interview. So, entice your reader to want to learn more, but don't forget to leave something to tell.
Photocopy, Fax, and Scan

Since you can not know what will happen to your document once it has been submitted, be certain that it can hold up to scanning, faxing or photocopying procedures. For this reason, it is also smart to bring along fresh copies of your resume to each interview. Many interview sessions are held by multiple interviewers, and each interviewer should have a clean copy of your presentation (not a photo-copied version).

The resume will not get you the job (well, it has happened, but it is extremely rare), but it can certainly secure your chances of being seen and interviewed, just as it can cause you to be passed over in favor of a candidate who offers a better presentation.

As with any type of marketing campaign, use your resume as one tool in your search. Continue to network, improve your interviewing skills, and use every avenue available to you to better your chances and opportunities.

And, after you have secured that next position, do this all over again. Always be prepared for the next opportunity. Keep your resume up-to-date and stay career fit.

If you would like information on how to structure your resume document (section-by-section) take a look at the article "Resume Basics."  View More Details Here...

Fourth tip is, "Without a proper plan, you are like a ship without a control." Without a career plan you will be blown off course by the slightest zephyr.
And the last but not least tip is that retirement is a thing of the past? Not just because people have longevity and find it hard to afford those additional years, but because we human beings have a basic need to contribute, to add value, to be a part of figure.

Education Saminars MEMORY TIPS!

Human brain is more complex than the most advanced machine, so improving human memory needs slightly more efforts. Memory is the mental activity of remembering information that you have learned or experienced.

Memory can be either short-term or long-term. In short-term memory, your mind stores information for a short period while in Long-term memory, information stores for a long period.

• Help your extrication system for sorting information by putting into categories.
• Review frequently new information the same day you heard or read it will improve memory significantly.
• Use humor or exaggeration to keep Information in memory longer if it is related to something novel and interesting.
• Try learning the information verbally, visually and kinesthetically and find which sense works best for you.
• By using highlighters, colored pens, flags and index cards, etc. you can make an better impression on your memory.
• Try to remember things as draw pictures or cartoon characters, time lines, graphical and tabular representations, chart forms etc. to support memory.
• Verbal aloud revision is an effective memory tool.

Job on click

Kids art lessons are very time consuming to prepare and many teachers feel that they lack the artistic ability or creativity to teach art. The actuality is however, that they really don't want to be creative geniuses themselves to be effective at teaching art to children in their classrooms.

Educators who think they need help with art education child development can turn to plenty of outside sources for aid. By doing now a little bit of homework themselves, teachers and parents can search people, groups, and yet companies who are ready and prepared to come to the rescue and offer a wealth of information about early childhood art education. Attractive advantage of this help can save hours of time and energy, and give a much-needed educational benefit.

Job On Click

Planning Committee debated this issue last Monday. Members struggled with the question of whether the area ought to be rezoned, with Councillor Caranci taking the position that "We're running this as a business...It's a revenue generator...It should be zoned industrial." The area is currently designated for agricultural land use and staff has recommended that it be rezoned as "a Special Provision Agricultural Zone." I wonder if that's political goobley-gook for 'commercial activity that's being disguised as something else'?

Councillor Branscombe appeared to struggle with understanding the difference in zoning designations. Unfortunately, I struggled in hearing that part of the discussion because of the terrible sound quality in the Council chamber. However, I did manage to capture this one of her questions: "If we zone it Industrial, who knows where that's going to end up?"

For me, an even more interesting exchange occurred around the propriety of making any rezoning decision before an Area Plan has been completed. Readers of this blog know that proper process is of significant importance to me, and that it was the subject of one of my submissions to the Governance Task Force.

Members of the committee held opposing opinions on whether or not the rezoning decision ought to be considered prior to the completion of an Area Plan, with Councillor Caranci and Controller Polhill arguing in favour of waiting.

Controller Polhill wanted to know "The Area Study won't be completed until the end of the year so why rezone this now?" and made the excellent point that "We tell other people "If your Area Plan isn't done we won't rezone it"... We don't have to follow the rules but everybody else does."

In the words of Controller Polhill, "It's really funny because Roger and I are on the other side of the fence this time."

It was particularly difficult for me to listen to Controller Barber's attempted justification for pushing ahead with the rezoning prior to the Area Study completion, but in the end the committee made the correct decision to refer the rezoning matter back to the Planning Committee along with the Area Plan.

---

On a somewhat related matter, it was revealed that a draft compensation policy for area residents who've been affected by the continued operation and expansion of W12 will be coming forward in 6-8 weeks.

I'm not a fan of this government, but it does seem that they've got this right and for once I feel the Britain is looking bold and decisive.  UK Gov's move may not produce a level playing field, but hopefully it will create a more sensible game, however the fall-out is sure to continue with customers far from relaxed about choosing financial patners. And that's where the potential is.  Ultimately, the banks and financial institutions that are first to persuade consumers and businesses that they can be trusted will triumph.

Trust, is the very basis of any Brandship - the relationships between brands and their stakeholders - so its easy to see that, given the revelations of the last few weeks, the brand equity of banks is as low as a limbo-dancing gnome.  For now they are all tarred with the same brush.  We all know now that for years banks have been tricking us into believing that they were on our side while craftily lining their own pockets with our cash, so for any financial services business to dig themselves out of this one is a big ask.  However, that's the challenge they all face and its clear that the same old, same old just isn't going to cut it.  This time they have to be transparent and build brands with real integrity.  Attempting this feat with their existing management in place would be like a paedophile applying for a job as a kids' swimming instructor, and that's why the government stepping into the management shoes will, at least, give a few of them a chance.  Now its a case of a massive change management process and that can only be good for business.  Who'll be first to the tape.

While the banks are working on this one, the rest of the commercial world are considering how they can survive the after shock.  There's no doubt about it, a lot of businesses are going to tumble in the next few months, but amid the rubble there's a real opportunity for the bold.

As we've seen with banks in the US and UK, there are always bigger vultures to pick over the bones of the those that fail and in this vein a good many short-term wins will be had by organisations with strong and inviting brand communities that can offer shelter to the customers of their deceased competitors.  This will come about in two ways - pro-active, acquisition by competitors and investors of organisations and brands on the verge of a crash and reactive, mopping up by strong brands of the displaced customers of their weaker competitors.

But moreso than in the normal process of acquisition the challenge doesn't end acquisition.  Its one thing to provide a consumer with temporary shelter, but although the cost of acquisition could be modest compared to the recent past, the real test will be whether these brands can persuade their new customers to make a home with them.  This is where I see the real potential.  I foresee a period of floating customers, like deserted wives, reluctant to commit to long-term relationships and suitor brands falling over themselves to reel them in and turn them into life-partners.  And I predict, honesty will prevail.  If nothing else worthwhile comes of this situation I be live it will convince a few more brands to stop making empty-promises and a shift to genuineness, transparency and a genuine commitment to customer satisfaction.  Another reason why the recession will be good for business.

Because brand communities are a product of their members - significantly their customers - any acquisitive organisations will also have to be wary of the risk of alienating their existing customers as the dynamic of their brand is changed by a large influx of new members, but, if they are sufficiently sorted to have created a strong enough brand community to pull off the acquisition trick in the first place the chances are they'll have this under control too.

Its common practice in recessionary times for organisations to tighten their belts and sit it out, but the record clearly shows that this is not the path to success and it definitely isn't the way to go now.  If you want to to make the most of the opportunities that the recession is providing you need to be pro-active, take a close look at your brand and your organisation.  Are you in shape to meet the challenge?  If not get to work.  At the end of this recession the organisations that deserve success will have it and there'll be some gaps in the line up too.  But then again, I've always felt that Darwin nailed it with the process of natural selection.   I think we'll all be better off for the clear out.

Obviously, the financial crisis is bigger than we were initially led to belive. I don't personally understand alot of the mumbo jumbo from analysts, but an interesting word has cropped up. Transparency. Apparently, big corporations 'cooked the books' twisting financial reports to reflect profits that weren't there, and misleading investors causing a general disconnect between real and imaginary profits.  Again, I don't get alot of this. But the word transparency is an interesting one to ponder in the music realm.

Transparency is a rallying call for clear, accessible, open and truthful communication. Even Sonicbids, the self proclaimed connector of bands and music promoters has jumped on the transparency bandwagon. In an email issued last week, Sonicbids proclaimed that there will be more transparency in tracking EPKs (electronic press kits) submitted by bands to festivals via the site. Less ambiguity, more concrete information. In an industry lacking in both, Sonicbids is to be congratulated on their effort.

Transparency in the music industry is an interesting concept. Cut through the smoke and mirrors, spin and hype and you find the nitty-gritty. Bands who are hard working, deserving and truly talented often lose out to those with a big budgets, corporate sponsorships or huge record labels. Realizing this often leads musicians to a haunting of sorts, a creeping suspicion that things are not quite as clear as they should be. Efforts and hard work are discounted in a business where image seems to be everything. Tantilizing personal meltdowns are more important than soul searching sincere songs. Navigating this industry is indeed akin to a ghost tale, as promises are made and then evaporate like ghosts in the dawn.

Be honest with yourself. Develop a mind set of transparency and truly seek to be honest, forthright, accurate and easily understood in all your dealings. Navigate your musical path from a place free of deceit or pretense. Attempt, even in this image driven business, to be logical and rational and realize your creations, your precious music, is a gift of source. You are a blessed being. Reguardless of success, or public acclaim, be honest with yourself, your talent and who you are.

Simple HTML/CSS Layout Examples
http://blog.html.it/layoutgala/
http://www.code-sucks.com/css%20layouts/faux-css-layouts/
http://www.mycelly.com/
http://www.thenoodleincident.com/tutorials/box_lesson/basic2_fixed.html

CSS cheat sheet
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=css+cheat+sheet&btnG=Search

HTML Cheat sheet
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=html+cheat+sheet&btnG=Search

Group that standardizes html
http://www.w3.org/

MetaTags
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&pwst=1&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=meta+tags&spell=1
doctype
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=doctype&btnG=Search

Free webhosts to upload your custom pages to.
http://www.tripod.lycos.com/
http://pages.google.com/
http://www.atspace.com/
http://geocities.yahoo.com/
http://www.bravenet.com/
http://members.freewebs.com/

RGB Color
You can indicate color by using RGB mode too. eg. #336699 is a nice blue google likes to use. It stands for 33 red, 66 green, and 99 blue in hexadecimal. Here's a RGB color picker
http://www.siteprocentral.com/html_color_code.html

Domains cost money, like $10 a year usually or less. I'm not going to endorse any registrars.

CSS rounded corners
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=css+rounded+corners&btnG=Search
Change the look when printing (media)
http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-CSS2/media.html

CSS Popular Pages
http://del.icio.us/search/?fr=del_icio_us&p=css&type=all
http://del.icio.us/search/?fr=del_icio_us&p=top+css&type=all

HTML Validator
http://validator.w3.org/

CSS Validator
http://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/

Some decent text editors
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If there is no EXCLUSION, then it’s INCLUSIVE. Surely, as head of FEMA/NFIP Mr. Maurstad must have read the exclusions under the federal NFIP contract.  Every single Allstate NFIP policy was paid in FULL to the maximum policy limits. ( Nice job Mr. Maurstad and Mr. Wooley)

Editilla at the Ladder will no doubt agree with NOLA attorney Jim Garner in no uncertain terms.

After arguing in court that water from levee breaches shouldn't be covered by insurance policies, the insurance industry now says it really means it.

As a result of the litigation in New Orleans over Hurricane Katrina, starting in January insurance policies around the country will contain language specifically excluding coverage for manmade floods from broken dams or levee breaches.

But Jim Garner, an attorney who represented the New Orleans homeowner in the case that went to the Louisiana Supreme Court, and who represented Xavier University in the case before the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal, said the language change proves that most of the policies that were in force when Katrina hit were ambiguous, and insurers should have paid.

"I think it underscores why the people were right. If it was so clear, why did they have to go change it?" Garner said. "The industry knew there was a problem. They've now admitted it."

Exactly.  It's just as CLS said, what isn't specifically excluded is included.  What I don't understand is how those companies without the exclusion were not held accountant - regardless of what dictionary the judges at the Fifth Circuit used to define flood.  That State Farm and Hartford had specific language excluding manmade flooding, such have been sufficient proof of the validity of claims against other insurers.

The beefed-up flood exclusion on homeowners and business policies in the United States, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands is the first impact outside Louisiana of the vicious legal fights over whether water damage from engineering failures, like the levee breaches during Hurricane Katrina, should be covered by private insurers.

Insurance Services Office Inc., the New Jersey company that produces the forms that most insurers use, said it felt compelled to rephrase its declaration that rising groundwater isn't covered.

"Recent case law has ultimately enforced various water exclusions," reads a statement e-mailed by ISO. "However, a number of arguments were attempted in some of the Hurricane Katrina-related cases and led to extended litigation and appeal. After considering various issues raised in some of those cases, and in an effort to help lessen the potential for such arguments leading to unnecessary litigation in the future, we found it appropriate to revise ISO water exclusions to reinforce the scope of the existing exclusions."

Most homeowners and business insurance policies don't include damage from flooding, which is covered separately by a policy from the National Flood Insurance Program. But after Katrina, questions arose over whether a manmade flood was really a flood excluded by most insurance companies, especially since some companies, such as State Farm and Hartford Group, had language specifically banning coverage for manmade events.

The disputes drew top corporate lawyers from around the country to defend the insurance companies. After rulings in federal and state court initially held insurers responsible for billions of dollars in flood damage, the insurers prevailed at both the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the Louisiana Supreme Court with opinions that a flood is a flood, settling the issue in April.

Soren Gisleson, head of the insurance section at the Louisiana Association for Justice, said the language change proves that all the fears that the insurance industry would go bankrupt if forced to pay for flood damage after Katrina were false. If the insurance industry had lost it would have been only a one-time hit, he said, because inevitably they would have gone back and changed the language of insurance contracts, as they have now done.

"It's exactly what the cooler heads were saying during all the Chicken Little comments," Gisleson said.

Loretta Worters, a spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute trade group, said the insurance industry changes its language from time to time as it did with mold exclusions after the litigation over 2001's Tropical Storm Allison in Houston.

"They want to make sure that there is no misunderstanding about the policy. Even though it was very clear before, and the courts upheld it, it's an important message they want to get out," she said. "It's making sure there is total certainty as to what the coverage is."

It appears there has been total certainty all along, IMO.  The question is why that certainty did not translate to coverage.  Any guesses about the blood pressure in Louisana this morning - or if this story will impact the motion in limine in Perdiago's case.  OMG, nothing can stir things up like a Mowbray!

In 2000, a similar attempt by the individual resulted in a city mail-back survey of residents. "The survey had a 63% response rate with 40% supporting the proposed reversal, 50% against and 10% indicating no preference. Based on the survey, reversing the existing one-way designation was not recommended."

Prior to this latest attempt, the citizen personally knocked on doors gathering signatures on a petition. "Out of the owners of 25 houses 24 were in favour and one had no preference. Of the remaining 7 houses three are out of town owners of student residences, the other four I could not reach. There seems to be no opposition to this proposal."

That didn't sit well with Mr. Leckie (Director, Roads and Transportation), who managed to convince the committee that the city needs to do another mail-back survey "to ensure the integrity of resident's opinions."

Which got me to wondering. Does the city have any policy with respect to surveys, petitions, etc?

The city website returned 4 pages of documents based on a "petition" keyword search and 32 pages based on a "survey" keyword search. Other than a single document which states that "a petition for curbs and gutters must be circulated on both sides of a street..." I was unable to find anything about the relevance of submitted petitions, or the format that they should be in, etc.

It's been my personal observation that Council and its committees usually just accept petitions without any comment other than to note the number of signatures.

Where does this sudden concern about the validity of signatures come from? Are there some political shenanigans going on here, simply because the city staff doesn't like what's being proposed?

After watching Thursday's debate between incumbent Senator John Cornyn and his challenger, Rick Noriega, I had to admit that not only had Cornyn won the debate, he had also won a second (or, admittedly, first) look from me. In addition to being a superior debater, Cornyn made great statements about transparency and leadership that struck me as very genuine. Could it be he was no idealogue, but another of those rare politicians who wants to improve the political scene as much or more than promote his own agenda?

Could it be a choice between two decent candidates? I like Noriega. I think he's a good candidate with a good background and a healthy amount of military and political experience. But I came away last night thinking I might like Cornyn, too, and promising to dig a little deeper. I'll let you know what I find out.

Think of that old-fashioned brand image as a beautiful burled veneer covering the corporate facade. It must be kept pristine and shiny. Whenever anything threatens it, the public relations group's function is to clean it up. In quiet times, to buff it to a sharp polish.

Not anymore.

I just reposted a lost 2004 essay called "public relationships," in which I lauded Robert Scoble for singlehandedly punching holes through Microsoft's carefully mis-managed corporate veneer.

Now many companies are beginning to figure out how to reach through that corporate image to connect with outside publics. It's messy, but very productive. It's also having a lot of effect on brands.

What exactly is a brand that depends on a lot of individuals kind of free-wheeling it out there? How do they appear as a brand? What unifies them? Who owns the brand?

We'll explore some of these questions Tuesday, in next week's Yi-Tan call, with our guest Kevin Clark.

With that said, i get the sense in the market that marketing budgets are shrinking. There've been several posts on the shrinking marketing budget and the rise of digital media being the cheaper alternative. I've just picked 2 of those posts to discuss. Leslie Postpon did a post on Is social Advertising a safe haven for marketing budgets? It's a great post which brings out one of the 2 critical issues which i find essential to a campaign. She brought out the issue of ROI and i blogged about it here and here.

In addition, the issue of transparency when using social media was mentioned which I found crucial to communicating with your stakeholders online. There's an interesting experiment that was done on this transparency issue and was blogged by John Butman and it was called 90 days. Beautiful process, I've just read through the first few posts and I'm looking forward to reading more after this.

Walter Lim shared a post on Marketing Strategies in a downturn and provided some awesome examples of what some companies have done and can do with their marketing efforts in this economy downturn. While Walter thinks of this as a back to basic approach, I'm inclined to agree to some extent.

Looking at points 9,

which is Agencies must also get into the act together with their clients

and

10 which is Customer analytics gains primary importance

I think these 2 points allow a flourish and  rise of digital media, not only because it's cheaper, but also because the fact that with point 9, i see a better chance of online and instant collaboration without having 10,000 emails flying about causing great miscomms which can happen. In addition, customer analytics for online behavior can be tracked, but involving yourself in your brand's community can also lead to behavioral patterns offline. (What they like to do with your brand, where do they get it, what do they use it with etc.)

I now agree that the downturn will have folks tightening their budgets and turning towards cheaper forms of media. However, it will also mean that it will force them to stop just spamming banner ads and force them to start getting involved with the consumers. After all, isn't it better to target a behavioral group of people then just plain demographics?

To answer Daryl's post on Where are the corporates taking the lead? I don't know the where, but i think the when is coming really soon. Therefore, social media evangelists, is this the time we have been waiting for where companies finally have to get their hands dirty? I sure hope so....

Among other things, her research shows that greater transparency does not necessarily lead to less corruption...

"Thanks to the extensive coverage by the press, the public in Argentina had greater access to information about political decisions and actions than in Chile, but this did not prevent the occurrence of corruption and abuses of power. Instead, media reports increased the public awareness not only of the extent of corruption but also of the impunity that politicians enjoyed. In the short run, this probably increased the incentives for corruption. In the long run, on the other hand, there have been advantages with greater transparency," says Viviana Stechina.

TRANSPARENCY

Worshippers at the Holy Open Market like to use the word transparency. Finding this word in the mouth of Weasels and Bucanneers is a lot like finding a nail in your breakfast cereal. After initial revulsion, a Citizen asks: How did this get there?
When political Weasels cannot find a reason to educate American children to basic financial concepts, they leave us at the mercy of financial Buccaneers.
Worse, when Weasels, Wizards, and Buccaneers collaborate in designing an arcane vocabulary to cloud transparency, allegedly transparent markets are in fact con games. Blowing smoke is blowing smoke, and doing so deliberately is called "fraud."
An open market requires buyers and sellers be equal parties. Either has to be able to walk away and say, "No deal." Captive buyers are not members of a free market economy--they are its victims. When Weasels allow:

• old age to be a time of terror by allowing what were private pensions to become 401k investment vehicles;
• when Buccaneers are allowed to restructure and cancel what were solemn covenants between workers and corporations to improve profits;
• when Buccaneers rake 500 and 1,00 times the compensation of line-workers;
• when employment is the only means to obtain subsidized health insurance;
• when healthcare is not a universal right;
• when 23 percent of every healthcare dollar spent in America goes to non-providers called "insurance companies";
• when retirement vehicles that are allegedly conservative are managed by Buccaneers and Wizards who wrap that vehicle in rhetorical gobbledygook deliberately designed to obscure the vehicle's true nature;
  Such a market is far from open. No amount of transparency will remedy that.

DEREGULATION

Weasels who philosophically embrace deregulation do so as a rhetorcial dodge. Dollar$ No BS translation: deregulation = The strong shall no longer protect the weak.
Proponents of deregulation whine that regulation limits (gasp!) profits: they do so while standing in the ruins of the American economy, an embarrassment to their teachers at Yale, Harvard and other leadership factories where History was taught.
Regulations were created  in response to bitter lessons. While times indeed change, no one has yet repealed the Business Cycle--Boom, Panic, Depression. Regulations were designed to smooth those cycles out--never to eliminate them. Wizards and Buccanners who dismantled the regulatory system to earn an extra buck have pushed the world economy over the brink.
Wizards engaged in inventing new financial vehicles are NOT engaged in financial innovation, but in brinksmanship. Their chief tool is faster than light computing; they are in and out of highly leveraged vehicles in minutes. Markets were created for human interaction, not for a war of algorithms.
Dollar$ No BS translation financial innovation = promoting a financial vehicle that purportedly does one thing but in fact does another. Thus, Citizens may be deceived and fleeced:

• Citizens who conservatively save in a money market are dismayed to learn that the Buccaneer in charge has used the Citizens's money for risky investments. The buck gets broke. The Citizen can't send his kids to college. The Buccaneer retires to the Caymans
• Citizens naively believing that the insurance industry is sleepy and safe learn after the fact that credit swaps are insurance on debt, but are called anything but "insurance" to avoid insurance regulations. Shepherds are unaffected; the rest of us are in a worlwide conflagration that will lead to political unrest, totalitarianism, fascism, and the abnegation of human rights.
• Buccaneers who chafe at short selling regulations induce their Weasel colleagues to change the rules, the uptick rule dating from 1932 is banished, and in 2007 what was once a reasonable tool for hedging risk becomes the naked short, a light-speed computerized lever able to grind a company's stock into the ground.
• Weasels garnering votes push the American Dream by forcing Freddie and Fannie to make "subprime" loans, only for Citizens to later agree that "subprime" means "uncreditworthy" and that America itself has been mortgaged. Foreign governments holding American paper start to worry about repayment. The dollar plunges in value and worlwide credit dries up as banks horde cash. Even Georgie's War on Shepherds seem imperiled.

What's next? Well, the Chinese curse comes to mind: May you live in interesting times.

this entry is also posted on mediacenterblog.org