Sunday, July 22, 2012

HERE is a simple story of how a Cebuano dream came true.

Back in the 70s, when mountaineering was starting to become popular among Filipinos, a group of friends who loved the outdoors and were enthusiasts as well, decided to manufacture their own equipment.

Get updates on President Benigno Aquino III's address to nation.

It started as something personal for this group of men. But the idea of actually doing it as a business inevitably arrived when their colleagues in the mountaineering community started noticing their personal gear and inquired about purchasing equipment from them.

With very small capital, struggling young architects Efren Junks Muaa, Randy Su and Dindo Sugatan formed Habagat Outdoor Equipment and set up shop in a borrowed garage in midtown Cebu City.

Habagat started out as a hobby and was initially intended for our personal use because, back then, it was rather difficult to acquire equipmentwith the market dominated by expensive foreign products that had to be imported through shipping, or with the help of friends who lived or traveled overseas, shared the men behind Habagat.

Truly, success did not come overnight for the company. The first models that the engineers personally designed, patterned and sewed were even done on an old sewing machine. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, a lot of people in the country todayespecially those inclined with the outdoor activitieshave the brand name etched automatically into their consciousness.

And to think this is a brand proudly conceived in Cebu City.

Habagat is one of the two or three companies that pioneered manufacturing outdoor gear and equipment in the country. But we definitely set the standard for quality through continuous research and innovation, and by having our products field-tested by athletes and outdoorsmen before we introduce them to the market.

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Sailing to success

Whether we're thinking about starting a small business, or just thinking about what career path to choose, it's important that we follow our passions. When we think about what is needed to be successful in life and in our work, we usually think about characteristics like value, talent, ambition, intellect, discipline, persistence and luck. What many of us often fail to include in this recipe for success is passion. The passion we have, or don't have, for our work should not be underestimated. Sometimes this ingredient could make the biggest difference of all.

SEE: 5 People Who Turned Career Disaster Into Success

The True Meaning of Success Before we talk about what I mean by passion and why it's so important, we must first explore what the true meaning of success is a bit further. Success is usually assumed to be associated with large sums of wealth or a high level of fame, but true success is not all about money,.

Success is, or at least should be, primarily defined as an achievement of something desired. So, the most successful people are the ones who achieve the things they most desire. What we desire the most, even more than money, is to be proud of what we do with our lives. This is especially true when it comes to our work. A truly successful person is one who is proud of the work he or she does. That, is the true meaning of success. Now, a lot of money shouldn't be the primary definition of success, but it's a reasonable goal to have. We all want to have enough money to sustain ourselves and our family. The thing is, if we're truly passionate about the work we do, there's probably a better chance that money will follow.

What I Mean by PassionWhen I speak of passion, I don't mean it in the romantic way. What I mean by passion is the powerful feeling of enthusiasm we all have inside of us. We are all enthusiastic and passionate about something, whether its finance, food or a favorite sport. That enthusiasm is very powerful. When we can combine it with our work, we are setting ourselves up well for achieving true success.

Why Passion Is so Important When we are enthusiastic and proud of the work we do, the better equipped we'll be to overcome the many obstacles that will surely arise in the process of starting a business or moving up in a career. Also, the more enthusiasm we have, the more inclined we are to work harder at improving ourselves. This will allow us to continuously get better at the work we do. The better we get at our work, the better we can get paid for doing it.

Ensuring we are passionate about our work will not only provide us with a meaningful career, but it will also give us a good chance of being paid well. The passion we have for our work can be the difference between making a living or making a killing.

SEE: The 10 Greatest Entrepreneurs

The Successful of Our Time Steve Jobs One of the most successful companies in the world today is Apple. When we think of Apple we also think of Apple's ex-CEO, the late Steve Jobs. Carmine Gallo wrote an article called, "The Seven Success Principles Of Steve Jobs," which outlines seven key factors that are responsible for Jobs' success. The article is based on multiple interviews with Apple employees and Steve Jobs himself. Believe it or not, the No. 1 principle in this article is, "do what you love." Steve Jobs believed in the power of passion, and once said, "people with passion can change the world for the better." Jobs claimed that the passion he had for his work made all the difference.

Chris Gardner Chris Gardner, the once homeless man turned multi-millionaire stockbroker that Will Smith plays in the movie, "The Pursuit of Happyness," once expressed what he believes is the secret to success. He stated that he believes the secret is to "find something you love to do so much, you can't wait for the sun to rise to do it all over again." He explains that the most inspiring leaders are those who don't work at a job, but pursue a calling.

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Follow Your Passions And Success Will Follow

Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) July 22, 2012

Social media agency Maximize Social Media LLC announced its social media marketing program today for personal injury attorneys, providing online marketing support to the firms nationwide. The agency will offer complete social media management for personal injury attorneys to generate new clients and referrals within their local market. A team of social media professionals at the agency will provide the strategy development and management of Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts.

Social media enables personal injury attorneys to reach new clients by engaging them where they spend the most time - Facebook. Many attorneys use billboards, radio, and TV to reach consumers, which is a shotgun approach to marketing. Social media enables attorneys to laser target prospects they want to reach, and at a fraction of the cost of traditional advertising, said Craig Collins, Sr. Vice President of Maximize Social Media LLC.

Maximize will fully integrate custom applications that are designed to expand the brand reach and convert Facebook visitors into clients. One such application is a free case review, which enables Facebook fans to submit their case to the firm directly within Facebook.

Maximize Social Media provides full social media management services in over 50 different verticals. The agency will fully integrate all aspects of social media for personal injury attorneys that will find it more affordable to outsource the management rather than hire additional staff. Maximize provides both ad management, which will allow the firms to target specific demographics, as well as daily engagement by a dedicated social media manager.

Personal injury attorney attorneys as well as their advertising agencies are invited to contact Maximize Social Media for a no obligation consultation at:

http://maximizesocialmedia.com/strategysession

About Maximize Social Media LLC

Maximize Social Media (http://maximizesocialmedia.com) is a leading provider of social media management services for clients in over 50 different verticals. With offices in Florida and Los Angeles, Maximize provides social media consulting and Facebook advertising management for clients in English speaking countries such as the US, Canada, and Australia. The company also features social media management outsourcing for busy social media mangers looking for additional assistance on a white label basis.

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Personal Injury Attorney Social Media Marketing Program Offered by Social Media Agency Maximize Social Media LLC

Really, I don't know why so many people are annoyed with President Obama for saying that personal success is almost always a product of our system in America, with the benevolent federal government leading the way. Certainly, that's true, and I will attempt to prove it based on a brand-new investigation of very successful folks.

New York Mets pitcher R.A. Dickey was once a mediocre performer, but he became a star by perfecting the knuckleball. Word is that Nancy Pelosi took the pitcher aside and demonstrated just the right spin to put on his delivery. The former Speaker of the House is too modest to take credit, but she does want to tax Dickey at a higher rate now that he's a 1 percenter.

Did you know that Clint Eastwood was a struggling actor until California Gov. Jerry Brown taught him to squint and say things like, "Feeling lucky, punk?" Apparently, Brown learned that phrase from a former girlfriend, singer Linda Ronstadt, and generously passed it along to Eastwood. However, there is no truth to the rumor that Brown's autobiography will be entitled: "Dirty Jerry."

She won't admit it, but Lady Gaga's career took off when New York Sen. Chuck Schumer advised her to lose the poker face and "loosen up a little." Taken aback by the blunt advice, the former Catholic-school girl took it to heart and replaced her blue blazers with ripped fishnet stockings and rhinestone halter-tops. The rest, of course, you know. But what you might not know is that Schumer was the inspiration for the Gaga hit: "Born This Way."

Likewise with Simon Cowell. The Englishman was looking for a TV niche when he ran across Congressman Barney Frank, who advised him to insult just about everybody and wear tight undershirts in public. After watching Frank on cable TV, Cowell adopted his scorched-earth verbal style and ever since has amassed hundreds of millions of dollars. Fortunately for Cowell, when Frank told him to invest in Fannie Mae, he declined, believing Fannie was an obscure rapper.

But the topper is LeBron James. As a kid in Akron, Ohio, LeBron was directionless, wandering around the boulevards looking for something to do. Then one day a suave stranger showed up on the playground and began shooting hoops with LeBron and his crew. The man showed the youngsters a variety of basketball moves, including the fade-away jump shot. From the jump, LeBron was enthralled and thus began his steady climb to basketball greatness. That stranger's name: Barack Obama.

And now you know the rest of the success story.

Veteran TV news anchor Bill O'Reilly is host of the Fox News show "The O'Reilly Factor" and author of the book "Pinheads and Patriots: Where You Stand in the Age of Obama."

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Bill O'Reilly: The secret to success

BOISE A new report takes aim at the nation's largest for-profit online education provider and finds students taking K12 Inc. classes in Idaho and four other states are falling more behind in math and reading than their traditional school counterparts.

The study was released Wednesday by the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado Boulder. Along with lagging test scores, the report says the rate at which K12 students graduate on time is far lower than in regular schools.

The study "into K12 Inc. raises enormous red flags," said center director Kevin Welner.

The group has previously issued reports critical of online learning. A study released by the center in October said school-choice advocates are pushing states to rush headlong into virtual education despite limited data on these programs.

The latest report looked at schools managed by Virginia-based K12 in Idaho, Arizona, Arkansas, Ohio and Pennsylvania and found that on average, they had a consistently lower proportion of their students meeting or exceeding state standards in reading, according to 2010-2011 test scores.

The report also said math scores were lower compared to the state average. The on-time graduation rate for K12 students was about 49 percent for that year, compared to about 79 percent for the states, according to the study. In Idaho, where K12 provides curriculum for the state's largest online charter school, state officials say students beat slightly the statewide average for graduation rates in the most recent year.

K12 has managed online schools in 29 states with mixed academic success.

The company contends that the report is flawed and fails to show the academic progress of students over time. The report finds K12 students are falling further behind in math and reading than students in regular schools, but doesn't provide evidence to back up that claim, the company said.

"To make such conclusions, one would need to know the academic starting point of the students, in this case, test scores from a prior school year when they were enrolled in a brick-and-mortar school," the company said. "That test data is largely unavailable and is certainly not included in the NEPC report."

The report relies on "static, end-of-the-year test data," said the company, which also noted that K12-managed schools tend to enroll students who are behind academically.

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Idaho for-profit online students lag in math and reading skills

Burke Catholic graduate Emily Stallings, left, goes through drills on Monday. She will likely be one of the key players off the bench when Marist takes on St. Bonaventure on Tuesday night.Photo provided

Times Herald-Record

Published: 2:00 AM - 07/21/12

Emily Stallings has those first-job kind of nerves as she preps for her first basketball coaching job.

The Burke Catholic graduate from Newburgh has accepted the graduate assistant coaching job at East Stroudsburg University in the fall.

"I'm excited to get into the coaching atmosphere,'' said Stallings, who graduated from Marist in the spring.

Stallings has long desired getting into coaching, and Marist assistant Meg Gebbia helped by informing her about a seminar in Denver where would-be coaches would be schooled on the fine points of the profession and make contacts.

"It's kind of like combining two things,'' said Stallings, who got a degree in education. "I've always loved teaching, so I get to combine basketball and teaching together and keep basketball a part of my life.''

Stallings said she's had a lot of positive coaching influences in her life, from Bob Turner at Burke, Al Viani with the AAU and Gebbia and head coach Brian Giorgis at Marist.

"I've had a wide span of coaches, a wide span of personalities,'' she said, "and they've given me good examples of how you should coach. I can choose what I like from different people " and see what works.''

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Burke grad preps for first coaching gig

Excerpt from:
Health and Fitness Vlog 7-19-12 - Video

While the concept of retirement means you get to quit your job and do what you love all day, many retirees would love to earn a little income to ease their cash flow. One of the best ways to both feel retired and bring in some money is to find a way to generate cash from your hobbies. It may take a little extra effort to move something from a hobby to a small business, but with a measure of entrepreneurial spirit you can turn fun into profit. How much you can make depends a lot on the level of time you are willing to put into participating in your hobby and marketing your services or products. Here are some examples of potentially profitable hobbies.

SalesSelling Items on eBay If you have a vast collection of antique toys, record albums or clothing that you no longer want, you can sell them on eBay to the highest bidder to turn a profit. Some entrepreneurial types turn eBay skills into a business by buying low and selling high. If you have special expertise in a particular area or simply want to gamble a bit on something like sports tickets, you can spend hours making bids and then reselling items on other websites.

Selling Books and CDs on Amazon Another option for people with the storage space for books and CDs is to sell your own collection through Amazon.com. You can haunt flea markets and thrift stores for bargain priced books and CDs and then resell them, but you'll have to take into account shipping costs and the hassle factor of storing and sending the items.

Selling Handmade Items on Etsy If you love to quilt, sew or make jewelry, Etsy.com can be your marketplace. The website makes it simple to market your crafts. You can even sell vintage clothing. So, if you have a trunk full of clothes in the attic this could be a goldmine and help you clean out your closet.

Sell at Flea Markets and Yard Sales Plenty of people love to spend their time looking for treasures and unique items at flea markets and yard sales. If this is your hobby, you can turn it into a business by snapping up bargain items and reselling them. You can also sell your handmade items, including jewelry, quilts and clothes at flea markets.

SEE: Amazing Yard Sale Finds TeachTeach or Tutor One of the fastest ways to earn money on your own schedule is to become a tutor or a teacher. Whether you excel at math or English, you can offer tutoring services through your own website or with advertising at local schools. If you speak a foreign language or want to help others learn English, you can also earn money by tutoring. Other skills that can bring in plenty of students include teaching voice lessons, art or a musical instrument. Be sure to think about whether you want students to come to you or if you want to meet at a library or in their homes.

Try eduFire.com An unusual option for tutoring is eduFire.com, a website that puts students and tutors together for one-on-one sessions or group classes via computer. You'll need basic computer skills and some credentials for marketing yourself to teach any subject you want.

SEE: 6 Careers You Can Do From Home OthersWrite If you've always wanted to write, look into the possibility of freelance writing for your local newspaper or for websites that specialize in something that interests you. Fiction writing is less lucrative, but if you are prolific and dedicated to submitting your work, you can make a little money with your poetry and prose.

Party Planning If you are the one everyone turns to when they're looking for a suggestion for a party theme or an interesting way to entertain guests, set up a party planning website and start charging for your advice.

Organizing If you love to organize your home, you may want to offer your services to others. Just be sure you can physically handle hauling papers around or clearing out someone's closet. You can start your own business or offer to assist someone who already has a thriving business as an organizer.

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Retirement Hobbies That Make Money

Calcutta News.Net Saturday 21st July, 2012

The humble flute, which in Hindu mythology was played by Lord Krishna to charm the maidens, birds and animals of Vrindavan and Mathura, is leading a new healing therapy called Bansi Yoga to beat lifestyle stress.

Bansi Yoga, created by the S. Vyasa Yoga University using a combination of traditional yoga, breathing exercises and flute melody, will get the official stamp of approval in the capital at the third World Flute Festival, "Raasrang 2012", Aug 9-12. The festival will be presented by the Ministry of Culture and the Krishna Prerna Foundation with support from flute maestro Hariprasad Chaurasia.

A team of experts will demonstrate the yoga and discuss its healing powers in 12 workshops over four days at Hotel Ashok in the capital, Arun Buddhiraja, the founder of the Krishna Prerna Foundation, said.

"Bansi Yoga is a combination of yoga and flute used as a deep relexation technique in 40 minutes of cyclic meditations. The practitioner moves his limbs in a cyclic pattern and the flute, played as an accompaniment, allows him to relax. The relaxation induced is equivalent to eight hours of sleep," Buddhiraja told IANS.

The flute was a symbol of love, peace and water, he said.

Explaining the dynamics of the Bansi Yoga, Buddhiraja said in some postures, the practitioner stands straight with his hands alongside at right angles. The practitioner then moves his hand in a cyclic manner to the music of the flute. The cyclic motion fans from the hand to the fingers and to the shoulders.

The meditation is followed by chanting of the words Ukara, Akara, Makara (u, aa, maa) - the essence of the word Omkara - to create magnetic sound resonance in the body, Buddhiraja said.

"It is a physiological and psychological clean-up," he said. The Bansi Yoga courses are designed for two groups of people - corporate executives and the common people.

Commenting on the power of flute and "Raasrang", writer and researcher Devdutt Pattanik said breath is the connection between matter and soul. When breath was rhytmic, there was music, Pattanik said about the cosmic power of the flute. "It draws one to the centre of existence," he said.

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Try flute yoga to beat stress

Colin Hendry has been appointed as first team coach at Blackburn Rovers.

The 46-year old former Ewood Park skipper has been added to Steve Kean's coaching staff ahead of the 2012/13 season and is looking forward to helping his old club and again being involved so closely with the game.

"I'm very excited for myself and my family," Hendry said. "It's a shot in the arm for me. I'm looking forward to it.

"When you've been in the industry for as long as I've been, like a lot of people have, I suppose you're a bit like a fish out of water.

"You keep your hand in as much as you can, I've done a lot of media work, but it's nothing like being involved in the game itself. It's the next best thing after playing.

"I've had offers, one or two from abroad, and it's well versed what's happened in my life. It had to be right, not just for me, but for the family as well."

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Hendry delighted with Blackburn coaching appointment