Here are the Top Three Winning Posts of December 2010

Have a Happy New Year!

In the right hand column there is a listing of the top three blog posts of the week.

These winners are rated by you, my friends of this blog. 

They are rated by how many page views they received in December 2010. 

 And the winners are:

Where's the 'charity' in charitable gambling? I'll tell you where...

by John A Stefani

Where's the 'charity' in charitable gambling? | StarTribune.com

Response to the The StarTribune.com article by Jean Hoppensperger

Hoppensperger did a marginal job representing the current issues of charitable gaming in the state of Minnesota. Charitable gaming in past years had been a huge contributor to charities and they still make significant contributions. Just not as much. There was a time when most gaming managers of charitable gaming operations could budget a month’s revenues based on the revenue’s of the same month in the prior year. This is true no more. What should have been researched and explained better in Hoppensperger’s article is why?

And Whose Footprints are Outside your Door?

These are what the birds and a squirrel left behind under the suet cakes in the fresh snow. They take advantage of the seeds and suet that is dropped by the others a little snack during their day. It's kind of cool seeing all the little foot prints knowing something as simple as hanging a suet cake can feed so many little creatures.

Our Family Heritage Christmas Ornaments

Above is the photo of the front of a single Bulb. It reads, "Look Daddy. Teacher says every time a bell rings, an angel gets his wings."--From the movie It's a Wonderful Life. There are two other imprint sides chronicling the stories of our family member's lives this year.

Here are the 22 Bulbs on which we imprinted personalized family stories. After imprinting all messages, the ink on the bulbs must cure for 5 days. There were 11 for the Zaccardi Family and 11 for the Stefani Family. 

We imprint something about each family member in the space on the bulb -- and no matter how "challenging" the year has been, we always try to find something positive to say. Each couple receives a bulb and each child receives one for their family heirloom. Over the years, we've transitioned from imprinting two sides, to three. We did this because

The Servent of the Lord has Come! Merry Christmas!

Isaiah 42

The Servant of the LORD

 ¹ “Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
   my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
   and he will bring justice to the nations.
² He will not shout or cry out,
   or raise his voice in the streets.
³ A bruised reed he will not break,
   and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
 ⁴ he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
   In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”
 ⁵ This is what God the LORD says—

Sticks and Stones

The cyber bully needs a life.

Bullying has gone into the depths of cyber world. These grown adults are the same children from the school playground that called you kindergarten baby and took your milk money.

Internet users are creating web sites that target other online users. Can you imagine someone creating a web site centered all on you, which says how much they hate you? An entire website dedicated to just you? Ah how special. Well no actually it can be quite damaging.

They post private emails, edited photos of you with offensive comments, hate messages about you, anything they think that discriminates you. You would think it would be just teens partaking in this online bullying, but it is not. It is grown adults who are acting like spoiled children. Just where does the madness in this stop?

Winter Solstice Lunar Eclipse

I think it is really cool that this happened on the Winter Solstice.

Self Assessed Career Interest Tests

Generally there is the misconception that a good career guide can give you the correct answer about your career hunt. Such tools help you to define the perfect options but you have to find it out on your own. This article will help you in self career assessment.

WWF - Year of the Tiger - Texting for Tigers

The next few weeks are a perfect opportunity to help the Tigers. You can make a difference.

Finding items to sell on ebay for extra cash

One could go as far as making each listing more attractive by using templates. Selling on eBay can be fun and rewarding. Z and I had been Power Sellers by maintaining an eBay store with over 200 listings a week. Our eBay Username is adxpress_mercantile and our eBay Feedback rating is 1599. It’s exciting to see that item you bought for 80 cents sell at auction for over $10.

Listing items can be easy or hard depending on how much time and effort you choose to put into the listing. When I first started, I used a photo and a basic listing. To see an example of this check out my friends eBay listings his username is: knifejim (http://myworld.ebay.com/knifejim/). He does pretty well. His strategy is to keep it simple and list 20 items or less.

As we got into eBay more, we bought a template from the user peepers_76 (Store at: http://stores.ebay.com/originaltemplatedesigns). Peepers_76 is a great example on how descriptive a listing can become. We felt that a snazzier listing was more pleasing to the eye and helped us sell more. We could use the listings over and over again and create a brand for our eBay listings.

Before an item is listed, one has to choose carefully on what item to sell on eBay. On the surface eBay wants everyone to believe that everything can be sold on eBay. Not all items can be sold on eBay and other items aren’t at all practical to be sold on eBay. There are items that are banned on eBay. I would recommend you reading the eBay Policies to get an idea what those are.

When I choose something practical to sell on eBay, I mainly consider:

Can it be shipped by UPS or the Postal Service?
Can it be packaged so it can be shipped anywhere in the world without being broken?
How much do similar items sell (not list for) for on Ebay?

I usually like shipping everything by the postal service. Domestic shipping rates are reasonable and insurance is inexpensive. For international shipping the postal service has easier custom forms and there are less custom hang-ups. As a beginning eBay seller you should familiarize yourself with the rules and regulations of the postal service. You can go to the USPS website and read about them. You can also visit your local post office and ask questions at the counter. I would recommend asking any questions when it’s not busy.

Because your reputation is at stake (through your feedback rating) you want to make sure your item arrives in one piece. I found a great article on packing eBay shipments at:

http://ebay.about.com/od/completingtransaction1/a/ct_packing.htm

It wouldn’t make sense if you bought something for $50 somewhere and then couldn't sell it for even $20. You have to do some research. You do have to know about the items you are planning on selling. So look at items you already know about. Then, go and search for those items on ebay and see what people are selling them for. More importantly, on the upper lefthand side of the page of all the items there is a light blue bar and under the Show Only category there is a check box to choose Completed Listings.

Once checked the listings change and how this helps is that the prices on the right that are red are on the items that didn’t sell and the items that are in green did sell and for that amount. With this, you can determine if the item will sell for what similar items are going for.

With a little research you can find items to sell and get some extra cash.

How to Receive a Lousy Gift Graciously

Unless you are an Oscar-worthy actor it is really quite difficult not to show at least some disappointment when presented with a putrescent gift.

Here are some tactics you might want to use in this situation.

Minnesota Winter Desperate Times for Squirrel

This is the view from our front window of our suet cakes we put out for the BIRDS. This squirrel went after a suet cake that hangs 20 feet off the ground. He did get some of it before slipping. At that point, it was hanging by one paw from the bottom of the eve.

His mission:  To either continue seeking food from the eve and risk falling to his sure (well, almost sure) death or try to get back on the roof. It seemed that he realized he was in a position to get more. He didn't seem to notice that he was in deep trouble.

Yes, the squirrel did lose his grip and ended up falling -- but not his "sure death!" The squirrel ran up on the roof again from a tree and tried to get at it two more times before giving up for the day. I tried getting some video but didn't quite have enough time for that. Perhaps next time I'll get the squirrel on video.

Save Money on Batteries for the Laptop

This is great for when the laptop is out of warranty! I can do this project!

Top 5 Poker Rooms in Las Vegas

If you want to experience live poker action at the gambling Mecca of the world, here is a guide to the top poker rooms in Las Vegas. You can read here updated info on each of the recommended Las Vegas poker rooms including their game variety, limits and tournaments.

3 Simple Ways To Save A Bunch Of Money When Buying A New Computer!

For most people, buying a new computer does not have to be as stressful as buying a new car. Nor does it have to be as expensive. If you're like most people, and you have a limited budget for buying a computer, then you need to try to get as much computer for your money as possible.

Here are 3 simple ways anyone can save money when buying a new computer:

Waiting Could Be Devastating, Protect Your Data

Have you thought about what you might do if you had a hard drive crash and required a full desktop restore? Do you have an idea of what you should do to protect your data? Do you know what software to use? Do you know how to protect yourself for next to nothing?There is a laundry list of software on the internet that is available for use. You have the ability, today, to search for any type of software you need to get the job done.

Protect yourself now. Be proactive at home and at work. Did you know you can use techniques at home that multimillion dollar companies use to protect their data? Did you know that you can do it at a fraction of the cost and still maintain a high level of security and data protection? I want to be the one to let you in on a few little secrets.

Can't seem to get ahead financially? Debts piling up?

Maybe you're making some of these mistake unknowingly. These mistakes listed below will help you understand where you may be going wrong and how to get back on track quickly. You can be debt free.

Mistake 1. Living Beyond Your Means

This is the real cause of your worry and stress. If you are spending more than you are earning, whose money are you spending? It's the credit card provider's or the bank's. The cost of this money is interest.

The way out - Make a Commitment to yourself only to spend within your income limits. Maybe you could increase your income (or cash in) by applying for more skilled positions, selling some of your unused articles or assets. Is the second car really a necessity? What about working out ways to make your hobby pay for itself?

Why not find ways to reduce your spending? How much would you save each year if you decided not to have the daily coffee shop coffee? Why not make your work lunch each day rather than buying it? Commit to only buying the necessities.

Mistake 2. Paying Off Less Than the Full Credit Card Balance Each Month

Get this debt under control and your life will be much easier. If you are like many others and only pay the minimum balance each month, the interest on the interest makes those purchases oh so expensive.

The way out - Find ways to put aside more money to apply to the credit cards. It will take time to reach this goal. However, if you don't make a start now you may never pay them off. This situation did not occur overnight and neither will the solution. But, by diligence and commitment you'll get there.

Mistake 3. Not Really Knowing Your Financial Situation

Before you can set meaningful goals and develop savings strategies you need to know your financial situation now. The best, proven and tested method by far, is by developing your own personal budget. This is not hard to do. Please don't give up now. Just follow these simple steps:

Let Natural Talents Guide Your Career

Today, I went to a session called the Natural Talent and Genetic Skills test facilitated by Michael Monroe Kiefer M.S. Through his research, he discovered that the people who are most successful or “Peak Performers” in many different fields had similar characteristics. One characteristic they had was they all set goals. The second characteristic they had is that they also had a positive self image and saw themselves as being successful. The third characteristic of peak performers was that they used their natural talents and skills in their professions.

It was interesting how he compared the sports industry to businesses. Most businesses review their employees, and they look at the 25 or so different skills that the employee does on the job. In this review there would typically be three to four skills that the employee does really well and about three to four skills that the employee doesn’t do well. The rest of the skills the employee does are average. What most employers do is not spend much time with the items that the employee does really well or the average skills but spend the bulk of the time in the review and after the review working on getting the skills the employee is the worst in and improving them. Keep in mind that spending time and effort attempting to hone those skills employees are less adept at -- at best, it would become an average skill. Mr. Kiefer stated that companies that do this are going to end up with average employees.

In the sports realm, they treat things differently. Take a football player like Bret Farve. When Bret Farve was in high school he already had the aptitude to play football and be a quarterback. In college, he continued to learn more about his quarterbacking skills and further developed those skills. At that point, no coach would have told Bret, “Gee, you are really good at quarterbacking and I see that you are a poor kicker; we should send you to more kicker training.” NO! They gave him more quarterback training -- because a professional quarterback is very specialized.

The better thing to do is to give that employee more training in what he/she excels in so the employee can master them to the point of being an expert. This makes the employee more valuable. A manager of a group project looks for the best people to complete each task of the project to assure the project is done to perfection and on time. A business is like a huge project with the project manager at the top.

He states that everyone has natural talents and we should all look at developing our own natural talents. This does make sense to me. I believe that everyone is an expert on some field.

Here is an article that I found about his system:

Google Voice, Make Free VoIP Calls

We all have heard of VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). The main web based service we all hear about is Skype. I had been toying with Skype for a few months as an additional way to call people and not burn cell phone minutes. Skype offers free Skype-to-Skype, video calls, instant messaging and screen sharing.  Then, to call land line phones and mobiles, and do SMS messaging they have a pay per minute or pay for month programs.

Their prices are very reasonable and I can see taking advantage of using Skype for international calls. When I tried it out in late August, with a Skype-to-Skype call to my brother-in-law, and I thought the quality was pretty good through my internet provider (IP).

Being frugal, the only thing that I really didn't like was the cost to line phones and mobiles, and to SMS messaging. Not that it was overly expensive but, I already have other long distance cell phone service that is included from my cell phone provider.  

What was introduced to me earlier this week was a free service from Google Voice. Google Voice is available as an internet-based application, through your Gmail or iGoogle account, easy to set up and has a simple and clear interface. There are some other great features for Google Voice.

Make Free VoIP Calls from Google Voice

For a overview see the video below

6 Quick Tips for a Successful Holiday Job Search

Author: Michelle Dumas

If you have ever conducted a job search during the holidays-if you are conducting one right now-it is important to understand that the holidays offer valuable opportunities not seen at other times of the year. Whatever you do, don't believe the misconception that looking for work during the holidays is a waste of time. Nothing could be further from the truth.

If anything, the holidays are a time to step up your job search. You should continue to set regular goals and take positive action steps on a daily basis toward achieving those goals.

Not only will you have less competition in the job market during the holidays, you may have increased employment opportunities as many employers are still interviewing and hiring. Some are seeking new staff to fulfill certain business goals before the end of the year and others seek to put new employees in place, to have them all ready to go at the start of the New Year.

Here are some quick but essential tips to help you maximize the success of your job seeking efforts during the holidays:

Are My Files Safe With Online Backup Services?

I use Carbonite to back up all my emails, photos, music and other irreplaceable content of my computer. It is easy to install, set up takes just one minute and it's completely automatic. As soon as you add or modify a file Carbonite automatically backs it up to their secure servers. You don't have to do anything!

Carbonite saved me a few times. I have Carbonite on two computers. On both computers the hard drive failed only a week apart and the hard drives had to be replaced. On another occasion my Outlook Data file on one of the computers got corrupted and I used Carbonite to restore just that data file.

It really works great and I know it's worth it!

And the best part is, it's only $54.95 per year - no matter how much stuff you need to backup. Check it out.

Try Carbonite Risk-Free today!

Now onto the article

- John


Are My Computer Files Safe With Online Backup Services Like Carbonite?

Microsoft warns of Java exploit rise

Both my sister and my wife sent me a document that refers to this link: Microsoft warns of Java exploit rise | ZDNet UK.

I looked into it and it seems valid. I updated my Java and removed the old version. I'm posting this for my friends who read my blog so you can have this information for your benefit. Here is what was on that document:

December 2010

Increase in Java Exploits
From the Desk of Bruce Showel 

Java is a programming and computing platform widely used for stand-alone and web-based applications/applets, including utilities, games, and business applications. The platform was first released by Sun Microsystems in 1995. Many applications and websites require end-users to have Java installed, and the software is used extensively because of its flexibility. Once a program has been created and compiled in Java, it will run on a variety of software and operating system platforms (such as Windows and Macs). 

What are the potential cyber security concerns?
There has been a rapid increase in the amount of malware that attempts to exploit vulnerabilities in Java. In the second quarter of 2010, there were an estimated 500,000 exploits, up from virtually zero a year before. Between Q2 2010 and the middle of Q3, that figure had increased to more than six million.

The attacks are based in part on older versions of Java. When a newer version of Java is released and installed on a machine, the older version does not automatically get uninstalled. This behavior was intended to provide an easy way to roll back to an older version in case of compatibility issues. However, there is an exploit code publically available on the Internet that hackers are using which detects whether previous versions of Java are installed on a user’s machine and exploits the vulnerabilities that exist in those versions. 

What can I do to be safe?
It is important that users are installing the latest version of Java released by Oracle. To confirm the correct version, visit the following site: http://www.java.com/en/download/installed.jsp. 

Because older versions of Java are not automatically removed when newer versions are installed, it is recommended that users take the extra step of uninstalling the older versions if they are not needed. The uninstallation can be accomplished by using an application known as JavaRa, which is designed to remove all traces of older Java installations on your system.

Home users typically do not need the older versions of Java installed once they have upgraded their Java software and should follow the steps below to remove the older versions of Java.

Happy Ending To Eden Prairie Man’s Tireless Job Search

Happy Ending To Eden Prairie Man’s Tireless Job Search � CBS Minnesota – News, Sports, Weather, Traffic, and the Best of Minnesota

I met Kevin Sperbeck through the Job Transitions Group that meets Tuesday mornings at Easter on the Hill Lutheran Church in Eagan Minnesota. If you remembered in the news about the people who went to the Minnesota State Fair with Resumes on a Stick? Yes. That's the group. He is a very energetic person, and I am glad to see that he landed a job. Networking is the key!

Twelve Days of Christmas Gifts Graph

Footage of the collapse of the HH Metrodome roof on December 12, 2010, due to heavy snow

This is incredible! It's almost like a scene from a movie. At about 20 seconds into the video you can see see someone running down the sideline toward the Viking end zone.

Dogs sliding in snow

This is a great video. Dogs sliding on their backs down a hill and loving it!

Blizzard Slams Midwest With 20 Inches of Snow

Minneapolis Airport Closed Due To Blizzard | World News Insight

Snow! Snow! And More Snow!

Blizzard Slams Midwest With 20 Inches of Snow - FoxNews.com

Snow! Snow! And More Snow!

New York Giants vs. Minnesota Vikings: Delayed By Snow, Will Favre Play? | Bleacher Report

Twin Cities Minnesota Blizzard December 11, 2010

This video was taken through the windows of our home in Rosemount, Minnesota, showing the blizzard that closed major freeways and highways because of the snow and the wind. Storm total snow accumulation of 12 to 17 inches and tonight it will get down to -9 F (-22 C).

Forcasted for today was going to be snow. Snow started at midnight this morning. It will continue this afternoon and it will snow into the night. Catriona, a friend of ours from Scotland, wanted to come and stay with us in January (sometime). Umm… well… winter can be good and it can be bad as evidenced in the video on this post. I really think that she would like it here better in late summer. She would really like the State Fair and the shopping at the Mall of America. At that time, Cliff, Zoaunne and I could show her how to catch her limit in fish in one of our lakes.

I went outside to brush the snow off my car, shovel the sidewalk and clear off the driveway with the snow blower. The wind is blowing from 20 to 30 MPH (32 – 48 KMH) so that makes the wind chill very cold! It seemed that I no sooner got done clearing it all off, when the snow was already starting to drift up again.Will be at it again later...

Raymond van Barneveld 9 Dart game in 2010 PDC World Darts Championship

This guy is steady!

"A Day in the Life of an Elf" at Macy's Santaland, Macy's, Minneapolis, MN

This evening we drove to Minneapolis to see "A Day in the Life of an Elf" at Macy's Santaland. Anthony slept in the car all the way there. When he first got out of the car he seemed that he didn't want to be there. As we walked through, Anthony seemed to enjoy the scenery with awe and wonder. As a three year old he is quite shy out in public.

After we went through Macy's Santaland, we ate dinner in the food court. I had lemon chicken with fried rice and an egg roll from Leann Chin. It has been along time since I had enjoyed food from Leann Chin. Z had Pizza, Sharon had a salad and Anthony had Chicken strips. Z teased Anthony that she was going to steal a chicken strip from him. That made Anthony laugh.

After we ate, we had enough time to get up into the skyway to see to the Holidazzle Parade. It was a great location. We went to the same skyway location that we had last year. As we were driving back Anthony was talking quite a bit. He said that he loved everyone! He said EVERYONE was important!

We were going to go see the Holiday Train that stops in Cottage Grove tomorrow night but, the weather is predicted to get bad. They are estimating 7 to 8 inches of snow tonight falling after midnight and 6 to 8 inches tomorrow with winds expected to be from 15 to 25 MPH.  It would probably be better if we didn't go.


"A Day in the Life of an Elf" at Macy's Santaland, Macy's Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN | Event | Vita.mn

Las Vegas NV Bucket List - Things that come to mind when I think of Vegas and what is fun to do

1. Drinks at the top of The Stratosphere (no expense spared on this one!) … $8-$10 to go up plus drinks $8-$10 at rotating table … ride a ride if you want
2. Breakfast upon arrival at The Golden Gate
3. Drive The Strip the morning of arrival as we head to The Golden Gate downtown. Drive the strip once at night. Try to avoid after that due to heavy traffic.
4. After breakfast walk around the downtown
5. See The Freemont Street Experience, downtown
6. Take pix by the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign on South end of the Las Vegas Blvd.
7. Take pix in front of Crazy Girls Bronze Buns at Riviera Hotel & Casino
8. Penny Slots, The Big Six Wheel, Roulette, Craps,
   Black Jack $1 at Casino Royale, Poker Palace and the Sahara;
   $2 Black Jack at Slots O’ Fun;
   $1 Craps at Joker’s Wild in Henderson and Slots o’ Fun,
   50 cents or less Roulette at Slots O’ Fun, Casino Royale, El Cortez, El Dorado, Golden Spike
   Poker for Doug
9. Go up The Eiffel Tower at The Paris
10. The free Pirate Show “The Sirens of Treasure Island”
11. The Volcano eruption at The Mirage
12. Maybe drive out to Red Rock Canyon; perhaps we could find where Benny Binion’s son, Ted, is buried???
13. Car Show at Imperial Palace
14. See new property, Aria at City Center
15. Ride the Gondola while being serenaded (in or out) at The Bellagio
16. See the Tigers at The Mirage
17. Do late-night meal at Binion’s Coffee Shop
18. While at Binion’s get your pix taken with $1,000,000!
19. 45-minute drive to Hoover’s Dam (90-minute round trip)
20. See the Masquerade in-the-Sky Parade at The Rio. Beads are thrown in the crowd and you don’t have to bare your breasts! (Harrah’s offers a free shuttle ride every 20 minutes to Rio up until 1:00 am – take advantage of parking at Harrahs and doing this)
21. The Tropicana has The Giant Slot Machine – try your luck!
22. Dueling Pianos at Harrahs (Su-Th 9pm-2am), New York New York (ntly 8pm-3am), sing King of the Road with a lounge act at a casino bar while playing black jack
23. Street Performers at Grand Canal Shoppes in The Bellagio
24. The Bellagio Chocolate Fountains
25. The Las Vegas Neon Museum in downtown Freemont Street area
26. Get pix with the World’s Largest Golden Nugget at The Golden Nugget
27. Get pix with a real Las Vegas Showgirl at Harrah’s

Here is a LinkedIn tip I learned today

With in Linkedin:

In Settings, then Profile and Status Updates, mainly keep the option "No, do not notify anyone and do not include me in company updates" checked and then about once or every few days then go and check the "Yes, notify my connections and show significant profile updates on my company's profile" and it would clear things out.

This helps avoid those pesky "Bob Smith has an updated profile (Industry, Headline)" and  "Bob Smith is now connected to Jane Doe" posts more hidden on other people's network Activity pages. 

Charter Communications; A Satisfied Customer

Continuation of the issue on the post: Charter TV Issues. You tell me. Is it a bait and switch?

Here is the response I received from Eric the Social Media Communications Manager at Charter Communications: 

Good Morning John,

Thanks for taking the time to send me this information. I reviewed the account, and was able to get you those additional channels and reduce the account by $5 per month.

You were paying $60.90 (before taxes) for you Charter Internet service, Basic TV, and a Digital Box.

Breakdown:

·         Internet = $34.99

·         Basic TV = $19.99

·         Digital Converter = $5.00

·         Broadcast TV Service Charge = $.92

o   Total = $60.90

Because we no longer have a promotion for a free Digital Converter, which is what I think caused the initial error, I was able to reduce the Basic TV charge to $9.99 for 12 months, and then I added the Digital View which is an additional $5, net result is a $5 savings.

Breakdown:

·         Internet = $34.99

·         Basic TV = $9.99

·         Digital Converter = $5.00

·         Digital View = $5.00

·         Broadcast TV Service Charge = $.92

o   Total = $55.90

The monthly total is before taxes, but is does reflect a $5 savings for the next 12 months, so I hope this is an acceptable resolution for you. Please let me know if there is anything else we can help with.

Thanks, Eric

Eric Ketzer | Social Media Communications Manager |

Rating of today's MinneapolisHires.com's Minneapolis Job Fair

Today, for my job search, I attended the Minneapolis Job Fair. They advertised the event as having “Over 200 positions will be available.” Some of the booth vendors advertised by the Minneapolis Hires website included: The Entrepreneurs Source, Country Financial, Career Directors International, Primerica Financial Services, Minnesota Army National Guard, Champion Career Management, and Farmers Insurance Group.

As a job seeker, normally I don’t like going to job fairs without knowing exactly what companies would be attending the event and what positions they are seeking to fill. I like to target two to three specific companies. Talking to companies not looking for a position in the job seekers field, is a waste of time for the company’s representative and the job seeker.

 

Since, I’m not really looking to get into insurance and financial sales, I knew I wouldn’t be speaking with Country Financial, Primerica and the people from Farmers Insurance Group. Though I am thankful for those who serve in the military, the Minnesota Army National Guard wouldn’t fit my needs either. At the same time, it wasn’t a bad start of a list for the advertised 200 positions. Even if each of the other companies represented had several positions available, there would be a few to choose from within my field.

With business cards and a short stack of resumes in hand, I went into it without know who I was going to talk to. The event was held at the Holiday Inn & Suites Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. In-person registration was easy, and all I had to do is provide a valid email address. As I entered the room, I scanned the booths. Except for the companies they had listed, there was also Amway, ACR At Home Healthcare, couple of temp agencies, a company selling jewelry and another selling an opportunity on selling energy juice. I was not impressed.

 

What is Amway, the multilevel marketing (MLM) company, doing at a job fair? People typically get into MLM companies not as a sole income source but to get good quality items at wholesale prices. I suppose if you get a few people in your down line it would be alright. To make a living with any MLM program one would have to make all his/her friends and relatives an employee. Isn’t that the same process you have to do if you were planning on selling insurance? Get all your friends and relatives to buy from you? I think MLM companies are targeting the unemployed hoping the MLM company can make money for itself.  Like unemployed people have money for such things. People can get a better deal buying products through double coupons from the local Rainbow on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Out of the bunch, ACR At Home Healthcare was the only quality employer in the group and they were looking for people that home health care skills, which I don't have.

This Minneapolis Hires job fair was designed for those who have no idea what career direction they are targeting. I have been to better job fairs. It seems that Minneapolis Hires has to learn some lessons about the promotion of their job fairs. Since I used my time at the event to network with other job seekers, I didn’t totally waste my time. Of course, I could have saved some gas and wear and tear on my car by just walking from my home to the local coffee house and networked with some people there.

My conclusion: MinneapolisHires.com over-promised and under-delivered this job fair.

What are your thoughts?

If you attended this particular job fair and got good leads or an interview, I’d like to hear about it. Please comment in this blog.

End of the year document shredding.

Zena and I are members at the United Educators Credit Union. Zena had called their office and told them she was a member and she asked them when their next scheduled document shredding day was occurring.  She was told that they typically do the shredding twice a year and the next time it would be scheduled is in the spring time. She told them that she appreciated the opportunity for the FREE document shredding.

She was then told that because she is a member of the United Educators Credit Union she could bring in her documents to shred anytime. The credit union shreds their documents every week and any member can bring in documents to be shredded and added to what the credit union shreds.

Zena then asked about the security of the documents and was told that they lock up the documents in a secure box and it doesn’t get opened again and goes straight into the shredder. I am glad Zena and I are members to get this service. We get really great service from the United Educators Credit Union and would highly recommend that if you are a school employee, a select employee groups or related to a school employee that is a member you should join.

When you shred your old documents you can prevent identity theft!

LINKS:

To get more information on joining United Educators Credit Union: http://www.uecu.coop/membership/eligible.asp

What documents should be shredded and when?
http://www.atg.wa.gov/askcolumn.aspx?id=20554

Frosty the Snowman?

We saw Frosty before the Hallelujah! concert at the North Heights Church in Arden Hills. Zena and I were the Tour Guides for the Hastings Senior Center. It was a good time!

Charter TV Issues. You tell me. Is it a bait and switch?

According to Wikipedia - a bait-and-switch in retail sales is a form of fraud in which the party putting forth the fraud lures in customers by advertising a product or service at a low price or with many features, then reveals to potential customers that the advertised good is not available at the original price or the list of assumed features is different 

Click here for the Follow up Post on this Post!

On Wednesday December 2nd, I received a call from Charter Communications. The guy tried to get us on one of those Phone/Internet/TV channel packages for around $110. Being unemployed, I just couldn’t bring myself to go there. He asked me about my phone service and I told him it that we only had cell and no land line. He saw that we were getting only the basic channels and said for an extra $5 per month we would get more channels that included USA network and TBS and, they would include the Digital Converter for free. I re-verified that the digital box was free and the installation was free. For a potential job network lead,  I asked him his name and where he was located. His name was Twyan Hodges.

 Today, the installer came, did some things on the telephone pole with the cable wires and installed the box in the house. After the installer left, I started surfing. I notices that I wasn’t getting any of the channels that Tywan had said I was going to get. I checked my on-line bill and indeed that $5 was charged to my account. So I decided to chat with a person from Charter.

Here is the transcript:
Thank you for choosing Charter Chat Live! A Customer Care representative from Cable TV Support will be with you shortly.
You have been connected to TTD Ruby .
TTD Ruby : Hi John. Thanks for contacting Charter Communications. How can I help you today?
John Stefani: I would like to know what the specific channels I'm paying for within my TV service with your company?
TTD Ruby : I would be more than happy to look it up on the account and check your channel line up.
TTD Ruby : I was able to pull up the account using the phone number you entered. Please verify the service address and the Security Code. The Security Code is a four-digit number located at the upper right corner of the billing statement.
John Stefani: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
John Stefani: Rosemount, MN 55068
John Stefani: Security Code XXXX
TTD Ruby : Thank you. The email address you entered matches the one on the account. We’ll be sending important updates relating to your account to this email address.
TTD Ruby : Thank you for the information, John.
TTD Ruby : Give me a moment to check your channel line up.
John Stefani: I just chatted with someone from your company about 3 minutes ago and they said the same thing. Please don't send duplicates of e-mails
TTD Ruby : Okay.
TTD Ruby : These are the list of channels that you currently have.
TTD Ruby : Basic - 21 Channels
2 KTCA - PBS
3 WFTC - MyTV
4 WCCO - CBS
5 KSTP - ABC
6 Local Access
7 QVC
8 CSPAN
9 KMSP - FOX
10 Educational Access
11 KARE - NBC
12 Public Access
13 WUCW - CW
14 Charter Media
15 TV Guide
16 Government Access
17 KPXM - ION
18 KSTC - IND
19 KTCI - PBS
20 Home Shopping Network
22 Educational Access
23 WGN -
TTD Ruby : You can also get On Demand movies on channel one.
John Stefani: Tywan Hodges from your Wisconsin Call Center said I'd get additional channels with the digital box they installed today for the $5 month extra.
TTD Ruby : These are the channel line up for $5.00 additional.
TTD Ruby : gital View - 31 Channels
100 Nick Jr.
104 Teen Nick
106 Nicktoons Network
107 Sprout
108 Nickelodeon Too-West
130 ReelzChannel
136 Do It Yourself
178 American Life TV
184 The Church Channel (Olympusat)
185 JCTV (Olympusat)
186 Smile of a Child (OlympuSat)
187 Daystar
188 FamilyNet (Olympusat)
189 3ABN -
190 BYUTV
230 Bloomberg
232 Fox Business Network
236 CNN International
302 Lifetime Movie Network
307 Women's Entertainment
317 MTV Hits
318 Tr3s
320 MTV Jams
322 VH-1 Classic
324 VH-1 Soul
326 CMT Pure Country
327 mtvU
328 Centric
330 Great American Country
402 ESPN U
408 Fuel TV
John Stefani: That's in the extra $5 am already paying?
TTD Ruby : Those channels were not added yet on your account.
TTD Ruby : The cable box was just added up today right>
John Stefani: Yes It was just added today.
TTD Ruby : The channels that you will get for the box is the On Demand movies on channel one.
John Stefani: I'm not planning on using the On Demand feature. Without extra Channels paying an extra $5 per month I don’t see any benefit.
TTD Ruby : Actually, those channels were not added yet on your account.
TTD Ruby : It is your choice if you would keep the same channels or if you would like to add.
John Stefani: OK, so what Tywan Hodges said is true. I'll be getting those with the Box?
TTD Ruby : Are you referring to the 31 channels?
John Stefani: Yes
TTD Ruby : You have to subscribe to those channels first before you can have it. It is $5.00 per month.
John Stefani: The box was free right?
TTD Ruby : No. You are renting the box for $5.00 per month.
John Stefani: I think what we had there was a Bait and Switch. Tywan said that I'd get those extra channels for $5 with the box and the box was free.
TTD Ruby : The only channels that you have are the 21 channels.
John Stefani: Then I don’t want the box!!!!
TTD Ruby : I'm sorry to hear that you want to remove the box.
John Stefani: This is a definite bait and switch.
John Stefani: Boy do I have something to write about on facebook!!
TTD Ruby : I’m sorry to hear about the confusion of the channels that you suppose to have.
John Stefani: You going to send someone to pick up the box?
TTD Ruby : We can send someone to pick up the box, however there will be a fee. You may also return the cable box to the local office anytime.
John Stefani: Sure -- The office is still in Apple valley?
John Stefani: Last time I accept any call from a Charter Sales Rep.
TTD Ruby : Let me check for the office address.
TTD Ruby : Thank you for patiently waiting.
TTD Ruby : Charter Office
TTD Ruby : 16900 Cedar Ave South
TTD Ruby : Rosemount MN 55068
TTD Ruby : Monday 8:30 AM- 5:30 PM
Tuesday 8:30 AM-5:30 PM
Wednesday 8:30 AM-7:00 PM
Thursday 8:30 AM-5:30 PM
Friday 8:30 AM-5:30 PM
John Stefani: I know where that is.
John Stefani: You are going to take the $5 I was charged for off my bill?
TTD Ruby : Yes, once the box is already retunred.
John Stefani: You'll get it back Monday Morning.
TTD Ruby : Okay.
TTD Ruby : That will be noted on your account.
TTD Ruby : Is there anything else I can assist you with before I transfer you to the Telephone billing Department?
John Stefani: One moment please...
TTD Ruby : Okay.
John Stefani: Hmm... I'm not sure I need to be Xfered to the Telephone billing Department since, I don't (or shouldn't) have telephone service with Charter. Did Tywan Hodges sign me up for that too?

 --

I'm sorry I cut off the very end of the transcript. Basically he apologized for sending the wrong send and we ended fairly normally. 

This is a Bait and Switch or Tywan needs some major coaching!  

Click here for the Follow up Post on this post! 

2010 Hastings Community Education Holiday Light Tour Video - Grand Finale

As you can see, it was a good time for all!

First blog post in a long time!

Boy, it looks like I haven't had a post on here for over a year. Many things have happened. I've lost my job at and I'm currently in the job search. I got let go at the beginning of July. It's funny. When I interviewed for the company I got let go from for that entry level job, I was going to college and said to Ron, the interviewer who would become my supervisor for the position, "I'm only going to be here through the Summer and then I'll move on to a better job." That was 24 years ago last March.

Boy, it looks like I haven't had a post on here for over a year. Many things have happened. I've lost my job at and I'm currently in the job search. I got let go at the beginning of July. It's funny. When I interviewed for the company I got let go from for that entry level job, I was going to college and said to Ron, the interviewer who would become my supervisor for the position, "I'm only going to be here through the Summer and then I'll move on to a better job." That was 24 years ago last March.

Since then, I have been going to networking events, and classes at the local Workforce centers. I've worked for 12 days at the Minnesota State Fair at a booth for a company called "Carpet Court". Good company. Anyone looking for any type of flooring (carpeting, tiling, wood flooring) and Silestone or Granite counter tops should check them out. They were good people to work for and they have some great products. I have also volunteered through the Minnesota Jaycee Charitable Foundation with their Bingo operation at their Hasting Eagle's site and a few days before elections calling for a political party for their get out the vote campaign. The phone calling experience was fun but that could be a blog post right there.

I had a about six phone interviews and three face to face interviews. Things have sure changed since I had to look for a job. In that time with that company I had to interview for the entry level position and a second time for the Buyer's position with the company. Now people apply on-line. You send it off and "Poof". Who knows where it goes.  If they don't want you, you may not even get a response.   This type of on-line job application process pits the applicant against at least a hundred other applicants. These companies have computer programs that would scan your digital resume and looks for the certain key words the company is looking for in their candidates. The resume has to be customized so the skill words the applicant has on it that relate to the companies skill words need to match as close as possible. On top of that, if the job description show that there are ten skill requirements and you only have nine? Forget it. In this job market there is a person that has all ten and, if you have nine of the requirements, then it's not you.

I've been mainly focusing more of my time networking then searching the internet for jobs. The way I get the networking process is that you have to help others out, but you can't just expect them to help you. It's where you get people thinking about helping me in my job search because, they want to help me since I've helped them out in their job search. I've heard some network presenters say that one should connect with five people per day. I have done that. I have quite a few people on Facebook (356 people) and Linkedin (186 people) as well as a few on Twitter. I just have to keep the network healthy. Increase the quality rather then working on increasing quantity of people. Of course, as I meet new people I'll connect to them on those sites. It's all to get at that hidden job market.