New PC

We are planning on buying a new PC soon, and I think this is the one from Dell, their 4550 model, that it will be. (But without the thin-screen monitor. The traditional cathode ray tube monitors still have deeper colors, and better re-paint speeds, that are important for games and video.)


rating

20 Most Useful Websites

I don't have any hyper-links for this post yet, but these sites are supposed to be the 20 most useful sites the web. Let me know what you think.

Get Paid For Speaking Out
1) epinions [epinions.com]

This site collects opinions from buyers of almost anything you can think of. As you read along, you will flag the people and opinions you find most useful. Over time, they develop into a trusted circle of advisors. You'll want to deliver critiques of your own. Get up to three cents per page view.

Learn Anything
2) FindTutorials.com [findtutorials.com]

Learn how to tie a bow tie, host a baby shower, drive a stick shift, or any of the thousands of other skills in dozens of categories by following the links to free lessons. Can't find what you're looking for? Try posting your requests to the Wish List forum and someone may be able to help you.

Access The Web Via Telephone
3) Tellme [tellme.com]

The best voice portal that lets you call toll-free and use voice recognition to ask for your personalized Web info, whether it's headlines, stock updates, restaurant listings, or a direct line to a taxi service when traveling.

High Tech Social Secretary
4) Evite [evite.com]

Want to organize an event for 6, 20 or 100 people? This site calls or e-mails the invitations, collects RSVPs, gives directions and makes sure you don't end up with 20 potato salads and no chicken. What a great deal.

Remarkable Research Tool
5) Britannica.com [britannica.com]

It seems unlikely that you will ever have an encyclopedia salesman knocking on your door again because the contents of the Encyclopedia Britannica are available online -- for free. Search everything from A to Z plus related articles from 76 magazines. To make sure your search is complete, you'll get links for 125,000 sites. It's research unlimited.

Boredom Be Gone!
6) eHobbies [ehobbies.com]

Get into model trains and rockets, radio-controlled vehicles, and more. There are articles and tips on every relevant topic, sensible shopping that covers all the categories, lively communities full of aficionados, and an online magazine to teach you the basics of getting involved in any of the hobbies the site covers.

Get The Dope On Drugs
7) RxList: The Internet Drug Index [rxlist.com]

Here's the site for serious information on pharmaceutical drugs, including warnings, interactions, dosages, and overdose treatments. You can also search by imprint codes, the little numbers engraved on pills.

World Class Shopping Bot
8) mySimon [mysimon.com]

My Simon queries so many sites (more than 1,500) that it does a better job of finding the best deal than any other shopping agent. You can also search auctions and classified ads.

Salvation for Air Warriors
9) Biztravel [biztravel.com]

This site is all business. Among its many features -- an automated upgrade system to help travelers fly first-class more often, flight-status updates that can be sent to pagers, exclusive travel deals, and frequent-flyer mileage tracking. It also features Fare Guard, a system that searches for the lowest fare right up until departure.

Leisure Travel
10) Expedia [expedia.com]

Among the features is a family travel section, a Fare Compare section, seat pinpointers to help you get the perfect seat, a place to save your previous search queries, vacation and cruise wizards, and express service for frequent users.

Find Clearance Deals
11) Overstock.com [overstock.com]

Search through dozens of categories, from digital cameras to wristwatches to fitness equipment. Look around by keyword or brand name, or just wander down the categories.


BUSINESS SITES

Storefront Set-Up Services
12) freemerchant [freemerchant.com]

Get a full storefront, free -- complete with business hosting, merchant gateway, secure shopping cart, auction tools, traffic logs, package tracker, member discount program, technical support, and e-mail.

Webhosting
13) Earthlink [earthlink.com]

Take a shot at setting up an online store by going through the process of site creation, site publishing, traffic building, and performance evaluation with tools that are easy to use.

Software Super Store
14) Chumbo.com [chumbo.com]

This site is arranged into six easy-to-browse main categories, and the posted reviews from users and ZDNet give it a very appealing sense of community.
There's an excellent software section with sophisticated applications you can download.

Outsourced Tech Services
15) CenterBeam [centerbeam.com]

Centerbeam helps you build a business using preconfigured PCs and servers (including software.) They manage remotely and troubleshoot crises for you.

Locate Your Parcels
16) SearchBug [searchbug.com/packages]

Package tracking is one of this site's most useful services, bringing together tracking information from Airborne, DHL, Emery, FedEx, and UPS on one page.

A la Carte Business Builder
17) SmartAge [smartage.com]

Build your site, drive targeted traffic, advertise for free, and pursue strategic e-mail marketing. Read the site's excellent tutorials on site building and promotion.

Equip Your Business
18) BuyerZone.com [buyerzone.com]

One-stop shopping for all your office supplies. Submit your requests to get quotes from vendors on supplies, equipment, insurance, telecom, and more.

Human Help
19) Service911.com [service911.com]

Actual, living human beings help you get the job done. Have a question? Check out a video tutorial. Not good enough? E-mail your question and an expert will answer. Still stumped? Ask an expert to come by your home or office.

Protect Yourself
20) McAfee.com [mcafee.com]

Now you can subscribe to the McAfee clinic, a collection of Web-based apps to keep your PC tuned-up and virus-free.

eBay Friend

I have a friend at work that has sold all kinds of crazy stuff on eBay. Things like an antique fire truck. A Hummer. A back hoe. Expensive crystal. Things around his house he doesn't use. You get the idea. This is his account. He even has his PayPal account tied directly to a checking account that he maintains just for eBay. When he sells something for somebody, and the money comes through on PayPal, he writes a check, less his commission, to the person he is selling it for directly from that account. How clever.

New Toy

I feel kind of sheepish typing this, because it has no practical purpose to me other than my curiosity, but on the way back from lunch I stopped at Radio Shack and bought a decibel meter.

I can remember wishing I had one, occasionally, for a long time. Hammering in the garage wondering if I was doing damage to my ears. Running a shop vac or power tools. Riding an airplane. Riding the L or Metra. Standing under the L. Goliath's bark. The lawnmower. Inside the car at highway speeds. In a movie theater.

What made me think about it again was walking past the construction site on Wacker Drive. They had a HUGE crane-mounted pile driver pounding in HUGE metal pilings. The only thing unusual is that the pile driver was about 20 feet from pedestrian's heads! There had to have been a few violations with that. It was so loud that when I was a block away on Adams it was hard to carry on a conversation. Fortunately for me, by the time I got there it had stopped.

So now you can all look forward to sound level reports from me.

Humidifier

We went to Menards after work to look at humidifiers. Not much of selection this time of year. I went over and looked over all of the wicks and I opened up a few. They didn't have a replacement for ours, but I found one that was about the same basic shape, but about four or five inches longer. I bought that with the idea of just cutting off the part I didn't need. It worked! It was $9.00.

It is made of ribbons of stiff paper, and seems like it might sag under the weight of the water after a while, but if it does, it won't kill me to get another replacement for $9.00. Doing that will get rid of any mold that grows in there, and restore the wicking ability that gets diminished from all of the minerals that accumulate on the wick.

Cool New Eye Surgery Procedure

I am watching a documentary on PBS about a brand new corrective eye surgery. It is called wavefront custom-guided corneal ablation.

They said it is so much better than LASIK surgery that within seven years they predict that even people with 20/20 vision will be getting this surgery to get 20/10 vision! They used the term “super-normal vision”.

A computer shines a light into your eye and then analyzes the light that bounces back out of your eye. From reading this wavefront, the computer creates an exact map of all the little bumps and contours of your eye.

This map is then fed into a computer that controls an extremely accurate excimer laser. It uses the custom map to make thousands of little corrections all over your lens resulting in a near perfect eyeball. Less tissue needs to be vaporized with the laser than with LASIK, and I think they said they do not have to shave a flap of the lens off, so there is no chance of the flap being dislodged, and less chance of infection, and generally a safer procedure. The recovery time is also faster.

An analogy was that LASIK is like using a paint roller to paint a wall, and the custom procedure is like using a little artists paintbrush to paint the wall.

It is still going through the final stages of FDA testing and approval, but all of the results have been very good.

How exciting! I am definitely interested in this.

Emergency Update

The guy that was working up in the ceiling said he was wrenching on something else. He says the wrench handle hit a little half inch plug in the main chilled water line and it knocked right off. The line was under 200 pounds of pressure! They guy I got my information from said he's lucky the plug didn't shoot through his head.

Lunchroom Emergency!

Big excitement at lunch today! In the employee cafeteria there was a guy on a ladder working on something in the ceiling. Somehow he breached a high pressure chilled fluid line used to cool the building and computer rooms. It sounded like a fire hose. He was up in the ceiling trying to somehow stop it or reduce the flow while he was yelling at someone to go turn off the valves. The guy on the ground didn't know where they were and kept coming back saying he couldn't find them.

He kept grunting and saying "Oh no!". Sometimes it sounded like he was having trouble breathing because of the amount of water flowing over his head, nose, and mouth.

The guy in the ceiling was drenched with freezing cold soapy (anti-freeze?) looking liquid. At one point they rolled a big wheeled garbage bin to catch some of the liquid. The bin was probably about 150 gallons. Water weighs about 8.3 pounds per gallon, that means that the full bin of water weighed about 1,245 pounds, or 0.6 of a ton! They tried to push it, but it didn't move. I bet the axle was bent with all that weight.

The water was blasting full force for about 20 minutes. There is one of those expensive thin screen plasma TV's hanging on the wall right under where he was working. That was sprayed. Art work on the wall was sprayed. We walked to the floor below underneath where the leak was and didn't see any leaks…yet.

We had to move tables three times because water would start dripping from the ceiling where we were sitting. When we left there were puddles of water on the floor on the other side of the building. The water must have traveled along channels in I-beams or cable-runs.

The guy in the ceiling was cut up and bloody on his elbows, hands, and face. He was also probably numb from holding on to the cold water line for so long. The liquid is probably, near the 32° level, if not colder. We were all afraid the guy was going to get electrocuted.

They closed the dining room, but we were already there, so they let us finish our lunch and watch.

Diet Pepsi Addict

I fell off the Diet Pepsi wagon today. I will be strong again tomorrow though.

Political Leanings

In my college undergrad days my political lean was to the right and I voted all Republican. Over the years I have swung towards the center, and over the last couple of years I think that I now am more on the left. I am not at the point to blindly vote all Democrat, but I think that I would not vote for any one that is a hard core right wing Republican.

Here is a list of where I stand on certain political issues. I will use a five point system with 1 being far left liberal Democrat, 3 being mainstream middle, and 5 being far right conservative Republican.

Censorship and the Net - 1
Civil Liberties - 1
Death Penalty - 1
Environment - 1

Church-State Issues - 2
Nuclear Testing - 2
School vouchers - 2
Tax Reform - 2
Weapons Disarmament and Nonproliferation - 2

Abortion - 3
Health Care Policy - 3
Medicinal Marijuana - 3
Race Relations - 3
Terrorism - 3

Trade - 4

Firearms Policy - 5

Funny Quote

A reporter once asked football coach John McKay what he thought of his teams execution after losing a game. He said he was all for it.

Nearby fire

I was listening to my police scanner yesterday as this fire was burning in Downers Grove. It was huge. About 100 people had their apartments destroyed. I was a little tempted to drive over and see what was going on, but I was working on my home work.

All of the surrounding cities sent their fire crews to Downers Grove to help out. It was neat listing to how our city's fire dispatch center hands control of the squads over to the Downer's Grove dispatch center. As the fire was put under control I could hear the squads being turned back over to their home cities.

I am such a voyeur. I think I would replace my scanner if I broke it. I have it on right now while I am listening to the Super Bowl, finishing up my paper, surfing the web, and making periodic updates to my blog.

Humidifier

The wick filter in our humidifier got clogged up with dust bunnies, and they do not make refill wicks for it anymore (or at least we can't find them). In today's Chicago Tribune Sunday advertising section Sears has a 12-gallon per day console humidifier on sale for $30 off, for a sale price of $99.99. (part #14416)

I want to go to Menards first, though, and see what they have in stock. Menards doesn't have their products or prices on-line. I also wonder if I bought something that is sold in more stores than just Sears if it would be easier down the road to find replacement wicks.

Snausages

When we drove to Wisconsin last year for a day trip, I bought one of these Landjaegers sausages. Man are they good! You eat them as is, sort of like beef jerky, but much better.

We didn't go to Ruefs Meat Market, but they have some good looking sausages.

I am hunkering down now with a big glass of ice water and some pretzels to do some writing for school. Wish me luck.

I keep the following list printed out and taped to the side of my monitor for easy reference. If you want to use the "¼" character, just hold down the ALT key and then type the numbers 0188. Give it a try. Very cool trick.

« Alt 0171
» Alt 0187
× Alt 0215
÷ Alt 0247
¢ Alt 0162
£ Alt 0163
¥ Alt 0165
© Alt 0169
® Alt 0174
• Alt 0149
… Alt 0133
¼ Alt 0188
½ Alt 0189
¾ Alt 0190
¹ Alt 0185
² Alt 0178
³ Alt 0179
º Alt 0186
Ø Alt 0216
™ Alt 0153

I am boiling the chick peas now after letting them soak in water over night. Chick peas smell good when they are cooking; almost like chicken soup.

The sprouts are looking good. Lots of little curly white stems.

I want to get my writing assignment for class done early today so that I can enjoy watching the Super Bowl commercials and eating Lou Malnati's pizza.

We got a light coating of snow last night. Maybe an inch. It is another beautiful bright cloudless day, but cold again. It is only 7º right now.

Dinner turned out really well last night. I should have taken a picture of plate before I served it. Very colorful presentation. Sheri loved it.

The middle eastern restaurant in Columbus that I mentioned yesterday is called the Nazareth Restaurant & Deli. The address and phone number are:

Nazareth Restaurant & Deli
5663 Emporium Square
Columbus, OH 43231
(614) 899-1177

This is a link to a map.

Has anyone tried to look at this web page and instead a page comes up that says:

No Blog*Spot page was found for the subdomain: http://im2xlt.blogspot.com

This most likely means one of two things:

(1) This Blog*Spot subdomain is still available!

or

(2) This Blog*Spot subdomain has never been published.

Sheri picked up "The Bourne Identity" for tonight. It stars Matt Damon.

IMDB.com gives it 7.3 stars out of 10. That's a good sign.

It occured to me the other day that, except for one or two obscure films that were not on DVD, we have not rented any VHS tapes in probably over a year. All DVD.

Also, I would much rather watch a movie at home on DVD than see it in the theater. I like being able to rewind if I missed something. I like being able to pause to talk to Sheri about the movie, plot, etc. I like being able to use the restroom and get a snack without missing anything. Also, I hate hate hate sitting next to a stranger for two hours in a theater. Or when you get the talkers sitting behind you.

I might feel differently if we didn't have a 36" TV, and the sound going through a good stereo system.

Our rental store rents new release DVD's for $3.00. How much do you pay where you rent them?

In addtion to a bottle of lemon juice, Sheri also picked up a couple of fresh lemons. I squeezed the juice of half of one into the baba ganoush, and oh my God! It tastes absolutely wonderful! I wish you were here so I could share some with you. It is way better than any restaurant stuff.

You should try making some. The hardest part is finding a jar of tahini in the store. You don't use much tahini, so just keep a jar on hand in your refrigorator. I think homemade baba ganoush, hummus, and pita bread triangles will be my new standard thing to take to pot lucks.

I made baba ganoush for the first time ever and it turned out better than any I have ever had at a restaurant! And I have not even added the lemon juice yet. We are out of it and Sheri is picking some up while doing errands right now.

I pan fried the eggplant with a little olive oil until most of the cubes were a little browned. I let them cool and then tossed it into the food processor along with olive, tahini (ground sesame seeds. Looks very similar to peanut butter.), salt and pepper, and garlic powder. I left the skin on the eggplant. That gave the baba ganoush a nice rich color.

I also prepared a box of tabouli. It has to sit and absorb the water and olive oil. The next time we are at Whole Foods I want to buy just plain cracked bulgar wheat and make my own tabouli; not from a box mix. We have fresh parsley and tomatoes to add to the tabouli too.

About 10% of the alfalfa seeds have little white tips sticking out of them now.

Do not be afraid of using olive oil. It is a fat and is therefor dense in calories, but as long as you don't go over your daily calorie limit, you can't use too much olive oil.

My Weather Pixie took her coat hood off!

I have started a mailing list for this web site. If you put your name on the list, anytime I make a post, you will get an e-mail with that post. You will only get the first version of the post. Sometimes I post something, it doesn't look right, or I go back to add something I forgot. You won't get those. Just the first one.

If you are interested, just send an e-mail to:

im2xlt-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

You will get an e-mail back asking if you want to join. Just hit reply and send. I have set it up so that I have to approve any new members to the list. I check my e-mail several times a day, so it should just be a matter of a couple of hours before I get you added once you reply back.

Let me know if you have any problems, but it should be pretty straight forward.

"Fear Dot Com" was pretty bad. I ended up reading my first issue of Popular Science that just arrived. (Thanks M & D!) It didn't even have any good gore.

For some reason my blog page has been loading funny the last day or two. Sometimes the right column won't load, or there will be a box that pops up and says there is an error on the page, or sometimes the page won't load and a different page pops up and says that there is no such blog as im2xlt.blogspot.com. Weird. I don't think it is anything I have done. It seems to be doing OK for now.

No sprouts from the alfalfa this morning. I will keep you posted. Maybe I need an alfalfa cam.

Sheri is getting her hair cut this morning at 11:00 AM. She told me she made the appointment because I asked her this week if she was letting her hair grow out. I have to watch what I say. ;-)

I am looking forward to the Super Bowl commercials tomorrow night. (and the Lou Malnati's pizza!)

Today I am going to try making some baba ganoush. It is just like hummus, but instead of chick peas you use grilled eggplant. You use it the same way as hummus. I have going to serve it with grilled chicken.

My favorite thing to order at the little Middle Eastern restaurant we went to in Columbus all the time was the Mediterranean platter. (The description was "Everything you always dreamed of.") It had hummus, baba ganoush, falafel, pita bread, tabouli, and a Greek salad. I have not been able to find falafel in Chicago that is anywhere near as good as that little place. I thought it would have been the other way around.

We have discovered a new warm breakfast cereal that we have been eating a lot. I think I may have mentioned it in an earlier post. The brand name is Kashi. They have a number of different varieties, but the one we like is called "The Breakfast Pilaf". It takes more than 30 minutes to prepare, so we cook up a batch, put it in the fridge, and then use it within a few days. We have put it in the microwave with milk for traditional hot cereal. Stirred it into yogurt. And eaten it cold and plain. They also have all kinds of recipes and ideas on the back that sound good. Mix it with tofu, eggplant, potatoes, and spices to make a curry. Put it in a tortilla with salsa and guacamole for a burrito. Serve it cold with a little dressing for a lunch salad. (That would be similar to tabouli.) The only ingredients are:

1. Whole oats (not rolled)
   
2. Long grain brown rice
   
3. Whole rye
   
4. Whole hard red winter wheat
   
5. Whole triticale (a wheat and rye hybrid)
   
6. Whole buckwheat
   
7. Whole barley
   
8. Sesame

A half cup serving has a whopping 6 grams of fiber, which is 24% of the recommended daily allowance.

I have a little bit of homework for this week that shouldn't be too bad. He just wants us to expand a little bit on what we turned in last week, and read one chapter. No biggie. It think I will work on that while Sheri is getting her hair cut and running her errands.

We had dinner at Loco Burrito. We have been good all week, so we get a little bit of a Friday night treat.

We rented "Fear Dot Com" tonight. My expectations of the movie is that it will be a gruesome gory horror movie. No acting, plot, or character development expectations. Maybe we will turn off all the lights so we get good and scarred. IMDB.com only gives it 3.5 stars out of 10.

The dog pooped on the front room floor today. I have to clean that up before we start watching the movie.

None of the alfalfa seeds sprouted yet. I will post a picture here once they start growing.

I just saw that Blogger recently passed the 1,000,000 registered users mark.

I upgraded my free Blogger account to a Blogger Pro account. It is $35 per year. The biggest feature to me so far is the spelling checker. (not spell checker. I don't believe in witches.) There are a few other neat features, and some I haven't played with yet, but I enjoy doing this, so I thought it would be money well spent.

I have a question that I would like a lot of response on: Are the links on this page easy enough to see, or would you like to see them changed. A link currently looks like this: cnn.com

Would they be easier to see if they were a different color? Underlined? Etc.? Or do they stand out easily enough now.

Any input will be appreciated.

Thanks.

The Management

The Oakland Raiders are currently favored by 3½ points over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl.

I dug out my shortwave radio yesterday, and I think I am going to start listening to it again. When I bought it, I had fun with it, but it was hard to find English programs to listen to that were interesting. I ended up listing mostly to the BBC. Now with the internet it is a piece of cake. I found this website (hfradio.org) that lists everything that is currently being broadcast in English and on which frequency. Give it a click. You will be surprised at how much stuff is being broadcast.

I also updated my police scanner with some new police channels to search last night. I also found them on the internet.

I am really fascinated by radio waves. That is probably my attraction to the clocks that set themselves from the atomic clock in Fort Collins, Colorado via radio waves.

I am also excited about the new HD Radio that is being introduced. I know for sure that Chicago Public Radio will begin broadcasting soon in the HD Radio format, but I have not heard of any others. I don't know of any HD receivers being sold yet either. The first one will be for a car. I will probably snatch up the first portable one that hits the market. (The picture to the right is the first portable radio for the XM satellite service. I talk about it in the next paragraph.) The advantage is that FM broadcasts will have CD quality sound, and AM broadcasts will sound like FM used to. They will also be able to transmit digital information at the same time. That means your radio will be able to display the name of the song and artist, the weather forecast, traffic alerts, etc.

It is relatively inexpensive (usually about $75,000 - $100,000) for a radio station to upgrade to the new format, so it should spread fairly quickly. The radios that receive the HD broadcasts are initially expected to cost about $100 over a comparable non-HD radio. I think that will drop very quickly though. Eventually all new radios will be HD. I wonder if this will put pressure on XM and Sirius to drop the monthly subscription fees to their satellite radio services. I think their rates are $10 and $13 per month respectively. Too much for me. I think I would subscribe if it was more like $3 or $4 per month; or if I spent several hours a day in the car, like a travelling salesman (is that redundant?).

We are planning on getting a pizza from Lou Malnati's for the Super Bowl on Sunday (5:00 PM CST). I hope it will be warm enough to put a fire in the fireplace.

I don’t know why I feel so run down and ready for the weekend. It wasn’t that hard of a week. We had Monday off, and I didn’t go to work on Wednesday. The only thing I can think of is the extreme cold weather takes more out of me than I realize.

I just got back from lunch, and it is 13° outside. It actually seems warm compared to –5° from the last couple of days. I can’t wait until it really warms up this weekend and hits freezing.

Lots of interesting things on the police scanner tonight.

• A guy threatening to commit suicide.
  
• A natural gas leak.
  
• A house with its chimney and attic on fire.
  
• A car on fire because the radiator froze.

And that’s just the stuff I can remember.

Nell Carter died today from complications from diabetes. She was only 54.

More incentive to keep eating right. (and start exercising again.)

Tonight for dinner we are going to have some cream of portobello mushroom soup that I got at Whole Foods last night, and some eggplant. The soup is low fat and is made with soy milk. The eggplant I will probably cube and fry in sesame oil with garlic and soy sauce.

Last night on the radio they had a city official telling people to turn on the faucet to a trickle that is the highest and farthest away from where the water service enters your house. In our case that is the master bathroom. They said with weather this cold that the pipe between your house and the city main can freeze and burst if there is no water movement. I think I will let it trickle until Saturday morning.

I am starting to grow a beard again. People were so used to seeing me with it, they think I look strange now. I will grow a full beard, and then once I am tired of that I will shave it into a goatee.

This past weekend, while I was working on my MBA homework, Sheri went and ran a bunch of errands. One was to buy a new winter coat for me. If she hadn’t, I would have been in extreme pain this morning. It was stupid cold. Fortunately I can walk underground from Union Station all the way to Madison Avenue, and then I only have a one block walk to work. But it was so cold that even that would have been torture with just my black wool dress coat. This coat has a removable hood. Can you believe that I actually used it! Along with a stocking cap pulled down over my ears! You know it must have been cold. She really saved my bacon! Thanks honey!

No one has ever said on their death bed: "I wish I had spent more time at work."

Pretty much done with my paper. I am printing it out for a final proof read, and I need to add just a little bit more to the introduction.

Then I will submit it on-line, take a shower, and get ready to go to the mall when Sheri gets back from her errands. Yeah!

One 2-liter bottle of Diet Mountain Dew later...

I think that our next day off is February 17 for Washington's birthday.

I missed my 2:00 PM deadline to get my paper in. I don't think it will be a big deal, but we will see. I need maybe another hour or so. He is not grading them yet, just checking to make sure we turn them in. The work we are doing now will all go into one big project to be graded.

I opened up the two liter bottle of Diet Mountain Dew we had in the fridge.

Sheri left to do some grocery shopping a couple of other errands. She will pick up a replacement ear phone so I can be lulled asleep once again to my precious talk radio.

We think we will have a party after I complete my MBA in June. On the menu so far (subject to change though):

- a big pan of beef and sweet peppers to make Italian beef sandwichs from Portillo's
- a cake from the Mexican bakery nearby (Gigante Bakery)
- a cooler of beer, wine, iced tea, sodas, etc. and any special requests

Any other requests or ideas? A deep dish Chicago pizza from Lou Malnati's? A pan of Chicago hotdogs (also from Portillo's)? Famous Dave's BBQ?

Maybe I could do some type of hobo dinner in my turkey fryer? Corn on the cob. Sausages. Cabbage. Potatoes. Shrimp. Hot dogs.

I think it would be really cool to pack the house. Invite people from work. (Don't know how many would show though. Quite a drive for a lot of people.) Friends and family from Columbus, Toledo, Sidney, Akron, etc.

Back to work. Bleh!

When did Mariah Carey grow those?!?!

There is an organization called Transparency International whose mission is to raise awareness of corruption on a global basis. Every year they compile and index that ranks countries by the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians.

Here is a link to the 2002 survey results.

Finland is ranked the highest (i.e. least corrupt), and the USA ranks number 16. Bangladesh ranks at the very bottom of the list.

This web site, ExecutivePlanet.com, is really neat. It describes any cultural customs that a business person traveling to a particular country needs to know. Here were a few interesting examples for Switzerland:

• Keep your hands out of your pockets, especially when talking.
  
• Do not sit with one ankle resting on the other knee.
  
• Backslapping is not welcome.
  
• Point using your full hand. If you point with only the index finger, you will be displaying an obscene gesture.
  
• Although public restrooms are plentiful and easy to find, be aware that you have to pay a small fee to be admitted into a stall.
  
• Despite the austere nature of this culture, pushing and shoving are common occurrences in line-ups.

This site will be very useful for my paper. This week it is about the cultural aspects of doing business in Switzerland.

The chick peas turned out good. I am letting them cool before I start making hummus.

Sheri is now watching "Imitation of Life" on the American Movie Classics channel. She was all excited when she saw the listing for it because she has only seen the first 15 minutes of it, apparently several times, and has been meaning to see the whole movie.

I bought a half pound package of five grain tempeh yesterday, and I just cooked it up now for brunch. Very good.

The tempeh ingredient list is:

• soybeans
  
• wheat
  
• millet
  
• oats
  
• barley
  
• brown rice

I cut the tempeh into little cubes and pan fried it is sesame oil, soy sauce, and garlic powder until it was browned and a little crispy on the sides.

To make tempeh they combine the ingredients listed above along with some rhizopus oligosporus culture (Just like they do with cheese or yogurt and soy sauce. Of course each uses different cultures.). They let the mixture sit overnight in a moist 88º environment. This gives the culture a chance to grow. It is what binds all of the grains together and gives it a good taste. The tempeh is then steamed to cook the grains and stop the culture from growing. It sounds weird, but it is very tasty.

The eight ounce package I got cost $1.50.

One third of the package is considered a serving.

One serving had 15 grams of carbohydrates.
- Four grams of that was in fiber (16% RDA!)
- Only 2 grams were sugars.
- The other 9 grams were complex carbohydrates.

One serving has a whopping 12 grams of protein (24% RDA!)

No sodium.

10% RDA of iron.

3.5 grams of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fat (that is the good kind)
Only 0.5 grams of saturated fat.

Sheri is watching "Portrait of Jennie" on the Turner Classic Movies channel.

I am going to check on my simmering chick peas, and then start working on my paper.

Below is a map of where the new bridge is being built. (Click on it for a full sized map.) The bridge will be where the I drew the black line that crosses the river. The main downtown Toledo area is to the left of the bridge about 2 inches; about where the number "65" is on the left side of the river (you have to click for the full sized map to be able to see it). Across the river on the east side is very blue collar and industrial. It is also where the original Tony Packo's restaurant is. The western tip of Lake Erie is at the upper right of the map.

I found a web site that is dedicated to the construction of the new suspension bridge in Toledo. Below is an artist's rendering of the finished bridge cycling through night and day. This is a link to a page of four web cams that are focused on the bridge construction. The images are refreshed every 30 seconds.

We went to Whole Foods tonight. I went to the deli and Sheri went to the salad bar. I got a Mexican tempeh salad, kale and shitake mushrooms, and a vegetarian tamale. Sheri got a big salad and a bowl of corn chowder. They have a big eating area with lots of tables, chairs, and two salt water aquariums.

After we ate dinner we did a little grocery shopping. One thing I am excited about is a jar of tahini and a pound of dried garbanzo beans. I am soaking the beans right now over night. Of course tomorrow I will make a nice big batch of fresh hummus. We also got a box of bulgur wheat, Italian parsley, and two tomatoes to make some tabouli.

I started not to suffer some lower intestinal distress while we were shopping, so we cut our shopping short and went home. We were going to go winter coat shopping after that, but it just wasn't meant to be.

I sat down to start to work on my paper today, but I didn't get too far. I did get caught up on this week's bills, though.

Tomorrow:

1. Buy winter coat
   
2. Radio Shack for a replacement ear phone (I listen to news radio every night before I go to sleep. It is not unusual that I will wake up early I the morning and will still have the ear plug in my ear with the news or talk radio playing.)
   
3. Work on paper
   
4. Make hummus

The top speed of a Zamboni is about 9 mph.

I found a company on the internet called funtoos.com. They sell all kinds of temporary tatoos. This one is only $1.00. Shipping is $3.50 regardless of how many tatoos you order. This could be fun!

I am listening on my scanner to a big house fire being worked. One of the firefighters just called for a hole to be chopped in a floor. They said they have all the windows opened, and the attic is open. I wonder why they want to ventilate a burning building? It is the first working fire call I have heard on the scanner.

They have been working the fire for 30 minutes so far. There is one victim (don't know if that means dead or alive) and they are still looking for a second. I didn't hear where the fire is. There are three ambulances on the scene.

I also just a heard a call that some kids where shooting paintball guns at someone's house.

"Signs" is an amazing movie. I think that M. Night Shyamalan, who wrote, directed, and acted in the movie, might be of near genius level, and will eventually be compared favorably to Hitchcock and Spielberg.

The movie is exciting and somewhat scary, but there is no blood, gore, or violence. It is all left to your imagination. In the end when you finally do see one of the aliens, it is not really scary.

There is a lot of humor in the film. It is a very enjoyable film to watch. The pacing was perfect. Nothing forced or hurried and no long drawn out scenes. It was so engaging that it seemed about half as long as it was. The film is 106 minutes (1.75 hours) long.

Night doesn't go for cheap shots to scare the audience, such as flashing a big scary face on the screen. It is all very cerebral.

The casting was also excellent. The little girl in the movie is just absolutely adorable. It is what I imagine Sheri was like at her age.

Even if you don't normally like scary or sci-fi movies, you owe it to yourself to watch this one. An excellent example of film making. Fun! Fun! Fun!

Make sure you rent it on DVD and not VHS. There is a lot of very interesting extra footage on the DVD. Interviews and commentary with Night. Deleted scenes. Interviews with cast members. Behind the scenes looks at special effects, set building, history of the film, etc. We were up until 2:00 AM to watch it all.

I hope I haven't built the movie up too much. When I have gone to see movies that everyone hyped up as fantastic, my expectations were raised too high to have been met. The most memorable example of that for me was "The Crying Game". That's all anyone was talking about, and when I finally saw it, it was anticlimactic.

We are both upstairs in the office together. Sheri is watching "Marty" on TCM, while I am paying bills and doing research for the paper I have do for class next week. Goliath is curled up and asleep on the day-bed with Sheri.

I was looking at the AAA web site and what member services it has. You can get free CarFax reports. That is where you enter the VIN number from a car and they e-mail you a history report for that car. You can find things out like if it was previously totalled by an insurance company and then resold. They are normally $14.99 per report, or $19.99 for a CarFax membership with unlimited reports.

We also got $1,260 deposited into our checking account today from work. It is half of my tuition already reimbursed! I get the other half when I pass the class with a grade of B or better. With my previous employer I didn't get anything until after I passed the class. Nice.

I just joined AAA again. When we left Columbus I never rejoined in Chicago. They mailed an offer that waived the enrollment fee ($10) and gave us the second one year membership for Sheri for free. The total cost for our first year: $53. If we had this when we locked our keys in the car this summer at the concert we would have saved the $100 locksmith fee.

I just made Sheri some soup for her brunch. I sautéed a small bunch of watercress in a little bit of olive oil just until the leaves wilted. I left most of the stems on. I then put the watercress into the food processor along with a can of cold Campbell's tomato soup and a can of water. I pulsed it until the watercress was in small bits. I heated it up and served it with a sprig of watercress. She loved it and ate all of it!

We rented the movie "Signs", with Mel Gibson for tonight. IMDB.com rates it:

7.5/10 (17,931 votes)

We went to Portillo's for dinner. I got a very good grilled yellow fin tuna sandwich and a large salad with fat free Italian dressing.

Tomorrow we are planning on going to J.C. Penny's, Marshall Fields, Carson Pierre Scott, and Sears to find a winter parka for me. I have been freezing my tale off this week wearing my formal winter coat downtown. The sleeves are loose and lets air whoosh up my arms, and when I have it all buttoned up, there is still a deep V that lets a lot of air in. I wear a big scarf, but it still isn't as warm as a parka. I have even been wearing a stocking cap Dad! You know it must be cold.

I just found out that I have had a problem with being alerted that I have e-mails in my Yahoo account. I have 20 e-mails in there from yesterday and today that I haven't read.

Oh no! Bananas to be extinct in 10 years! Click here for the full story.

I am looking forward to a nice three day weekend, but I have a few pages of writing due for class next week, and a chapter or two to read. I want to work on it tonight; or at least get a start on the research, but I am afraid I will want to sit and relax for a bit and then won't be in a working mood. Wish me luck.

Hey! Notice that my weather pixie finally took her hat and ear muffs off. She has been wearing them since I put her on this page. Finally!

This is very cool. It is a GPS watch for kids. Parents can log into the web and see where the kids are anywhere in the world. The watch locks onto the kids wrist. The servcie plans start out at $24 per month. As these things become cheaper and smaller and more common, though, I predict Big Brother horror stories. What a time saver for the busy stalker. Just slap one of these on the bottom of a car you can know where someone is when ever you want.

Per Sunny’s question, watercress looks like parsley, cilantro, etc. and is sold in the same area of the produce section. It has a neat taste which I will try to describe. It has a nice “green” taste; a light peppery taste, but not hot or spicy; fresh; clean.

I have seen a lot of recipes for watercress soup. At my employee cafeteria they use it sometimes in place of lettuce for prepared salads, and that is what I bought it for, to eat fresh with a little dressing. Sheri thought it would also taste good on a sandwich instead of lettuce. The first time I had it was at a wedding of a friend of the family’s (Jody?) in Avon, OH. They had pettifore(is that the right word, or is that small pieces of cake?) sandwiches. It was just little squares of bread with a sprig of watercress rolled up in it. I was probably only in the sixth grade, but I remember asking what it was and that I kept going back for more.

You can pinch off a leaf from the bunch in the produce section to try it before you buy. Let me know what you think.

Eggplant is like a sponge with the cooking oil. When you put the chopped up eggplant into the pan with the cooking oil, it will literally sop it all up in a minute or two, so go light on the oil. I was reading a recipe in the cookbook last night that Lisa got for me for Christmas, and it said after you are done frying the eggplant, to press the eggplant against the side of the pan with a spoon to squeeze out excess oil. Just like a sponge. I don’t know if that is necessary if you go easy on the oil, and if you use a healthy oil like olive or peanut. Also, for that particular recipe they were going to continue cooking other things in the same pan, so the squeezing out was probably more to leave the eggplant juices to flavor the rest of the ingredients.

The sponge quality makes it neat to work with because it blends well with anything you want to cook. It doesn’t really have too much taste; maybe bland like bread. Buy smaller ones rather than the large ones.

I cooked a batch of the seven whole grain cereal we got last night and then put it in the refrigerator. This morning Sheri put some in a bowl and microwaved it for a car ride to the station. I put a little milk in it and two packets of Equal. Very good. You have to chew it much more than regular oat meal. All of the grains are whole and are not split or rolled. You can feel each individual grain pop in your mouth. We both really liked it.

With rolled oats the steam the whole oat kernels and then smash them with a big roller. This exposes the inner part of the grain that has all of the carbohydrates. From a diabetics’ point of view this is bad. It allows the carbs to be absorbed into your blood stream quicker and spikes your sugar level quickly. If you keep the grains whole, it takes longer to digest, and the carbs are absorbed over slower and over a longer period of time. This keeps you sugar level more even. It should also keep you from getting snack urges for a longer time too. The fiber will make you feel fuller.

We had a red plum last night and a black plum this morning. They were very tart. I guess you don’t buy plums in the winter time.

I also think I forgot to say I got an acorn squash last night. I used to hate squash, but the employee cafeteria will serve it occasionally and I have grown to like it now.

Here is a link that has the complete nutritional information for eggplant.

I got Sheri to eat, and like, eggplant! I picked one up at the grocery store tonight on a whim. I cut it up into about 1" cubes, and I left the skin on (that's where all the flavor is). I then pan fried it in a little sesame oil, and sprinkled on salt, black pepper, garlic powder, Lawrey's seasoned salt, and a little bit of habanaro powder. I served it with a little fat free sour cream. Put a little sour cream on the fork, spear a piece of eggplant, eat. Delicious. She said she really likes it and could eat it often. It has become one of my favorites. Very versitile.

We bought a bunch of other fruits and vegetables too. Watercress. Two plums. A peach. Two gala apples. Humus to dip vegetables in. A red bell pepper. Baby carrots. Wasabi flavored roasted soy beans. Roasted pumpkin seeds. Seven whole grain cereal (Kashi brand).

I am trying to eat better. I want to put more emphasis on vegetables, fruits, vegetable oils, nuts, and whole grains. Stay away from sugars, processed carbohydrates (white flour, grits, etc.), beef, butter, cheese. Fish, chicken, and eggs in moderation. I am defiantly not striving to be a vegetarian, but I want to shift the emphasis of my diet to the healthier foods, and be able to enjoy the splurge foods when I do eat them.

There are a series of special reports in this week's Newsweek that discuss diet research and how the human body is affected. A lot of it made sense. Pick up a copy.

I didn't have any Diet Pepsi today! I had one last night during class because I was losing steam.

I bought a Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Pot to keep at work. I made a batch of iced tea today, but used the decaffeinated tea bags instead of the regular. Pretty good.

The wind chill was -11º below zero. The regular temperature was 4º It hurt walking from Union Station to work. I am especially thankful for the employee cafeteria on days like today.

I have a postcard for Sunny. We keep forgetting to get postcard stamps though. We should have them tomorrow. I am still trying to think of a new trivia question for the next contest.

1. Programmer to Team Leader:
"We can't do this proposed project. WE CAN NOT. It will involve a major design change and no one in our team knows the design of this legacy system. And above that, nobody in our company knows the language in which this application has been written. So even if somebody wants to work on it, they can't. If you ask my personal opinion, the company should never take these type of projects."

2. Team Leader to Project Manager:
"This project will involve a design change. Currently, we don't have any staff with experience in this type of work. Also, the language is unfamiliar to us, so we will have to arrange for some training if we take this project. In my personal opinion, we are not ready to take on a project of this nature."

3. Project Manager to 1st Level Manager:
"This project involves a design change in the system and we don't have much experience in that area. Also, not many people in our company are appropriately trained for it. In my personal opinion, we might be able to do the project but we would need more time than usual to complete it."

4. 1st Level Manager to Senior Level Manager:
"This project involves design re-engineering. We have some people who have worked in this area and others who know the implementation language. So they can train other people. In my personal opinion we should take this project, but with caution."

5. Senior Level Manager to CEO:
"This project will demonstrate to the industry our capabilities in remodeling the design of a complete legacy system. We have all the necessary skills and people to execute this project successfully. Some people have allready given in-house training in this area to other staff members. In my personal opinion, we should not let this project slip by us under any circumstances."

6. CEO to Client:
"This is the type of project in which our company specializes. We have executed many projects of the same nature for many large clients. Trust me when I say that we are the most competent firm in the industry for doing this kind of work. It is my personal opinion that we can execute thisproject successfully and well within the given time frame."

I have not had a Diet Pepsi today! I think I will be able to go through the whole day without one too.

I had lunch from the employee cafeteria again today. One of the things I got was humus. It was good, but it was loaded with a lot of fresh garlic. I like it, but I think I will try to avoid any close conversation for the rest of the day.

We didn’t find a new winter coat for me last night. Almost got one, but when it came down to it, I didn’t like it enough to lay the money down.

After shopping we went to the Weber Grill restaurant. I have read a bad review of it, so that is why we have not been in a hurry to try it. I believe that the food was cooked properly, but I think the waitress let it sit under the heat lamp too long. Everything was very tepid. The bottom part of our hamburger buns were soggy from sitting too long. The top bun on Sheri’s burger was hard, like it was left out overnight. We ordered a side of grilled seasoned mushrooms to split. They were also cool. The bread basket that they put on everyone’s table while you order was OK, except that the sour dough baguette slices were probably sliced several hours ahead of time. As a result they were dried out and almost crispy, but not in a good way. I would have made a fuss and had them re-do our order, but I was trying to be quick because we hadn’t been home yet to let Goliath out. I think I still might write a letter to them. A $10 hamburger should be better than that. I think it will be a while before I go back. The concept is neat though.

Class tonight.

I love the Toledo Mud Hen's mascot!

I wish I had a copy of the old fight song they used to play on the radio when I was a kid. All I remember is the chorus which goes "Oh how we love them Hens!"

I am actually a little excited to go and buy a new winter coat tonight. I have had my current one for three or four years. It is time for a change. I got my current coat at an Army/Navy surplus store on a visit to Toledo.

Blah..... I broke down and had a Diet Pepsi around 3:00 PM. But just one though.

Tom M. in Columbus e-mailed this to me.

Ohio State University Head Coach Jim Tressel, Tempe AZ, 1/3/2003 (20 minutes prior to kick-off...

Men, tonight you embark upon the last portion of a journey that you started 12 months ago when we walked off the field after the bowl game. Part of the journey involved some of our friends leaving us for various reasons to go their separate ways. But those of you who remain are a part of something special here at Ohio State University. You stayed for a reason.

You stayed on because you care about the school, what it stands for, your teammates, and yourselves! All of you recognize that you are a part of something special here tonight. You recognize that you’ve come a long way from last January. I encourage you to savor it. Absorb this moment and seize it! Embrace it and take it the direction that YOU want to go.

There comes a point in each persons life when he/she asks himself: how do I want to be remembered?

Reality is so few people have the chance that you have tonight. You have the chance to effect the answer to that question. The moment is at hand. It is not about tomorrow. It is not about yesterday. It is not about what you did ten minutes ago. But part of your future and how you’ll be remembered will be shaped BY YOU over the next three and half hours!

Look around this room and look at the person next to you. How do you want that guy to remember you? How do you want him to remember the way you played in this game? How do you want your parents, family, and friends to remember your performance on this night? Will you be remembered as ordinary or extraordinary?

Thirty years from now when you have your team reunion you’ll see many of these faces again and you’ll shake hands. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to grasp the hand of that teammate 30 years from now and you look down at each other’s hand and you see a giant ring on the finger? You’ll reminisce and you’ll soak up the common bond that you have with your teammates that can never be broken.

The coaches have prepared you for this game. The trainers have prepared you for this game. You’ve prepared yourselves for this game. But there are several things to remember when you take the field:

1. Play with heart. No matter what happens, we don’t let up!
   
   
2. Play with passion. For many of you this is your last game as a Buckeye. But even for the underclassmen, do not take this situation for granted. Although you earned the right to be here, don’t assume you’ll be back. Play it as if it were your last hurrah. Play every single down like its the play that will save the game! Each play must be a winning play. As the game goes on each play adds up to a winning performance.
   
   
3. Play within yourselves. Remember what you’ve been taught and play within that. So often teams lose games because guys start playing outside what they’ve been asked to do. Trust your mates and know they have your back.
   
   
4. Have fun! Relish this moment. Two teams have a shot at this each year. That means an awful lot of young men will go through life wondering what it would have been like to be in your shoes. Enjoy this, men! Don’t be afraid to win!
   
   
5. Play like champions tonight! Play with the champion’s heart, mind, spirit, and attitude. Own the championship, men! Claim it! Own it! Be it!

Don’t let anyone take this moment away from you! Not the press! Not the fans! Not the media! And certainly not the Miami Hurricanes!!!!! Go out there tonight and show the world what Ohio State football is all about! We talk about the tradition that exists here! We talk about great men such as Hayes, Kern, Griffin, Pace, and Paul Brown. We talk about the colors. We talk about Script Ohio! You’re not alone on that field, men! The ghosts of Ohio State past will be with you! All season long we’ve talked about what it takes to be considered truly extraordinary. What it takes to be considered great! There are people in this world who are afraid to be great! They’re afraid to be champions only because they are afraid of the work and commitment required to be in the champions pantheon!

But not you! Look at your colors! Look at your helmets and absorb what it is to be a part of the special fraternity of Ohio State football players! Absorb the tradition! Play for the tradition! Play for yourselves!

Go out there and be champions! Be champions at Ohio State University!

I tossed my winter parka (as opposed to my summer parka?) into the shopping cart at Meijer's over the weekend. When I went to pull it out to leave, the zipper caught on the cart and yanked off. Tonight we are going to Galyan's to see if I can find a new one. We have an $85 store credit there.

I think there is a good chance that they will have their winter coats on sale to clear out their stock in preparation for spring merchandise, but I am worried that they won't have any talls. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Last week I maybe only had two or three Diet Pepsis. I can easily beat that in just one morning.

Early last evening, while I was finishing up my project, I finished up half a bottle of Diet Vanilla Coke. Not a lot by my normal standards, but because I was "clean" all last week it had a greater affect on me and I didn't sleep very well. I feel sluggish and tired today.

I almost broke down and had one today, but I was strong.

I will be meeting Sheri for lunch at Rice Fields soon. I like getting their trio of three Asian salads. We usually split an order of edamame (boiled soybeans in their pods). She gets an order of California rolls. Sometimes she also gets a bowl of miso soup. I usually end up eating about 1/3 of that. I don't know if I will get an order of sushi today too, or just the salad. Probably just the salads. It is actually a lot of food.

I need to take a break. I am going to watch a little bit of TV, then take a shower, and then back to work.

When I was in Switzerland last year I was primarily in Zurich, which is in the north central part of the country. Two or three of the days I was there we had to take a train to Basel for the day, which is about 60 miles north-west of Zurich, right on the border of France and Germany.

Sheri got this solar powered spinning crystal for me for Christmas. We normally leave it in the kitchen window, but since I am stuck in the office today working on my paper, I brought it upstairs and stuck it on the office window.

It is a beautiful cloudless day, so I have fun little splashes of light shooting all over the office. Every now and then one shoots across the monitor. When I get a brain freeze, or just tired of thinking about Switzerland, I lean back and just watch the light show for a minute of two. The office faces south, so I have full sun all day long. I love it.

This is the start page to all of the on-line data bases I have access to at DePaul. I spend most of my time in the Business section. I am getting ready to dig in now for my paper that is due tomorrow at 2:00 PM.

This is the professor's overview of the class.

I - Course Objectives

Global Economy is an introduction to international business from both macro and micro perspectives. It examines the environmental factors affecting national economies, industries, and firms. It analyzes current business issues and developments, which impact national and regional economies.

With the increasing interdependence of national economies and the growing role of global enterprises, the understanding of international economic and cultural issues is vital to business decision-makers. The material covered includes socio-cultural, economic and financial dimensions of global business. Students should obtain a good understanding of the basic theory as well as the knowledge of the major current issues in the global economy.

Learning Objectives

- Develop an understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing governments and multinational enterprises in today's global environment.
- Develop an understanding of critical cultural, economic and business issues in global markets.
- Develop an understanding of the changing patterns in trade and investment flows.
- Develop an understanding of business concepts, theories, and strategies used by multinational firms operating in developed and newly developing economies.
- The application of an analytical framework for examining specific country environments.

II - The Teaching / Learning Approach

The teaching format for this class is an interactive participatory one. Students are expected to come prepared to discuss the assigned topics. They are expected to have researched and read the assigned materials before each class session. The class will be conducted primarily as a seminar and animated by discussions,quizzes, updates and presentations.

Internet Use

Information technologies are changing the way people and organizations operate. Internet technology is changing the teaching / learning process. Learning the effective use of electronic sources of information is one of the objectives of this class.
The Internet will be a major tool for exploring our interdependent world. Several Web sites will be explored as "starting points" for further research activities.

III - Required Textbook and References

International Business: An Integrated Approach, J. Wild, K. Wild & J. Han; Prentice Hall, 2002.
Recommended books, references and Internet web sites will be provided separately.

IV - Attendance and Assignments

Classroom attendance and library assignments are essential and integral parts of the learning process. Students are expected to attend all class sessions and actively participate in the discussions. Active participation enhances the learning experience. Students are expected to make extensive use of DePaul Libraries references, directories, databases and Web Site

V - Methodology

This course is conducted mainly as a collaborative and reflective learning seminar. In order to enhance the learning experience, we will combine lectures, workshops and brainstorming with group exercises and discussions. Active classroom participation and research assignments are the necessary building blocks of the knowledge acquired in this class.

VI - Grading System

Students are responsible for the subjects, topics, concepts and cases presented and discussed in the classroom. The tests, quizzes and the research work will evaluate the student's understanding of key terms, concepts and questions covered in the class. The final grade is based on the total points obtained during the entire course. The points are distributed as follows:

2 Tests (Research Work) ....... 60 points
Assignments ......................... 20 points
Class Participation ................ 20 points

Total ................................... 100 points

Tests and assignments are evaluated on the basis of clarity, depth and relevancy of information gathered as well as the professional outlook. The overall grading scale for the final grade is based on a student's accumulated points. The scale for this class is:
93-100=A; 90-92=A-; 87-89=B+, 83-86 =B; 80-82=B-;
77-79=C+; 73-76=C; 70-72=C-.

This is the schedule for the class I am taking right now. I copied this from the class website that I wrote about last week.

Course Schedule
---------------------------------------
Session 1, January 7
Course and Textbook Overview
Chapter 1: The Global Perspective
---------------------------------------
Session 2, January 14
Chapter 2: Culture in Business
---------------------------------------
Session 3, January 21

---------------------------------------
Session 4, January 28

---------------------------------------
Session 5, February 4

---------------------------------------
Session 6, February 11

---------------------------------------
Session 7, February 18

Midterm
---------------------------------------
Session 8, February 25

---------------------------------------
Session 9, March 4

---------------------------------------
Session 10, March 11

---------------------------------------
Session 11, March 18

Final Exam
---------------------------------------

These are all of the possible outfits for my WeatherPixie icon on the right side of this page:

I thought of something a little different to do here. I am going to post a periodic trivia question. The person that responds first with the correct answer wins. (Just use the comment feature at the bottom of the entry.)

What do you win? An authentic Chicago post card! Real paper, with a real stamp, addressed with a real pen, using real ink! Not just one of those e-mail greetting cards. (Although, those are fun too.)

So with that in mind, here is the first question:

Where is this quote from:

"You can't fight in here! This is the war room!"

For tonight we rented "Barbershop".

We also rented a 1974 Italian film called "The Night Porter". We had not heard of it before; the cover just caught our attention. The description on the back sounded good, so we thought what the heck. IMDB.com gives it 6.5 stars out of 10, so that's not too bad. It is a five day movie, so we can watch it whenever.

Our old Friday night routine was to get a take-out pizza from Lou Malnati's and a movie. Lately we have been eating at Portillo's on Friday nights, and then going across the street to rent a movie. Tonight I had an Italian beef with sweet peppers, and a hot dog with mustard, onion, tomato, cucumber, and a dill pickle spear. Sheri had a hamburger. We split a large order of fries and an iced tea.

On the right side of my blog page, right above the Chicago radar, I have a new icon. It will tell what the current weather is my means of showing a little person wearing weather appropriate clothes. (i.e. just a winter coat, a winter coat and ear muffs, or a winter coat with the hood pulled up.) The background will show night or day depending on the time, and the weather conditions; rain, snow, sun, clouds, wind, etc. It also shows temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed, atmospheric pressure, and the time that the weather observation was made. I think it is a pretty efficient way to know what the weather is with one quick look.

This weekend I have to write my paper for school and read two chapters. We might hang some pictures and our new chalk board too.

I bought a copy of The Economist magazine the other night. My professor talked about it in class and said it has excellant writing, and is a very good source of world information. He asked if anyone in the class subscribed, and to my amazement one women raised her hand. (I was amazed that anyone subscribed, not that it was a woman.) If I like it, I think I can get a student's discount subscription.

The clock that Lisa got us for Christmas is really neat. It is (of course) radio controlled by the atomic clock in Fort Collins Colorado. But the really neat part is that it projects the time on the ceiling! The TV and lights have to be out. I need my glasses to see it, but Sheri's perfect eyes see it just fine.

I bought this wall clock at Wal-Wart the other night to hang in the family room. It (of course) is radio controlled by the atomic clock in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to the time, it also displays the date, day, and temperature.

I don't know where my fetish for clocks and time keeping came from.

It is snowing in Chicago. It doesn't look like we will get much accumulation, but visibility is down to almost zero. I can barely seet the Chicago River from my window.

Had a hand-over conference call with Todd and my new boss in Stamford. Went good. He seems laid back, hands-off. Todd said this is where he should have moved me in the first place. This group supports all of the financial applications in North America. The previous group supported global network-related applications. I will have a strong dotted-line reporting relationship to Todd.

After work we went to dinner at El Loco Burrito. We have discovered a new food at Mexican restaurants. It is called tacos al pastor. It is pork cooked on a vertical rotisserie, sort of like the kind they use for gyro meat in a Greek restaurant. It is cooked with lots of good and savory spices and pineapple on top so the juices drip down and flavor and tenderize the meat. (Pineapple has a chemical in it that is a natural meat tenderizer.) It is served on a soft corn tortilla and garnished with chopped cilantro. Here is a link to a page that gives a little background, pictures, and a recipe. Excellent!

After dinner we went to the bookstore to buy three pocket dictionaries. The only dictionary we have in the house is a very heavy unabridged dictionary in the bookcase in the front room. Almost daily I hear a word I want to look up, but to get up and go to the front room usually is enough deterrent for me not to. So I want to have a pocket dictionary on the coffee table in the family room for when we are watching TV and movies. One at the computer desk for when I am doing homework, writing, etc. And another on my nightstand. I got three different dictionaries. I got a Merriam-Webster, a Microsoft Encarta (yes, a paperback dictionary from Microsoft!), and an American Heritage. They are only $5.00 each; I don't know why I went without for so long!

We are watching "The Surreal Life". It is similar to MTV's Real World, CBS' Big Brother, except that the eight people in the house are all B list celebrities. I wonder what made them sink to do the show? I guess when the money runs out, you still have to eat. Interesting.

My first night of school was fine. Not too much different than my days at Ashland U. The class size is a little bigger. I counted 42 people. The average Ashland class was about half that. The professor seemed to feel obligated to fill the full three hours, so he asked us to break into groups and see if we could figure out the GDP of the US; the world; and the country that we had decided on earlier to write a paper about (I picked Switzerland). About a five minute exercise? Nope. I think he let us talk for over 20 minutes. He did that with another question too, but I forget.

Our homework for next week is to write two to four pages about the country of our choice. Things like industry, per capita statistics, culture, etc. We will all talk about what we discovered next class. We also have to read the first two chapters of the text book.

DePaul has invested a lot in technology for the students. Each class has its own web site controlled by the professor. When papers are due, we go to the site and deposit them into an electronic drop box. The syllabus is at the site. The professor will put notes, slide shows, handouts, etc. on the website. Announcements will be at the website. You get the idea. Pretty neat.

As a DePaul student I also have access to a lot of premium databases. LexusNexis is the I can think of off the top of my head.


I don't normally get ga-ga over cars, but the new Cadillac (concept car?) that was shown at the Detroit Auto Show is just unbelievable. It just looks sexy and cool and fast. It looks like the Batmobile. Gimme gimme gimme!

I also really like the new Honda Element. It is kind of like a mini-Hummer. The seats and rubber floor are completely waterproof and is designed to be hosed down! The seats in the back fold up to the side leaving room enough for two six foot tall people to sleep. It is inexpensive too. The two wheel drive model starts at $16,100. It has good gas mileage too. I think I read something like 28 mpg.

I was reading an article the other day from a think tank of political analysts. They were discussing the price of gasoline. They said if everything goes perfectly, and Saddam Hussein is ousted from Iraq, the price of gas could drop to about $1.10 per gallon. If things go horribly wrong, and Saddam torches all of the wells in the Iraq oil fields as a last act of defiance if his life is threatened, the price of oil could go above $4.65 per gallon!! Yikes. Time to buy a Prius.

Someone told me they think my blog is entertaining. Cool! What a nice complement.

Yesterday was the two year anniversary for Sheri and I at our jobs.

Super crazy busy at work. No time to make any posts. I hope to do some writing tonight. It is driving me nuts not to be able to make updates in a while. Everything is fine though, just busy.

Has anyone seen this super-cool concept motor cycle from the Detroit Auto Show? It is from Dodge, and it has a full Dodge Viper engine in it! It has 4 wheels, and the head lights are between the front two wheels. I heard that it will cost somewhere around $200,000 to $250,000 and only 1,000 of them will be made if they make it. It will be able to go upto 400 mph!