Jeremy Rifkin- Expert, Author.....short summary of Beyond Beef

I've just read Rifkin's book about the cattle and beef industry- Beyond Beef. It is very critical of the beef industry.

He presents an amazing critique and summary of the industry. He reveals that the beef industry is actually causing global and environmental threats to mankind and the earth that may end up being catastrophic. Yes, you read that right.

It is not just a matter of animal rights. And yes, the fact that beef and animal products are a cause of health problems and disease is very important and actually tragic.

But Rifkin shows that the whole beef and cattle issue is more than those things- it is actually a matter of survival for mankind and the earth. If the developed world, which demands and consumes beef, continues their beef-consumption lifestyle, the earth may not be able to handle it. More than that, much of the world has been and is now suffering the serious consequences of this over-emphasis on beef. Rifkin points out that beef is big business all over the world.

The beef and cattle industry is a contributing factor to the fact that almost 20% of the world s population is living in abject poverty and with rampant disease and death. The poorest people of the world are starved to support the appetites of wealthy nations.

Great Charity: Smiletrain

This is a link to a wonderful charity that provides children with cleft surgery to greatly improve their smile, their face and their life. One of these surgeries only costs about $250.

www.smiletrain.org or 1-800-932-9541

The Power of Journalism

This story shows it. The LA Times had a story yesterday, Thursday, Sept. 17, about 20 developmentally-disabled people getting evicted from an apartment complex.

CA Gov. Arnold saw the article, tweeted about it, and then- boom! He stepped in, and the apartment mgmt. company has decided to let them stay.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/schwarzenegger-stops-monrovia-eviction.html

Happy writing....

Icons and Social Media Marketing Series

I am just gonna go for it. It's about time!

Yes, I have some big goals for this blog- I wanna be on the Top 20 on Technorati!!!! And you can help me....ok, seriously, this is a journey, so let's get back to the item at hand.

It has been fun learning the code and process for getting icons onto a blog or website. Once you get the code and find a place for the images to reside, it is easy to place the cool icons where you want them. Then, voila! people can click-through to another webpage.

So, back to my goal- I want to create a blog that is popular, relevant, practical, informative, diverse, fun, cool, hip and much much more.

I want the blog to have very useful, important information for people on a wide variety of topics-- but of course not too broad and general.

Idea: a blog that spawns other blogs about specific subjects- tech; health; careers; politics; pets and animals; environment; the list goes on & on!!!

I will keep you updated.

Today I am learning more about utilizing Technorati to help bloggers increase their rank and traffic. More on this later.

Also, today is the anniversary of 9/11. So I think we should all pay respect and honor to those who lost their lives and who were deeply affected by the events of that day. God Bless America.

How to Place Social Media Icons on Your Blog

I am helping my clients with social media marketing, branding and SEO. This blog entry will start a series of entries on How To Place Social Media Icons on Your Blog.

This is something pretty basic. But I am intending this entry and other ones for those who do not know anything about websites, code, blogs, etc.

So this short tutorial is for those who want to learn more about blogs, websites, code and the like. I will try to put everything in simple, easy-to-understand language so anyone can understand it.

It's That Time of Year

It is early September. School has started for most everyone. Fall is just around the corner. And yes, for Americans, it is now football season.
I do feel that many people get too "into" football and other sports. I have to admit, there are many things about football that are interesting and exciting. I do not want to be too critical, but here are some things that I do not like about it:
1. Too violent- people get injured regularly.
2. Dysfunctional- the very purpose of football is completely dysfunctional: destroy and defeat your opponent; conquer them physically and in every other way, even hurting them, in order to win the game.
3. Alcohol- an intrinsic aspect of pro & college football is alcohol-consumption.
4. Gambling- again, an inherent aspect of pro & college football is gambling- some illegal, some legal.
5. Ego- this aspect of football is no different from many other fields of work. For many people, their main motivating factor is their ego and building up their ego.

Ladies Howl Over Vet's Name for Castration: Brain Surgery

Relevant Media News
NASHVILLE, TN- “Another brain surgery for a horse,” the assistant explains.
Veterinarian Dr. Marc Smith’s patients might be a little startled these days. Especially when they hear his vet staff proclaim another “brain surgery” procedure- his code word for castrating a horse.
Always known for his candor and wit, the amicable Smith came up with the name because of some of his staff’s comments.
“Well, the ladies in the office were talking one day about how men seem to be controlled by something below the belt, so to speak,” said Smith. “So when they heard me refer to equine castration as brain surgery, they kind of got a big kick out of it. I guess the name stuck.”
So that explains his staff’s giggling and laughter at various times during the week.
Smith has been a busy man recently. Between his vet practice and his pet food company, Pet-Tao, not to mention his wife and two young daughters, Anna and Lily, Smith barely has time to go fishing anymore.
But Smith still has time to amuse his clientele and staff, especially after his moniker for castrating a horse created a stir and caused a major funny-ruckus among the ladies in his circles.
Now his staff is adding comedian to his calling card- and brain surgeon.