>When I was your age, Pluto was a planet.

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>Initially, this Facebook group just made me laugh. Whether that is because I am easily entertained or not is a different story all together – but, think about that for a minute. The children growing up now will be educated with the solar system as Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. No Pluto.

This is quite a turning point in history, just as we will always remember Columbine, where we were when the read the OJ Simpson verdict on TV or how scared (and small) we felt on 9/11. Granted, this event isn’t as tragic by any stretch of the imagination – but still significant.

This all began a mear two years ago when the International Astronomical Union (IAU) demoted Pluto to a “dwarf planet” status. Last week, the IAU took another jab at Pluto and requested Pluto from here on out referred to as a “plutoid” – a word not even recognized in the English language. To read the whole story, please visit here.

>And the winner is…

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Zurich, Switzerland. This city was named by BusinessWeek as the world’s best place to live.

Who else was made the list?

1. Zurich, Switzerland
2. Vienna, Austria (tied)
2. Geneva, Switzerland (tied)
4. Vancouver, Canada
5. Auckland, Australia
6. Dusseldorf, Germany
7. Munich, Germany (tied)
7. Frankfurt, Germany (tied)
9. Bern, Switzerland
10. Sydney, Australia

Curious how your city ranked? Check it out.
-Katy

>Eat your fruits and vegetables, but be careful

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>Fruits and vegetables are prone to harboring various harmful diseases in the summertime – such as the recent outbreak of salmonella. The FDA has recently announced more cases of this outbreak in more than 30 states bringing the total to at least 383 cases.

In order to avoid getting sick this summer time take certain precautions when picking out your favorite grocery store items. Properly cooking meat, poultry and eggs, and washing produce are generally the best methods to prevent illness.

Now, in a Marketing sense, what will happen to those fruits and vegetables grown in the sunshine state? Should consumers avoid those products and shift more towards locally grown – or was this just a fluke?

>The "Windows 95" Generation

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>A visit from Rob’s twin daughters and the research I have been conducting on social networking and integration got me thinking about the way I was raised. I lovingly refer to my generation as the “Windows 95” generation since I was in grade school when this began to errupt. This generation growing up now uses computers as part of their daily life. They will never experience using a typewriter for their report or what life was like before everyone had a cell phone. A cell phone… what would life be like without one?

Looking back, the first experience I had with a cell phone was seeing the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X on the Saved by the Bell television series. From that time, the cell phone has morphed from something you only elite people had into an everyday necessity. Upon release in 1983, the Motorola DynaTAC 8000X cost consumers a whopping $4,000 whereas a few of the most popular cell phones (iPhone, Blackberry, LG Glimmer, etc.) are at most $1,000.

At least some products are going down in price over the last 20 years!

>Ahead of the game

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Honda is setting out to release their newest model, the FCX Clarity. FCX Clarity is, “a next-generation, hydrogen powered fuel cell-powered vehicle” according to sources. It is also about twice as efficient as a hybrid-electric vehicle and three times more efficient than a conventional gasoline vehicle. A limited number of vehicles will be leased to Southern Californians in the summer of 2008.

Click here for more information.

Photo courtesy of Honda.com.

>A Great Man Who Will Always Be Remembered

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To wake up on Sunday morning and Watch “Meet The Press” has always been a tradition or more recently a habit. So this Sunday was no different – or was it? There was an almost biblical feeling. A feeling like something was not right. To watch the show I have grown up with and not see that familiar face looking back at me was strange. Meet The Press without Tim Russert – it is like baseball without hot dogs. You are still there but something is missing.

Tim added that special flavor to an informative and entertaining show that has shaped our lives for decades. Let’s face it. No one has done it better. His political insight was without equal and without ego. Tim added that fatherly advise and never let his own views cloud an issue. Even his coverage of our nation’s elections was without equal. If Tim said it you can believe it and 99% of the time it was true. Is it any wonder that he died doing what he loved best.

If there is any lesson here it is to enjoy your life’s work with a passion, but leave room for the everyday things. Like a morning sunrise or the gentle breeze on a warm Sunday afternoon. Enjoy life and take care of yourself. There is a saying that I will paraphrase, ” One’s life is not measured by how much you have done, but how much you have done for others.” Tim will be forever etched in our hearts and one cannot hear that famous music or words on the screen without a place in out heart for the best of the best.

Bruce

>Getting Settled

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Today marks one week we have been in our new home… and we are almost settled.
Here is a little taste of the progress we have made:

Bruce, still working. We aren’t sure the man ever stops…

Rob’s office, looking quite organized.

My office, neat for the first time.

Katy’s desk (notice the Cleveland sports representation on the bulletin board!)

Ah, the conference room. Soon you will be organized like the rest of the office!

We are just about all settled in and now are welcoming visitors to have the tour of our new space. Feel free to stop by to see the new Felber & Felber office!

>Who, that, which?

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>Piggybacking off of my article on June 3rd, “Which “to” is it?” I have decided to keep these grammar lessons going. In writing, it is crucial to have correct word placement. There are many commonly misused words people use everyday not realizing what they are actually saying. A few of my favorites are below:

Accept vs. Except
Accept – a verb meaning to receive (ex: Dorothy will accept her award at the banquet this Friday evening.)
Except – a preposition or verb usually meaning excluding something (ex: I will take the house salad with everything except onions.”)

Affect vs. Effect
Affect – a verb meaning to influence (ex: Tom had no idea losing his cellphone would have such an affect on him.)
Effect – a noun meaning result or a verb meaning to bring about (ex: My doctor said the worst side effect of this new medication is dry mouth.)

Principle vs. Principal
Principle – a noun meaning a basic truth or law (ex: The principle truth in the matter is the car still ran the red light and caused the accident.)
Principal – a noun meaning the head of a school or an organization, or a sum of money (ex: Our principal, Mr. Felber, was very involved in the neighborhood watch program. OR The principal on his bond is at least a quarter of a million dollars.)

Than vs. Then
Than – a conjunction used in comparisons (ex: Mark is taller than Brad.)
Then – an adverb denoting time (ex: The email is to be sent on Tuesday, then the fax on Friday.)

Who vs Which vs. That
Who – refers to a person (ex: Mary was looking for someone who would take her to the airport.)
Which – designates an item or feeling (ex: I have to drive to Florida in two weeks for work, which I don’t mind because I enjoy driving.)
That – generally refers to things, may be used to refer to a group or class of people. (ex: Where is the Laker’s defense that we heard so much about?)

Check back for more grammar hints!

-Katy

>It’s not easy going green… Or is it? (Part II)

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A few weeks back I gave simple ways to help the environment in your everyday life. So, what are some tips to help save the environment while you are at work?

  1. Be daring, go fax-less. Well, not entirely. Did you know you can now have desktop faxing and have those paper faxes now sent to your email instead of using paper? I urge you all to check this out.
  2. Think before you print. Do you really need to print off that email to show your coworker? If you find yourself pausing before you answer that question you may be guilty of it.
  3. Recycle. Bring a paper bag to work and encourage everyone you work with to recycle. For instance, did you know for every glass bottle recycled, we save enough energy to light a 100 watt light bulb for 4 hours?

More green tips soon!

-Katy

>Chief Growth Strategist, Andy Birol

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>On Wednesday, June 11th I had the unique opportunity to witness Andy speak at the all Portage County Chamber Luncheon. Speaking to all five chambers was a personal record for Andy, and I was more than impressed with his style, delivery and business motivation. He has re-created his position as “Chief Growth Strategist” targeting the business owner who is looking to Get There.

For more information on Andy, please visit his website.