Yes Brooklyn, Jesus closes his eyes.

My daughter cracks me up.

A few months ago her Gamma, Brad’s Mom, told her that when she grows up Jesus will let her get pregnant.  Brooklyn is 5 at this time and she is always asking grown up questions already.

Where do babies come from. What is sex. Will it hurt when I have babies… do they HAVE to cut the babies out? No brooklyn. Then how do they come out mommy? Like When I poop? UGH! lol

So yeah, she came home from that visit with Gamma BAWLING for a week straight cause she didn’t want Jesus to make her pregnant. So I told her the truth. She didn’t have to have kids if SHE didn’t want to. That wasn’t good enough. She still cried, so I prayed with her and we told Jesus together that she didn’t want to get pregnant. That seemed to calm her down and I thought that was the end of it.

A few days later she asks me If having kids hurt. The truth is yes, but you can’t tell a 5 year old that, who is already petrified to get pregnant. So I told her she didn’t have to get pregnant to have kids. She could adopt. That put an end to that.

And then again a coupel of days later so told me she was going to adopt six kids. Cause she loves kids. Shes going to be an AWESOME mommy. (Those were her words)

“Mommy, I am going to adopt a brown baby, a black one, a chinese baby, and one white one.”"Brooklyn”, I said, “that is 4, I thought you said 6?”

“Yes Mommy, those 4 plus any other babies that need a home. I am leaving my options open” LMAO Too cute.

For the last 2 years, yes since she was 3, she’s been telling me that she DON’T want to grow up. She don’t want to be a grown up. She wants to stay little. And oh how I would love that. But trying to explain it to her, and explain to her why every year shes bigger when she don’t want to be is an impossible task.

She don’t want to grow up and get a boyfriend. She don’t want to move out. She don’t want to give up her barbies and Blankie.

His mom tells her the strangest things to tell a kid. “Jesus will take mommy and daddy one day up to heaven” That pissed me off to say the least. I went through months and months of tears and her “yelling” at Jesus to leave me and daddy alone. That is one conversation I will not have with her right now. She busts into tears anytime anyone brings up heaven. Or death.I know she is going to learn in time that mommy and daddy will not always be here. But the last thing I need is, God forbid, something to happen to me or Brad and have her hate and blame jesus for it.

So the only answer that I can give her to that is “no matter where mommy and daddy are, we will always be with you, love you , and watch over you.”

I don’t mind my daughter being taught about God and Jesus, but I don’t need anyone scaring her into believing, or scaring her so she don’t believe.

The funniest thing she has EVER said to me was one night I was putting her in the shower, due to the lack of a bath tub in our house, and she wouldn’t take any of her clothes off. Cause his mom told her that “jesus sees EVERYTHING”.  And she says no guys or boys are allowed to see her undies. LMAO

So we had to tell Jesus, AND Santa, who can also see everything, to close their eyes! LMAO

Sometimes I think she catches on to stuff that is too hard for her to wrap her little mind around. In some ways she knows way to much for a 5 year old. I want to keep her innocent and sweet and not have to worry about death, and Higher powers and Santa seeing her undies.

She is a very private person. From the time she was 2, dad wasn’t allowed to give her a bath, change her diapers pull up or clothes. She’s private. And I am glad. Same with Grandpa and any uncles or her brother.

I’d keep her little forever if  I could. I am sure any parent would. Bless her little heart!

STOP Child ABUSE!

Layout Optimization Tricks for Higher CTR

Google Adsense is perhaps the easiest way to attract advertisers from across the globe to your blog. Just submit your blog to Google for approval. If Google likes what it sees, it will place contextual ads linking to products likely to appeal to the readers. Each time a reader clicks a link, the advertiser pays Google a small fee, and Google splits that with you.

The next interesting question - How to Make Money with Google Adsense ? Here are The best Google Adsense Tips and Tricks for making more money (profit) from Google adsense program.

a. Strictly follow the rules mentioned in Adsense policies. You will always earn more revenue from Adsense by playing it clean.

b. Never modify the Google Adsense HTML code.

c. Don’t ask your friends or visitors to click on your Google ads. Do not include incentives of any kind for users to click on ads. Don’t label the Google ads with text other than “sponsored links” or “advertisements.”.

d. Don’t click on your own ads -Google is much smarter than you think. You should not reload your pages excessively. If you are testing your website layout with Google adsense, follow some precautions. Or you can use the unofficial Google Adsense Sandbox Tool that is accessible from Firefox, IE and other browsers to see what kind of Google ads will be served based on content (website address URL) or keywords.

e. Don’t place ads in pop-up windows, error pages or even empty pages.

f. Don’t start a “adsense asbestos” or “home equity loan rates” website merely to make money from accidental clicks (accidence). You will never make money out these “made-for-adsense-only” websites. Instead, write on topics what you are passionate about. Don’t waste your money on high-paying adsense keywords lists.

g. For short articles, CTR is best when ads are placed just above the content

h. For long articles, CTR improves if ads are placed somewhere in middle of the content- visitors read the long content and then they are looking for more resources.

i. Use Text Ads instead of Image Ads as users get more options. If you still want to display image ads, consider ad formats that support image ads - Choose either the 300�250 medium rectangle or the 160�600 wide skyscraper - or both, if you display multiple ad units on a page.

j. Google Ads without background color and borders always perform better. Make the border color and background color same as your page background color.

k. Always put ads above the main fold. Make sure that the ad unit with the highest clickthrough rate is the first instance of the ad code that appears in the HTML. Since the first ad unit is always filled before the rest, you want to make sure that ad unit is located in the best placement on your page.

l. Try setting the ad link URL color to a lighter shade. If your text is black, you may make the adlink as light gray.

m. Go Wide - The large rectangle is the best paying adsense format (336�280) -The Google Adsense Publisher team also feels that the best formats are the wider ones -the ad formats that contain the widest individual ads. Try using the 336�280 large rectangle, 300�250 medium rectangle, or 160�600 wide skyscraper.

n. Placing images next to ads or above ads does help in attracting user attention.

o. Blend AdLinks with other navigation links or place horizontal adlinks at the top of your webpage. AdSense publishers are permitted to click on link unit topics on their web pages, provided that they do not click on any Google ads on the resulting page.

p. Organize an Adsense Party for your friends and colleagues-Request them to navigate your website, watch their activity -it will provide vital clues about which regions on your website draw more user attention. Try putting ads near those areas. (Thanks Darren)

q. You can put upto 3 adsense units on a page. Try putting a large skyscraper on the right navigation sidebar of your website. That area is close to the browser scrollbar. You can also add 2 AdSense for search boxes, 1 adlink unit and 1referral button per product (i.e., 1 AdSense referral button and 1 Firefox plus Google Toolbar referral button).

r. The first few lines of your content are an important factor for determining what Ads are served on your webpage. That’s the right place to put keywords in bold (strong or <b> tags) or header tags (h1, h2, etc).

s. Always select the setting to open Google Adsense search box results in a new browser window, so you won’t lose your visitors. Click the Open search results in a new browser window checkbox and this add target=”google_window” to your form tag.

t. Maximum people think the search box is on the top right corner. So you know where to put it.

u. Don’t syndicate full content. If people can read everything from the newsreader window itself, why would they visit your website where your ads are.

v. Use URL channels to determine performance of individual pages. I track my most popular pages with Google Analytics, Statcounter and create a channel for each of the URL. You can even track Adsense Clicks with Analytics

w. For low CTR pages, try changing titles or adding more content to get better focused ads

x. Block low paying advertisers with Filters. Why to loose a visitor for 0.01 cents. Use Overture or Google Adwords Keywords tool to discover keywords that are less popular with advertisers.

y. The AdSense for search Top Queries report shows you what your users are looking for, by listing the 25 most common searches conducted through your AdSense for search boxes. Use this report to identify add

CEO4ADAY Presents: A Journey To Acquire

I am going to begin writing about a journey, that I am beginning, as I attempt  to acquire a platform company in partnership with a private equity firm.  A  journey that is likely to be more difficult given the current performance of the global economy. However, economic trials can provide numerous opportunities if you are prepared to put the effort forth to identify and execute. In the Age of Austerity we have to create opportunities.

I will be targeting middle market companies with revenues from $100 to $500 million and will not expect any TARP funds or bail outs from Congress or the White House to finance the acquisition. The intent will be to identify a platform that will provide organic growth as well as serve as a vehicle for a potential roll up within a category.

 I  will provide some background on my experience to establish my credentials for this particular pursuit. I will not use actual names as the confidentiality of the process is critical and I will at times in this journey be targeting a company or companies that may be publicly traded.

I have enjoyed a  successful career in an industry that continues to provide challenges,  opportunities for innovation and provides essential products to the public. I have worked with fortune 50 corporations as well as a smaller family business. I have experience in both domestic and international markets  and I was a CEO of a middle market company for nearly 10 years. During my stint as the CEO,  the company was divested by its’ parent company and I was able to partner with a private equity firm to acquire the company and remain as CEO until the company was divested from their portfolio in 2004. 

 In 2005,  I joined another private equity firm to become CEO for a group of five companies that the firm had acquired over a period of about three years,  prior to my joining the firm.  After nearly three years at the helm of this group of companies I am now in a position to seek new opportunities and have selected another private equity firm to partner with.

What I will be writing about in the coming weeks is the process from creating a  target wish list, to acquisition should we be fortunate enough to complete a transaction. The journey ahead will be  filled with numerous roadblocks as we identify a target, create true believers in our partners, secure meetings with target management, engage in due diligence, arrive at an acceptable valuation, present an offer to shareholders and secure financing to close the transaction in a timely manner.

The first step for me in this process was identifying a firm that I could partner with. As an operating executive I bring a set of skills and experience that private equity firms are in need of.  That experience includes knowledge of an industry or  a category that the firm may desire to invest in, along with the ” in the trenches ” experience garnered from years as a CEO charged with enhancing stakeholder value.

In this particular instance,  I am working with a firm in which there are two team members at the firm  that I have partnered with in a past transaction within the same industry and category. Since we  had a successful experience in our prior business relationship it shortened the courting process and we were able to agree to work together after a phone call and a meeting. Selecting the right partners or firm to work with may be the most critical decision that I make in the entire process.

The benefits to be gained from this relationship are numerous.  For me,  they include working with a well respected and well funded firm that understands the category that I want them to invest in and they are familiar with me and respect my counsel and experience.

 For the firm,  I provide insight into a category they are interested in participating in and at no cost to them,  they now have access to a knowledgeable participant in the industry that can potentially generate new opportunities for the firm.

In my next Blog I will write about creating the target acquisition wish list.

I'll be home for christmas...

I made the short trek home this afternoon, following another exhilarating morning at work. I love my job, really I do. I am grateful for the sweet deal, easy work load, etc…but mornings like these, when I have tons to do before I can pack my car up and hit the road are uber frustrating. *sigh* I guess I’ll live.

Everytime I drive home I get the same feeling…the same desire…the same pull

I want to take pictures. No really there are a few specific pictures I want to take as I push my car past its comfortable 55 mph down the twists and turns of 15-501. I can specifically recall four locations that all but scream at me as I speed past. 

1) About 10 mins down the road from UNC there is a new housing community. At the entrance there has been a beautiful gate/wall constructed. The top is lined with intricate metal work. It is a web of silvery vines and leaves. I can just imagine how the light would play off the bright metal.

2)Just outside of the traffic circle in the small town of Pittsboro is a dilapidated once-white church. At least I think it was a church. The paint looks as if it has been chipping away for years. It seems to be slowly sinking back away from the present. As if it has been forgotten and overlooked too long.

3)Just off US-1 start the tobacco farms. And tobacco barns. Two barns in particular have been particularly cared for. Someone, some beautiful soul turned the sides into their canvas. They created a mural on each one. Bold colors, crazy lines, both pattern and chaos. And then trees and pasture once again.

4) I’m almost home and then comes the bus. An old school bus barely visible from the road. Weeds have claimed the once kid-filled seats. It hasn’t moved in years, but how did it get there, and why?

What stops me from pulling my car off the side of the road and snapping a few images? Not quite sure. I think it has something to do with the fact that a photo of each of these stops along the way would be missing something. It needs a human, someone in the photo. I’m not even sure what they would be doing/wearing/who/etc. All the possibilities begin to run through my mind as I pass and usually continue until I am at home unpacking the ungodly amount of luggage I somehow crammed into my pitiful car.

It all comes back as I reverse my trip and head back towards dear old Chapel Hill.

maybe one day.

screw maybe.

it’ll happen.

anyone down for a short road trip?

Rolling Home Northbound Road 108

12.16 - Third Tuesday of Advent

Revelation 13

Today we encounter the famous beasts, and the mysterious mark of 666. Just so you know, I offer no contemporary interpretations of who or what these beasts might be. What we can know from the text is…

The first beast is powerful and authoritative. He shows great military prowess. He ushers in a comprehensive economic system. He has the benefit of being a celebrity victim for sympathy, and the recipient of miraculous healing for world-wide astonishment. He has no equals.

This attractive package is linked to a slanderous tongue that boasts of his exploits, and rips God, the heavenly host, heaven itself, and any who would believe in any of it. His anger is only kindled by the fact that the believers in Christ are the only ones not giving Him the beast worship.

The second beast serves as sidekick to the first, sort of a press secretary. Don’t let his kindly appearance fool you — through crafty words he manipulates the masses to keep their worship misdirected toward the resurrected beast. He also does miraculous signs, showy ones that play to the crowd, which don’t benefit the people, but do help reinforce the strength of his cabinet role. One of his primary roles is to enforce the top-down system of commerce in such a way that the believers are visibly separated from the patriotic faithful.

Happy holidays, eh?

Tucked in between these two beasts is a brief passage of hope from the Lord. “He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” In other words…hear this if you can. Things are really, really bad. If that’s what God has for you, there is no escaping it. The answer is…prayer for deliverance? Undertake political action to oust the beasts? Claim blessing, because God would never let this happen, and will surely keep you from all pain if you just pray?

No. The call is for patient (because it’s going to last for awhile) endurance (because it’s going to be really hard to take) and faithfulness (because you may be tempted to doubt the goodness of God).

Advent. We long for the coming of the Messiah…but the promise is that the “great and terrible” day will bring with it hardship that will truly test the mettle of our faith. I truly hope I am ready for these end times.

Lord…if I had to write up the end times, or any times for that matter, I would not include the distasteful characters of chapter 13. Clearly, though, these beasts have no power that isn’t ordained by You. They are there for a reason, so I embrace their ministry of manipulation and destruction as part of Your righteous judgment. Please…let my patience, faithfulness, and capacity to endure be found able to stand whatever besets us, by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Amen.

My letter to Santa.

Dear Mr. Kringle,

For Christmas this year, let’s skip the paper packages tied up with strings. You’re a pretty magical dude, so why don’t you do this stuff instead, please:

• World peace. I know, I know, hello Cliche City. But really, how long has war in Iraq been sucking the life out of people. And, uh, Afghanistan? Zimbabwe? All those little (to us) conflicts the nightly news prefers to gloss over? Get on that one ASAP, jolly St. Nick! No one else deserves to die.


• “Food security” for all. Apparently our government doesn’t think “hunger” is an accurate description of not having enough to eat; the new term is low food security. And it affects billions and not just because of drought or other natural causes. Inequitable distribution is largely to blame (think food aid that never reaches its intended recipients, gluttonous wealthy folks, unsafe drinking water). If you can reach all the Christian kids in the world in one night, surely you can make sure they all have something to eat the next day and the next and the one after that, too?


• Job security for those who want it. How many thousands of Americans are unwillingly unemployed right now? I’m not as familiar with the employment situations elsewhere, but it seems like every time you turn on the TV (or talk to anybody about work), it’s more news of layoffs, cutbacks, closing offices and the rest. If you can give the children presents, why not spread the generosity to their parents?


• A little bit more love. ‘Cause after all, who couldn’t use some of that?


• And, briefly, if you’ve got some extra room in that ever-expanding sack, toss in:
  
  
  
  • Free, quality education
  
  
  • An inexhaustible, practical energy source
  
  
  • A weapons ban
  
  
  • Enforceable restrictions on destruction of habitat and protections for animals
  
  
  • An end to religious fundamentalism and discrimination
  
  
  • Cures for the really nasty communicable diseases and good medical care for all
  
  
  • A worldwide conversion to the metric system
  
  
  • A reorganized, effective and cooperative space program
  
  
  • A successful and practical president of the United States
  
  
  • Happy, safe and inspiring homes for all children
  
  
  • Equal justice under the law
  
  
  
  

But really, any one of those will do. I’m not greedy.

Oh, and if you have time for anything else, I’d like to arrange to have the world take a break at about 4 p.m. on the 25th to sit down together for cups of hot chocolate and some yummy Christmas cookies (or the cheery snack food of their choice). It might go a long way toward that first thing I asked for, too.

Hope you and Mrs. Claus are well, and the reindeer have lots of hay and carrots or whatever it is magical flying beasts of burden eat. Don’t be too hard on the elves if they can’t arrange a job for George Bush in the new year!

Love,

Jaime

P.S. You can give me a new, emissions-free car and a cute, little house if you want, too.

Marketing Strategy for Mc Donald Plc

Marketing Strategy for Mc Donald Plc

Marketing strategy is essential for the success of a product in a

target market as argued by Philip Kotler (1988). This is mainly because

of the increasing diversity in the nature of the customers and the

stiff competition in the market. In this essay the marketing strategy

of Mc Donald the leading conglomerate in the fast food restaurants and

services industry on selling vegetarian burger in the UK. Furthermore,

the consumer behaviour for vegetarian burger in the UK is critically

analysed in order to justify the approach of Mc Donald’s approach to

deploy the identified strategy.

The company under debate: Mc Donald Plc in the UK is the subsidiary

of the American conglomerate Mc Donald Inc who specialise in fast food

(burgers and fries) restaurants across the globe. The company is well

established across the west and has a wide range of fast food products

to cater the customer requirements and the market demand.

The vegetarian burger is a key product for the company in the UK

(Company Profile, 2005). It is further interesting to note that the

company promotes vegetarian burger as its key product mainly in the UK

among the western countries apart from its operations in the Far

Eastern countries like India where the company pioneers in vegetarian

range of burgers and fast food products.

The marketing strategy for any product comprises of three key

elements as argued by Frances Brassington and Stephen Pettit (2003)

• Product: The product in this essay is vegetarian
  
  burger. The key features of the product include low fat, high level of
  
  carbohydrates and above all the use of quality ingredients to prepare
  
  the product. The fact that the burger meals are under fast food
  
  category and that its sales is predominantly high during the lunch
  
  hours makes it critical that the quality of the product and its
  
  ingredients are of high standards in order to achieve customer
  
  satisfaction. The deployment of best practises like washing the hands
  
  and the worktop before preparing the vegetarian burger every time in
  
  the kitchen of all the retail outlets (company profile, 2005) and the
  
  use of fresh ingredients to prepare the filling for the burger are the
  
  key features that distinguish the product from its competitors in the
  
  market. Also, the bran Mc Donald that is famous for its adherence to
  
  strict quality principles in preparation of the products as well as the
  
  procurement of the ingredients is an accelerating force for the
  
  promotion of the vegetarian burger in the retail outlets of Mc Donald
  
  Plc across the UK.


• Price: Philip Kotler (1988) further argues that
  
  price is the ultimate decision making factor for purchasing a product
  
  by the customer. Even though food is n the bas of the Maslow’s
  
  hierarchy of needs making it an essential element for survival, the
  
  argument of Malcolm McDonald (1996) that the customers prioritise their
  
  needs not only based upon their requirements but also based upon the
  
  price of the product they are intending to purchase. The approach of Mc
  
  Donald Plc to sell its products at a relatively lower price to its high
  
  street competitors like burger King Plc makes it evident that the
  
  pricing of the product is an essential element for the growth in its
  
  sales. Alongside, the pricing of the products in Mc Donald not only at
  
  a lower level but at a competitive level to reflect upon its quality
  
  further justifies the pricing strategy of the company with respect to
  
  the vegetarian Burgers sales in the UK.
  


• Promotion: The advertising and promotion
  
  initiative of an organization to increase the sales of a product play a
  
  critical part in the marketing strategy s argued by Frances Brassington
  
  and Stephen Pettit (2003). This is evident from the company’s
  
  investment in advertising its products and the launch of promotion
  
  campaigns reflecting upon the social and national events like football
  
  premiership, health awareness initiative of the government etc.
  
  Furthermore, the promotion of the vegetarian burger as a corn burger
  
  and not just a vegetarian burger emphasises upon the company’s strategy
  
  in distinguishing its vegetarian burger from that of its competitors.
  
  This is because it is universally known that corn is low in fat and is
  
  a healthy diet in the UK, which was forgotten with the increase in the
  
  fast food culture (Simon Taylor, 2001). This approach of the company to
  
  promote its vegetarian burger has not only increased its sales but also
  
  accomplished the process of establishing the product as a unique item
  
  in the category of vegetarian burgers in fast food.

The above three elements mentioned might appear to embrace the 4Ps

of the marketing mix without the Place facto in the scene. This is

mainly because of the fact that the marketing mix is the heart of the

overall marketing strategy for any product in an organization as argued

by Frances Brassington and Stephen Pettit (2003). Since the ‘Place’

factor is analysed under consumer behaviour in next section, the other

three elements that form the marketing strategy were discussed in this

section.

Philip Kotler (1988) argues that the consumer behaviour plays a

vital role in the designing of the marketing strategy by an

organization to either promote the sales of an existing product or for

launching an existing product. This is clear in the case under debate

where the company has devised its marketing strategy to reflect upon

the consumer behaviour in the UK food market.

Simon Taylor (2001) argues that the increase in the awareness for

vegetarian diet as an alternative in the UK meals is evident since the

late years of the 1990s itself. The fact that the consumers for

vegetarian food not only in the fast food industry but also in the

overall consumer food industry right from the supermarkets up to

restaurants since the dawn of the twenty-first century (Simon Taylor,

2004) further justifies that the consumer behaviour towards the

vegetarian food in the UK has been increasingly positive. The major

driving factors for this state in the target market are identified by

Simon Taylor (2004) as mentioned below

Awareness: The increase in the awareness among the general public

who comprise the consumers in the food industry that the vegetarian

diet is a healthy option for overcoming obesity and other health

problems is the primary element for the drive of the consumers towards

vegetarian range of food products.

Scientific developments: The continuous research on meat based food

products and the establishment of the fact that the animals (pig, cow

etc) that are slaughtered for producing meat can carry germs that cause

diseases like the transfer of malarial bacteria from the female

anopheles mosquitoes into pigs eventually transferring into human

beings causing malaria to the consumers has increased the pre-caution

among the consumers to avoid meat products in their food. The above

argument might appear weak since the strict adherence of the quality

and hygiene standards laid by the government among the meat retailers

might contradict the above statement. But the fact that the transfer of

disease causing germs can grow in meat faster than in vegetables as

argued by Simon Taylor (2001) supports the argument.

The strive of the government to encourage the vegetarian food in the

diet among the UK general public is the major cause for the consumer

behaviour towards the vegetarian foods. The fat nation campaign by the

BBC in 2004 is a classical example for the support of the media towards

eliminating obesity through encouraging the general public to change

towards vegetarian diet.

Furthermore, Isla Gower (2004) argues that the fast food retailing

in the UK has grown tremendously with the increase in the retail parks

in the geography. This is mainly because of the fact that the general

public or the consumers are increasingly treating the process of

shopping as a outing event with the family rather than perceiving it in

the generic form of buying essentials. This attitude of the consumers

has increased the sales in the fast food centres like Mc Donald Plc

that is present in the retail parks or in the cit centres where the

public gather to spend their time in leisure. The above scenario with

the arguments on the increase in the awareness on the vegetarian diet

apparently increases the demand for vegetarian range of fast food.

The above arguments justify the consumer behaviour elements that

attribute to the marketing strategy of Mc Donald Plc in promoting the

Vegetarian burgers in the fast food industry. The fact that the

awareness among the consumers that the fast food products are rich in

fat and are not healthy were the major elements that contribute to the

customisation of the vegetarian burger as Corn burger since corn is

very low in fat making the vegetarian burger as a healthy alternative

fast food.

Also, the customised range of vegetarian meals apart from burgers

with the salads as option to fries in the retail outlets of Mc Donald

justifies that the above mentioned arguments on the consumer behaviour

towards vegetarian diet and obesity are the driving factors for the

marketing strategy of the company.

The discussion on the marketing strategy of Mc Donald Plc for

vegetarian burgers makes it clear that the company is dynamic in nature

to respond to the changes in the market. Alongside, it is also clear

that the design of the marketing mix which is the heart of the

marketing strategy should reflect upon the target market demand in

order to increase the sales proving the arguments of the academic

authors mentioned in this essay. The analysis on the consumer behaviour

has also revealed that the consumer behaviour in the UK fast food

market was the major element for the marketing strategy of Mc Donald

Plc in selling vegetarian burger. Alongside, the insight into the

company’s strive towards increasing sales through a range of products

in vegetarian fast foods further justifies that the consumer behaviour

is the key to design the marketing strategy for any product in an

organization.

Visit Zen Burger, fast food for the 21st Century

Week Fourteen Picks

I’ll admit, the joke is on me.   Clearly I misfired on last night’s game.  What don’t we just pretend I didn’t make a fool of myself with that pick?  Clearly I should have realized that the Raiders are always too much of a mess to rely on for a pick in any scenario, especially on the road.  I have to admit I really thought the Chargers had essentially given up on the season and that the Raiders had actually been playing well on defense and would be fired up for a division rival.   I really thought San Diego would not be able to throw the ball against them, but the Raiderssecondary was not up to the task last night.  Last night’s performance by the Chargers was what we had actually been expecting to see from them all season.  They got an actual good game by LT, a 3 touchdown performance by Philip Riversand an aggressive effort on defense.  I still think it will be too little too late for the Chargers, who must win out if the Broncos win on Sunday to even have a chance at the division.  San Diego is still an awful 5-8, and they do still have a trip to Tampa Bay, while the Broncos get to host the Chiefs and Bills down the stretch.  It will take a lot for the Chargers to end up as division champs.  Anything is possible in this wacky NFL season, but I just don’t see it.  Let’s forget about last night’s disastrous pick and let’s just move on to the rest:

Last Week:  11-5 (.687)   Season: 119-72-1 (.620)   Season record includes last night’s incorrect pick

- Dolphins over Bills:  Dolphins coach Tony Sparano really needs to need the league office a big thank you gift, because this Bills “home” game will be played in Toronto.  It my personal opinion that this is laying the groundwork for an eventful move of the Bills franchise to Toronto.  The Bills also played a preseason “home” game in Toronto, and are also signed up for two more regular season games there over the next four seasons.  The Bills ownership has long complained that they do not have the revenue to compete, and Ralph Wilson Stadium remains one of the oldest stadiums in the league (never mind that means it is one of the few genuine home field advantages that still exists, but since it doesn’t bring in revenue that doesn’t seem to matter anymore).  The Dolphins benefit big time in that this game will be played indoors instead of out in the wind and snow of Buffalo.  Miami should be able to run the ball, although Ronnie Brown has struggled recently, and the Bills crashed back to Earth last week in an embarrassing home loss to San Francisco.  I think the Dolphins defense will be able to force Trent Edwards into mistakes, and I think Chad Pennington will be able to make enough good decisions to be able to make plays against the Bills defense.  If this game was in actually in Buffalo I would be tempted to go with the Bills, but the neutral location eliminates any advantage whatsoever the Bills would otherwise have in this matchup.  Some Bills fans may travel, but really how many will make the trip in this economy?  Miami wins. 

- Patriots over Seahawks:  New England really shot themselves in the foot last week and is now in a position where they may need to win out to make the playoffs.  They trail the Jets by one game in the division, and also trail the Colts and Ravens in the wild card while being on the wrong end of tiebreakers.  In any case I think it is safe to say that after last week’s game, talk of the Pats keeping Matt Cassel and trading Tom Brady will be significantly cooled.  I still think Cassel has performed admirably this season, but he has not stepped up in a couple of big games.  The Patriots will be helped by a really friendly schedule down the stretch, including this game against a hapless Seattle team.  The Seahawks have looked lost from the word go this season, and Matt Hasselbeck’s return has not helped out the offense in any way.  NBC made a very wise decision to dump this sure blowout in favor of a more competitive game.  New England will roll, especially factoring in that Bill Belichick does not lose back-to-back games. 

- Jets over 49ers: The Jets had a letdown last week after they had won five in a row.  This week they should be able to regroup, although they do have the long trip west.  By the way, I never heard from any Jets fans explaining why they thought it appropriate to boo Broncos injuries last week, so if you’re still out there I’d love to hear from you.  Otherwise I will assume that Jets fans admit there is no justification for such poor and embarrassing behavior.  As for the team, I expect Brett Favre to rebound from one of his worst efforts of the season, and have little trouble picking apart San Francisco’s suspect pass defense.  If Thomas Jones has another big day, the Jets offense will be able to do whatever it wants.  The 49ers did get a surprising win last week in Buffalo, but they will not have the horses to keep up here.  Frank Gore’s numbers have really slipped the past few weeks, and if he doesn’t have a big game, the Niners have no chance.  The Jets withstand an early punch and then pull away for the win. 

- Colts over Bengals: This will be a guaranteed blowout.  I give the Bengals a zero percent chance to win.  Even if the entire Colts offense were forced to exit due to injury, I still give the Bengals no chance to win.  Granted, Indianapolis has been probably the luckiest team in the league this season.  The Colts could have easily lost in Minnesota week two, and in Houston week five if not for boneheaded plays by the opposing quarterbacks.  They also benefited last week from an outstanding game by their defense in a rare case where nobody on offense showed up.  Still, the Colts with Peyton Manning are not a team I would want to see in the playoffs, and that’s exactly where Indianapolis looks headed with their super friendly schedule down the stretch.  The Bengals have been awful all year, and changes have to be coming next season.  If they retain Marvin Lewis as coach, which it sounds like they might, then ownership really needs to get its head examined.  The Colts should have no trouble getting the offense back on track in this one and getting momentum going down the stretch.

- Titans over Browns: Tennessee bounced back in a big way last week against Detroit and is all but sewn up home field advantage in the playoffs.  The Titans sport a two game lead for the top spot in the AFC with four to play, and they kick start the home stretch with what should be a guaranteed win at home against a bad team that is playing out the stretch.  I still fail to see how anyone fancied the Browns as a true contender in the preseason.  To be fair, they have dealt with numerous injuries and will be forced into starting their third string quarterback in this game (Ken Dorsey), but Cleveland never had the look of a contender even in the preseason.  Romeo Crennelwill surely be one of several coaches on the firing line at the end of the season, and I just don’t see the Browns being able to put up much of a fight on the road in this one.  Tennessee found its running game again last week, and they will have no trouble piling up yards on the ground against the Browns.  The Titans defense will also be able to force turnovers and control the line of scrimmage.  Tennessee has had 10 days to get ready for this one and this will be a game many viewers will be flipping away from early.  Titans roll. 

- Steelers over Cowboys: This was a really hard game to pick.  Both teams are coming off big wins and both teams will be able to make a lot of noise in the playoffs.  Marion Barber is slightly hobbled for Dallas, and though he will try to play, I think his not being 100 percent will really hurt the Cowboys running game.  This will allow the Pittsburgh defense to put pressure on Tony Romo.  I think the Steelers will also put the clamps on Terrell Owens and really make it hard for Dallas to move the football.   Despite all that, this game could ultimately be decided by how well Pittsburgh can move the ball against the Cowboy defense.  The Heinz Field turf is quickly getting a reputation for being the worst in the league, and it will be interesting to see if that is a factor also.  I do think Pittsburgh will be able to run the ball, and the Steelers seem to usually step up for big games like this.  If Pittsburgh plays as well as they did last week, they will be able to win this one as well.  The good news for Dallas is since this is an interconference game, it will not cripple them for playoff tiebreakers.  Pittsburgh wins. 

- Packers over Texans: Matt Schaub returns to quarterback the Texans, although Sage Rosenfels looked like he was finally getting some rhythm last week.  Houston has the potential to play spoiler for a lot of teams down the stretch, and they do have the talent to win a few games here and there.  I still think if everyone is healthy next season, they really could be a team to watch.  This however will be their first ever trip to Lambeau Field, and that’s usually bad news for opponents.  Green Bay has really been a tough team to figure, although they are still in the NFC North race despite their 5-7 record.  The offense scored 31 points against a good Carolina defense last week, but they still couldn’t figure out a way to win.  Green Bay’s problem all year has been their defense, so they will have an interesting matchup trying to contain Andre Johnson and Steve Slaton.  This pick is really more about a gut feeling than anything else.  I think Houston is more than capable of winning, but Green Bay has more on the line and they will have the elements and the crowd behind them.  I say Aaron Rodgers make one more play than Schaub to lead the Packers to a win, keeping their slim hopes alive.

- Bears over Jaguars: This is a game matching two struggling teams.  Jacksonville has clearly given up on coach Jack Del Rio, and I wouldn’t be shocked at this point if they failed to win another game.  Del Rio is clearly on the chopping block at the end after his team was picked by many (including me) to have a really good year and possibly represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.  Now, the Jaguars are in such a mess that David Garrard can’t even drop back to pass without tripping over one of his own linemen.  Fred Taylor has reportedly made comments that it’s the worst team he’s ever played on, and the chemistry is non-existent.  The Bears should roll in Soldier Field against this mess of a team, except for the fact that Kyle Orton hasn’t exactly performed well in recent weeks.  The good news for Chicago is they do have talented rookie Matt Forte in the backfield, and he should have no trouble running for more than enough yards to make up the difference.  The Bears defense certainly has its faults, but forcing turnovers isn’t one of them.  They’ll get a couple here and win comfortably against the fading Jags, keeping their NFC North hopes alive in the process.

- Broncos over Chiefs: Denver suffered an extremely embarrassing loss to the Chiefs in week four, and will clearly be looking for revenge.  The Broncos are certainly a hard team to figure because they seem to play to their competition, but if they lose this game it will be even more of an embarrassment than the week four loss.  The Broncos allowed Larry Johnson to rush for 198 yards in the first meeting, the most they’ve ever allowed to the Chiefs, but they have really made an effort to shore up their run defense since then.  The Broncos defense has been banged up, and may or may not get some of their injured players back, but they managed to force Brett Favre into one of his worst games of the year last week, and they will come after Tyler Thigpen.  Denver’s offense is clicking again now that Tony Scheffler is finally healthy.  The Chiefs will not be able to cover all of Denver’s receivers, and if the Broncos avoid turnovers they will be fine.  After the horrendous home loss to Oakland two weeks ago, Mike Shanahan will make sure his team is focused and ready for this one and will ensure the Broncos don’t take the Chiefs lightly.  It wouldn’t surprise me if the game was close owing to the nature of the rivalry and Denver’s propensity for letdowns this season, but I don’t see any way the Broncos lose this game and allow themselves to get swept by one of the worst teams in the league.  Denver wins. 

- Giants over Eagles:  I pick the Giants even in the wake of the Plaxico Burress debacle for a couple of reasons.  One, they are the best team in the league by far, so if there is any team that can overcome this kind of distraction, it’s the Giants.  Second, Tom Coughlin is the kind of coach that can keep his team focused in any situation.  It does remain to be seen what will happen with Antonio Pierce and his potential involvement, but I expect a big game from him Sunday as he welcomes the distraction of being back on the field.  Third, The Giants are playing a Philadelphia team that once again does not appear to have Brian Westbrook at 100 percent (despite his four touchdowns last week) and is still inconsistent.  I think the Giants defense will harass Donovan McNabb, and the Giants’ offense will run the ball effectively as usual.  I think the Giants will win, and it could well be by a lot. 

- Vikings over Lions: I thought about picking Detroit to end their winless slide here, but I just don’t see it.  Kevin and Pat Williams will play for the Vikings after their suspensions have been blocked in court, so Minnesota will have no trouble stopping the Lions’ running game.  Detroit looked so bad last week in every area, that I do not see how they will possibly be able to have any kind of offense against the Vikings.  Minnesota has Adrian Peterson and that will be more than enough offense for them.  This does seem like a trap game for the Vikings in light of their big win against the Bears last week and their division lead, but I think Minnesota will do just enough to win this one and keep their lead.

- Saints over Falcons: Atlanta won the first meeting at the Georgia Dome big, and I think the Saints will return the favor in the Superdome.  Drew Brees and company are much more effective at home than on the road, and the Saints do have Reggie Bush back after he had one game last week to get back in the swing of things.  I think the Saints will cause trouble for teams even though their playoffs hopes are about done because they have so much talent on offense.  Atlanta has proved it is for real with a road win in San Diego last week, and I think they will put points up in this game too.  Michael Turner scored four touchdowns in the first meeting, so the Saints will be sure to key on him, but a  hunch says that while the Falcons will score points, New Orleans will get a few more.  This will be an entertaining shootout and a good reason to have DirecTV.  I say the Saints win one of the higher scoring games of the year.

- Cardinals over Rams: Arizona is dominant at home.  The Rams stink on the road.  The Cardinals won the first meeting 34-13 and will win this one by at least that.  Nothing more needs to be said.   Arizona will have no trouble bouncing back from their loss in Philadelphia.  The Cardinals win the NFC West with a victory, meaning they will host a playoff game for the first time in their entire lifespan in Phoenix.  The apocalypse must be near. 

- Ravens over Redskins: This will be a better Sunday night offering than the originally scheduled Patriots-Seahawks blowout, although this could easily be a blowout as well.  The Redskins are quickly fading, and Clinton Portis really does appear to be hobbling now.  That is bad news when you hit the road to face the Ravens’ ballhawking defense.  Baltimore is quickly closing in on the Steelers, and while there may be slight concern about looking ahead to next week’s showdown with Pittsburgh, this one is for regional bragging rights in the Beltway.  Baltimore has an offense to go with their defense in this one, and I think the Ravens will stomp Washington from the word go and blow the Redskins right out of M&T Bank Stadium.  Baltimore is for real, and I would not want to see them in the playoffs. 

- Panthers over Buccaneers: This could well be the game of the week on Monday night.  Tampa Bay won the first meeting emphatically 27-3, but the Panthers are at home this time.  It will be critical for Jake Delhomme to not make mistakes because the Tampa defense will make him pay if he does.  Delhomme threw three picks in the first meeting and that was the difference.  I envision a strong run game plan from John Fox, as the Panthers will use both DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.  The Panthers defense may not be as talented as the Bucs, but they can cause trouble for Jeff Garcia.  If the Panthers running game gets going, it will be tough for the Buccanneersto be able to keep up.  Both teams will make the playoffs, but the winner of this game could get a first round playoff bye which would be huge.  This will be a great game, and I think the Panthers will be able to pull it out.

Separation Anxiety

Have you ever had separation anxiety? Most likely you have, especially if you were ever a child (I’m pretty sure most of us were at some point…). Being a Sunday School teacher, I see this nearly every Sunday when some proud parent comes into my Pre-K room to drop off their child. The child may begin to cry, yell, or cling to the parent in a child-leg death grip. Sometimes they even run screaming for the door in a vain attempt at reaching it before it shuts them in. The child eventually gets over their fear of being without their parents for a time and begins to play quietly by themselves or join in with other children in whatever game is going on at the time. Such is the issue of the separation of church and state, with one big exception…Most of us continue to act as if the parent really never is coming back. The anxiety is real and there appears to be no solution to the problem other than to scream louder and longer.

My opinion on this subject is simply this: government should NEVER endorse one particular religion or denomination nor should it EVER exclude them. It’s fairly evident, in my opinion, when studying the founding fathers that they didn’t intend for religion to play no purpose at all. Coming from Great Britian where there was an official state religion and the problems that caused in that country at the time, they wanted the U.S. government to be different and show no deference to a single religion/denomination.

There are some extreme right-wing groups who, in all honesty, want to enact a defacto theocracy. When Jesus returns that point will be moot. However, living in a fallen, sinful world where men screw up consistently, I’m certain that we shouldn’t be turning our government over to the theological ideas of anyone, regardless of if I may agree with them or not.

On the other hand, there are those who believe religion or religious ideals should play no part whatsoever in determining public policy. This is not only a naive position, it’s entirely impossible to achieve. Whether they realize it or not, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, etc., and even atheists ALL bring their beliefs to the table with them when determining what policies or laws they support. It’s an inherent part of their being that cannot simply be separated from their political self.

“It is possible to affirm and practice belief in God while simultaneously practicing a rigorous separation of church and state. We can embrace and encourage the role of religion in public life while ensuring that the state remains religiously neutral. One’s faith is a matter of conscience, not a matter of law. One can believe in the separation of church and state without believing in the separation of religious activities and public policy. ” - Richard Land, from The Christian Post.

Let’s not act like that anxious child who can’t be without their parent. We’re better than that and ALL are welcome at the table.

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