Where Does Santa Work After Christmas?

If your kids are like my older two were when they were younger, they might  frequently ask you detailed questions about Santa Claus.  I always tried to think of creative stories that would satisfy their imaginations and curiosity, which was fine.  An author that I previously blogged about, Elizabeth Rook, has a better idea for us.  She's written a book entitled, "Where Does Santa Work After Christmas", and it has been published just in time for those innocent, yet challenging, post-Christmas questions.

As it happens, a young child named Tyler, the main character in this book, is also very curious about Christmas.  Rook uses Tyler's natural curiosity about Santa Claus as a learning experience.  The reader accompanies Santa through his different occupations, which turn out to be plentiful.  Santa teaches children about the responsibilities associated with various professions, including firefighters and veterinarians.  Your child will love reading about how Santa takes care of sick animals at the zoo and rescues kittens.

My two-year old has just begun to learn about Christmas and really enjoys the beautiful decorations all around us. This time of year, while we are taking down the Christmas decorations, we can maintain the Christmas spirit and even teach our children about compassion and responsibility through this book, "Where Does Santa Work After Christmas."  Fortunately, this book is available for purchase at Elizabeth Rook's website and on Amazon.com.

Selling On Ebay - a Good Way to Learn About Business

Okay, hear me out.  Ebay???  You are thinking that I’ve finally lost it – how could you learn anything from Ebay?  Isn’t that just a website for getting rid of old stuff from around the house?  You know, I won’t deny that some of those same thoughts went through my head at one time, too.

This article isn’t about how to do Ebay well, or get rich from Ebay, or anything like that.  Perhaps some of the lessons could help you on Ebay, but that isn’t my goal. Rather, I want to share with you some of the lessons that I’ve learned from selling on Ebay and I truly believe that they can help you in other businesses.

You have to take Ebay seriously. 

This may sound obvious, but if you are doing Ebay as a side-hobby, you can only depend on luck to actually make money.  Unless you are selling iPhone 5′s, your customers are not guaranteed.  The same goes for any other business.  If you are “dabbling” in something, or just “trying it out”, the odds are stacked against your success.  You have to have skin in the game.  Jump in head first and act like it is a job – you are the most important boss you’ll ever have!

If you do it half-way, you’ll get half-way results, at best.

Customer service is important – always.

I bet a lot of people who sell on Ebay are tempted to not take customer service seriously.  It doesn’t feel like a “real” business, but I guarantee you that your customers feel “real”.  They are giving you real money for a real product, so don’t they deserve first class service?   Take advantage of every opportunity to distinguish yourself to your customer, even if you are fairly sure they won’t buy anything from you again (how many ice-cream makers will they really need?), they can still give you a boost by giving you a great positive feedback review.

I remember how irritated I felt one time when I sold an old textbook on Amazon and my customer gave me a neutral review with the following comment: “Did not include packing slip.”  A PACKING SLIP!  He got his book, didn’t he?  Look, whether we like it or not, customers like to feel like they are important to us (and they are, believe me).  Remember this and it will take you far.  Needless to say, I never forgot a packing slip again.

You have to learn to “batch” your work, or else you will be working too many hours with too few rewards.

The first few times I sold on Ebay, I felt so frustrated.  It took so long to create a listing, upload photos, write a description, etc.  It didn’t feel like it would be worth it unless I sold my items at really high prices.  How in the world did people do this for a living?  I felt like I was doing something wrong.

And I think I was.  The trick is to get your hands on multiple of the same kinds of items.  You put in the effort on the backside:  choosing your product, taking pictures, creating your listing.  Then, you leverage that effort and make a profit off of the same work repeatedly.  It’s easy as pie!  Well, not really, but it will help you hang on to your sanity.  The same idea goes for shipping:  spend a designated time period each day packaging and labeling and then make one trip to the post office (or better yet, schedule a pickup!).

And don’t spend all day checking your items repeatedly.  Tempting, I know.

These same ideas are useful in a different business:  batch your work.  Make money off of the same work again and again.  Don’t waste your time on busy work.

You’ve got to develop a system. 

I won’t go into too much detail, since the idea is pretty clear.  You need a definite system.   For example, at 11:00 in the morning, I start printing off my labels and I take everything to the post office at 2:00 pm.  If I get an order after 2:00, I don’t worry about it until the next day.  I researched packaging materials, keep all of my inventory in one place, and keep track in a spreadsheet what I am selling.

In all businesses, you need a system.  Some are more complex, but you’ll find if you don’t spend the extra time to decide how you are going to handle different situations, you’ll be spinning your wheels more often than not.

Give people what THEY want, not what you want them to want.

When I first started selling on Ebay, I thought that I knew what people wanted.  And I refused to hear the market telling me that it wasn’t interested in what I was selling.  How could hear the market?  I could barely concentrate over the sound of crickets when I looked at my listings.  Nobody wanted what I wanted to sell them.

I stumbled across a pretty random item and put it up for sale.  I was 100% positive that nobody would be interested.  It sold the same day.  I ended up listing hundreds of that same item and sold every single one.  It’s a product I never would’ve chosen if I hadn’t been willing to change course.

So, in your own business, make sure that you spend time finding out if people actually want what you want to sell them.  You will save a lot of time and money.

I’m sure that people can think of even more lessons learned from Ebay, and I’d love to hear them!

Two Delightful Santa Books for Children

I recently discovered two fascinating children's books by a unique author with a compelling story.  If you've never heard of Elizabeth Rooks, you've been missing out on a real treasure.  Luckily, I found these books just in time for Christmas 2012 - I think they would make great gifts!  The books are titled "Where Does Santa Go on Vacation after Christmas?" and "Where Does Santa Work after Christmas?".  I don't usually do book reviews, but I love Elizabeth's personal story and the way that she helps us answer the tough questions about what Santa Claus does the rest of the year!

"Where Does Santa Go on Vacation after Christmas" follows Tyler, an imaginative and curious young boy, Tyler, and his quest to discover where Santa vacations during the year.  Tyler and the reader together discover the glorious variety of cultures that make up our world.  The best part of this book is that it teaches children that even someone like Santa has trouble fitting in when he visits different parts of the world.  What a fun way to teach children about diversity and understanding others.

Tyler’s character is instrumental in the second book, “Where Does Santa Work After Christmas,” as well.  Through this book, children discover that Santa has more than one career – he isn’t just a jolly, bearded man in a red suit.  Santa shows children about different professions through his roles as a veterinarian and a fire-fighter and teaches children compassion and responsibility.

These two books are an endearing complement to any book collection, and would make an excellent Christmas gift this year.  They can both be purchased either at Elizabeth Rook's website and on Barnes and Noble or Amazon.com.

Are "Gatekeepers" Necessary in the Publishing Business?

On the internet, self-publishing is everywhere.  Ebooks and Kindle books abound.  There are literally millions of blogs.  I am self-publishing this blog post.  Information is being thrown at us from every direction.  The question is:  Do we NEED gatekeepers (i.e. publishers, editors, etc.) to filter these items for us?

Critics of self-publishing say that we need gatekeepers for our own good.  The gatekeepers will make sure that we are able to find the best books and magazine articles.  Otherwise, how will we sort through all of the available options and how will we know that the information is accurate?

Those that support self-publishing say that people are able to decide for themselves what they want to read.  In addition, supporters claim that it is actually a GOOD thing that more sources of reading materials than ever are available.  They also accuse the publishing industry of greed... obviously, self-publishing has the potential to substantially eat into their profits.  

Where do you stand on this issue?

Obama - Accidental Gun Salesman of the Year?

I have been amused. dismayed, and fascinated since the election of our latest president.  Sales of guns in "large retail outlets" have risen more than 39% since the beginning of the year.  

During hard economic times when most industries are experiencing unusual hardships, why are many types of businesses related to weaponry experiencing some of their best sales periods?

And what does President Obama have to do with it?  

Before the election, many conservative pundits and entertainers did a bang-up job of attracting the attention of many conservative voters that otherwise lacked passion for some of the core conservative issues (i.e. certain foreign policy and economic issues, among others).  It is not to say that these voters were no longer interested in these traditional issues, but that the situations had become very dire and they may have been willing to consider a change in direction for the country.

These conservative pundits (both amateur and professional) filled up the airwaves and bandwidth with incessant chatter about then Senator Obama's stance on gun control.  Some of these voices went  as far as to say that Obama was going to immediately rid the nation of guns (would that be such a horrible thing, honestly?).  These efforts were so effective in scaring the population that in October 2008, rifle and firearm sales were up by 14% from the previous year.  This is BEFORE the actual election, and before the introduction of any sort of legislation by Obama or other Democrats in the new session.

In Cobb County, Georgia, there has been an extremely high increase in permit applications - the numbers show that there were 3,238 applications in 2007.  Compare this to 7,576 in 2008.  The 2009 figures promise to be just as dazzling.

With the types of reasonable, "common-sense" gun control measures that President Obama supports, all of law-abiding citizens in this country that want to use guns for self-protection or hunting will still be able to do so.  Those that are interested in paramilitary group start-ups might have a bit more trouble.

So, everyone who has participated in this frenzy should just feel a little silly because the best of them was "got".   If I were one of  these people, I would be asking myself what kind of nonsense has been going on behind my back while I was stocking up on ammo and stockpiling weapons in my secret underground cellar in my backyard...  

Perhaps, just perhaps, there are more important issues to be dealt with.

  

Found: Money - Would you keep it?

A driver in San Diego found a little over $700 while driving on the Interstate.  There were some drug-running suspects on the loose and they let some of the money fly out of their window, which is how it ended up on the road.  

The driver is keeping the money and considers this to be a lucky event.... would you keep the money?  What about some of the people who say that this money is drug money?

I, personally, think that this person is 100% correct in keeping the money.  I recall all of the old sayings:  "possession in 9/10ths of the law" and "finders keepers, losers weepers".  In this case, the weeping loser is the government :-)

The full article is available to read here:  http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Driver-Who-Kept-Money-Explains-Why.html

Our adversion to "profanity"

I was reading a book about language today, and came across a very interesting concept. The book did not discuss this in detail, and I was unable to come across any reliable internet sources to read further, so I will be left on my own to think about this one:

Is our aversion to profanity simply a well-ingrained superstition?

Different cultures deal with profanity differently, and in those cultures different things are considered vulgar or profane.

What I could determine, simply by the definition of "profane" is that it is an old word and definitely religious in origin.

Could it be that we should sit back and think about why we think certain things are profane? What do we think will happen to us? I am talking about more than what we think our friends, co-workers, or family might say behind our back... Is there a bigger fear that we have about saying certain things? Are we like the old believers in Greek mythology, thinking that we will be struck by lightening?

I am interested to hear other thoughts on this issue.

Virginity!

This post is dedicated to all of those American women who frown sympathetically when the conversation turns to the Muslim women in Afghanistan, or Saudi Arabia.  You know what I'm talking about, when someone says that "at least we have it better than they do."  

Well, yes, we do have it better than they do, in certain ways.  However - not to burst your bubble - I would like to point out that we are not quite as "liberated" as we would like to think we are.  We are foolish for not seeing the hypocrisy, as obvious as it is.

There are tons of reasons I can point out, but here is one case:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/01/22/virginity.value/?iref=mpstoryview

Yes, the virgin who sells her virginity online for millions of dollars.  This post is not about her, nor the Australian pervert who bought it.  It IS about the American society that finds this interesting.  It IS about the talk shows where people debate whether she really is a virgin or not.

My dear ladies, this is not much different than a dowry being paid to a family for a daughter's VIRGIN hand in marriage.  The "community" still gossips about whether she really was a virgin or not.  The only difference is in this case, the daughter gets the money and doesn't have to stay with the smelly old guy.

Most of us are still stuck in the 1700's, whether we would like to admit it or not.  We fool ourselves into thinking that things have changed, but they have not changed as much as we think they have.   Women still talk about other women who are more sexually liberated as whores, but yet men are valued for their conquests.  What's new?  What's old?   

More on this subject later...  I have plenty more to say.

 

Are Children's Lives Really Harder?

This post is inspired by an article today on the BBC, entitled "Selfish Adults 'Damage Childhood' ".  The article cites a study that concludes, among many other observations, that children have more difficult lives than they had in the past.  

I suspect that British society is similar enough to American society that I can make some basic comparisons without sounding ridiculous.   But first, let me just say, that this sounds like a pile of baloney!

My children, for example, have it MUCH easier in many ways than I did growing up.  Our society overprotects them.  They can't play outside without direct adult supervision.  Instead, they are surrounded by  vast seas of computers, game consoles, books and toys.  Our middle class lifestyle, like most Western households, affords them a comfortable supply of decent clothes to wear.  They are also fortunate enough to have musical instruments to play and access to quality instruction.  In addition, they go to a public school (with no cost), where they have an arguable sufficient education.  Finally, there are extra activities such as Boy Scouts, Chorus, etc...

They don't have to walk to school in the snow, worry about where dinner is coming from tonight, wonder if they will make it to work on time, worry about their boss being angry with them for not working fast enough, etc...  

Have any of you ever read David Copperfield?  Well, if you have then you know that kids these days have it much easier than they did in the 1800's (i.e. not having to get jobs at 8 years old).   There are many, many children in developing countries that still live in conditions not unlike those of David Copperfield.  

Let's get some perspective!

The Responsibility of a Writer

I was listening to an interview with an author a few days ago and he mentioned briefly the responsibility that writers have to tell the truth.

This struck me.  I don't think he was referring to some sort of cultural or societal obligation or expectation.  It was more of a moral obligation that a writer should feel to tell the truth about the subject.  I thought about this, and wondered if it could be taken a step further.

The historical and cultural value of writing is huge.  We can study past civilizations and cultures through their writings.  Through their writings, we can learn about how their society functioned and what their values were.  In modern times, we learn through writings.  We learn from reading the newspaper, novels, textbooks and (of course!) blogs.  Perhaps some of the things that we learn from these sources are not "true" per se, in that the facts can be proven or disproven, but all of these writings serve as a way to hold our society together and advance as a civilization together.  

So this led me to think about the responsibility of a writer to tell stories as they truly see it - without holding back.  And the responsibility that you and I have to write, as much as we can.  There is a distinct value in everything written, and it should not be discounted.

When Rape is "Misconduct"

I originally heard about this news story on NPR (January 28, I believe).  The article that I am referring to for this blog posting can be found on LA Times:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/washingtondc/la-fg-cia29-2009jan29,0,1298224.story

The CIA Chief in Algeria has been accused of using a kind of date rape drug to drug two women and rape them at his residence.  If that were not bad enough, he is also accused of taking many photographs of the women (allegedly found at his hotel room in Washington, DC).  

According to the NPR news story, one of the women was actually married and was friends with the CIA Chief.  The shock, shame and humiliation that she must have felt when she awoke in his bed the next day is hard to imagine.

The reason that this story infuriates me is because the US CIA spokesperson issued this statement:  "CIA would take seriously, and follow up vigorously, any allegation of misconduct." 

"Misconduct".  The female reporters on NPR actually used the word "impropriety".  We have a huge problem here when rape is described as misconduct or impropriety.  All of the women across our country should be outraged upon hearing this language used to describe one of the worst violations of human rights that a woman can experience.

If this were a homeless man accused of multiple rapes outside of Underground Atlanta, or some other downtown location, he would likely be in a jail cell waiting for his trial.  But, when it comes to a high ranking government official accused of "misconduct" and "impropriety" outside of our borders, he gets to remain comfortable - and hope that the various agencies involved won't be able to figure out who has jurisdiction.

Does anyone else find this outrageous?

Attention Wal-Mart Shoppers... Hyper-Consumerism on Isle 2

I just read this article on Yahoo! News...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081128/ap_on_re_us/wal_mart_death;_ylt=Aui5ug2nhRLvxiMRjeqHUj3LLJ94

We have a Wal-Mart store employee trampled to death by crazed deal-hungry shoppers this morning.  He was killed by a bunch of crazy, greedy shoppers who protested angrily when they were asked to leave after the death.  In addition, other employees were trampled when they tried to save him.  

What in the world has our American hyper-consumerism brought us to when a human life is taken in order to get a great deal on a plasma television, folks?

Would Jefferson have supported a Universal Healthcare System?

Disclaimer:  I am NOT an expert on Jefferson, I just play one on TV.

While researching this morning the origin of a dubious Jefferson quote (it was too conveniently relevant to modern times... maybe I'll do a post on that sometime!), I found a really nice website that has a lot of information on Jefferson's writings:

http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeffcont.htm

In addition, I stumbled upon a comment in a forum where a writer suggested that Jefferson would have been in favor of some sort of Universal Health care system:

http://www.radicalreference.info/node/2327

This concept was intriguing, because the founding fathers are always lifted up as super-human beings and their words are studied almost like scripture.  So, I thought, I would just scratch Jefferson's writings lightly on the surface to see if I could find a few excerpts where we can study his views on the individual v. collective rights argument.

Here are some quotes, with my comments.  I am extremely interested in your perspective.

Do you consider caring for our fellow citizens at a basic level a moral obligation?

"Political interest [can] never be separated in the long run from moral right." 

--Thomas Jefferson to James Monroe, 1806. FE 8:477

"We are firmly convinced, and we act on that conviction, that with nations as with individuals, 

our interests soundly calculated will ever be found inseparable from our moral duties." 

--Thomas Jefferson: 2nd Inaugural, 1805. ME 3:375

"What is true of every member of the society, individually, is true of 

them all collectively; since the rights of the whole can be no more than the sum of 

the rights of the individuals." 

--Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1789.

Jefferson wrote extensively on happiness, as well all know.  Is happiness really an inalienable right?  What is your definition of happiness?  What was Jefferson's?  Is it possible to have either form of happiness when you are dying of cancer because you cannot afford the treatment? 

"The Giver of life gave it for happiness and not for wretchedness." 

--Thomas Jefferson to James Monroe, 1782. ME 4:196, Papers 6:186

And finally, since I know that the everyone's main concern about Universal Health Care is taxation.  Jefferson, thankfully, wrote a lot about taxation.  He found it a necessary function of government, and warned of waste, of course.  In addition, he was a supporter of Americans not being taxed by a government that does not represent us.  I hear comments and protests about taxes, shouting how some don't pay taxes and how it's not fair that some have more of a tax burden than others.  Here is a Jefferson quote for that subject, since it is really relevant  to the health care discussion:

"Another means of silently lessening the inequality of property is to exempt all from taxation below a 

certain point, and to tax the higher portions of property in geometrical progression as they rise."

 --Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1785. ME 19:18, Papers 8:682

I'm ready!

Is it possible to be "Over-Educated?"

As a person goes through life, there is a really high possibility that they will encounter ideas that are foreign to them and that will challenge their core values and beliefs.  I think this is the basis for higher education  - to challenge our core values and beliefs.  Sometimes, after learning about a new idea or concept, I come back to my original belief.  Other times, I decide that maybe what I have been believing all this time may not have been based in fact.

But, as a highly educated person, I must ask you to think about the definition of fact?  Is there such a thing as a fact, or is a fact an abstract concept that can be manipulated?  I think facts are abstract concepts, which leads me to the conclusion that all of our opinions are based on abstract concepts.

You can take a simple statement, such as the sky being "blue".  What is "blue?"  Can you define "blue?"  Will your definition of "blue" be the same as mine, and the same as our friends'?  Can "blue" even be described?  As I write this, the meaning of "blue" has actually diminished in my mind, and has now become a clump of letters that some ancient people made up to help them describe, as accurately as possible, potentially abstract concepts.

If you think I'm wrong, think about the definition of life.  A doctor may have a universally agreed upon definition of life (i.e. what type of physiological functions are necessary to have in order to be 'alive'), but the word 'life' means so much to so many different people.  Ask a teenager who is grounded and can't go to the prom.  Is that life?  What do we mean when we tell people to "get a life?"  Is there some popular standard that means that you have a "life"?

In conclusion, I will leave you with a final question:  What is truth?  Maybe you will see, like I do, sometimes, when I am not clutching violently to some belief, that truth, like fact, is an abstract concept and appears differently to everyone who sees it - and even to those who cannot.

The Falling Price of Oil

I am sure I am not the only one that feels a guilty pleasure when filling up the tank of the car recently.  Compared to the $4.25 per gallon that I was paying regularly a few months ago, I feel like I am stealing at $1.79.

Yahoo News reports this morning that the price of oil has fallen below $53 per barrel since the world is frightened about a severe recession.  While this is great news for the price of oil for the near future, I am afraid that us Americans will become complacent yet again about switching our main energy supply from oil to a combination of substitutes.  

In fact, we typically have very short memories.  I have an older V8 car that I have been trying to sell for a few months.  No one would consider it three months ago.  Since the gas prices have been tanking, I have gotten a phone call almost every day about the car.  This is because people were worried about the gas prices, but now that they see the prices falling, they don't seem to care anymore.  Some of us are still in denial about our dependence on oil as a major problem.

I do not want to see us back in the same situation next year, or five years from now.  While I enjoy the cheap gas as much as anyone else, I do not want us to forget that we still need to be working on a solution to this problem.  Let's not pass this down yet another generation.