It’s hard sometimes to feel positively about anything, let alone taking the extra step and being thankful. I know that some people have it a LOT worse than I do, and I have days where I can’t make myself believe anything is going to change; I can’t imagine what it’s like to have a terminal illness, or be stuck in a socio-economical pattern of poverty, or be uninsured, or a victim of a natural disaster, and try to keep your chin up.

In any dire situation, there is a certain amount of individual triumph that must occur in order to come out on top. But it also takes support; those hands to hold and listening ears are essential to survival.

Today is Thanksgiving, and it’s a day born from genocide and amoral behaviors. Don’t celebrate that, but don’t pass on the opportunity to recognize what makes you a lucky person, whatever that means for you.

Thanks to everyone in my life, regardless of what role you play. I am grateful for every second of support, involving and outside of my health, and all of the love I am able to give and receive. Thank you to my partners, my family, my friends. I am lucky to have what I do. I should really be repeating that whole thing every day. Maybe that would kick my ass into a more positive mindset. New goal!

Enjoy your turkey, everyone, be it of the tofu persuasion or not.

Best,
s

The latest addition to our growing list of partner sites is Box Office Football’s Betting Game.  The site will provide all the standard fantasy betting features that users have been exposed to on BetUknow and its other partner sites.  The addition of Box office Football’s knowledgeable readers should increase competition on the site and bring the exciting action to a whole new level.  You can check it out at betting.boxofficefootball.com.

Box Office Football provides a professional and comedic look at the beautiful game while providing all the latest football, soccer video highlights from around the world.  Add to that, breaking news as it happens, free legal live streams of games, and polished off with the best global soccer babes around.

Get in there now and have a look!

Know what bothers me about the human body usually? It’s the libido. Libido is the one thing that sets my talk apart from true anachronism. Most women ages ago were unable or too embarrassed to discuss sex and urges. Yet, I’m not. That’s one reason I started writing this, to get these things off my chest. I certainly haven’t told anyone about this blog. I write this for anonymity and relief. I like to write.

With no partner to satisfy my urges, I find that my libido veers toward preferring human contact. That means no self-service can heal what ails me. Why is there no satisfaction without someone else present? I’ve decided that sex REALLY is more than just a physical urge, it’s definitely a psychological one, too. It’s times like this when a person realizes for themselves the truth about what science and psychology have to say about women and men and their perceptions of sex. Is it true that men have no problems helping themselves as long as they can see something stimulating? Because as a woman, I can honestly say that it’s being with another person that makes the experience so gratifying. It’s one thing to know what is said about sex, it’s another to really understand for one’s self the implications of those studies. I am really learning from experience what it means when they say that women are more emotionally involved in sex.

Does that mean I fall in love with any and every person I sleep with? I doubt it. I’ve had fewer partners than I have fingers on one hand, but that’s because I prefer it that way. Of those partners, I only thought I loved two, and one of them I really did love. The other was youthful infatuation. One partner was just a friend with benefits, even though he eventually thought we had something. I never did. The last one was someone I found attractive, but I never believed I was in love with him. So, of my experiences, I suppose they’re 50-50.

That doesn’t change the fact that I’m not interested in a friend with benefits. I want a real relationship with someone I care about. I’ve found that that makes for the best sex. So, I suppose I fall into some stereotypical category about women. I think sex is best when you love someone. Sex is also awesome when you’ve not had it in quite some time. It doesn’t beat love sex, but it’s good, too. I mention this because someone asked me to be a FWB, and I can’t go along with that even if I’m craving the interaction like mad. So, I suppose this leaves me in a bad place for now. I hope it clears up soon. Unfortunately, I’m not holding my breath. I’m a bit too discriminating regarding the people to whom I give chances. That’s almost too bad for me.

The common thought is that domestic violence is a problem of "woman". While there are more reports of abuse involving women, it is a fact that men are abused by their domestic partners as well.

My belief is that there is indeed a factor in sex when we think of abuse in the sense "general". The average of all forms and manifestations of violence: reckless conduct, competitive, violent assault, abuse related to lowered inhibitions, excessive stressReactivity under-developed interpersonal and communication skills, and abusive behavior that may be a byproduct of drug-seeking behavior and so on.

However, I do not think there is more than a factor of sex when it comes to abuse of the function of "domestic violence" (domestic violence, spousal abuse, domestic violence), as defined in the professional literature. Compared with this syndrome, there are more of a "human factor" at the base of hisdynamics.

The real factor

It is a human factor which is fundamentally controlled. Violence may be a manifestation of domestic violence, domestic violence, but it is really controlled. And do not think it matters whether the control of the party is wearing pants or a skirt, if he / she participates as head of household or as a maid, or if the person deposits or checks cash them.

Domestic violence is not bound by traditional male femalestereotypes, but it is obsessive compulsion of man to control. One could also say that addiction is a psycho-social control.

Domestic Abuse Impact men

In my study and practice of psychotherapy, and in my life, I see almost as many men who are victims or battered by their female intimate partners as women. (Studies show that nearly 40% of victims of domestic violence each year are men.) The only difference I see between a man and abuseabuse of women and social policy around their problems.

Consider domestic violence in all kind of helps us to identify the essence of fly behavior, which is the larger context in which it occurs. Hence, we are in a better position to act in our best interest.

Tracy and Linda Sharpe

Blessing the Children sends between 10 – 15 teams a year to Ethiopia. Tracy and Linda Sharpe went with the October team this year, and while they were they, they posted trip updates on their blog. Feel free to check it out and read about their experiences!

Blessing the Children team member blog – Tracy & Linda Sharpe

P3 is inflamed with pride by the successful deployment of the 2010 Addy site.  Cam and Danno did site concept and design for our team while Noel and Jeff and the Bazilion Pictures crew engineered brilliant sound.  Jeff and Kelsey at Burn provided energetic creative direction.  This is a stellar example of what can happen when a group of talented people each bring their best to the table and shoot for the stars.

Hello everyone

Helen here from the Mobile Heroes team…

In case you hadn’t noticed, it’s less than two weeks to go until Heroes of the Mobile Screen http://mobileheroes.net … and there’s still new stuff to announce…

So, first up – lovely sponsors who are helping to make all this happen for us. We can now confirm that Blackberry is a gold sponsor and Windows Live and Windows Phone are silver sponsors. WINplc is event sponsor. Smaato is sponsoring the lanyards, Kemp Little LLP is supporting the event and we’ll have a few more to announce this week. And not only that, Blackberry has given us a bunch of Mobile World Congress passes to give away to delegates coming to the conference. Keep an eye on the Heroes twitter feed http://twitter.com/hotms and blog http://mobileheroes.net/blog to find out how to get your mitts on those lovely free passes.

Secondly, we have lots of lovely new speakers announced including Hugo Barra from Google, Oded Ran from Microsoft, George Nimeh from Iris, Phil Cox from Silicon Valley Bank, Giles Rhys Jones from Ogilvy, Mark Watts Jones from Orange and still more to be confirmed. Read all about them over at http://mobileheroes.net/speakers

Thirdly. You can still get involved. Well, of course you can buy a ticket (everyone who buys a ticket really makes our day and lots of lovely people have already bought tickets!). But there’s also a way you can score a free one… We’re still looking for companies who are targeting teens (age 17/18) with their mobile product, service, game, application or device and who want to get some constructive feedback from their teenage audience. Don’t worry, it’s not scary. Julia Shalet (pictured) is running this session and she knows what she’s doing and has briefed the teenagers thoroughly. And she’ll also brief the companies we choose thoroughly too so it becomes a useful experience for everyone involved. Anyway, we’ve had some people apply already, but we want to remind you that there’s still time to apply and we really do want to see what you’re made of. If you’re interested, please email me ( helen [at] mobileheroes [dot] net ) or Dominic ( dominic [at] mobileheroes [dot] net ) to express your interest or to find out more about what’s involved.

And finally, there are still some sponsorship opportunities to support the networking party afterwards. If you want to get involved in that, then please talk to me – ( helen [at] mobileheroes [dot] net ).

*Also a big thanks to our media and association partners for their support. Mobile Marketing Association, AIME, Mobile Data Association, IPC Media, Mobile Entertainment Magazine, Mobile Europe, Mobhappy, Mobile Zeitgeist, GoMoNews, Mobile Industry Review, The Really Mobile Project and many many more*

Don’t forget to spread the word as well to your clients and colleagues. This isn’t just for mobile industry insiders.

See you all on the 7th!

Social Media

Twitter, LinkedIn Groups, the blogosphere, Business First, and even the Columbus Dispatach have published numerous articles about the new order faced by business professionals who will be successful. Down goes the traditional marketing with mega advertising budgets and the A, B, C’s of selling (Always Be Closing). No longer is mass mailing thousands of strangers good enough (or wise enough) to put companies near the top of the heap. Now, we have umpteen ways of connecting with people, and getting them to know us, like us, and trust us. Twitter’s micro-blogs enable links to important and informative tidbits about us, our products and our brands while giving followers insights to us as ‘real people,’ not just our ‘Tweeple,’ personae. Blogging (umm, like this. . . ) is a larger stage for us to elaborate the points we want to make while staying on brand and message (as appropriate for our businesses) and inspiring readers to click through to our web sites to gather great tidbits as they move their way down our qualification funnels. Striving to have the most valuable answer on LinkedIn Questions is another way to get visible and credible, and let’s not forget the score of other social media sites liek Digg, Myspace, YouTube, Delicious, Stumbleupon, Technorati, and others that support online social media marketing efforts.

And . . . face to face contact is still the most vital element to develop deep, meaningful relationships that lead to long-lasting, fulfilling, and yes, even profitable referrals. I truly believe social media and face to face networking are strongest when used in the same strategy. I have a personal story that’s a super example of how social media can bring people together. A couple of weeks ago I was at a conference, and I happened to Tweet about one of the sponsors as they were mentioned in the keynote address. The next day, I was searching the exhibitor area for the sponsor, and couldn’t find them. I walked up to another exhibitor whom I knew, and asked if he knew where I could find the other sponsor. He laughed, and introduced me to the business owner, standing right next to him. The sponsor had received a Google Alert about my tweet, and asked the exhibitor if he knew me, just a few seconds before I showed up! His ability to track my tweet put him in a position to meet me, so we can continue to develop a mutually fulfilling relationship.

Santa Claus

Last week I was working the room at a large networking event, when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but an elf with a big belly of lard, and in his left hand was his business card! Yes, Santa Claus (remember him from the title of this blog?) was networking the mixer, eager to discuss how he could help the real Santa (after all, networking is about helping, right?) speak with kids at parties and shopping centers.

According to the Entrepreneur magazine article,  He’s really big this year,  Santa’s popularity with retailers is driving demand for Santa’s helpers to new heights. Shopping center and mall managers realize that people come to their establishments for more than shopping. People are looking for more ways to connect and feel connected with other people, and having one of Santa’s helpers on-hand is drawing visitors to their establishments.

So, the Santa helper I met is being a wise old elf. (Ummm, more like mid-30’s, so not so old). He’s extending his network of contacts, so he can help others find more ways to make connections, while he (hopefully) increases his revenues.

My partner told me over dinner Monday night, a late one, that we’re having the last tomatoes from his summer garden.

I wanted to cry.

Not because we now have to buy tomatoes following the abundant harvest, but because I really didn’t have the appetite to appreciate the dinner he made.

Aside from the salad with the aforementioned tomatoes, he made a pasta dish with some aged, smoked chorizos we bought from the farmer’s market on Sunday.

It look appetizing and delectable, but I was bone tired following a marathon council budget deliberation that began at 9:30 a.m. and lasted till 9 p.m. with meal breaks.

It wasn’t the most complicated meeting I’ve ever attended. I’ve sat though days of oilsands regulatory hearings in Fort McMurray and Edmonton and a travelling provincial oilsands consultation, and I managed to absorbed information and spit it back in a more understandable fashion for our readers.

But when you’re listening, taking notes and trying to find the real story from a whole bunch of potential ones and there’s a looming deadline, almost all of your energies get used up and you’d have nothing left at the end of the day.

I wanted to cry because I failed to appreciate the fact that my partner didn’t have dinner, waited for me to finish work and then prepared the food for us to share.

“You didn’t like the pasta,” he asked me when he noticed that I only put a couple of spoonfuls on my plate.

“My stomach has high acid content right now, I can feel it,” was all I said.

He understands. 

He always does.

After we had our food, he asked me, “What do you want to do now?”

It’s always been me who asked that question after we had dinner and I know there’s still time to do something like go to a movie, a walk or visit his niece and nephew before they head to bed.

I didn’t know what to tell him either, what I wanted to do, after he fed me.

We didn’t do much, just tried to wind down from a crazy day, that I believe won’t be repeated tomorrow.

And so the thoughts of what if we had kids came to mind.

I’d be a bad parent.

I wouldn’t have time to tuck them in every night because I’m too engrossed with my work and all I can think of is what’s the next story for tomorrow – which by the way if you’re reading this and something city-related came across your mind, don’t hesitate to pitch to me. 

Work is all I think about, partly because I’m ambitious to get better at what I do. 

And although occasionally I have time to reflect about what to do with several baskets of tomatoes, I could also care less if rotten potatoes are residing in my fridge for a couple of months.

So do you have any video suggestion for me?

I’m sorry I think I should stop thinking about work and go to bed.

Nov. 23, 2009

Check out USF.edu’s feature on last week’s Dutch Dialogues summit, including quotes from speakers and presenters, here.

• Purchase kitchen equipment and food to offer hot meals for children and nutrition classes for mothers
• Build a child-friendly library with books and storytelling tools to bolster kids’ literacy skills, love of learning and tools for healthy self-expression.