When The Messenger God Goes In Reverse

If you’ve spent any time learning about astrology, you’ve probably heard the warnings about the dreaded Mercury Retrograde, those three week periods when the planet of the messenger god looks like its going backwards… at least from our perspective here on Earth. The effect is an optical illusion… and might hold a rather large cosmic hint as to the real meaning of these often maligned times.

The first retrograde for 2009 began on Sunday January 11th (along with a potent Full Moon in Cancer) and will last until February 1st – the first of an unusual four for the year. The next Mercury retrograde of this year will begin on May 6 and last until May 30, then there’s September 6 to September 29, with the final retrograde for the year beginning December 26th and running through the New Year until January 15, 2010.

The tone of the retrograde takes on the energies of the sign Mercury occupies… now in original, intellectual Aquarius. This can be expected to play out as a

A Healthy Dose Of Perspective

Though Winter has yet to officially arrive much of the Northeast was caught in the grips of an unprecedented ice storm late last week, and as these blasts of Mother Nature usually do, the resulting carnage brought our technology driven, 21st century world to a complete standstill. No warning. No escape. Some described what happened up here as “Katrina without the water.”

We certainly had our share of declarations (National Disaster Area and State of Emergency)… our interruptions of basic services like heat, running water and electricity. At one point 92% of our town of nearly 35,000 was shivering in the bitter NH cold, heating systems unable to work without electricity to turn them on.

Shelters were hurriedly opened… cots, food and supplies gathered, while roads were impassible because of ice coated downed limbs, trees and power lines. ATM’s had no power or were inaccessible. Gas stations, if they had gas, had no electricity to pump it. Food stores had to throw away perishables like milk (white gold) and eggs, and quickly ran out of gallon jugs of water and pre cut wood. Any business that managed to be open was trying to operate on backup generators with enough juice for a few lights and a register or two.

Suggestions For Male Jewelry Shoppers

This is one that I’ve long thought overdue… men are under so much pressure sometimes to buy the “right” piece. And they don’t have a clue. They really don’t. Just like we don’t know who the all time rushing title went to in 1983;… they don’t know this. 

So, here’s a guide that I hope men find useful…

A Woman’s Suggestions For Male Jewelry Shoppers

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AJS Blog Content: Worth A Read

Anyone who knows me well knows how I LOVE fine jewelry. I’m one of those people who love to browse jewerly stores… admire celebrity bling… and never get enough of the history and lore of gemstones. I’d love, someday, to see the Crown Jewels of England for myself.

But for now, I just have to content myself with admiring from afar, and have found a wonderful blog that has all kinds of great gemstone informaiton. Check this out…

What You’ve Always Wanted To Know About Gemstone Jewelry But Were Afraid To Ask

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Colored Gemstones… Crowning Glory

While white diamonds have long been praised for their sparkle and shine… colored gemstones offer a rich and vibrant array of shades, shapes and sizes to suit everyone. In times past, vibrantly colored gemstones were used to decorate the hair, the clothing, the trinkets, the artwork and of course the jewelry of the monarch’s and nobility of the world.

In what was to be a tragic miscalculation, most, but not all, of the English Crown Jewels dating from Anglo Saxon times were lost near The Wash by John of England in 1216. An incoming tide swept away the treasures and incomparable jewels amassed over centuries, leaving King John to lament the loss for what was left of his life. New pieces were made

More Than Hurt Feelings, An Opportunity Lost

Even the best of families have their troubles… silly arguments and ongoing squabbles… personality clashes… the hurts and resentments that come with the years… the events that shake our foundations, our belief in how things are supposed to be.

Yet, foolishly, I thought my own family had been spared the destructive power of these things — somehow immune and unbowed despite what an unpredictable Fate continued to throw in our path. I took, I must admit, no small bit of pride in this unity. 

And then, as things have that nasty habit of doing, it all changed. Without warning.

Guerrilla Marketing For Small Business

There’s a fantastic resource for small business owners at the Kiplinger Business Resource Center — forecasts, recommendations, a business resource library and more — you can use to stay informed and be able to make better decisions. What’s more, this resource offers a dedicated small business area that has information targeted specifically to your needs.

It’s from this source that you can find tips on what’s being called “guerrilla marketing” — a unique, affordable way to draw attention to your business. What is this exactly? Fans of the 70s comedy WKRP in Cincinnati may remember the now famous episode where a local shopping mall was “bombed” by live turkeys — a disastrous, though absurdly funny example of this type of promotion.

The objective of guerrilla marketing is to break through the seen-it-all-too-many-times drone of advertising and other promotions with something that is fresh and innovative — something that really and truly speaks to people. Done right, this can be amazingly effective — done wrong… well let’s just say, like the aftermath of “Big Turkey Giveaway”, it’s not pretty.

Here are five tactics, none involving a helicopter or live farm animals, that you might consider…

How Astrology Can Be Used In Business

It’s galling to true astrologers that the science to which they dedicate their efforts is so universally maligned. Our modern, tecnno-savvy, gadget-driven world has no place for anything so vague and unproven… no tolerance for those who might think otherwise. It wasn’t all that long ago that Nancy Reagan was widely ridiculed for using an astrologer to plan the Presidential schedule.

Over the centuries, astrology’s popularity has waxed and waned, based mostly on the success (or lack of it) of its predictions. Daily astrology columns, 800 numbers and tele-psychics have ruined the once honored reputation of this age old practice. Modern astrology disavows the notion of hard and fast predictions, guarantees of success or assured romantic compatibility… though that’s not what people want to hear, or believe.

Fashion Faux Pas, Quickly Corrected

 

This week, Dunkin Donuts pulled an online ad featuring benign and smiling TV hostess Rachel Ray. The reason? The black and white scarf (chosen by a stylist for the advertising shoot) Ray wears in the ad looked too much like a garment known as a keffiyeh — a traditional headdress worn by Arab men and often associated with jihad. 

Look at the photos here to judge for yourself if the garments are similar. 

Many who saw the ad, thought the scarf looked very much like one often worn by Yasser Arafat, and seen continually on beheading nad hostage taking videos. And while some claim the keffiyeh is a common fashion accessory in parts of the world, others wonder how those same souls might feel if a KKK style hood was to appear on the runways of Paris or Milan.

Summertime And Promotions Are Easy…

 

As Memorial Day, the official start to summer closes in, there’s no better time to look at the promotional opportunities that come along with the warmer weather. Remember, promoting your business name all year long helps customers remember you, and builds awareness in the minds of potential ones.

The change in season is a great time for business owners to invest in