Silence Is Not Golden

This country is in an uproar. People are hurting. We live in a hashtag nation, and it can be dizzying when your Facebook and Twitter feeds are full of them. #SocialMedia has made our world smaller. "There is nothing new under the sun." What we are now seeing in rapid-fire succession are things that have always happened, it just took us months or years to hear about it. It is also nothing new to the poor and minorities who have lived under this level of fear for generations. ‪

But this is why the #alllivesmatter #bluelivesmatter #policelivesmatter people need to just take a seat. Of course all lives matter. That is a given. Of course they do. What these other "movements" and hashtags do is to, intentionally or not, attempt to silence the grief and outrage minorities feel when they are treated unfairly. #blacklivesmatter doesn't mean ONLY black lives matter. It means black lives ALSO matter. More importantly, it means that there is a collective sense that they feel their lives DON'T matter to the police or even to society at large. It is a call, a cry, to truly acknowledge that their lives matter TOO. In it's essence, #blacklivesmatter actually means #alllivesmatter.

You can be both ‪#‎ProPolice‬ and ‪#‎AntiPoliceMisconduct‬. You can be Pro-Police & ‪#‎ProMinority‬. You can, gasp, be #BlackLivesMatter AND #PoliceLivesMatter. These are not mutually exclusive, at least they shouldn't be.

It's time to acknowledge that #policemisconduct exists. It helps no one for police departments to close ranks and fail to acknowledge its existence. Bad apples need to be actively rooted out. Don't close ranks, open them up to scrutiny. Real change is needed, but real change only comes from the inside-out. Real change will occur only when ALL of the good officers, which I choose to believe out-number the bad apples, wake up to and acknowledge the misconduct around them and stand up to their friends, their partners, their brothers-in-arms and say "it stops with me." Only then will we see real change. I'm sorry if that means you have to report your best friend, your partner, your brother-in-arms, because if you don't report the problem, you are part of the problem.

This is the same school of thought that the Catholic church used for years to deny and cover up the pedophilia by the priesthood. This is the same school of thought that blames a woman for being raped. This has to stop.

And yes, many of these victims of violence and police misconduct had a criminal background. So what. We are SUPPOSED to have a presumption of innocence in our courts. Well, whether that truly exists or not can be debated, but you have to actually get to court alive to even enter that part of the discussion. Protecting the civil rights of the accused is exactly what protects the rights of all of us from living in a #policestate.

For the rest of us. Wake up. Stop denying that a real problem exists in our country. Hold each other accountable. Stop blaming the victims. Don't try and silence or minimize the pain experienced by those affected, even remotely, by these actions. Don't try and silence or minimize the fear experienced by people who feel they are a potential target. Peacefully protest. Start with yourself. Look inside and root out your own issues. Do this every day. 

Acknowledge. Empathize. Act.

‪#‎PrayForOurCountry‬.

Wired Coast: Is Cash Still King?

Whether for business or personal, vendor or customer, there are many options to make and receive payments. Surf on over to Wired Coast: Is Cash Still King?: How are you getting paid? We're not quite at a cashless society, but many of us no longer carry cash or even write checks, except for on...

The Modern Yard Sale, or... Is Craigslist dead?

The yard sale has evolved over the years. It still exists in its classic sense, and if you’re up for it, is still the quickest way to get rid of a large amount of your unwanted items. However, it’s a lot of work. You have to individually price each item; set a specific date; advertise – in the paper, with flyers, on social media; haul everything out; and staff the event. Kudos if you also serve refreshments, as they also increase your sales.

For apartment dwellers and those of us who are just overwhelmed with the whole concept of such an event, there are a plethora of options. There was your local paper, and maybe a pennysaver (or small town version of it) for print classifieds. Success was always hit or miss with these, and with the internet, the print versions are a dying breed. 

For internet sales, it all started with EBay. Remember when EBay was all brand new and your go-to site for getting rid of your items. You can list them, either for auction, reserve-auction (set your minimum bid), or buy-it-now. You list the item and wait for it to sell. Yes, you pay a commission, but you have a worldwide market (if you so wish to sell internationally).  You will have to deal with shipping, as it is unlikely you will connect with a local buyer.  You can charge those costs to the buyer, but you will still have to factor in your time and decide if it’s worth it to you.

Then came Craigslist. Free. Local. No commissions. Your bare-bones internet classified site. For years it became the next go-to site for just about anything to buy, sell, trade, get a job, or even a (scary) hookup. Craigslist is great, in that you can anonymize your email address, and if you’re careful enough to meet in public and perhaps use things like google voice to protect your personal phone number, can be fairly safe. Then it became riddled with scammers. Offers to pay you a substantial amount to ship the item, just send them your personal information, take a check, and wait for your account to be hacked. Or the endless offers to trade for tattoos or other things you have no desire for when all you want to do is get rid of your stuff. It’s tedious. But it’s still a good alternative in many markets, but lately not a primary one.

Kijiji, EBay’s version of Craigslist is also an interesting option, though admittedly I haven’t investigated that one. I mention it because it’s there, and if you’ve used it please feel free to comment with your experience. I may give it a shot and update this later, but for now it’s worth at least a cursory mention.

Ok, step up with Facebook, which has numerous, to say the least, online yard sale groups. You post in the group and everyone sees your posts. There are SO.MANY.GROUPS. The private groups are closed or secret, the public groups still require you to be accepted, but it’s a fairly simple process. It started out with your basic posts, and new items will show up in your news feed and you comment and private message the seller to purchase. They’ve included a “selling” feature now in these groups, ostensibly to make things easier. Whichever option you use (“for sale” or general posting), members will comment or message you to purchase. This is a decent feature as you have a basic idea of who you are dealing with. Most of them are community based, so you may even recognize your neighbor. You can also screen-shot their profile page and send it to a friend before meeting with someone (just in case).

The response rate on the Facebook groups was very good when they first started out, and in some markets it still can be. Facebooks newest acquisition, Instagram, has been a budding venue for private sales and boutique shops. It’s still in it’s infancy for this type of thing, but if you have a lot of local followers, you can certainly post your items and people can respond. I’ve sold a few items that way, but my followers are not primarily local, your mileage may vary.

But enter now the apps. Close5, Wallapop, OfferUp just to name a few. With these apps you will post directly and most of them have options to enter private conversations so that your meet-up location or contact information is kept private between buyer and seller. They are location-based, so you can post and search within a defined radius of your current location. Often the search feature is limited to your current location and the pre-determined radius you search (generally 5-20 miles), but I’ve noticed a new feature that you can post either your current location, or enter a different one, when setting up your post. That’s convenient if, for some reason, you decide to post something when you’re out on vacation or just out of your neighborhood. They offer good search features for buyers, simple posting features for sellers, and instant notifications so that your buyer’s messages don’t get lost in your spam trap (a la Craigslist anonymized emails) or that mysterious “others” folder (Facebook). The notifications aren’t perfect, so check the app periodically as one might be there and you didn’t get the visual or audio prompt. The posting is simple and straightforward. You can literally post an item as fast as you can take a picture. Easy-peasy.

My personal experience is that these new apps offer faster responses and I’ve, quite frankly, made far more sales through the apps than the Facebook or Craigslist posts. Be prepared to haggle though, some apps, I’ve noticed, have a higher propensity for hagglers than others. Now this could be location-based as well. I will have to update this after my move. And the scammers are entering the apps as well. I’ve already encountered one on Wallapop, though so far that’s the only one.

I have bought and sold many items on EBay, Craigslist and Facebook groups. My experience has been varied, but generally quite pleasant. I’ve never had a difficulty, and for the longest while, items sold fairly rapidly. After noticing a significant slow down of responses, I downloaded Close5 a few months ago and I had a sale in the first 5 minutes. No kidding. And they picked it up within the hour. Most of my items have sold through Close5 recently, though I keep the postings live on all of the above-mentioned sites (except EBay, I’m taking a break from them for now).

I recently downloaded Wallapop, and had offers the first day. Insulting low-ball offers, but offers nonetheless. Oh, and that scammer. So far, Wallapop is a nice app, but in my current market, I’ve only received a bunch of really low-ball offers (less than half the price I’ve posted it). Now I post my items a little high because I know I will get offers for less, and everyone wants a bargain so if I come down a bit, we’re both happy. But offers of $15 for a $50 item – yeah right.

OfferUp is my latest download, and within the first hour I had 2 sales pending pickup. The offers came it a bit low, but not as insulting as the Wallapop offers, so I accepted.

Now my current order of preference for resale is this:

Close5 – Simple, easy to use, up to 4 photos per item, good response rate. It’s #1 for me because of the response rate, not the specific app features. Reason is, you can’t enter private conversation mode until after you’ve accepted the offer – and then your item is off-market, so if it falls though you have to re-list. Re-listing is a one-click procedure, but you may have lost a potential sale dealing with someone who flaked on you. Also, editing your post is sketchy. You can edit the text at any time, but you can’t edit photos – you’re stuck with whatever you put up. All comments are public, and you can’t delete them once you’ve hit ‘send’.

OfferUp – Simple, easy to use, only one photo per item, conversations are private, accepting an offer doesn’t take your item off-line. You can have multiple private conversations on a single item. Nice ka-ching sound when you have a message. Once an offer is made, it shows up with the picture of the best offer (visible, I believe, only to you), so you can still keep it listed as you ponder your offers. You can also use the web version, this one I've noticed has a fully functional web interface, while the others are app-centric.

Wallapop - Simple, easy to use, up to 4 photos per item. Editing your post is simple, and you can edit either the photos or the text. Biggest complaint I have at the moment is the low-ballers and scammers. The jury is still out on this one, but I’m still using it for now.

Facebook Groups – Facebook is flooded with these, and their algorithms are ever-changing, so sometimes you see things and sometimes you don’t. It’s still a good place to cross-post your items, but I wouldn’t count on it to sell items quickly.

Craigslist – Oh Craigslist, still the go-to for many people, especially in large markets. If you’re in a small town you will have difficulty finding buyers and sellers. Many will post in the one for the nearest metro center, and if you’re in between a few, you’ll have to go ahead and post in a few of them. #smalltownproblems. Just keep checking your spam folder.

For all of these: Meet in a public place (hard to do with large items, but you get the idea). Preferably meet during daytime hours. Never give out your personal information. Consider getting a google voice number or some other private phone number for texting/calling.

Employee vs Business Owner Mentality

Employee or Business Owner - Which are you?

Honestly, the vast majority of us fall somewhere in between, but there is a distinct difference. In our entrepreneurial society, many people want to own their own business, but do they truly have the mentality for it? If you do, you have that mentality whether you are working for yourself or working for someone else. I hear it said all the time, "it would be different if it were my own business." I doubt that.

Here are some classic traits of an Employee Mentality:

• I work for a paycheck - period.
• I do not give more than I have to, otherwise the company will take advantage of me.
• They are lucky to have me.
• They owe me because I work here; because they need me; because I'm better qualified; because, because, because, because, because...
• I only do what is in my job description.
• I only work the hours assigned. I will work overtime only when it suits me (and when I need the extra money).
• I do not like change. We've always done (or we tried that before) and there's no reason to change.

Now look at the traits of a Business Owner Mentality

• I work for the good of the business.
• I give everything I have in order to grow the company.
• I am lucky to have this opportunity.
• I only receive the benefits of my effort, if I want more I have to work for it.
• I do what is needed, regardless of my job description.
• I work the hours necessary to complete the task, even if the overtime is an inconvenience.
• I am open to change. I think outside the box and consider all options, whether we've tried it before or not, traditional or not, I am always looking to improve. 

Now, we all want and need our paycheck, and we are all working for that but for the employee, that is where it begins and ends. For the business owner, the money is the reward, not the substance. It is the end result of countless hours of effort, often uncompensated effort.

Are you willing to do what it takes to grow your business? Great! 

Are you still working for someone else? Hone those skills where you are, because if you're going to start your own business, it's better to take those fully developed skills into your new venture rather than try and flex those weak muscles when you branch out on your own.

Never plan to have your own business? Have an "Owner" mentality anyway, you will be the most valued employee in the company. Rewards follow. 

New Balance 1080v3 Review

So, I waited until I retired these to do a review.  This isn't a comprehensive review, but it does cover my overall impressions and comparisons about this particular shoe.

I keep trying to have a couple of different brands in my rotation, and New Balance is, mostly, US made so I was feeling very patriotic and bought these on my last trip to Roadrunner Sports. I also have another pair of New Balance 1400s in my rotation, more on those another time.

First off, on the my initial treadmill run at the store I noticed that the shoe had great cushioning, comparable to what I expect from my Brooks Glycerin, and even better than I experienced with the Asics Gel Nimbus 13, at first blush that is.  I really need the cushioning as I primarily run on pavement, so my shoes take quite a bit of abuse and without significant cushioning, so would my joints.

I have been running in my Brooks Glycerin 9s for some time now, and they have been my absolute favorites, easily beating out Nike & Asics.

These shoes have decent ventilation, and remain comfortable throughout my regular 3-5 mile runs.  I didn't use them for anything longer. The mesh upper breathes well, though not as well as Brooks, but still it's fine.

They also have a decent heel drop, which is important for me as it helps with my arch support and weak ankles.  Not too high, but just enough for the support I need.

On the treadmill, they were amazing and the midsole was both comfortably cushioned and responsive. On pavement, well, a bit less so, but the cushioning was great and absorbed a good amount of the shock from running on pavement.

No heel slippage for me on these, so no need for the runner's knot I had to use for my Asics. A small thing, but a welcome change. The laces are a bit long, so that does require a double know just to keep from tripping over them down the road.

The insole is comfortable enough and the shoe is sufficiently supportive that I can run with or without my orthotics for the first few miles, but that required a change later on.

Honestly I really wanted to love these shoes. I love the company's commitment to domestic products and I like a lot of things about them. However, they just don't stand up to my mileage test.

For the first 200 miles, they were just great! The cushioning remained strong and I had no complaints.   From 200-300 miles, things started to slowly feel different. The cushioning was there, but not great. As an older runner, who primarily runs on pavement, I tend to notice this fairly quickly. Still, they held up well all the way to 300 miles. That said, in a neutral plus shoe, I have a commitment to getting 500 miles...I'm determined that way.

At 350 miles I had to make some changes, and replaced out my orthotics with the standard insole, which honestly made a difference for the next 50 or so miles. I added a sports gel insert to ride above that to get from 400-500 miles. I was committed to getting the 500 miles, and it can be done, I just had to be a bit more creative.

Honestly, 500 miles is hard for any shoe, especially if you primarily run on concrete.  Still, I can get there easier with Brooks than any other shoe I've tried so far.

When all is said and done, The New Balance 1080v3 is a fine shoe. The cushioning and support is good, and it holds up just fine all the way to 350 miles. After that, if you have a commitment to getting up to 500 miles, you will need to be creative about it. All in all I like them better than Asics (even though I got to 400 before having to get creative with them) but not better than Brooks.

Can't wait to test out the Glycerin 11s and , oh I don't know, maybe some Saucony or Newtons on the next round...

Rebranding Progress

Thanks everyone for sticking with us during this rebranding process! Wired Coast, and you can read about it here, will now have it's own blog and this one will return to our original focus that involves Micro-Enterprise Support, Legal, Non-Profits, and Health & Fitness. Wow, that's more than enough for one little blog!

To help you navigate, this main page will have all of your Health & Fitness related posts, as well as wonderful posts from some of our guest authors!

The pages listed include our Non Profit Division and Legal Division. You will find specific posts related to those divisions over there. Micro-Enterprise will be featured here until it needs it's own page.

Thanks again for all your patience as we continue to grow!

New Directions

From these last few posts, you can see I'm slowly rolling out my latest venture, Wired Coast.

Wired Coast offers unique upcycled and repurposed items, starting with jewelry, that includes wire wrapped beach stones, wire wrapped seashells, wine cork jewelry, and uniquely fabulous creations from Nespresso capsules.

Products are rolled out slowly, and will be announced on our social media sites prior to being listed on Etsy. You can shop the Etsy site from the sidebar or the link below. Additional products are rolled out on the Square Store (link below) as well.

Like Wired Coast on Facebook for updates and contests.
Check out Instagram for a like & share contest to win a free wine cork keychain.
Get real-time updates on new product listings on Twitter
Surf around the always fabulous Pinterest for listings and a peek into what inspires me
Check out our ever-developing Website & sign up for our newsletter for exclusive specials & coupon codes.
Go see items exclusive to the Square Store, which also includes inventory close out and resale items.
And of course, our main storefront is right here on Etsy

Consulting Services and Micro-Enterprise support are still offered over at Partnership for Change, and please contact me there for consulting services or partnership opportunities. 

Nespresso Collection

The Nespresso Collection is a line of jewelry created from repurposed Nespresso capsules for the fashion-forward, environmentally conscious and is available now at the Etsy store.

Facebook and Instagram

Check out Facebook and Instagram for early previews, contests & specials. 

Seashell Collection

The seashell collection is now available at http://wiredcoast.etsy.com/

Here's a little preview but surf over & check out other items!

There's still 9 days left in the "All About You" Jewelry Contest! You'll find all the details at http://Facebook.com/Wiredcoast/

Plenty of time to enter, vote & win!

Introductory Collection

The Introductory Collection from Wired Coast is now available for sale exclusively at the WIN store in Chestertown, MD. For details on this store and the non profit it supports, surf over to http://shopnifty.com

Happy Shopping!

"All About You" Jewelry Contest

"All About You" Jewelry Contest:

Here's what you can win: a handmade ring from the Coronado Collection. It's all about you, so if you win, you get to pick the ring. Swing over to http://WiredCoast.Etsy.com for sizes and descriptions.

Here are the rules:

1) Like this page: Wired Coast

2) Post a selfie. 

3) Share the Wired Coast page. 

4) Ask your friends to like the page and vote for your pic

5) The pic with the most votes wins.

***Optional: Join and Share the event associated with it***

Contest extended through January! Plenty of time to enter and win!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

We will hear and say that all day today, and likely for the rest of the week. While, in truth, it's just another day, for most, it's a time of introspection, reflection, goal setting and the oh-so-(in)famous resolutions. Oh, every day is a new start, and we could make life changes at any time, but there seems to be something about changing the year on the calendar that makes us want to reflect and dig our heels in. Gym memberships will rise. People will flock in and either sign up or start using those memberships they let sit for most of the previous year. People will start diets, quit smoking, resolve to spend more time with family and less time at work. Any number of "resolutions" with the goal of becoming the person we want to be.

Unfortunately, for many these resolutions will fall by the way-side before the end of the month. For some, before the end of the week. Sometimes because it's not a goal, but merely a wish. If you're making resolutions today, change them to goals. Make a plan. Write it down. Tell people about it. Begin execution. Hold yourself accountable. Find someone, or a few someones, to help hold you accountable.  Let 2015 be your best year yet!

What are your goals for this year? How will you make it happen?

News and Updates

UPDATE: Check out the updated review of Web Storefronts.

Ebates has a new referral bonus and a $10,000 sweepstakes. Click here to sign up and shop at your usual stores and get cash back for everything you buy for the holidays and all year long.

You will notice an Ebates link on the front page. I've heard about them for quite awhile and just decided to give it a try. This year on Black Friday they are offering Double Cash Back. If you're inclined to shop online, click on the link and give it a try. It's free and you could get a little extra shopping money:

Here's another unique one that caught me by surprise. A Bank offering a Black Friday Special? Sure is: CapitolOne360 has Referral Specials, New Account Specials and lots more going on over there. How about opening an account and getting some cash back! Hurry, it's only available for 4 days. 

2014 will mark the end of our partnership with Avon. You will notice that the link to the storefront is gone. While they are a great company, it is just no longer the best fit for our purposes. If you love their products, and I do love some of them, please contact a local representative and help support their efforts. Upcoming partnerships and business expansions will be announced as they develop. 

There are lots of specials out there today. Be safe.

Selling Online: Web Storefronts UPDATED

There are lots of online store options now. Some free, some not-so-free. I like free, so I will be checking out a few of them over the next few months. Stay tuned for updates.

I do limited credit card transactions, so I'm using the PayPal Here and Square Card Reader apps for the few sales that require it. Square has launched a free online store, well, not completely free since it's subject to their 2.75% transaction fee for all sales, but free enough. Etsy also has a similar pay-as-you-go deal. I'll give them a shot later on.

For now, I'm starting out with Square and will provide an update as things go along.

Setup was fairly simple, and categories are easy to establish. Photos are easy to upload, and it seems straightforward enough. You can set taxable and nontaxable items, I've even uploaded some yard sale items just because.

You can customize your web address, and there are promotional links for each item that you post and a nice script to enter on your website. For now, I'll just give you the direct link:  http://mkt.com/wiredcoast/

Square has a new promotional offer, sign up through a referral link and get the first $1,000 in transactions free. Much like Dropbox's free space for referrals, both parties will get the free transaction bonus, so if you want to try Square for your online or offline business, click here and get some free transactions.

Square has limited web analytics, and less SEO optimization apparently as I have seen very little traffic, despite my use of social media promotions. I used the same promotions for my Etsy store and had significant traffic. Well, significant compared to the limited traffic on Square. I started with different content on Square, but that doesn't really account for the drastic difference in traffic. I'll keep plugging away at it, but for now, Etsy wins in the marketing department.

UPDATE 1/24/15: Square also doesn't really allow for digital downloads. You can set up an item so that you can email or send a link to another site for downloading, but you can't do an "instant download", at least not yet.

Etsy has a new app for managing your store. Now, I haven't opened my Etsy store yet, but it looks promising. For now you can't create a store with the app, but you can manage one. Looks like store creation in the app is a "coming soon" feature. With many people using phones & tablets for their primary internet experience, that will be a positive change in their app and burgeoning web presence.

I did open an Etsy shop, which was super easy. Once you open the shop by listing a single item, you can then add to or manage existing listings through the app. Since most of my photos were on my phone, this worked great! Etsy has a powerful search engine and great web stats as part of their service. I've noticed significant web traffic that outpaced my own social media promotion. This is a great way to get your products noticed! No sales yet, but lots of interest...and it's been less than a month. Take a look here: http://wirecoast.etsy.com/

UPDATE 1/24/15: Etsy allows for digital downloads, which is completely awesome! The 20c listing fee applies to the listing no matter whether you list it to sell one item or 1,000. The listing will need to be renewed when you sell out of the quantity you list or in 4 months, whichever is first. You will also incur an new 20c re-listing fee every time something sells (if you are selling multiples under a single listing). So, in essence, what you are saving by listing multiples under a single heading is the listing fee for unsold items. That's a help if things stay on your site for awhile before selling out.

Keep checking this page for updates as I work on this and other sites

Casino Gambling

Some truly relevant insights on gambling from contributing author Tucker Hoog. 

[Addresee's name withheld]

My name is Tucker Hoog. I called the UCLA Gambling Studies Program today to try and get answers to two questions and they told me I should e-mail you. I’m very interested in casinos, what people say about them, and how people view them. I’m sure I’m not going to say anything you don’t already know, and I can go on about this stuff forever, so please bare with me.

My first question is are casinos comparable to bars? I see many people say things like “Much like the alcoholic has to live in a world filled with bars and liquor stores, the gambling addict has to find a way to maintain control in a world of casinos and race tracks.” Steven Hart, who used to be President of the Illinois Council on Problem Gambling said that. Other people say “casinos don’t cause gambling addiction anymore than a bar creates alcoholics.” I know there are addicts in both a bar and a casino. But a bar doesn’t do anything to encourage alcoholics (other than happy hour). A casino will send offers for free play, hotel rooms, and food. They actively reward you for playing longer and with more money. A bar does not give you anything for drinking more beers in a shorter time frame. A bar doesn’t make outrageous claims with their advertisements like casinos do by saying how many millions they have paid out or “you can’t lose.” The most a bar promises is a fun night at a cost. The casinos present themselves as life changing, harmless, almost free entertainment and it’s ironic that they’ve cost so many people so much. I’ve seen many people get thrown out of a casino and to my knowledge the casino is never investigated. After a few fights happen in a bar that bar is shut down for a time period. I feel like bars are socially acceptable. So when people compare casinos to bars they are trying to push casinos as a socially acceptable form of entertainment. People are also addicted to nicotine, caffeine, heroin, and cocaine, but casinos are never compared to those industries. I understand that people get addicted to both but we treat alcohol and casinos very differently as a society.

My second question is is there anything inherently dangerous about casinos? As a society we make it common knowledge that alcohol, tobacco, drugs, too much sugar, too many calories, etc, comes with risks. The substance is dangerous, and the user needs to be informed. Every alcohol and tobacco container comes with a health warning. Food is labeled with nutritional information. Casinos, on the other hand, are always assumed to be safe and the user is assumed to be dangerous. There is no product information in casinos. There are no warnings. They list the signs and symptoms of being a problem gambler and put a big “IF” in front of that list and ask the sick person to self diagnose. No alcohol or tobacco product lists the signs and symptoms of drinking too much or cancer or liver disease. The casinos don’t even put that list on the product. It’s usually at the entrance and exit to a casino.

Thank you for taking the time to read and consider what I wrote. Anything you say would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for the work you do at the UCLA Gambling Studies Program.

V/R

Tucker C. Hoog 

Review: Nike Studio Wraps

I've seen the Nike Studio Wrap for awhile now, and I have to say I've been intrigued since they first came out. I always do my Pilates, Barre, Yoga & PiYo workouts barefoot, and I like it that way and understand the benefits, but these shoes are just adorable and I've been wanting to try them so I finally carted myself down to the Nike Outlet Store and picked up the full 3-piece set, called The Wrap Pack.

Style: First off, they are just cute. You can wear them any number of ways, and none of them are a bad look. The options at the outlet were minimal, so I went with the basic black. Always a classic, so I'm sure I'll get plenty of use out of them.

Comfort: Well, comfort is subjective, and also subject to use. For just wearing around the house, they are quite comfortable. For sports-specific use, I have varying levels of comfort and suitability opinions. The piece in between my toes bothers me for certain things, but I'm not a fan of toe socks, vibrams, or anything else wedged in between my toes. That's a personal preference, your opinion may vary wildly based upon whether this bothers you or not.

Gym Use: I didn't feel there was sufficient support for use at the gym. Not for weight training or even for the elliptical. I made it through my workout just fine, but I just didn't feel it was suited for that. Now, to be fair, that's not the target market, but I wanted to give it a try nonetheless.

Home Workout: For this I tried home-based step aerobics, some dance aerobics, resistance band exercises and general bodyweight work. Either the wrap with the outer sole, or any combination you're comfortable with, works great for these workouts. My step (The Firm Wave) is a little hard on bare feet, so the outer sole, with or without the inner wrap, was a welcome change. I just don't like wearing shoes for home workouts in general, even though I sometimes need them, so these really filled the gap. Enough support without being bulky.

Pilates, Yoga & Barre: For Pilates, I primarily do mat work and the occasional Pilates Chair. For Yoga, it's your basic moves at home and not in a studio setting or hot yoga (well, at least not yet anyway). Barre work is using a home Fluidity barre, but I think this experience would translate well to a studio barre class. For this I used just the basic wrap (and sometimes the ribbons) and I found it to work quite well. There's enough traction to help hold a pose without adding to any bulk. It's completely flexible, comfortable and doesn't bother me too much. I like barefoot as well or better just because of the whole thing-between-my-toes issue, but if you're not home and don't want to be completely barefoot, they're a great choice. If you just want your feet to look all cute and complete an outfit - also a good choice. The outer sole for going to and from a studio is a really nice feature too.

PiYo: As a PiYo instructor, this was the reason I purchased them. PiYo is a unique format utilizing Pilates & Yoga-inspired moves with other bodyweight exercises for total strength & flexibility conditioning. Now you would think that my experience using these for the other types of workouts would be similar, but not really. PiYo is unique, and you move through the various poses rather quickly, which is why I just did not care for these shoes for PiYo. The first half of the lesson, they're fine. From the warm-up through to the Power section, either the wraps alone or even using the outer sole works just fine. There's a lot of standing work, lunges, things like that where they work very well. But once we move into the Flow section, even sooner on certain lessons, where there's a lot of movement through low lunges, warrior poses and such, there's a little too much traction which slows me down, and then it starts to pull in between my toes and I want to rip them off and throw them across the room...which I did. Now if toe socks and toe shoes are your thing, or at least don't irritate the living daylights out of you, you may love these for PiYo as well. I didn't.

Everyday: These shoes do have a practical component as well. The outer flat is functional for daily casual wear. You can even throw them in your purse for walking commutes. I plan on wearing them on my next flight, which hopefully means less drama with TSA. Maybe they won't make me take off the inner wrap during screening. One can hope anyway. Why would I wear a studio wrap for air travel? Oh why not! Like I said, they're cute!

Sizing: Here is where it gets difficult, and where I think you would benefit from a trip to a store to go try them on, especially if you are anywhere in between their rather broad sizing categories. For example, I wear a 7 in street shoes, 8 in running shoes. Now their small goes from 6-7.5, Medium 7.5-9. Since I fall right in the middle, and many of you might, a trip to the store, if one is close, is wise. I ended up purchasing the size 8 Wrap Pack and that translated to a Medium in the inner wrap. The small is tight, but not horribly so, and the medium is fine, and at the end of a long day my feet might appreciate the 8, though to be honest the 7.5 outer would've been fine it just wasn't an option with the Medium inner wrap. If they stretch out, as some have said, it could be an issue, but for now and for me, I recommend going with your running shoe size or at least sizing up 1/2 size from your street shoe. Of course, I recommend going into a store and trying them on and comparing if you are in between. Even if you don't purchase in the store, it's still good to go and be certain which size to order so that you aren't playing return-roulette trying to find your perfect fit.

Price: The Wrap alone will run you anywhere from $30-$60 depending on where you can find them and which color selection you choose. The Wrap Pack is $50 at the Outlet for whatever they have in stock, and varying prices on websites that go all the way up to $160 for the Premium Wrap Pack on Nike's site. I picked mine up at the Outlet store for the not-so-bargain price of $49.95. Well, it is quite the bargain to the I-can't-believe-it price of $160 on the Nike website (granted that's for the premium leather version but still.  Honestly, I think Nike took a page from Lululemon and others who think that those of us who take mind/body classes are missing that part of our mind that deals with practical finances, but hey, they are cute :)

ETC: I wish there were more mix & match options. For now you can only buy the inner Wrap or the full set (Wrap Pack).  It would be nice to be able to purchase additional ribbons or outer soles separately so that you can change up your style without having to purchase multiple sets. I'm not a huge fan of these shoes, but for more options I could become one. Hey Nike, did you hear that?

Take Care of Yourself

By contributing author Stefanie Stolinsky, Ph.D

We are at least partly responsible for our own health. So many things can go wrong that are out of our control; diseases that no one has been able to help or cure, accidents we didn’t see coming, betrayals we didn’t see coming. But we need to do what we can to prevent it all.  Like gambling, where you get only one chance to bet or scrape for a card (in “21”), we can’t afford to make mistakes that cannot be taken back.

      

My brother died three weeks ago. We weren’t close and I saw him and spoke to him maybe once or twice a year.  Long ago, my brother decided to leave whatever family he had and join the Church of Scientology where he found not only new friends, but also made them his family.

      

When he got sick, fifteen months ago with terminal Stage four prostate cancer, he never called me, his only sister, to tell me, to ask my advice (my husband is an oncologist/hematologist with boards in both), he decided to work it his way.  Not that that would have changed anything at all, but he knew that something that serious should be treated aggressively.  Instead, he decided on only “natural” ingredients and decried Kaiser’s attempt to treat him with by-the-book medications. Instead, he took off for Europe and “alternative” therapy which consisted of Oxygen therapy.  He lost two months of medicine doing that, and decided, apparently, all this is from a third person---his friend and confidante at Scientology---to explore Europe, noteably Austria.  He had a wonderful time, met wonderful people and really enriched his life.

      

When he got home, he finally gave in to American medicine and his PSA plummeted from 395 (a huge figure) to 1, a figure my husband found hard to believe, but nevertheless is in the files.  My brother was hopeful that he could lick the illness now and had told a friend he planned to spend the year exercising and eating right and curing himself.  The next few days, the metastases in his brain invaded a blood vessel and he was dead.  It is important to get your annual PSA and your mammogram (each year or year and a half).

      

My brother lived a very happy and exciting life with the Scientologists, even though it is not a belief of mine. They happened to be a great support for him. He traveled in his work for them and was a very important member of their publications department. He gave himself a life and enjoyed it.  Still, I think it is important to take care of your health in any and every way you can.  Making sure you see doctors and dentists regularly and getting whatever tests we do have to stem the tide of serious illness.

      

Maybe this would have happened anyway in exactly the way it happened, but maybe he would have bought himself much more time by going the normal route of accepted medical treatment. Maybe going around Austria and Hungary was the most exciting and positive thing a seriously ill person could do rather than suffering the exhaustion and depression of chemotherapy. But informed consent and a clear understanding of what you can do to extend your life is the best way you can give back to God and to yourself.

*****Stefanie Stolinsky, Ph.D. is a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist with a private practice in Beverly Hills.  She specializes in treating and evaluating trauma, adults sexually, physically and emotionally abused as children, and PTSD as well as evaluating neuropsychological functioning.  She is an international speaker and has taught training seminars in overcoming the aftereffects of child abuse. She has also taught licensing examinations to candidates for both marriage, family and child counseling and for the psychology licenses.  Dr. Stolinsky is a QME who evaluates workers’ comp cases including depression, anxiety, traumatic brain injury and personal injuries.  Her book, ACT IT OUT: 25 Acting Exercises to Heal from Childhood Abuse,” was first published by New Harbinger Publications, Inc. and was a best seller for nine years.  Recently, a second edition of the book was published by Praeclarus Press.  In it, Dr. Stolinsky describes her unique method, developed at UCLA, for working with the aftereffects of child abuse. In this therapy she helps survivors combine acting exercises with psychodynamic psychotherapy to help them overcome the aftereffects of abuse.  Dr. Stolinsky lives with her husband in Los Angeles.

Running App Review

I previously compared Nike+GPS and Runkeeper and I'll include an update of those 2 apps. I've also tested the free version of Runmeter and Runtastic. I have been running with 2 apps (big battery drain) so that I can compare apps against each other. That, and Nike won't let me import anything and I'm not ready to give that app up just yet.
Android options are still beyond my experience, but assuming the core features are about the same, this is my experience.

Nike+GPS ($1.99) vs Runkeeper (Free) vs Runmeter (Free or $4.99 Pro Upgrade) vs Runtastic (Free version or $4.99 Pro version)

Nike+GPS is available from the apple store for $1.99. It will coordinate with the Nike+iPod program if you've been using that application so all your runs will be available on your account.  

Runkeeper is free from the apple store, and there is an Elite subscription for $19.99/year that gives you access to additional features such as advanced reporting & feedback options, discounts on fitness classes and live broadcasting of your runs.

Runmeter now has a free version and a PRO upgrade for $4.99.

The free version is a highly stripped down version and, quite frankly, barely worth mentioning in a review, but I'll share a bit of my disappointing experience with this app.

There are tons of features, and I direct you to click on the link above and check it out. It's iPhone-centric, so no companion website. It also offers lots of connected social media features, and integration into iCal, which is the one feature that is missing from all these other apps.

I was so excited to see it had a free version and hopped right on it, but was deeply disappointed in what was available for free. Every time I went to try a feature, it was greyed out and only available in the PRO version. No audio cues, no integrated music, no sharing. It did allow me to save to my calendar - woohoo! At least they could offer a free 30-day option for the paid version, that would allow a true assessment of features.  Unless and until a free trial of the pro version becomes available, I'm staying away from this one.

Runtastic has a free and paid upgrade version for $4.99 as well.

I have to say, the free version is just as limited and annoying as Runmeter's free version, but with less features I'd care to pay for in an upgrade. Again with no audio cues, no integrated music, blah blah. There is some sharing with apps such as MyFitnessPal and social media sharing. There's also a companion website to track runs and download your data (nice if you want to import it elsewhere).

The GPS was a bit more accurate than Nike's, and allowed me to calibrate my Nike runs so that they're now virtually identical. That said, because of the stripped down functionality I nearly deleted it, then I got a coupon for a free upgrade - yay!

The paid version allows for all the features I've come to expect, such as audio cues, integrated music, training plans. There's also a live tracking option with cheers that I was excited to check out. I run alone very early in the morning and somewhere in the back of my mind I find it comforting that someone can track my last known location.

That said, I did find the live tracking disappointing. The 'cheering' is someone speaking something like 'I Like It' or whatever that I can barely hear when someone 'likes' your post. Maybe it tells me who said it, I can't tell because not only is it barely audible, but it's in such a muffled and creepy tone that the first time it happened I grabbed my mace, looked around, and kicked my run into high gear for a bit...NOT the type of motivation I'm seeking on an early morning run that's for sure! I wondered if it was a one-time glitch, so I tried the live tracking again - nope, that's actually the way it is. No thanks, I turned that off :(

Nike+ offers actual cheers when someone likes the post. Wish I knew who was cheering, I have to wait until the end of my run to see, but still, better than creepy scare-cheers...eeek!

Also, if you post the live tracking to your feed and then post at the end of your run, it's 2 separate posts. Nike will merge your start/finish posts into one, which I prefer..

If you're into using a companion website, this one has far more features than any of the others. You can see who's running/cycling/whatever in real time around the world, or near you. Pretty cool if you want to find new virtual friends, or stumble upon one of your actual friends that you didn't know used the app. Otherwise, it's not something I ever use.

You can also track multiple activities manually and still have them shared with other apps and keep a complete training history in your app - I like that. No integration into iCal, that's a Runmeter-only feature it seems, and one that would put this app over the top for me.

Runkeeper has made some impressive updates. A slicker look, which is fine, but the real update that makes all the difference for me is the ability to track more activities within the app. I'm still looking for that one app to track all of my fitness activities, and Runkeeper is getting there. Runtastic allows me to enter different activities and choose the name for them, Runkeeper has an 'other' for that, but I wish I could enter my own title. I teach PiYo and do other activities that aren't on the list. Runtastic still wins out on customization, but Runkeeper is getting there.

Community:

The Nike website also has some nice features such as moving to different levels based on total mileage and some positive reinforcement messages from athletes.

Nike also has the ability to receive 'cheers' from your facebook fans, a nice little feature if you're competing in a run, or if you just want some kudos on your every day run.  This feature is only available as part of the Elite subscription in Runkeeper.

Features:

Runkeeper is the hands down winner on total feature set.  You can track various activities and you have several feedback options.  Personally, I like having feedbacks at both mileage and timing intervals. Nike only allows one or the other.

Nike+ also integrates with sites like dailymile, which is a really nice feature if you're using that site as it will import all your runs with ease.

The gps function is weaker on the iPod Touch than on the iPhone, and Nike+ has a built-in accelerometer that helps compensate for weak gps signals, and also allows you to use the app with some degree of accuracy on treadmill runs as well.

Runkeeper will integrate with certain heartrate monitors while the Nike+gps app currently does not (though the Nike+iPod (another free app) will and as said before, you can switch back and forth between apps and still save all your runs). 

Nike will loop your chosen playlist if your run goes longer than the music you selected while Runkeeper will not, and there is no option to re-start the music. If your activity exceeds your playlist in Runkeeper, you'll have to manually go back into music and make a selection.

Playing well with others
Importing/Exporting your activity:
Runtastic and Runkeeper will allow you to import/export your runs. You can also log additional activities in both.
Nike is so proprietary that you can only record runs and can neither import nor export without a third-party hack.

LoseIt will sync your activities with Nike+ and Runkeeper. MyFitnessPal will sync with Runtastic and Nike+. 

Recommendations:

If you live in an area with spotty gps, you're only wanting to track runs &/or walks, you want to use a single app for your indoor treadmill runs as well (or primarily indoor runs), or if you use the iPod touch, then Nike+gps is a hands-down winner.

If you like tracking multiple activities, prefer more feedback options, and are using an iPhone in an area with decent gps coverage, then Runkeeper is a must-have. Runtastic would be a close third.

Shoetracker:
Available in Nike+, an additional app will pull Runkeeper runs to monitor shoes.  
Runmeter and Runtastic - nope, not available.

Coming Soon...PiYo Strength

San Diego PiYo Strength Classes 

UPDATE: Classes will be offered in the Chula Vista area soon

Dates, Times and Locations to be announced.

First class always free!

Space is limited, pre-register to receive advance notice of dates/locations and to reserve your slot. 

Private lessons available anywhere via Skype or Google Hangouts!

Individual, Group, Corporate and Package Pricing available.

Pre-registration options:

• Comment below (all comments are moderated, so your contact information will remain private)
• Go to Facebook and comment or send a PM
• Go to Partnership for Change and contact via phone or email

Observations

The end of ones life erases all that is before it. What is seen, the view from others, is decidedly one-dimensional. But we are not one-dimensional, we are multi-faceted, a mosaic that can only be appreciated by one who cares to look both at the beauty from a distance and the intricacies of closer inspection.

Understanding evades those who, by reason of disinterest or disaffection, fail to look deeper. The loss is shared, they know not what they have missed, nor even what they have caused.

In sadness and forgiveness we move forward, ever hopeful to cross paths with one who, with openness of heart and spirit, chooses to see.