...the right office design can help

It’s a sad truth, but most workers spend their work days in terribly uninspiring environments. There are some progressive companies, however, who push the envelope of design to provide their employees with a truly invigorating work environment.

Ask yourself…is your office design drab and uninspiring? Do thoughts of going into your office dampen your spirit? It may be time to consider your office design and your productivity.

You may not have the time or budget for an office design makeover, but a few simple ideas can go far in boosting your business productivity….ok how? Match Your Brand: An important element of business marketing is the branding and image of your company…right? Whether you entertain clients or not, your office design should match your brand!

(What?)… Successful branding requires you to look and "feel" the brand. Having glossy business cards and a high-tech image but out-of-date office furniture and equipment, will make you feel like an imposter and you will have difficulty projecting your “brand” to customers.

Bring in Nature: Spending long hours in an unnatural environment can be hazardous to your health. Locating your office in a space with windows if possible is important. Consider nature photos to make your office a more pleasurable place. Add real plants to have fresh oxygen in your workspace.

A cautionary note for start-up companies “not thinking about office design.”

Many start-ups high on hope and low on cash will be tempted to NOT spend on office design or proper furniture. Look before you leap…but be honest with yourself. Begin with frugality in mind…but realize that you are at the office more than you think. The right office design can help you reduce stress, improve productivity, and in the end, enhance the profits of your business.

Isn’t it time you worked with an expert? Maybe you should be working with me on your office design, layout, and furniture.

...Indian Summer? Why not?....

Right out of the box Monday morning, Los Angeles was on track for a record-setting day. A flow of air from the deserts set the stage for the Los Angeles' hottest day ever recorded in the downtown area Monday.


According to Western Weather Expert Ken Clark, "The City of Angels had their hottest day in 20 years on Sunday with a high of 105 degrees." Sunday was the hottest day downtown since the mercury climbed to 107 degrees on Oct. 10, 1991. Temperatures of 10 to 20 degrees above average were being felt as far north as Portland, Ore., and as far south as San Diego. Temperatures in San Francisco Bay Area were projected to peak near 90 Monday and the 80s on Tuesday.

Is this an Indian Summer?

An early American writer described Indian Summer well when he wrote, "The air is perfectly quiescent and all is stillness, as if Nature, after her exertions during the Summer, were now at rest." This passage belongs to the writer John Bradbury and was written nearly an "eternity" ago, back in 1817. But this passage is as relevant today as it was way back then.

The term "Indian Summer" dates back to the 18th century in the United States. It can be defined as "any spell of warm, quiet, hazy weather that may occur in late September, October or even early November." Basically, autumn is a transition season as the thunderstorms and severe weather of the summer give way to a tamer, calmer weather period before the turbulence of the winter commences.

The term "Indian Summer" is generally associated with a period of considerably above normal temperatures, accompanied by dry and hazy conditions ushered in on a south or southwesterly breeze. One explanation of the term "Indian Summer" might be that the early native Indians chose that time of year as their hunting season. This seems reasonable seeing the fall months are still considered the main hunting season for several animals.

It is about time with the "Poor Summer" we had in Oregon this year....the year of "no tomatoes."

....Joker...Joker.....Joker!!!

Kentucky heads south to start SEC play with Florida this weekend.

Starting 3-0 for the third time in the last four seasons, the University of Kentucky football team heads south to Gainesville, Fla., to begin Southeastern Conference play against the ninth-ranked Gators in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Kentucky is 21-53-2 in 76 conference openers, having won two of its last four lid-lifters with wins against Ole Miss in 2006 and Arkansas in 2007. Florida began SEC play last week at Tennessee, notching a 31-17 victory over the Vols in Knoxville...but they just didn't look like the old Gators.

Last Saturday, Kentucky posted a 47-10 win over Akron to move to 3-0 on the season. The Wildcats put together an all-around performance against the Zips, totaling 544 yards of total offense and holding the Zips to only 172 total yards. The 544 yards of total offense was the most by a UK team since posting 568 yards against Eastern Kentucky University in 2007. UK had balanced offense with 200 rushing and passing yards for a school-record third-consecutive game.

The Wildcats are looking to snap a 23-game losing streak to the Gators. The battle on Saturday against Florida will mark the 21st consecutive time UK has played a ranked UF team. Kentucky is 3-27 all-time against ranked Florida teams.

New Coach Joker Phillips talked a big game over the summer about how he was going to bring the "Mildcats to another level"……he gets his chance with a night game at the Swamp. The one playmaker on Kentucky is Randall Cobb, who will line up at WR and occasionally take direct snaps, being a former QB. Mike Hartline has not distinguished himself at QB in 3 years, and doesn’t worry the Gator defense. Derrick Locke leads the SEC in rushing, but so did Tauren Poole of Tennessee, until he ran into (repeatedly) the Gator defense.

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, or “The Swamp,” is widely recognized as one of, if not the toughest, environments for a visiting team in all of college football. Several facelifts after the stadium’s original construction in 1930 have made Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium the state-of-the-art facility you see at today’s game.

Without a bad seat in the house, "The Swamp" ranks as the largest stadium in the state of Florida. The Gators’ average attendance last season of 90,544 ranked ninth in the country. Florida’s home record of 106-13 (.891) since 1990 is the best mark in the country during that time, proving that at "The Swamp," only Gators get out alive!

Except this year....go BLUE! Joker...Joker.....Joker!!!

...."it's just a day in the life of an Interior Designer"

An interior designer is responsible for the interior design, decoration, and functionality of a client’s space, whether the space is commercial, industrial, or residential. Interior designers work closely with architects and clients to determine the structure of a space, the needs of the occupants, and the style that best suits both.

The position is a combination of engineer and artist, and it takes a unique type of mind to handle both of those concepts well. Interior designers have to be good with more than color, fabric, and furniture; interior designers must know materials, have budgeting skills, communicate well, and oversee the ordering, installation, and maintenance of all objects that define a space.

They also have to know about electrical capacity, safety, and construction. This broader range of required knowledge distinguishes them from 'interior decorators.' Interior designers have to be able to work with contractors, other vendors and clients alike, planning and implementing all aesthetic and functional decisions, from faucet handles to miles of carpeting —and all this usually must be done within a fixed budget (and often in a hurry).

Interior designers are hired for their expertise in a variety of styles and approaches, not merely their own personal vision. Therefore, they have to be able to balance their own tastes and their clients’ tastes—and be willing to put their clients’ tastes first. This requirement can be frustrating at first for many who enter the profession. Interior designers are often asked to begin their planning before construction of a space is finished; this means that they must be good at scheduling and comfortable reading blueprints.

This element of the job comes as a surprise to many new interior designers, who expect to have less of an administrative and technical role and more of a role in influencing the overall feel and appearance of a space. Those who thrive in the industry say this ability to balance the practical with the aesthetic is crucial to being a successful interior designer. Interior design is hard work, but those who do it well find the work very satisfying.

I have learned a lot in the last year from one designer in particular, here in Portland...congrats on a well deserved project! You are one of the best I have worked with in the past 20 years. Again...great job!! I watched as you controlled your client while providing excellent answers to the same question...over and over. Your demeanor and expertise actually 'disarmed' the client and literally "won" the business for us. I am proud to work with you on this project.

I know you would just say, "It's just a day in the life of an Interior Designer."

....not a square to spare....

How in the world did we get to this point? What happened? When did we decide as a country that we need to be 'politically correct' about everything? On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department called on Americans to "stand up" and denounce the planned Quran burning as "un-American" and as an inappropriate commemoration of the 9/11 attacks.

I can certainly sympathize with the great responsibility political leaders have in our country during this time of tragedy. I understand that they must be careful to do their part in restraining and discouraging any persecution of citizens of Middle Eastern descent.

However, we have reached a point of "politically correct" insanity. When our country was founded, "toleration" never meant approval or agreement. Suddenly, many of our political leaders and media spokesmen have become theologians, teaching the country that there is no difference in the major religions and that it somehow "hatred of people" to teach that another religion is false.

What's in this book that is sacred that it cannot be looked upon as producing evil? Let's state some facts that are in the book...shall we?

---"Believers, do not make friends with any but your own people...They desire nothing but your ruin....You believe in the entire Book...When they meet you they say: 'We, too, are believers.' But when alone, they bite their finger-tips with rage." (Surah 3:118, 119)

---"Forbidden to you are...married women, except those you own as slaves." (Surah 4:20-, 24-)

---"Seek out your enemies relentlessly." (Surah 4:103-)

---"Believers, take neither Jews nor Christians for your friends." (Surah 5:51)

---"Believers, make war on the infidels who dwell around you. Deal firmly with them." (Surah 9:121-)

---"Try as you may, you cannot treat all your wives impartially." (Surah 4:126-)

---"...make war on the leaders of unbelief...Make war on them: God will chastise them at your hands and humble them. He will grant you victory over them..." (Surah 9:12-)

---"Prophet make war on the unbelievers and the hypocrites and deal rigorously with them. Hell shall be their home." (Surah 9:73)

What? This is Holy Scripture? How did we get to this point?

Well...for them, Jews and Christians are regarded as being part of the great mass of infidels: first, because they have deliberately rejected the truth, and second, because of their connections to Western colonialism and Zionism. Both Jews and Christians are viewed as being part of a wide-ranging conspiracy to corrupt, divide and destroy Islam. This effort was instigated by the Jews and Christians of the 7th century, and it continues down through today.

The Obama administration is working on changing the language of the National Security Strategy to more politically-correct terminology. Counterterrorism officials say the goal of the new version is to emphasize that the United States does not view Muslim nations through the lens of terrorism.

The National Security Strategy document, which outlined the Bush Doctrine of preventive war, currently states: "The struggle against militant Islamic radicalism is the great ideological conflict of the early years of the 21st century."

During a visit to Cairo last year, President Obama promised a ‘new beginning’ in the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world. "Do you want to think about the U.S. as the nation that fights terrorism or the nation you want to do business with," said National Security Council staffer Pradeep Ramamurthy, who runs the Obama administration’s Global Engagement Directorate.

Karen Hughes, who served as President Bush’s top diplomat to the Muslim world in his second term, urged the White House to avoid using religious language. “Whenever they hear 'Islamic extremism, Islamic jihad, Islamic fundamentalism,' they perceive it as a sort of an attack on their faith. That's the world view Osama bin Laden wants them to have,” Hughes said.

This nation and much of the Western world are in a war, not against a generic "terrorism" but against a particular and brutal strain of Islamic extremism that wants to do as much damage as possible to our freedoms and way of life.

George W. Bush was wrong to call this the "War on Terror." But he was right to focus on it as he did in the aftermath of the murderous and cowardly Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on America by Islamic extremists.

Politically correct I have never been....so allow my point of view. No one would say a word if someone in Yemen wanted to burn a Bible.

So lay low terrorists and all will be well....stir it up...lay your rugs and blankets in the middle of the street to pray during rush hour traffic...build a shiny mosque near 'ground-zero'....and someday you will get your ass kicked. You may have our president and leaders fooled...but the average person can see right thru your bullshit.