First Things First

Doing the things that support your vision

• Prioritize what needs to be done
• One technique that many people use is the A – D method.
• Learn how to say no

Great lessons to build on.

Ben Harper 5th Anniversary for The Last Call with Carson Daly.

Both sides of the Gun wakes up the listener with wide-ranging musical styles.

He is a musician, an artist, and a nonconformist maverick.

Heath Ledger and Ben Harper have launched a new record label...

The Last Call with Carson Daly proved why he is one (if not the best) of today's musicians.

5th Anniversary for The Last Call with Carson Daly.

World's first artificial fin ( Video)

Dolphin at Japanese aquarium sports an artificial fin which saved its life.

A Japanese aquarium trains a disabled dolphin to use the world's first artificial fin.

U.S. Mint launches first presidential $1 coin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Mint said it launched a $1 coin on Thursday featuring George Washington, the first in a series honoring former U.S. presidents aimed at collectors and intended for use in vending machines and parking meters.

Modeled on the mint's popular 50 State Quarters Program, coins depicting each president will be released in the order in which they served, with John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison scheduled to appear later in 2007. The rest will be released through 2016, ending with Gerald R. Ford.

Chrysler to cut 13,000 jobs, faces possible sale

DETROIT/FRANKFURT (Reuters) - DaimlerChrysler said on Wednesday it would cut 13,000 jobs at its Chrysler operation in North America and indicated it could sell or spin off the money-losing unit, which would unwind a troubled 9-year-old merger between Chrysler and Mercedes.

The world's No. 5 automaker said it would shut two Chrysler plants as part of a strategy to make the business profitable by 2008 as it focuses more on building fuel-efficient cars, a sector of the market dominated by its Japanese rivals.

The automaker will also cut North American production capacity by 400,000 units through 2009.

Got Bilk? Milk & Beer

Bilk - it does a bottle good!
A local brewery has produced a low-malt beer with milk. Milk consumption has been declining steadily in Japan, and Hokkaido disposed of nearly 900 tonnes of milk last March due to over-production, according to the Japan Dairy Association.

Chitoshi Nakahara, head of the Nakahara liquor shop on the northernmost island of Hokkaido said after the waste of so much milk he came up with the new brew idea, "Bilk." A combination of "milk" and "beer" which is appx. 30 percent milk and also contains hops, and the production process does not differ much from that of regular beer, he said.

His shop started selling Bilk, which apart from a slight milky scent looks and tastes like ordinary beer. Available at local shops and by mail order. However, Nakahara is currently out of stock due to heavy media attention.

Don't worry if you can't get hold of any, Nakahara also sells beer brewed from Hokkaido potatoes. Beertatoes?

Sorry folks, I haven't ben able to find a link to purchase online.

Pitfalls of office romance

NEW YORK, Feb 12 (Reuters Life!) -

With Valentine's Day looming, experts warn that many employers are caught by surprise by the ripple effects of intra-office relationships, which can demoralize staff and spread envy and resentment.

The problems range from the serious, such as a messy breakup between a boss and a subordinate, to the less obvious, such an exchange of risque e-mails or a kiss in the hallway that can distract colleagues and hurt productivity.

"People are a little sloppier around Valentine's Day," said Debra Mandel, a psychologist and author on the subject of office relations. "They might let the relationship out of the box more."

Employers are not just at risk when a staff member becomes romantic with a supervisor, which can lead to claims of sexual harassment. A soured relationship between peers also puts the company at risk if it leaves one of the workers feeling harassed at work.

Companies may be at risk even if the office relationship ends well, said Shanti Atkins, president of ELT, which offers online ethics and legal compliance training. She cites the example of Gavin Newsom, San Francisco's single mayor who recently admitted having an affair with a married staff member, and the impact it could have on staff in city government.

She said it could create the impression "one has to sleep with the boss to get ahead," and an employee could sue, claiming it created a hostile working environment.