Congratulations to Serena Williams on winning the finals at Wimbledon (2010) for the fourth time, making it her 13th career Grand Slam final wins!!
The number 1 in the WORLD, Serena has already proven to be the best player of her generation and some feel that she’s on her way on taking on the records of noted Legends – she has already surpassed the Great Billie Jean King’s titles. Serena is only 28 years old so she may just very well challenge (and beat) history’s very best. Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert are next in line…however, Serena needs to win 5 more Grand Slam Titles to do that.
During the ceremony, Serena Williams looked up to the Royal Box section and sweetly said, “Hey, Billie, I got you!” (Billie Jean King shared with us that she told Serena that she BETTER surpass her – and that was an order!)
Defending her title, Serena defeated Vera Zvonareva at 6-3, 6-2 but it is important to mention that Zvonareva is only the Third woman from Russia to ever reach the finals (it was Vera Zvonareva’s first time reaching the finals, making her jump to #10 in the World.)
Serena finished with nine aces, and her seven-match total was a record 89. The final Wimbledon 2010 match lasted for 67 minutes. Serena Williams has been serving better than ever that even she was surprised by her stellar serving. Martina Navratilova, who was also in attendance, called Serena’s serve the best she has ever seen, which is saying something. U.S. Fed Cup captain Mary Joe Fernandez concurred.
“Impeccable, just impressive, once again, the way she’s able to dominate with the best serve we’ve ever seen in tennis. It’s very hard for someone to compete against, time in, time out. Not so much that it’s the biggest. It’s the best, it’s got the speed when she needs it, and the spin when she needs it. She can slice it, kick it and hit into the body “ – Mary Jo Fernandez
Sister Venus Williams (#2 in the World and 5 time Wimbledon winner with record-breaking titles, scores, and stats of her own) was defeated early (by Williams’ standards) by two sets of 6-2, 6-3 by unseeded Tsvetana Pironkova, 22, from Bulgaria in the 2010 Wimbledon women’s single quarterfinals. However, tennis authorities and spectators alike say that Venus’ loss was just an unlucky fluke (Venus probably lost due to her back injuries sustained earlier, but she will NEVER complain about that or use it as an excuse for her defeat.) Venus Williams has been playing and winning her tournaments within the last 8 months – look for her to win (or at least play against Serena in the finals) in the Slams to come this year.
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That FaceBook’s new privacy settings are actually LESS private than ever?
I had a conversation that lasted about 3 days with some FB execs, because I was concerned about how my “identity” could be used in relationship to ALL my friends, non-friends, and marketers (H. Luiz Presents gets like 200 spam hits a week.) I noticed that if someone was savvy enough, they can get a lot of MY information on FaceBook, just by having my email address (how many of you have your full names as your email addresses, i.e. johndoe@yahoo.com, janedoe@hotmail.com??)
Just last month In December of 2009, FaceBook changed its privacy settings so that certain information CAN’T be made private (one’s name, current city, profile picture, gender, networks and friend list) but it was NOT marketed to us that way. It was marketed as “more” privacy settings for FaceBook Users. We thought that it was making “privacy” a priority…well, it’s not. It’s making it easier to give out your info.
FaceBook has even admitted that “Anyone with your e-mail address can harvest your information.”
That’s unacceptable, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Kevin Bankston, who says that’s not the FaceBook people signed up for. “Just because FaceBook USERS want to share personal info with their friends does not mean they want to share it with any other parties on the Internet,”Bankston said, “but that is exactly what FaceBook is forcing its users to do.” Some say it’s even illegal.
Let me break it down: It is true that with the new privacy settings, users can shut off being found by their name by changing who can find them on FaceBook or by web searches, however, even if you restrict as much as you can, if an outsider knows your e-mail address, they can find the rest of your profile information that FaceBook now designates as PUBLIC (your name, profile picture, current city, networks and pages you are a fan of) and that’s according to FaceBook
What does this mean? You have to know the identities of the people you do NOT want to share your info with but how many STRANGERS (and potential hackers, marketers, etc.) do we actually know? There’s at least 4 thousand people (that I know of) who have my email address, but do I KNOW them all – HELL NO! If I want to keep my FaceBook profile “private” from these 4 thousand people, I have to place the names of these thousands of people on my FaceBook privacy/blocked access list…and that’s for the people that I know that have my email address. How about the people I don’t know who can get my email address?
“If someone knows your e-mail address, they can find you even if you’ve restricted search privacy,”FaceBook spokesman Andrew Noyes said. “But FaceBook works to catch rogue marketers and sets a limit on the number of e-mail addresses that can be run through its system.” Then he went on to say that “We’ve developed several systems to detect and block malicious use of the Friend Finder. For example, we don’t allow users to upload contact lists past a certain size. We also block users who upload contacts at an anomalous rate.”
YOU SHOULD ALSO KNOW that the reason I delete anything FRIENDS send me like Cute Baby Turtles, Pink Pillows, Cupcakes, Farmville Pets, etc. is because these applications are not only a breeding ground to pass on viruses, but it also exposes information to Third Party FaceBook Affiliates. If a stranger calls you on the phone or stops you on the street and tells you to take a quiz, wouldn’t you know that it’s a marketing ploy to get them to know what products they should be trying to sell you? Well, that’s what all these games, quizes, baby animals, farmville, and “gifts” are – wrapped up as cute little applications. Then you send your friends these quizzes and “gifts” and now they’ll be targeted for marketing purposes.
WHY IS FACEBOOK DOING THIS…well, FaceBook is pushing its users to share information in an attempt to keep TWITTER from eclipsing the site as the center of the net’s online conversations. The site hopes getting users to publish more publicly will make it the place people turn when they need to find recommendations, a function currently dominated (with great profit) by Google.
USE CAUTION!! I am not a whistle-blower but I do see it as my responsibility to share what I know. If you see that my PROFILE has been deleted on FaceBook, then at least you’ll know why.
That’s right, now you can reach the site and interact with simple button functions (either by touch or click depending on your device.) It’s pretty cool too!! You can leave comments, emails, whatever with my new MOBILE application. Some of you have told me that you could not leave comments via mobile phone (some even said that my graphics were too large and not even visible to them.)
Now, you can cruise http://www.hluizpresents.com “on the go” and at your leisure. Leave me a comment via your mobile phone and tell me how you like it or even if it works with your mobile phone, blackberry, or other gadget.
PS: For those of you who like the regular theme to H. Luiz Presents (like I do, even on my iPod Touch), there will be an ON/OFF switch at the bottom of your mobile screen to turn the mobile feature “off” – then you’ll get the regular Theme to the site.
and what’s new for H. Luiz Presents?? Lots of cool stuff!!!
First, I want to let you know that I am in cahoots (is that really a word?) with a social network company to help me launch the “H. Luiz Presents…Network.” That’s right, in 2010 I will launch a more “social” component to my website where subscribers can have their own web pages. The idea came to me when some of you asked me how to go about starting your own websites. Soon, you’ll be able to write blogs, post pictures, post videos, and even instant message other subscribers on my network. There, you can practice and get a “feel” for hosting your own site, like a “practice as you go” forum before you invest in a dot com site.
More videos are coming your way as well. I have about 4 interviews that are underway about topics that concern and affect a lot of us. This format was already successfully tested via “H. Luiz Presents…Radio” and now we want to take it to the next level – video!! Then, we’ll try to do follow-up videos incorporating ”radio” (complete with online chat rooms that you can log on to) where you will be able to call in and ask questions and “listen in” via the Internet.
Sponsors have been GREAT!! Soon, you’ll be able to get discounted deals on products and services if purchased through H. Luiz Presents via an internal link. Sponsors know that our subscribers are growing and they want to tap into those numbers. Companies like Pastry (Vanessa & Angela Simmons,) Target, and Amazon are trying to work out deals with H. Luiz Presents for 2010.
H. Luiz Presents will also have an application for mobile phones in about a day or so. This will ensure that you “on-the-go” folks will have easier access to the site.
Lastly, I would also like to setup forums where you, my treasured subscribers, would give your input on various topics that empower, support, or educate ALL of us. There’s a lot of experience and wisdom out there that needs to be shared with others. People helping people is what it’s all about!
or is America being forced to spend LESS money (and MORE time) with their loved ones during this holiday season?
New statistics indicate that less shopping and more “home-making” is being done in U.S. homes this year. In a recent holiday poll from the Consumer Reports National Research Center, 32 percent of respondents said they were worse off financially than the previous year, and about half of that group said they’d be spending more time with family and friends (18 percent expect to be paying off credit cards well into the new year (and that’s being optimistic.)
When you give a homemade gift, you are giving a part of yourself to the recipient. You can’t do that with a mass-produced item. And how many of those mass-produced items can we afford anyway, with the nation’s unemployment rate at 17.2 percent (and don’t get me started on the UNDERemployed.)
Holidays are about giving. If you give someone a store-bought gift that you can’t afford anyway), that person will no doubt appreciate your generosity. But if you give a handmade gift, you are also giving your time, your creativity and your uniqueness, which will make your loved one appreciate the gift (and you) that much more.
I remember one year where the 99cent store (across from my job in Brooklyn) was selling glass mason jars – for 50 cents each. I was thrilled!! I bought $10 worth (20 jars) and I also bought wooden stirring spoons, then I ran them through my dishwasher (trust me, I’ve read that this is really hygenic, as opposed to boiling the jars in a big pot.) I then bought bags of dried pasta (cheaper than BOXES of dried pasta) and I made a pot of tomato gravy (that’s tomato “sauce” to you non-Italians) and filled the jars – 10 with pasta and the other 10 with gravy. I tied the tops of the filled jars with red and green ribbon (Italian AND Christmas colors,) and inserted a wooden spoon with each pair. It made 10 gifts and I believe the average gift-set (gravy and pasta) averaged out to about $5 a gift…some of those friends still use those mason jars today and every time they stir with that wooden spoon, they tell me they think of me and my delicious gift of pasta and gravy…and that was about 12 years ago.
So, you see, a $4 home-made gift can invoke a wonderful memory over a decade later.
The real gift to my family and friends is the food (and time spent making it) at my holiday party – I go all out and try my best to satisfy them. If I had to buy all this food AND buy expensive holiday gifts for everyone, I would spend thousands on the holidays – and we put a firm end to all that about 5 years ago.
Here are some other ideas:
a) One year, I bought small mason jars at Ikea and filled them with fresh citrus marmalade and fruit preserves.
b) Homemade Limoncello in glass bottles are festive for those that want some spirits during the holidays. Don’t forget to tie on the recipe for Limoncello or whatever flavored vodka you make (about $9 including the vodka and resealable glass bottle.)
c) Cookies, cookies, and more cookies wrapped in cellephane bags.
d) Another time, I bought inexpensive DVDs at Target – Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas, etc., for about $3 to 5 dollars each. I also bought candy at Target – Goobers and Twizzlers as well as microwave popcorn packets. I placed the movie/DVD, candy, and pop-corn inside inexpensive Christmas Stockings (also at Target) and gave them to my friends who have children – even years later, everytime they see these Christmas cartoons, these “kids” (now teenagers and young adults) think of their “Uncle Luiz.” This one cost me about $8 a family.
What home-made ideas do you have to share?? It just might help someone out this year.
The largest producers of “Greenhouse Gases” – China and the United States, are teaming up to create clean energy and fight climate change.
President Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao said their nations will cooperate to advance technologies and work toward a global agreement on reducing carbon emissions. If this pans out, other nations may come on board for the agreement (although we are the 2 worst culprits due to our relationship with each other – think WalMart.)
“As the two largest consumers and producers of energy, there can be no solution to this challenge without the efforts of both China and the United States.” “That is why we’ve agreed to a series of important new initiatives in this area.” – Barack Obama
A China-U.S. clean energy research center is being developed to expand our cooperation on climate change, energy and environment.
The first step would be to have all 191 countries involved in the Copenhagen summit signing on to a framework that includes key ingredients, such as how to finance the coordinated effort to battle climate change. The second step, a binding deal on cutting carbon emissions, would be hashed out in further negotiations.
Like the United States and China, APEC and Group of 20 leaders — the world’s leading economies — have pledged to drive toward a climate-change agreement in Copenhagen.
The conference, set to begin December 7 (my birthday!!) aims to strike a deal on a successor agreement to the Kyoto Protocol, the 1997 pact that has legally binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The United States never ratified it, though more than 200 other nations did. (tsk-tsk)
Hello there Twits, MySpacers, YouTubers, FaceBookers, H. Luiz Presents Subscribers, celebutantes and socialites!!
I would like to write a post about “Favorite Childhood Memories,” but I did not want to just write about my memories, I want to read, post, and honor yours too as a way of saying Thank You for all of your support and more importantly – your friendships.
Favorite Childhood Memories can pick you up, a smile may run across your face, or you may even hold yourself as laughter pours out of you. That’s what happened to me when I connected with you all (most of you were a wonderful re-connection) on the popular Social Sites we have today as well as Blogs, InterNews and My WebSite – http://www.hluizpresents.com
Please Enter and share you Favorite Childhood Memory in “COMMENTS” located at the lower right section of this post – it could be a line, a few sentences, a poem, or even a paragraph or two. Photos are encouraged!! Please have all entries posted before Saturday, October 31st (Halloween) at the end of this week. This project may very well become an eBOOK that I may want to give to “you” for the upcoming Holiday Season titled “Our Favorite Childhood Memories” and by entering, you agree that all “memories” (and photos) may be reprinted with your sincere consent (some may be edited for creative licensing.) Please be a part of this wonderful project.
My sincerest thanks in advance, your friend and Brother,
H. Luiz Martinez (or “Hector” as some of you know me as – Go Bayonne Bees!!)
When days grow dark
and the light – too dim,
Wonderful thoughts of Yesteryear
Split my face in halves
As I smile down that road
of my Childhood Memories
Many of us (employers included) believe that a cluttered desk is a sign of a hard-working employee. If you classify rifling through papers looking for lost documents (statements, reports, documents, mail, bills, etc.) then you’re right – that is hard work, but not very useful. If you’re constantly reading/answering emails (business or personal) then you really are not maximizing your time to its fullest efficiency. Don’t work Hard, work Smart. Here are my 8 tips:
1. Use clearly marked folders to get organized. Have a folder as an “Inbox.” Encourage those around you (employers, co-workers, staff, etc.) to use your Inbox Folder and to NOT leave things on your desk. Also ask that NOTHING be left on your chair. Some people believe that if they leave something on your chair, you will “see it” and thus you will “take care of it” expeditiously – wrong! Imagine coming back from lunch or the rest-room only to find documents on your chair? This just causes stress and annoyance. Do not let them do it!
Use another clearly marked folder for projects you are working on (your Inbox Folder will eventually have documents moved to this folder.) Create another folder for Accounts Payables and go through this folder (checking due dates) a day or two before signing checks, then create a separate folder for marked “Bills to be Paid.”
You must have a folder for filing, maybe a separate folder for each “type” of things you have to file (your file-clerk will love you.) For instance, have a File Folder for Statements, another File Folder (from A to Z) for Customer Copies, and so on and so forth.
Keep your folder system, along with “blank” folders for new needs, in a neat folder rack at your desk. They should always be at the ready and checked at least twice daily. Folders are great organizing tools.
2. You must have a clutter-free work space on your desk directly in front of you. You need this valuable piece of real estate so that you can place whatever you’re working on in front – and NOT atop of something else (that’s how deadlines get missed and/or things get lost.) Keep a small notebook nearby to jot down ideas, “to-do” lists, and the like.
3. Your telephone should be located near the opposite hand with which you write so that you may speak and write comfortably (important data, messages, etc.) while on the phone. This takes a little getting used to for we are inclined to reach for a telephone or dial a telephone number with our “writing” hands. However, you don’t know how many times I’ve seen people “clothes’ line” their beverages (usually hot coffee onto their desks) with their telephone cords or their arms because they are switching the phone from one hand to the other to write something down. Make the switch! Also, keep phone logs near the writing hand, not the phone hand.
4. Do not keep more than one beverage on your desk. Most documents are ruined by spillage. Keep coffee/tea, water, or juice in the same location (a platform coaster is great for this) way in front of you on your desk to avoid accidents.
5. Keep personal artifacts to a minimum. Sure you love your family, but too many family photos create noise (distractions) for our busy work lives. I suggest keeping the photos elsewhere, like in an area behind you. Also, avoid keeping freebies (advertising pens, advertising mugs, key chains, paper weights, magazines, vacation mementos, etc.) at your desk – it just clutters space.
6. Office Materials, such as pens, sticky notes, paperclips, etc., should be kept in a desk drawer fitted with a desk tray. Take them out as you need them. This gives your desk a cleaner, more organized appearance and also stops thieves from swiping your materials when you’re out to lunch.
7. Take your lunch “time” and leave your work area (preferably leave the office) every day. We all have our busy days, but you do need to step-back, eat, rejuvenate, and then get back to the task(s) of the day. Once you start cheating yourself from lunch time, then so will your co-workers and employers. Make a rule to NOT speak of office-related discussions in the break/lunch room…if you don’t, someone WILL say, “Hey, about that Anderson Account…”
8. Electronic mail and messaging is here to stay and is very efficient in today’s market. The inefficiencies begin when we do not schedule our reading/response time.
Read/answer emails three times a day: a half hour after your scheduled arrival time, a half hour before lunch, and then again an hour before you leave for the day. If a response is needed, quickly give one in your allotted time frame, even if it’s to say you need more time for whatever is asked of you. Do not check personal emails during work hours – it is a huge distractor.
Inter-office instant messaging can be a nightmare, especially if someone expects you to drop what you’re doing to answer him or her each and every time. It can be very stressful when someone keeps typing while you’re trying to “respond” to the first 10 questions/issues that they have asked you about– wasting more time and energy. Then you have to pick up from where you left off – a project, a conversation, a breakthrough, etc. Respond when you can (you may be on the phone, speaking with someone in person, reviewing a document, etc.,) let them tire themselves out then answer what you could when you could…they should get the message that your time is not to be monopolized.
Hope these 8 Tips help you get ORGANIZED!
-H. Luiz
Christopher Savoiewas finally released today. The prosecutor’s office in nearby Fukuoka, Japan said Savoie was released after he promised not to take his children back to the United States “in this manner,” implying he could not have any contact with the children.
Japan, who has not signed on to the International Hague Treaty, has NEVER released a child back to a U.S. parent – EVER! Christopher’s current wife, AMY SAVOIE, says that bi-national children in Japan are often told that their U.S. parent is dead so that the child can lose all, if any, interest of seeing that parent once they are grown (18 years old.)
This is so sad and terrible, but there is something positive that may come from all of this. Japan is considering their participation is signing the HAGUE Treaty. The Hague Treaty’s primary intention is to preserve whatever status quo child custody arrangement existed immediately before an alleged wrongful removal or retention thereby deterring a parent from crossing international boundaries in search of a more sympathetic court. The Convention applies only to children under the age of 16.
“The Japanese government is also considering seriously to conclude this treaty on the grounds that this treaty would provide one of the most effective measures to protect the children after their parents divorced.”
-Yasuhisa Kawamura (A Spokesman with the Foreign Ministry)
What is it about “Mondays” that make people feel its the worst day of the week?
I know, I know, the weekend is over – but how we spend our weekends impacts how we feel about Mondays…makes sense right? Americans today are so busy with their work and families, that they feel that weekends are just NOT long enough for us to re-energize.
Every other day, every other day,
Every other day of the week is fine, yeah
But whenever Monday comes, but whenever Monday comes
You can find me cryin’ all of the time
Monday Monday, …
- The Mamas & The Papas
Here are some suggestions to help you with the Monday Blues:
a) First and foremost – do not spend your weekends stating how much you hate Mondays. On Mondays, when asked, “How was your weekend?” Say “Wonderful” or “Relaxing,” but never, “Not long enough!” It instantly sours the Monday mood. We can’t have an extra weekend day, so why not make the best of it and not remind the other person that weekends are too short…especially when there’s really nothing we can do about it.
b) Are you doing too much on the weekends? If you hate Mondays, maybe you are not relaxing enough on the weekend prior. I have a colleague who absolutely HATES Mondays, but “parties” right after work on Fridays. On Saturdays, he wakes up around noon, hits the gym, eats a protein shake for dinner, then hits the club on Saturdays. On Sunday, he is hung-over, tired, and restless – then goes to another night-spot on Sunday night. Of course he HATES Mondays…wouldn’t you? Learn to relax on the weekends – not just party. In our house-hold, we have one rule – the family rests and stays together on Sundays.
c) I know this may sound counter-intuitive, but I would suggest waking up an hour earlier (go to bed an hour earlier to have the same “amount” of sleep-time) on Mondays. Have a beautiful Monday Moment – maybe it’s a hot bath, perhaps an hour long cup of tea, or it may even be to make Monday Morning LOVE with your Partner/Spouse or girl/boy friend. You’ll no-doubt go to work with a BIG smile. Call your lover at noon and give him/her thanks for a wonderful Monday and that will pull you through ANY Monday.
d) Do your best work on Friday. Now I know this is “against the norm” for us corporate folks. Fridays are when people slack/taper off (hence casual Fridays,) but when you do your best work on Fridays (instead of doing things “light-ly”), you usually do not have catch-up work to do on Mondays. Personally, I rather work smarter on Friday than harder on Mondays.
e) Take one hour on Sunday (just one hour now) to answer emails. I know, I know – you don’t want to work on the weekends, but that one hour will save you some time on Monday. However, if the e-mail calls for work that will probably last more than hour, then surf for easier e-mail tasks to handle on Sunday for less emails to tackle on Monday.
f) Bring a dozen bagels to work on Monday (ask the counter-person to slice and then cut each one in half.) Supply some butter, cream cheese, & jelly and make a fresh pot of coffee. You become an instant hero for making everybody’s Monday a little more special and what does it cost you – about 5 bucks?
g) Ask yourself – Do I hate Mondays or do I hate my job? If in fact you hate your job, then you’ll definitely hate it more on Mondays because it “starts” your “Hell.” If the former is true and you enjoy your job Tuesday through Friday, then it may be that you need to make small adjustments on your weekend to make your Mondays more enjoyable.
h) Most of the Federal holidays that we have “off” from work (and thus three day weekends) land on Mondays – Martin Luther King Day, Columbus Day, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. Also if Christmas and New Year’s Day land on Saturday and/or Sunday, then we have off on Mondays. Some companies give their employees a choice for Easter Sunday (take off Good Friday or what is now commonly known as Easter Monday.) You see, another great reason to love Mondays.
What tips do you have for making Monday a little bit more enjoyable? Let us know in the Comment Section of this post.
