FLAG DAY IS THIS FRIDAY, JUNE 14!

If you're like most of our customers, you keep a pretty busy schedule, but you also love this great country of ours.  So with that in mind, we wanted to remind you that Friday, June 14th is Flag Day, giving you a heads up for any preparation you might need as we proudly honor Old Glory.

Speaking of Flag Day, we thought you might enjoy a bit of fun little trivia on the topic of our beloved Stars and Stripes, which you are more than welcome to also share with all your friends and loved ones.  So here we go...

1. From your memory, and without peeking, how many stripes on the American flag are red?

A. Six.
B. Seven.
C. Eight.
D. Nine.


2. Who designed the American flag?

A. George Washington.
B. Betsy Ross.
C. Francis Hopkinson.
D. Francis Scott Key.


3. Where can you find the original Star Spangled Banner today?

A. On display in the Capitol Rotunda.
B. In Donald Trump's private collection.
C. At the Republican National Committee Headquarters.
D. At the Smithsonian Institute


4. Which of the following days has not been declared by Congress, official proclamation or custom to be a flag flying day?

A. Easter Day.
B. Mother's Day.
C. Father's Day.
D. Christmas Day.


5. When are new stars added to the flag?

A. On the Fourth of July following the admission of new states to the Union.
B. On the First of January following the admission of new states to the Union.
C. Upon order of the Supreme Court.
D. Upon order of Congress.


6. When did Americans begin pledging allegiance to the flag?

A. 1954.
B. 1942.
C. 1812.
D. 1776.


7. What characteristics do the three colors of the flag officially represent?

A. Red stands for bravery, white means liberty and blue represents vigilance.
B. Red stands for sacrifice, white means truth and blue represents justice.
C. They are the three colors derived from the British Union Jack for Colonial America.
D. None of the above.


8. Who has the authority to order American flags to be flown at half-staff?

A. Congress and the Supreme Court.
B. The president and state governors.
C. Mayors and city councils.
D. The Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense.


9. How many American flags are on the moon?

A. One.
B. Three.
C. Six.
D. Twelve.


10. What should you do if your flag touches the ground?

A. Clean it.
B. Destroy it.
C. Store it away.
D. Return it to the manufacturer.


HERE ARE THE ANSWERS...
Answers: 1. B  2. C  3. D  4. C  5. A  6 . B  7. D   8. B   9. C  10. A

FEARING YOUR WAY TO THE TOP

Sometimes the human reaction of "fear" can actually be a necessity to success, but only if it is
coupled with wisdom from research and weighing the options.  Just ask self-defense and karate instructor, and author of "Smile At Strangers: And Other Lessons in the Art of Living Fearlessly", Susan Schorn.



"Fear is a survival skill," says Susan. In that sense, we can't expect to entirely rid fear from our lives. But we can manage fear, so it works to our advantage and doesn't hold us back. "[Fear is] very inefficient -- it will take a bigger bite out of your life than it should.  Our brains are hardwired just as they were when our ancestors needed to know when to run from physical danger. But, danger has changed as we've evolved, so what and how we fear needs to change, too."

Below, Susan's tips for living less fearfully in the modern world. Implement these practices at home, at work and in your relationships, and you'll be better equipped to find more opportunities for success.

1. Practice Clear Communication

Being afraid to ask for what you really want is inefficient for many reasons, but mostly it's a waste of time and gets in the way of your needs. Rather than dance around a request with doubt-laced phrases like "Would you mind?" or "I was wondering if ..." choose to be direct. Often, we fear speaking bluntly will make us seem unsympathetic or callous. But, "being direct and clear doesn't have to be rude," Schorn says, and it will only lead to "less frustration." Another aspect of communicating clearly is saying "no" and sticking to your guns. "So much of this is habitual," she says, so while rejecting someone or being direct may feel overwhelming at first, with practice you can make it work.

2. Educate Yourself About Risk

"There's a big difference between something that's scary and something that's dangerous," Schorn explains. This is a crucial concept to remember when you're deciding whether or not to follow through with something you're unsure of. Think back to the risks you've taken in the past -- was the exhilaration you felt after you followed through worth overcoming your initial fear? Probably. It could be wise, as Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote, to "Do one thing every day that scares you." Just make sure you evaluate the risk -- and assess the danger -- beforehand.

3. Let Go Of What You Can't Control

Unfortunately, certain dangers exist in this world that are beyond our control. The sooner you're able to accept this reality, the closer you'll be to fearlessness. You can't wish away rain, you can only prepare for the storm. When you spend time trying to risk-proof a situation, you are missing out on potential wins. You're wasting an opportunity to put your energy toward something else, says Schorn, who explains that assessing what's in your power (and what's not) is a vital part of making progress. When feeling fearful, ask yourself what you can prevent, and what is out of your hands. Then, act accordingly.

4. Smile At Strangers

Schorn got her book's title from realizing how empowering it can be to make connections with others. "There are many ways to be safe and still interact with people," she says. "When you feel it's appropriate, making the choice to be open with others can harvest great rewards."

SIZZLING APP SATURDAY 06/08/2013

WHAT'S IN YOUR WALLET

Not only will this week's app save you time, but it might also help to make you feel better when it comes to your health, as well.

Thanks to great companies like Vistaprint.com and Printrunner.com, even the smallest of companies can show off their pride with professional looking business cards.  As a small business ourselves, we totally understand, but with the multitude of cardstock placards,
comes what is now known in the medical world as "hip-pocket syndrome" or "wallet sciatica", the damage of key nerves due to sitting on thick wallets.  The BBC reports that men who drive with their wallet stuffed into their back trouser pocket appear to be most at risk.  They go on to say how the condition is triggered by the wallet pressing on nerves in the back, and that over time this can cause sciatica.

The solution is to ether take your wallet our of your pants before setting down, or better yet, check out our suggestion for Sizzling App Saturday...CamCard.  This free app uses your phones camera to 

scan any business card in seconds.  It automatically detects the text, crops the card image, and sorts the information, and files it right on your smartphone.
Then when you need a client or friends phone number, email, or address, you simply open CamCard, and there it is.  No more trying to remember where you put that business card from last night, or attempting to make out the phone number due to a spilt drink, or better still, the worry of hip-pocket syndrome!  Plus this Sizzling App Saturday's pick works on iPhone, iPad, Android, Android Tablet, BlackBerry, and Windows 8.

To take a look at CamCard, you can find it in your phone's app store or at www.camcard.com.

HAIL OF A RIDE...

Regardless if you happen to be a car nut or a history buff, the details and facts behind the vehicles used to transport the "Leader of the Free World" are, at least for us, nearly as fascinating as the men who have held the highest office in the land.  One such vehicle start off as a bad seed, involved in a life of crime, to later go on as not only being used to transport one of the most important President of the United States, but also becoming a "first" in the history of Presidential limousines.

December 7, 1941, the nation found itself thrown into World War II.  Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and from that moment on, nothing would be the same, including the Presidential automobile.  From President Theodore Roosevelt's white Stanley Steamer, the first automobile

purchased by the government, to the highly criticized
ultra grandiose 1932 Cadillac 452B V-16 Fleetwood Imperial ordered by President Hoover during the depression, the cars used by the White House had just been cars with very few changes made.  Even the wheelchair bound FDR, who with the help of the press had kept this health issue from the general public, had been driven around in a Lincoln K-Series that was modified to hide his ailment.  But when it came to defensive protection even close to what we have in today's First Car, there had been none.  Needless to say, the Secret Service was concerned now that we were at war, and the man they were assigned to guard would basically be a sitting duck while making even the short trip from the White House to the Capitol on December 8.

When presented with the problem, one of the agents recalled that they did have a heavily armored limousine being stored in the impound lot, which would work until the Lincoln could be refitted with armor and bulletproof windows.  This perfect car even had police lights behind the grill, which would
be a first that continued with each Presidential vehicle to this day.  It turned out that the 1928 Cadillac 341A Town Sedan in question had even been painted green and black, which were the colors of police cars in the town the original owner lived.  The town was Chicago, and the owner...the owner of the heavily armored Caddy, which had been seized by the US Treasury Department when he was arrested for tax evasion was one of the most feared men of his time...Al Capone.

After staying up most the night to make sure the car was in working order, the Secret Service gave the OK.  December 8, 1941, President Roosevelt would be the first resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to ride in an armored car.  At the end of that trip, it would turn out to be this Cadillac, which had once been used to protect a crime boss who had taken the lives of many, corrupted and bribed government officials, and spread fear in the hearts of countless, that would drop off the President so he could deliver to  the Congressional chambers and those in a troubled and confused nation, listening at home to their radio, what would be known from then on as the "infamy" speech.  It just goes to show that regardless of where your life is now, it doesn't mean that it has to end there, but it can and will get better.