Good Day For Metal Videos

I stumbled across a few beauty videos at Metal Injection and thought them Badskblog worthy. The first video is the Massachusetts metalers Shadows Fall debuting a new song from their forthcoming release entitled Retribution. These guys aren't the heaviest band in the world, but it is still pretty badass that they are getting some national play. The new song Still I Rise actually sounds a bit heavier than their last few albums. The singing is a bit cleaner and more melodic, but it sounds pretty heavy to me. See what the dudes at Metal Injection had to say below as well as upcoming metal performances on Jimmy Fallon.

I stayed up to watch SHADOWS FALL on Late Night w/Jimmy Fallon last night, and for an old man like me, that's sort of a big deal. Anytime any metal band gets some good old national exposure on TV, I always get excited and feel the need to support. The Massholes came out and completely rocked the house at 30 Rock last night. As much as I don't really favor Fallon's comedic stylings, I think it's really cool that he is having metal bands on his show. Fuck, MEGADETH was just announced as performing there on Thursday, September 17th (technically Friday morning). Anyway, if you missed the performance, we uploaded it here. The band's new CD, Retribution is in stores September 15th.

The next clip, also found on Metal Injection, is the new video from one of my favorite bands of all time; The Black Dahlia Murder. Not only is the song ridiculously awesome and brutal, the video is one of the funniest I have seen since....well their last video. Nothing says metal like bowling shirts. The band recently added a former Arsis guitar shredder who, judging by this tune, will only make their next album all the better. I really don't think their is anyone doing death metal better than The Black Dahlia Murder right now. They have the best riffs, are extremely technical, yet they remain melodic, interesting and most importantly tangible. I cannot wait for the band's new CD, Deflorate, to be released. It is in stores September 15th so go buy it....or if you download it then buy some of their merch because we need to keep these guys pumping out tunes for as long as humanly possible.



Sorry for the duel play videos. I haven't figured out how to get rid of the auto play.

Dressing Well, Peer Pressure, and Self Actualization

I came across this post on PersonalBrandingBlog by Dan Schawbel. A guest poster writes on the importance of dressing appropriately for different scenarios, and how that contributes to your personal brand. If you want you can read the entire post here. I have included a few excerpts below as well.

But this weekend, when flipping through the New York Post, an op-ed piece entitled “Schlub Nation” caught my eye. The writer Faran Krentcil lamented about the prevalence of mourners at Ted Kennedy’s wake dressed in flip-flops, undershirts and dirty tees.

Dress to impress or dress to include?

Krentcil argues that putting the effort into dressing well for important events—like weddings, wakes, job interviews—shows as much respect for the other person as it does for yourself. “Aren’t you better than a ripped t-shirt with a mustard stain on the collar?” he asks.

We’ve all heard the saying, “You shouldn’t judge a book by its cover,” but should we?

I admit that since moving to Florida from New York City, my everyday dress is much more casual. I have driven to Whole Foods wearing flip-flops, for example, where I’d never worn flip-flops before except for maybe the locker room at the gym. But I still dress up for speaking engagements, business meetings, television appearances. When I’m in the spotlight, wearing good quality, nice fitting clothes makes me feel more authoritative. I’m happy to have all eyes looking at me, and looking pulled together reinforces my personal brand.

Great lesson and thoughts on personal branding, however I immediately thought of how peer pressure factors into dress within different scenarios. There are many people who down play the influence of peer pressure and social norms on our lives. I think that this discussion of appropriate dress exemplifies how we are affected by others expectations and how those expectations are often dictated pragmatically through the different social situations we find ourselves in.

I read something on Ben Casnocha's blog a while back about peer pressure and his point was something along the lines of "walk across the street 10 feet away from a crosswalk with people at it on a green light and tell me that peer pressure doesn't affect you or your life."

We all like to feel like we are different, unique, above the influence of others; our own person if you will. However, the fact is that we are social creatures by nature. We have a strong internal desire to belong, to relate, to be a part of something. In order to fulfill those desires we must be cognisant of other people's expectations. I admit that I like to push the envelope in certain situations. However I am also quite aware that these tend to be social situations that I am comfortable or familiar in, or I have some established credibility. For instance the way I interact with a bunch of my buddies in a hockey locker room is going to be quite different than the way I interact at a networking gathering. The expectations are different, and I have established some emotional credibility with one group while the other group has no idea who I am or what I am about.

Peer pressure and social norms are interesting and very abstract concepts to talk about and wrap your head around, but I think they are valuable to work your way through. You can only be more self aware and self actualized throughout the plentiful social situations you will make your way into as you get older.

What Should Obama Be Reading On Vacation?

The Huffinton Post is running the following article where people can vote on what the President should be reading on vacation.

In addition to golf, tennis, and catching up with his family, Obama will be setting aside a substantial amount of reading time, according to Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton.

The White House has released Obama's reading list for the week, which at 2,300 pages is a large amount for anyone to get through in a week, even the former editor of the Harvard Law Review. On the reading list:

--Tom Friedman's Hot, Flat and Crowded

--David McCullough's John Adams

--Richard Price's Lush Life

--Kent Haruf's Plain Song

--George Pelecanos's The Way Home

A book can open our minds to different perspectives and transform the way we think, which is why putting just one book atop Obama's reading pile could have far reaching effects -- something Hugo Chavez was keenly aware of when he shoved Eduardo Galeano's Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent into Obama's hands in April. The book is noticeably absent from the list above.

Given the impact that the right book can have, HuffPost wants to hear what you would pick for Obama to read on the Vineyard this week. Just click on the "Participate" button below, upload a picture of the book you think Obama needs to read, and give us the rationale for your choice in the description section

There article is showing the top 80 books that people have added/voted for. What I want to know is how Atlas Shrugged DID NOT make the list!! Come on. Besides being the best book of all time it eerily serves as a prophet-esque roadmap of what we have been going through as a nation. Hat tip to The Daily Dish for directing me to this article.

Money Tips - Roth IRA Edition

It has been a while since I have added to the Money Tips library here at BadskiBlog and I really need to get better at keeping it updated. Not only could some of the advice or links help some people, but it also serves as my own little reference library to keep me down the right path financially. Back when I was playing Jr and eventually college hockey we always hit the summers hard for off season training. However, it wasn't complex drills and systems. It was always "back to basics" time. Its the little things that matter and make you better, and I think it is a great lesson to live in your financial life as well. Do the basics, like living the BadskiBlog definition of being rich, better day in and day out and you will attain your goals. In this post I wanted to take the opportunity to provide some guidance on one of the best retirement investing vehicles out there (especially if you are young); the Roth IRA. I keep the difference between the Roth and the Traditional IRA straight by saying the Roth is taxed in and free out. Which basically means that you contribute with after tax income on the way in, but the gains you build over the years are not taxed when you begin to withdraw the money (meeting all the prescribed criteria). If you have time on your side and don't have a dire need to lower your current tax bracket, which is probably most people under 35, then you should max this out every year. Here are two articles that not only give great insight into the benefits of the Roth IRA, but some special circumstances that you can use to make the most out of the investment vehicle.

The first article that I found on CNN Money can be read in its entirety here. This article starts out talking about specifics of the IRA and the general guidelines and stipulations surrounding it as an investing option. However, the article goes on to say that with retirement planning the wild card has always been the changing tax laws. But there is hope.

The uncertain tax outlook can be paralyzing. "The whole idea of not knowing how much money you really have saved because you don't know how much you're going to have to pay in taxes makes it impossible to plan," says Keith Maliniak, a 60-year-old physician in Harrisburg, Pa.

But even if you don't know how high your rates will be, there are steps you can take to insulate your retirement stake from the vagaries of the tax code. Luckily, you have a weapon in the war on taxes: the Roth IRA.

The author then goes on to say that we are at near historic low tax rates and that they will likely rise in years to come. This makes it one of the prime times in history to do a Roth IRA conversion.

If your income is below the IRS limits, you can contribute up to $5,000 a year to a Roth ($6,000 if you are over 50). Some companies have begun to offer Roth 401(k)s, which have no income limits. But for the most part, high earners have to settle for converting existing IRAs and paying the tax bill. As part of the deal, if you convert in 2010 you can stretch the tax payments out over three years, easing the pain.

The questions of whether — and how much — to convert are complicated and there's no one-size-fits-all answer. When you convert, the money in the IRA is added to your taxable income. This could bump you up into a higher tax bracket: "If you earn $120,000 a year and want to convert $200,000 of IRA money, that will throw you from the 28% tax bracket to the 36% bracket for that particular year," says Leonard.

That said, advisers suggest that the combination of the stock market slump and the likelihood of future tax increases makes today an ideal moment to convert traditional IRAs to Roths. "First, we're at historic low income tax rates," says James Lange, a CPA and lawyer and the author of Retire Secure. "Second, if you believe stocks go up over time, and that we're at a low point, this is probably one of the best times in history to convert."

In general, conversion may make most sense for younger people who are in lower tax brackets and have smaller IRA balances. That's because their tax hit will be lighter and they'll have a long time for the assets to grow tax-free before they need to make withdrawals.

But there are situations in which even high earners and older people may want to convert. Lange offers this example. "Let's say you used to have income of $150,000, and you got laid off and you're only going to have income of $60,000 this year," he says. "You're hoping to get a job and be back where you were next year. Then you should make the conversion this year because you'll be in a much lower tax bracket."

For some folks, the appeal of leaving tax-free accounts to heirs may be reason enough to move to a Roth. That's what persuaded Carroll Harris, a 68-year-old Southport, N.C., resident, to begin converting his traditional IRAs in 2008; he plans to do more conversions in 2009, 2010, and 2011 to spread out his tax payments. "I'd rather bite the bullet and pay the tax now," says Harris, who worked for 30 years in the international transportation business. "It's going to be a tremendous asset for my children and their children down the road because it will sit there and build for 30 or 40 years for them tax-free!"

One thing the experts agree on: Don't convert unless you can pay your taxes out of other cash — using assets from your IRA to pay the taxes is a losing proposition. "If you're paying the tax from the account itself, you're lengthening the break-even period because you have a lesser amount of money in the account growing tax-free," says Fisher.

There is some really good stuff in there to think about no matter what age you are or what your current financial situation is. Retirement planning applies to all of us and the Roth is one of your better options to reach your retirement goals in my opinion.

The next article is a bit more somber, but being in the military I thought I should share it with others to spread the word. I found this article on Jeff Rose's Good Financial Cents blog, which is a kickass financial planner blog out of Illinois. It can get a little bit more technical than I tend to get but it has awesome advice and it very detailed. His post is on the "Hero IRA" or the Heroes Earnings Assistance and Relief Tax Act other wise called the Heroes or Heart Act. You can read the full post here. In essence it is a law where you take the SGLI life insurance benefit from a service member who has passed away in combat, and place it into a Roth tax free. This is similar to the conversion above, however you would not be responsible to pay taxes on the entire amount. That is an unbelievable tax break. Obviously I hope that NO ONE ever has to use this option, however we are at war and maybe this information will help someone who is already suffering from the loss of a loved one.

Having served overseas in Iraq, this should have caught my attention earlier. It wasn’t until I recently lost a brother in arms that I happened on a little blurb in the IRS publication 590 on the SGLI. If you are not in the military or have a family member in the military, it probably wouldn’t mean anything to you. SGLI stands for Servicemen’s Group Life Insurance. It’s the life insurance that the government provides to all our military members. When I first got in the military the most you were allowed to get insured for was $250,000. Right about the time I was deployed, the government increased that amount to $400,000. The cost is minimal; $0.65 per $1000 of life insurance. While serving overseas, it’s a no-brainer.

Basically, the surviving beneficiary of a lost soldier soldier serving overseas is allowed to rollover the full amount into a Roth IRA. As you know, I’m a huge fan of the Roth IRA and this provides a tremendous opportunity to put an enormous chunk into for tax free growth. Remember, the full SGLI amount is $400,000 and that amount could be completely rolled into the Roth. To illustrate how that might impact someone, look at this calculation:



Let’s assume a 25 year old widow were to invest the full $400,000 and average 8% return over a 25 year period, she will have accumulated $2,739,390.08. She won’t be able to get it all yet. (She’ll have to wait until 59 1/2 for that). But she will have access to the original $400,000 since it’s treated as a “rollover contribution” and as you know or may not know, you always have access to your contributions in a Roth IRA. Another aspect is that if there are surviving children, they will inherit the money tax free. Another great aspect of the Roth that often goes overlooked.

If there are any other topics you want to hear more about on Money Tips just leave a comment. If I don't know about it (which is very possible) I will find someone who does to do a guest post.

Lessons Learned From A Small Biz Startup

The cliche that you don't live long enough to make all the mistakes yourself so learn from other people's mistakes, is a cliche for a reason. Because its true! Keeping that in mind I try and learn as much as I can from other people either through personal connections or through the immortalized lessons they leave behind in the form of text. I found an article on CNN Money about Viking Range, an innovative small business that merged two different market segments to create their own little niche. Founder Fred Carl Jr. was interviewed in the article published here. He had some interesting advice to give in the relatively short article, but there was one lesson that really stuck out to me. See below.

What advice can you give other entrepreneurs?

The line between stubbornness and perseverance is thin. If you're emotionally and professionally convinced that your idea is sound, then be very stubborn. And don't be afraid to tell Khrushchev to take a hike.

I have heard this advice in numerous different forms and I think it is great advice. If I had to put it into my own quote as to help me embody it in my everyday practice I would say that "you need to be stupid and naive enough to just go for it, while being smart and persistent enough to keep going once you've started!" Great advice for anyone who wants to start their own business or non-profit or whatever the case may be.

Experience vs. Experiences

Recently my wife and I moved to Boston. Being in the Air Force I just show up and start my new job. Yeah I have to learn new things and get settled into a new routine, but I don’t have to actually go out and find a new job. My wife on the other hand had to start completely over. She was teaching in New Jersey, but with our move we thought it would be a great time to pursue one of her passions as a career. She has always been a fitness enthusiast so the thought of getting into the fitness industry was a natural transition. She decided to get her personal training license and begin interviewing for those type jobs. Despite having a degree from the University of Arizona in Physical Education, two years teaching experience, experience as a spinning instructor, a personal training certification, a life’s worth fitness activity all she heard throughout the majority of the interview’s was how they were hesitant due to her lack of experience. Besides being frustrating as hell, it really got me thinking about experience versus experiences and how people look at the two concepts.

Part of me can kind of understand where some of the people she interviewed with are coming from. I mean she had never had a personal training job before. She didn’t have experience doing that profession. What if she wasn’t any good at it and that person had hired her. They would have invested time, money and effort into an individual that just wasn’t cut out for that position. And most importantly, they would have delayed fulfilling their original goal; to fill a vacant position with a person who is the most qualified and competent for the job.

However, the other part of me can’t get over how blatantly off center this line of thinking is. Experience and experiences are different animals, and typically employers pay much more attention to the latter which, in my opinion, is the wrong approach. What does experience mean? Well it means that the applicant has familiarity with the position and it can be safely assumed that the individual has some basic knowledge of the duties to be carried out. Placing value on experience may well indeed save you time, effort, and money in the short run but is it the best strategy in the long run? I would argue no.

Think of it this way for a minute. By placing the emphasis on experience you are In essence blinding yourself to many other evaluation factors that are much more important and will have a much larger impact on your business’ bottom line. I can hire a person that has worked at McDonalds for 30 years and has only cooked fries the entire time (This is nothing against McDonalds. In fact I just read an article the other day that listed how many people had worked their way from cooking fries at Mickey D’s up to become CEO’s, late night talk show hosts, etc.). If I want a fry cooker tomorrow then placing emphasis on experience may be the way to go. However, if I want to hire the best employees to give my business the best chance of succeeding in a highly competitive environment then experience emphasis is obviously flawed. It’s kind of like the buggy whip analogy. The best buggy whip maker was probably making buggy whips (for horse and carriages) well into the mass production of model T’s. He probably did his craft better than anyone in the world at that time. But the automobile eventually put him out of business. He had a ton of experience that made him extremely competent at his specialized job, but that doesn’t mean I want to be him!

Maybe it’s because I have never officially hired anyone in my life. Maybe it’s because I am a naive “Gen Y’er” that is completely delusional. Or maybe, and this is a big maybe, I am not completely full of shit and once in a blue moon a decent original thought comes out of my head. I propose that weighting experienceS (emphasis) more than experience is a more effective way to surround yourself with people that will help you and your company succeed.

Let’s use my lovely wife as an example again. Personal training experience…none. But what experiences has she gone through that have shaped her to become a successful personal trainer and valuable team member to a company?

1. A proven ability to learn. She has a degree in a related field from a respected university. Just because you have experience as a trainer does not necessarily mean that you are educated in the science of the body. Do you want a trainer that tells you incorrect information?

2. Breadth. She has demonstrated success and results in multiple related fields. Whether it was teaching PE, instructing spinning, classroom teaching of health, or anything else on her resume there was a theme ever-present that she could succeed in different roles.

3. An ability to lead. Could you control 50 screaming pubescent middle school punks while they run around with hockey sticks in their hands? I would much rather go back to my Jr. hockey days and fight angry 6 foot 5 guys with hockey stick than try to control a bunch of kids with hockey sticks. She has taught spinning for numerous fitness levels.

4. Innovation and dedication. She created work out clubs before school for kids struggling with their weight. She did multiple after hours intramurals.

5. Personality. This may be the most overlooked and painful (in the long run) part of focusing primarily on experience instead of experiences. At the end of the day you need someone who you can work with. You need someone your customers will love and enjoy working with, especially in a service industry like the fitness industry. There are plenty of experienced assholes out there, and sadly their experience is probably enough to keep them gainfully employed in their niche until they finish out their days. You probably meet these experienced assholes on a daily basis whether it be at Kinkos, your local auto body shop, or even a large fitness center. Does the person you are interviewing have the personality, the aura about them, the 'it' factor that makes you think they will be a valued asset to the company in the position they are applying for? Or more importantly for a future position that isn’t available or even created yet?

I am sure there are numerous other traits that I haven't listed that are overlooked when you focus primarily on experience. However you get the point that there are a lot of benefits to looking beyond experience and on to someone’s experiences. Just continue to ask yourself "how has this person’s life and life experiences shaped them to be the perfect member of our team?" If you aren't asking yourself that question you are surely missing out on talent that could be the missing piece of your organization's puzzle.

Twitter For Entrepreneurs

I have been using Twitter for a few months and since I have started I have run into so many people who are talking about it and then they ask the same question. They always ask "what is the point of Twitter? I don't get it." Then I jump in like a huge computer nerd and try to explain what I think its all about, and from there its almost a perfect split. People either get it and think its brilliant or they still think its stupid. I don't think Twitter is about tweeting (140 character micro blog posts). I think Twitter capitalizes and makes visual our natural tendency as humans to group with other like-minded people. However, Twitter enhances this by allowing people who have never and would never have met to become linked. By allowing you to see who someone is following and all the people who are following them you can see how the cliche'd six degrees of separation begins to manifest itself online through this amazing social networking vehicle.

Well if you are searching for like minded people or mentors that are entrepreneurs then I have found the list for you. I found this slide show on BusinessWeek the other day that lists the top 20 entrepreneurs to follow on Twitter. You can check it out here. I followed the majority of these folks tonight and already have had more than a few followers pick me up. Could be some potential BadskiBlog readers, could be bloggers that I want to read, could be future Checking For Charity donors, could be future employers, could be potential business partners. Who knows. Worst case is I will be exposed to some new information to digest via the web. Below is a sample of the kinds of people on the top 20 list.

Boost Your Business Small Biz Plan Competition

I have been in an entrepreneurial mood lately and have stumbled across some different sources of inspiration. The Boost Your Business competition is one of those sources of inspiration. Basically various small businesses are competing with your help for the chance to win $100,000 to help launch their businesses and/or take their businesses to the next level.

On the line: $50,000 in cash, and $50,000 in advertising on Forbes.com. Twenty semi-finalists remain. Now our discerning readers will choose who will survive to compete in the final round. To make your choices, peruse the contestants' 500-word write-ups (by clicking the "Read more" link) and watch their 30-second "elevator pitch" videos. Your goal: to choose the companies with the most promising growth prospects, if they were given a bit of nourishing investment capital. You may vote for a maximum of five finalists. A leader board will track the top five names in real time. The polls close September 30, 2009. In the meantime, stay tuned to Forbes.com to track your candidates' progress.

You can read all the business plans on Forbes and vote for your top five plans by clicking here. There are definitely some cool ideas. I am always amazed at the power of entrepreneurship. Every time I read a good business idea I get the same feeling. It is that feeling that I should have thought of that. The ideas seem so simple and so obvious. However, it is often not the idea but the ability to bring it to fruition. That is one of the things I am most proud about Checking For Charity is the fact that we actually made it happen. I have been getting the entrepreneurial itch again lately and am looking to venture into the profit world this time. I have a few ideas, none that are absolutely mind blowing in my opinion, however I think I will just take the same approach as I did with Checking For Charity.

1. Come up with a good idea
2. Think it through by yourself
3. After you have developed it and fanned the flames of desire to bring it to life, tell some people about it and see what they say. Often their initial reactions will bring to light different barriers or opportunities that you never thought of.
4. Find a team. Working by yourself sucks. At least it does for me. I can't seem to accomplish anything by myself, and if I could I probably wouldn't enjoy it as much.
5. Jump. That's right. Just jump. You are never going to be truly ready. You are never going to have the answers. You are never going to (nor should you want to) stick to the original idea. It will grow as you grow through the process.

Here is a sample of the short 500 word business plan pitch of one of my favorites from the contest. I might start writing my business ideas in this format. A large business plan is great to work out ideas, but I am a believer in the Warren Buffett-esque approach to business. He only invests in businesses he can understand. I plan to only create businesses I can understand. Keeping it simple:

Healthy Life Screening performs preventive cardiovascular screens at corporate work sites. We detect early problems in seemingly healthy workers and their families to prevent both chronic health problems and corporate medical claims. Companies of all sizes can participate at no cost, or by subsidizing. One constant in reducing health care costs is in prevention. There are 75 million working people in geographies that can be reached with mobile screenings. At a $200 price point, the total market is $15 billion.

Business Model

Cardiovascular Screens fall into the voluntary, self-pay sector of health care. Heart disease is the No.1 killer in America--and together with cardiovascular conditions causes a disproportionate amount of health insurance claims. Historically, people have not had early screenings because they were not-accessible, not covered by insurance, not-convenient and/or not safe. Healthy Life Screening has addressed all these barriers. Individuals pay directly, but can use tax-favored plans (FSA, HSA) to pay for screens. Corporations have experienced at least 3-to-1 return on investment in health care cost savings when they subsidize. We are working to get insurance companies to recognize and reward early detection.

Capitalization

The business has been funded by the founders and with an early-stage venture capital contribution. It is anticipated to be cash-flow positive by 12/31/09.

Differentiators

Healthy Life is currently the only known company to go to the work site with a dedicated staff for marketing and education of workers, as well as conducting the medical tests. When average people are exposed to the on-site workshops (giving the complete picture), an average of 35% of them will choose to be screened.

Other key differentiators

Fast: Workers can be back on the job within 35 minutes; Inexpensive:$200 vs. $2,000 for the same tests in hospitals; Safe: Ultrasound technology has no known side effects; Confidential: HIPAA compliant reports sent direct to the workers; Turn key: All marketing, registration, processing and reporting--no work for companies; Automated: Proprietary systems for uploading and reading tests; Efficient: Proprietary medical staffing models and protocols.

Years of Relevant Experience

President/CFO--Managing medical screenings for 11 years. Financial/entrepreneurial experience spans 30 years. CEO--Medical industry sales/marketing 15 years. Serial entrepreneur sold last medical services company to Fortune 1000 company. VP Operations--Managing mobile medical operations 10 years.

Plan for $100,000

Cash would be used to create an interactive Web site to permit online scheduling and a password-protected FTP site to allow people to access their results and access condition-specific education. Advertising would be specifically targeted to educate corporate decision makers that this service is available, and to drive them to the Web site for more information.

Checking For Charity Corporation - First Event Was Huge Success!

The first event hosted by Checking For Charity was a huge success. Not only did the event exceed all expectations with regard to professionalism, level of competition, and money raised for charity, it was extremely fulfilling on a personal level to be a part of something so special. I plan on writing a more detailed post when all the funds are totaled from the weekend's event but for now I wanted to share some of the positive press that we got from the weekend's event. See what the Courier Post had to say about our tourney here. Thanks again to all participants, volunteers, charity representatives, and most importantly the world class guys who stepped up to do the dirty work; you know who you are!

"We love what we do but we wanted to take it to the next level and give back," said Paul Caruso, who helped organize the first annual tournament dubbed "Checking for Charity."

Caruso, of Marlton, said the idea for the tournament was born through a group of local hockey enthusiasts who meet at the Voorhees rink on Sundays for a morning hockey game.

When the idea was brought up the men, many who are business professionals, put their connections together to organize sponsors and charities for the tournament.

Caruso said the plan is to begin holding the charity event annually and to even expand it out to other cities.

Donation totals weren't tallied after the match Sunday but Caruso estimated the weekend, which included an auction and donations from area businesses, would tally between $6,000 and $10,000. Charities included the Philadelphia Children's Hospital and the American Heart Association.

Cool Quotes Update

I haven't done any cool quotes on BadskiBlog in quite some time and I came across a few beauties the other day. Nothing like a daily dose of wisdom. Enjoy and post any additions in the comments section if you feel so inclined.

"Whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is the meaning of success." - Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82, American poet and essayist)

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent." - John Donne (1328-1384, English reformer)

"A good plan violently executed right now is far better than a perfect plan executed next week." - George S. Patton (1885-1945, General, USA)