A Week for the Ages

The real title for this post should read “A Week Like No Other in History” but oh well. As we have witnessed the Inauguration of our 44th American President, Barack Obama inspired millions as people gathered to brave the cold during the hopeful speech. In a time when many are lost, jobless, and drowned in financial instability, President Obama seemed to put the nation on the same page towards the path of prosperity. The troubles we are having now pale in comparison to the civil war, where Abraham Lincoln united the north and the south to hold our country true to the term “The United States of America.” Now, Obama, the second president to come out of Illinois as a Senator, has a daunting task at hand, but one that will not go unmatched. I believe that Obama will be able to lead us back to the days that our forefathers dreamed about for this country.

The Arizona Cardinals are Going to The Super Bowl

Doesn’t that sound funny? Well it may not sound familiar, but get used to the phrase because the Cardinals have just defeated the Philadelphia Eagles. They came out strong in a commanding first half which included three touchdown passes to Larry Fitzgerald. The second half started off a bit shaky with the Cardinals giving up the lead, but they finished strong and they’re heading to Tampa!

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

As the long weekend approaches, it’s always a good thing to think about how the upcoming day became a holiday. As many of you have heard (and if you haven’t you should do a search in Yahoo right now for Martin Luther King Jr.) about this pivotal point in history, Mr. King Jr. made strides and broke boundaries fighting for the equality of human-kind. I am forever grateful for what he has done for minorities in this country. He paved the way for us to have such great icons as Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods to look up to. Now it is possible for anyone of us to go into a company, show dilligence, hard-work, and a bit of intelligence to step into the spotlight of CEO.

With the NFC Championship game on Sunday and a house full of puppies, I know what I’ll be doing over the weekend. But I’m never going to forget what Monday, January 19th, 2009 is meant to celebrate. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Arizona Cardinals Hosting 2009 NFC Championship

Ok, let’s be honest, at the beginning of this football season in the Fall of 2008, how many people would have guessed that the Arizona Cardinals would not only make it to the NFC Championship, but also host it? I mean seriously, this is a big deal. With the Cardinal’s crushing win over the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia’s last quarter shutout to glide to victory of the New York Giants, the stage is set in Glendale, Arizona. Although the regular season meeting between these two teams was a yawn, this game has much more riding on it. There are still rooms available for this NFC Championship Game hotel near the stadium and the newly built Westgate City Center. I’ve been there a few times for a phenomenal Metallica concert, a state basketball game, and a few other shows. This is a nice area that many locals enjoy so if you’re visiting the area, Westgate is a must.

Photo courtesy of espn.com

Credit Wikipedia.com for the image:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs2008/columns/story?columnist=chadiha_jeffri&id=3825674

So it finally happened, the Cardinals won a playoff game. Then the unthinkable happens, they win two and wah-lah, they are one win away from the Super Bowl. Honestly, how many people saw this coming? It’ll be a game for the ages, at least in the eyes of local Arizona Cardinal fans. Hope to see you there.

Free Web Hosting for Non-Profits and Public Schools

I just recently stumbled across an interesting, and very respectable press release about a web hosting company called McKremie Web Hosting Solutions. McKremie offers US affordable web hosting to anyone looking to find a reliable web hosting service that prides itself on customer service. I myself love wordpress software (obviously) and was looking for a hosting company that would allow me to run a website on wordpress technology. Sure a lot of hosting companies offer services that let you install and run wordpress software, but McKremie stood out for me because of their philanthropic services. In an understanding that giving back to the community is what truly matters when running a business, The Web Hosting Solutions Company came out in October and announced that they will be offering free web hosting services for Nonprofit and Public Schools. They understand that schools are the foundation of our country and our future. My respect for them (as well as my interest) immediately peaked and upon browsing their site, I came across a very cool wordpress theme snowboarding page. The company allows parents to have a personalized website about their children. They are actually kids blogs and use wordpress software to power their pages. Their customer reviews and ratings have opened my eyes and helped me to determine my next web hosting provider.

Staying Healthy this Winter

So the bug is going around again, I would know, I just had it. To make sure you don’t get derailed and have to spend a few miserable days in bed, make sure you stay warm and take care of your body this season. I’m a big fan of tea and that helped me to get rid of my bug, but I know that tea isn’t for everyone. If you do like tea or are willing to try it, I suggest green or black teas because they’re loaded with anti-oxidants and they do wonders in breaking up the grease that is sitting in your stomach from the fast-food lunches you’re eating. And speaking of fast food, that should be weened out of your diet anyway. Try to stick to more fruits and vegetables. Try eating one piece of fruit a day, especially if it’s an orange. That’ll help you load up on the vitamin C. If you’re in a hurry, don’t let your diet suffer, it’s bad enough that you don’t get enough rest. Stock up on some organic fruit juice and chug a bit of that on the way.

One thing I’ve realized lately is how cold you can get once you’re feeling sick. Now is not a bad time to invest in a nice beanie and gloves. If you already own them, take them with you whenever you leave the house. Remember that it doesn’t matter what you look like if you’re too sick to enjoy leaving the house.

Obama’s Presidential Inauguration

2008 will go down in history as an historic year for our country. From the economic pressures, to the closing credit window the American people found a way to have hope and believe in someone that there is light at the end of this tunnel. The road ahead will be long and hard, but during frenzied times, the president-elect Barack Obama gives us a sense of being united for our United States of America.

The road to the white house will be culminated on January 20th, only 13 days away. It’s a hot ticket and many are looking to get a view of the event in DC. With the country backing Barack, many top execs are among the big donors for the Inauguration event including Google. A total of six Google executives gave $150,000 for the inauguration and Google big-wigs Eric Schmidt, CEO, co-founder Larry Page and YouTube co-founder Chad Hurley each contributed $25k alone.

Indeed the seats in DC will be packed and many hotels are sold out in the area. Over 250,000 people have tickets to watch the ceremony from the lawn. Hotels are fully booked as far as 30 miles away from the event. There are however, a few more rooms available for anyone willing to make a last second trip. There is an Econo Lodge hotel near the inauguration conveniently located near downtown Washington, D.C. and many local attractions. Another inauguration hotel in Alexandria, Virginia provides easy access to Washington, D.C and is in close proximity to the nation’s capital. For those seeking an inauguration hotel that provides business accommodations, the Clarion Hotel in College Park offers guests free wireless high-speed Internet access and a business center with meeting facilities, and access to copy and fax services.

Whatever your situation may be, this year’s Presidential Inauguration will be one to remember. Many top executives in the country will be in attendance for the historic event. So if you can, make the trip to DC and be a part of history.

SEO in 2009

When I take a look back at 2008 all I can think is geez, what a year? There were many things that happened in the search world such as SEMPO Ringing NASDAQ Stock Market Opening Bell or the launch of the newest large-scale search engine cuil.com. Google is continuing to crack down on paid links, paid link brokers are claiming continued success in operating under Google’s radar. Google gained market share in the search world. Yahoo’s CEO has stepped down. Microsoft has…wait…Micro-who?

As expected, it has been a year of new developments and twists and turns but what year hasn’t been that way? In an ever-changing field, it’s important to keep up with the times to ensure rankings and exposure for your sites. While on-page SEO is important, I personally see a shift towards off-site factors in increasing rankings for websites. Social media and user-generated content will be the new SEO. Companies who haven’t already, will need to decide on which to create, a Facebook profile or a MySpace profile. They will also need to create mobile sites as well and along those lines, iPhone mobile apps. The list goes on and on from blog creation to prominence in other sites such as Twitter, Digg, etc. If you’re already on deck or are currently pursuing the channels listed above, then prepare for a fruitful 2009.