If This Doesn't Motivate You...

...then you're not "motivate-able!"

Tennis buddies: it's almost time!

New Wine for Seniors

There is a new wine being developed just for seniors.  Vintners in California's Napa Valley, which primarily produce Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Grigio wines have developed a new hybrid grape that acts as an "anti-diuretic.”

It is an extraordinary breakthrough that has not only the wine industry, but the medical community taking notice.

The wine will be marketed as… Pino More.

(Sorry – couldn’t resist.)

Golf Back in the Gresham-Barlow School District

Recently, I received the following press release from the Gresham-Barlow School District. I'm happy to say golf is back! (And I'm also happy to say the fundraising golf tournament mentioned was a blast!

Gresham-Barlow School District News

January 12, 2010

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Gresham-Barlow School District Reinstates Golf

Community-driven fundraising throughout the school year allows district to bring program back for 2009-2010 school year.

The Gresham-Barlow School Board reinstated the district's high school golf program after a series of successful fundraisers brought in $15,600 to pay for the program. The sport had been suspended for the 2009-2010 school year as a part of the school district's efforts to reduce the co-curricular budget.

"I am pleased our student athletes will have the opportunity to participate in this co-curricular program in spite of our budget challenges," said Superintendent John Miner. "The community support that has been shown for our students is truly appreciated."

High school golf coaches Ron Jones, Tom Starr, Jeff Nielson, and Scott Shields led the fundraising efforts. Student Tommy Schmitz, who plays on Barlow's golf team, raised almost $8,000 through a golf scramble fundraiser he conducted.

Golf is the second sports program to be reinstated. At the beginning of the school year, a community member anonymously donated $21,000 to restore the water polo program. The district was forced to reduce its co-curricular budget by $500,000 this school year due to reduced state funding. A majority of the cuts came at the middle school level. Cuts to the co-curricular program were part of an $11 million reduction to

the district's entire budget for the 2009-2010 school year.

How NOT to Use PowerPoint

I ran across this recently and couldn't resist sharing it. From someone who lives in the PowerPoint world, and has seen all the bad juju that comes with poor slides, this is hysterical.

Enjoy

Safeway Grounds United Airlines

Today was the first day that I did not swipe my Safeway card when picking up my regular Starbucks purchase.  Effective February 28, Safeway has canceled the long-running United Airlines frequent-flyer program tied to their Safeway Club Card.

In a recent announcement, the move was to focus on reducing prices for ALL shoppers. Not a bad move.  Safeway has been higher priced on many items for years.  Me?  I pick up a few things along with my Starbucks purchases as needed.

It was only to get the miles.

For years, Safeway has awarded to Club Card holders who sign up for the United Mileage Plus Reward program 125 miles for every $250 spent on qualifying merchandise.  Will that get me to Fiji?  I think not.  Does that make me feel like I'm getting something for my loyalty?  Absolutely!

The irony in removing a frequent flier program actually runs contrary to the "frequent buyer" mentality.  I don't expect to buy my odds and ends there any longer since there is no benefit.  My wife does almost 100% of her shopping at Fred Meyer where there is a direct gift card rebate quarterly - and she gets gas discounts.

Starbucks recently initiated their Starbucks Rewards program, seeing the value in rewarding loyalty as McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, and now Burger King continue to provide competition.

In a competitive grocery environment, Safeway may believe they are becoming more competitive, but I would argue they are looking in the wrong places.  I can go on and on about process improvement, lean operations and the like - areas where real and significant costs can be engineered out.  Sure, it costs Safeway to "buy" the miles United awards, but that is a coveted benefit I will miss.

I would speculate that after a recent request to have Club Card holders "renew" their participation in the program, they may not have had a large number take that action.  Again, asking a participating member to "renew" when they can see who are members and how many use the program, seems misguided.  They simply don't get it.

I do see one benefit, though: my wallet is now one card lighter!