• Exceler8ion,Localna8ion,That’s Wet,Cute Little Bastards,julians.name - Julian and Shannon Seery Gude
• Recruitomatic Blog – Amitai Givertz
• JibberJobber – Jason Alba
• Six Degrees from Dave – Dave Mendoza
• The Recruiting Animal – Recruiting Animal
• Successful ^and Outstanding Blog(gers) – Liz Strauss
• GeneticsAndHealth.com,AHeartyLife.com,PlayLibrary.com,Cotton Pickin’ Days – Hsien-Hsien Lei
• Karen Weideman ofThrifty Mom
• Inside Motherhood – Robyn Tippins
• Eating Fabulous – Ruth Schaffer
• Solo Mother -Christina Zola
• Chocolate Bytes -Cathy Spalding

The cause from last year and again this year should be a familiar one because October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  And this year it is even a more dear cause.  My wife’s sister was just diagnosed with breast cancer and has surgery scheduled for this week.  I tell you this not for sympathy, but as a reminder of how many lives this disease touches.  Please remember, every woman who gets breast cancer is someone’s mom, sister, or daughter.

This October, please make a donation to the cause and do something, anything that will help raise awareness.  Thank you. -Carl

Article courtesy of  Carl Chapman - Founder CEC Search, LLC
    © Copyright 2009 CEC Search, LLC | All rights reserved

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The subject, which will be revealed fully as the week progresses, is one of import to many people and a much wider audience than my usual readers. It is a public service campaign for the benefit of dogs and dog owners. I am about to fully launch a site that will help owners choose between moral and ethical breeders and those who mistreat both animals and their customers. I’ve been busy for about 2 days putting the site together and will be outlining my story and the reason for the site as time goes along. What I would like to ask of my audience is to stay tuned, read the blog articles as they appear, visit the website [which will be listed as soon as all the pages are done - probably later today], link to the new site and this article, and pass the links along to anyone and everyone you know that cares about dogs.

What does this have to do with success and passion? Good question. I hope that you will see over the next few weeks that passion helps drive the success of your projects. Without passion, your work will be dull and uninspired. But with it, you work won’t seem like work. With passion, you can accomplish seemingly impossible goals. In the coming weeks, I’m going to attack this campaign with all the passion that I can muster. I’ll be reporting the results to you here, on a regular basis.

STAY TUNED!

Article courtesy of  Carl Chapman - Founder CEC Search, LLC
    © Copyright 2009 CEC Search, LLC | All rights reserved

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I would like to suggest a different way, maybe a better way, of gift giving and shopping for those gifts. You see, when we buy and give expensive gifts to our friends an relatives, we create two actions – one of giving and one of receiving. Both of these actions should make at least one party feel good. The giver feels good because of the act of giving. The receiver feels good because they know that they are loved (or at least cared for) and have received a gift that is useful in some way. I believe that here is a way to give this season that can actually increase the feelings of satisfaction for more people and provide some relief from the stresses of shopping, the nerve wracking traffic, and post-holiday crush of bills that inevitably pile up as we try to express our love with more lavish gifts season after season.

What if there were a way to give that could make at least three parties feel happy and satisfied? And what if one of the parties could be multiple people, so that there existed the possibility of 4, 5, or maybe even 10 people being fulfilled from a single act of giving. Doesn’t that sound like a better thing? What if the gift didn’t require you to swim upstream against the teaming throng of Yuletide shoppers. What if you didn’t have to risk life and limb in traffic torrents that could test the temperament of the most talented taxicab drivers of New York? What if you could choose price points for all your gifts based upon the good they do and not the freakish supply demand curve that make things like "Tickle Me Elmo" such budget busters? Does it sound like a way of shopping and giving that might be of interest to you?

Well, here is one way that you can accomplish that. Go to Samaritan’s Purse and read about their Christmas Catalogue. There are dozens and dozens of gift categories and you may choose to give as little or as much as you like to fit your budget. In our household, we are sending out our Christmas lists to family and friends suggesting that they give in our name to the Christmas Catalogue. How does this satisfy more people than just the two who are in traditional gift giving? Well first the giver of the gift feels good because of the act of giving, the receiver of the gift [those in desperate need around the world] feels good because a vital need has been filled by a stranger who has shown them love. The person in whose name the gift was given feels good and is blessed because of the act of sacrifice for their fellow man. It seems a much better way to give to me. I hope that it will to you.

Please pass this idea along to your friends and family – help make the world a better place.

Article courtesy of  Carl Chapman - Founder CEC Search, LLC
    © Copyright 2009 CEC Search, LLC | All rights reserved

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History of Veterans Day

Visit the Veterans Day home page.

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919 , in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles , France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918 , is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

In November 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as the first commemoration of Armistice Day with the following words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”

The original concept for the celebration was for a day observed with parades and public meetings and a brief suspension of business beginning at 11 a.m.

The United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I when it passed a concurrent resolution on June 4, 1926, with these words:

Whereas the 11th of November 1918, marked the cessation of the most destructive, sanguinary, and far reaching war in human annals and the resumption by the people of the United States of peaceful relations with other nations, which we hope may never again be severed, and

Whereas it is fitting that the recurring anniversary of this date should be commemorated with thanksgiving and prayer and exercises designed to perpetuate peace through good will and mutual understanding between nations; and

Whereas the legislatures of twenty-seven of our States have already declared November 11 to be a legal holiday: Therefore be it Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), that the President of the United States is requested to issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.

An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U. S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday – - a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as “Armistice Day.” Armistice Day was primarily a day set aside to honor veterans of World War I, but in 1954, after World War II had required the greatest mobilization of soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen in the Nation’s history; after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, at the urging of the veterans service organizations, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans.” With the approval of this legislation (Public Law 380) on June 1, 1954, November 11th became a day to honor American veterans of all wars.

Later that same year, on October 8th, President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first “Veterans Day Proclamation” which stated: “In order to insure proper and widespread observance of this anniversary, all veterans, all veterans’ organizations, and the entire citizenry will wish to join hands in the common purpose. Toward this end, I am designating the Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs as Chairman of a Veterans Day National Committee, which shall include such other persons as the Chairman may select, and which will coordinate at the national level necessary planning for the observance. I am also requesting the heads of all departments and agencies of the Executive branch of the Government to assist the National Committee in every way possible.” (Click here for the full text of the proclamation.)

On that same day, the President sent a letter to the Honorable Harvey V. Higley, Administrator of Veterans’ Affairs (VA), designating him as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee. (Click here for the text of President Eisenhower’s letter.)

In 1958, the White House advised VA’s General Counsel that the 1954 designation of the VA Administrator as Chairman of the Veterans Day National Committee applied to all subsequent VA Administrators. Since March 1989 when VA was elevated to a cabinet level department, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs has served as the committee’s chairman.

The Uniforms Holiday Bill (Public Law 90-363 (82 Stat. 250)) was signed on June 28, 1968, and was intended to insure three-day weekends for Federal employees by celebrating four national holidays on Mondays: Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and Columbus Day. It was thought that these extended weekends would encourage travel, recreational and cultural activities and stimulate greater industrial and commercial production. Many states did not agree with this decision and continued to celebrate the holidays on their original dates.

The first Veterans Day under the new law was observed with much confusion on October 25, 1971. It was quite apparent that the commemoration of this day was a matter of historic and patriotic significance to a great number of our citizens, and so on September 20th, 1975, President Gerald R. Ford signed Public Law 94-97 (89 Stat. 479), which returned the annual observance of Veterans Day to its original date of November 11, beginning in 1978. This action supported the desires of the overwhelming majority of state legislatures, all major veterans service organizations and the American people.

Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.

- reprinted from the History of Veterans Day page.

Article courtesy of  Carl Chapman - Founder CEC Search, LLC
    © Copyright 2009 CEC Search, LLC | All rights reserved

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But due the the kind spirit of a number of super folks in the blogosphere, the impossible was accomplished. See this little blog doesn’t have enough readership to get more than 4 comments on a post, even if the post was a map to a pot of gold. (Which is one of the reasons that I wanted other bloggers to join the campaign.) So to the rescue came a lot of people that I really didn’t know well, some not at all. They have shared the stories, their hearts, their pain, their joy, and their time. They have posted about personal tragedy and triumphs of loved ones and friends. I want to thank them one and all.

I’m not creative enough to weave links to everyone in and out of some inspiring prose; so I thought that what I would do is post a little blurb about each blog and author (as much as I know or can gather from their site) and give my readers an opportunity to go make some new friends or bookmark some interesting blogs. I’m not going to post in any particular order because alphabetizing is not my favorite thing and the chronology of all the posts would be impossible to sort out. So take a look at these guys’ sites, I promise you will enjoy them.

Julian and Shannon Seery Gude of Exceler8ion – EXCELER8ion is Julian and Shannon Seery Gude’s take on the world of social media and online recruitment marketing. They were nice enough to post an announcement on all of their blogs – Exceler8ion, Localna8ion, That’s Wet, Cute Little Bastards, and julians.name. I think if I had given them advance warning, they might have single-handedly gotten me over the hump by creating enough blogs to get the job done.

Amitai Givertz’s Recruitomatic Blog – Ami not only posted on the breast cancer story on his own blog before I was even on boycott, but spread the word to a number of sites (recruiting.com and recruitingbloggers.com) with a story comparing me to Gandhi going on a hunger strike. Ami is a funny guy and talented blogger. He has a huge heart. He showed it here in helping with this cause.

Jason Alba of JibberJobber – Jason has become a good friend and confidant. He posted on his blog and he posted that I was bowing out of blogging until people took up the cause. Jason has developed an awesome set career tools, an they are FREE! Go sign up, they aren’t just for jobseekers.

Dave Mendoza of Six Degrees from Dave – even though Dave was out of town when all this started, the first thing he did when he got back was post the story and call for help. Dave is a great guy and the king of networking. You can check out more about him on my Up in Lights page.

(Recruiting Animal) of The Recruiting Animal – The recruiting animal was not only the first person to welcome me into the Recruiting Blogosphere, and to get me started with Linked In networking, but also he was the first to bring attention to the story beyond my blog by posting it to recruiting.com and voting for it. Thanks animal, I appreciate your help.

Liz Strauss of Successful ^and Outstanding Blog(gers) – Wow! Liz really answered the call. Jason Alba introduced me to her a few days before I started my breast cancer campaign. Liz is definitely an A list blogger, she knows everyone. She is all about building relationships. And talk about writing, boy can she do that! Check out her blog “Letting me be . . . random wondering and philosophy.” Without Liz, I wouldn’t be blogging now. In fact, I would probably never blog again. She was kind and generous and hooked me into her personal network of friends who pushed us past our goal. Liz even posted (against her own policy) about the boycott on her own site. Thanks Liz, you have no idea how much that meant. And also thanks for awarding me the SOB award. We are hardly worthy, but deeply appreciative. 

Hsien-Hsien Lei of GeneticsAndHealth.com, AHeartyLife.com, PlayLibrary.com
and Cotton Pickin’ Days – Just like Liz, Hsien opened up her network and put out the call to everyone in an effort to help. I can’t wait until I have more time to get to know her. She is a PhD, and I’m sure that she can teach me a lot. Even though there aren’t a lot of words here next to Hsien’s picture, I hope she knows that just like Liz, she was insturmental in the success of this campaign. Many, many, many thanks.

Karen Weideman of Thrifty Mom – Karen was kind enough to post about my boycott. Thankfully she doesn’t have a personal connection to breast cancer. With more research, we hope she never does.

Robyn Tippins of Inside Motherhood – Robyn wrote on of the most touching entries in tribute to Granny Jane. As a big strong man, I know that I’m not supposed to cry, but I did shed a tear while reading her poignant remembrance of Granny Jane. Because the memory is painful she doesn’t often participate in breast cancer awareness. I am honored that she did this time. I know that she misses Granny Jane, and I am glad that she has such wonderful memories of her to treasure. I know that she has a huge and caring heart read her post and bout Granny Jane and Mourning For Canon’s Family and you will find out what I mean. Thanks Robyn, and God’s love to you.

Ruth Schaffer of Eating Fabulous – Ruth’s post actually put us over the top this morning. I appreciate her making the effort and taking the time and space to work for such a worthy cause. I don’t know Ruth, but am looking forward to reading more of her stuff. Check out Ruth here. (What a cutie!)

Christina Zola of Solo Mother – Wrote a piece about her Grandmother (a breast cancer survivor) and her aunt who is dying of terminal cancer. I will pray for Christina and her aunt. Thanks for sharing. May God’s grace and mercy comfort you, your family, and your aunt.

Cathy Spalding of Chocolate Bytes – posted this morning and pushed us well past our goal. I haven’t had time to get acquainted with Cathy’s blog, but based upon the title, it should be a delicious experience.

So thanks to all who have helped and continue to help. Bless you all! And please let me know if there is ever anything I can do to help you.

-author: Carl Chapman. Carl is the founder of CEC Search – Executive Restaurant Recruiters. He has 20+ years of restaurant industry experience, spent 5 awarding winning years as an executive recruiter with a top 25 MRI franchise office. Carl graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1980.

Article courtesy of  Carl Chapman - Founder CEC Search, LLC
    © Copyright 2009 CEC Search, LLC | All rights reserved

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I appreciate the efforts of Ami and Jason. But I will not make another entry into this blog, or a comment on any other until there are at least 25 other blogs or posts, or entries or something promoting this cause (Pink M&Ms) that are meaningful with messages similar to mine. I count 2 right now, Ami’s Recruitomatic and RecruitingBloggers.com…

This is important for the women that you love. -Carl

Article courtesy of  Carl Chapman - Founder CEC Search, LLC
    © Copyright 2009 CEC Search, LLC | All rights reserved

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We have all been touched by cancer, somewhere in our lives, please visit the site below.

I think a link on your blog or an email to your friends would be an appropriate way to spread the word. It is a very important cause. Won’t you help?

Visit the website.

[Edited for additional content 10-27-06]

Ok, time for a confession of sorts. This post wasn’t really all my idea. A good friend of mine included me on an email chain letter. I get them all the time and they are usually about Bill Gates giving away his fortune, or Google having an email tracking program test, or something miraculous happening if you send the letter on to just 10 more people in the next 20 minutes. They aren’t all from my one friend (just so you don’t think she is the culprit) but I get enough of them that I usually do research on ones that sound legit just to make sure. This morning I got the Pink M&Ms email from Laura and did the research, turns out to be true. So I created an email of my own with links to show that it was true (Snopes and the actual M&M site) and sent that off to about 100 people in my contact list.

So far so good. Then I got the idea that I could promote the thing even better if I were to put it on my blog. I mean, I have thousands… no wait… hundreds… er… ok maybe dozens of viewers on a weekly basis and I could make a post that would inform them all of this wonderful idea. Then they could tell others, and so on. Then it hit me that if we got the article posted to recruiting.com and exposed it in the recruiting blogosphere… well then more than a few dozen people would be exposed to the idea and it would happen before Halloween (traditionally the largest candy buying season of the entire year) so the promotion should explode with purchasers… all driven by the altruistic nature of the blogger nation.

With that plan in mind, I put together a quick, short post and sent a note to a couple of people. The recruiting animal was nice enough to post the article to recruiting.com (Mike, I don’t really do executive chef’s BTW – positions CEC Search recruits for are here) so I think we are on our way. I thought that within a few hours we would have Pink M&M posts on all the major blogs. Boy was I wrong.

I guess I just don’t have any juice. I’m not a big name blogger, so what I write can’t be important. It isn’t controversial enough. I don’t usually insult people or make fun of them. After all, how important can a post promoting an easy way to donate money to Breast Cancer research be when the pundits of the recruiting blog world can be cross posting about recruiting.com V 2.0 and how bad it is, or cutting down Monster’s executives, or acting envious of someone else’s Internet property. Heck we have poker to discuss or ‘transparency’ or some equally important ’stuff.’

I’m not going to get breast cancer (men can get it but the statistical chance is infinitesimal for me.) My mom isn’t going to get breast cancer because she died in a car accident in 1984. BUT my wife could get it. My daughter could get it. My stepmother could get it. I’d like for there to be a cure. So I think it makes sense to get involved. I’m pretty sure that each of the people reading this have a woman or a girl that they really care about, and if you do, you should care about the research. You should care about the cure.

If you run a blog or write for a blog, please make a post about Pink M&Ms right away, before Halloween. Someone you care about very much may be saved because of it. -Carl

Article courtesy of  Carl Chapman - Founder CEC Search, LLC
    © Copyright 2009 CEC Search, LLC | All rights reserved

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