Sir,…

A few days ago I watched “Poets TV Show” and to my surprise it was an interview with Hensley “Bam Bam”Meulens batting coach of the San Francisco Giants. Seeing Bam Bam on TV immediately connects me back to home and a very pleasant experience I had with this gentleman back 25 years ago.  

It was between 1989 and 1991 when I was living in Boston Massachusetts that Bam Bam was called up to the majors in his rookie year with New York Yankees organization.

My wife back then and I were huge sport fans and we were also into the sports card collecting hobby, (serious hobby) and I told her that the Yankees have a new player who just came up and that he is from my country.

  

My personal fascination with baseball goes back to my own little league experience and particularly with the New York Yankees back in 1978. That year the Yankees defended their title against the Dodgers in October and it was also the week of the 75^th World Series that my maternal grandfather passed away.   

While we were at my at my grandparent’s home for my grandfather’s wake I remember watching Reggie Jackson hit a homerun in the seventh inning on a black and white television set and sealed the deal for the Yankees, which turned me into a Yankees fan until today.

Baseball is next to soccer the biggest national pass time in Curaϛao but at my house sports was always a hobby and leisure activity secondary to homework, studying and education. Because it was a leisure activity I engaged into different sports instead of concentrating on just baseball unlike guys like Hensley Meulens, Andew Jones and others took this from a leisure level and made it into their profession.

So when I found out that Hensley and the Yankees were coming to town I talked to my ex wife and we decided to contact him and invite him for dinner.

We had no clue how to get in touch with the guy so we had to first find out, which hotel the Yankees stayed at and I figure maybe I’ll just call his hotel and ask for his room. So after we found out where the Yankees stayed, (411) I called the hotel and ask for Hensley Meulens and surprise surprise, the front desk puts me through.

He picked up the telephone and said hello, and I spoke Papiamentu (our language) to him and introduced myself. I told him who I was and that I lived in Boston now and wanted to invite him for dinner at our house.

First of all, we took a chance because we didn’t think that it would have been so easy to call and find him and second we thought if we find him, him will probably blow us off because he’s busy. Guess what, he said “sure I would love to have dinner with you guys”. Then he did the unexpected. He asked if we want to come to the game and meet him there afterwards.

I said sure we would like to come meet him. He gave me instructions as to how to get to a special players entrance and our names would be on the list with security.

We went to the ballpark, got our tickets and badges and we were seated with other guests and family members of other players, which was right behind the dugout.

Honestly I don’t even remember which team won. I was so excited to be there and watch my Yankees team and one of my countrymen play the game that I lost track of the score. (Still don’t remember to dated)

  

After the game we had to meet him at the same gate and I introduced him to my ex and me got into our car and drove to Dorchester where we lived.

Hensley spend about four hours with us, had dinner and we talked about the islands, baseball, live and lots of things. We took pictures and had Hensley sign several of our baseball cards and baseballs, which my ex kept by the way.

I’m not a very people person. It will take a while for me to “warm up” to someone or build some kind of relationship but I have to say that from the moment I started to talk with Hensley one the phone the guy was very amicable, very nice and very well mannered.

I don’t give compliments but this guy was such an easy person to talk to, simple and downright a nice guy. Now that coming from me anyone who knows me knows that that must be real. He spoke well about his teammates, the organization and has a very calm and simple demeanor with him.

At one point my ex left us alone for a while and we spoke Papiamentu and it was like we had known each other for years. It was just two guys from Curaϛao sitting and shooting the breeze in a living room in Boston.

After nearly four hours he had to leave and I drove him to his hotel where we said our goodbyes.  No promises just “if you’re in town next time give us a call”. Unfortunately he left the Yankees after that and went to Japan to play ball there.

Over the years I became fan of other teams also whenever a guy from Aruba or Curaϛao is on the roster. I remember names like Andrew Jones, Xander Bogaerts, Calvin Maduro, Sidney Ponson, Randall Simons, Kenley Jansen and others.

When Hensley came back as a coach in 2010 for the Giants he brought back international experience to the organization and every time when I watch a Giants game and I see Hensley I feel proud and privileged that I met the guy.

During the interview on the TV show I saw the same Hensley that I met 25 years ago in Boston.  The same nice demeanor, very calm and collective person and giving praise to everybody including his late father, whom like my dad also passed away from cancer.  

Hensley and I are not friends. We just met 25 years ago for a couple of hours but since that day I have always had a high regard for the guy because he’s graceful, nice, respectful and above all a very simple human being. But this is a person that would be a good friend to anyone.

I consider Hensley an ambassador for our island nation Curaϛao and I would like to thank Poets TV for doing this interview.

Hensley’s 2016 season is over now but I am sure that we will see and heard more about Bam Bam for some more years to come. By the way, it’s not Bam Bam or Hensley, its Sir Hensley F.A. Meulens or “Sir Bam Bam”.

Masha danki ruman.

Doc.

The Milking Cow…

Contrary to popular believe, Aruba's economic pillar is not tourism but nature. Without the land and underwater natural resources the island won't have any tourism.

Daily tourist activities include jeep safaris and tours to many different land based attractions including extensive use of the sandy beaches, the ocean and the shoreline where we can find filtration systems done by mangroves and offering a variety of biodiversity systems.

These biodiversity systems include wetlands where birds, reptiles, mammals, turtles, fishes, corals and all sorts of flora and fauna, which comprises the milking cow that everyone calls tourism.

In Aruba, just like anywhere else we all leave our impact and footprint on nature. Aruba produces waste that goes directly to a “landfill” and 100% of this waste is buried, unprocessed and untreated.

Aruba’s local population has grown very rapid in the last three decades and this is creating a lot of pressure on the natural environment. Because of the build environment, which is constantly growing Aruba is now facing a real problem with carrying capacity, not only for tourism but the local population and future building expansions as well.

When you look at the history of Aruba, the island has always found a way to shift from one “crisis” to the next economic boom. From phosphate to gold mining and then the largest oil refinery in the 40’s and 50’s then the modern tourism era in the 1960’s and now possibly another “oil boom”?

November 2016 is said to be the month that the operations of CITGO will start in Aruba as the new “oil boom”, which is to revive the old refinery that was initially run by LAGO Oil Company Ltd., then Coastal El Paso and most recently Valero.

But what happened to the green and sustainable Aruba concept? This is an oxymoron or is this green wash? Aruba keeps developing like there is no tomorrow and all of this on only 70sq. miles to work with?

It’s almost like that famous saying, “biting the hand that feeds you”. Yes, nature is the hand that has been feeding Aruba (and the world) since the beginning of time. The fact that the landfill on Aruba is full and no sustainable solution has been created is almost a joke in view of the green concept that is portrait by some.

The impact on nature and the depletion of nature resources is impacting the way of life on this small island nation, but somehow this concept seems to be forgotten by politicians and some residents alike.

Questions like why do you bother with a few sea turtles or cutting a few trees? You can’t see corals so why the uproar to save the reefs or protect fish. It’s a big ocean anyway.

It’s not meant to be rude but a little interest and education can really help the ignorance and misconception that everything is “ok” and “this is one happy island”. If nature could talk it will definitely say that it’s not happy at all in Aruba.

Nature and environmental degradation has economic effects that runs into the billions of dollars. The best way to understand this is to talk to people whom have experienced a hurricane and its aftermath. The devastation that such force of nature causes also runs into trillions of dollars.

Now flip this around and think what is being done to nature. A hurricane comes with some warning but is heading for destruction. The destruction of nature by us on the other hand is a much slower approach and process, which gives us an early warning including the chance to stop and make corrective measures unlike a hurricane.

By cutting down trees or bulldozing to clear lands, the plants that produce oxygen, which is in the air that we breathe, are being destroyed. Plants, trees and brushes are habitats to birds and other species that all make up the terrestrial flora and fauna.

The same goes for mangroves and the underwater world where corals and reef systems are equally important for the marine environment. The same marine environment that produces the seafood that many enjoy but wonder why it’s so expensive and becoming more and more difficult to come by.

In Aruba traditional seafood dishes such as “keri keri” (shark or stingray meat), stewed octopi, conch, turtle meat and green eel are still popular with the local community. Sea turtles and conch are protected by law but the incentive for poaching is greater than ever. Some restaurants pay for it, some locals just don’t care and as long as there is a demand, there will be illegality.

The economic consequences based on the lack of nature protection are being measured. Studies conducted on other Caribbean islands have show that these economic consequences can run into the billions but unless the government of Aruba is truly committed and stands behind nature and environmental protection, Aruba will suffer some major effects in the very near future.

The loss of jobs in the water sports tourism industry is guaranteed and so are jobs in the tour excursions and concierge positions.

When there are no more “blue waters” and coral reefs to offer, people will select other destinations to go to or will simply not book any activities because there is nothing to see. When this word of mouth advertising starts, no amount to public relations campaigning will be able to counteract it. This will lead to local water sport companies and tour operators to lay off people and eventually the industry will die.

Many people don’t understand that a small island nation like Aruba is being overrun by development and if we don’t yield to the warnings, the cow will dry up eventually.

Maybe the prospect of finding oil and natural gas is going to be the next miracle that will save Aruba? But then again, at what price will salvation come this time? 

Doc

Service “Attitude”

In the service or hospitality industry and especially if this type of industry is the one and only economic pillar of your country or island nation, it must be something that should be safeguarded very carefully.

Nothing is perfect, OK my mistake in thinking so, but if you are in the service or hospitality industry I believe that you should strive to be as close as possible to “perfect”.

Running out of gas or forgetting to buy milk when going home are things that can happen in your daily life. Of course forgetting to buy bread or milk can land you in hot water at home depending on your home situation but this exactly why I try to use real life and personal experiences when I write these articles and that is why I question the following scenarios.

Not too long ago I attended a dinner birthday party of a friend and the family made arrangements with a local restaurant two days before the event. Basically the guests would order dinner from the menu and drinks were included.

When we arrived (19:30) five other tables occupied but the restaurant wasn’t filled to capacity and our party of twelve was seated at joined tables. When the appetizers were ordered one of the waiters came back after 10 minutes and said that they ran out of two types of appetizers. So some people had to re-order something else.

While dinner was being served another waiter returns as some of us already started eating and announced that from four people whom had ordered the same dish, two orders for the same dish couldn’t be delivered anymore because they ran out of pasta and there wasn’t enough shrimp for the two remaining dishes. So other orders were placed and finally everybody ate after a delay.

Mind you, the food was very good. Everybody mentioned this and regarding the quality of the food there were no complains but the fact that the restaurant ran out of items that were on the menu and this was done after it was ordered left a very bad impression on the family and the guests. By the way, this is a restaurant that the family visits every time they visit in Aruba.

My question is this. At 19:30 we were not at the end of the night so how come our table that was reserved two days in advance still got short serviced? What happened to other tables while we were there? Did they also experience the same things as we did?

To break away from the every day I sometimes will check into a hotel for a weekend or week just to take a local vacation so to speak.

While staying at a timeshare resort I walked out of my room and saw a housekeeping staff member in the corridor with her cart. At the same time another guest, (American) staying next to me came out of her room and she turned toward the housekeeping lady and asked in English “can I have two towels please?”

The housekeeping person looked at me in horror and as the guest repeated her question she panicked and turned to me and asked in Spanish if I can help her.

I don’t know what made her think that I spoke Spanish but as I saw the other guest becoming impatient I told her (in Spanish) that the other guest wanted two towels.

The guest thanked me and returned to her room while the housekeeping person thanked me for helping her and she mentioned that she doesn’t speak English. I still don’t know what made her think that I spoke Spanish because for the same token I could have been someone who didn’t.

So my next question is this. How can a hotel “hire” someone like that? As a housekeeping person you are one of the persons that are in direct contact with a guest. It’s not about the work itself but it’s about the interaction that one will have with the guest, where the guest is most likely to have a good and pleasant experience or feel frustrated because of the lack of communication.

Personally I don’t care if the resort is short staffed, understaffed, outsourced or whatever the problem might be. The quality of service or care for the visitor or guest be it local, (me) or the international visitor must be equal, good and professional. Incidentally this was the second time I had experienced this situation. The first time it was in an E.P. hotel with pretty much a similar situation.

But the following blew my mind away. How is it possible that a restaurant or even worse, a hotel can “forget” to order one or more items, which are needed on daily basis as part of their menu or service?

Many hotels (or some restaurants) have a food and beverage director, assistant director and along aside an executive chef or the chef is next in line. The F&B director is followed by a restaurant manager, assistant manager, (shift) supervisors and waiting staff.

In this hierarchy, someone is responsible for the ordering of supplies, keeping inventory and make sure that things are ordered and delivered on time so that the service or production is not interrupted.

If your restaurant, (hotel based) starts operations some days and there is no bread or on other days there is no coffee or milk, no butter at breakfast, no eggs or doesn’t even have enough plates, utensils or staff to work, what type of service are you providing?

What does this do to the overall tourism product where millions of dollars are being spent by the Aruba Tourism Authority on advertising and marketing but industry stakeholders themselves are failing the product?

What type of hotel/restaurant management or management structure is in place that allows this type of gross negligence time and time again? What kind of remedial actions, interventions or even sanctions can be taken in cases like this to correct these actions so that the service and service “attitude” can be changed for the better?

I find this very unsettling to say the least that this type of service neglect is possible in 2016. It’s not that we have a shortage of supplies or supplies are not available, no, this is a structural lack of management and total disregard for not only the industry but also the service “attitude” towards the guests.

Doesn’t anyone take pride in their job or do they just want the paycheck without actually working? How can a corporate head office of a hotel chain permit this type of situations and nothing is done about it?  

These were three examples of what I consider to be part of service attitude. Three examples of how things shouldn’t be. The sad part is that while I experienced this, what will the international guest say about the service and how will they project this attitude towards the outside world?

Doc

Aruba, a Marine Biodiversity in Limbo…

When you mention Aruba, anyone who knows about Aruba thinks about sun, sand and sea. The blue inviting waters, the catamarans, jet skiing, sunset cruises, snorkeling and scuba diving. 

Scuba diving got introduced on Aruba in the late 1950’s when the LAGO Oil & Transport Company Ltd. was operating an oil refinery in Aruba. Americans whom were working for the US oil refinery introduced SCUBA, (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus), to the island. 

With the introduction of scuba came also spear guns and “modern” spearfishing was born in Aruba. Spear fishing is outlawed in Aruba and even though there is a movement to re-introduce this officially, as of this writing it’s still illegal. Now this is where the pig’s tail curls as they say. 

Aruba has been a tourism destination since the mid 1960’s and tourism is very much promoted as the main economic pillar for the island. Unfortunately tourism has had its good and bad impact on the marine biodiversity. Like many other Caribbean islands or tropical destinations, Aruba has coral reefs extending from its shoreline. These corals and everything living on the coral reefs are part of a very delicate living system, which is called the marine biodiversity. 

Tourism is an industry, which developed because of nature and what nature has to offer. When someone goes to Yellowstone Park, climbs mount Everest or scuba dive in Aruba, this is all made possible by the presence of nature and the natural environment, which has created these attractions. 

When scuba diving was introduced on Aruba in the 1950’s, the local population was barely 6,000 people. Tourism was in its infancy and there were two to three hotels on the island, marine life was abundant and plentiful back in those days. But even so, the lack of marine environmental protection was visible and evident when spear fishing was done indiscriminately until it was outlawed. As tourism and the local population increased, so did the impact on the marine environment. 

The underwater profile of Aruba varies depending on, which side of the island you’re diving but from the harbor going south all the way to the southeast point, the bottom contour has areas of gradual slopes, double reef systems and in some areas a more sharper eighty degree drops. On the opposite side going northwest of the island the bottom composition changes very much in contrast with the south side. This area is primarily a sandy bottom with no drop offs or slopes. The bottom composition is a combination of sand, sea grass, and sparse coral formations, which are bottom reefs. 

It’s also this northwest side of the island where most of the water sports activities take place and the few dive and snorkeling sites in this area have been under immense pressure in the past decades. 

The human impact on the coral reef systems is inevitable. Fishing practices, water sports, boating, natural factors such as bad weather including scuba diving are all factors that are impacting the coral reefs. Coastal development in Aruba has had its negative influences also in the last fifty years, which together has caused the marine biodiversity in this area to be stressed to a very critical point. 

If you believe in global warming or not, the coral bleaching and rising water temperatures worldwide are also playing a negative role on these reefs. So, what can you do? 

Well, in 2010 the Aruba Marine Park Foundation was founded and introduced a marine park legislation to the government of Aruba but the process of actually converting this into law has become a lengthily one. This law would have made it easy to charge a marine park fee based on the law, which means that the foundation and all projects would become financially self-sustainable and wouldn’t need to be budgeted by the government every year. 

Several projects were planned such as the introduction of 150 public moorings to prevent anchoring on any reefs. Research projects and coral re-forestation projects have been on hold due to lack of funding. In the mean time, did you know that every night you stay in Aruba you’re billed a USD 3.00 per night “environmental fee”? 

Unfortunately this government tax doesn’t go to the Aruba Marine Park Foundation or any other environmental NGO or environmental  projects. Aruba has several non-governmental, non-for-profit organizations or foundations. 

These foundations or NGO’s are the backbone of environmental protection in Aruba. They do the actual work, studies and protection of the environment and nature in Aruba. The Aruba Marine Mammal Foundation is the dolphins and whales advocate. Aruba Reef Care does an annual reef and beaches cleanup and awareness in schools a few times a year. Turtugaruba protects and provides awareness on the sea turtles and annual nesting seasons. Aruba Marine Park Foundation assists PhD candidates in marine research on for instance conch, including the national Pacific Red Lion Fish invasion program. Aruba Bird Life Conservation fights for 16 parliament approved protection areas and is the official authority on bird protection. 

The newest kid on the block is Ser Social Foundation, which is a foundation that not only has nature and environmental protection interests but also raises money to help other environmental/social causes and programs such as recycling in schools and businesses. 

During your week stay in Aruba, you produce about 100 lbs of waste, you pay the government $21.00 in fees but it’s these NGO’s are the ones that do the work for free. So where does this leave the marine biodiversity? 

Unfortunately we are going nowhere. Recently hurricane Matthew caused some damage to the shoreline and hundreds of sea stars were wiped out in a matter of hours. 

These acts of nature are a constant reminder that we need to start to do something for real instead of just relying on the goodwill of the NGO’s. Conference after conference ideas are being presented but again to no avail. 

We keep destroying nature and the natural resources that are the backbone of our tourism industry.   

  

The economic impact of nature or in this case the marine biodiversity in society is measurable. If we destroy it the economic balance will shift in such a way that we will never be able to recover. 

Think for one moment. If you have no sand and sea to sell, what will happen to the thousands of jobs in the water sport industry, bookings, concierge, and tour operators?

Doc.

Service Attitude

Recently I read a post or comment on Face Book regarding “tipping” and it was kind of funny because it came with a little math exercise on how one must tip for services render, in this case in a restaurant. I guess it was meant to prove a point to a client. (20% tip by the way)

I put this topic under service attitude because I in my opinion “tipping” in this case have to do with service attitude. (I will get back to this)

Is there an industry standard for tipping? In the past I have heard of adding ten to fifteen percent of the total bill as a tip for the service staff. I myself have used this guideline for years as a basic measurement for service in hotels, restaurant and bars. But I also use another more personal approach to tipping.

In my opinion if there is an “industry standard” it’s just a guideline and not written in stone. I think that it’s a cultural thing and for lack of a better explanation I will call it a habit or custom.

I have visited and lived in many different countries and in each country I have seen the custom of tipping a little different. From personal experience I know that twenty five or thirty years ago, tipping in Europe was not “the norm” and in some countries it was actually frowned upon by the server when you left a tip. (Personal experience)

Again this varies from country to country. There are countries in Africa, South America, Asia and the Middle East where this wasn’t and still is not a common practice, which led me to “Google or Bookgle” the word tipping.

Yes you heard it here, “Bookgle”. “Bookgle” is what we used to do in the past when you had to look up information by means of opening a book and seek information. Don’t confuse this with research for all you geniuses out there.      

Looking up the word tipping on Google I found the following via Wiktionary. “Tipping may refer to: Gratuity, an overpayment made as recognition to those who provide service beyond the expectation”. 

Yes, I only looked up this one and decided to use it. This is NOT research for all you geniuses out there. 

Now several questions come to my mind. What is “provide service beyond the expectation”? What is my expectation of service? What is someone else’s expectation of service? Who is providing the service? Is this really “an over payment”? Who am I paying or “overpaying”?

First of all, the moment you walk into a bar or restaurant some staff members (not all) have made their calculation already on the potential tip. Others go to work expecting that they will make an X amount of tip that day while others live or cover their life expenses based on this expectancy or “what is due” to them and if this is not met that day, they had a “bad” day.

There are businesses in the hospitality or service industry that no matter what, the tips are almost always guaranteed and this creates an attitude of demand or expectancy on the side of the staff. There are also services like for instance “all inclusive” hotels that don’t allow tipping the staff.

I remember in 2000 in New York I was out with a friend and we had dinner with a “bad” attitude. The server was in my opinion rude and not well mannered. Maybe she didn’t get any the night before or she was having a bad day or her pet rock died. Whatever the reason, my friend also noticed it. When it came time to pay I told my friend that I think that the server was not professional and I am not going to tip her.

My friend sort of looked at me surprised “what do you mean you’re not going to tip” she asked me. 

This is what I said earlier that I will come back to. You see, regardless of how I feel the server is expecting to get a tip. My friend who is a New Yorker, she was surprised but despite noticing the attitude and rude service she also expected that I would leave a tip.

What is a good service? My opinion is this. If by the time I ordered my drinks or food and I consume it and want to leave and I feel overall “good” about the food or drinks, service and the place, I will tip. My tipping can sometimes reach up to fifty percent of the bill. Once I even tipped a server 100% of the bill because she treated my party and I very good. She was genuine and she liked her job.

Mind you, I wasn’t drunk and I knew full well that I wanted to give her the tip. There was nothing sexy or sexual attached to this tipping. It was one of those times that I felt really good about the service. (I returned a few more times) If I don’t feel happy or “good” about it I won’t tip. I will not tip or I will send a message in the tipping that I didn’t like the service, especially if the server was not up to my standards or likening. I left a quarter once after dinner.

I believe that tipping comes from the heart or gut. At least, that is how it works for me. I don’t see it as an obligation “per se” but I do it “as a recognition to those who provide service beyond” my expectation and this is where the team thing comes into play again.

In some places you are met by a maitre d’ or hostess and you are seated. Someone else will bring water to the table and a waiter will take the order or you have just your waiter or server. But a lot of people (including servers) forget that the food is ordered, prepared and there is the cleanup crew, hence The Team!

Now I have had my share of bad experiences with food services but I don’t consider myself neither cheap nor an extremely demanding client. However there’re things that I don’t accept nor will I tolerate.

Unless it’s meant to be served cold, don’t serve hot food cold or food that isn’t at the right temperature. (Too hot can also ruin someone’s appetite) Don’t take my order and come back later to tell me that you’re out. If it’s on the damn menu, you better have it.

You can notice if a server is having a bad day. People don’t feel the same every day. But don’t let it show in your service. Don’t argue with a co-worker in from of clients or get into a fight in the place of business. (Management or lack off)

There is a difference between genuinely being service minded, friendly, attentive or professional or trying to suck up to the client for a good tip.

Some will even come out and downright ask the patron “where is the tip”. I have personally seen this, which turned into a screaming match between the client and the server. 

I have worked in past in the hospitality and service industry and I have also had businesses in the hospitality and service industry so I know firsthand about service and tipping.

The service industry in general is a teamwork setting. This can be from a store selling shoes to a restaurant or bar where you can sit down and there is one bartender and he or she serves you your drink, you pay and leave. 

But unless he does the liquor ordering, including stocking, inventory and every other aspect of the bar by himself this requires more people, again a team.

If the owner, manager or supervisor didn’t order a product and after taking an order for a drink or food the server comes back after 10-15 minutes and says we are out of this or that, this affects the service. (And tips)

The team starts with the company, owner, manager or supervisor who doesn’t hire professional staff or doesn’t train the staff well. As a server you should know what you’re selling, you should know your product, you should know if you have it in stock and this is the responsibility of the server in this case to know all this at the beginning of their shift. If you don’t, you and your team are failing and affecting your service.

So before you want to “school someone” on how to do the math on tipping, please start with yourself. Know your product and know what you’re selling and not just the inventory. 

Your team is responsible for your success as a hospitality or service industry provider. So you do the math next time you have to tell the client that you ran out of eggs, mushrooms, pasta or liquor because “someone” forgot to order it.      

Doc.    

Doc

What’s Up Doc???

I have a few rules on this blog and those are my rules because it’s my blog and if you don’t like it, don’t read any further, don’t say anything and just move on.

After thinking about this for a few years I read up on some stuff (regarding blogs) and I finally figure if you’re going to write something it might as well be a topic you know something about or your own personal experience with things. Does your blog have to meet a “paper” level or scientific writing? It doesn’t have to meet these two criteria unless you’re writing a scientific paper but your blog should have some kind of writing composition in order for it to be appealing to the reader and make your blog “reader friendly” so to speak.

I will try and remember I said try not to write about politics, religion or women. These are three topics that can cause things to get out of hand and since there are many people out there with extremely long toes, it would be best to avoid these three topics.

Ok, why write this blog? Like I said before, in my opinion if you are going to write a blog (regardless of your motivation) write about things that you know or write about personal experiences can be a very good source for topics. If you are blogging in order to create awareness, educate, inform or just because you have a chip on your shoulder, do it in a manner that is relatively objective, clear and understandable, unless of course you are trying to recruit members or audience for your hate group, political rally or some religiously whacked motivation. (Oops)

Oh, I forgot something. If you want to comment and or engage into the topics on my blog, don’t directly insult anyone by calling them ass wipe, ugly or stupid, (even if they are), just to make yourself feel better. I will delete your comment and block you.

Since I can write just about anything on here I hope to bring some topics, which can be informative, educational and above all, the blogs can help from a relatively objective perspective.

Thank you.

Doc.