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I survived Katrina.  And Ivan, and Dennis, and other smaller hurricanes that make Katrina look like, well, Katrina.  A storm doesn’t have to be Katrina to cause widespread damage.  Katrina came straight in and devastated the coast in one area.  Irene’s going to chew its way up the east coast for days.  People who are downplaying this as “just a cat 3″ and “It’ll only be a cat 2 when it hits NYC” aren’t seeing the larger scope.

The path of the storm shows the center – the parts most likely to suffer wind damage.  What you inexperienced people don’t realize is the real chaos is not from the winds or water, but the people.  During a hurricane evacuation, here’s what typically happens:

10 days out: We could have a hurricane, be ready.

5 days out: Be ready, the hurricane’s almost here.

3 days out: We have 3 days until it’s here.  Start shopping for supplies.   <– BIG mistake.  You should have done that 10 days ago.   By now 4 million people are crammed in stores stocking up on Twinkies, SPAM and water.  No joke: they’re official hurricane staples in the South and for good reason.

2 days out: Mandatory evacuation notices go out, people cram the roads.  Nobody can get out because when 2 million drivers panic, someone’s going to hit someone else.  The cops won’t even respond.  Just go.  During Dennis, I evacuated on T-2.  Took me 7 hours to get across a four mile bottleneck and hunker down inland, because everyone – and I mean everyone – was going North to Jackson.  As if there are 4 million hotel rooms in Jackson… yes, people who waited until T-2 had to go a thousand miles to find a hotel.

1 day out: People in Future Ground Zero realize they can’t get out, and turn around, saying they’ll ride it out at home.  This was the saddest part about Katrina: we saw it coming for days, prayed that it would weaken, but it got stronger at the last minute. So many people waited until the last minute there was no hope for anyone to escape.

T-0:  The storm hits.  Massive devastation in some areas, minor wind damage in others.  Depends on the shape and location of land vs storm.  Look at the tracking for Irene… islands with millions of people are dead center.  The worst of the storm is on the right, meaning waves will wash over the lowest part of the islands from the south and east.

T+2 hours: The storm has passed and people who stayed behind are on a spectrum between annoyance and total devastation.  Here’s what you don’t always think about.  There’s no power in a lot of areas after a storm this big.  For days.  No power means no refrigerator, no microwave, no air conditioning.  That much we know.  Guess what we learned during Katrina.  It also means no gas pumps.  Sometimes no water – for a whole city.  For anywhere from 2 to 20 days.  No gas means supply trucks coming in can’t refuel to get out for another supply run.  Gas, where you can find it, will have lines and higher demand-vs-supply prices.

Look at the live tracking map.  Right now (8am Central on 8/26) it looks like a harmless dot. Then look at the satellite image.  This sucker’s as big as Katrina.  Do you really think you can get off an island, ahead of everyone else, if you wait two days?  Do you think any rescue people will even be able to reach you among 4 million who also stayed behind?  Seriously, this isn’t just about you, it’s about reducing the load on the rescue services.  Do your part to help by not being a part of the problem.  If you do stay behind or get stranded, help others clean up.

Maybe I’m wrong.  Maybe the storm will just fizzle tonight.  Maybe the storm won’t hit your house, your town will have power and water, and you’ll be all cozy.  But what if it does?  Are you prepared for up to 20 days without power, AC, gas and water?

First, some background.  About a month ago, my boss had invited the team (total four people) to lunch to celebrate reaching a major milestone – yes, there’s a pattern here.  He suggested Zea Rotisserie, which has some of the most amazing meat in Mobile.  Or, they used to.  We sat, ate, and about halfway through lunch I’d swatted away about a dozen fruit flies, and my boss noticed something moving on the table… a roach decided it wanted to share our lunch with us.  He managed to get it trapped, and the server took it away.  The other three finished eating – but I couldn’t touch my food anymore.  A few minutes later the manager comes by, apologizes for the disturbance and walks on.  That’s it – no offer to replace food, no new table, no compensation.  Just, “sorry about that.”

The above story was related by myself and my boss on the Zea website’s customer feedback area; I probably said something on Twitter as well.  Within hours, we each received the most sincere apologies from regional management and the local general manager, who cancelled the charge, even baked cookies and brought us gift cards worth double the original bill.  This was seen by all as a positive response.  I decide that a month is long enough, and they should have the bug problem fixed, especially if corporate management was sincere in their outrage.

So, Sunday, I finally convince my wife, who refused to eat there for two years, to give the place another shot.  We were greeted and seated promptly and politely, as customers from a table next to ours were finishing up.  I noted the time as 3:57 because the lunch specials ended at 4:00 and didn’t need a full dinner serving.  For 20 minutes, a server just two tables down came to visit that table six times, each time saw us and ignored us.  Nobody else was visible except for the diners at five tables.  After those 20 minutes, my wife wrote them the most polite-yet-admonishing note possible and we left.  I tweeted.  She tweeted, eviscerating them 140 characters at a time.  We made sure to include @Zea_Restaurants so that their PR people would see the local management had royally screwed up.

Nothing.  Silence.  Not a word on Twitter.  They didn’t give a ratatouille.  So today, three days later, I get an email from the same area manager that emailed me a month ago. She’s embarrassed and disappointed in the situation and offered me another form of compensation.  She also promises to fix the problem.  My thoughts are double-edged… first, I appreciate the response and definitely think it’s in Zea’s best interest to try to keep me happy.   Why?  Because I, a customer, interact with people, and have already helped several others choose an alternate location.  Zea has already lost $500 or more in income due to this incident.  How they handle it as a business will determine how much more they lose due to my influence.  Second, why did it take three days?  The @Zea_Restaurants account was manned and talking to people just before my rant.  Not a single tweet of theirs is in reply to a displeased customer, as if to highlight only the happy fluffy perfection (PR/marketing spin).  This is not reality.  Every company encounters negativity, and they’re judged publicly by their response to it.  A simple, “Sorry you had that happen.  Please DM me and we’ll discuss” is a common approach that shows forward thinking in using social media to solve bad PR.

Sure, there are bad ways to handle interacting with angry customers in a public forum.  The worst is to refute their claims or encourage a public rant.  A better approach is to show the world that you’re taking them to a corner one on one to discuss the matter in private. The problem is being addressed, instead of ignored.  Until this blog post, none of my 1,000+ Twitter followers and 200+ Facebook friends have a clue that Zea even cares.  Zea is therefore relying on me to go the extra mile to inform everyone that I’m only half as pissed as I was on Sunday.  Believe me, I was pissed.  A once-in-two-decades celebration was marred by this event.

By the way, do you know who came to the customer service rescue?  Five Guys Burgers and Fries.  Greeted in seconds, smiles, fast service and predictable Five Guys quality.  Then later that night, we went to Chili’s and split an appetizer.  Walked in at 9:40, they’re scheduled to close at 10:00… not a bit of resistance.  Seated, served, etc, and we left around 10:30 without feeling like the employees wanted to kick us out.  Our $12 was the most important thing in the world to the people closing that night.  And that’s how it should be.

I will not be going back to Zea of Mobile, AL for a while… perhaps ever.  I may try another location but only after scrutinizing reviews and recent personal experiences.   I will likely return to Chili’s more often.

It helps to be a dreamer, especially with lofty goals.  If you spend 12 hours a day trying to improve your current situation, or dreaming about getting out of a bad situation, then you’re probably motivated.  Beyond that, you must be trainable.  Simply put, almost everyone can learn something new, but you have to be willing to accept the training and system and work through the highs and lows.  It is a business – not a hobby.  It’s a business you can work on 5 hours a week or 100 hours a week – your choice.  If you only have a few hours a week but work at it, this business can free up your time so you have 50 hours.

You don’t need a lot of money to start, and the risk is incredibly low – up front and ongoing.  If you’ve read this far, that’s a good sign, so I’ll give you some bonus information.

• USANA Health Sciences is a 20 year old publicly traded corporation (NYSE – USNA) doing business in 17 countries including the USA, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, China, and more.
• USANA just today (5/18/2011) announced intent to expand into their 18th country: Thailand.
• USANA’s business does not suffer during an economic downturn.  Instead, it thrives.
• USANA and their leaders have won many awards for their business practices, science behind their products, and continue to win many of these awards year after year.  There really are too many awards to list here.
• Among network marketing companies, USANA Health Sciences is in the top tier because their product line is focused, science-based and yet broad enough to encourage repeat purchases.

Interested?  Use the Contact Me page to let me know.  I pride myself on ethical business practices – no high pressure sales tactics, guilt trips, or any of the bad stuff you hear about in the news or from friends. This business is different, and if you give me a little time, I’ll simply show you how it is.  Then you can judge.

I currently have, as of 5/19/2011:

• Nutrimeal – Chocolate
• Pure Rest
• Usanimals children’s vitamins
• Probiotic Plus
• Rev3 Surge  (These are the 10-calorie natural energy drink packets)
• Vitamin D
• Digestive Enzyme
• Samples of skin care system, shampoo, conditioner, Nutrimeal (Strawberry, Vanilla, Dutch Chocolate)

Product details are available at http://supergeek.usana.com .

If you’re interested in any of the above, email me through my contact page and I’ll arrange to meet you somewhere in Mobile.  I live in West Mobile and work around the midtown area.

Remember, I now have the ability to accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover or Amex in person.

A few weeks ago, a bill was introduced in the Texas House of Representatives to ban actions by transportation security personnel that would normally be considered sexual assault. That bill passed the Texas House and is on to the Senate.

Read the full text of the bill at http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/BillLookup/history.aspx?LegSess=82R&Bill=HB1937

Today the TSA Blog produced a response.  Please read it and form your own opinion before continuing to my response below.  Read the links from Susie and Wil to see first-person experiences from people who fly a LOT.

http://blog.tsa.gov/2011/05/texas-house-of-representatives-seeking.html

At first, I was surprised that they even responded, because they claimed not to comment on pending litigation.  I guess since it’s passed the House, they can comment now.  You can tell a lot about somebody’s unwritten opinions by how they begin a post.

What’s our take on the Texas House of Representatives voting to ban the current TSA pat-down? Well, the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution (Article. VI. Clause 2) prevents states from regulating the federal government.

My interpretation: “We’re the Federal Government and we can do whatever we want, and you can’t stop us.”

OK, so they can’t stop Texas from countermanding the rules set forth by the TSA.  They can, however, make it a misdemeanor to commit the acts and then prosecute the TSA agents directly, not the agency.  TSA agents might think twice about their actions, and have a legal case to voice resistance; I doubt many actually enjoy groping the people, but there are rules, cameras and enforcement of their own job performance.  If they’re ordered by their superiors to knowingly commit a crime, they’re still guilty of the crime – but ethically, the agency is also.  Legally they may escape fault if there is a Supremacy-like clause that makes them completely immune from prosecution.  If such immunity exists, the entire country needs to know.  Why?  We’re American citizens, 99% of us lead peaceful lives, and yet we’re treated as criminals if a machine beeps.  To my knowledge, not a single one of the false-positive beeps that led to an “enhanced pat-down” have protected us from a psychopath hell-bent on destruction.

The TSA’s response states they have only received 898 complaints; that’s properly-formatted, written complaints from passengers who are willing to spend an hour or more waiting for supervisors to bring the complaint forms, take down the information, etc. when those passengers are usually rushing to their gate.  To say that people agree because they haven’t complained according to their own process is misleading.  Add to this the fact that among the criteria for being selected for secondary screening is complaining about the security process, and it’s reasonable to conclude that more than 898 people wanted to complain but some felt intimidated.   I have read numerous tweets from passengers (including some that I know personally) that say the officers’ response to a passenger opting out of the AIT scanners is to intimidate or belittle the passenger.

Other highlights from the TSA’s blog response:

Here are some pat-down myths and facts:

Myth: Everyone who travels will receive a pat-down.
Myth: All children will receive pat-downs.
Myth: Complaints about the pat-downs are extremely high.
Myth: Pat downs for certain individuals are limited to the head and neck.

Comments are moderated.  I don’t want a left-right political debate saying whose administration did what, so don’t even go there.

Using Square is exactly the same as using a card reader at your local restaurant.  Similarly, I can take an order by phone and enter the numbers while you’re on the call.   I respectfully must decline to accept card information by Facebook or email, though, as those methods leave an electronic paper trail that cannot be completely erased.
If you’re not yet familiar with Square, here is their website.  https://squareup.com/

An article in the Wall Street Journal announced that Visa has invested in Square, which helps their credibility:

Square, the San Francisco start-up that lets anyone accept credit card payments through mobile devices, on Wednesday announced it had received an undisclosed “strategic investment” amount from Visa, the No. 1 credit card company.

Despite my challenges, she busted her tail to bring me cable TV, drive-in movies, and E.T. cake at Chuck-E-Cheese for my 9th birthday party.  She never beat me, even when I ran away from day care, came home and set off the house alarm.  Or the time our fourth-grade class went on a field trip to a national park, and the boys decided a panty raid on the girls’ cabin was a good idea.  The adults felt differently.

Mom responded to a challenge with education; I got books most 9 year olds didn’t.  I went to computer camp and started programming at age 9.  She didn’t complain about her problems much at all.  She solved them, quietly, and decades later I would find out just how much she overcame.  My mom rocked.

She wasn’t perfect, and neither was I.  That’s life.  Take the imperfections, deal with them, adapt and grow.  Without Mom keeping me on track, my life would be far different and more challenging.  Sadly, she was only able to impart her influence for 10 years, but those were the most important.  My mom rocked.

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers – especially single mothers with kids who aren’t “quite right.”  Believe me, I know – your job is 100 times more challenging.  You rock.

This looks like it’s going to be a great insight into the lives of families affected by autism.  I remember watching the tweets and Facebook posts when they filmed it a year ago, anticipating the movie’s release.  Several of my Twitter friends are in the movie, and while they’re not telling details, I think it’ll be quite informative.

Recent statistics show that about one in 100 children recently born are on the autism spectrum.  That means it affects everyone within a few degrees of separation.  Look around you.  If you have 500 people in your office, chances are one of them is on the autism spectrum.  Chances are a dozen or more have family with some form of autism.

Autism affects everyone differently.  On the positive side, you have brilliant scientists (Einstein) or actors (Dan Aykroyd), record producers (Michael Buckholtz, former producer for MC Hammer), and the random genius programmer who talks binary.  Underneath that brilliance is usually social awkwardness to varying degrees, and a few other personality differences.

For many with autism, neurological differences are more obvious and life impacting.  Some have trouble with speech, spatial perception, motor coordination, perhaps they can’t speak at all.  Carly Fleischmann is one example – a teenager who until a few years ago could not communicate in any verbal or written form.  She taught herself to use a PC keyboard, writing a few words at a time, and now in less time than the average child learns to speak, she is crafting entire blog posts with remarkable linguistic skills and a great sense of humor.

For another segment of people with autism, the neurological differences are severe enough that, whether child or adult, the person is unable to care for themselves.  They rely on family and friends, perhaps health professionals, for the most basic needs.

Today, April 2, is World Autism Awareness Day, part of Autism Awareness Month (April).  The autism community wants you to first be aware of what’s going on outside your immediate circle of influence.  Autism is a part of your life, whether you realize it or not.  All humans are connected, and what affects one affects us all. If your knowledge is limited, you may benefit from a little research.  For example, watching The United States of Autism when it’s released.

My request to you:  Keep your eyes open.  Learn what autism is, and what these families’ challenges are.  Think of ways you can help someone near you. If you don’t know how, don’t shrug it off.  Ask.

http://blog.usana.com/2011/03/usana-scientists-publish-paper-in-journal-of-natural-products/

USANA’s scientists participated in a study on the absorption of turmeric extract (curcumin) , and found the formula used within Procosa II is 29 times better absorbed than the baseline – AND is converted to a more potent form within blood plasma.  That’s basically the difference between aiming a pistol at a target 1,000 feet away and using a high powered scope: One is much more effective at getting the job done.  When you hear that years ago a study found that glucosamine doesn’t help joints – they’re old studies, with old formulas, most of which don’t even include turmeric.  New science is ongoing, and adapting.  USANA has been using this new formula for a long time – because they’re ahead of the curve.

Excerpt from http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/np1007262 :

Total curcuminoid absorption was about 29-fold higher for Meriva than for its corresponding unformulated curcuminoid mixture…

Thus, the major plasma curcuminoid after administration of Meriva was not curcumin (1a), but demethoxycurcumin (1b), a more potent analogue in many in vitro anti-inflammatory assays.

The improved absorption, and possibly also a better plasma curcuminoid profile, might underlie the clinical efficacy of Meriva at doses significantly lower than unformulated curcuminoid mixtures.