Now I understand that Hunter, HHH, The Game, The Cerebral Assasin, The King of Kings, The man of a thousand monikers, has his fans, but I for one am getting a little tired of him.  The thing that did it for me, the last straw if you will, was his recent match with Jeff Hardy.  After having a pretty good match, Hunter came out on top, much to the surprise of nobody at all.  But Its HOW he won this match that has made a lot of people upset.  Basically after taking Hardys best shots, the twist of fate followed by the swanton, he magically rolls Hardy up during his pin attempt.  To say that this made Hardy look weak would be an understatement.

     So here we have yet another example of HHH no selling another wrestlers moves to make himself look super human in his vain quest to be remembered as the greatest wrestler of all time. 

     There was a time when I actually liked watching Hunter.  During his DX days, he and Sean Michaels were just too damn funny.  But for the most part, Hunter only seems concerned with his own legacy at the expense of younger talent.  Its not a coincidence that when he goes down to an injury that the company gives different people a shot.  Hunter leaves Raw for Smackdown, and we get C.M Punk, and now Chris Jericho as champs.   I don't think anybody will be given a chance on Smackdown any time soon.  And now the rumor is, that Hunter wants to be the one to end the Undertakers winning streak at Wrestlemania.  I certainly hope that one doesn't happen, but it won't surprise me either.

     Oh yes, I almost forgot.  Along with HHH needing to go, I hope somebody takes a sledgehammer to that ugly ass championship belt.  I don't care if it doesn't spin any more, Its a joke. 

The basic rule of thumb is that there are no hard and fast rules. Simply crop your photo for maximum visual impact. You can experiment with your crop by saving several different versions of the same image then look at them side-by-side to determine which version you like the best, or which crop gives the photo the most impact. This is especially true with sports action pictures. With today's high megapixel cameras, there is usually plenty of room for cropping. Have fun and experiment with different photos. You will be surprised at how many photos you passed up in editing because you didn't see the photo within the photo. Cropping can make an average photograph stronger, and good photograph great.

Needless to say, my expectations were some what lower than they normally would be and you guys once again blew me away!  It wasn't like we had a record crowd but it was very strong in both services. 

For those of you that have missed the last couple of weeks due to being out of town, I would strongly urge you to catch up on this message series by listening on-line. 

Here are a few things that stood out for me on Sunday:

• Lots and lots of regulars gone....you guys must be really blessed in your finances to be taking all of these trips!  Good for you!
• People are really commenting about the new entrance off of North Greenwood and how much easier it makes it to get into our parking lot.
• We actually had someone flip one of our greeters off!  I think you know what I mean!
• People are excited about what God is doing at Crossroads!
• I'm continue to really appreciate the job our "host teams" are doing.
• We made a big announcement on Sunday!
• People are visiting Crossroads because you guys are using the evite!  Have you used the evite?

I will try to be back here later with some more information for you guys.  Make sure and continue to check our website this week for up to date information.

Just as in the transportation industry, the materials of choice for sports have shown a major evolution over the last 100 years. From naturally occurring materials such as wood, twine, gut, and rubber, we have progressed to high-technology metals, polymers and ceramics, and synthetic-hybrid materials including composites and cellular concepts.

In this article, they first consider how sporting equipment is designed, drawing examples from a number of sports. Then will examine in more detail how measurable (absolute) records have been impacted by these advanced materials.

http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/9702/Froes-9702.html#ToC2

To make this task easier, many people hire a contractor to consult with regarding the remodeling plans and to get a professional opinion of concerning the cost of the overall project.  Since the materials will be a major expenditure for the overall project, you need to clearly specify if the contractor will be responsible for purchasing the supplies and materials.

Due to the fact that it is always best to keep on the good side of your neighbors, it may be worthwhile at this point to let them know about your renovation plans and inform them that there may be some noise and disturbances during the project.  Taking accurate measurements are crucial because this aspect of the project will impact every facet of the renovation including what materials are available and which materials you will be able to afford.  If you have little or no refurbishing experience, ordering exactly what you will need for your home remodeling project can be difficult.  Make sure that you consult with a general contractor if you run into problems with this.

Many homeowners start a project by deciding on the part of the house they want to improve upon and then consulting with a contractor to work out the details.  While many contractors will be able to complete the entire project on their own, other contractors will sub-contract parts of the project to others, especially when a guarantee is involved.  Alternatively you can hire the services of a general contractor or specialized contractors for your entire project or for certain parts of the renovation that you are not comfortable doing yourself.

The popularity of home remodeling has been fueled by people’s desire to stay in a neighborhood in which they feel comfortable while improving the “livability” of their home at the same time.  Although major renovation projects can be difficult and can depend on the specific jobsite locale, it is worth asking contractors about their area of expertise.  

The type of remodeling work you are considering will obviously depend on your circumstances.  If you intend on staying in your current house after the renovation, then area fashions and tastes will not be your major concern.  If you are looking to sell your house at some point down the road, conversely, then the concern of local home improvement fashion trends will be more relevant.

Read this carefully:  one-third of America's households (39 million) exist on less than $30,000/year. Less than half of them own houses.  They don't have retirement accounts.  Credit, investments--are you kidding?

But they still consume.  They have to eat, clothe and educate their children, transport to work, buy school supplies and birthday presents.

One-third of America.

And unless you've been doing it intentionally, you likely haven't targeted the "working poor" or any kind of poor.  But even though the poor are plenty plentiful, most businesses build their models on the abilities and preferences of the middle class and the rich.  They leave the poor for the non-profits, churches, and government.  Neat, isn't it?

Question:  if you want to make your business recession-resistant, where do you go?  I say, invest in the poor. Invest in making their lives better and increase your market share while you are at it.

During a recession, it's the middle class that slips into the domain of the the poor.  When they drop "below the line," they learn to navigate like the poor have been navigating for years.  They go where they go, consume where they consume, buy what they buy.  They learn about dollar stores, consignment shops, libraries and Aldis grocery stores.

And now, like during any recession, is the time to increase market share.  Don't hold back.  Invest.

Know what Dollar General--the nation's largest retailer--is doing right now?  Answer:  running a contest that will give $1 million to the grand prize winner--$1 million--plus tons of other prizes, and all the while touting savings, great selection, affordable every day prices, and at least a million reasons to keep coming back into their 8350 stores.  After the recession they will likely have convinced millions of new customers that Dollar General is a better option than Wal-Mart for consuming, even in the good times.  If they can get their current customers to spend one less dollar a week at Wal-Mart and spend it at Dollar General, they have won.  And that doesn't count new customers from the sliding middle class.

So what is your company doing?

• Are you finally releasing that inexpensive version of your widget so the poor can now have it?
• Are you re-doubling efforts to move your products into the extreme discount channels where the poor are?
• Are you attaching your company heart and name to the organizations that the poor rely on--like Habitat for Humanity or Second Harvest Food Bank?
• Are you creating promotions that actually help the lower economic classes and minorities?

It's a recession.  Throw out your strong-economy models and go make a difference.  Diversify your portfolio:  create stuff for the rich; create stuff for the poor.  Become recession-resistant.

Go make more than stuff for the middle class.  Make a difference.  The money will follow--if it is supposed to.

Tonight LIVE from Chicago marks TNA Wrestling's Four Annual "Wrestlemania". "Bound for Glory IV" airs tonight on Pay-Per-View with the feature match of TNA Champion Samoa Joe VS 'The Icon' Sting. For weeks Sting has stressed that the young blood in the business need to show respect for those that paved the way for them. Samoa Joe has been repeatability bashing those who have paved that way, even head butting Sting at one point. Tonight marks the only high-profile match these two will have, as this week on iMPACT they both signed a "No Rematch" clause. Catch this and seven other Non-Stop matches tonight at 8 PM EST.

See the National Geographic Article Here

"DEATH FROM THE SKY"

For the first time in history [October 6, 2008] man has predicted an Asteroid that would and did hit the earth. This is both to me settling and unsettling. It is a giant leap forward that we could do this with a very small object 3-15 feet in size, but it was discovered only a few hours before striking. Way, way too late to do anything if it was a real threat. Is this an ominous warning of things yet to come only time will tell . . .

b

Money worries and fears about the cost of living are starting to impact on almost everybody's daily life, affecting most decisions about even the most normal of our daily events.  So we've put together a list of 10 simple things that are quick, easy ways to cut back and save money.   Don't despair this is what to do, read all ten, they might help you.

1. Make sure all the family have a good breakfast before they leave the house, a good breakfast will fill you up and should help stop any snacks.   Be sure you keep the leftovers for the dog.
2. Always try and make packed lunches to take with you, soup and home made sandwiches are cheap and filling, and have a banana or apple for late afternoon.
3. Most families spend over £100 per week at the supermarket.  There are lots of ways to shave some of that off.  Plan a weeks worth of meals, so you know what you are buying for which meals.  Make a list and only shop for items you need, try the super markets own brands, don't be distracted by the "buy-two-get-one-free" offers, if you really only need one you are not saving money by buying three.  
4. If you like a glass of wine etc, try to cut back to having a drink at the weekends only.  And if you smoke stop it now, just think of the vast amount of money that your wasting never mind your health and your families, by stopping you could save thousands of pounds. The money from the fags could pay for a good family holiday, and you which of those your family would prefer.
5. When traveling to work and school try walking, using a bicycle or public transport this will be the cheapest way to travel and will keep you fit. You could also invest in a family railcard, this should save about a 30% of the normal price. 
6. Fuel bills are the hardest to control, with the rising cost of oil, gas and electric its hard to decide how to heat your home, you just have make sure the kids don't leave the doors or windows open,  lights are not on when they are not needed, set the timer for the heating and water to come on when you are up and not left on thermostat. Make sure that all washing machines and dishwashers are full before you use them. Always switch of every thing that on standby when not in use and change you light bulbs to energy savers.  And the easiest of the lot, put on a jumper before you turn that heating up.



7. You need to keep your finances in check,  the best way to do this is to work out a budget for the month. You need to look at every thing that you spend to get a true picture, look at your credit cards you maybe able to find a lower rate, look at how much your car costs you, how much you spend on clothes, entertainment, insurances etc.  Also keep an eye on those large number of small amounts that we all have set up on the direct debits, things such as the TV license, Sky television subscriptions, contact lens schemes, donations, magazine & newspapers subscriptions, DVD rental clubs, gym memberships.  Individually these items are usually only a few pounds each, but add them up and you are maybe spending a couple of hundred pounds a month.  Do you really need them?
8. Try to go on bicycle trips or walks on the beach or in your local parks, this you can do for free. By starting to walk or cycle everywhere you will start to see thing that you havent noticed before.  There are loads of free things that you can do as a family for entertainment.  Give up those weekend shopping trips and instead get out and about in the fresh air, go and see family and friends, spend some time baking with the children.  Entertainment doesn't need to be expensive.
9. Check your suppliers and your policies.  Prices of Life insurance have plummeted over the last 10 years, if you arranged your life insurance as part of your mortgage then the chances are you are paying over the odds.  Get some quotes, check the alternatives, and move suppliers and save money.  Same goes for electricity, gas, credit cards, household & car insurances, breakdown etc.
10. I could go on for weeks suggesting to you how to save money, but before i was finished you would have gone mad. All the experts tell you to save, save, save,  but that's not fun, and we need some treats in a credit crunch to make us feel better.  Go out for meal once a month, make sure that you spend some good time together because when finances get tight it can add a lot of stress into the family environment.  So treat yourself to a bar of dairy milk chocolate, buy yourself a lipstick as a reward for not spending £100 on those lovely new boots etc.  But the best value out there is the Internet,  spending time on Google will help you and your family gain knowledge about the world a round us. (Just stay away from the shopping sites!)  Try an online business games, choose one where you can play against your partner, get some friendly competitive rivalry going. Playing games provide a more affordable alternative to many other family leisure activities, and provides a sometimes welcome distraction from those brown envelopes sitting on the doormat.

Charities' fear over failed banks

UK charities say they fear they have lost up to £120 million of funds invested in collapsed Icelandic banks.

UK charities fear they may have lost up to £120m of funds invested in failed Icelandic banks.

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations says at least 60 members have reported funds may be at risk.

The NCVO has met ministers, who are promising to do all they can to protect an estimated £1bn held by charities, UK councils and other bodies in Iceland.

A Treasury delegation is in Reykjavik and the UK and Iceland say they will now work together for a solution.

The group includes officials from the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority.

'Disconcerting remarks'

The crisis sparked a war of words between London and Reykjavik on Thursday, with Gordon Brown criticising the Icelandic authorities for failing to guarantee UK depositors would get their money back.

Under Iceland's financial regulations, the government is supposed to pay up to £16,000 compensation per account at a total cost of £2.2bn.

A spokesman for Mr Brown said the UK now hoped to work "constructively and co-operatively" with the Icelandic authorities.

Icelandic Prime Minister Geir Haarde had accused the UK of being responsible for the collapse of the country's third largest bank, Kaupthing, after anti-terrorism laws were used to freeze assets in the UK.  (Like Iceland is a terrorist.)

Iceland's Prime Minister Geir Haarde said he had received a letter from Gordon Brown

On Friday, Mr Haarde confirmed both countries were working together but said Mr Brown's comments had been "disconcerting" and "not very helpful".

Meanwhile, the UK government has denied claims of "complacency" after it apparently ignored warnings in July about Icelandic banks facing collapse.

Lib Dem peer Lord Oakeshott and Tory MP Michael Fallon both raised the issue with ministers on separate occasions.

They were reassured savers would be protected by law.

A Treasury spokesman said: "As the minister made clear at the time, the Icelandic authorities have a legal obligation to pay out depositors under their existing compensation scheme and we expect them to honour this commitment."

He added it was not the role of the UK government to advise UK residents and citizens of financial institutions around the world, and few people had anticipated the current situation.

Chancellor Alistair Darling, who is in Washington for meetings with other G7 finance ministers and the International Monetary Fund, told the BBC that simply "talking" would not lead to a solution.

'Uncertain position'

Meanwhile, as details of charity deposits emerged, a cancer hospital in Manchester has announced it was the latest victim of the Icelandic bank collapse.

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, based in Withington is facing losses of £7.5m after depositing the funds with Kaupthing Singer and Friedlander. Up to £6.5m was charity money.

The Cats Protection League said it also had £11.2m deposited in a UK bank owned by the collapsed Kaupthing.
NCVO said City Minister Paul Myners had given no guarantees during their meeting that such assets would be secure, although he was "reassuring".

Chief executive Stuart Etherington said: "He was saying the government would do all it can to ensure the assets of these charities are reunited with them. He was very positive about that.

"What's important is the charities which have been affected by this come forward. If we're going to secure adequate compensation for them, with the strength of the UK government, it's important they come forward."

Some NCVO members which provide services for councils fear they will not be paid if town halls lose money in the crisis.

Most of the charities which have investments in troubled Icelandic banks have not yet been named, but they are thought to include major organisations.

Other charities known to be affected include Naomi House children's hospice in Sutton Scotney, near Winchester, which has £5.7m of deposits invested with KSF

The Physiological Society in London has £523,000 invested with the same bank, and Samaritans has links to KSF because it is the parent company of Investment Managers, which looks after the charity's investment portfolio.

Graham McGeown, of the Physiological Society, said: "This is a difficult time for our organisation. We have £523k tied up in KSF and are not entirely sure if we will get this money back.

"With NCVO we are calling on the government to help protect our money as well as other organisations who may also be involved in the banking crisis." Under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, charities classified as small businesses are covered for the first £50,000 of any investments.

But it is not clear whether they would benefit from the wider guarantee given to individual savers by the chancellor that they would recover all of their money.

The NCVO's head of campaigns and communications, Louis High, said many of its members were also concerned about local authorities' ability to pay for services.

He said: "For many smaller organisations that rely on this money and have tight financial constraints, non-payment for their work could be disastrous or even spell their death knell."

The organisation has called a sector-wide summit to examine the potential impact of a recession and what can be done to protect charities from financial disaster.

UK 'ignored Iceland warning'

The government has been accused of "complacency" after it apparently ignored warnings in July about Icelandic banks facing collapse.

Lib Dem peer Lord Oakeshott and Tory MP Michael Fallon both raised the issue with ministers on separate occasions.

They were reassured savers would be protected by law.

The Treasury said it was not the government's role to advise savers and ministers had stressed Iceland had a legal obligation to pay compensation.

Lord Oakeshott said: "Alarm bells were ringing all over about the Icelandic banks and the Treasury must have been blind and deaf not to hear them."

But a Treasury spokesman said: "As the minister made clear at the time, the Icelandic authorities have a legal obligation to pay out depositors under their existing compensation scheme and we expect them to honour this commitment."

He said a government delegation was now in Iceland to find a solution to the current situation.

"This is part of the action the Treasury is taking action to ensure the interests of all retail depositors are safeguarded and that legal obligations to UK creditors are honoured."

Prime Minister Gordon Brown reacted with anger on Thursday after the Icelandic government refused to guarantee the deposits of UK citizens with money in three of its biggest banks, following their collapse.

Crisis talks

Under Iceland's financial regulations, the government is supposed to pay up to £16,000 compensation per account at a total cost of £2.2bn.

Mr Brown is angry as the UK has received no assurances from the Icelandic government that they will meet this commitment. Treasury officials have travelled to Iceland for crisis talks on repayment.

Lord Oakeshott, a pension fund manager and former director of Warburg Investment Management, raised the alarm about possible shortfalls in the compensation funds - and the danger of an Icelandic bank collapse - in written questions more than two months ago.

In the first question, he asked how much cash was in the Icelandic compensation fund and if Britain would be left to pick up the bill if there was a shortfall.

He was told by Treasury minister Lord Davies that the liabilities of the UK's Financial Services Compensation Scheme would be limited to "topping-up" funds provided by the country in which the bank is based.

In a second question, he asked: "What steps [have] the United Kingdom financial authorities taken to satisfy themselves, independently of the Icelandic financial authorities, of the solvency and stability of Icelandic banks taking deposits in the United Kingdom and of that of the Icelandic Deposit Guarantees and Investor-Compensation Scheme behind which the United Kingdom Financial Services Compensation Scheme stands as guarantor of last resort?"

Lord Davies, for the government, replied that there was no concern about the liquidity or capital base of Icelandic banks operating in the UK: "All UK-incorporated subsidiaries of Icelandic banks regulated by the Financial Services Authority continue to meet threshold conditions."

Some banks had been allowed to open branches in the UK through a process known as "passporting," which meant they were not regulated by the FSA, explained Lord Davies.

But he added: "The FSA has a regular dialogue with overseas regulators and firms where the firms passport into the UK, to share information about the firms and specifically their UK operations."

'Sky high rates'

He also assured UK citizens with money in Icelandic banks that they would be "protected against any losses in a similar way as if their savings were in a British bank".

On Monday, Lord Oakeshott again quizzed Lord Davies about how much money was in the Icelandic compensation fund and what would happen if it "cannot or will not pay out".

He told peers: "If my cash were in an Icelandic bank I would be very worried indeed: the currency has collapsed, interest rates are sky high and bank liabilities are hundreds of thousands of pounds for each Icelandic citizen. Would the minister be happy if his savings were in an Icelandic bank?"

In contrast to the lengthy and detailed reply he had given in July, Lord Davies said he had not been "fully briefed" on the situation in Iceland.

"It is not for me at the dispatch box to judge whether it is safe to invest in Icelandic banks," he told peers.

"However, the safeguarding of their position will depend on co-ordinated action in which this country must play a leading role."

Speaking earlier on Friday, Lord Oakeshott accused the government and the FSA of ignoring the growing warnings from the City about the position of Icelandic banks, one of which, Icesave, had deposits that were almost the equivalent of Iceland's entire GDP.

"I asked these various, very hard questions and I got a very complacent answer back from the treasury minister, he told the BBC News Channel, adding he had been alerted to problems in Iceland by credit rating agencies, which had downgraded the country's banks.

"The Financial Services Authority is responsible for the security of British savers' money. They should not have trusted the Icelandic banks to look after £5bn of their money," he added.

Minister grilled

The peer said that together with Lib Dem Treasury spokesman Vince Cable, he had put his concerns about the Icelandic banks to the new head of the FSA, Lord Turner, in an hour long meeting on Tuesday, adding Lord Turner had been "very receptive".

Concerns were also raised in July by the Conservative deputy chairman of the Treasury Select Committee, Michael Fallon, who asked junior Treasury minister Kitty Ussher how much money was in the compensation fund, after press reports there was a shortfall.

Ms Ussher told him: "I do not have figures for the Icelandic compensation scheme."

Mr Fallon then asked if she was satisfied that British investors in Icelandic banks are fully guaranteed in the event of a bank collapse.

Ms Ussher replied: "I am satisfied that the law exists to guarantee them, yes."

Mr Fallon: "You are satisfied that the law exists to guarantee them?"

Ms Ussher: "Yes, under a combination of European and British law."

Mr Fallon: "So they will get all their money back?"

Ms Ussher: "That is the legal situation."

Darling calls for action from G7

Britain v Iceland

Iceland's banks dominate papers

]]> http://precisiongroup.wordpress.com/?p=260 Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:19:08 +0000 Cynthia http://precisiongroup.ro.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/impact-of-employee-dissastisfaction-on-companys-bottom-line/ as written by Amrit Vijay Vaswani, Account Executive - Group Marketing & Creative Services

One of the goals of a company is to maximize profits and one of the ways to achieve this is to increase productivity. Productivity on the other hand is closely linked to the Employees performance. Higher productivity is likely to occur if employees perform at their at most potential. Employees performance depends upon job satisfaction, the more satisfied the person is with the job the more effort he will put in into his tasks.

Most employees view job satisfaction as having job security, Work/life balance and adequate remuneration and opportunities for development and growth (IOMA, 2006). If these needs are not met then it is almost certain that the employees will be unhappy at their job which eventually will affect into the company’s bottom line.

Lack of Opportunities For development and growth:
Employees will experience job satisfaction if they feel that their individual capacities, experience and values have been utilized in the working environment and that their workplace offers them opportunities for growth and development (Buitendach & De Witte, 2005).

Lack of balance between Work and life:
Employers have to help their employees to strike a balance between work and life. Constantly pounding employees with work when he/she has already have enough work on his/her hand will only lead to stress, longer hours at work, poor quality and increase absenteeism. Workers who have too much work tend to be absent as a result of too much stress at work. Work to employees should be allocated accordingly to allow employees to spend enough time at work and with their family.

Job insecurity:
The Kind of culture in the company will effect the employees i.e. their social interaction, their willingness to engage in risky decisions, fear, level of anxiety and job security (Bainbridge, 2006). With the attitudes “perform or u get fired” and company plans to cut back will only lead to employees being highly insecure about their jobs. Employees with low perceptions of job security will also be less committed and more likely to engage in work withdrawal behavior.

In adequate Remuneration:
Companies need to make sure employees are fairly compensated. Workers that feel that they haven’t been properly compensated will feel they have been discriminated in a way.

High performance work systems if implemented well will contribute to a company’s performance. Practices such as training, alternative compensation and employee involvement and enhanced communication will help improve employee satisfaction which will lead to higher productivity and higher quality output (Kling, 1995)

1. Training and Development
Employees now days have greater expectation in terms of what they want from a job. They want to be given the opportunity to learn and develop new skills and a chance to accomplish something worth wile. The company needs to redesign jobs to give workers more variety and responsibility in their jobs to make it more appealing. Job enrichments, for example is a good way could to do this.

2. Employee involvement
Getting the employees more involved in the organization can help improve productivity. This can be done when problem solving process i.e. getting employees to participate in decision making process or when implementing new changes. Employees should also be consulted during job design to create a more satisfying and motivating jobs to help improve company’s performance. When employees are consulted they feel that they are part of the organization and that its success depends on them. Employees that are more involved are more committed to the organization and will enjoy coming to work.

3. Communication
Communication from top to bottom is very crucial. Managers need to constantly talk to their employees, listen to their problems and work together to solve them, provide guidance and leadership on the job, assure them of their job and eliminate any doubts in their minds.

4. Compensation policy
Employees should be compensated fairly and should be compensated based on the amount of effort they put in on the job. They should be continuously rewarded for their hard work and effort they put into their work. Incentives should be given out when the company performs well in market as it was their hard work and dedication that resulted in an increase in the company’s bottom line.

Employee is an important asset and is proven to be a competitive advantage for companies hence they need to be managed effectively so that they can perform to their utmost and contribute to the organization. Organization should focus on employee satisfaction and make sure they are satisfied working for the company as their satisfaction on the job will help improve the company’s bottom line.

     Week after week I have watched and laughed at the antics of Santino Marella in his quest to dethrone the Honky Tonk Man, as the longest reigning intercontinental champion of all time.  But It seems that poor Santino will fall short of his goal.  The rumor mill has it, that the head cheese of the WWE doesn't have a sense of humor.  Well maybe he does, but not when it comes to the bottom line, which has always been money, and ratings.  Santino's bid to become the greatest, as funny as it is, has been a bit of a ratings void apparently, as well as Charlie Haas and his impersonations.  So it stands to reason that eventually they will be dropped.  Especially when you factor in that for Santino to succeed, it would take another year or so.  Patience is also not something that the powers that be in the WWE seem to have a lot of either.

     The funny thing is, should this story line continue, Im guessing the fans themself would get bored of it.  When the Honky Tonk Man set this record, there was no such thing as monthly pay per views, or Monday Night Raw.  Champions held titles a lot longer.  Hogans first title reign was measured in years, not months.  Now there are more things to consider, and the attention span of the average viewer is shorter.  As much as I hate to say it, Santino will not win this race.

But let's look at one, more basic, possibility: growing illiteracy.

Here's some stats you need to know (from the June 2008 Report of the National Commission on Adult Literacy):

Of the approximately 222 million adults aged 16 or older living in households or prisons in the U.S., "93 million lack literacy at a level needed to enroll in the postsecondary education or job training that current and future jobs require."

...Among the 30 member countries of the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)...the United States ranks 11th in the percentage of adults with a high school diploma and is the only country where younger adults are less educated than the previous generation.

...Currently, one-third of foreign born adults, and 44 percent of Hispanic Americans, do not have a high school diploma (from their country of origin or in the U.S.). And almost 80 percent of immigrants who have not earned a diploma report not speaking English well. Net international migration between 2000 and 2015 will account for more than half of our nation's population growth.

30 million American adults cannot read above the 4th grade level.  Another 63 million can't read above the 8th grade level.

Mainstream publishers print books that 42% of American adults could not read even if they wanted to.  Probably unconsciously, publishers have relied on educators and "society" to create their core customer base: people who read. Their primary customer is a middle class or higher person with at least an associate's degree. Publishers have benefited from an America that has one of the world's largest, high-level reading populations. But America also has one of the world's largest, low-level reading populations.

At America's current trajectory, vast numbers of the current and coming generations of readers can't read the kinds of books currently being published and can't afford them either.

The assumption (or should we say, presumption) that our educational system will "fill in" our base of reading customers is no longer valid. The upshot: publish easier, more accessible, more affordable books, magazines, and newspapers--and become engaged in literacy advocacy-or expect serious declines in the coming years.

If Johnny can't read, he can't get a good enough job to earn "family-sustaining wages," and he sure as heck is not going to buy a book.