Tired of eating the same food at the campground over and over again? Try cooking fish over your bonfire – it’s easier to cook but is equally satisfying (even more when it’s fresh). Most of all, it gives you a break from your usual menu of breakfast meat and eggs. Fish is way healthier, too! So the next time you go camping or fishing, be sure to try any of these campfire fish recipes:

Camp-Style Fish Tacos

What you need:

For the fish:

• 6 tortillas
• 2 snapper fillets
• 1/2 lime
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• Hot sauce, for serving (optional)
• Potato chips, for serving (optional)

For the corn salsa:

• 2 ears corn on the cob
• 1/2 lime
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno
• Handful fresh cilantro, minced
• Salt to taste

Start your grill or campfire. When you’re at medium heat, place the corn and jalapeno on a grill grate and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Place the fish pieces on a plate. Squeeze 1/2 lime and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over fillets, then cover all sides with chilli powder, salt and cumin. Place prepared fillets on a wire grill basket and cook for 3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside.

To prepare the salsa, remove the corn off the cob and place on a bowl. Chop the jalapeno (remove blackened parts) and add to the bowl. Mix in the onion, cilantro, juice of 1/2 lime and salt.

Arrange the tacos by placing the fish and salsa inside tortillas. Serve with potato chips and season with hot sauce if desired.

Campfire Lemon Pepper Salmon

What you need:

• 1 kg. salmon fillet
• 2 lemons, sliced in rounds
• 3 tablespoons butter
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Black pepper, to taste
• Parsley, for garnishing

Use cold water to rinse the salmon fillet then pat dry with paper towels. Line a heavy duty foil baking pan with lemon slices. Place the butter in the middle of the pan followed by the salmon, placing it skin down on top of the lemons.

Sprinkle the fillet with kosher salt and black pepper then cover the pan with foil. Place the pan over campfire or a pre-heated grill. Cook for 18-20 minutes over medium high heat until cooked through and fish flakes easily.

When ready, remove foil cover, garnish with parsley and serve.

These must-try campfire fish recipes will make any outdoor trip even better!

Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word-of-Mouth Marketing By Lois Kelly, Amacom (American Management Association), 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, ISBN 0814473830 , 978-0814473832, $24.95, 240 Pages, 2007

Lois Kelly’s first book Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word-of-Mouth Marketing drills deep into how marketers must move beyond talking at their customers and align themselves in their lives, to make the relationship connection, and thus the resulting sales. Kelly has an impressive resume that includes time at Harvard and has contributed articles to Advertising Age, Brand Week, USA Today, and The Wall Street Journal. Ms. Kelly understands the need to listen closely to consumers to find out as much about what turns them off and what turns them on, to drive sales. The bad news consumers share with service providers and manufacturer’s in surveys or in discontinuing use, might not be what corporations want to hear, but Kelly’s viewpoint has interested clients such as Dunkin’ Donuts and Sun Microsystems.

Chapters cover Enough with the marketing blah, blah, blah-let’s talk about something interesting, Make meaning, not buzz, Have a fresh point of view (or several), Listen up: Seven ways to uncover talk-worthy ideas, Nine themes that always get people talking, Straight talk: Talk like you talk, talk like you mean it, talk in these ten new ways, Shift to a conversational marketing mind-set, Building a “talk” culture, Be more interesting-conversations, passion, and an honest point of view. Additional features include a forward, an introduction, and a resource appendix. A must-have guide for prospective new-construction homeowners, manufacturers in the factory-built construction industry and those looking for a “green” alternative to site-built housing.

If you’re looking for a cutting-edge book on how to reinvent your customer relationships, pick up a copy of this important new business book.

Perhaps you’ve seen that famous quote; “go climb a rock.” In some regards it’s used in a derogatory fashion as in; “go fly a kite.” But, if you are a rock climber, you probably have a T-shirt which says this, and you wear it proudly. Other people might not understand the significance, because they have never climbed a rock, or realized the rush one gets along the way, and after reaching the top. Specifically, right now I would like to discuss this, and introduce you to some potential new materials and technologies to help in your rock climbing.

Indeed, I’m not sure if you have seen some of the new technologies being introduced by University grad students, enabling people to use gecko-like gloves and shoes to help in climbing, but that technology is moving right along, along with high-tech materials to make all the climbing gear super light-weight. You’ll be able to carry more rope, and hardware along with you. This means you can climb more safely as you can carry more gear without expending any more energy to maintain your performance and agility.

Right now, the gecko gloves and shoes aren’t quite there yet, but the technology is coming along, and climbing to the next level. Soon all of this will be miniaturized, and it will add safety, as well as help a climber hang in there. How might this work you wonder? Well, as you reach with your gecko glove you will place the glove flat on to the rock and squeeze the inside of the glove which will become your handle. When you are ready to go forward again, you will peel the glove back on the handle, allowing it to unhook itself, for the next move.

The soles of your climbing shoes will be similar, and much wider than what you are used to. Meanwhile, your shoes will be pointed so you can wedge them in the cracks, and this will enable you to peel away from the sticky soled shoes, and the pointed end back which you have waged in the rocks.

The new ropes will probably be made at of carbon fiber, but ultra-flexible, and no worries, because it will be stronger than steel, and extremely light and easy to use. The flexibility will offer rubber band like features similar to a pole vault allowing to do new maneuvers. The future of rock climbing and all these great technologies will be here within the next 10 to 20 years. So even if you are growing older and worried about your future body strength, these new materials and technologies might make up the difference.

You may be able to climb vertical rocks until well into your 80s and 90s. Wouldn’t that be cool? Think of all the experience you will have by then. Please consider all this and think on it.

The country’s leading modeling show is back with a new cycle of modeling hopefuls. This time, America’s Next Top Model features models that shorter than what the standard requires. Successful model Tyra Banks, the host of the show was the one who came up this new season’s concept. She is even certain to exclude the tall ones like the way the girls under the 5’7′ standard have been barred from the runway. The objective is to show the world that short models can stand tall and be a model too.

This isn’t the first time that Tyra went against the norm. She brought Whitney Thompson to fame during the previous season of America’sTop Model. Whitney is nowhere near a size 0. It seems Tyra is certain about defying the standards and this time, she’s going to take it into ‘shorter’ heights.

The show’s new concept has caught the interest of many people. The modeling world is even looking forward to see these girls make it big in the glamorous but critical world of modeling. But that is not the major issue here. The point is whether or not Tyra together with the rest of the ladies are really going to go against the norm.

In one of the show’s segment particularly the “Make Me Tall” photoshoot, the ladies were encouraged to make themselves look taller than they used to. During judging, some of the girls were criticized for not doing the task well and even made it the other way around. Now, could this task mean that it’s just OK to be short and model for as long as you can make yourself look taller?

The idea became one of the biggest controversies in the history of the modeling world. But the truth is, Tyra is not trying to challenge the current modeling standards. She is just giving the ladies a chance to prove themselves and conform. The whole idea of today’s America’s Next Top Model cycle simply tells us that “short models can be tall,” rather than “models can be short.”

Tyra is not failing to break down barriers. Modeling has to have standards and the show just reliving the standards because if not then, the industry can allow just about anyone – unattractive, short, overweight – to ramp down the runway and be a model. That wouldn’t be modeling anymore.

What the modeling industry needs is a little touch of makeover because if you completely strip it apart nothing’s left but total ugliness. The real issue is the apparent hypocrisy that the standards of modeling is so strict and often harsh. That’s just how it’s going to be and it’s all up to the people if they will agree or not.

Otherwise, they don’t have to live in pretense believe the whole idea. If it’s OK to be just whatever you want to look, then such shows need not exist.

Do you know of someone who experiences digestive issues such as Crohn’s or Celiac Disease? Or perhaps Osteoporosis, blood clot issues, excessive bruising, or menstrual pain? With all of the hype in recent years of consuming more Calcium and Vitamin D, be on the lookout for more research and recommendations for consuming more Vitamin K.

What does Vitamin K help? Vitamin K is a fat-soluble, anti-inflammatory vitamin that has many health benefits, including aiding in blood clotting, absorption of calcium, digestive health, menstrual pain relief, bone and arterial strength and integrity, and brain function. It can help digestive diseases such as ulcerative colitis by increasing blood flow and oxygenation to tissues and cells. It aids in heavy menstrual cycles and nose bleeds by helping blood to clot. It helps to prevent calcification (Arteriosclerosis) and fatty deposits (Atherosclerosis) from forming on blood vessel walls, which helps reduce incidences of heart attack and stroke. Vitamin K can also help reduce the risk for Osteoporosis, by reducing osteoclastic activity, which breaks down bone. Increasing calcium intake is excellent for bone strength, but a problem for arteries, which can become calcified. Taking Vitamin K protects the integrity of blood vessel walls from calcifying when too much calcium occurs in the body, and can also help with varicose veins.

What is the difference between Vitamin K1 and Vitamin K2? Of the two vitamin derivatives, Vitamin K1 is readily available in the United States over the counter, and Vitamin K2 is available only by a doctor’s prescription. Vitamin K1 is used in infants in many hospitals to prevent bleeding, and helps to prevent arteries and veins from calcifying, and helps strengthen bones. Vitamin K2 is produced by bacteria in the digestive tract, and is often excreted through the body with very little absorption. The human body has the innate ability to convert Vitamin K1 into K2.

Where is it found? Vitamin K is available in many foods, most notably leafy-green and cruciferous vegetables. In order from highest concentration to lowest: kale, spinach, mustard and collard greens, swiss chard, turnip greens, parsley, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and romaine lettuce. Vitamin K2 is found in fermented foods, and a popular Japanese breakfast food made from fermented soybeans.

How much should you take? There are differing opinions on proper dosage should you choose to consume a Vitamin K supplement. It is important to take Vitamin K with a fat-soluble food and together with Vitamin D for the most optimal effect. It is recommended to take anywhere from 50-180 mcg of Vitamin K1 daily for adults, and sometimes more if not eating dark green leafy and cruciferous vegetables on a regular basis. Overall, The Institute of Medicine recommends that men need at least 120 mcg per day and women need at least 90 mcg per day. If you are taking prescribed anti-coagulant and blood thinner medications such as Warfarin or Coumadin, or have any other health concerns, consult with your doctor first before considering Vitamin K supplementation.

Vitamin K has many health benefits, and its importance for health is under publicized, versus bigger names like Vitamin D and calcium. It is readily available and easy to consume, and should be a part of any nutritious diet.

The next New Year’s Eve is to be celebrated at your place, and you want to throw one remarkable party, a night to remember forever! If you are new to throwing house parties and cannot think of the best party games your guests will cherish, here are some tips that could help you get on with the house party planning, and the games (including drinking games) to select.

The Planning

You are the host, so it is up to you to choose what games would be played by your guests. The sooner you finalize, the longer you have to plan and shop. Firstly, know your guests. If your house party is for a group of close friends that prefer to stay up till dawn holding glasses to their lips, drinking games are the way to go. Otherwise, if they are teetotalers, some fun board games such as “Taboo” or “Pictionary”, or conversational games such as “Dumb Charades” or “Truth or Dare” are best chosen. Either way, decide ahead of time, and shop ahead for what you need.

Finalizing the Game(s)

The main purpose of playing games at a party is to have a common source of fun, rather than people breaking into smaller groups for private conversation. It is also a game-changer, pun intentional, for guests with diverse backgrounds, or those who do not know each other very well. Whatever be your reason, some fun drinking games and non-drinking games are listed here to help you zero in. Of course, you can choose more than one.

Drinking Games

A handy tip for selecting drinking games is to choose on the kind of liquor. For example, “Beer Pong” would go down well with your guests only if they are beer lovers. If your guests are not particular about what they drink, go with other games such as “Never Have I Ever” or “Flip Cup”. Word of caution – do not choose drinking games that require shots if there are only scotch lovers around.

Non-drinking Games

For a more formal house party, or one with children, board or conversational games are your best choice. Choose from the more popular games such as “Dumb Charades” or “Pictionary”. You might also explore lesser known options such as “The Book” or “Dictionary Game”.

On the Day

Now that you planned, shopped, and decorated, your actual test as a host comes on the day of your party. As your guests start trickling in, let them settle down. Do not jump into games right away, make them at home first. Once you start the games, try to stick to your plans, but be open to improvisations if things get boring. As the host, you need to strike a balance between having the final say and being courteous. Most importantly, throw conversations in between, be perfect about your supply of food and drinks, and blend in with all guests equally.

Rock the next party, and do not stress out over throwing one. Have fun!

There is so much power in the pause. We rush around from place to place doing so many things all the time. Every day, all day we are making decisions. It seems like we are on auto pilot throughout the day just to get everything done.

Making knee jerk decisions can sometimes cause pain or stress due to the results of our actions or inactions. And yes, inaction is actually a decision.

At those times when we need to make a decision, and it can be something small or not so small, taking a pause to make a more considered decision can make all the difference in the world in terms of the consequence.

The pause can help you to think about the consequences of the action or inaction short-term as well as long-term. The idea is to slow down and give careful consideration to making smart choices. There are always choices, maybe not many, or you may not like them, but there will always be choices.

When you take some time to think about the consequences of a decision, you will make smart choices and avoid overwhelm.

Take a look at the scenarios below to see if any of them ring true for you. If you have other scenarios, please leave a comment below.

Just pause when…

• saying yes or no to a request from someone else: Make sure you understand all the facets of this request in terms of time, effort & associated costs. The consequence could be that you take on too much too fast and become overwhelmed. It could end up that something for you that is more important may not get done and your goals will not be accomplished. It really is OK to say no.
• shopping and you come across a sale item: Ask yourself these questions – do I really want this? Do I really need this? Do I have space to store this? Do I have something similar? Is this just an impulse purchase? The consequence could result in excessive clutter. You may no longer have the space for the things you need, use and love. You could end up stressed out for all the clutter.
• you don’t feel like putting something back where it belongs: I get it, you say I’ll just put this thing here for now and put it away later. Then you get distracted by any number of other things and forget. The consequence could result in not being able to find that thing or things if you do this all the time. Then, I guess you can figure out what I’m going to say next – you end up with piles of clutter. Always put things back in their homes after you finish using them.

“Last year we have undergone a large CRM transformation program involving multi-million dollars, how can we ensure that we are getting most value out of it” -a VP of Sales of a Biotech company asked this question to me few months back.

As almost all of the top pharma and biotech companies have already undergone large scale CRM transformation program (mostly implemented Veeva), the automatic next question is what next to extract most of the value from this transformation.

The truth is – the CRM is as good as its underlying data and processes, which are critical value levers for a successful implementation and expansion of the usage of the CRM.

The paragraphs explain the next few steps the pharma/ biotech companies should take to expand around the CRM program.

1. Refine underlying data which drives the CRM usage:

I have seen most of the pharma/biotech companies struggle with their underlying data after the implementation of CRM system.

It could be due to the unclean nature of the existing Foundational Data Elements e.g. available customer’s data to aptly identify the targets and prospects, or could be to an extent challenges faced by Sales Ops on regular basis in managing their changing territory alignment, Rep Roster data. This requires a closure look to clean, modify and update these data and possibly implement a strong data governance model and process.

Once the foundational data elements are cleaned, the next step is to enhance the underlying data to be exposed to CRM to help assist the field force to harness the insights lying within the organization. This could be as simple as focused sales insights like drop in prescriptions for a particular region or for a HCO or even at a HCP level to help alert the Field force to take prompt actions or this could be insights around competitive sales for a HCP or this could be data around market access for a particular drug for a HCP/ practice.

Being able to access these kind of insightful data during pre-call planning, can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Rep’s interaction with the HCP.

2. Combine with Marketing Insights:

Marketing and Brand teams interact with the same set of HCPs through various non-personal channels e.g. emails, epocrates alerts, HCP portals etc. and gather various insightful data about HCP’s behavior, access, affinity etc. These insights need to be integrated into sales force ecosystem and made available in their CRM, so that these insights become a part of day to day information to the Sales Reps. This will help the Sales Reps to identify the needs of the HCPs and prepare better for the discussion. E.g. if the Rep notices in the marketing insights that a HCP is repeatedly opening emails related to the efficacy of a drug and its side effects, the Rep can prepare to discuss about the topic during his next visit to the HCP. This will help the Rep to become more relevant in the eyes of the HCP.

3. Analytical driven Insights:

Third key aspect is using analytics to generate insights from the underlying data and create suggestions for the Sales Force to act on. The suggestions help the Sales Reps to decide on the next best actions, topics, offerings to a particular HCP and help Reps to have a meaningful and engaging discussion with the HCP.

These are some of the next steps to be taken by the pharma/ biotech companies immediately after implementing CRM to extract the additional value out of a CRM transformation program. All these will help move the organization to harness the right potential of a Sales Force and enable them as a Quarterback for HCP Communications.

Tunnels — This book has been discovered by Barry Cunningham, the discoverer of J K Rowling and her enormously successful series of books about Harry Potter.

Gordon and Williams self-published 2,500 copies of this book – under a different title: The Highfield Mole. This was two years ago because they thought they would not have success with mainstream publishers. Recently, a hardback copy was being offered on Amazon for £1,500. The authors have so far earned advances of £500,000 by selling orders with major chain worldwide.

JK Rowling’s multi-million publishing sensation will leave an enormous niche in the market for children’s books, once the seventh and final book is published in July 2007.

You will be able to buy Tunnels sometime early on in July 2007.

46 Year old Roderick Gordon, who is a father of 2, was made redundant as an investment banker in 2001.

Brian Williams, 48 years old, who studied art at The Slade in London, has worked as an artist, in films and as an actor.

They have been friends since being students and have always been fascinated by archeology.

Recently, Barry Cunningham, the publisher, JK Rowling discoverer, was in New York considering film offers from three Hollywood studios for Tunnels – even though its publishing date is after July 2.

“I have never had so many film people trying to get hold of me,” he said.

Brian Williams was reported to say “The idea of a secret world underneath our feet hit us in an instant and after that, Rod and I never looked back. We couldn’t write fast enough.”

The book features a teenage boy archaeologist who discovers a new world under London by digging into tunnels below the city. It is a fast moving adventure that really stirs your imagination and completely absorbs you into the depths of the book you are reading.

There is not much that you will encounter on the roadways that can be as frightening as having a traffic accident. No one ever expects it so that in itself is startling, but if the traffic accident is significant, one look at a totaled vehicle that you were riding in only moments before can be quite sobering. This is why you will often see such distress on the faces of those who have just experienced an accident. Even once the initial adrenaline created from the fear of injury subsides, the sensory overload that an accident victim experiences doesn’t end there. Next, he or she must work through the emotion brought on by the realization that the chaos has only just started. This is when a little direction as to what you should do next can be invaluable.

First things first – make sure that everyone in any of the vehicles that are involved are not injured. Obviously, if anyone has sustained injuries, call 9-1-1. Even if no one is injured, you will need to call law enforcement to the scene of the accident. You need to make sure they are called even in the slightest of accidents to ensure that your insurance covers your claim, and no one can accuse you of inappropriately leaving the scene.

Once they arrive, you can be assured that you will have to speak with one or more police officers, therefore, before the police even arrive, you should start weighing your words very carefully. When checking on the occupants of any other vehicles, you want to make sure that you don’t make any statements that can be construed as an admission to being responsible for the accident. That will be determined by the police officer when he arrives. As such, you also want to closely watch what you say to the police officer when he arrives because you don’t want him to use anything you may say to issue you a traffic citation.

Florida is a no-fault state. That means that any damage to either vehicle is covered by the individual driver’s insurance company. Even though this is the case, the officer can still write you a traffic ticket for whatever infraction he believes that you may have committed which led to the traffic accident. When speaking with the officer, less is more. Be brief and be concise to ensure that your description of the accident does not incriminate you. It is also a good idea to try not to be accusatory toward the other driver. Emotions run high when people are involved in a car crash and accusations can quickly escalate into a nasty situation.

Once everyone has been checked on and the police have been called, it is imperative that you move the vehicles that were involved to the side of the road. This is prevent any further accidents or injuries to yourself or others. Obviously, you don’t want to move too far away from where the accident occurred because you don’t want it to appear as though you are trying to “leave the scene.”

Be certain to always carry your insurance information with you and, if you are involved in a traffic accident, be prepared to exchange your personal and insurance information with the other driver. You also need to make sure that you get the name, phone number, address, and insurance information from the other driver, as well an incident report number from the responding officer.

You should then call your insurance company and provide them with the particulars of the traffic accident and the information that you have obtained from the other driver. The more information that you are able to provide to them, the quicker they will be able to resolve your claim. Failing to inform them in a reasonable amount of time may result in them refusing to cover the damages. One important point about insurance companies – the other party’s insurance company may call you and ask you for a statement as to what events occurred. They will be recording your statement with the hope that it will give them reason to not pay out on the claim. It is a really bad idea to agree to talk to the other person’s insurance company. That would be a great time to tell them that you are represented by a good traffic ticket attorney and then give them our number.

Traffic accidents are usually costly, even when the vehicles are covered by automobile insurance. First of all, you are faced with paying your insurance deductible which is usually $250 or $500, but it could be $1,000 or more depending on which insurance company insures the car and what type of coverage is selected by the driver when he or she is selecting his or her insurance. Naturally, these costs increase once you have a traffic accident because most insurance companies are quick to raise your insurance rates, usually by hundreds of dollars per year, if you make a claim for an auto accident.

In addition to the cost of rising insurance rates and having to shell out a hefty deductible, there are other financial hardships that can arise from having a traffic accident. If your car is damaged to the point that you can’t drive it and you don’t have rental car coverage, you could conceivably miss time from work. This may not be a big deal for someone who is salaried, but for hourly employees who have not accrued vacation time or comp time, this can seriously impact one’s paycheck, and when living paycheck-to-paycheck this can be devastating, especially to families.

The Florida Highway Patrol that responds to accidents basically just act as reporters of the event and, in all likelihood, will issue you a traffic citation, regardless of who is at fault. So, of course, there are then the costs associated with getting a traffic ticket itself. These costs can vary depending upon what the driver is cited for. For example, many traffic accidents result from failing to yield the right-of-way, following too closely, or as is often the case, speeding. Any combination of these actions can be construed as “aggressive driving,” and are considered moving violations and these infractions are punishable by fines and courts costs.

If you are one of those drivers who tends to take pride in the fact that you have never had an accident or haven’t had one in years, be careful. No matter how cautious you are behind the wheel, sometimes it only takes a momentary lapse in judgment or attention for all of that to change. Additionally, don’t forget that you don’t have control over the other drivers around you. Aggressive or careless driving tactics on the part of someone else can quickly make their problem your problem.