The origin of Swine Flu!

Wilbur has been watching way to much news coverage!

Swine Flu

Oops, sorry about that pork producers of America, I intended to type H1N1. (http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N28343516.htm)
At this point I think it is time for a reminder that 36,000 people die every year during a “regular” flu outbreak in the US. While my heart goes out to those who have lost loved ones in Mexico we all need to relax a little and not let the news coverage whip us up into a frenzy. This is however a great time to review our pandemic plans. Can you business survive a loss of 30 to 40% of your staff? Who in your family will stay home to take care of your kids when the schools are closed? Does your church have a plan how to minister to the community without services? When disaster strikes the time to prepare has passed!

To retail or not to retail?

Ok not quite Shakespeare but a challenging question none the less. Up until this point I have placed orders based on customer needs and done my best to avoid carrying any inventory at all. The launch of a full function online retail site sends a number of dominos falling; inventory, shipping & receiving, credit card processing, and so forth. Do I really want to cross this bridge? My expensive hobby would instantly become a whole heck of a lot more costly both in time and money. As much as it would be nice to just step into this slowly, it is an all or nothing move. What to do? What to do?

Edmonds Emergency Event

This Wednesday April 15th from 6:30 – 8:30 PM I will be participating in a panel discussion of preparing for emergencies hosted by Westgate Chapel in Edmonds. Brad Bowen and his family will be sharing their amazing story of living through the 7.9 magnitude earthquake in Chengdu, China last year. I will be attempting to take their real life events and translate that into how we here in the earthquake prone Pacific Northwest should prepare. Cindi Bowen, the Congregational Care Pastor, will be covering the mental, emotional, and spiritual effects of what was happening to Brad and his family. The event should be very entertaining and I am hoping enlightening for the attendees.