I love this time of year, when all I am expected to do is give thanks. It’s easy: I reflect on the things that are going right in my world. I have to say, I am truly grateful for so many things, not least of which is THE CHAMBER VOICE. The readers are a big part of my reasons to be grateful along with my advertisers who make it happen.

I am thankful for the success of my business especially in these times. A business is only as good as the employees that help run it. I am truly blessed to have hired a shy little girl on a part-time basis right after her high school graduation. April has eagerly learned the title transfer business and has become an assertive, knowledgeable professional in our field. It is because of her dedication and work ethics which are equal to few that I can take the luxury of long weekends and week long vacations. She is the daughter I never had and I try to continue to tell her what a great job she does. She is part of my “office” family.

I am thankful to my customers that have trusted their business to me over the past eighteen years. Many of these also did business with me when I was working for Ricky. Referrals in business are also a complement to your interegtiy and professionalism. Any one can purchase an ad, however a referral by a satisfied customer reaches the world.

I am thankful for being in the French Quarter that night in February and meeting that tall, dark, handsome Peter Roques. Little did I realize at the time he came with a large and wonderful family that I am thankful to be a part of.

I am also thankful to still be a part of the Peltier family. With that comes the life-time warranty on all my vehicles and also keeps me in something new.

I am thankful for my beloved pets, Chynna and Keno. Both were strays that found their way into my life and make me smile every day. Keno works at my office every day. After customers fuss about their insurance premium going up, they see him sleeping on the desk and leave smiling.

I am thankful every time Nez’s Snapper lawn mover starts. This is one of her biggest joys to mow her grass and I am thankful that at 88 years old she is still healthy to enjoy her yard, her birds, her house, her Ford Taurus, her Bingo games, her Friday hair-do appointment, her daily walks with Clara, and her family and friends. We enjoy her pralines.

And most of all I am thankful to have been part of Roy Katz’s life. We recently lost a brave and loving man. Stein Mart and jewelry market will not be the same. Most trips he usually fussed because Becky and I passed our time limit and often make his miss kick-off of his favorite LSU Tigers. He would forgive us once he saw the Tiger victory.

There is a saying that life is not about the destination, it’s about the journey. It’s up to you to choose your mode of transportation. If it’s greed or envoy, you are in for a rough road. Should you choose gratitude it should prove to be a smoother ride and you are a lot happier once you get there. Appreciate what you have and don’t forget to thank those that make it possible.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Over the past few weeks, the news has been almost incomprehensible. It’s hard for many of us to make sense of the failure of major Wall Street firms and large banks and the $700 billion bailout of the financial sector. And it’s hard for investors to be calm when stocks have fallen almost 30 percent from their all-time high a year ago. What can you do to cope? Consider the following “checklist” for surviving a financial crisis:

_____Close your ears “ but open your eyes. These days, you may hear some so-called “experts” talking about end-of-capitalism scenarios. Try not to listen to these doomsayers. We still have the most powerful economy in the history of the world and we will recover from these setbacks. However, even if you close your ears, you should keep your eyes wide open. Specifically, look for opportunities. Stock prices are down now, but they won’t always be “ and, all else being equal, investors who buy into the stock market at lower prices are likely to earn higher returns than those who buy stocks when prices are higher.

_____ Focus on things you can control. During a financial crisis, your success at weathering the storm depends on your ability to stay calm and concentrate on the things you can control. For example, you can control your emotions so that you aren’t panicked into making unwise, short-term decisions, such as putting all your money under your mattress. And, to a certain extent, you can even control your portfolio’s ability to withstand volatility. How? By diversifying your holdings as broadly as possible. The wider your range of investments, the less you’ll be hurt by downturns that primarily affect one asset class. (Keep in mind, though, that diversification, by itself, cannot guarantee profits or protect against loss.)

_____ Review and rebalance your portfolio. During this market decline, some of your holdings have probably fallen more than others. As a result, you may now own a lower percentage of a specific asset class than you had originally intended when you built your portfolio. Consequently, you may want to meet with your financial advisor to determine if you should rebalance your portfolio by adding more money to those asset classes that have fallen the most. You may also want to rebalance if your risk tolerance or long-term goals have changed.

_____Look for quality investments. In this economic environment, it’s more important than ever to focus on on quality investments. If you buy stocks, look for those companies with strong balance sheets. If you’re purchasing bonds, stick with those that receive high credit ratings. If we are entering a prolonged economic downturn, these types of investments will, in all likelihood, fare better than lower-quality stocks and bonds.

_____Be patient. No one can predict when a bear market will end, but history has shown that turnarounds can happen quickly and unexpectedly. So be patient. The most successful investors have the courage to stay the course and take advantage of opportunities while others are “bailing out” of the financial markets.

We may still have some rough roads ahead of us. But if you can check off every item on this list, you may be able to smooth out some of the bumps you’ll encounter on your journey toward achieving your long-term goals.

Greetings from the Press Box in this Turkey month. The Holidays are upon us, which means lots of goodies to eat and hearing the phrase, “starting my diet in 09”. Football, Volleyball and Cross-Country seasons are winding down, with playoffs to start. College Football has ten games under their belt as well as the NFL. Let’s get right into it.

Congratulations to the DHS Tigers and Coach Gary Adkins for completing an undefeated season, 8-0, and winning back to back District Championships. The Tigers, as of press time, are set to host Westminster High at Floyd Boutte Memorial Stadium for the 1st round of the playoffs. The Tigers garnered a #6 seed and a showdown with the St. James Wildcats looms again the final eight. Sounds familiar, it should, since they squared off last year in the quarters with the Cats winning and eventually losing to the University of John Curtis in the Dome. The Tigers have shown tremendous improvement on Defense and the Offense remains very potent. Stay tuned and good luck to the Tigers.

The ACHS Bulldogs, under Coach Rick Bolotte, finished the year 4-5 and missed the playoffs. The team started off with a promising 5-1 record, then had some very unfortunate circumstances happen and had to forfeit a victory. Coach Bolotte returns the bulk of the team in 09, but he does lose a good group of seniors in Scott Charleville, Jess Daze, Jace Schexnayder, Blake Gregoire, Matt McClelland and Travis Hebert.

The LSU Tigers have experienced some rough times this season after winning the National Championship last season. Lopsided losses to Florida and Georgia have made Tiger fans very angry. To add salt to the wound, Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide beat the Tigers in Death Valley in an overtime thriller, 27-21. Saban has the Tide rolling with a 9-0 record and a #1 ranking. Back to the Tigers, the defense has been scorched and pushed around pretty easy this year. The Defensive line, which was supposed to be the best in the country, has been very inconsistent. On offense, dropped passes and missed assignments have been glaring. Add to that, a QB that has thrown for 14 interceptions (6 returned for td’s) and has displayed that he will be good, just not now. The fact is that LSU may end up with 4-5 losses and that does not sit well with Tiger fans. Coach Les Miles has a 40-9 record at LSU plus a national championship, but most fans will remember his team losing to Nick Saban. Certainly not fair, but reality.

The Saints are headed to another season with no post-season. They are 4-5 as of press time and injuries are starting to mount. QB Drew Brees has been pretty good and may have a shot at breaking Dan Marino’s record for passing in a season. Throw in an illegal substance banned by the NFL on 3 veteran guys and a locker room cancer in Jeremy Shockey, the result---no playoffs again.

Happy Turkey Day and always remember that you can always start your diet after the holidays, sounds good to me.

Stories and/or comments can be sent to troyleboeuf@hotmail.com. In next month’s article, time to talk hoops...can’t wait.

Changing users’ online experience from static to live, social networking in not just a young person’s game. Web-based software designed to build communities online for people to interact individually, social networking is the new arena for the business world.

Within a social network there are many ways individuals can interact with one another. These include online chats, messaging, email, video, voice chats, file sharing, blogging, and discussion groups. Individuals find ways of connecting by first creating profile pages that contain brief, relevant descriptions of themselves, and then using the site’s directories to locate other individuals with similar interests or backgrounds. Recommendation systems allow individuals to connect only with those people they agree to let into their network by requiring both parties to agree to a connection before the link is made.

The popularity of social networks has grown tremendously in the twentieth century. Now, millions of people of all ages use a social network of some form daily.

There are two types of social networks:

1. ISN-- a closed, private internal system usually within a single company
2. ESN-- an external system such as MySpace open to anyone

Social networking sites like MySpace.com and FaceBook.com raced to become the most popular sites on the net. By 2005, MySpace boasted more viewers than Google. Both networks offer one package networking, allowing individuals to create profile pages, search the network using a variety of directories, and connect with other individuals (and control those connections) within the network .

Social networking is a great match-up for businesses. Low costs allow big connections for even the smallest companies and individuals. Advertising opportunities are available on all the major networking sites though banner ads and text ads so your business reaches the global market.

Trust is the biggest benefit offered business by the social networks, though. These networks provide real individuals a verifiable spot to connect with other real individuals, an old fashioned ball park out in cyberspace, where folks can meet face to face without leaving home. With the consumers as the publishers, the individual trusts the contact. These days, people trust each other more than they trust experts or companies, and social networking protects that trust. Guarding one-on-one interaction between individuals with ever-evolving privacy controls.

Business uses of social networking abound.

• Manage customer relations by creating staff profiles and custom service teams for clients, matching needs with appropriate service anywhere, anytime.
  
• Become the “Whole Product” by providing customers with links to related professionals you trust, and have these professionals do the same, building both your client bases. (This means you bakery link brides to caterers, reception halls, florists, and photographers you love.)
  
• Establish a business-to-business marketplace, such as FaceBook Marketplace. This allows businesses to network with other professionals of similar or related fields, and makes it easier for individual professionals to advance in the game.
  
• Join or develop a professional network, such as SERMO, the healthcare industry’s network of licensed physicians. Professional networks offer peer-to-peer communication anytime, anywhere, which creates informative and interactive meeting places for professionals around the world.
  

Social networking is the business arena of the future. Quality control and the respect paid to the individual guarantee social networking will continue to score big with consumers for a long time. Don’t laze on the bench, jump in the game. Talk with your web designer about ways you can get in the action and improve your profit outlook for next season today.

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