Jody Raines

Jody Raines and her K-9 Ruger, training Search and Rescue.  When I first  decided I wanted a dog for "protection",  I thought I wanted a German Shepherd.  I reached out to my friend who suggested I "adopt" a Belgian Malinois.  Not knowing much about the breed, I started doing research, but I think the reason I decided I wanted a Malinois was because when I met Ruger in person, I fell in love!  Don't think it was mutual... The Malinois is by nature a wary creature.   But, when the Malinois accepts you and bonds with you, you couldn't ask for a more loving and protective dog.  Most Malinois that I know are extremely attached to their human and their human family.   I have no doubt that Ruger would give his life for us - in my opinion, there is no breed that is braver or more loyal.   Many of the Malinois are used for police work and military work, and it's not a surprise that their handlers become very attached to the dog. ...

Apple Marketing has done a great job with the introduction of the Apple watch.  There has been a lot of hype about the Apple watch, and several of my friends have ordered them or received them.  A few have ordered and not yet received them. Universally, my friends who order the Apple watch are excited about the technology... They wonder why I haven't elected to order one yet. From what I've seen, this is a great product and well worth the cost of the sport model (the entry level).  Beyond that,  it's curious, other than vanity, why anyone would buy a more expensive model. The Apple watch is beautifully designed, and shows quality of components.   Like a piece of jewelry, the symmetry and balance is nicely proportioned, it's well crafted.   As a computer on your wrist, the Apple watch is a very cool addition to the Apple family of products. For those of us who have dreamed of growing up to be Dick Tracy and talking through the watch on our wrist, the...

New marketing and a flock of instant marketers who will advise and create campaigns for your business through social media has created a culture where everyone is now an expert. Why?  Because they say they are! I've noticed an increase in "Social Media Marketing Experts" and new Inbound Marketing Agencies that is alarming.   Hubspot , for example, now has reached a milestone of 15,000 customers!  (All are new gurus based upon their certification program.)  What makes this trend alarming is that the self-professed expert really doesn't know a whole lot about marketing.  What they do know is how to tweet or set up an account and let's face it... to earn your business, he (or she) just needs to know more than you do! Let's take branding as an example.  I've seen some awful examples of logos and taglines that make me cringe.   Just this morning, I was looking at a site that enables you to research available trade marks, and they have a rotating ba...

There is a change in the way we shop for 'things', whether it's a new car, or a pair of shoes, more and more we are saving time (and gas) and shopping on the Internet. If you are like me, Jody Raines , you do a ton of shopping online.  With conveniences like Amazon Prime (Free 2 Day shipping - Yippee!) I can order and be assured that in a couple of days I will have a package at my door. Plus, it saves me a ton of time.  Hard to find items are no longer hard to find.  Case in point, I needed a part for my RV... and I called a Camping World, which is roughly thirty miles from my house. They assured me they had the part in stock.  I drove to the store, and guess what?  They made a mistake!  So I wasted gas and time trying to procure the item.   What did I do?  I went online on Amazon and found the part and ordered it, with free 2 day delivery and had it in hand a couple days later.  The dullards at Camping World wanted to "special order" t...