Joe Markiewicz

Joe Markiewicz - Google, Microsoft and Healthcare??

I'm not really surprised by this one.  Microsoft and especially Google seem to be out on the cutting-edge in many different areas.  Now it is healthcare.  Both of these tech giants have plans to help the individual have more control over their personal healthcare and health records.  It will be a long process but it is under way...

If the efforts of the two big companies gain momentum over time, that promises to accelerate a shift in power to consumers in health care, just as Internet technology has done in other industries.

Today, about 20 percent of the nation’s patient population have computerized records — rather than paper ones — and the Bush administration has pushed the health care industry to speed up the switch to electronic formats. But these records still tend to be controlled by doctors, hospitals or insurers. A patient moves to another state, for example, but the record usually stays.

The Google and Microsoft initiatives would give much more control to individuals, a trend many health experts see as inevitable. “Patients will ultimately be the stewards of their own information,” said John D. Halamka, a doctor and the chief information officer of the Harvard Medical School.

Already the Web is allowing people to take a more activist approach to health. According to the Harris survey, 58 percent of people who look online for health information discussed what they found with their doctors in the last year.

Read the complete Joe Markiewicz Tech News article to learn more:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/technology/14healthnet.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=3113f8276565e25b&ex=1344744000&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

© News feature of Joe Markiewicz blog site.

Joe Markiewicz - The Record Breaking Ball

Barry Bonds now holds the new record for the most career home runs.  He hit number 756 to pass the great Hank Aaron.  Now the fan who caught the ball is trying to decide what to do with it.  It is worth a lot of money and could go up in value or go down.  What will he do?

Matt Murphy could become $500,000 richer if he sells Barry Bonds' record-breaking home run ball.

The college student, however, may just want to hang on to it -- even if he's hit with a whopping tax bill.

Part of me wants to keep it. It's the greatest American sports accomplishment in history," Murphy said Thursday on NBC's "Today Show." "Part of me might want to sell it, but I really am leaning towards keeping it. It's just too valuable, sentimental."

Selling the ball for that amount would instantly put Murphy in the highest tax bracket for individual income, where he would face a tax rate of about 35 percent, or about $210,000 on a $600,000 ball.

Even if he does not sell the ball, Murphy would still owe the taxes based on a reasonable estimate of its value, according to John Barrie, a tax lawyer with Bryan Cave LLP in New York. Capital gains taxes also could be levied in the future as the ball gains value, he said.

Read more from the Joe Markiewicz Sports News article:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/08/09/bonds.ball.ap/index.html?eref=si_topstories

© News feature of Joe Markiewicz blog site.

Joe Markiewicz Tech News: World’s Fastest Supercomputer

Technology is advancing so fast.  Read about this new supercomputer that IBM will be building!  It is going to be the world's fastest computer.  Until recently the world's fastest computer was in Japan...

The decision to build the machine, which will cost $200 million to build and may cost more than $400 million during its five-year lifetime, is already proving to be controversial.

The award has been eagerly pursued by a number of supercomputer centers and state governments. Word of the decision to award the contract to I.B.M. to build a production version of a computer that is now intended for the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has created widespread concern in the past week among some computer scientists involved in designing and building the nation’s high-performance computers.

The new computer is to be the first supercomputer capable of one thousand trillion mathematical operations a second — a computing benchmark known as a petaflop. Placing it in Illinois, however, has led to expressions of concern in California and Pennsylvania, where computing laboratories also bid on the contract.

The machine will become a magnet for the world’s most advanced and challenging scientific research projects. Unlike many academic research supercomputers in the United States that serve a large community of users, the supercomputer will concentrate on a handful of Grand Challenge science projects, like simulating the impact of global warming.

Read more from the Joe Markiewicz Tech News article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/06/technology/06ibm.html?em&ex=1186632000&en=a583b8a23832750e&ei=5087%0A

© News feature of Joe Markiewicz blog site.

Joe Markiewicz Sports News: Bonds Ties Record

Well, we mentioned it several times.  We've been waiting and now Barry Bonds has tied the long standing record set by Hank Aaron for the most career home runs.   Now the big question is how far will he go...

With a short swing, a half stare and an emphatic clap of his hands, Barry Bonds rounded the bases. After so many days and so many tries, he had finally caught Hammerin' Hank.

"The hard part is over right now," Bonds said.

High above the field in a private box, baseball commissioner Bud Selig was a reluctant witness to history. Choosing to overlook the steroid allegations that have dogged the San Francisco slugger, Selig watched Bonds tie Hank Aaron's home run record -- his mouth agape, hands stuffed in pockets and nary a cheer on his lips.

No. 755 was a strong shot for all the doubters, an opposite-field drive of 382 feet to left-center, moving Bonds within one swing of having baseball's pinnacle of power all to himself. It came on a 2-1, 91 mph fastball Saturday night.

Read more from the Joe Markiewicz Sports News article:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/08/04/755.bonds.ap/index.html?eref=si_topstories

© News feature of Joe Markiewicz blog site.

Joe Markiewicz Sports Info: A-Rod Hits 500th

Big news for Alex Rodriguez today!  He hit is 500th career home run.  He is the youngest player in history to hit the special mark.  Barry Bonds will no doubt take the all time record from Hank Aaron but A-Rod could be on his tail to take it from him but he still has a long way to go...

Rodriguez became the youngest player in major league history to hit 500 home runs, connecting on the first pitch he saw Saturday to end a 10-day wait.

"I acted like a goofball running around the bases, but you only hit 500 once," he said.

Rodriguez stood at home plate for a second after his first-inning drive off Kansas City's Kyle Davies, waiting to see if it would stay fair. Yankees manager Joe Torre pointed to the foul pole as he saw it soar into the seats.

"I didn't know if it was going to be fair or foul. I was so relieved it stayed fair," Rodriguez said. "I hadn't hit one in so long."

After more than a week of watching his teammates hit a lot of home runs, it was A-Rod's turn. He started trotting around the bases with a wide grin on his face as the sellout crowd at Yankee Stadium cheered wildly. He finished with three hits, along with a hug from Derek Jeter, in New York's 16-8 win over the Royals.

Read more from the Joe Markiewicz Sports News article:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/baseball/mlb/08/04/bc.bba.arod.500.homer.ap/index.html?eref=si_topstories

© News feature of Joe Markiewicz blog site.

Joe Markiewicz Sports News: The 9 Year Old Star

Manchester United found some young talent by watching a dvd of this boy playing.  He is 9 years old and many think he could be a great player.  You can watch the video of him playing on YouTube.  He still has some years ahead of him but he is already pretty amazing to watch...

Manchester United has recruited a 9-year-old soccer prodigy based on video footage featuring his skills.

The club brought in Rhain Davis after his grandfather sent a DVD to United youth staff showing the boy playing for an under-10 team in Brisbane, Australia.

"Manchester United is proud of its history of developing talented young players, and invests considerable time and resources into trying to find the best young players of the future," the club said in a statement.

In Davis' case, however, United need only have invested four minutes. That is the length of a YouTube clip featuring Davis's dribbling, stepover and goal-scoring skills -- viewed more than 800,000 times on the site -- that has led fans to describe him as the next Wayne Rooney.

Read more from the Joe Markiewicz Sports News article:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/soccer/08/02/manu.recruit.ap/index.html?eref=si_topstories

© News feature of Joe Markiewicz blog site.

Quixtar's Jody Victor - Great Thought In Couplets

Wow!  This is one awesome quote that Jody Victor shares by W.H. Murray!  It is so true what he said.  Things really start to happen when you fully commit to something.  It is a big key to success!

Jody Victor, “Martin Luther observed that every great book is an action and every great action is a book. The books that capture for us the great actions of ordinary men have influenced generations. That’s why I’m motivated to read history and biographies.”

Jody Victor & Kathy Victor – Quick Quote Favorite About Books

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in ones favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings, and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets: 'Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it! Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it.'"

- W.H. Murray, of the Scottish Himalayan Expedition

About Kathy Victor & Jody Victor

Jody Victor and Kathy Victor are members of independent business owner (IBO) trade association, IBOAI. Jody and Kathy Victor lead Markerman Productions Team
IBOAI, the official trade association, leadership team including Billy Florence, Jody Victor, Randy Haugen, Joe Markiewicz, Don Wilson and Jim Janz serves and protects the business interests of independent business owners, (Quixtar IBO’s ) throughout North America.

© 2007 JODY VICTOR & KATHY VICTOR. Reprint permission provided to Joe Markiewicz IBO Updates site.

Don Wilson Amway - Fun Fact From History

History is so full of fun information.  How about this history fact about two of our countries great Founding Fathers.  Our country was blessed to have men like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams and many others.  These two men were both signers of the Declaration of Independence, they were also both Presidents of the United States and they were also both great friends.

Did you know that both of these Presidents and friends died on the exact same day?  Not only was it the same day but it was a very special day...

Jefferson died on the Fourth of July, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, the same day as John Adams' death.

On July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Adams died at his home in Quincy. His last words are often quoted as "Thomas Jefferson survives." Only the words "Thomas Jefferson" were clearly intelligible among his last, however.  Adams was unaware that Jefferson, his great political rival — and later friend and correspondent — had died a few hours earlier on that same day.

The fact that both Adams and Jefferson, both of whom had been so instrumental in creating the Declaration of Independence, would die on the fiftieth anniversary of the date of its publication, is one of the greatest coincidences in history.

© 2007 Don Wilson Quixtar IBO.  Reprint permission given to Joe Markiewicz IBO Updates site.

Joe Markiewicz - Focus on the Important

There are a lot of required qualities for building a successful Quixtar business.  The best thing is that we can work on and develop ourselves in areas where we may not be strong.  But it does require certain qualities.  One important quality that someone must have is the ability to focus on what is really important.  It is so easy to get distracted and when building a Quixtar business you are in charge of yourself.  There is no boss making you do certain things or you lose your job.  Therefore you must develop the self-discipline and ability to focus on the important things. 

Most Quixtar IBOs probably know WHAT they need to do.  But the hardest part isn't knowing what to do but focusing on those things for a long enough period of time to get results.

Here are some great quotes on focus from people who accomplished great things...

"If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention than to any other talent." – Isaac Newton

"Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives." - Anthony Robbins

"The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus." - Bruce Lee

"Do not let what you can't do interfere with what you can do." - John Wooden

© 2007 Joe Markiewicz Quixtar IBO.  Reprint permission given to Joe Markiewicz IBO Updates site.

Quixtar's Colombo DiSalvatore: Eating Right Is Easier

Fiber is a critical part of our daily diet.  But it can be tough to get the proper amounts.  It is especially hard when you are on the go and traveling.  This Quixtar product helps to solve this problem by providing an easy and convenient way to get more fiber in our diet whenever we need it...

Colombo DiSalvatore of IBO Trade Association (IBOAI) – An estimated one-third of Americans are starting new “diets” in 2007 and millions more are pledging to eat right, living a better lifestyle tops the “must do” list of many. “Our trade association members, (Quixtar IBOs) have what many need to achieve their healthy resolutions,” says Colombo DiSalvatore.

“We all know that eating right and exercising are keys to achieving a healthier lifestyle,” says Karen DiSalvatore. “While our intentions are good, sometimes it’s hard to get the vitamins, fiber and nutrients we need on a daily basis.” Nutrilite Invisifiber allows consumers to quickly and conveniently add fiber to their diets. An important part of a healthy diet, fiber has many health benefits, including cardiovascular and digestive health.

“Nutrilite Invisifiber is taste-free and not gritty,” says Colombo DiSalvatore. “It can be sprinkled onto foods or mixed into liquids without changing the taste or texture.” Each stick pack contains four full grams of soluble fibers and only 15 calories, and it is available exclusively through our IBOAI members, Quixtar IBO business owners in North America.

About Colombo DiSalvatore, Karen DiSalvatore and IBOAI

“The official IBO Trade Association, IBOAI is dedicated to serving and protecting the interests of Quixtar powered Independent Business Owners (IBOs) throughout North America. The 2007 IBO Board of Directors Executive Committee Team includes Jim Janz, Chairman, Don Wilson, Vice Chairman, Bob Andrews, Brad Duncan, Kanti Gala, Randy Haugen, Bill Hawkins, and Kathy Victor. Governance and Oversight Committee includes Jody Victor and Billy Florence. New members include: Orrin Woodward, Joe Markiewicz, Chris Brady, and John Merris.

© 2007 Colombo DiSalvatore & Karen DiSalvatore Amway Quixtar IBO. Reprint permission given to Joe Markiewicz IBO Updates site.