And with the knowledge that terrorists aren't weaker since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq but instead are growing stronger, evidence Hezbollah's ability to destroy an Israeli ship and strike its third largest city by missile, the fear that danger sits on our shores and laps at our coastal communities is real and growing.

So, what is an American business person to do? I speak specifically to the business person, because as a consultant and a business person that is my work community but most important, we wield a great deal of influence and power and how we use that power is critical to not only economic but also to our very survival.

I don't pretend to have either political or military answers to the current world state of affairs, but I think that my five decades as an American political activist (including serving a brief time as a paid lobbyist), my eight-years military experience, and my 30-plus years business experience, may offer a learned point of view.

In these troubled times, I believe we business people have a responsibility to ourselves, our clients and customers, our friends and family, our country and the world to do the following:

1. Continue to grow our businesses. Our clients and our customers need good products and services at a fair price and that provide good value not only for their basic needs but for their growth. The world economy needs to stay strong no matter the states of politics or war. And our families and communities need life's essential gifts to stay strong, which come from the earnings that we make and reinvest in our businesses and our communities.
2. Do not become conservative in our business practices, which ultimately hurts business growth and profits. Invest in growth and innovation; take calculated risks; understand and employ the appropriate best practices.
3. Seek outside knowledge and advice from every source--including business peers, our employees, business books and articles, and business experts--to ensure our businesses look outward, avoid the trap of doing only that which is familiar and traditional, and employ forward thinking to avoid getting stuck in the past.
4. More than ever, give back to our communities and extend those communities beyond our local boundaries. During times of stress, we need to help those organizations that do good. In the end, it is good for business and good for our communities. When people are given a hand up, after all, they become consumers and better citizens.
5. Do the right thing. Pay taxes owed, keep corruption off our doorsteps and keep excessive greed at a distance. (Greed drives Capitalism, even though we ar
   Medical Billing - GE0 Record Fields 21 Through 30
   If you've been following our series on medical billing and the GE0 record for electronic claims submission using NSF 3.01 specifications, we're exactly two-thirds of the way through with our review of the GE0 record. We pick up, in this installment with field number 21 for enteral nutrition billing.GE0 field 21, positions 86 - 89, is the calories product 1 field. This field tells the carrier how many calories per day the patient is to be getting from product 1. Many people wonder why this is broken down this way. The answer is simply that some patients are actually prescribed multiple products whic
   at our coastal communities is real and growing.

   So, what is an American business person to do? I speak specifically to the business person, because as a consultant and a business person that is my work community but most important, we wield a great deal of influence and power and how we use that power is critical to not only economic but also to our very survival.

   I don't pretend to have either political or military answers to the current world state of affairs, but I think that my five decades as an American political activist (including serving a brief time as a paid lobbyist), my eight-years military experience, and my 30-plus years business experience, may offer a learned point of view.

   In these troubled times, I believe we business people have a responsibility to ourselves, our clients and customers, our friends and family, our country and the world to do the following:

   1. Continue to grow our businesses. Our clients and our customers need good products and services at a fair price and that provide good value not only for their basic needs but for their growth. The world economy needs to stay strong no matter the states of politics or war. And our families and communities need life's essential gifts to stay strong, which come from the earnings that we make and reinvest in our businesses and our communities.
   2. Do not become conservative in our business practices, which ultimately hurts business growth and profits. Invest in growth and innovation; take calculated risks; understand and employ the appropriate best practices.
   3. Seek outside knowledge and advice from every source--including business peers, our employees, business books and articles, and business experts--to ensure our businesses look outward, avoid the trap of doing only that which is familiar and traditional, and employ forward thinking to avoid getting stuck in the past.
   4. More than ever, give back to our communities and extend those communities beyond our local boundaries. During times of stress, we need to help those organizations that do good. In the end, it is good for business and good for our communities. When people are given a hand up, after all, they become consumers and better citizens.
   5. Do the right thing. Pay taxes owed, keep corruption off our doorsteps and keep excessive greed at a distance. (Greed drives Capitalism, even though we a
      Tips and Guide to Writing a Proposal that Will WOW Your Client
      Does writing a proposal seem confusing? Not sure what format to use or what information to include? This is a simple guide to writing a great proposal that will increase your new business and sales.The key to securing new business is in building a relationship with your prospective clients and showing them you can delivery exactly what they want. A well-constructed proposal can do this for you and can dramatically increase sales and business. Don’t miss the sample proposal at the end!FIRST STEPSThe first step of the process to securing new business is of course making the contact. On
      ight-years military experience, and my 30-plus years business experience, may offer a learned point of view.

      In these troubled times, I believe we business people have a responsibility to ourselves, our clients and customers, our friends and family, our country and the world to do the following:

      1. Continue to grow our businesses. Our clients and our customers need good products and services at a fair price and that provide good value not only for their basic needs but for their growth. The world economy needs to stay strong no matter the states of politics or war. And our families and communities need life's essential gifts to stay strong, which come from the earnings that we make and reinvest in our businesses and our communities.
      2. Do not become conservative in our business practices, which ultimately hurts business growth and profits. Invest in growth and innovation; take calculated risks; understand and employ the appropriate best practices.
      3. Seek outside knowledge and advice from every source--including business peers, our employees, business books and articles, and business experts--to ensure our businesses look outward, avoid the trap of doing only that which is familiar and traditional, and employ forward thinking to avoid getting stuck in the past.
      4. More than ever, give back to our communities and extend those communities beyond our local boundaries. During times of stress, we need to help those organizations that do good. In the end, it is good for business and good for our communities. When people are given a hand up, after all, they become consumers and better citizens.
      5. Do the right thing. Pay taxes owed, keep corruption off our doorsteps and keep excessive greed at a distance. (Greed drives Capitalism, even though we a
         How To Prevent Obstruction By Knowledge
         Our point of view, perception, and learning are all objects of our knowledge, and these are things that prevent us from going ahead. "I already know everything there is to know about that. I don't need to learn any more." We have arrived only at the fourth rung of the ladder, yet we think it is the top rung. Whatever the value of what our intellect and our insight has attained, we have to abandon it. If we don't, we put an end to further progress. Even though it has some value, our knowledge has become an obstacle. If we are caught in our knowledge, if we say that our knowledge is absolute truth, we suffer fr
         ies and communities need life's essential gifts to stay strong, which come from the earnings that we make and reinvest in our businesses and our communities.
      6. Do not become conservative in our business practices, which ultimately hurts business growth and profits. Invest in growth and innovation; take calculated risks; understand and employ the appropriate best practices.
      7. Seek outside knowledge and advice from every source--including business peers, our employees, business books and articles, and business experts--to ensure our businesses look outward, avoid the trap of doing only that which is familiar and traditional, and employ forward thinking to avoid getting stuck in the past.
      8. More than ever, give back to our communities and extend those communities beyond our local boundaries. During times of stress, we need to help those organizations that do good. In the end, it is good for business and good for our communities. When people are given a hand up, after all, they become consumers and better citizens.
      9. Do the right thing. Pay taxes owed, keep corruption off our doorsteps and keep excessive greed at a distance. (Greed drives Capitalism, even though we a
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         Survivor is the grandfather of all reality series. This is undeniable. Survivor was the instigator in what can now be considered TV's reality era. What I don't understand is how Survivor doesn't receive its just due. It deserves far more critical credit than it has received. Why is this? Why is this gem of a TV show being taken for granted?Along with "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire", Survivor was the origin of the reality TV boom that has resulted in the creation of everything from "The Osbourne's" to "The Simple Life" to "The Apprentice". This is an undeniable fact. Survivor, however, has remained on t
         that which is familiar and traditional, and employ forward thinking to avoid getting stuck in the past.
      10. More than ever, give back to our communities and extend those communities beyond our local boundaries. During times of stress, we need to help those organizations that do good. In the end, it is good for business and good for our communities. When people are given a hand up, after all, they become consumers and better citizens.
      11. Do the right thing. Pay taxes owed, keep corruption off our doorsteps and keep excessive greed at a distance. (Greed drives Capitalism, even though we are loathe to admit it, but excessive greed indicates an inherent personal weakness and leads to corruption.) The economy and our neighborhoods need businesses driven by values so that we enhance our credibility, especially in times of fear. Credibility and trust must live within us, if we are to maintain hope in each other.
      12. Treat everyone with respect and dignity, especially our employees. In these days of merger and downsizing, many are but one paycheck away from desperate times. They need to be able to count on us, if not for a job then for the truth and fairness.
      13. While remaining focused on our businesses and our lives, stay current in world affairs. The family of (wo)Man requires an educated and informed populace to protect us from ourselves. And freedom calls us to act before it is too late, which means we need to know when our leadership in both the political and economic arenas are required, so that we can step in and raise our voices up for the good of all.
      Whether we like it or not, business persons are recognized as leaders: We have power and we must use it for the betterment of society. Too often we are seen as using that power badly (think Enron). We must use that power instead to take an active role for the good of our neighbors or it is power wasted. That good begins within our own businesses and as we grow the good spreads outward.

      The world is a scary place, and North Americans are more vulnerable than ever before in the history of the world. As business people we can use our power to work to alleviate some of the pain and fear or we can choose to be insular and safe and hide behind a veil of ignorance that says "world affairs are none of our business."

      Lewis Green is the Founder & Managing Principal of L&G Business Solutions, a management consulting firm focused on helping businesses grow using marketing and sales strategies.