HAU'OLI MAKAHIKI HOU
  
Aloha Happy New Year 2020.
Greetings from Hawaii. As we close the year, let us count the blessings of the past and then turn our focus to the future, with hope and anticipation.
Did you know that 'happy' originates from the Middle English word 'hap' that means good luck.
So the people in those days were actually greeting each other with 'good luck' instead of happy day.
Happy and Happiness were first used between 1400 to 1570.
Happily ever after was first used in 1853, or at least this was when its use was recorded.
I was curious where 'happy new year' originated and this is the answer from Google Search:
Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) instituted the concept of celebrating the new year in 2000 BC and celebrated new year around the time of the vernal equinox in mid-March.
The early Roman calendar designated March 1st as the first day of the year.
In 45 BC, Julius Caesar ordered a calendar consisting of 12 months based on a solar year.
The Julian calendar moved the beginning of the year from March 1st to January 1st.
There's a bit of history and trivia to start your Happy New Year.
WAYBACK MACHINE AT ARCHIVE.ORG
It's a scenario that we thought would never happen, and it did a few months ago. Wondering how many of you noticed that 4 out of my 5 websites disappeared.
I own and pay for the domains through GoDaddy.com but the website was being hosted somewhere else.
Simply amazing that there was no notification or warning. The websites were just gone.
Thankfully, John Holoman directed me to Wayback Machine that has archived billions of web pages.
I was able to find snapshots of the web pages, and in the process of rebuilding the websites: JulyOno.com, OnTheBeachEducation.com, YourMillionDollarNetworkBook.com, OTBEC.com.
This time these website will be hosted on the GoDaddy platform for consistency.
This short video clip shows you how to find old web pages.
HOW A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY
I have been a KIVA.org supporter since April 21, 2009 and it started with one $25 loan.
The interest-free micro-loans are provided to entrepreneurs who are unable to secure financing to start a business or expand a business.
Over the past 10 years, I kept adding $25 loans until there were $2,500 of total deposits on file, that are continuously recycled back into another loan when a loan is repaid.
As of this month, I was surprised to see 660 loans were made totaling $20,475 supporting 51 out of 77 countries.
So far $118.83 is in arrears and $234.12 in loan defaults.
The loans that I look for are entrepreneurs seeking to expand their business who have a self-sustainable business with a track record.
I have learned not to invest in perishable goods such as bringing fish to market, because they can spoil on the way to market.
The best payment history is with tailoring and sewing businesses. They are able to produce a value-added service because everybody needs clothes.
All it takes is sacrificing 5 Starbucks coffees to support an entrepreneur.
May I invite you to start today?
|
