If everything goes well, the stars all line up with the universe, my karma is on cue, the Lord is on my side, I don't get sick, a national disaster of unprecedented proportions doesn't happen, or the world as we know it doesn't end--Jamani Java will open this coming week. Yea!
In a conversation with one of our suppliers, I began to share how I felt I had seen so many miraculous events along this journey that if one didn't believe in God before it all started, one would have lots of reasons to believe in God now. Though not a religious person, he concurred. Having managed restaurants he knows the food business inside and out. Now, as a food supplier that sees the backside of many, many restaurants every week, he has seen what works and what doesn't. His comment to me the was something like this, "Compared to 80% of the restaurants I am in every day, Jamani Java is way ahead of the game" (my paraphrase).
We probably are "way ahead of the game" because of the ways in which God has guided us through the thousands of decisions that we have made. From site selection to paint color selection, from equipment to staffing, we have had the tremendous advantage of access to the mind of the One who knows the beginning from the end. That's extremely important seeing how many times I don't know which end is up let alone where to begin!
This is the first of many stores. It has been designed with nationwide growth in mind. Site selection for store number two is slated for June 2009. Within five years, we plan to open three more stores in areas that meet our demographic benchmarks.
For now, its time to pray and unlock the doors on #1. Wish us well. Pray for us. We need it.
NOW OPEN-ALMOST!
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WORDS FOR THE WISE, WISDOM FOR THE EDUCATED, KNOWLEDGE FROM PAST TRANSENDING TIME TO YOUR PRESENT THIS SECOND.
Sorrow and forgiveness reprnt thru
resprosity after confession...
Patronage
Main article: Patronage
Patronage refers to favoring supporters, for example with government employment. This may be legitimate, as when a newly elected government changes the top officials in the administration in order to effectively implement its policy. It can be seen as corruption if this means that incompetent persons, as a payment for supporting the regime, are selected before more able ones. In nondemocracies many government officials are often selected for loyalty rather than ability. They may be almost exclusively selected from a particular group (for example, Sunni Arabs in Saddam Hussein's Iraq, the nomenklatura in the Soviet Union, or the Junkers in Imperial Germany) that support the regime in return for such favors.
Nepotism and cronyism
Main articles: Nepotism and Cronyism
Favoring relatives (nepotism) or personal friends (cronyism) is a form of illegitimate private gain. This may be combined with bribery, for example demanding that a business should employ a relative of an official controlling regulations affecting the business. The most extreme example is when the entire state is inherited, as in North Korea or Syria. A milder form of cronyism is an "old boy network", in which appointees to official positions are selected only from a closed and exclusive social network – such as the alumni of particular universities – instead of appointing the most competent candidate.
Seeking to harm enemies becomes corruption when official powers are illegitimately used as means to this end. For example, trumped-up charges are often brought up against journalists or writers who bring up politically sensitive issues, such as a politician's acceptance of bribes.
Kickbacks
A kickback is an official's share of misappropriated funds allocated from his or her organization to an organization involved in corrupt bidding. For example, suppose that a politician is in charge of choosing how to spend some public funds. He can give a contract to a company that is not the best bidder, or allocate more than they deserve. In this case, the company benefits, and in exchange for betraying the public, the official receives a kickback payment, which is a portion of the sum the company received. This sum itself may be all or a portion of the difference between the actual (inflated) payment to the company and the (lower) market-based price that would have been paid had the bidding been competitive. Kickbacks are not limited to government officials; any situation in which people are entrusted to spend funds that do not belong to them are susceptible to this kind of corruption. (See: Anti-competitive practices, Bid rigging.)
Unholy alliance
An unholy alliance is a coalition among seemingly antagonistic groups, especially if one is religious,[7] for ad hoc or hidden gain. Like patronage, unholy alliances are not necessarily illegal, but unlike patronage, by its deceptive nature and often great financial resources, an unholy alliance can be much more dangerous to the public interest. An early, well-known use of the term was by Theodore Roosevelt (TR):
"To destroy this invisible Government, to dissolve the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day." - 1912 Progressive Party Platform, attributed to TR[8] and quoted again in his autobiography[9] where he connects trusts and monopolies (sugar interests, Standard Oil, etc.) to Woodrow Wilson, Howard Taft, and consequently both major political parties.
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