Source: MSNBC -- Read Full Story

Too easy. No. 2 LSU danced, dodged and darted its way into the end zone Monday night, turning the BCS national championship game into a horrible replay for No. 1 Ohio State. It was over early, with Matt Flynn throwing four touchdown passes in a 38-24 win. Playing at their home-away-from-home in the Big Easy, LSU (12-2) became the first two-loss team to play for the title. Shouts of “SEC! SEC!” bounced around the Superdome as the Tigers won their second BCS crown in five seasons. They are the first school to win a second title since BCS rankings began with the 1998 season.

This week, I will be writing on the topic of New Year's resolutions, looking at my resolution subsets each day. Today, I discuss resolutions related to Working @ Home.

I'm a big believer in resolutions. So big, in fact, that I rarely limit myself to resolving at New Year's. The start of a month, the season of Lent, or even just a regular Monday can find me committing to personal change and growth. This year, I have decided to attempt to codify my resolutions into six categories, with five of them being my daily Productivity @ Home blog topics and the sixth being personal spiritual resolutions which will not be documented on this blog.

For the year 2008, my professional resolutions with respect to my web design, writing and podcasting work include the following:

1. Work smart, not long. Implement and adhere to personal productivity strategies to ensure that the time I spend in my home office is spent in fulfillment of work goals. Towards this end, I will emphasize employing GTD tactics, daily to-do lists, and weekly reviews to accomplish tasks and projects.
2. Commit to a regular work schedule. One of the largest pitfalls of working out of a home office is that you are never truly "not at work". It's so easy to pop in to your office to "check email for a minute" and find that you've burned dinner or neglected your children. This year, I plan to set "office hours" and abide by them.
3. Capitalize on networking opportunities. I have found that my greatest work-related satisfaction in the past year has come in the form of personal relationships I've built with people I greatly respect (and many of whom I have not had the opportunity to meet in person). In 2008, I hope to continue to build these relationships and cultivate new ones, with the end goal of developing greater personal and professional excellence.

Source: Indianapolis Star -- Read Full Story

Indianapolis Colts safety Bob Sanders has been named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year by the Associated Press. He's the first Colts player to receive the award, which has been handed out since 1971. The 5-8, 206-pounder has emerged as a cornerstone for a Colts defense that finished the season ranked first in fewest points allowed and third in total yards. He registered 132 tackles, second on the team to linebacker Gary Brackett's 149, along with 3 1/2 sacks and two interceptions.

Source: Reuters -- Read Full Story

Pope Benedict, in his annual "state of the world" address, on Monday called on nations to make a global commitment on security in order to prevent terrorists from gaining access to nuclear weapons. Speaking to diplomats from 176 countries accredited to the Vatican, he deplored "continual attacks" on human life, saying new frontiers in bioethics called for a "moral use of science". He issued fresh appeals for Middle East peace, decried bloodshed in Asia and Africa, and welcomed the United Nations' recent resolution for a moratorium on the death penalty. The Pope re-stated the Catholic Church's opposition to homosexual marriage and bluntly called on politicians to defend the traditional family as the basic cell of society.

My New Year's Resolution for this year is to try to appreciate the beauty that surrounds me a bit more. I know I tend to rush through my days, often not taking notice of those wonderful "moments of beauty" that come into each of our days. Forget stopping to smell the roses - sometimes I don't even see them!

To help me do this and to help others as well, I have started a new blog dedicated to posting a photo for each day - one moment of beauty to stop and take note of. You are also invited to submit a photo of your own to contribute to the site. To find out more and to visit the blog, visit momentofbeauty.blogspot.com

I hope that during 2008 all of us will take a little more time to notice what a beautiful world this is and to offer up a prayer of thanksgiving to God who created it.

Source: New York Times -- Read Full Story

Roger Clemens filed a defamation lawsuit against his former trainer saying Brian McNamee falsely accused him of using performance-enhancing drugs only after he was "threatened with criminal prosecution if he did not implicate Clemens" to federal investigators. But an attorney for McNamee said Monday that his client was not pressured by federal investigators to name Clemens but that McNamee told Clemens’s people that he was pressured. "He lied to them and tried to say, ’Well, they pressured me,’ because he wanted to continue to stay in the good graces of Roger," the attorney Earl Ward said in a telephone interview. Ward was present during the day of questioning by federal investigators in June, which was described in a lawsuit Clemens filed Sunday. Ward said McNamee will also say, under oath, he was not pressured.