Father's Day
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Monday, 15 June 09 - 10:48 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Christianity |
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THE FOUNDATION
"The foundation of national morality must be laid in private families. ... How is it possible that Children can have any just Sense of the sacred Obligations of Morality or Religion if, from their earliest Infancy, they learn their Mothers live in habitual Infidelity to their fathers, and their fathers in as constant Infidelity to their Mothers?" --John Adams
FAITH AND FAMILY
"In a time when many homes are marked by absentee fathers, the last thing we need to be beating up on fatherhood in general. Yet, 'dad' seems to be the only person in modern society who it is acceptable to belittle. To what extent does such treatment pervert our son's developing attitudes about the men they are expected to become? And why would we teach our daughters that there's no real hope or need to marry a strong, reliable man of character? Timeless messages about the wisdom of fathers in shows like 'Father Knows Best' have disappeared. They just aren't 'politically correct.' As a wife and mother of two young men who are being raised in an anti-male culture that spews the mantra of radical feminism, I'd like to say a few words to America's dads: We need you. Loving fathers are critical to the development of children. And the truth is that every woman is a better person when she has a good man to rely on. Dads are not an 'optional' family accessory to be tossed in the corner like dirty socks or trampled on like a door mat. We should reject the attitudes of both women who treat them that way and of any man who has bought the lie and started assuming the loser role. And we need to let our boys know that one of the greatest contributions they can make as adults is to be strong fathers who are committed to their families. ... To good husbands and dads everywhere, thank you for what you contribute to your families and to society. And to wives and mothers, let's make sure we affirm the men in our lives and teach our children to respect them too. A good man is a priceless blessing from God. Let's remember to treat them like the treasures they are." --columnist Rebecca Hagelin
THE GIPPER
"'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it,' Solomon tells us. Clearly, the future is in the care of our parents. Such is the responsibility, promise and hope of fatherhood. Such is the gift that our fathers give us. Our fathers bear an awesome responsibility -- one that they shoulder willingly and fulfill with a love that asks no recompense. By turns both gentle and firm, our fathers guide us along the path from infancy to adulthood. We embody their joy, pain and sacrifice, and inherit memories more cherished than any possession. On Father's Day each year, we express formally a love and gratitude whose roots go deeper than conscious memory can recite. It is only fitting that we have this special day to pay tribute to those men -- our natural fathers, adoptive fathers and foster fathers -- who deserve our deepest respect and devotion. It is equally fitting, as we recall the ancient and loving command to honor our fathers, that we resolve to do so by becoming ourselves parents and citizens who are worthy of honor." --Ronald Reagan
The Impossible Dream
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Monday, 15 June 09 - 10:27 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Health Fitness and Food |
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"And the world will be better for this /
That one man, scorned and covered with scars /
Still strove with his last ounce of courage /
To reach the unreachable star."
- (lyrics from The Man of La Mancha)
The Impossible Dream
A reader recently sent me an e-mail in which he griped about his "impossible situation." I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder, because to me it appeared that his was an impossible situation with a lot of possibilities.
So what, exactly, is an "impossible situation"? More specifically, what does "impossible" really mean? Is it impossible to make a mountain move simply by having faith? That's quite a challenge. If anyone could do it, it would probably be that Star Wars guy, Yoda. But I don't know of any real person who's mastered such extraordinary mind power.
Is it impossible to get the man or woman of your dreams to love you if he/she is already in love with - and maybe married to - someone else? (Shades of Dudley Moore in the classic 1979 movie 10.) Not quite like moving a mountain, but perhaps a close second.
Terminal cancer? The subject of miraculous healing is a surefire invitation to a heated debate. Many of us have known people who were told they had terminal cancer, yet survived and lived to enjoy many more healthy years. Have all of those cases been flukes?
All of which raises the question: When the seemingly impossible happens, is it God, luck, coincidence, or something else that is responsible?
God can presumably do anything, but God also helps those who "help themselves" - meaning those who take action.
As for luck - well, that's pretty much random.
Sometimes we witness the impossible and refer to it as a coincidence. But I'm not sure there is such a thing as coincidence. Most of the coincidences I've experienced have been a result of actions previously taken.
Which leads me to the "something else" - that great metaphysical abstraction we refer to as human will.
The will to accomplish something - be it winning a sporting event or moving a mountain - manifests itself in something we call attitude.
Viktor Frankl was perhaps the most famous of all Holocaust survivors. He lost his mother, father, brother, and wife in Nazi concentration camps. Years later, he wrote: "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
Okay, so Frankl had an amazing attitude under seemingly impossible circumstances. But wasn't he lucky as well? Absolutely. I'm sure Frankl would have been the first to admit that he was a very lucky man, but he also was convinced that he could not have survived Auschwitz and Dachau had he not chosen to find positive meaning in his life.
Let's consider the three possibilities you would have had if, like Viktor Frankl in the 1940s, you found yourself in a Nazi concentration camp.
Possibility No. 1: If you had a great attitude concerning the dire straits you were in, you still may not have survived without a good deal of luck.
Possibility No. 2: If you harbored an attitude of total despair, you surely would have been doomed, even if you had been fairly lucky.
Possibility No. 3: But if you had a positive attitude coupled with good luck, you would have had a shot at surviving. This, I believe, is what Frankl was getting at when he said that choosing one's attitude in any given set of circumstances is the last of the human freedoms.
In all likelihood, then, the impossible dream is not impossible at all, at least theoretically. In my lifetime, I have been in far too many impossible situations that mysteriously became possible.
Meeting my wife was impossible. (Too long of a story to go into here.) My son coming into this world rather than dying at birth, as he almost certainly should have, was impossible.
For that matter, when I get up every morning and behold my little speck of the universe, it occurs to me that both the universe and my consciousness are complete impossibilities. Surely I am the most improbable collection of atoms in existence.
Whatever it is that arranged my atoms in such a way that I can reflect on my own existence, does it not seem reasonable that the same Whatever can make a brain tumor disappear? Or bring the perfect spouse into the loneliest of lives? Or cure a person with financial leprosy and guide him to great wealth?
I believe the answer is yes. And for me, that Whatever is the Eternal Energy of the universe.
Luck and coincidence are interesting abstractions, but a more meaningful abstraction is human will - the will to have power, the will to have money, the will to live. When you exercise your freedom to tap into the Eternal Energy of the universe, your life is not at the mercy of luck or coincidences. And though we may not understand it, it is that connection that allows us to go beyond dreaming the impossible dream - and actually live it.
This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.
Motivational Myths That Are Murdering Your Money
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Monday, 15 June 09 - 10:18 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Internet Marketing/News |
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Motivational Myths That Are Murdering Your Money
I have a question for you: What is the number one thing holding you back from having a massive, amazing, stunningly profitable copywriting business?
I mean, if you could do this one thing, you'd swing through the ranks of those struggling to rub two nickels together … to landing your first client, to rockin' and rollin' high above the coveted six-figure mark.
Okay, so what is the "one thing"?
I'm going to tell you, but you have to promise not to laugh. And, for heaven's sake, don't you dare roll your eyes at me and brush it off as being simple and unsubstantial. Because I find that the best, most profitable stuff is almost always simple and easy to understand.
Ready?
Okay, here it is: Do the right thing, more consistently.
That's it. Just do more of the right things and do less of the wrong things. Told you it was simple!
You see, we are so lucky to live in a world full of never-failing laws. I'm not talking about political laws (hardly a "never-failing" venture, right?). I'm talking about natural laws. Gravity keeps on pulling down, the sun keeps on rising up, and oxygen keeps on binding with iron in our blood. Isn't it wonderful?
If you don't already know this, then I hope you'll file what I'm about to say deep inside your head and heart and keep it there for the rest of your life …
Success is always based on consistent principles that never change. Oh, the exact implementation might adjust here and there … but under it all, there is a sure and constant principle at work that never has and never will fail.
How do you get to be a shining, profitable, and amazing copywriter? Just learn the right things to do and do them.
I'm not being silly or funny. That's the way. It never fails.
Today, I'm going to focus on the second part of that equation: Do it. Why? Because you have AWAI products in your court to teach you the fundamental success laws behind writing stellar copy, etc. They'll tell you how, and I'm going to help you get past your demons of fear, doubt, and lack of self-worth so that you can actually do it.
Here is a very simple, three-step formula for moving yourself past being a timid, frustrated, broke copywriter, to a superstar, flying through the realms of profit and prosperity:
Step 1: Define what you want.
No one ever, ever, achieved real success in his life without knowing what he wanted. The "what I want" is the rocket fuel you must have in your tank to launch. It drives the entire engine. It overcomes fears. It crushes doubt and despair. It reverses mental constipation and frees up those fingers to fly across the keyboard. It expands the mind in every way imaginable.
I repeat … Step 1 is you must know what you want.
So, take a minute right now and make a highly descriptive list of what you want. Spare no expense in time or effort in doing this. The longer you procrastinate and hum and haw about this, the longer you'll be crushed in your efforts to gain wealth and success. It stinks being crushed, so stop it and define what you want.
Your "What I Want" list must be written. It must, must, must be specific. ("I want to be rich and happy" ain't going to cut it, baby. The mind only acts on specifics. That is an immovable law. Be specific!)
Step 2: Determine your "next physical action" items.
You'll never take action on something that you don't believe is possible. If it feels too far off, you'll bask in the light of the dream and live in the misery of the moment. Your mind will only act on things that it hopes to achieve.
Would you go to work at the JOB if you believed they'd never pay you? No way!
Would you drive your car if you believed it would blow up and die on you before you got to the store? Nope.
You only act on things that you believe can be achieved.
So, take a list of all the things you want and write down 5-10 next physical action items that you could do to bring you one tiny, little step closer to your goals.
Those tiny, next physical action items (send email, call Bob, write to-do list, write promo letter, etc.) give your mind the meat it needs to feed your positive beliefs. It says, "I can get there. See, I made a list of what I can do right now, today to get there."
Step 3: Begin immediately.
Too many of us want to see the end from the beginning. Look, the six-figure writer's lifestyle is there. Too many people have achieved it for you to seriously question that. Actually, your mind is not questioning that. It's really questioning whether YOU can do it. Right? Isn't that the real question?
Well, the answer to that question is a resounding, "YES!" … but you've got to believe that. You can prove it to yourself again and again and again by immediately beginning to do the right stuff.
No matter how small the step, just take it. (Like actually doing Step 1: What do you want? … Write it down specifically!)
And when you have it done, step back and say, "Looky there! I just took the first step toward being a shining six-figure copywriter! I'm amazing." And you are amazing, and you should feel proud. But don't linger on it. There's another step to take, and you can do that one, too.
The key here is don't delay. There is pure genius behind action. Take it, and the world bows to you as a conquering hero and lets you pass the portals of success.
Let me wrap up with this: What is the motivational myth that is murdering your money?
The ridiculous concept that you need to feel "motivated, energetic, enthusiastic, and bubbling with positive thinking" to be successful. That is nonsense. You simply need to believe that success is within your grasp and start moving forward … and I just showed you how!
Every week, I spend a few minutes on video, personally mentoring fellow copywriters. We cover the best "next physical action" items, effective ways to get moving immediately, and tricks for clearing your head and defining what you want. My whole goal is to show you exactly what to do to become a successful copywriter and motivating you to do it.
I'd like you to join us. I really hope you will. We lovingly call the program the Monday Morning Jumpstart.
It's a bit of magic for your Monday morning.
Discover more about what this magic can do for you here …
This article appears courtesy of American Writers & Artists Inc.’s (AWAI) The Golden Thread, a free newsletter that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on the best wealth careers, lifestyle careers and work-at-home careers available. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/signup/.
How Organized People Can Live Longer
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Monday, 15 June 09 - 10:09 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Health Fitness and Food |
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How Organized People Can Live Longer
Before heading to the runway for takeoff, pilots must complete a procedural checklist to assure the aircraft is ready for flight. Now many hospitals require surgeons to complete a similar checklist before doing even the most minor procedures -- including, to the amusement of some, confirming which limb or organ is to be operated upon. While it seems silly, it’s not -- it’s a way to be assured that every possible step is being taken to assure patient safety. Research is demonstrating that when hospitals adopt this practice, there is a measurable improvement in outcome. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found a reduction in both deaths and complications when hospitals used a 19-item surgical safety checklist.
It makes sense that if individuals establish a structure with routine procedures for health-related matters, it would not only reduce stress, but also help lower the risk of at-home medication mistakes and other mishaps that can have serious consequences. Many people put themselves at risk because they are haphazard about letting important papers pile up or, equally problematic, throwing out things they should keep for future reference.
I put in a call to organization expert Julie Morgenstern, author of several books, including Organizing from the Inside Out and her latest, SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life, who agreed to share her best strategies for organizing your home for optimal health. "First and foremost," she says, "being organized is calming. It gives you a sense of assurance and of being in control and that reduces anxiety." No more heart-pounding panicked searches for lost items, which saves time as well. According to Morgenstern, people spend an average of a full hour a day looking for lost items. And organization eases financial anxiety by saving money -- no more late charges as you routinely pay bills on time and no more duplicate purchases of stuff you need right now but can’t find.
A PLACE FOR PAPER
Paper -- bills, vaccination records, medical history, prescriptions, household information -- represents the greatest organizational challenge. The vast majority of health information is still passed along on paper and it’s critical to keep virtually all of it. She recommends streamlining how you handle health-related paperwork in order to minimize the chaos. Her suggested strategies:
- Designate a "paperwork station" where you will process and keep all printed and written information.
- Have everything you need in one place -- a clean surface, a supply drawer, file folders, a telephone, possibly a computer, and at least one file drawer or box where you will keep printed material. It’s fine to keep other records (financial, household) in the same place, but make sure all files are clearly labeled.
- Always open your mail right away and near a trash can and a shredder. Deal with it, file it away or dispose.
MEDICATIONS AND SUPPLEMENTS
Other areas of health and medical materials require their own procedures. Drugs and supplements should be stored where you take them, preferably in the kitchen. Health organizations warn against storing meds in bathrooms due to heat and humidity. Always check whether drugs you take regularly need to be kept dry or cool, and if so, designate a special spot in the fridge or closet. Morgenstern suggests noting on prescription drug labels the date you take the first pill. The reason: People often don’t start a drug regimen for several days after purchase and the doctor may need to know how long you have been on the medication. This way you can respond with certainty. Note whether it is a new prescription or a generic or different brand, in case you have a reaction. Also, highlight expiration dates on all vials and bottles for easy reminders about discarding those that are out of date. Mark on your calendar when to call for renewals.
Remember that vitamins and other supplements should be used under a physician’s prescription and treated with the same respect as drugs. If you use pill organizers, it is best to retain the original containers for first dose and expiration dates. This will also allow you to recall information about the manufacturer and lot number of the product if any issues arise.
Keep a chart of all prescriptions and supplements that you take. Include product name, prescriber, dosing and the reason that you’re taking the product. A copy of this should be kept in a file folder and in your wallet in case of emergency.
MEDICAL RECORDS
Medical records are crucial. They are a part of your health history, they play a role in future medical treatment decisions, and in this era of specialization, your records are likely to be hither and yon in a variety of medical offices. If like many people you haven’t kept a careful set at home, this is easy to remedy. You have a right to copies of your medical records -- make it part of your routine to request copies from every doctor’s office you visit, and call to request past records you don’t have. Records you will need are those that concern all major illnesses and treatments, immunizations, test results, injuries and surgeries. If they are computerized, you can store them on a flash drive in addition to on your computer hard drive -- and keep a hard copy in a safe place in your home.
A SUMMARY IS A GOOD IDEA
Now, to enter the land of the truly efficient -- prepare a medical summary. This can be done on paper (even handwritten) or stored in the computer.
- On the first sheet, at the top, list names, specialties and contact information for all your doctors.
- Follow this with a bulleted list encapsulating your medical history -- all your major illnesses, treatments, screening tests, surgeries and accidents. Include dates and names of treating doctors.
- Also, write a brief family medical history that includes major illnesses of all first and second-generation relatives. (The US government offers a free online family health record tool at https://familyhistory.hhs.gov.) Keep this record current, just as you do your financial records, and keep a paper copy in its special file, so it can be easily reached anytime you visit a new doctor or are asked about your medical history.
- On another sheet list all routine health check-ups with the doctors’ names and numbers... review it monthly and schedule the appointments accordingly.
- Online medical records and personal health tools from Google, Microsoft and others are an increasingly popular alternative (for more on this, see Daily Health News, October 30, 2008).
Imposing order on any aspect of your life -- especially anything related to health -- brings a sense of calm and a significant reduction in stress which translates into improved health in the long run.
Source(s):
Julie Morgenstern, author of Organizing from the Inside Out (Holt) and SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life (Fireside), www.juliemorgenstern.com.
The Power of Negative Visualization
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Monday, 15 June 09 - 10:07 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Health Fitness and Food |
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"Not till we are lost, in other words not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves."
- Henry David Thoreau
The Power of Negative Visualization
By Alex Green
When Norman Vincent Peale wrote The Power of Positive Thinking 60 years ago, he received a stack of rejection slips from publishers.
Dejected, he threw the manuscript into the trash, forbidding his wife to remove it. She didn't.
The next day, however, she took the manuscript, still inside the wastebasket, to a publisher who accepted it. The book became a foundation of the human potential movement, selling more than 20 million copies in 47 languages.
Much of Peale's homespun advice sounds quaint or even amusing to us today. Still, the book did a good job of articulating a basic truth:
To a great extent, you create your world with your thoughts. Most personal achievements begin with an abiding faith that we can and will accomplish them.
Even realizing your goals, however, will not lead to lasting satisfaction. That's because human wants are insatiable.
Most of us are trapped on what psychologists call the hedonic treadmill. We work to achieve what we desire. Those things satisfy us for a while, but we soon adapt to them and dissatisfaction returns. So next time, we set the bar a little higher...
Our lives can easily become a pastiche of unfulfilled desires. We yearn for a better-paying job, more recognition, greater social status, a newer car, a bigger house, a firmer abdomen, perhaps even a sexier spouse.
Dissatisfaction is not all bad, of course. Desire can motivate us to achieve good things in our lives, too.
But a continual sense of lack creates anxiety. It undermines our satisfaction. Peace of mind eludes us.
Fortunately, the ancient Stoic philosophers had a technique you can use to override the adaptation process and recapture the contentment we seek. It's called negative visualization.
The technique is to spend some time each day imagining that you have lost the things you value most. Vividly imagine, for example, that your job has just been terminated, that your house - with all your possessions - has burned to the ground, that your partner has left you, or that you have lost your sight, your hearing, or the use of your limbs.
This sounds horribly bleak, I know. But the Stoics were onto something here. They understood that everything we enjoy in life is simply "on loan" to us from Fortune. Any of it - all of it - can be recalled without a moment's notice.
Epictetus reminds us, for example, that our children have been given to us "for the present, not inseparably nor forever." His advice: In the very act of kissing your child, silently reflect on the possibility that she could die tomorrow.
The Roman philosopher Seneca advises us to live each day as if it were our last, indeed as if this very moment were our last. He's not suggesting that you drop your responsibilities and squander the day in frivolous or hedonistic activities. He's encouraging you to change your state of mind.
Maybe you are already living the dream you once had for yourself.
Along the way, however, you became jaded, bored, numb to the blessings that surround you. The goal of the Stoics would be to wake you up, to make you appreciate what you have today.
Some will argue that negative visualization is fine for those who are happy, healthy, and prosperous - but how about the troubled, the less fortunate?
Negative visualization works for them, too. If you have lost your job, imagine losing your possessions. If you have lost your possessions, imagine losing the people you love. If you have lost the people you love, imagine losing your health. If you have lost your health, imagine losing your life.
There is hardly a person alive who could not be worse off. That makes it hard to imagine someone who wouldn't benefit from this technique.
Adaptation diminishes our enjoyment of the world. Negative visualization brings it back.
It also prepares us for life's inevitable setbacks. Survivors of tornados, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other natural disasters, for example, may suffer terribly. Yet afterward, they often tell us that they were just sleepwalking through life before. Now, they are joyously, thankfully alive.
No one should need a catastrophe to feel this way. You can attain the same realization through negative visualization. Moreover, it can be practiced regularly, so its beneficial effects, unlike a catastrophe, can last indefinitely.
Try it and you'll see. I've found it's perfect for when you're standing in line or stuck in traffic, time that would be wasted otherwise.
By contemplating the impermanence of everything in your world, you can invest all your activities with more intensity, higher significance, greater awareness.
In sum, Norman Vincent Peale got it half-right. Positive visualization helps you get what you want. Negative visualization helps you want what you get.
[Ed. Note: Alex Green is Investment Director and Chairman of The Oxford Club, and is the bestselling author of The Secret of Shelter Island: Money and What Matters. His new book - described by Michael Masterson as "shockingly good" - explores money, meaning, and the pursuit of the good life. To pick up a copy, click here.]
This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.
L.A. Times, Judicial Bias & US Supreme Court: Full Disclosure Network Online-Cable TV Series
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Monday, 15 June 09 - 09:31 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in General |
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L.A. Times, Judicial Bias & US Supreme Court: Full Disclosure Network Online-Cable TV Series
Full Disclosure Network® is releasing the fifth segment of an on-going series entitled JUDICIAL BENEFITS & COURT CORRUPTION, in its' entirety, online for Internet viewers. The half-hour segment centers on the L.A. Times coverage of recent California court controversies, such as Judicial bias, disqualification and the case of jailed attorney Richard I Fine. The half-hour program is also featured on over 40 cable television systems in California, Washington D.C., Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Arizona and more.
the Judge was biased having received illegal payments from L.A. County, an interested party in the case. 
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) June 15, 2009 -- As a part of an on-going series entitled JUDICIAL BENEFITS & COURT CORRUPTION, the Full Disclosure Network® presents the fifth segment in its' entirety, online for Internet viewers. The half-hour program is also featured on over 40 cable television systems in California, Washington D.C., Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Arizona and more. Watch Video online here. URL: http://www.fulldisclosure.net/Programs/541.php. DVDs are available upon request.
NEWSPAPER SLANTED?
A June 7, 2009 Los Angeles Times article entitled LAWYER TAKES A STAND FROM HIS CELL provoked response and criticism from supporters of jailed Anti-Trust Attorney Richard I. Fine who is being held in civil contempt of court for over 100 days following his attempt to disqualify L.A. Superior Court Judge David Yaffe from hearing a case where Fine contends "the Judge was biased having received illegal payments from L.A. County, an interested party in the case." (Marina Strand Colony II Homeowners vs County of Los Angeles). Featured in the video, taking the L.A. Times to task, are court critics Fred Sottile, John Rizzo who had been interviewed for the Times article.
JUDICIAL BIAS?
Providing background and perspective on the issue of judicial bias and the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Caperton vs Massey is prominent Appellate Court Attorney, Robert S. Gerstein, Ph.D. who is an Emeritus Professor in Political Science at UCLA. He describes the recent case that overturned a West Virginia Supreme Court decision where one of the Justices had received a $3 million campaign contribution from one of the parties in the case and who went on to vote in favor of the contributor.
At the end of the video viewers are asked to respond and leave their comments online or to a 1-800-867-7777 number regarding the practice of Judges receiving payments or contributions from interested parties in litigation before them.
OTHER RELATED VIDEOS:
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Planting Seeds to Grow One Million Backyard Food Gardens by 2012
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Tuesday, 09 June 09 - 11:15 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Gardening |
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The National Garden Commission, in Partnership With Edible Gardens, is Planting Seeds to Grow One Million Backyard Food Gardens by 2012
In celebration of April being National Gardening Month, the National Garden Commission is offering backyard gardeners an opportunity to get a free assortment of heirloom seeds, as part of their One Million Gardens campaign. Get started growing your own food at http://www.onemilliongardens.com.
Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) March 26, 2009 -- There is a growing revolution sweeping the country! From Washington State, all the way to Washington DC, people everywhere are digging in to help ease the pinch at the grocery store, and have taken to planting their own edible gardens, growing their own food, and restoring the biodiversity of the earth.
President Obama issued a powerful mandate for change, when on the first day of Spring, the first lady and a group of school children planted an edible garden at the White House, it's first since Eleanor Roosevelt had her Victory Gardens back in 1943. "Obama is telling America that now is time to get your own edible gardens growing," said William Martin, co-founder of the one million gardens program. "We are very Inspired by Obama's example, and share the hope of transitioning our nation's dependence on a globalized food system that requires huge amounts of oil to grow and transport our food, to a more sustainable, localized food production system. We have to grow beyond having our basic systems for human survival being tied to the cost and availability of cheap oil. In my opinion, Obama did nothing short of declaring a revolution in terms of how we feed ourselves and the rebirth of local food in our communities."
Within this massive shift towards local food and gardening, there is a growing movement to preserve our natural seeds. "We are seeing a huge increase in sales for our heirloom seed collections at Edible Gardens Seed Company," according to Lara Sammon, manager at the Edible Gardens seed farm in Santa Barbara. "People are wanting to have some control over their food, but more than that, they are becoming more aware of the far-reaching health and environmental impact of what we grow, and how we grow it. We specialize in the open-pollinated, heirloom varieties, and we offer a dazzling collection of some of the most sought-after heirloom varieties in the world. Especially popular this year has been our Thai Seed Collection and the Kids Garden Collection - we are nearly sold out for the season."
Heirloom seeds are the original seeds that have been feeding humanity for thousands of years. When you grow hybrid and genetically-modified seeds, you end up with plants that have lost their natural ability to reproduce true seeds that can be saved and planted again the following year. These kinds of plants, while popular, end up making gardeners and farmers around the world totally dependent on these giant agribusinesses for more seed the following season - it is a totally unsustainable approach. With heirloom seeds, you can plant and grow these tasty and interesting varieties, and then save the seeds and plant them again and again for years.
Humans have tampered with the seeds to the point they have lost much of their vitality - there are hardly any natural seeds remaining.
Today, seeds and food are becoming more valuable than gold. "Everyone is so focused on Wall St, but the real story of our future is playing out in the garden," stated William Martin. "Humans have tampered with the seeds to the point they have lost much of their vitality - there are hardly any natural seeds remaining." Scientists and seed experts agree that we have lost 95% of the seed varieties within the last 100 years, and former Vice President Al Gore called the loss of biodiversity "the single greatest threat to humanity's future."
As more people are becoming aware of this tragic loss of biodiversity, gardeners everywhere are discovering these open-pollinated seeds, and planting them in their backyard edible gardens for long-term food security. Today, with the help of environmental entrepreneurs like William Martin, gardeners everywhere are enjoying the revival of these natural varieties.
This is nothing short of a revolution in the way America eats. And the revolution is growing into an army of millions of backyard gardeners who are discovering the delicious flavor of these old-time varieties, and sharing the joy and hope of growing good healthy food while caring for the earth - what could be better?
The garden is a place to feed our families and restore our lives, our communities and the world. When we plant an heirloom seed variety, when we grow our own food, when we celebrate good eating, when we save seeds, when we value and provide stewardship for the life-giving forces of the earth - we are directly engaged in growing a more peaceful and sustainable world for our children. Get yourself some natural seeds and join the revolution in your own backyard.
For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release, contact William Martin at 805-964-5810, or visit www.onemilliongardens.com.
About the companies featured in this article:
Edible Gardens Seed Company:
Edible Gardens is an heirloom seed company whose primary goal is to preserve and reintroduce these endangered old-time varieties back into the food chain. Edible Gardens currently offers a wide variety of heirloom seeds from around the world. Visit them on the web at http://www.ediblegardens.com.
Contact:
William Martin,
director of One Million Gardens
805-964-5810
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Planting Seeds to Grow One Million Backyard Food Gardens by 2012
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Tuesday, 09 June 09 - 11:15 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Gardening |
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The National Garden Commission, in Partnership With Edible Gardens, is Planting Seeds to Grow One Million Backyard Food Gardens by 2012
In celebration of April being National Gardening Month, the National Garden Commission is offering backyard gardeners an opportunity to get a free assortment of heirloom seeds, as part of their One Million Gardens campaign. Get started growing your own food at http://www.onemilliongardens.com.
Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) March 26, 2009 -- There is a growing revolution sweeping the country! From Washington State, all the way to Washington DC, people everywhere are digging in to help ease the pinch at the grocery store, and have taken to planting their own edible gardens, growing their own food, and restoring the biodiversity of the earth.
President Obama issued a powerful mandate for change, when on the first day of Spring, the first lady and a group of school children planted an edible garden at the White House, it's first since Eleanor Roosevelt had her Victory Gardens back in 1943. "Obama is telling America that now is time to get your own edible gardens growing," said William Martin, co-founder of the one million gardens program. "We are very Inspired by Obama's example, and share the hope of transitioning our nation's dependence on a globalized food system that requires huge amounts of oil to grow and transport our food, to a more sustainable, localized food production system. We have to grow beyond having our basic systems for human survival being tied to the cost and availability of cheap oil. In my opinion, Obama did nothing short of declaring a revolution in terms of how we feed ourselves and the rebirth of local food in our communities."
Within this massive shift towards local food and gardening, there is a growing movement to preserve our natural seeds. "We are seeing a huge increase in sales for our heirloom seed collections at Edible Gardens Seed Company," according to Lara Sammon, manager at the Edible Gardens seed farm in Santa Barbara. "People are wanting to have some control over their food, but more than that, they are becoming more aware of the far-reaching health and environmental impact of what we grow, and how we grow it. We specialize in the open-pollinated, heirloom varieties, and we offer a dazzling collection of some of the most sought-after heirloom varieties in the world. Especially popular this year has been our Thai Seed Collection and the Kids Garden Collection - we are nearly sold out for the season."
Heirloom seeds are the original seeds that have been feeding humanity for thousands of years. When you grow hybrid and genetically-modified seeds, you end up with plants that have lost their natural ability to reproduce true seeds that can be saved and planted again the following year. These kinds of plants, while popular, end up making gardeners and farmers around the world totally dependent on these giant agribusinesses for more seed the following season - it is a totally unsustainable approach. With heirloom seeds, you can plant and grow these tasty and interesting varieties, and then save the seeds and plant them again and again for years. Humans have tampered with the seeds to the point they have lost much of their vitality - there are hardly any natural seeds remaining.
Today, seeds and food are becoming more valuable than gold. "Everyone is so focused on Wall St, but the real story of our future is playing out in the garden," stated William Martin. "Humans have tampered with the seeds to the point they have lost much of their vitality - there are hardly any natural seeds remaining." Scientists and seed experts agree that we have lost 95% of the seed varieties within the last 100 years, and former Vice President Al Gore called the loss of biodiversity "the single greatest threat to humanity's future."
As more people are becoming aware of this tragic loss of biodiversity, gardeners everywhere are discovering these open-pollinated seeds, and planting them in their backyard edible gardens for long-term food security. Today, with the help of environmental entrepreneurs like William Martin, gardeners everywhere are enjoying the revival of these natural varieties.
This is nothing short of a revolution in the way America eats. And the revolution is growing into an army of millions of backyard gardeners who are discovering the delicious flavor of these old-time varieties, and sharing the joy and hope of growing good healthy food while caring for the earth - what could be better?
The garden is a place to feed our families and restore our lives, our communities and the world. When we plant an heirloom seed variety, when we grow our own food, when we celebrate good eating, when we save seeds, when we value and provide stewardship for the life-giving forces of the earth - we are directly engaged in growing a more peaceful and sustainable world for our children. Get yourself some natural seeds and join the revolution in your own backyard.
For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release, contact William Martin at 805-964-5810, or visit www.onemilliongardens.com.
About the companies featured in this article:
Edible Gardens Seed Company:
Edible Gardens is an heirloom seed company whose primary goal is to preserve and reintroduce these endangered old-time varieties back into the food chain. Edible Gardens currently offers a wide variety of heirloom seeds from around the world. Visit them on the web at http://www.ediblegardens.com.
Contact:
William Martin,
director of One Million Gardens
805-964-5810
###
Invest in Guaranteed Growth in Your Own Backyard
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Tuesday, 09 June 09 - 11:12 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Gardening |
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Invest in Guaranteed Growth in Your Own Backyard
$70 Investment Yields an Average Return of $600 in Produce New Online Kitchen Garden Planner Makes It Easy to Learn How
These numbers are based on a $2 per pound in-season market price of produce grown in a national average garden size of 600 square feet with typical yields from the most popular vegetables
Burlington, VT (PRWEB) March 11, 2009 -- According to recently released survey results from the National Gardening Association (NGA), a $70 investment in home food gardening can yield, on average, a $600 return on the investment.
"These numbers are based on a $2 per pound in-season market price of produce grown in a national average garden size of 600 square feet with typical yields from the most popular vegetables," said NGA's Director of Research Bruce Butterfield.
In response to a dramatic increase in the number of U.S. households growing vegetables for the first time, Gardener's Supply has created a new online Kitchen Garden Planner (KGP). The KGP online tool was created in response to the increased volume of questions from new gardeners as basic as "How do I start?" and "What should I grow?"
"We want new vegetable gardeners to have a fun and rewarding experience right from the start" said Kathy LaLiberte, Director of Gardening for Gardener's Supply, a Vermont-based earth-friendly gardening company. "We designed this playful, interactive planning tool to take away the worries of what, when and how to plant a successful vegetable garden."
View Now - Direct Link to Online Kitchen Garden Planner:
http://www.gardeners.com/Kitchen-Garden-Planner/kgp_home,default,pg.html?SC=XNET9009
Gardeners using the new online tool will have access to five different features: a selection of six pre-planned vegetable gardens, an interactive design-your-own-garden map, a guide to planting & care, a vegetable encyclopedia and a list of recommended supplies and accessories.
Using the interactive design tool, gardeners can select from among 30 different vegetables and 'click and drag' plant icons to a 3' x 6' garden. The tool displays how many of each plant -- carrots, beets, cucumbers, etc, --- will fit into each 1' x 1' section of the garden. It also provides step-by-step planting and care instructions, including a soil calculator to determine how much soil you'll need to fill your raised bed garden. For those who'd rather have an expert do the planning, there are pre-planned gardens with printable planting maps available, including the 'Plant It & Forget It Garden' and the 'Cook's Choice Garden.'
The company, well-known for its practical, garden-tested products is also expanding its' already wide selection of vegetable gardening products. Some new offerings include the Forever Raised Beds, the Self-Watering Raised Bed, Potato Bins, Cascade Planters, a stylish new look for their Tomato Success Kits and more.
In 2009, the number of households growing some of their own vegetables, fruit, berries, or herbs could increase by 7 million households (19%) to 43 million according to Butterfield.
The primary focus of our business - for the past 26 years - has been organic vegetable gardening. This renewed interest in growing your own food is very exciting. We believe strongly that food gardening is an important way for people to reconnect with nature, family, community and themselves," continued LaLiberte.
Gardener's Supply is employee-owned company of avid gardeners providing gardening-related products and information via their catalogs, website and retail stores. Located in Burlington, Vermont, the company has won many awards for its patented products and innovative business practices. Gardener's Supply can be found on the web at gardeners.com. Gardener's Supply donates 8 percent of company profits to gardening-related initiatives and organizations working in the areas of sustainable agriculture, the environment and hunger relief.
For Photos, Additional Information:
Maree Gaetani 802-660-3500 x5925
Sue Chayer 802-660-3500 x5926
###
How to Zap Fatigue Within Seconds
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Tuesday, 09 June 09 - 11:01 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Health Fitness and Food |
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How to Zap Fatigue Within Seconds
By Matt Furey
It's amazing but true. Most people get up tired and go to bed tired. Going to bed tired makes some sense - but waking up tired is inexcusable.
How can you be tired when you wake up? You haven't done anything yet, right?
Okay, perhaps you didn't get enough hours of sleep. Or perhaps you got enough hours, but it wasn't restful sleep. Or maybe you're under stress and that is affecting your energy level.
All of the above is understandable - yet, all can be overcome by taking six simple steps.
1. Instead of thinking "I'm tired" before loping off to bed at night, mentally program yourself for energy. How do you do this? Simply say, "I'm going to wake up totally energized tomorrow."
2. When you wake up in the morning, immediately focus on the mental image of something you want to do, be, or accomplish.
3. As you focus on this mental picture, tell yourself, "I am going to do everything I set out to do today." And when you say this to yourself, say it with ENTHUSIASM.
4. After doing that, sit up in bed, pull your feet close to your buttocks and begin to massage the kidney point at the bottom of each foot. Start with your left foot. Massage deeply at least 50 times. Then massage your right foot 50 times.
Doing this will cause your energy level to rise... and fast. Not only that, it is one of the cornerstones to raising your sexual energy to a peak. (This is covered in detail in my course on Chuang Shang de Gong Fu.)
5. When you're finished massaging both feet, raise your energy further by doing some Hindu squats and Hindu push-ups, as well as some deep breathing (which I teach in Combat Conditioning). You could also try the Magnificent Seven, which attacks the waistline like no other program on the planet.
6. After doing your training, take a cool-to-cold shower. A hot shower is fine to finish up with... but start with the coldest water you can take. It will increase the vital energy in your body in an instant.
[Ed. Note: Fitness expert Matt Furey believes in strengthening everything on the inside as well as the outside - and what he has taught you today goes to the heart, soul, and kidneys of the matter in a way that you've probably never experienced before. These six steps will blow you away - and when you add Matt's Combat Conditioning into the mix... LOOK OUT. You'll become the master of your universe. Find out more here.]
This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.
Question Marks in Copy
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Tuesday, 09 June 09 - 10:59 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Careers/Education Jobs Work |
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Question Marks in Copy
Now some folks will tell you that beginning sales copy with a question is bad form. After all - any question you ask could be answered in a way that is not helpful to your objectives. And your sales letter could wind up in the trash.
But not necessarily. Recently, Health & Healing sold a boatload of subscriptions under the headline "Is there anyone left we can trust?"
Of course, it really wasn't a question at all. It was a proposition. That brilliant headline created instant bonding with prospects by placing the spokesperson in the same boat with them. And then it answered the question by presenting the credentials of Health & Healing's editor.
Still, I try to be careful when I use question marks. Like a good lawyer, I avoid asking questions when I'm not sure I already know the answer.
Like when I'm using a particularly powerful persuasion device called "Socratic Reasoning." That's where I ask a series of questions, the obvious answers to which inevitably lead my prospect to the desired conclusion. Here's an example:
If you really think drug companies are in business to make you healthy, just ask yourself, "If prescription drugs make people healthier...
"Why is there more heart disease in America than there was 10 years ago?
"Why are cancer rates skyrocketing?
"Why is there an epidemic of diabetes, arthritis, and other degenerative diseases today?"
Now, let me ask you: If you were the chairman of a big drug company... if your only responsibility was to make your shareholders richer... wouldn't you want MORE people to get sick - not less?
... Or when I want to quickly answer a question my reader is probably asking himself about my proposition:
Why don't doctors, surgeons, hospitals, drug companies - or anyone else in the mainstream medical industry - tell you this?
Why wouldn't they want you to know about natural supplements that are clinically proven to work better than drugs - and without the high cost and miserable side effects?
Simple: Because when you prevent disease or heal yourself naturally, they don't make a red cent!
Each question hooks the reader into reading what follows, moving them down the copy and to the inevitable conclusion that buying this product is the only logical thing to do.
[Ed. Note: Master copywriter Clayton Makepeace publishes the highly acclaimed e-zine The Total Package to help business owners and copywriters accelerate their sales and profits. Claim your 4 free moneymaking e-books - bursting with tips, tricks, and tactics that'll skyrocket your response - at MakepeaceTotalPackage.com.
Writing powerful copy is just one aspect of making your Internet business a success. Discover how to set up a website, get the search engines' attention, create high-quality products, and more with ETR's Internet Money Club Independent Learner Edition. Get all the details now.]
This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.
Navigating the New Market
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Tuesday, 09 June 09 - 10:54 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Investments/Real Estate |
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"Happy is he who learns to bear what he cannot change."
- Johann Friedrich von Schiller
Navigating the New Market
Since the first day I started working in the stock and bond business, the old timers - the guys I have always sought out as a great source of advice - have said almost without exception, "The markets don't change."
This mantra was in response to those in the business who, following a big run-up or downturn in the market, would make the claim that "It's different this time." The claim was usually made to support buying at the top of a market or buying when things seemed over-priced.
Until now, the old timers' advice was always correct. Markets have been the markets. They run up, they fall down. They fall a lot faster than they go up - and if you wait until everyone gets in to convince you its okay to do it, you will lose money.
This time, though, I believe some things have changed. The changes may be of a temporary nature, but this definitely is not your grandfather's or father's market. And you're going to have to prepare yourself mentally to deal with these changes... or get out of the market. You can stay in and try to do the jump in and out game, but you'll get crushed even faster by doing that than you would have in the past.
Essentially, you're going to have to adopt a different trading discipline for the next three to five years. (The majority of small investors have no trading discipline anyway, so this will be a new concept for them.) There is still a lot of money to be made in stocks and bonds. It will just take a few shifts in expectations and procedures to get to it.
The biggest change is that this is not a trading market. Some will continue to get lucky with their guesses, and the select few who always seem to make money will keep on making it. But going forward, the big money will be made by those who can wait it out and use dollar cost averaging to their benefit.
Trading requires at least some predictability. But now, the small degree of predictability the markets had has been driven underground by the huge collapse in confidence. The market is jumpier today than at any time in our history. The slightest suspicion, wind shift, or rumor makes it plummet. We will see more falls over the next five years than at a rock climbing competition.
The trader's position has always been just this side of insane, but now it has crossed the line. With virtually no fundamentals, no confidence that the changes put in place by the Obama administration will produce any lasting results, the debt, the monetization of the debt, the politicizing of the banks, and a world community that has grave misgivings about the future of the global economy, you'd have to be crazy to think you could predict anything.
What will work going forward is positions in companies like Clorox (CLX). There are the usual reasons to own a stock like this, as well as the new reasons that work within the new market rules.
First, the usual reasons: The company recently raised its earnings projections. It will earn around $3.70 this year and $4.17 next. The dividend is $1.84, about a 3.4 percent yield, and there's plenty of cash to pay it. Its profit margin is rising, it has abundant cash, it's paying down its debt, and it has stable brands (Clorox Bleach, Kingsford Charcoal, Brita, Glad Bags, Burt's Bees Skin Care, and Greenworks Detergents).
A solid company with reasonable prospects.
In this economy, that is what I call a slap in the face investment. It is about $51 per share, was as high as $65 in the last 52 weeks, was as low as $46, and has been showing a very nice upward trend for the past three months.
The new reasons to own CLX: It isn't sexy, it will not run off the charts with breaking news, it pays a good dividend that appears to be safe, it won't be subject to big swings, it won't fall off the charts because of a rumor, it is expected to show an incredibly boring growth rate of around 15 percent going forward, and - most important - you can own it, wait out the market volatility, and still retire on time.
In fact, this stock has everything you will need to survive the next five years as an investor: stability, fundamentals, solid management, dividend income, and products that consumers need and will keep buying.
Why is dividend income a factor here? Because I expect to see major - and I mean major - swings in this new market. And while you're waiting it out, if you don't have some type of money showing up in your account from a bond or a safe dividend, there will be extended periods when you probably won't see any money at all.
The second strategy to use in this market is dollar cost averaging. Take advantage of the big price swings. Make the volatility work for you. As Warren Buffett said recently, "I love when things are this bad."
Investors must learn to cheer when the market crashes. It's a buying opportunity. If you're in the right stocks, you have virtually nothing to worry about except where you'll get more money to buy into the dips.
Shift your expectations and investing style for the next five years or be prepared to be very disappointed. Get out of the Stock of the Month Club, get back to boring, solid companies you can live with.
This is the same advice my old timer friends in the markets have been giving me for years. Maybe things haven't changed that much after all. Maybe we've just been dropkicked back to reality.
[Ed. Note: Steve McDonald has dedicated years of study to the bond market. His expertise is in showing investors how to generate stock market gains without taking stock market risk. And for a select group of investors, Steve has agreed to share his secrets of success... and his top bond recommendations. Click here to learn more... ]
This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.
Evanston Feel Good Story
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Tuesday, 09 June 09 - 09:46 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in General |
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As a former pizza delivery man I can understand the risks of delivering pizzas at night to neighborhoods with less than stellar environments. So when I read the story of the Papa John's driver who was accosted in the 100 block of Clyde here in Evanston I recognized the neighborhood as one fraught with danger. I have to say however, that considering what it was several years ago, it has been improved upon considerably. Still, southeast Evanston is home to much drug dealing and only a block from Chicago's city limits. But that is not the story here........
On this occasion a neighbor looking out the window saw 2 assailants attacking the pizza driver and called police. The robbers were caught but in their attempt to escape they stole the drivers car and crashed it.
The next night, the witness and victim spent four hours together at the Evanston police station, waiting to view a lineup. It was there that the two got to know each other better, and Gutierrez (the witness) decided he wanted to do more. Gutierrez started collecting money money from neighbors to replace Walker's (the victim) 2003 Kia, which was totaled during the incident.
They had raised $1,700.00 after Gutierrez started a website explaining Walker 47, had minimal insurance on his car and did not expect his employer would replace it.
On Monday, after the Chicago Tribune reported on the community's effort, hundreds of readers joined the cause, donating nearly $7,000 as of late afternoon. "I am very proud," said Gutierrez, who said he had no time to eat or take a shower as he tried to keep up with the relentless e-mails. A neighbor brought him lunch while he also worked to keep his Paypal account open after someone attempted to tamper with it.
"I am very happy I was able to help him," he said, adding in an e-mail, "it is raining donations!" Gutierrez, who was laid off from his job as an architect four months ago0, also plans to continue to update his Website available via chicagotribune.com/clyde to report on what kind of car Walker buys and, when the court date for the two alleged attackers takes place.
Walker, who delivers pizza for Papa John's, also was overwhelmed by the outpouring of generosity. "I just want to thank everybody who has helped me, especially Omar," said Walker, who lives in subsidized housing in Carol Stream. Walker who has no medical insurance, was cut and bruised in the attack. He earns $6.75 an hour plus tips and has worked for the same man for 16 years, following him to several pizza places.
After learning of his plight, the pizza chain offered to donate an additional $2,500.00 to help Walker--with $1,500 coming from the Papa John's franchise in Evanston where Walker works. The remaining $1,000 will come from an emergency fund through the corporate office. Donations came from as far away as South Korea and Germany.
Defy Aging DNA the Easy Way
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Monday, 08 June 09 - 12:31 PM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Health Fitness and Food |
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Defy Aging DNA the Easy Way
By Shane "The People's Chemist" Ellison
When they're 65 years old,
most of your friends will be sitting idle in an old folks home, counting the weeks by the number of times they play bingo. But not you. If you learn how to boost one single enzyme in your body, you can defy aging the easy way. You'll be traveling the world, maybe parachuting for the first time or perhaps starting a highly profitable business.
That enzyme is telomerase.
Telomerase acts as a shield for your genetic blueprint - DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). It protects it from getting shorter and older. The more telomerase you have, the healthier and stronger you are.
One of the best ways to preserve or enhance your body's telomerase production - and your functional lifespan - is to limit your food consumption to three meals per day. This helps to optimize your "hormonal intelligence" - which, in turn, preserves the enzymes that shield DNA from premature aging.
The trick to limiting your food consumption is to eat foods that are not only satisfying but also have a minor effect on the output of insulin (the fat-storing hormone). This would include avocados, grass-fed beef, coconut oil, seeds, nuts, and eggs.
[Ed. Note: Shane Ellison's (www.thepeopleschemist.com) entire career has been dedicated to the study of molecules - how they give life and how they take from it. He was a two-time recipient of the prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Research Grant for his research in biochemistry and physiology. He is a bestselling author, holds a master's degree in organic chemistry, and has first-hand experience in drug design. Take advantage of his knowledge and insights to look and feel your best in 90 days.]
This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.
Going From Brand to Religion
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Monday, 08 June 09 - 12:15 PM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Internet Marketing/News |
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"Brands have the potential to become the new centers of community."
- Douglas Atkin
Going From Brand to Religion
My wife K is a member of a cult. As a loyal member, she never gives up an opportunity to proselytize. Over the years, she has recruited our sons and most of her friends into her religion.
The cult she belongs to is represented by a symbol. It has distinct colors. It has a special language that other cult members recognize. They love their religion. They worship at its altars. They sing its praises. They believe that anyone who is not a member of their cult is silly, stupid, or foolish. And they will argue with you if you say one word against it.
When this cult asks for contributions, they give and will give again. They are happy to do it because it confirms in their minds that they have chosen the right moral path. To give, for them, is infinitely better than to receive.
I am talking about the Apple computer cult. My wife and children are Apple users. And though I have happily used PCs for many years, I can feel the day coming when I will yield to their influence and join them on the higher ground.
Apple is probably the best example of a brand that has achieved cult status, but there are others. LL Bean is one. So is Oprah. And The Grateful Dead. Volkswagen is another. Star Trek is another. BMW is halfway between a brand and a cult. So is Mercedes. And Juicy Couture. And Polo.
The difference between a brand and a cult is the level of passion its customers feel about its products. That passion translates into making easier front-end sales, more back-end sales, and far fewer refunds. It also means more word-of-mouth sales, fewer public relations problems, and higher customer satisfaction.
Wouldn't it be great if you could turn your customers into fanatics? Wouldn't it be terrific if they were so loyal to you that they would never even think of buying a product from one of your competitors?
How cool would it be if your customers fervently defended you against any and all criticism? How much richer would you be if your customers actively promoted your products to everyone they knew?
If you are wondering how you could turn your business into a cult, you are thinking smart. It's not easy to create a cult brand - especially for a small-businessperson - but the closer you can get to it the more successful you will be.
So what does it take?
That's what we'll talk about today. I don't have all the answers. (If I did, ETR would already be a cult.) But I'll tell you a few of the things I've figured out, and you can let me know if you have other ideas. Together, we can figure this out.
The first thing that comes to mind is that most cults have charismatic leaders. I'm not sure how well this applies to businesses, though. Steve Jobs is interesting, but I'd hardly call him charismatic. Still, there certainly are examples of strong personalities in the information-publishing industry.
One of the most successful investment newsletter writers back in the 1980s was Howard Ruff. He was a Mormon conservative from Utah who believed that the road to salvation was paved in gold: gold bullion and gold mining stocks. He was immensely popular in his day, with more than 100,000 subscribers to "Ruff Times" who did virtually everything he said. They bought all his products - even the record he made singing hymns and inspirational songs. And they kept renewing his newsletter despite the fact that he had a very bad record of picking stocks.
They loved him because he espoused an idea they had about the world - that it was going to hell in a liberal handbasket and that those who stuck with "hard money" would eventually be saved. He was a brilliant writer. He spoke clearly. He articulated a strong point of view. He was both humble and megalomaniacal. He was, in short, a guru.
I can name a dozen super-successful investment advisors who have since fit into that mold. Doug Casey, Jim Davidson, John King, Steve Sjuggerud, and Porter Stansberry, for example.
Dr. Robert Atkins was the Howard Ruff of the alternative health publishing industry. He was a visionary as well as an immensely gifted communicator. He challenged the American Medical Association power structure by advocating a low-carb diet. He was pilloried in the press but adored by his following. Eventually, he was proven right.
Following in his footsteps were Andrew Weil, Julian Whitaker, Joseph Mercola, Al Sears, and Mike Adams - each with his own unique view of how to achieve perfect health through natural medicine. And they all became very wealthy by developing fanatically loyal followings that bought virtually everything they sold.
So that is one element of cult-like branding: having a charismatic visionary to spread the word.
But not every cult-like brand has a guru at the top. Who knows who heads up LL Bean? Who can name the mind behind BMW?
The Oxford Club is an example of a very strong brand (not quite a cult, but getting there) that doesn't have a single guru. But it has always had very good thinkers at the helm of its investment advisory panel. And its members seem to respond to them serially, which means that something else is at play.
What's working for the Oxford Club - and I'd call this the second most important element of cultish branding - is a worldview that is contained within the unique selling proposition of the product franchise. In the case of the Oxford Club, it is the view that the world of investing is unfairly tipped toward the elite and only by associating yourself with elite investors can you hope to achieve the investment results the elite enjoy.
LL Bean doesn't have a guru at its helm, but it definitely projects an image of how to dress for success. It is practical. It is outdoorsy. It is quality. Every time an LL Bean buyer slips on a moccasin, he feels that he is making a statement about himself as a practical, outdoorsy, and quality person.
Think about your company and the products it sells. Is it clear to your customers what worldview it expresses?
Another element of cultishness is language. Religions use unique terminology when referring to important concepts. These shibboleths are well known to the faithful but mysterious to outsiders, which lends them a magical power that ordinary words wouldn't have.
A very successful financial guru named Harry Schultz practically created his own language when talking about economics and investing, including unusual spelling that was difficult for the uninitiated to interpret. Bill Bonner does a good job of this in his Daily Reckoning with neologisms like "lumpeninvestorat" (to describe the average "dimwitted" investor) that his readers understand and enjoy.
Matt Furey uses a mix of Chinese and wrestling terms to keep his readers linked to him. And Jim Cramer has a unique vocabulary that millions of Americans relate to. Cramer also has a host of little rituals - like clanging bells and whistles - that have become part of the cultish nature of his mega-popular TV show.
That's another thing most cultish brands have in common. Ritualistic tools and symbols that eventually become closely associated with the big message and provide followers with Pavlov-like stimuli. The guru will use them when needed to evoke an emotional response. His followers can't help but respond on cue.
Religions and religious cults have fundamental tenets. (Heavens Gate members believed that the Earth was about to be "recycled." Christians believe that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Scientologists believe that souls are reincarnated.) They also have traditions. (Orthodox Jews walk to Temple on the High Holy Days. Muslims make a pilgrimage to Mecca. Mormons wear special temple garments under their clothing.)
Cultish brands can create tenets and traditions too - prevailing beliefs and ritualistic actions that come to have symbolic meaning. When such actions are tied to products, the result is instantaneous sales. In the 1960s, for instance, fans of The Grateful Dead would follow the band around the country, trying to attend as many shows as possible. Some "Deadheads" even started selling food and clothing at Grateful Dead concerts to finance their pilgrimages, and freely exchanged recordings of past live performances.
Apple lovers are very anti-PC. They will always spring for the updated model of the iPod, iPhone, etc., waiting in line for hours on release day if necessary.
Oprah fans buy anything she recommends, propelling books high up the bestseller lists and crashing websites with a rush of orders.
These are some of the elements of cults that can be put to work for your business. I've been thinking about how to make them work for my clients, and I have a few suggestions for you:
- The guru must be authentic. He must believe he has a better way to live, and he must be able to continuously recreate his vision in the form of new and interesting products.
- The worldview of the franchise must be one that is both emotionally compelling and intellectually avant garde. It has to provide a sense that this is a new and better way to live. It must be forward thinking but not too far "out there." It must be a tipping point worldview. Then it will sell.
- The language and rituals and tenets of the brand must be easy to understand and fun to use. Most developed religions lose the fun of their franchises over time. But when they start out and bring in loads of new believers they are always, in some way, fun.
That's what I have so far.
What do you think helps transform a brand into a cult? Let me know what you think right here, and we'll figure out how to build on our ideas and make your business a little Apple or LL Bean.
This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.
"Extreme eBusiness Development Clinic"
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Tuesday, 30 December 08 - 10:46 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Internet Marketing/News |
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Will you act during the economic downturn, or simply REACT?
Don't let fear of the recession guide your goal setting
plans for 2009. This is a BIG mistake...!
Fear is an emotional response, only good for short-term
survival.
When you're in "fight or flight" mode, you're not thinking
clearly about the path you're running... You're just RUNNING!
So your efforts lack strategy, planning, and insight.
I want you to do more than just survive 2009.
Internet shopping is predicted to hit $145.1 Billion in
the coming year, a significant 14% increase -- despite the
recession!
Consumers will be spending more time at home, using their
computers for everything from bargain hunting and product
research to upgrading skills.
Studies show this shift is ALREADY well underway...!
I don't want the Big "R" to stop you from pursuing exciting
personal, financial, and business goals in 2009, so I've
arranged to get you exclusive VIP access to an important
video that Internet marketing guru Derek Gehl just put up
on his site.
Derek's been successfully selling on the Internet for over
a decade now, and he's brought in over $100 MILLION in sales...
... so he's by far the BEST person to advise you about how
to thrive in ANY market.
When you watch his FREE Goal Setting Video, you'll discover
how you can make 2009 your richest year yet:
http://www.internetmarketing.com/2009-goals/835261
Wishing you health, wealth, and happiness in 2009!
John
P.S. Derek's also going to be hosting a FREE Webinar in the
first week of January to help everyone kick-off their New
Year's goals with a bang.
You can register for it here:
http://www.internetmarketing.com/2009-goals/835261
"Buy-1 Get-1 Free" Christmas Special!
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Monday, 15 December 08 - 10:25 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Internet Marketing/News |
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Got some extra Holiday cash you'd like to spend? Why not give yourself a new life in 2008?
Huh?
Well how about a shot at working-at-home or quitting the day job.
Site Build It! helps you build a successful online business. It's more than hosting or site-building. It's really a complete, step-by-step process that provides all the tools you need for getting traffic, sending out emails, adding a blog, and monetizing your site. And you don't have to be a techie to use it. It's as simple as sending emails and word processing. Take a look...
http://www.sitesell.com/Emporium.html
And if you hurry you can take advantage of their Buy-One Get-One-Free Holiday Special that will give you their best price of the year. And they offer a No-Risk Money-Back Success Guarantee that means you have nothing to lose.
http://order.sitesell.com/Emporium.html
Unless you don't move in time to take advantage of their Special that is. Then you'll miss out on a great deal. That offer ends at midnight January 4th.
Blagojevich: Merry Christmas, You're Fired
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Tuesday, 09 December 08 - 02:27 PM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Presidential Campaign/Politics |
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Ok, so it didn't go down quite like that, but I have been reading the various different headlines that have made their way around the world and that one hadn't been used yet. I can emphathize with the feeling though, once having lost my job on December 19th by a church no less. Personality conflicts claim more lives on the job front than you might realize.
But it wasn't a personality conflict that cost the Governor, and he is still the Governor at this point, unless you count the conflict that always existed between House Speaker Madigan and Blagojevich. And BTW, we haven't heard from Mr. Madigan, not even in a gloating manner. Makes me wonder if Mr. Madigan doesn't want the spotlight on himself right now. Furthermore, if it is as it seems to be that everyone and their brother knew about various schemes and conniving deals going on why wasn't Lisa Madigan out there in the hunt.
So there really isn't any more to the story other than what the Federal Prosecutor laid out today in his press conference. The news media was having a field day in speculating about what might happen. We have to wait and see what happens and then you can fill the airwaves with facts and not speculations. Which is what I am going to do. Here in Chicago...Back to you in the newsroom. Wait...the newsroom is my bedroom.
Toy Packaging
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Tuesday, 09 December 08 - 02:21 PM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Babies, Infants and Children |
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A Christmas Story
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Saturday, 29 November 08 - 10:41 AM (GMT -06:00) By John C Thomson in Christianity |
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