Motivated People

Is 'Get Motivated' real or bunkum?

2010-02-25T00:54:00.000-08:00

Some 15,000 people hit the Honda Center this week and found motivation, or at least that's what the "Get Motivated" seminar folks would like you to think.

And judging by the audience members who jumped around on a fern and flower encircled stage as "Surfin' USA" blared, some became believers.

But was the jubilation more like the euphoria you feel after some beers, only to wake up the next day and wonder where all the excitement went?

Or was the elixir served up through a blend of blasting music, pyrotechnics and a series of oddly matched speakers – Michael Phelps and Rudy Giuliani on the same stage – the real deal?

Searching for clues, I walked the aisles, climbed stairs and accosted people in hallways at the Honda Center.

After having attended a similar Tony Roberts seminar at the same venue several years ago, I was especially interested in discovering if there were any new miracles to motivate us during these tough economic times. To be honest, I hoped the answer was something exactly like the show at the Honda Center on Wednesday.

If the key to motivation resembled anything like "Get Motivated," we all could just start taking ourselves, our children and our colleagues to more rock concerts. And I like rock concerts.

Everyone I spoke to agreed that the speakers were good to great, Colin Powell getting the strongest reviews and my man, Michael Phelps, getting the weakest. (Sorry, Michael, but at least the haters said it was the interview format. Go it alone next time.)

But after that, the reviews were mixed. Some of those looking for motivation didn't find it. Some waited anxiously wondering when their favorite star would show while the promoters cleverly declined to post an itinerary. Others happily gravitated toward the second theme of the day: easy, fast money.

While the blue light special was clearly the $5 ticket that let you see and hear megawatt speakers, the real secrets to making a quick buck cost extra. Breaks between speakers, became marketing moments, as solicitors armed with pens and sign-up sheets roamed the aisles for people willing to sign up for workshops that promised paths to untold riches. Just step right out and step right up.

Audience members signed up in droves for the Financial Success workshops. It would be unfair not to mention we were offered an incredible deal because we were already inside the big tent – only $49 plus guest. We even were granted a "100% satisfaction guarantee

Sorry if you weren't there. You will miss out on learning "How to Get Out of Debt... Fast," "How to Slash Your Taxes by Up to 50%," "How to Buy Property Using Little to None of Your Own Money" and more.

Some in the audience learned the art of the deal faster than others.

"I'll give you my number," one thirtysomething said when I asked to call him the next day, "if you tell me who's on next."

I did. But he didn't pay up. A motivational speaker in the making?

Still, at the end of the day, most people in the audience just looked tired, though not as tired as the Will Call workers who told me they put in a 13-hour day to help pull off the spectacular event.

One audience member, Ryan Griffin, 34, from Placentia, woke up a day after the event and put it this way:

"I would say it's not easy to get motivated at one of those large events. In the moment, that day, it sounds great. But it's not like you can flip a switch and stay motivated forever."

Griffin allowed that the main speakers were worth the time and the price of admission, which was practically free. But the district sales manager for John Deere explained he finds motivation elsewhere – within himself and at work. And, rather than easy money or famous speakers, he talked of emotional connections to what he does and to other people.

Like many, Griffin faced major change last year. With degrees in irrigation and landscape architecture, he left a job in implementation for a career in sales. Yet he managed to stay within a field he is passionate about, saving precious water resources and similar environmentally friendly efforts.

"I'm doing something I love. I'm in it for the whole team, the planet if you will."

The other topic Griffin spoke about was similar to what Rick Belluzzo, former Microsoft president and CEO mentioned at the Honda Center: Keeping it fresh.

"He said to reinvent yourself," Griffin said. "He hit it right on the head. I'm not doing the same old thing every day."

He elaborated that he particularly enjoys helping others solve problems.

The magic of Griffin's approach to motivation is that it transfers to different jobs, different challenges. Yet it also fits what he is doing right now.

"If you're not passionate, the customer sees right through you," Griffin cautioned.

Passion. Love. Helping others.

You might not find them at a "Get Motivated" arena-style seminar – or you might.

But you certainly will find motivation following your heart, as Griffin did.

And, hopefully, down the line he'll end up taking his sons, now ages 3 and 5, to a rock concert anyway.

In the meantime, he can read my motivational columns. Only 75 cents.

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Jonny Flynn says talk of a 'down year' has motivated No. 5 Syracuse

2010-02-24T00:53:00.000-08:00

Former Syracuse point guard Jonny Flynn likes what he sees from this year's version of the Orange.

Flynn, who helped lead Syracuse to the Sweet 16 last season before losing to Oklahoma, says this year's team is using talk of a rebuilding year as motivation for their 24-2 start.

"I think just losing three guys and having everybody; the media and every top analyst, saying this is going to be a down year for them, I think they took that and over the summer used that as a huge chunk of motivation,'' Flynn told The (Syracuse, N.Y.) Post-Standard. "You've seen Scoop Jardine work hard. Wes Johnson is living up to all the expectations. You're seeing the emergence of Kris Joseph as the second-leading scorer off the bench. Teams like that, when you have people doubting you, you're always going to use that. I think they really did that."

To read more about the Orange, get out our team page.

But the question we would have asked Flynn: How do you feel about expanding the NCAA tournament? (Think he agrees with Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim?)

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Staying Motivated

2010-02-19T01:59:00.000-08:00

Richmond - Snow has cancelled the last two YMCA training days for the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k.

Can you imagine what goes through the minds of the people who've never run or walked a race like this being told their training is cancelled? People who depend on their trainers to make them ready to take on 6.2 miles?

That happened to Helena Marchi, a nurse at Henrico Doctor's Hospital Forest Campus. She finally got the courage to try something like the Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k. And then the snow came.

"Well, I knew I had been way out of shape for too long", says Helena. She didn't really think much about running in the 10k until she heard about the YMCA training program. It's a 10-week program for walkers, beginners, intermediate runners and experts. They meet as a group at their "home" YMCA every Saturday morning leading up to the race on March 27th.

"I went to the orientation meeting and everybody is so friendly and supportive", says Helena. Her training was going great until the snow cancelled Saturday morning group-training for two weeks in a row.

Richmond YMCA Head Training Coach Laura Turner Reid says she sympathizes with Helena and other beginners. "They came out for two weeks, had a couple good training runs, then they completely lost their momentum. And so one of the things we're trying to do is keep them positive, keep them motivated."

The trainers are using the snow as a metaphor. In life you're going to run into delays wether it be work or family. The bottom line, they say, is stay motivated and keep moving.

"One of the goals of the program is just overall fitness", says Laura. "We encourage cross training and strength training for participants. What we're really trying to do is introduce overall fitness. A lot of people are really changing their lives."

The trainers are staying in touch with their trainees through emails and phone calls. They also meet some of them during the week at their home YMCA. That's why the snow isn't slowing Helena down. She says she's keeping in touch with the trainers and others in her group. She stays in shape by using workout videos, borrowing a friend's treadmill, and doing just about anything else to keep moving and elevate her heart rate, including shoveling the snow that's kept her from training on Saturdays.

Laura loves to see the effort Helena and others in her group are giving so that they'll be ready for the race. "I get to see people like Helena come back to me next year signed up for intermediates and telling me, 'This program has changed my life, I have all these new goals, I have this new self esteem.'"

"Of course, everybody wants to lose weight", says Helena, "but my goal is not to just stop after this one 10k and say 'Okay, I did that'. So I'm gonna keep going. That's my goal, to not stop."

If you've been waiting to sign up for the 10k there are only 6,000 spots left. The race is limited to 35,000 participants.

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Director Motivated by Brother's Struggle

2010-02-18T01:58:00.000-08:00

Patrick Dion is the Ontario director with the Mental Health Commission of Canada, which aims to improve the health and social outcomes of people living with mental illness. (You can learn more about it by clicking here.)

I spoke to Dion about the prejudice and stigma facing individuals with mental illness. And he explained why he became such a passionate advocate for such individuals.

It turns out that Dion's awareness of mental illness turned personal while he was studying electrical engineering at UWO between 1985 and 1989.

"My brother, who was a student at UWO a few years behind me, suffered his first psychotic episode while at Western," said Dion, adding his brother has now dealt with bipolar disorder for 20 years.

"His journey . . . is the explanation for how I know that the suffering in silence has to end," he said.

Dion said his his family was largely unprepared for his brother's illness.

"Denial is a big part of it," he said. "My mother, who is a health-care professional, was unwilling or unable to acknowledge that her son was beginning to show signs of mental illness. Our family was like many families across this country (who think) this can't be affecting me.

"People ask, well, who are those who are living with mental illness?" said Dion. "Well, they are you and me, our mothers, our fathers, our sisters, our brothers - all of us."

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Mick Foley Still Motivated in Next Life With TNA Wrestling

2010-02-17T01:57:00.000-08:00

Mick Foley has done just about everything in wrestling. He's worked in the small, dirty buildings in front of tens of people and has headlined WrestleMania in front of thousands.

Some people refer to him as 'The Hardcore Legend', a nickname he has earned for his bloody wars in the squared circle over his nearly 24-year career. But many people also know him as the lovable Mick Foley with his knack for getting a cheap pop out of the crowd and his sock puppet Mr. Socko. There's even another side to him as he is a multiple New York Times best-selling author and has kept active with various charity work.

Most of his wrestling career has been spent with the WWE where he was a three-time world champion. In 2000, Foley retired, something that doesn't typically stick in wrestling, with him returning to the squared circle four years later. At one point, he even tried his hand as the color commentator for WWE Smackdown but he grew tired of Vince McMahon barking in the headset and decided that job wasn't for him. In fact, he decided to leave the WWE altogether.

But Foley wasn't done with wrestling. Instead, he decided to start a new chapter in his career and in September 2008 he jumped to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Once there, Foley got the itch to get back in the ring -- which he still does, but on a much more limited basis.

While he moves a bit slower and has a little gray in his shaggy beard, Foley is once again having fun with what he calls his first true love -- wrestling. This Sunday, Feb. 14, Foley will be a part of the TNA "Against All Odds" pay-per-view. (You can find out more information about TNA Wrestling at their Web site).

Recently, FanHouse caught up with Foley to talk with him about still wrestling at the age of 44, the recent changes in the company with Hulk Hogan, (former President of World Championship Wrestling) Eric Bischoff and Ric Flair joining the promotion and much more. Here is part one of that conversation.

First of all, at this stage in your career from moving to WWE to TNA, are you surprised you're still an active wrestler?
(laughs) Well, I was surprised that I wrestled as actively as I did last year. I knew going in that I'd do a few matches a year. I think last year was something like 16 or 17. Granted, some of the television matches weren't that lengthy. But I'm hoping to get back to a lesser wrestling schedule this year. There were some unique circumstances that kind of put me in the ring more often than I had planned on being there.

Did you like being in the ring that much?
You know, I stopped being comfortable in the ring a long time ago. And as odd as it sounds, it was actually wrestling with Kurt Angle three times over a four day period that kind of restored my confidence. So now when I go out there, I'm pretty sure I'm not going to stink up the building.

I know at the time you were really concerned about the match with Kurt last year on pay-per-view. You were really worried about making sure that it was up to a certain standard. Do you feel like you met that standard and everything went fine?
You know, I really liked the match. I know it's probably not going to make a best of Kurt Angle DVD unless it's a really comprehensive one. But I think it did things and accomplished goals that other matches, that other supposedly better matches, haven't. Does that make sense?

I think so.
I think some fans have certain things they want to see in a match in order to declare it a good one and for those fans it will not ... my match with Kurt was not going to live up to that standard. But I think it was different. I tried things I hadn't done in 15 years or so and I think given that Kurt was injured and I have a litany of limitations, we did a pretty good job.

Considering what you call a litany of limitations, is your standard for what in your mind is a good match -- is that different from what it used to be?
Yeah, it's a lot different. And a lot of that had to do with a really bad back injury I suffered two years ago and I had to accept that I can't live up to my old expectations. It's unrealistic and ultimately really unhealthy. I used to put a lot of pressure on myself to be every bit as good as used to be and I have come to understand that's not physically possible any more.

So what was your initial thought when you heard that Hulk Hogan and Eric Bischoff were coming to TNA?
You know, I was actually pretty excited about it. It's funny, I wrote this story on my TNA web blog (The Foley Files) that I had dropped off a book for Hulk Hogan to sign for a friend and had just picked up the book -- it was at a local bookstore -- I just picked up the book and had been in my house for no more then ten seconds when I received a call from Dixie Carter telling me that Hulk Hogan had just signed. So I don't know if that's fate or just a large coincidence but I certainly saw the upside of a guy of Hogan's magnitude coming in and a guy with Bischoff's background. I honestly didn't know what it held in store for me personally but I did think that overall it would be, it was a good move for the company.

I know that a lot of people talked about initially what their role was going to be with the company. Were you surprised when you heard that Hulk Hogan was not only coming in, but he was going to be a guy that was going to be a figurehead as part of the show and be behind the scenes helping run the show and be active creatively in a role which is something he hasn't really done before?
Yeah and I think it's probably something he wished he had done. I think it's difficult to fully capitalize on all of the tools available to someone if they are a current wrestler. It's just human nature that person is going to think of themselves usually to the detriment of other wrestlers in the company. So I think it's great that Hulk's on the sidelines looking in. I'd always heard he had a great mind for the business and I have been very impressed in the little bit of time I've known him.

What was the bigger surprise for you -- Hulk Hogan in TNA or Ric Flair?
(laughs) I had actually talked with Ric a little bit about coming in and there's so many guys that have such a deep respect for Vince McMahon and feel in a way they're being disloyal by coming to TNA. My message is to always reassure them that Vince is going to be just fine. I always throw a baseball metaphor in. If someone is sitting on the Yankees bench getting two or three at bats a month and the Minnesota Twins are willing to start that guy in center field, it's really not being disloyal to the Yankees to go elsewhere.

Years ago, you had done a retirement in WWE and it wasn't too long after that you decided to come back and a lot of people gave you grief about that. Now, there are a lot of people doing the same thing when it comes to Ric after he got the big retirement ceremony and left. He hasn't wrestled in TNA but people think he will. He's already returned to the ring with the Hulkamania group in Australia. From your standpoint, which I think is a lot different from others being an active wrestler, do you think it in any way hurts a legacy for Ric to come back in the ring considering the sendoff he got?
"I think anyone who wants to criticize Ric Flair should probably be required to walk around in his shoes for a while." Well, first let me say that when I came back after six weeks, that really wasn't my decision and after that it was another four years which is officially a lifetime in pro wrestling. Even with that being said, I thought it hurt my legacy but ten years later I think the truth is I'd be very much irrelevant to today's wrestling fans including portions of society that I'm trying to reach out and help. And the truth is life sometimes gets in the way of our great ambitions. I think anyone who wants to criticize Ric Flair should probably be required to walk around in his shoes for a while.

What has this transition period been like for yourself and for TNA coming from the old guard to Hogan and Bischoff coming in there?
Well, the major transition was a year and a half ago for me -- well, a year and four months -- changing companies, working for someone who is just about (laughing) Vince's polar opposite in every way and getting used to a different schedule and a different atmosphere at the television tapings. I haven't sensed the transition that much. I've seen some of the things are a little better organized. I believe there's going to be less emphasis on talking and a little more emphasis on wrestling which is what I think our fans like. I think with that being done the talking that does go on will be more important.

So are you saying (TNA President) Dixie Carter doesn't yell at people?
(laughs) You know, I've seen Dixie put a couple of people in their places and I'm talking about pretty intimidating people. Dixie is not afraid to asset herself but I have not heard her raise her voice to what I would call a yell. I heard she's terrible on those announcers on the headsets though!

Probably not as terrible as someone else you've worked with. It wasn't too long ago -- Monday, January 4 -- when TNA decided to go head-to-head with WWE Raw. You had the three hour edition of Impact which did the best numbers that TNA has ever done for the show. What were your thoughts on that show and how everything went?
I thought it was risky going in so I was relieved to see we had put up good numbers. Clearly it meant that we attracted new fans who may not have seen the product any more. And I've always felt that if you have a product that you're proud of, that you think people will like, that you would want to lead them there to sample it with the hope that they choose to stay a while. So it was an exciting night. My only real regret is there were so many things going on that I'm not sure that our fans could fully digest and appreciate them all.

That's been one the criticisms that TNA has faced -- not just now but for a while -- that sometimes the show can be a bit too confusing and there's too much going on.
And I agree. That's the product of working too hard sometimes. Apollo Creed may have been on the verge of overtraining for that big rematch with Rocky and it may have (laughs), it may have hurt him. I think you'd rather have the work ethic and do too much than believe you can go into coast mode and give the fans too little. I've always maintained that the success of the show is finding the right balance. Some weeks we do a better job than others but I think overall we're doing a lot better than we were a few years ago and I believe that formula is going to be tweaked and hopefully improved and perfected.

Vince Russo (the creative director in TNA Wrestling) obviously has his share of critics that are out there. When a situation like this happens or anything when it comes to creative decisions. Do you ever talk to him and say maybe it would be better to do it a different way, or we need to slow something down with you explaining why, or is that something you try not to get too involved in?
No, I think Vince Russo is always open to suggestions and I can say this because I didn't criticize him in my book after he was gone. So I'm not being hypocritical when I say I always thought he was a great idea man. I think for a few years he probably missed the restraint that Vince -- the other Vince -- put on him. I think even Vince Russo would probably agree that him being world champion was possibly not the best idea in the world. But he's a very creative guy. He loves to write. He loves to make characters and I think people who, you know the people who chant "fire Russo" really have no idea how large of a contribution he made to the wrestling product that they sometimes seem to like. I'm talking about the wrestling product overall as in this generation of wrestling. I think he was one of the key guys right up there with the top on-air talents.

Do you think Vince can continue to co-exist with Hulk and Eric considering their past?
Yeah I do think they can co-exist because I think there have been worse relationships (laughs) that have healed. I'm thinking of a couple of them off the top of my head. Sometimes as people interact backstage and I'm like wasn't that guy suing someone you know. Weren't they involved in a lawsuit? Wasn't there some type of a fist fight a few years ago? It's a volatile business and there's a lot of egos involved. Everybody has to believe in their own vision or they would have never gotten this far. But it seems like it's going pretty well and I think Vince Russo will actually benefit from having that one extra filter.

Part two of my conversation with Mick Foley will be posted Friday here on FanHouse.

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Karachi killings politically motivated, says Mirza

2010-02-11T23:17:00.000-08:00

KARACHI: Sindh Home Minister Zulfikar Mirza on Tuesday described the targeted killings as politically motivated and said he had been bringing that fact to the knowledge of the president and the governor and the chief minister of Sindh.

In a policy statement on the obtaining law and order situation and the current spate of targeted killings, he said he had told the relevant quarters, whose responsibility was to defend the borders, that killings were taking place in Karachi and the army should take over the control.

He asked the “people of Karachi” to stop bloodshed of poor and helpless people.

He wondered why he was not made a target and why no MNA and MPA had been killed in Karachi and why only poor people were being killed.

“We have to go before Allah, and if we have faith in the Day of Judgment, I plead with you to stop killings for the sake of Allah.

“If we are powerful today, someone else may be more powerful than us tomorrow. And one should have fear of that day when some danda-bearer may come and sit on our heads,” he said.

The minister said that everyone should thank Allah for his blessings and bounties. “Whatever respect, repute and power we enjoy is all given by the poor of Sindh, who are today being killed and their blood being shed,” Mr Mirza said.

He requested Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza, who was chairing the session, to place a copy of the Quran in the house and let everyone take an oath on it that he or she would not be involved in crime. And if even then anyone is killed, he would get himself hanged. He said the only problem was that sincerity was lacking.

The minister said that if ever the PPP felt that “I have become a liability”, he would not stay in office even for a moment.

He said it was because of the sacrifices of Benazir Bhutto that they all were sitting in the assembly.

“It is a last chance and it should not be squandered. This chance is to be utilised for the betterment of the country and nation,” he said.

The minister said that at present only political point-scoring was being done, which was harmful to the country and nation and it was high time that they all got along together.

‘Badmaash elements’

Sindh Home Minister Zulfikar Ali Mirza admitted in the Sindh assembly on Tuesday that the law and order situation was bad in the province and that he took its responsibility.

In a statement on law and order, which was earlier criticised by PML-Q MPA Shaharyar Maher, he said if there had not been the policy of reconciliation, he would have hanged each and every “badmaash” at roundabouts and the ongoing targeted killings would not have occurred.

He started speaking on law and order in Shikarpur district and challenged Shaharyar Maher to meet him and discuss that issue with him. He said he would tell the MPA how many trailers had been hijacked on the highway and from where those were recovered.

He said when those trailers were recovered from a mill, the persons concerned told him that they had leased out the mill and they were not concerned with the recovery of the trailers from the mill’s premises.

The home minister asked them that if they had leased out their mill, why they had given it to criminals.

Mr Mirza said every child of Shikarpur could tell which elements of a tribe were involved in the deteriorating law and order situation and were taking refuge under the policy of reconciliation.

He said about 200 people had been killed in that district in the fire of feudal strife and he could give a list of the people killed. He said a poor man was killed when he resisted an attempt to lift his buffalo.

He declared that he would present every detail in the house as to who supported the criminals.

“I declare that from today no leniency would be shown to ‘badmaash elements’”, the home minister said at the top of his voice.

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Museum director Steven Nash motivated by art

2010-02-10T23:08:00.000-08:00

Steven Nash still loves the smell of oil-based paints and turpentine, but he realized early on in life that he had no talent as an artist.

“Where I do have a good eye for art, I do not have a good hand at making it,” said the executive director of the Palm Springs Art Museum.

Nash arrived at the museum nearly three years ago, passionate about bringing in big-name exhibits and increasing the donations received.

On a routine walk through the museum, he admires pieces of art that he's seen a hundred times before. Nash is active in acquisitions for the museum and still pens pieces about art.

But Nash also is running a business. In an economy that's unforgiving to most businesses — not to mention the arts — he talked about his vision for the future of the Palm Springs Art Museum.

Question: How have your membership and admissions revenue been the past couple of years? Are they growing?

Answer: They have been. That's one good sign that even in the last year, membership and admission income have all grown. Not tremendously, but we've been growing at a 10 to 15 percent pace per year. For us, with the community size we have, that's a pretty strong rate.

That surprises me. It seems like public entities — the arts, theaters, museums — in other parts of the country are struggling.

It's not that we don't have our concerns. Balancing any museum budget — unless you're The Getty, and even The Getty's having problems — is a challenge.

But I think there's a real story here that is slowly infiltrating the region that there is something important happening, that there are exciting things going on.

We've been pretty aggressive in our programming with taking in these traveling shows and a steady stream of exhibitions, programming lots of events around those.

We've done something which is particularly important I would say on the education side by continuing our free Thursday nights. It's a traditional, popular event.

But thanks to funding from the Berger Foundation, we've added a free second Sunday. The main demographic we're aiming at is family visitors. A Sunday afternoon at the museum with a lot of special activities has proved to be very popular. We get over 1,000 people a day, which is a lot for us.

When you got here in 2007, you expressed a desire to bring large national and international exhibits here, Picasso and Matisse, for example. Do you have plans for those still?

We will continue along that track. We've been really experimenting to some degree to find the right level, the right exhibition that will play well with our audiences.

We know, for instance, outstanding art glass exhibitions have a very, very big draw here. We are working long-term. It's not easy to nail down some of these exhibitions which have those kind of international, stellar names to them.

No. 1, there's a lot of competition to do those shows. No. 2, they're amazingly expensive. We're talking still about shows of that variety.

We have a 75th anniversary coming up in a couple years, so the programming for that will be quite stellar. I don't want to mention any of the possibilities at this point and jinx myself, but there will be a couple of exhibitions any museum in the country would be proud to have.

What's your strategy in approaching people for bequests and gifts to the museum's collection?

People are interested in giving works of art to places that are worthy of receiving them and have the right environment to fully take care of, exhibit and publish them.

The groundwork had to start with renovating the institution physically so that we had better exhibition spaces, more handsome galleries for display of works of art, working on a program in (growth areas).

Photography is a real growth area for us. If there is staff expertise, someone on staff who knows what this material is and has scholarly background in it, the proof of program that is dedicated to honoring photography, then you have a chance for photography gifts.

So we started fairly early on knowing that photography could be a real growth field for us. We hired a curator with strong credentials in photography; we booked a couple of photography shows; announced our intentions; started a photography collection council at the museum — and this has really caught on in a very big way.

It's one segment where people are now paying attention to us. We've been given hundreds of photographs in the last couple of years.

Nothing succeeds like success. It's an old proverb I love because the more energy you show, the more important the place becomes as a museum.

And the more likely people are to take you very seriously, to become excited themselves and find you to be a worthy home for things that they love.

You mentioned the museum's upcoming 75th anniversary. What would you hope the museum to look like by its centennial?

It's going to be a much bigger place.

It's certainly going to grow physically, one way or another. There are various scenarios we're thinking of now that could be quite long-term.

I think this museum should always be the home base, in Palm Springs. We have a great building here, and it would be the home of the collection.

But I would really like to see it grow to some degree as — for lack of a better phrase — a franchise museum with satellite locations in other parts of the valley.

It's hard for schools in Indio to get to us, for instance. It is possible for us to have a satellite location farther down valley, in the east valley.

Especially for education purposes, it would give us a platform in those communities where we can much more easily get to the schools and get the schools to us.

There is no question that education is increasingly a dominant factor in our mission. Twenty-five years from now, it's going to be even bigger.

What is your motivation?

It's a three-letter word.

Art.

I started out in college as an economics major, and I had a little bit of business school. I have a business perspective. I'm not a great business technician. But I do have a mind that looks at charities and nonprofits as a business operation.

But I never for one minute forget what the place is about, and that is art.

The joy of creation, the absolute brilliance and overwhelming awesomeness of great art — once you get that bug, why, it never goes away.

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Media Matters: The politically motivated selective-victimhood of Sarah Palin

2010-02-09T23:06:00.000-08:00

You've got to hand it to Fox News contributor Sarah Palin. After all, there aren't many people who can make news with a single Facebook post. Her status updates are like catnip for journalists and media types.

In a story detailing purported liberal criticism of White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel,The Wall Street Journal reported this week that, in a private meeting, Emanuel called plans by liberal groups to run ads targeting conservative Democrats "F-ing retarded."

Following news of the hurtful comment, Palin, the mother of a child with Down syndrome, took to Facebook to demand Emanuel's firing in a post she titled, "Are You Capable of Decency, Rahm Emanuel?"

The deservedly stern comments of an offended mother or the hypocritical nonsense of a political opportunist?

First, it's worth noting that Emanuel has apologized for the comment at least twice now. It's also worth noting that just a few short weeks ago, Palin fretted that we were becoming a nation where we -- I'm guessing all the Joe the Plumbers out there -- couldn't use words that were "politically incorrect."

Far from consistent, Palin has exposed herself as someone who deploys selective-victimhood as a politically motivated weapon.

How else can one explain her harsh rebuke of Emanuel and near silence when it comes to eerily similar language used by conservative radio talker Rush Limbaugh and her Fox News colleague Glenn Beck?

Last January, during an interview with Mary Lynn Rajskub, a star of Fox Broadcasting Co.'24, Beck laughed at the idea of artwork produced by children with Down syndrome, asking, "What do the paintings of the retarded children go for?" Then there was the time right after the 2008 election when he went after Newsweek over a story on Palin that he found objectionable. Purporting to offer the magazine's view of the former governor, he played the role of an unnamed Newsweek staffer saying, "When it's really, truly about Sarah Palin and how stupid, she's practically retarded. Yes. I think that's appropriate word to use for Sarah Palin, retarded. I think that's an... if you would like a retarded person running the State of Alaska, just higgeldy-piggeldy."

So what did Palin, then the newly minted Fox News contributor, have to say about these comments during her first hour-long sit-down interview with Beck?

Nothing. Nada. Crickets.

Responding to the controversy surrounding Palin and Emanuel, Limbaugh said liberals who complained about health care reform "are retards." Sure, El Rushbo went on to say that he was just using the term in "quoting Emanuel," but it wasn't the first time the language had appeared on his radio program. Almost a year ago, long before the Emanuel gaffe, while discussing the flu, Limbaugh appeared to mock those concerned with the use of such language, saying, "[a]nything you can do to stop it or to arrest it or to retard -- sorry -- to 'Special Olympic' its duration, then it -- you should do it."

On Thursday, Limbaugh addressed his controversial comments and suggested that Palin wouldn't "denounce" him because she "knows I do this kind of" thing. Just four hours later, responding to a request for comment on Limbaugh's comments by Greg Sargent of Washington Post Co.'s The Plum Line blog, Palin's spokesperson provided a broad statement saying in part that use of the word constitutes "crude and demeaning name calling."

How long would Palin stand up to radio's reigning king of radical right-wing vitriol? Not long at all.

The following day on his radio program, Limbaugh told listeners that a Palin representative had called him in a "panic" to explain her criticism. Heaven forbid she should offend Boss Limbaugh.

During the 2008 Democratic presidential primary, Palin offered then-Senator Hillary Clinton advice on dealing with the pervasive sexism Clinton faced in the media, saying essentially that she should stop whining.

If Palin can't be consistent in her criticism, perhaps she should take her own advice.
Other Major Stories

What's in a name? For Glenn Beck, the answer, it appears, is everything

On Thursday, Beck was revisiting one of his favorite subjects: the hidden history of Barack Obama. Reflecting on how Obama had, as a young man, gone from calling himself Barry to using his given name of Barack, Beck said this:

He chose to use his name Barack for a reason -- to identify, not with America -- you don't take the name Barack to identify with America. You take the name Barack to identify with what? Your heritage? The heritage, maybe, of your father in Kenya, who is a radical?

Beck's history regarding discussions of race speaks for itself. He has said Obama possesses "a deep-seated hatred for white people." Soon after, he defended those remarks, stating once again that, "I think the president is a racist." He has suggested that Obama is seeking to become a "slavemaster." He has pushed the idea that Mexican immigrants want to "reclaim" California and Texas. He called Justice Sonia Sotomayor a "racist" on at least three separate occasions. Beck has portrayed the Democratic health care reform effort as "the beginning of reparations," a theme he has repeated on both his Fox News and radio shows, saying that Obama plans to "settle old racial scores through new social justice." During a discussion of former White House green jobs official Van Jones' past, he baselessly juxtaposed Jones' picture with footage from a riot. He hasclaimed that India lacked "flush toilets" and said that the Ganges sounded like "a disease."

All of these examples are from the last year. The deeper you dig, the worse it gets.

And yet, when Media Matters accused Beck of racial insensitivity, he responded indignantly that "nothing could be further from the truth."

"If you don't see why some people would get upset that you accused the president of adopting his African name in order to repudiate his American identity and connect with his father's radical Kenyan heritage," wrote Media Matters' Simon Maloy yesterday, "then I'm afraid you might be a lost cause."

Indeed, he is -- and he's not interested in being saved. Though he portrays himself as an average Joe just trying to make sense of the world, Beck is actually a wildly successful broadcaster with decades of experience. Everything he does and says is deliberate, and by now, it should be overwhelmingly obvious that he routinely crafts his rhetoric to appeal to the worst impulses in his audience. He insults minorities, and uses racially provocative language and imagery, because he wants to stir resentments among viewers and listeners. There is simply no other way to explain the racially charged content he has made a staple of his work.

Is it any wonder why at least 80 advertisers have fled his Fox News program and civil rights groups have condemned him over his latest comments?

This week's media columns

This week's media columns from the Media Matters senior fellows: Eric Boehlert asks what Bill Buckley would say about today's "conservative journalism"; and Jamison Foser looks at Andew Breitbart and the Vince Foster conspiracists.

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Spartans' Tom Izzo still motivated by struggles against Michigan early in career

2010-02-02T20:50:00.000-08:00

Tom Izzo hasn’t forgotten.

It wasn’t always the case that Michigan State dominated the Michigan basketball series. Many of today’s Spartans certainly can’t remember it.

Draymond Green said he never even paid attention to Wolverines basketball as he grew up in Saginaw. And Kalin Lucas said he was unaware that Izzo’s first five games against Michigan resulted in five double-digit losses.

“But coach, if he did lose those five straight -- I know coach, and he was most likely pissed off,” Lucas said.

In some ways, he still is.

The games weren’t close. The margins were 22, 29, 13, 20 and 10 points. They brought some snarky comments, including one from a certain Grand Rapids columnist who called Izzo Michigan’s “lapdog.”

The three seasons involved included a pair of NIT berths, after five of Jud Heathcote’s last six teams qualified for the NCAA tournament, and there was open question whether Heathcote’s former assistant was the right guy for the job.

About the same time, over at the rival university, football fans wondered the same thing about one Lloyd Carr.

Both would win national championships.

Both would enjoy extended periods of dominance against their in-state rival.

And both fueled themselves, for years thereafter, with those early memories.

“I’m motivated by the 12 years before those five games,” Izzo said Monday, leading into tonight’s showdown at Crisler Arena here. “I’m motivated by the fact that every alum in this country is motivated by it. I’m motivated because it stands in the way of us, hopefully, getting to our goals at the beginning of the year.

“But your rival is your rival. And I’ve said a million times, people try to make it out ‘Is he as passionate about it? Does he hate them as much?’ And the answer is yes to all those things. OK? It’s yes to all those things.”

He has respect for Michigan, he said, heightened during the Tommy Amaker era, when the Wolverines reached the cusp of the NCAA tournament but never quite made it, with a resultant coaching change.

That grew with the John Beilein hiring -- and now, the Michigan coach, after losses each of the past two years, when the rivalry was played only once each season, is the one burdened with proving he can win the Great Lakes State showdown.

“I have respect for coaches. I have respect for programs,” Izzo said. “But it is what it is. And I’m sure the feeling is mutual down there.”

Izzo said he thinks he became obsessed with Michigan in his early years as head coach, and with how fans and alumni emphasized that wanting to win wasn’t enough, that hatred also is requisite.

He didn’t really need that lesson, though. He already could draw upon the memory of some good U-M teams in the 1980s, one of them a 1989 national championship team, followed in short order by the Fab Five. Including his years as an assistant under Heathcote, Izzo lost 19 of his first 29 games against the Wolverines.

That has changed, of course. The Spartans have won 16 of 19 in the series, over a 12-season span.

Defeat honed the senses. The “passion to win, the sleepless nights, the excitement” remain the same, whether trying to preserve a winning streak or break a losing skid.

Motivation gets stirred by talking to ex-players about their Michigan reminiscences, or by hearing from alumni about the water-cooler expectations they have the next morning.

It’s 2010, a different era in the relationship between Michigan and Michigan State basketball.
But in the buildup, the preparation, the anticipation, for one man, it is always 1995.

“I think back to those beatings,” he said. “I think back to things that happened back then.”

Then he sets his jaw, grits his teeth, and plots retribution.

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Outpouring of support motivated by compassion

2010-01-28T23:16:00.000-08:00

If there's anything good that comes from a humanitarian catastrophe on the staggering scale of the Haiti earthquake, it's the reminder of our own common humanity.

The international response-- from the hundreds of millions of dollars in donations from individuals and corporations to the disaster relief provided by different governments -- transcends politics or economics or self-interest.

This unprecedented outpouring of support is motivated by compassion for the people of this ravaged nation. While there are acknowledged logistical problems distributing aid in the ruined capital of Port-au-Prince -- and delays caused by the sheer destruction wrought by the 7.0-richter magnitude quake -- the difficulties do not detract from this compassion.

In fact, the very first country to provide aid -- the neighbouring Dominican Republic -- put aside lingering animosities that dated back to the 19th century to provide clean water, food and heavy equipment to help in rescue efforts.

The government of Qatar, a small Muslim nation bordered by Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf, sent more than 50 tonnes of desperately needed supplies on a C-17, while the Israeli government erected a field hospital near the United Nations building in Port-au-Prince. The government of Iran announced plans to send 30 tonnes of emergency aid, including tents and medicine.

The European Union provided an immediate three-million euros in funding while pledging another 600-million euros in long-term support for emergency aid and reconstruction. The governments of Canada and the U.S. -- the countries that have taken the lead roles in assistance efforts -- have both more than $100 million in financial aid, as well as troops and equipment to help with rescue efforts.

In total, almost 120 of the world's nations have pledged to helping the people of Haiti.

These commitments have been matched by an incredible response from intergovernmental organizations and hundreds of nongovernment agencies like the International Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

In Canada, the Red Cross has already raised $22 million for relief efforts. Locally, Oxford residents were lined up outside of the Woodstock offices of the Red Cross to make donations while local businesses have made their own financial contributions.

With hundreds of thousands feared dead and millions left homeless -- and fears of an unparalleled crisis as supplies begin to dwindle -- much of the world has mobilized and that, given the usual international tensions and willful ignorance, is cause for hope. This common response shows that we are capable of putting aside our differences and working for the betterment of all.

If only we could do it a little more often.

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In Somerville, reluctant Coakley voters motivated by health care

2010-01-27T23:15:00.000-08:00

SOMERVILLE -- In the Democratic primary last month for US Senate, this city backed the campaign of Representative Michael Capuano, a native son and former mayor who ultimately came up short against Martha Coakley.

Capuano's loss did not prevent voters from turning out in droves today for the general election, with a polling place at the Dante Club bustling early. Several people interviewed on the way out of the social hall described themselves as reluctant Coakley supporters motivated by the prospect of a victory by Republican Scott Brown and concerns that it would thwart the health care legislation before Congress.

"To be honest, I wasn't all that enthusiastic about Martha Coakley. But, you know, I think the health care thing is so important," said Chris O’Brien, a 29-year-old singer-songwriter who began paying closer attention after the race tightened. "I didn't know who Scott Brown was two weeks ago. . . [but] I know he’s been gaining some serious momentum over the last couple of weeks, so we'll see. It’s hard to imagine Massachusetts with a Republican senator."

In the primaries, 670 of the precinct's 2,300-plus voters cast ballots, leaving poll workers in December with little to do for stretches other than sip coffee and leaf through magazines. But this morning, 334 had voted by 10 a.m., with the line snaking down the corridor at times during a pre-work rush. Some had not voted since the 2008 presidential election.

The Coakley campaign was going door-to-door among the neighborhood's multi-family houses to check off potential supporters and encourage turnout, in a densely populated area that was once the domain largely of immigrant and working-class families and that is now home to scores of young professionals and graduate students.

"It's been busy, exceptionally so," said Niki Voorthamis, the precinct's warden, noting that a dozen or so voters had already come in who were not on the rolls at all or who had fallen to the inactive list because of recent failure to vote or return the city's last census.

At that moment, as if on cue, Mara Brod approached Voorthamis's table, after the clerks near the door failed to find her name on their list. Brod, a 39-year-old photographer who has lived in Somerville for over a decade, confided that she had not voted since 2008 and had recently moved within the city.

"I just wanted to see if I'm still registered at my old apartment," Brod told Voorthamis, who jotted down her past and present addresses on a pad and picked up a walkie-talkie to call the city's election headquarters. A fuzzy reply came back; Brod was on the list at the Cummings School, nearly a mile's walk in the snow.

"You hear that? You're at 3-2, and I'll tell you where that is," Voorthamis said. "You're on the inactive list but you can vote there."

Outside, Brod said she was motivated by a desire to see national health care legislation pass, not because she loves Coakley.

"I feel like she's who we have, and I'm a little disappointed about the way she ran her campaign," Brod said. "But I guess they just didn't see this coming."

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Less motivated people achieve success on fun tasks

2010-01-26T23:13:00.000-08:00

Washington, Jan 20: People who are highly motivated generally do better on specific tasks than those who are less motivated, but when it comes to fun tasks, the latter bunch emerges as the winner.

According to lead researcher Dolores Albarrac¡n from University of Illinois, the findings suggest that two students may respond quite differently to a teacher's exhortation that they strive for excellence.

The study suggests that those who are "chronically uninterested in achievement" are not operating out of a desire to do badly.

Their differing responses simply may reflect the fact that they have different goals.

"The competitive mindset, the achievement mindset becomes a huge de-motivator for those who don't necessarily value excellence as much as they value their well-being," said Albarrac¡n.

"Perhaps the reason they don't care to do well is because they want to do something else; they want to enjoy themselves - which is not a bad goal," she added.

In four studies, the researchers evaluated how participants' attitudes toward achievement, called their "chronic achievement motivation," influenced their performance on various tasks.

It showed that those with high achievement motivation did better on a task when they also were exposed to subconscious "priming" (the flash of a word on a computer screen, for example, that appeared too briefly to be consciously noticed) that related to winning, mastery or excellence.

Those with low achievement motivation did worse under the same conditions.

Similarly, when given a choice, those with high achievement motivation were more likely to resume an interrupted task, such as a word-search puzzle, which they were told tested their verbal reasoning ability, than their peers, who were more likely to switch to a task perceived as fun.

The researchers also found that those with high achievement motivation actually did worse on a word-search puzzle when they were told the exercise was fun and they had been exposed to achievement primes, such as the words "excel," "compete" or "dominate."

Their counterparts, who were not very motivated to achieve, did better under the same conditions.

These finding suggest that achievement primes inhibit the desire to have fun in those who are motivated to achieve, the authors wrote. But in people who lack achievement motivation, the same cues seem to enhance their desire - and ability - to perform a task seen as fun.

"It's not that those with high achievement motivation always perform better. You can also get the low achievement motivation folks to perform better than the highs when you present a task as enjoyable and fun," Albarrac¡n added.

The study appears in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

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Part loyalty and vanity motivated the Senate

2010-01-24T19:25:00.000-08:00

Like desperate last-minute Christmas shoppers who would grab any gift at any price, the U.S. Senate rushed through a hasty and ill-conceived rewrite of healthcare legislation on Christmas Eve. It was a holiday party—a total party line vote.
President Obama’s message to senators seemed focused more on party loyal and an appeal to desires for glory than on what Americans want or need. Plus the spirit of “What's in it for me?” rather than the unselfish spirit of Christmas.
With public support collapsing all about them — 61 percent in opposition, according to CNN’s December polling — many Democrats seemed motivated by a feeling that they’ve gone too far to turn back now, even if it’s in the wrong direction.
They could invoke Benjamin Franklin’s aphorism: “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
Franklin, however, had a much nobler purpose in mind: independence from government tyranny.
The ultimate language remains a mystery to many, concealed in two thousand pages of wrapping. The governors of New York and California, after digging to the bottom, crying foul over billions in new costs that will further wreck their already imperiled state budgets.
With or without a so-called “public option,” it’s certain that the bill will displace millions of Americans from their private insurance, put Washington in charge of all healthcare and insurance, and expand the number of people who depend on taxpayers to pay for their coverage.
Bureaucrats such as the new “health choices commissioner” would be granted czar-like powers to impose what would function as a federally controlled, single-payer system. That power would extend over everyone, even those who think they still have private insurance.
“It’s now or never” summed up the White House message as President Obama asks his fellow Democrats to disregard the public opposition and pass Obamacare anyway. White House operatives told Politico this is the “last chance” and “last train leaving the station” as Christmas approached.
The appeal to unity and glory is an echo of the argument Obama used to rally final votes for the House version of the legislation. As ABC News said about that House meeting, Obama used an argument based on political calculation: "At the end of his speech, Obama got a rousing ovation for saying, "I am absolutely confident that, when I sign this bill in the Rose Garden, each and every one of you will be able to look back and say, 'This was my finest moment in politics.'"
This appeal to political vanity is very different from the claims the president makes about his proposals in public meetings. So it’s no wonder that Obama has abandoned his campaign pledge to conduct healthcare negotiations publicly and on C-SPAN. Now the House and Senate versions of the bill will be reconciled behind closed doors (but with the White House well-represented).
Obama had said in 2008, "I'm going to have all the negotiations around a big table. We'll have doctors and nurses and hospital administrators. Insurance companies, drug companies — they'll get a seat at the table, they just won't be able to buy every chair. But what we will do is, we'll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN."
Those who want to commit political suicide will suffer the consequences at the hands of the voters. The problem is that damage won’t end there. Dramatic new costs will be imposed on 160 million Americans who already have health insurance. Unfair adverse consequences will abound, such as a $3,000 penalty on businesses that hire low-income workers. It will be costlier than ever to create new jobs or to buy insurance (except for those who are granted new government subsidies at the expense of taxpayers).
Rather than appealing to party loyalty and political vanity, even many on the left are calling for President Obama and Congress to slow down and start over. But they so far show no signs of doing that.
(Ernest Istook, who was a congressman from Oklahoma for 14 years, now is a distinguished fellow at The Heritage Foundation.)

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Motivated Vonn wins 3d straight downhill

2010-01-23T19:24:00.000-08:00

HAUS IM ENNSTAL, Austria - Nothing like a “stupid’’ comment about her weight to make Lindsey Vonn ski faster.

She won her third straight World Cup downhill yesterday and regained the overall standings lead from Maria Riesch of Germany.

Austrian media this week reported that Vonn, the reigning downhill and overall champion, would have an advantage in speed events because she was carrying additional weight.

“Any time people say stupid things in the media, it always makes me more motivated to try to ski faster,’’ Vonn said. “It’s obvious that I am an athlete and not an overweight person, so I thought it was pretty ridiculous. It just added fuel to the fire.’’

Vonn raced the course in 1 minute 38.84 seconds to beat Anja Paerson of Sweden by 0.35 seconds. Riesch took third, 0.39 behind the American.

“I really attacked today,’’ said Vonn, who is skiing with a bruised left arm after a crash in Lienz last month but still posted the fastest first intermediate time. She is unbeaten in downhill since February 2008.

Former slalom champion Giorgio Rocca pulled a muscle in training and might miss the Vancouver Olympics. The Italian Winter Sports Federation said Rocca injured the thigh-groin area and will miss this weekend’s races in Switzerland . . . Two-time overall champion Bode Miller will try to earn a spot in the Olympic giant slalom when he returns to racing today after a three-week injury break. US coach Sasha Rearick said Miller spent the holidays in California and his injured ankle swelled during the flight.

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Indian attacks raise fears of ruined reputation

2010-01-22T19:22:00.000-08:00

The Victorian Government says it hopes another attack on an Indian man in Melbourne will not dissuade people from considering Australia as a safe place to study, work and live.

An Indian man is in hospital after being set on fire in the street in Melbourne early yesterday morning.

Jaspreet Singh, 29, was attacked in Essendon in Melbourne's north-west shortly before 2.00am (AEDT).

He had just come home from a dinner party with his wife and went to park his car when four men poured fluid over him and set him alight.

He is in a stable condition in the Alfred Hospital with burns to 20 per cent of his body.

Victorian Minister Peter Batchelor says the Government hopes the incident will not harm people's views of Australia.

"We don't support any sorts of violence at all irrespective of who it is against, whether it is against people who are born and live here or whether it is for all of the fantastic migrants or refugees or students who come to our country," he said.

"Whether it is racially motivated or whether is is for some other reason such as theft or some other crime related factor, it diminishes our community, it diminishes us all and we're totally opposed to it.

"We want the police to thoroughly investigate this to get to the bottom of it."

Police say the strange circumstances surrounding the attack have led them to believe it was not racially motivated.

Detective acting senior sergeant Neil Smyth says police are yet to locate burnt clothing the victim discarded shortly after the incident.

He says police have a general description of who the offenders could be.

"I believe there is no reason at this stage to consider this in any way as racially motivated... the circumstances of him parking the car randomly in a side street and just some people approaching him are a bit strange," he said.

"It's highly unlikely therefore to be a targeted attack on any individual."

Police say the man is of Indian origin but they do not know whether he is an Australian citizen.

Friends say the man is living in the city on a spouse visa.

It has been a week since 21-year-old Indian man Nitin Garg was stabbed to death on his way to work in West Footscray.

The murder has sparked outrage in India and among Indians in Melbourne, who say racist attacks are on the rise.

Gautam Gupta from the Federation of Indian Students of Australia says the attacks are unacceptable and the Federal Government must act.

"We are extremely disturbed, we have contacted the Prime Minister's office and have suggested that they intervene, it's high time they intervene," he said.

"How many times are they going to just dodge this issue."

Cartoon 'hysteria'

Yesterday the editor of an Indian newspaper said Australia was reacting hysterically to a cartoon depicting an Australian police officer as a member of the Ku Klux Klan .

The cartoon shows a person in a Ku Klux Klan hood wearing a police badge, with a caption that reads: "We are yet to ascertain the nature of the crime".

The editor of the Mail Today newspaper, Bharat Bhushan, has defended his decision to publish the controversial cartoon.

Mr Bhushan has also defended the paper's cartoonist, R Prasad, who drew the piece in response to attacks on young Indian men in Melbourne.

"What he does is he exaggerates things," Mr Bhushan said.

"He forces people to look at a particular point of view, which we had thought in a mature society like Australia would lead to introspection, rather it has led to hysteria."

Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard has expressed outrage at the cartoon's Ku Klux Klan reference.

"Any suggestion of that kind is deeply, deeply offensive to the police officers involved and I would absolutely condemn the making of a comment like that," Ms Gillard said.

"[The police] have indeed worked in close collaboration with representatives of the Indian community as they've gone about this step up in policing."

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ALABAMA NOTEBOOK: Saban keeps Tide motivated

2010-01-09T21:14:00.000-08:00

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Coaches from the two teams playing in the BCS national championship game traveled Saturday to Disneyland for an appearance at the ESPN Zone, a sports bar and restaurant located at the entrance to the theme park.

Alabama coach Nick Saban drew a huge laugh from the media when asked if he was enjoying himself. The coach was greeted by Mickey Mouse as he stepped off the team bus, then sat down with ESPN analyst Jesse Palmer for a 30-minute session with the media. When he got up to leave, a Disneyland official tried to hand him a special BCS trophy of the Magic Castle, which he quickly passed to Alabama football media relations director Jeff Purinton.

This is what Saban calls "clutter," a series of distractions that has nothing to do -- in his mind -- with Thursday's game between top-ranked Alabama and second-ranked Texas.

"I told our players a story the other day about the U.S. hockey team," Saban said. "Probably one of the greatest victories of this century by any team was when they beat the Soviets in 1980, the 'Miracle on Ice.' Do you know what people don't remember? That didn't win the gold medal. They had to win the next game against Finland to win the gold medal.

"So what did they learn when they beat the Soviets? They learned when they made a commitment and everybody had a single-minded purpose and an I-won't-be-denied kind of attitude and everybody went out there and played their best what they could accomplish. Hopefully our players will learn some of the same things from what they did in the SEC Championship Game.

"The first thing I did when we came back from the SEC Championship Game is I drew a line on the grease board all the way across the room, the team meeting room, and I said, 'It's 32 days until we play the game. How you manage those 32 days is going to determine how you play in the game. And I can't control that for everybody in this room; you have to make those choices and decisions for yourself.'"

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Cornerback Johnson returns: Senior cornerback Marquis Johnson returned to practice Saturday wearing a cast on his left hand to protect a broken thumb.

"He practiced today and he's using his hand again," Saban said. "He didn't practice with a black shirt on, which means he was able to have contact. Now, whether he can catch the ball with a cast on his hand or not, he has caught some, but it could affect his ability to catch."

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McElroy's mojo: Saban was asked by several national reporters about the emergence of Greg McElroy this season, but said he learned more about the junior quarterback when he had some struggles during the middle of the season.

"Probably my biggest memory, to be honest with you, is when he had the dip, having a conversation with him about focusing on the right things, be who you are," Saban said. "I think he got to where he started to try to please everyone else, and he really wasn't doing what he needed to do as a player.

"And to see him realize that and sort of come back and improve and finish the season strong, that's probably (the) most significant (memory), at least for our team and for Greg."

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Myrtle Beach area gyms push folks to stay motivated

2010-01-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

Local gyms and fitness centers are expecting an influx of people coming in to burn off those holiday pounds.

But just like the holidays come to an end, so do several new participants' goals to get in shape after working out a month or two at the gym, local fitness experts say.

That's why several area gyms and fitness centers are offering discounts and programs to help people stay motivated.

They encourage people to make healthy eating choices, set small, reachable goals, to grow with their goals, to be consistent, and have programs in place to entice people to stay.

"A lot of times people get overzealous, and they burn themselves out," said Pat Flynn, fitness director at the North Myrtle Beach Aquatic and Fitness Center. "We tell them to take it slow and to start with three days a week."

The North Myrtle Beach center is waiving its $100 enrollment fee through Saturday and will have an open house that day during which people can use the facility for free, said director Melinda Chappell.

The center also has a "Smallest Winner New Year's Challenge" program, in which groups of three or four team up with a trainer and compete against other teams for six weeks to see who can lose the most weight, Flynn said. The team with the highest percentage of weight lost at the end of the contest will win prizes, Flynn said.

Some other workout facilities are offering similar programs.

Myrtle Beach's Pepper Geddings Recreation Center is in its fifth year of its "Choose to Lose" weight loss competition and fitness program. Prizes are offered throughout the 12-week program that begins Saturday as an incentive and reward to participants who meet their goals, recreation center officials said.

The American Athletic Club in Myrtle Beach allowed people to register in December for "12 Days of Fitness." Those who registered get to use the gym for free for a 12-day trial.

If participants decide to join after the 12-day trial ends, they will get a discount on their membership, said manager Chal Lester.

Kerry and Allison Brazley, who are doing the 12-day trial, said it takes motivation and determination to stick with your fitness plan and reach your goals.

The two are considering joining the gym when they permanently move to the area and said they want to maintain what they've been doing, such as strength training and conditioning.

"You have to do everything in moderation," Allison Brazley said. "People try to do too much at once."

In addition to giving all its members a free fitness assessment, Gold's Gym in Myrtle Beach also offers its new members a free fitness assessment with a personal trainer, said Tre Capp, who works at the gym.

"We get people to set goals when they first come in," Capp said.

Barbara Martin, who was working out Thursday at the North Myrtle Beach fitness center, said her goals are to lower her cholesterol level, lose weight, be more flexible and get into shape so it doesn't hurt her to walk or move.

"I got tired feeling as old as I am," said Martin, a new member at the North Myrtle Beach facility.

"I didn't want to make another New Year's resolution to lose weight. I did that years ago, and it only lasted about a month. I made a resolution the first part of December to go to the center. It's more of a commitment to me."

Martin, who has a fitness plan set up for her, is looking long-term to be able to fit into her size 12 clothes again.

"I still have size 10 and 12 [clothing] in my closet, just in case," Martin said.

"If I see results, it always keeps me motivated to do more. If I can put on a pair of pants and I feel more comfortable, it makes me feel motivated to continue."

Chappell said people who work out with a trainer or participate in classes tend to be motivated by others to help them stay on task.

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Falcons, Bucs motivated for season finale

2010-01-07T21:05:00.000-08:00

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Atlanta Falcons can make franchise history. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers would like to think they can save their coach's job.

So much for the notion that the NFC South rivals might be content with going through the motions when they end disappointing seasons Sunday.

The Falcons (8-7) have won two straight and still have a shot at finishing with consecutive winning records for the first time.

The Bucs (3-12), also winners the past two weeks, have one more opportunity to make a case they're headed in the right direction after losing 12 of their first 13 under rookie coach Raheem Morris.

"Our motivation is to have a winning season," Falcons 1,000-yard receiver Roddy White said.

"You always want to be the first person to do something. That's what our task is. It's like a playoff game. Our owner wants to get this out of the way. We're going to be out there playing hard. We want to make sure we get it done for him."

The Bucs are feeling a lot better about themselves after beating Seattle and New Orleans on the road.

They rallied from a 17-point deficit to beat the Saints in overtime last week, although it's anybody's guess if one of the biggest upsets of the year enhanced the prospect of Morris returning in 2010.

The reclusive Glazer family has not commented publicly on the 33-year-old coach's future. Nor have team officials done anything to squash speculation the owners are trying to gauge whether Bill Cowher is interested in the job.

In the meantime, the youngest coach in the league continues to go about his business.

"When you do what I do, you can't worry about that," Morris said. "You've got to go do your job."

The Falcons entered the season with high expectations after winning 11 games and making the playoffs in their first year under Mike Smith. They faded after a 4-1 start, in part because of key injuries that contributed to a stretch of six losses in eight games.

Victories the past two weeks against the Jets and Bills ensured Atlanta would finish .500 or better in consecutive seasons for just the fifth time.

"You get what you earn in this league. To this point we've earned an 8-7 record ... but we feel like we've made some strides in a lot of areas," Smith said.

"This is our second year. We're talking about building a team that is going to be able to sustain the level of play for a number of years. That's our main goal. I think we made some improvements in many areas, even though it doesn't show on the win-loss record."

Morris feels the same way about his young team, which has endured three quarterback changes, as well as the firing of their offensive and defensive coordinators since the start of training camp.

After a slow start, the offense is showing signs of progress, with rookie quarterback Josh Freeman going 3-5 since moving into the starting lineup. The defense allowed 29 points per game through 10 games, but has limited opponents to 17.4 per game since Morris took over play-calling responsibilities five weeks ago.

Against the Seahawks and Saints, Tampa Bay didn't allow any points in the second half.

"We're playing good football right now," said Freeman, who believes the Bucs are beginning to establish an identity as a tough, physical team.

"We're running the ball. The defense is standing up and shutting people down. This is the type of football we're capable of playing. Our record is what it is, but we have a chance to go out and get another one on Sunday and end the season on a high note."

The Falcons beat Tampa Bay 20-17 in Atlanta on Nov. 29, despite losing Matt Ryan with a foot injury in the opening quarter. Backup Chris Redmond threw the winning TD pass to White with 23 seconds to go.

The Falcons have taken note of what the Bucs have done down the stretch.

"I'm very impressed with the effort and the consistency they're playing with," Smith said.

"I think defensively, they have really stepped up their play in the last four or five weeks. And the young quarterback has definitely matured since the first time we saw him, and I thought he had a very good game when we played him here in Atlanta."

Running back Cadillac Williams, who has overcome two career-threatening knee injury to become Tampa Bay's leading rusher again, is among the Bucs who feel Morris and his staff deserve to be back.

"A lot of things happened, but they've definitely showed the second half of the season with Josh coming in and other guys stepping up that they've pulled things together," said Williams, coming off his first 100-yard rushing performance in over three years.

"If you watch a lot of teams that have one or two wins, they just don't play hard. You still see guys out there playing hard and giving maximum effort."

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10 ways to get motivated for change in 2010

2010-01-06T20:57:00.000-08:00

(CNN) -- A new decade is about to start, and you may be tempted to set a copious list of resolutions for yourself in order to broadly "make life better."

You may be thinking that you'll jump in on January 1 to reform everything from diet to relationships to personality.

That, experts say, is the wrong approach. It's great to want to make changes, but in order to actually accomplish your goals, they say, it's important to be realistic, specific, and accountable.

Here are 10 things you can do to help yourself stay in a mindset to make positive changes in the coming year:

1. Set smaller goals with smaller steps

Gradual small steps motivate people toward larger change, said Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, professor of psychology at Yale University and author of the new book "The Power of Women."

If you want to lose weight, for example, change small aspects of your eating pattern. Resolve to have a salad tomorrow for lunch, and then do that for a week.

Write down the steps you want to take in a datebook to make it concrete, and reward yourself for making the individual changes, she said.

Let's say you want to work on being more optimistic this year. Nolen-Hoeksema recommends imagining what you would be like if you were optimistic. Imagine yourself going through a day at work if you were optimistic and confident, then write that down in great detail.

Now, you have specific aspects of that ideal of optimism to work toward. Pick one thing that the optimistic you is doing that you're not, and start working in that direction, she said.

Watch more on keeping your resolutions

2. Frame your goals positively

Despite the proven health risks of certain habits, such as smoking, thinking about a habit in the negative will not help you nix it. Studies have shown that it's hard to get motivated about avoiding cancer, but easier to think about smelling better and saving money as reasons to quit smoking, Nolen-Hoeksema said.

So, if you want to quit doing something, think about the positive aspects of not doing it. And make sure you reward yourself for sticking to the plan along the way.

3. Look at the pros and cons

If you're on the fence about whether you should make a change this year, make a list of the benefits and costs, said Dr. Nadine Kaslow, professor of psychiatry at Emory University.

Pay attention to what's driving you, she said. Sometimes it's pain that motivates people to change, or a new phase of life, or new information, or a possible promotion.

"It helps to get clear about what you want to change and why you want to change it," she said.

4. Get a resolutions buddy

Knowing that someone else is working toward similar goals, or is supporting you in your endeavors, helps to keep motivation up. Having a new year's resolution buddy who's keeping track of your progress helps keep you accountable for what you've done.

At the end of every year, Kaslow and her friend review all of their goals from the prior year, examining what the obstacles were to change and then developing new goals for the next year.

Planning for goals with someone can guide you in the path towards change, even if you don't don't accomplish everything in a single year, she said.

5. Be specific

It's easy to get discouraged by a broad goal like "I'm going to improve my marriage," Nolen-Hoeksema said. Figure out exactly what it is that's not working for you, and then formulate a strategy for solving individual problems.

In the marriage example, it's important to get realistic about what it is about your marriage that needs improvement. Then, spend some time keeping a diary and tracking what's going right and what's not, and come up with one thing you can do per week that would help the situation.

The process of assessing the small actions you can take in the immediate future, and savoring the positive effects, can take a lot of pressure off and help you achieve larger goals, she said.

6. Know thyself

The start of the year is as good a time as any to take inventory of yourself. What are your passions? What do you want to be doing better? Take the time think about who you are and how you want life to be, said Craig Levine, a clinical psychologist in San Francisco, California.

Real change happens because you yourself want it, not because others want it for you, experts say.

"If it's something that doesn't connect to you and truly relate to you, just because someone says you should do something, if it doesn't resonate with you, it's not going to be as helpful as something that truly fits you," Levine said.

7. Examine deeper issues

Sometimes there are problems that need to be addressed before people can move forward with the change they want.

In some cases there are psychological impediments to making changes, Levine said. For example, some people fear failure so much that they unknowingly sabotage themselves. Self-esteem may also play a role -- some people don't feel they're worthy of being taken care of, he said.

If you think that there are deeper issues preventing you from moving forward in your life in some way, consult a mental health professional.

8. Don't be overanxious

Having a long list of lofty resolutions can create anxiety, so Nolen-Hoeksema recommends choosing anywhere between three and five overarching things to change.

For Kaslow, the word "resolution" connotes a "pass-fail" ultimatum, so she prefers using the word "goal."

Writing down your goals and how you plan to achieve them is a good way to beat anxiety, Levine said.

9. Be flexible

Although you should be specific about what you want to do, sometimes it helps to broaden your vision of what you're trying to accomplish. For instance, if you've been laid off from your job in the financial sector, it may not be immediately possible to find a similar position.

But if you are on the job market, the broader goal might be to support yourself or your family, Nolen-Hoeksema said. Having a wider vision of what constitutes success can free you up to explore other options that do help with the central purpose.

"Step back and say, 'Is there any way I can achieve that bigger goal without getting fixated on the goal I had before?'" she said.

10. Keep your eye on the ball

Changing behaviors is especially difficult when other people around you encourage habits you're trying to kick, or if you are under stress. For instance, if you're a recovering alcoholic and having a bad day, it might be hard to resist if someone says, "It looks like you need a drink," Kaslow said.

Know that there's going to be some anxiety, but be patient with yourself, Kaslow said. Take it one incident at a time, one day at a time.

"You have to deal with some negative consequences when you change, both internal and interpersonal, and environmental," she said. "You have to sort of get help dealing with those, and weather those storms."

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How to Stay Motivated -- and Get That Bonus

2010-01-05T20:56:00.000-08:00

Daniel Pink became well known for "A Whole New Mind," his 2005 best-selling book in which he made the bold statement that right-brainers -- people who are strong in qualities such as empathy, storytelling and inventiveness -- will rule the future. In his new book, "Drive," Mr. Pink explores the concept of human motivation and what he calls "the surprising truth" about what motivates us.

"Drive" boils down true motivation into three elements: 1) autonomy, the desire to direct our own lives, 2) mastery, the desire to continually improve at something that matters, and 3) purpose, the desire to do things in service of something larger than ourselves.

Mr. Pink takes aim at business in particular. He warns that traditional carrot-and-stick methods, in which companies use a particular incentive -- often money -- as a contingent reward for a task, are not only ineffective for motivating employees, but potentially harmful. He offers up new models for corporations that he says will tap into true motivation, yield higher satisfaction among employees and deliver stronger results.

The Wall Street Journal talked to Mr. Pink about his own motivations, how to influence others, and how our culture and economy play a role in motivating factors.

The Wall Street Journal: What was your personal motivation in writing this book?

Daniel Pink: I got a lot of questions from readers on the previous book ("A Whole New Mind"). With this move from left-brain abilities to right-brain abilities, how do we motivate people? That led me to the science of human motivation, which unfurled in the last 40-50 years. At another level, I'm someone who works for himself, I've got three kids in school trying to make their way and I'm just curious about what makes us tick.

WSJ: You state there is a shift in motivation happening now, from a system built on external rewards and punishments, to one centered on the principles of autonomy, mastery and purpose. Why is this occurring?

Mr. Pink: I think it's happening now for a number of economic reasons. One is we're moving more toward creative conceptual work, and for that, this regime of carrots and sticks doesn't work very well. The second thing is, we're seeing the weaknesses of that older approach to motivation. If you look at the last decade, it's been one of almost breathtaking underachievement. The economy seems to be lurching from boom to bust, and so I think we're recognizing the limits of this approach today.

WSJ: Is it mainly in Western countries?

Mr. Pink: I don't think it's a Western thing to really talk about intrinsic motivation and the drive for autonomy, mastery and purpose. You have to not be struggling for survival. For people who don't know where their next meal is coming, notions of finding inner motivation are comical. But there are more and more countries with rising middle class, and more people shifting to this different kind of work, and it's exposing the inadequacies of a motivational system in business that people are simply horses that respond to carrots and sticks.

WSJ: Are there circumstances in which the carrot-and-stick approach still works?

Mr. Pink: Carrots and sticks work pretty well for simple, routine, rule-based tasks. I don't think it needs to be completely banished, but those kinds of if-then motivators have limited effectiveness.

WSJ: What's at stake for companies that stick to the carrot-and-stick approach?

Mr. Pink: First, it's bad business strategy. These supposedly hard-headed businesses who claim to value facts and evidence are actually in many ways abiding by folklore about what really motivates people. What's at stake is whether business decides to run by folklore or science. I'll take science. The continued overuse of carrots and sticks puts businesses on a path that is extraordinarily dangerous.

WSJ: You suggest providing "now-that" rewards after a job has been done well. Can you give an example of this, and how it is different from an "if-then" reward?

Mr. Pink: Let's say you have a small design team in your office and you want to redesign your Web site. You could go to the team and say, "If you do something amazing, I'll give you each a $1,000 bonus." That's typically how we approach things. Science shows it narrows their focus, which is good for getting out of a burning building, or adding columns of figures. However, for that kind of Web site-design task, you don't want a narrow focus, you want a broad focus. The better approach is, "I need you to redesign a Web site. Here's what we need to accomplish, and I'm here to give you guidance and provide any tools." And then let them go and design something great.

After, a reward can be to go up and thank them, take them out to lunch, give some form of recognition after the fact, companywide. It can even be a cash bonus. But because it wasn't contingent, before the job, it's far less destructive. The danger with that is if you do it over and over it becomes an "if-then" reward in "now-that" reward clothing. Especially for fostering creative, conceptual work, the best way to use money as a motivator is to take the issue of money off the table so people concentrate on the work.

WSJ: Why would employees be less concerned with external rewards, like cash bonuses, now and more concerned about inner motivation, or as you say throughout the book, "the third drive"?

Mr. Pink: Part of it is the nature of work that is this migration from left-brain, rule-based, routine, algorithmic work to right-brain, nonroutine, creative, conceptual work. They're as different as information-age work, industrial-age work, and agriculture-based work. You need a different system to get the best out of people doing different work.

I also think especially now, as we turn the page on this decade, there's a sense that something has gone wrong. That we're not doing things the right way. You see evidence of that in different kinds of business corporations such as the low-profit limited liability corporations -- these are not pure profit maximizers. Even the Harvard Business Review is writing about how profit maximization isn't the answer.

WSJ: What is your advice for people seeking their true third drive?

Mr. Pink: It's a process of discovery. What do you do for fun? What would you do for free? What do you do in your spare time? Think about whether you can make a living doing that. What holds people back is that fear of somehow deviating from the path. Then, think in a hard-headed way if you can do those sorts of things in a way that actually earns a living. It's more possible than people think.

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BYU motivated to face Oregon State in return to familiar turf

2010-01-01T01:13:00.000-08:00

BYU has won at least 10 games for a fourth consecutive season, and coach Bronco Mendenhall has a 42-9 overall record during that span, topped only by Boise State, Florida, Texas, and Ohio State.

So what do the 15th-ranked Cougars have to show for their success? Another Las Vegas Bowl appearance.

Not that there's anything wrong with the Las Vegas Bowl, but it's become an annual destination for BYU. With their fifth Las Vegas Bowl in as many years approaching, you'd think the Cougars would long for another postseason destination.

"A year ago I would have said yes," Mendenhall said. "I was very disappointed with how I prepared my team a year ago. We peaked for the conference championship."

The Cougars, who were coming off a loss to Utah in a game that determined the Mountain West championship last year, lost to Arizona 31-21 in the 2008 Las Vegas Bowl.

The Mountain West champion automatically goes to the Las Vegas Bowl unless it is selected for a BCS game. Last year, conference champion Utah defeated Alabama in the Sugar Bowl. This year, No. 3 TCU will represent the Mountain West against No. 6 Boise State in a battle of unbeatens in the Fiesta Bowl.

The Cougars are pleased to have a quality opponent such as No. 16 Oregon State, which tied for second place in the Pac-10.

"We consider Oregon State one of the best if not the best teams in the Pac-10," said Mendenhall, a defensive back/linebacker for two seasons at OSU during his playing days. "For this game there is plenty of motivation."

Mendenhall also has coaching ties to OSU. He was the Beavers' defensive line coach in 1995, and defensive coordinator/secondary coach in 1996. He also met informally with Beavers coach Mike Riley during Riley's first coaching stint at OSU.

It will be the final game for a talented group of BYU seniors, led by quarterback Max Hall and all-America tight end Dennis Pitta.

Hall, who has thrown for 3,368 yards (67.5 completion percentage) and 30 touchdowns with 14 interceptions this season, is third in the nation in pass efficiency. He is second behind former Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer in many of BYU's career passing statistics, including yards and touchdowns.

Pitta needs two receptions in the bowl game to become the NCAA career leader in receptions for tight ends.

"The numbers say everything for Dennis and his career," Hall said.

BYU ranks 12th nationally in scoring offense (34.8 points per game) and passing offense (288.9 yards per game), and 18th in total offense (437.1 ypg).

An intriguing matchup of senior quarterbacks is shaping up between Hall and Oregon State's Sean Canfield, who was named first-team all-Pac-10. BYU's Harvey Unga and OSU's Jacquizz Rodgers both rushed for more than 1,000 yards. It figures to be a high-scoring game.

"On paper it looks like that, but you never know what could happen," Hall said. "We thought us and Utah would be a high-scoring game and it ended up being 26-23."

BYU opened the season with a 14-13 upset of then-No. 3 Oklahoma at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Sooners quarterback Sam Bradford, the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner, suffered a shoulder injury late in the first half and did not return. But even with Bradford in the game, BYU was playing the Sooners on even terms.

"People go back to that game and say we only won because Bradford was out," said defensive end Jan Jorgensen, the Mountain West's career leader in tackles for loss. "He didn't go out until right before halftime and they had a three-point lead."

The Cougars suffered two lopsided home defeats, 54-28 to Florida State and 38-7 to TCU.

It will be the ninth meeting between BYU and OSU, and first since 1986 when Mendenhall played for the Beavers. OSU has a 5-3 advantage in the overall series.

"I'm treating this like a national championship game," said cornerback Brian Logan, who is tied for second in the nation with 17 passes defended.

Riley called Mendenhall a "great fit" for BYU.

"(He) has basically established the values in his program that he wants and then you see the results of success," Riley said. "Obviously, a very good football coach and one that I have a lot of admiration for."

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Affidavit: Anger at government motivated Wytheville post office suspect

2009-12-31T01:12:00.000-08:00

The 53-year-old disabled man accused of holding three hostages Wednesday night in an eight-hour standoff at the Wytheville Post Office told investigators he had planned to create his disturbance in Roanoke and that his motive for the attack "was a result of his growing anger towards the Federal Government about a variety of issues," according to an affidavit filed with the criminal complaint against him.

Postal Inspector J. David McKinney wrote that Warren A. Taylor of Bristol, Tenn., left his home about 9 a.m. Wednesday with the intent of traveling to Roanoke.

McKinney testified that: "Taylor stated he packed his vehicle with handguns, and mock explosive devices. Taylor indicated he had been planning this event for months or years in advance. Taylor indicated that his motive for his incident was a result of his growing anger towards the Federal Government about a variety of issues. Taylor indicated that he got tired while traveling from Tennessee to Roanoke, Virginia, so he stopped for gas and food in Wytheville, Virginia. He stated that he then made a decision to 'end it' at a Post Office in Wytheville, Virginia. Taylor admitted to firing one of the handguns he was carrying numerous times in the post office and also admitted to holding the hostages, according to the affidavit.

In an initial hearing this morning in federal court in Roanoke, Taylor was charged with possession of a firearm in furtherance of a federal crime of violence, kidnapping and possession of a firearm in a federal facility.
Taylor’s attorney, federal public defender Randy Cargill, submitted a motion for a competency evaluation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tony Giorno did not object. U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael Urbanski ordered that Taylor be transported to Butner Federal Correctional Complex in North Carolina for an evaluation, hospitalization and treatment.

Urbanski said that once a competency evaluation is complete, Taylor will be returned to court.

Taylor rolled into court in a wheelchair. His left leg was fitted with a prosthesis he described as partially made of Kevlar. Urbanski noted that the heavy-set man suffers from diabetes and other health problems and suggested he be transported as soon as possible for evaluation.

Aside from confirming he understood his rights and the purpose of the appearance, Taylor spoke only once.

“I’m sorry I got everybody out on Christmas,” Taylor said.

Taylor’s forearms displayed several tattoos that featured an American flag motif.

The standoff ended peacefully around 11 p.m. Wednesday after Taylor released the hostages and surrendered.

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Upset Watch: Embattled USC Meets Motivated Boston College in Emerald Bowl

2009-12-30T01:10:00.000-08:00

2009 will be remembered as a forgettable year for many people. The USC Trojans, who failed to win at least a share of the Pac-10 conference and qualify for a BCS Bowl game for the first time since 2001, are no exception.

Many factors led to a disappointing season for the Men of Troy on offense, defense, on the field, and off the field.

Matt Barkley was named the starting quarterback only nine days before the first game against San Jose State. All seemed well with the true freshman through two games, but the rigors of competing at the college level eventually wore him down toward the latter half of the season.

He regressed from wunderkind golden boy to battered, bruised, and turnover-prone game manager.

Stafon Johnson would have served as a valuable asset to the Trojan running game had a weighted bar not crushed his throat during a September bench-press session gone awry.

This type of injury is rare, but accidents happen, and the near-tragic incident in the Trojan gym was but one on a long list of telltale signs that pointed to a down year for USC.

Southern Cal would end up playing the sixth toughest schedule in the nation. Armed with the 58th-ranked offense in the nation against a very competitive Pac-10, and hampered by an exodus of high-profile coaches, USC had to make up for injuries, inexperience, and a paucity of quality coaching personnel outside of Pete Carroll.

While the mediocre 5-4 conference record and fifth-place Pac-10 finish speak for themselves, the void left by departed coordinators such as Norm Chow, Steve Sarkisian and Lane Kiffin starts to become more noticeable once key players become academically ineligible for the postseason, and star running backs become the focal point of school investigations.

Senior tight end Anthony McCoy, freshman offensive tackle Tyron Smith and senior defensive lineman Averell Spice will all miss Saturday’s game due to respective academic ineligibilities.

Although he practiced with the team in the days leading up to the Emerald Bowl, the status of RB Joe McKnight is still yet to be determined.

Southern Cal’s leading rusher is being investigated for driving a sport-utility vehicle that was supposedly purchased for his girlfriend by a Santa Monica businessman.

The Trojan coaching staff may end up benching McKnight so as not to risk getting into hot water with the NCAA brass, but not having the explosive McKnight could prove problematic against Boston College's 16th-ranked rush defense if backup RB Allen Bradford and fullback Stanley Havili are unable to step up in his absence.

Instead of lamenting the loss of some of the Trojans’ premiere talent, the ever-optimistic Carroll sees opportunity for some of his second-stringers to impress coaches and fans before season’s end.

"Guys are jumping at this chance and hopefully they can do something with it," he said.

The Trojans will square off in the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco against an overachieving Boston College team that is led by Dave Shinskie, a 25-year old freshman quarterback who spent six years playing minor league baseball.

The Eagles will also feature star tailback Montel Harris, who has accumulated 1355 rush yards and 14 total touchdowns this season. But the defense is what has turned Boston College into a bowl team.

BC was picked by some preseason prognosticators to wind up dead last in the conference. Instead, they finished second in the ACC Atlantic with a 5-3 record.

Unlike USC, the Eagles, winners of eight of their last nine bowl games, are thrilled to travel to the Bay Area for a chance to play in Saturday's postseason game at AT&T Park.

While their overall records may be the same, these two programs seem to have completely different mindsets headed into Saturday's matchup. This contest could come down to desire and motivation, which would spell trouble for Southern Cal.

A win would mean much more for Boston College’s program than USC’s. In fact, an ‘SC loss would, in many Trojan fans’ eyes, provide a fitting end to a season fraught with mediocrity and disappointment.

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Dallas Cowboys motivated by doubters vs. New Orleans Saints

2009-12-24T22:42:00.000-08:00

"We Dat!"

For 13 weeks New Orleans Saints fans have been asking the NFL "Who Dat Talkin' Bout Beaten Dem Saints?" On Saturday night at Superdome, the Dallas Cowboys had the answer:

"We Dat! -- 24-17."

The Cowboys did it by keeping quarterback Drew Brees and the league's hottest offense bottled up most of the night. And they did it with great play from their own quarterback, Tony Romo, who entered the gamer with the reputation of having a hard time winning in December.

Romo shredded the Saints' defense for 312 yards on 22-of-34 passing for a 104.0 rating. He was especially clutch on third down, converting eight of 15 opportunities.

And he did it with a little help from an unlikely source -- former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy.

"The coaches showed us a clip from Tony Dungy today, and he was asked what our chances were in this game -- and he said we had no chance, " Romo said.

"That came as surprise, considering it was an ex-coach who said it. It was able to motivate us.

"It's funny. We don't normally go into a game thinking we don't have any chance. But a lot of people were thin king that, and I can understand it, how we've been playing lately. But it motivated us."

Romo said his teammates took special pride in knocking off the undefeated Saints in the rowdy Superdome environment.

"It's a tough, tough place to play football, and (we) stepped up and played well, " he said. "I'm proud of the way our guys played."

Cowboys Coach Wade Phillips said his team's defensive game plan was "not to give up big plays" to the Brees-led Saints offense, especially in the first quarter.

"We wanted them to come down the field, to work for the things they were going to get, and to try to keep them off the field, " he said.

The Cowboys pressured Brees all game, sacking him four times and forcing two fumbles.

Desperately needing a win, the Cowboys set the tone early, taking their first drive 79 yards in just five plays with Romo hitting Miles Austin on a 49-yard touchdown pass.

By the end of the first quarter, Dallas had 195 yards -- the most yards for a single quarter by a Cowboys team in 18 years -- en route to a 14-0 lead

"That was big, getting the lead, " Phillips said. "I don't think we can play a better quarter of football. And against this team, you need all the point you can get."

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Chatzky: With hiring scarce, staying motivated, inspiring others builds job security

2009-12-23T22:41:00.000-08:00

If you’re lucky enough to have a job right now, you should do everything you can to hold on to it. If you’re in the ranks of the unemployed, you want to be the candidate who stands out in an increasingly large pool. And if you’re a boss at an organization struggling to stay afloat, you want to motivate your employees to hang tight, despite the bumps in the road.

There are endless ways to do it. You can fine-tune your résumé. Speak up at meetings with interesting, fresh ideas. Dress for the job you want rather than the job you have. But, as it turns out, one of the best ways to make your presence known is by being respectful and, quite simply, kind. You’ll get the same back in return.

That’s the theme of Deborah Norville’s new book, “The Power of Respect: Benefit from the Most Forgotten Element of Success.” Norville, who’s anchored “Inside Edition” for 14 years, clearly knows about success. Here are her tips, whether you’re in the job market, trying to get recognized at work, or trying to be an effective leader:

START WITH YOURSELF
It’s important to respect others, but self-respect, particularly at a time when you might be feeling down, is the starting line. “You have to tap back into what makes you a rock star. What is your skill set? Write it down, get it on paper and then look at it when you need to remind yourself why you deserve success,” Norville said. It’s nearly impossible to sell yourself in an interview if you don’t believe you’re the best person for the job, and it’s very difficult to motivate employees around you if you’re feeling insecure about your own abilities.

RECOGNIZE OTHERS
When people are acknowledged for their efforts, they want to achieve more. I’m not talking about an employee of the month bulletin board, which often comes across as superficial recognition at best and patronizing at worst. If employee morale is down, one of the best ways to bring it up is to make a big deal when someone goes above and beyond the call of duty. And not in private, either − shine the spotlight.

“When people are genuinely recognized, the residual effect is that euphoria activates the same part of their brain in charge of strategic thinking, reasoning and logic. So when you as the authority make people within the organization feel good about working there, you’ve enhanced their ability to be better workers,” Norville said. Not only that, but because you’ve recognized them in a public way, other employees strive for their turn in the spotlight.

APPRECIATION
This goes above and beyond sending a handwritten thank you card after each interview, although that’s a good place to start. Before any job interview, take the time to learn about the person you’ll be speaking to.

“People forget the little things like complimenting someone, or making sure you’re saying something positive about the company, and not just about how you need a job,” said Linda Kaplan Thaler, CEO of the Kaplan Thaler Group and co-author of “The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness.” Start with a compliment − something you’ve been impressed by while reading about the organization − and then move into your hard sell, telling them why you’d be a benefit to the admirable outfit they’ve built. You may not get that job, but every connection counts. If you leave a positive imprint on the interviewer, she may recommend you to someone else in her network.

BEYOND YOUR BUSINESS CARD
One of the best ways to garner respect at work is to go above and beyond your job description. Not just for the recognition − although that’s a nice byproduct − but because you’ll inspire your higher ups to believe in you and your abilities.

“If you are intimately aware of the processes involved in your work, and most of us are, try to recognize an inefficiency and a way to correct it,” Norville said. Sure, the bigger picture might be someone else’s job, but if you have an idea worth mentioning, speak up − particularly if it will help the bottom line. A good manager will respect you for contributing and even come to you for ideas in the future. Establishing that pattern is key to climbing up the ladder.

SHARE THE CREDIT
Let’s face it − as a boss, you are recognized all the time. Why not pass on some credit to the people who support you? It will give them a little boost, and that increased productivity will reflect positively on you.

With Arielle McGowen
Your Money columnist Jean Chatzky is financial editor of NBC’s “Today” show, a contributing editor at More magazine and a contributor to “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” She’s the author of six books, including, “The Difference: How Anyone Can Prosper in Even the Toughest Times.” Check out her blog at jeanchatzky.com.

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Adalius Thomas is neither motivated nor a Jetson

2009-12-16T22:35:00.000-08:00

I theorized earlier that Bill Belichick blowing up on his team yesterday was a good thing. Obviously, not everyone will agree with that, and that's fine. One guy who really, really doesn't agree, though, is one of the four guys sent home from practice, linebacker Adalius Thomas.

Will the incident serve as motivation for him? Here's Adalius's response, from ESPNBoston.com:

"Motivation is for Kindergarteners. I'm not a Kindergartner," Said Thomas. "Sending somebody home, that's like 'He's expelled, come back and make good grades.' Get that [expletive] out of here. That's ridiculous. Motivation?"

Does he understand why Belichick did what he did? Again, from ESPNBoston.com:

"I think everyone woke up to the snow yesterday. I didn't know it was going to snow. There was traffic. I can't run people over getting to work. I don't do that. I actually almost had a car accident. It is what it is. He did what he thought was best for him. That's what he did."

Thomas broke out a cartoon reference when asked about being stuck in traffic, saying, "What do you do? It's not the Jetsons, I can't jump up and just fly. What the heck am I supposed to do?"

It is difficult to side against any guy who evokes the Jetsons in an argument.

Really, though, none of this matters much. Thomas has become a situational player, almost certain to be playing elsewhere next year. If he's mad, he's mad, but he also noted that he'll continue to do what he's told to do. If he's more careful now about showing up on time, and he's there and working in practice, then it's mission accomplished for Belichick.

The more important reaction comes from team captain Randy Moss(notes). He did show up to practice on time today, but he didn't talk to the media. We'll see what things look like on Sunday.

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Darling’s ‘Politically Motivated’ Bonus Tax Attacked (Update1)

2009-12-15T22:34:00.000-08:00

Dec. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling said the U.K. will force banks awarding discretionary bonuses of more than 25,000 pounds ($40,800) to pay a one-time levy of 50 percent.

The tax, effective today, will be paid by all banks that operate in the U.K., including U.S. firms such as Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. Employees will still have to pay income tax on their bonuses, the Treasury said. The top tax rate on earnings of more than 150,000 pounds will rise to 50 percent in April, a measure announced earlier this year.

Today’s levy will raise about 550 million pounds, less than 1 percent of the U.K.’s total tax revenue, according to KPMG LLP. Darling, whose Labour Party faces an election by June, is trying to mollify voter anger after providing more than 1 trillion pounds to prop up lenders including Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc in the credit crisis. Barclays Plc President Robert Diamond said yesterday the measure risks driving business away from the City of London.

“This will further damage the image of the City as a global financial centre,” said Shaun Springer, chief executive officer of Square Mile Services Ltd., which advises London financial firms on pay. “This is politically motivated.”

The government introduced the measure after firms that had benefited from taxpayer bailouts began to allocate more money to employee remuneration. Bonuses for U.K. financial services employees may rise by 50 percent to 6 billion pounds this year, the Centre for Economics & Business Research Ltd. said in Oct.

‘Giving Them a Choice’

“There is no bank that has not benefited either directly or indirectly from this help,” said Darling, who ruled out a tax on banks’ profits. “I’m giving them a choice. They can use their profits to build up their capital base, but if they insist on paying substantial rewards, I’m determined to claw money back for the taxpayer.”

The levy is effective until April, when the 50 percent income tax rate will start. The measure may be extended beyond that date if the Treasury finds banks are deferring payments.

About 20,000 bankers will be affected, according to Treasury estimates. The levy will apply to discretionary bonuses, which account for “substantially all” bonuses, according to Patrick Steven, a tax partner at Ernst & Young in London. The measure is unlikely to apply to executives working at private equity funds or insurers owned by banks, according to Bill Dodwell, head of tax policy at Deloitte LLP.

‘Righteous Anger’

It will now cost a bank 162,800 pounds to provide an employee with a 59,000-pound bonus after tax, compared with 112,800 pounds before, said Jill Storey, a partner at KPMG LLP.

“On a bonus of 1 million pounds, the new tax will be 500,000 pounds, National Insurance will be 130,000 pounds, and personal income tax is 400,000 pounds,” said Chris Maddock, tax director of Vantis Group Ltd. “This makes a total of 1.03 million pounds for the Treasury.”

Darling is “speaking to the righteous anger people are feeling toward the people who wrecked the financial system,” said Ken Miller, the former vice chairman of Credit Suisse First Boston and now a private investor. “But this is better short- term politics than long-term economic policy,” he added. “Even if it is unpopular, it is unlikely to ruin London as a world financial center.”

Tax rates in Britain are still far below the levels of the 1970s when Mick Jagger, together with the rest of the Rolling Stones, moved to France briefly to escape liabilities in the U.K.

Callaghan, Thatcher

When Labour was last in power, in the late 1970s under James Callaghan, the top tax rate was 83 percent on earned income and 98 percent on unearned income. The rates were cut to 60 percent and 75 percent when Margaret Thatcher took office in 1979 as her Conservative government tried to revive the economy. By 1988, Thatcher had cut the top income tax rate to 40 percent.

Britain’s financial services industry generates about 61 billion pounds of tax revenue, about 12 percent of the U.K. total, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers and the City of London Corporation, the municipality for the U.K.’s main financial center.

International securities firms such as Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan both base their European headquarters in the square mile. Goldman Sachs International Ltd., one of Goldman’s more 25 U.K. divisions, employed 5,831 people and allocated a total of 81 million pounds in gross wages and salaries in the year through November 2008, according to filings at the Cardiff, Wales-based registrar Companies House.

London ‘Less Attractive’

“London may well look to them now like a significantly less attractive place to build a business,” said Angela Knight, chief executive officer of the British Bankers’ Association, which lobbies for 260 financial companies. “Only concerted international agreements will succeed in reforming remuneration in the financial sector.”

The U.S. House approved in March a 90 percent tax rate on bonuses at companies that received more than $5 billion in government aid in response to disclosures of retention pay for employees of American International Group Inc. The Senate retreated from a similar proposal after President Barack Obama said the U.S. shouldn’t “govern out of anger” and AIG employees began returning their bonuses.

“You may find Obama coming on board now and saying ‘due to what London is doing we are doing the same,’” said Jason Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer of recruiter Kennedy Associates in London. “People are pretty depressed today in the City. At this point there’s no way out.”

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Reports show downtown assaults were racially motivated

2009-12-09T22:38:00.000-08:00

DENVER - Newly-released reports from the Denver Police Department suggest a series of assaults in Downtown Denver were driven by racial hatred.

Police think these attacks were the work of gangs trying to claim turf in LoDo; the Crips and the Black Gangsta Disciples.

Thirty-five suspects have been arrested in the cases. Their arrest affidavits released Friday explain why their attacks were directed at whites.

"Just white people getting knocked out," said one suspect.

The suspect says they targeted white people because they "looked like they had money."

A victim reported an attacker said it "smells like white people" before he was jumped.

Another victim reported being called racial slurs.

The arrest affidavits say suspects told police that the gangs "own that area" and they were sending a message to white people "not to come downtown without their friends for protection."

The suspects specifically said they were looking to keep white people away from the Bash nightclub.

A call left for the managers there wasn't returned to 9NEWS on Friday.

There were dozens of these allegedly racially-motivated assaults in LoDo in July and September, which is a lucrative time of year for entertainment venues and businesses in that area.

Denver Police didn't acknowledge the attacks until pressed by reporters and did not initially admit the assaults had a clear pattern: white men being attacked by gang members.

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Many O'Leary constituents are 'motivated by a nickel'

2009-12-08T22:37:00.000-08:00

Sen. Robert O'Leary wants us to "think outside the bottle." I would like him to think more about conservation. His litter bill would bring us back to a time when bottles littered our streets and highways.

He has never addressed how many people would be out of work if his bill were to pass. The last time he was working on this and was on the local radio station he said he did not know how many people would lose their jobs.

During these trying economic times there are many people picking up bottles to turn in for money to buy food. Our local sports teams and other charities receive money from bottles that are redeemed. I disagree with Sen. O'Leary when he says "people are less and less motivated by a nickel." He is clearly out of touch with his constituents and more interested in big business than the good of the public.

Karen Collings

East Sandwich

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Noble, selfish intentions both motivated ‘Christmas Carol’

2009-12-02T05:30:00.000-08:00

After years of writing feverishly, Charles Dickens desperately needed a break from his demanding schedule and money to finance a year abroad.

England’s best-known author hoped “A Christmas Carol,” a tale about ghosts haunting the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, would be his ticket to a yearlong Italian vacation for him, his wife, five children and servants.

“He lived very lavishly. He entertained very lavishly. ... Money was a concern,” said Michael Slater, a London-based scholar and author of a new Dickens biography, “Charles Dickens: A Life Defined by Writing.”

But Dickens also had a nobler motivation. During “the hungry 1840s,” rural people crowded into urban tenements and children worked under frightful conditions in factories and mines.

These reports struck a nerve because Dickens’ education was interrupted at age 11 when his father was thrown in debtors’ prison. He wound up working in a shoe-polish factory pasting labels on bottles.

“He felt so abandoned and desolate and betrayed and the future seemed so hopeless,” said Slater, emeritus professor of Victorian literature at Birkbeck College at the University of London. “He thought his life was lost forever.”

One night, after speaking in Manchester, a town known for its coal mines and factories, the now-famous author had an idea:

“He would write a story which would highlight concern for the poor man’s child. ... Tiny Tim stood for all poor children in Britain,” said Slater, author of six other books about the 18th-century British novelist.

Dickens insisted on hiring John Leech to draw the illustrations and a whole group of women to hand-color them, both major expenses.

Released just in time for Christmas 1843, “A Christmas Carol” was an enormous hit. But financially, it was a bitter disappointment.

The first 6,000 copies gave Dickens a profit of 230 pounds. In today’s dollars that figure would be $28,000, according to the Web site www.measuringworth.com.

Dickens’ classic tale has been republished many times since and made into movies, including the just-released Disney version.

Professor John O. Jordan, director of The Dickens Project at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said that Dickens contributed “to the modern idea of Christmas as a family celebration, moving it out of church and into the middle-class home.”

“Everyone responds powerfully to the idea, the possibility, that in midlife or late in life, one can still change and be a better person,” Jordan said.

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Sid Hartman: Bears motivated to beat Vikings

2009-12-01T05:29:00.000-08:00

The Bears are 4-6 this season and are 1-3 against the Vikings since they lost the Super Bowl XLI in 2007. They lost to the Eagles 24-21 in their last home game.

But if you check with Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway and defensive end Jared Allen, the Vikings expect a tough game Sunday at the Metrodome.

"You know, records don't seem to mean anything this time of the year," said Allen, who had 4 1/2 sacks against the Bears last season. "It's Bears versus Vikings, that's all that matters. They're going to come in and we're going to get their best, and we're going to have to come with our best."

Allen made it clear that this isn't like playing the Lions.

"You know what? Anything can happen on any day, but I think as long as we take the right mindset and we approach it, this isn't going to be a game where we're going to be lax," he said. "This isn't like you're going to Detroit overlooking an 0-and-whatever Detroit at the time; this is a game we're going to prepare for and we're going to prepare hard for."

Greenway, who like Allen is having a fantastic season, agrees with Allen.

"We're just treating it like a one-game season," said the former Iowa star. "You have to do that. At this point we're sitting at 9-1 and they're sitting, I think they're 4-6. It doesn't really matter.

"We know they're going to come in here and try to win this one game regardless of what the situation is; as far as records, you've got to throw it out. They're going to come in and play a tough game. They always play us tough, so if we go in with the attitude that we just want to win this one and not look ahead, we'll be OK.

"They have good players, there's no doubt about that. You can say that every week in the NFL, and you can continue to say it this week.

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Inspiration: Compassionate helpers motivated by others

2009-11-29T04:17:00.000-08:00

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- They're the people behind the scenes, quietly washing the dishes at a soup kitchen, weeding a community garden, counseling a troubled teen or diagnosing an illness for someone without medical insurance. Their small acts of kindness add up to big differences in the lives of people they help.

Generally self-effacing, these people shrug off compliments and appreciation of their efforts, saying they need no recognition. So who inspires these inspiring people to give so much back to their community?

Feeding the hungry

"Oh instantly, my answer is my mother, Billie Simpson, and her best friend, Jean Pelzel, both deceased," said Jean Simpson, executive director of Manna Meal. "They were truly both such giving people. I pray daily that I can only be half as giving and kind as my mother."

Simpson's mother died 16 years ago, and people in the community continue to tell her what a wonderful influence both her mother and Pelzel had on their lives as Christians. Their work at Christ Church is remembered fondly by many people, Simpson said.

"Charlie Pelzel (Jean's husband) sent me a note the other day telling me how proud these two would have been of the work we are doing at Manna Meal," she said.

Always helping

When asked if he found someone on the Capitol grounds inspiring, House Clerk Greg Gray immediately named Randi Brooks. Even before she retired, Brooks volunteered in numerous activities and always lent a helping hand.

"She does things like go to the Town Center when pillows are on sale," Gray said. "She buys bags of them and gives them to homeless people."

For 31 years, since the first Vandalia Gathering, Brooks helps at West Virginia Division of Culture and History, either as a hostess, at the information desk or manning the desk in the Capitol rotunda. She's active with the Resolve family abuse program at the YWCA, in the Lions Club and Charleston's Citizen Police Academy.

"We provide Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner for officers on duty on the holidays," she said.

As a child who grew up in a coal town during World War II, Brooks helped her mother knit warm hats and socks for soldiers, feed indigent families and salvage supplies for the war effort.

"You did not ignore someone with a need. You always gave back," she said. "People needed a lot of help, so we banded together and did what we could. That spirit is not as widespread today, although you still see it in some groups."

Smoothing the paths

As the executive director at Kanawha Pastoral Counseling, Sky Kershner is a minister who counsels. He also teaches at WVU's schools of medicine and social work. He named four local people who inspire him, as well as, at the global level, President Obama.

"Phil Pfister, Ron Sowell, Ric Cochran and Jeanne K. Cochran. Each of them is an amazing person. Each has remarkable gifts (in strength, in song, in connecting and in art) and at the same time, each has managed to clarify his or her ego so that the love usually shines through unimpeded," Kershner said. "Phil was once asked what was the heaviest thing he has ever lifted, his answer was that on some days the hardest thing is getting his own body out of bed."

Kershner became a father later in his life and is thankful for his wife and young children who bring joy and energy into their home. His church is an important influence in his life.

"I am involved in promoting interfaith dialog, understanding, respect and acceptance," he said. "I believe God is bigger than any one religion, and that each religion holds facets of truth about a Mystery that is beyond words. I practice faith as trust: a trust that this is a world of goodness and of love."

Helping people help themselves

Kerri Wade, WVU extension agent in Kanawha County, was drawn to her job because it gives her a chance to provide the public with the resources of a higher education campus. "I thought it was so neat -- I wanted to be part of it," she said.

She's thankful for her husband, children, sisters and parents, although her mother has Alzheimer's and her father has died, and said the unconditional love from her dog is always a day-brightener. Her work motivates her.

"I am inspired by those I help. To see folks learn, grow, make better decisions because of assistance you provided -- that is powerful inspiration to keep going," she said. "It makes you want to improve yourself so you can better help others."

Wade especially enjoys her work training child-care providers through the Apprenticeship for Child Development Specialist program. "Child-care providers are wonderful people. They provide love, support and education all day long to children and most don't make over minimum wage," Wade said. "What a dedicated, special group!"

Family tradition

Although she works full time, Ann Garcelon still finds time to direct St. John's Opportunity Shop, where they sell "gently worn" clothes and household goods, but also provide a listening ear for downtrodden customers who just need to talk.

She was drawn to this activity by her mother, Bernice Hosey, who still volunteers there. Garcelon helps out at Manna Meal and worked as a Master Gardener volunteer in the community garden.

Garcelon also serves on the boards of High Rocks, a leadership program for teenage girls in Pocahontas, Greenbrier and Nicholas counties, and the Women's Health Center in Charleston.

"My inspiration to help others comes from my dad -- even though he has been dead for nearly 40 years -- and my mom," she said. "You might say I grew up in a household where helping others was a way of life."

Her father, Bob Hosey, volunteered at West Virginia Tech as the athletic trainer for more than 10 years. He refereed high school football and basketball games. Garcelon's family holidays always included student-athletes who were too far from home to travel. Two days before he died from leukemia, he was doing volunteer work for the Shriners Hospital for Children in Cincinnati.

After her mom retired from teaching and moved to Charleston in 1981, she had one or more volunteer activities going every day. "I am so thankful and fortunate to still have my mother in my life. She's nearly 92," Garcelon said. "She's my role model, my counselor, my cheerleader and my best friend." She also listed Gene Carte, his sons and many friends for whom she's thankful.

To their good health

When a friend invited pharmacist Barbara Gastineau to volunteer at West Virginia Health Right 25 years ago, Gastineau was immediately impressed with the importance of the facility's mission to provide medical and dental services for people without insurance.

She volunteered as a pharmacist on the spot, and still spends a day or evening there a week, despite her work schedule at Charleston Area Medical Center.

"Without this facility and staff, a lot of people would suffer and not receive any medical care," she said. "We used to serve mainly the homeless, but now we see a lot of working poor people. They are desperate for health care."

Building solid homes

Amy McLaughlin, ReStore director for Habitat for Humanity of Kanawha and Putnam counties, doesn't have to look far for inspiration. She finds it every day in the employees and volunteers at ReStore.

"They re-created the heart, soul and sales floor of a 40,000-square-foot store. Day in and day out, they work hard to raise money to build Habitat for Humanity homes," she said. "They take pride in their work and in their team and I feel blessed to be a part of it."

Her father, a social worker "by trade and at heart," and her creative schoolteacher mother also set an example by lives spent helping others.

The experiences of her past career perhaps provide the greatest inspiration for McLaughlin's affirming work.

"I have to say, what inspires me the most is not warm and fuzzy. Primarily, memories of my previous career, or as I often call it, my past life, are what inspires me to help others," she said. "During my 13 years in retail management, I traveled constantly, fired a lot of people and made a bunch of money for a few wealthy shareholders.

"But during that time, I acquired strong skills in leadership and teamwork which help me in my career with Habitat for Humanity today. Knowing that I can use my skills in a way that helps people and our community keeps me motivated and very grateful for the opportunities in my life."

McLaughlin also serves on the Charleston Beautification Commission and the East End Main Street Design committee. She was drawn to both organizations because of their aesthetic nature and enjoys the opportunity to make her hometown shine.

Better biking

Community activist and avid biker Dennis Strawn helps keep countless people moving through his work with Mountain State Wheelers Bicycle club and numerous neighborhood and community groups. He's worked to develop safe biking paths in the community and to attach bike racks on the front of all KRT buses.

Strawn is inspired to improve his community, specifically through projects that encourage safe and healthy walking and bicycling.

"I see examples of many people helping others. I have learned from example that drive, persistence and patience pays off. I apply that to what I know and care about, walking and bicycling," he said.

"I do have to admit I am drawn to the underdog, and walking and bicycling as a component within our national transportation plan definitely fits that position."

Strawn joined the West Side Neighborhood Association about nine years ago after moving there. "I liked the focus of some of their work. I was disappointed actually with the neglect of my immediate neighborhood and other areas of the West Side," he said. "A person has choices, they can take their family and leave, like many folks have done or they could get involved. I chose to get involved."

Through his involvement with that organization, he also joined Regional Intergovernmental Council, The West Side Main Street, The Strong Neighborhood Task Force, The Charleston Land Trust, The Charleston Greenways Committee, Friends of the Kanawha Trestle Trail and Bike West Virginia.

Soothing through music and gardens

Myra Dolan is employed by her church, so she gets her fair share of doing good for others. In her down time, she volunteers at Manna Meal, is a tireless worker in and organizer of Manna Meal's community garden, and runs the volunteer music program at Hospice House.

She is grateful for the inspiration of her husband, Adam, who established a small, nonprofit organization called Good Samaritan Foundation after he retired. He sets up a table in front of busy retail stores and asks for donations to help veterans or food pantries.

"He very quietly helps people right on the spot," Dolan said. Sometimes, his requests are met with a sad refusal and an explanation that they need help themselves. He'll ask for details and sometimes ends up helping the people he's asked for a donation.

"He's inspirational to me. He's out there touching lives all day long with the people he talks to and helps," she said. "He's making a difference, just a little bit at a time."

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Motivated Belichick Gives Jets No Chance

2009-11-28T04:16:00.000-08:00

The Jets knew they were in for a tough game against the Patriots at Foxborough after they outplayed, outworked, and outcoached their counterpart in the second week of the football season.

Now, it gets harder with Bill Belichick using the media's criticism of him as a method to get the Patriots to rally around him after his decision to throw the ball at fourth down in Colts territory turned out to be failure.

Not only will it spur Belichick's team to victory tomorrow afternoon, but it can move them to do better things in the next few months.

It won't be as big blowout as the media make it out to be when one looks at the history of both teams facing each other in the Belichick era, but the Jets don't have a chance in this contest.

The Jets defense showed its vulnerability in the last few weeks with their lack of ability to finish off an opposing team and their failure of blitzing the quarterback. Certain guys on that unit are not playing to their potential.

People can talked about how the Jets rank defensively, but who cares about that. If they can't get it done when it matters, rankings mean nothing. It's hard to take the Jets seriously on defense after their performance in recent weeks.

Tom Brady looked flustered in the first meeting of the season, but he was coming off an injury at the time so he was going to look rusty. Now, he is hitting his stride at the right time.

Brady connects to Randy Moss lately along with the rest of his receivers. With the way the Jets are playing defensively, Brady's eyes should lit up with this opportunity.

Darrelle Revis stopped Moss couple of months ago, but look for Brady's main target to get the best out of Revis this time around with Wes Welker playing after not playing at Giants Stadium. Moss will get more touches with Welker's presence.

Mark Sanchez played okay last week and he managed to make plays against the Patriots in his first ever start against them as the Jets quarterback, but Belichick devises different sorts of schemes when his defensive unit faces the same quarterback for the second time around, so Sanchez will likely have a hard time in this upcoming contest.

Their running game should give the Jets a chance in this game, but their running backs can only do so much. It will come down to the passing game, but the Jets don't have the receivers to match up with the Patriots.

The Patriots succeed when they play at their home turf with their offense scoring more points and the defense displaying its dominance. They look at it as an insult when an opposing team go to their place and play well so they got that going for them.

Belichick hates losing to the Jets, and bet on him to pull all the stops in getting a victory that his team needs to put their hated rivals away for good in the division race just like how Ryan pulled everything out of his playbook to get that well-deserved victory against the Patriots.

Right now, the Patriots are better than the Jets in coaching, defense and offense. They look like they are peaking at the right time despite their mistake on Sunday Night Football.

Gang Green looked like the team to beat in September, but that means nothing. It's how a team does late in the season that counts the most.

In recent years, they start off well just to falter at the wrong time in November and December, while the Patriots play their best in the final two months of the season.

That's the difference between a pretender and a contender, and that's why the Jets and the Patriots are heading to different directions.

It's easy to see who is winning this game.

The game should come down to the fourth quarter, but this time, the hoodie gets the last laugh over an amateur coach.

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Motivated to sell

2009-11-18T01:39:00.000-08:00

Forget delivering pizzas, washing dishes, or stocking shelves. Boston University senior Alex Hodara rents real estate. Hodara, 22, started Hodara Real Estate Group in January hoping to give college students like himself a taste of the business. With a real estate salesperson license in hand at the cusp of his freshman year, Hodara worked as a local leasing agent and at Century 21’s International Headquarters before going for his broker’s license last year and starting his own company. Now renting properties around BU, and Northeastern and Suffolk universities, Hodara is ready for the next step: launching Hodara Real Estate Academy, an educational initiative to get more students qualified and involved in the real estate business. We spoke with Hodara recently by phone.

Q. As a kid just heading to college, what made you think real estate would be something interesting to do?

A. I’ve always been extremely entrepreneurial. When I was a sophomore in high school, my dad and I won a fantasy football league for $2,000 and he said ‘You can do whatever you want with this,’ and I really wanted to start a business. The most popular thing at that point was poker, so I imported clay poker chip sets from China, brought them to American and started a website. . . . I learned a lot from the poker chip business.

Q. So, other than a seriously young chief executive, what’s your agency got that others don’t?

A. Our driving factor is experience, where most other agency’s driving factor is money. Because of that, people like to work with us because we’re less pushy than other agents.

Q. Do you find that students are more likely to rent with you because you’re one of them?

A. Absolutely, I’ve seen older people doing the same job that I’m doing and I’ve seen the reactions of students. They’re excited to work with us. . . . They don’t see us as a threat, they see us as someone who they can relate to.

Q. What’s the deal with Hodara Real Estate Academy?

A. I just got the license to open the school so we can actually pre-license people for their tests. They sign up for the class, they come in, they have 24 hours of education and I have a licensed professor that teaches the class and then after that they take a test and if they pass the test they get their real estate license. Our first class is pretty packed with students but for the future I see us gearing more toward professionals.

Q. How do your agents view the opportunity to work for you?

A. It’s opened a lot of doors for people, for me especially. Since I’ve started this, now I’m consulting for the chief operating officer of Century 21 - that was a big thing for me. One of my agents has gone to work for PricewaterhouseCoopers. . . . After they graduate from college I want them to find a new job. It’s a student owned and operated kind of thing, and then you move on from there.

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People gathered for H1N1 vaccinations

2009-11-13T01:41:00.000-08:00

Upwards of 300 people gathered in Orland Memorial Hall Wednesday to get an Swine flu vaccination.

Glenn County Public Health nurses and staff were immunizing children and adults. The free vaccinations were available to anyone ages 2 to 24 and ages 25 to 64 with chronic medical conditions.

Also receiving shots were pregnant and nursing women, and people who live with or care for infants younger than 6 months.

Deputy Director of Public Health Grinnell Norton said H1N1 vaccinations are not yet available to people older than 64 because they are the least likely to be infected. However, the vaccine will be available later for the elderly with chronic diseases, she said.

A special immunization clinic was held Tuesday for emergency first responders and medical professionals.

Immunization Coordinator Rosamarie Leal said the agency had enough vaccine to treat 600 people. Additional vaccine is expected to arrive weekly.

"The state says we're getting enough so anyone who wants one (an H1N1 vaccine) can get it," Norton said.

More people than usual are getting flu shots this year, Norton and Leal said. The Glenn County Public Health season flu clinics alone have treated 3,000 or more, Leal said. No serious reactions have been reported.

"People are motivated to get vaccines this year," Leal said, adding she thinks the reason is because the message is getting out better than normal.

H1N1 clinics will be announced once Public Health has the vaccine in hand. Regular seasonal flu clinics are from 4-6 p.m. the first Tuesday of each month and 9 to 11:30 a.m. the third Tuesday at 345 Yolo St.

There have been three confirmed cases of H1N1 in Glenn County, Norton said, but none of them have been fatal, and all three patients have recovered.

Health Services Director Scott Gruendl said Thursday all three cases were in people under 30.

One patient had to go to the hospital and was put in intensive care for a time, but has since recovered very well, he said. That person also had a pre-existing health condition that complicated the illness.

Contact Lydia Harris at 934-6800 or lharris@tcnpress.com.

INFORMATION

To learn when future Swine flu clinics will be held, go to the Glenn County Web site www.countyofglen.net and find the link to flu clinics for times and locations. For more information, call 934-6588.

Source

More Emerging Bias: Maddow Guest Suggests Lack of Health Funding Motivated Fort Hood Killer

2009-11-12T01:40:00.000-08:00

When in doubt, cite the need for more government funding of health care. You won't find an argument on MSNBC.

Among the guests offering their perspectives about the Fort Hood massacre on Rachel Maddow's show last night was Salon.com national correspondent Mark Benjamin, who tried to downplay growing evidence that suspected assailant Nidal Malik Hasan was motivated by a jihadist's hatred of America --

BENJAMIN: There are people that believe that this is a person that was suffering some sort of secondary post-traumatic stress from treating soldiers and there are people that believe he was somehow influenced by Muslim extremism. I think it could be a combination of both. I certainly have met mental health care providers in the military who after sitting all day long and listening to some really disturbing tales, you know, when they're treating these soldiers coming back from Iraq, and in combination with the fact that they're overwhelmed, overworked, don't have the resources to do their jobs, become extremely stressed and frazzled. And there's no reason to not think that this could, this could ultimately lead to that kind of a conclusion.

How could Benjamin know only hours after the massacre whether Hasan did not have "the resources" for his job as an Army psychiatrist? If Benjamin was in possession of such specifics, he wasn't sharing them with Maddow's audience.

More along the same lines after Maddow spoke of the high rate of suicide in the military ("even outpacing the civilian rate," she pointed out, as if that's surprising) --

BENJAMIN: The other thing that's interesting is that there's this discussion about whether there's some ideological component and, you know, motivation to this person. You know, I'm not sure that's necessarily separate from the kind of treatment this person was doing. I mean, in other words, if you sit, I have literally interviewed hundreds of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan since 9/11, and in private moments, when they tell you some of the things they were forced to do, and I'm not talking about, you know, intentional My Lai stuff, but, you know, things that happened in the vagaries of war, really, really, awful, awful things, it can affect you, it can turn people against the war, it can make you really think about that stuff. It's extremely difficult to think about, you know, to work on that all day long, imagine this doctor, who, that was his job.

By Benjamin's logic, he is also at risk of going berserk from the stress of interviewing "literally" hundreds of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan and hearing of the horrors they experienced.

By the same logic, every blood-splattered doctor and nurse toiling in emergency rooms is one bad day from a rampage, along with every cop, every police reporter, every victim's advocate in court -- the entire country after 9/11, for that matter.

The difference here, as Mark Steyn pointed out today while filling in for Rush Limbaugh, is the apparent absence of trauma when it comes to Hasan, who was reportedly upset over his pending deployment to Iraq but had yet to serve there or in Afghanistan. Perhaps Hasan suffered from a new malady, Steyn suggested --"pre-post traumatic stress disorder."

Based on Benjamin's observations, I can see coming to a different conclusion about the wars we're fighting and the overarching conflict against radical Islam. If I am working as an Army psychiatrist, my patients might, for example, include soldiers who saw Afghan girls scarred from acid thrown in their faces as they walked to school. Who picked up the limbs after the mentally enfeebled were coerced into suicide bombings. Who returned fire at insurgents using children as human shields.

I might well conclude that as a soldier and single man of 39, as with Hasan, the only place for me is where I can serve to destroy the evil behind such malignancy.

Source

Backed by casino cash, would Dan Gilbert be motivated to broaden his Cleveland sports interests? NBA Insider

2009-11-11T01:39:00.000-08:00

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Last Tuesday night was a potentially huge win for the Cavaliers' franchise. And not just because they had a nice comeback victory against the Wizards.

A couple hours after the game, there was a massive party underway on The Q's fourth-floor practice court. The team's owners, especially majority owner Dan Gilbert, and top officials were celebrating and hugging amidst tables with high-end food and top-shelf alcohol. There was even a disc jockey. If not for the dozens of Issue 3 banners, you could have mistaken it for a five-star wedding reception.

Voters have cleared the way for Gilbert to build two casinos within the next three years, including one across the street from the arena he controls. The effect it will have on downtown is debatable, but there's no doubt the impact it will have on the Cavs.

Gilbert's victory -- which amounted to pulling the sword from the stone after casino issues had failed four times before -- can be attributed in part to how well he's managed the Cavs since he bought them in 2005. It may have only been the beginning.

Lost in all the discussion over where LeBron James would be playing next year was Gilbert's future as owner. If you took an informal poll in Northeast Ohio, there's a good chance Gilbert would rank second behind James in fan's approval ratings of Cleveland sports figures. He's committed to running a first-class operation, even if it is operating significantly in the red.

With the promise of the new casinos, which could perhaps vastly increase Gilbert's wealth over the long haul, it can be expected that he will continue to invest massively in his most high-profile asset. It does make sense to spend to keep James happy and in Ohio, but it doesn't make much fiscal sense to have $90 million payrolls in Cleveland. Yet Gilbert has never blinked in writing checks, and his war chest is about to grow.

Considering the value of keeping 20,000 fans coming downtown and around the forthcoming casino to watch the Cavs 41 times a year, don't expect to see Gilbert change his aggressive style, no matter what happens with James.

In fact, with that in mind, if the Indians or the Browns should ever become available there's a good chance Gilbert would make a bid to purchase one or the other. Before he bought the Cavs, Gilbert tried to buy the Milwaukee Brewers. Besides just wanting to win, having successful sports teams that draw people to downtown just became very important to the budding casino magnate.

Should there be celebration that Gilbert, who is already one of the richest men in America, is likely going to get richer? There are a lot of opinions on that one to be sure, but there is no questioning his willingness to spread that wealth around. The Cavaliers will likely only continue to reap those rewards.

AROUND THE ASSOCIATION

The delusion tour: Coming off the bench for the first time in his first game with the Memphis Grizzlies last week, Allen Iverson was asked how his injured hamstring was feeling. He missed almost all the preseason and the first week of the regular season, so coach Lionel Hollins slowly worked him back in, playing him 18 minutes.

But the answer about the hamstring said everything you need to know about The Answer these days.

"I had no problems [with the hamstring]," Iverson said. "I had a problem with my butt sitting on that bench for so long."

Ah, yes. Only one team made Iverson a concrete contract offer over the summer -- the Grizzlies with a one-year, $3.1 million deal. This was the reason for that lack of interest -- even though Iverson's skills have receded in his mid-30s, his ego has not. Time and age have made him a role player on one of the league's worst teams. But apparently he's no closer to accepting this reality than when he was sent home by the Pistons last spring.

In the preseason Iverson took aim at the Pistons and former coach Michael Curry and branded them "liars" because after they traded for him last year they promised he'd be a starter. What Iverson doesn't seem to understand is the Pistons weren't lying, they were just flabbergasted. They didn't think they'd have to resort to making the lineup change, assuming the former MVP still had game left. As it turned out, he was in the middle of a stunning loss of ability and athleticism, which was backed up by sight and by stats.

When Curry, who obviously didn't have a great year as he was fired, realized it was better to start Richard Hamilton instead of Iverson, he did it for the team's sake. It was not surprising the Pistons played their best ball of the season when Iverson was sent to the bench in the second half of the year. Apparently Iverson missed it -- he was in self-imposed exile, after all.

Now after being provided a career lifeboat by an organization desperate to pump up fan interest, Iverson is in the middle of ruining what could be his last chance. The Grizzlies should have known better, though; every other team did. They trusted a future Hall of Famer was ready to go out with some class. Right now, that doesn't look like it is going to be the case.

On Saturday, Iverson took a leave of absence for personal reasons on the same day he was supposed to meet with Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley. Unless he comes to grips with the truth, there's a chance he's he'll be on the bench for good.

Shooting star: Over the summer, the Cavs recruited Channing Frye and hosted him on a visit to Cleveland, liking his ability to shoot from the outside as a big man. Ultimately they finished second to the Phoenix Suns, who were prepared to offer Frye a significant role near where he starred in college at the University of Arizona.

After being buried on the bench in Portland the last two seasons, the Cavs felt Frye was undervalued and he's showing it with the Suns during their hot start. After Friday's win in Boston, Frye was averaging 14.6 points a game and shooting 51 percent from the floor.

Bat man: Manu Ginobili created one of the off-the-wall highlights of the year last week when he slapped a bat that was flying around the AT&T Center on Halloween night. Guess the security staff didn't check the bags fans brought in that night too closely.

But while it's gotten him a lot of attention, there's been some unpleasant fallout.

First the animal rights group PETA was upset, thinking Ginobili had killed the bat. However, team officials said when he picked it up off the floor and gave it to a security guard it was alive and it was later released. But out of precaution, team doctors recommended Ginobili undergo rabies vaccination, which is a series of four sets of shots. Ginobili told the San Antonio Express-News that the first batch gave him a fever for 24 hours.

Don't get in his way: After a blowout loss in Indiana Friday, which was the Washington Wizards' third straight, veteran forward Antawn Jamison went on a locker-room rampage. Calling it the "Wrath of Tawn," The Washington Post reported that Jamison went on a tirade about his team's lethargic effort, and to emphasize the point smashed a fruit tray against a wall in the visitor's locker room.

Perhaps Jamison, currently out with a shoulder injury, should have taken this approach years ago. The Wizards have never been able to get the most out of their impressive talent. A clutch player and a class act, Jamison stewed in the playoffs two years ago when teammates continued to run their mouths against the Cavs to the point of distraction. Often the Wizards' famous childish antics have seemed to upset Jamison. The days of bearing them silently seem to be at an end.

Getting a good break: As part of a new deal with Spalding, the NBA is using a new style of rims this season. Called the "Arena Pro 180," it has a thicker rim that collapses from all sides when dunked on. For years, the classic breakaway rims only flexed in the front.

Over the first two weeks of the season, scoring has shot up, leading some to speculate that the more flexible rims are permitting more shooters rolls. There's not enough data to support that yet. Some of the scoring numbers can be attributed to a couple of terrible defensive teams that are driving the whole league up.

Source

After release of man at center of racially motivated slaying, pain still lingers

2009-11-04T22:26:00.000-08:00

Everyone agrees that Christopher Brosky didn’t pull the trigger on the shotgun that killed Donald Thomas early one June morning in 1991.

Brosky’s buddy William "Trey" Roberts admitted shooting Thomas, 32, who was sitting on a flatbed truck in east Arlington, drinking beer with friends. Roberts fired from the front passenger seat of a 1965 Mustang driven by a second friend, Joshua Hendry.

Regardless, it’s Brosky’s name that is indelibly linked to the slaying, which outraged many in Tarrant County because of its random brutality and blatant racism.

Thomas was black. The boys in the Mustang were 16-year-old white skinheads.

And when an all-white Tarrant County jury convicted Brosky of murder in March 1993, and turned around and recommended that he serve only probation, protests erupted.

Four days after Brosky’s sentencing, an estimated 10,000 people marched in downtown Fort Worth to protest the lenient sentence.

The outcry by ministers, politicians and ordinary people, including Thomas’ widow, led to the passage of the state’s first hate crime law.

And the Tarrant County district attorney’s office responded by filing new charges against Brosky, overcoming defense objections that doing so was double jeopardy.

Brosky’s second trial was moved to Galveston, where the jury included two blacks and one Hispanic. They heard much more about Brosky’s skinhead activities, and he was convicted of engaging in organized crime with the intent to commit murder and received 40 years in prison — the same as Roberts.

Almost 20 years have passed. With no public notice, Brosky, now 34, is free again.

He was released from prison Aug. 10 and was deported to his native Canada on Sept. 17.

"I figured one day he’d be getting out," said Carolyn Thomas, who gave testimony opposing the release of her husband’s killers each time he came before the parole board.

Thomas said she was notified that Brosky was being paroled but had no idea he had been deported.

"I never really thought about whether he’d be around here," she said. "My focus was just that he stay in prison longer."

A flash, then a bang

Carolyn Thomas’ emotional testimony before a state legislative committee — one week after Brosky’s first trial ended — was credited with winning the votes to pass the first hate crime bill in Texas history.

Legislators were inspired by the young woman’s story about her husband’s murder as he and several co-workers relaxed outside one man’s home after they finished an overnight shift at a Grand Prairie liquor distributor.

Steve Sloan, a white co-worker, told police that he and Thomas were sitting on a flatbed truck when a Ford Mustang drove by twice. The second time, Sloan said, the Mustang stopped just feet from the truck. Sloan said he saw a flash, heard a bang, and then saw Thomas fall off the truck into the road, shot in the chest, mortally wounded.

Within 24 hours, three teenagers were in custody after police tracked them through a license plate number obtained by Sloan, who followed the Mustang while another friend stayed with the dying man.

The teens were proud white supremacists.

Brosky, of Dallas, was the only one to go to trial. Roberts, of Carrollton, pleaded guilty to murder and agreed to a 40-year prison term. Hendry, of Arlington, pleaded guilty to delinquent conduct-murder in 1991 and was sentenced to 15 years. He served two years in a juvenile facility and 13 years in adult prison.

Hendry and Roberts testified against Brosky. Prosecutors contended that Brosky handed the gun to Roberts immediately before the killing. Hendry testified that he heard Brosky cry, "Shoot!" But the state case was hurt when Roberts backed off, saying he wasn’t sure Brosky gave him the gun.

Brosky’s defense was that all the boys were drunk — they had been "slamming beers" and had consumed more than 12 each — and that Brosky was passed out in the back of the car.

State District Judge Everett Young did not allow prosecutors to play a movie that they said would link Brosky to the Dallas-based Confederate Hammerskins. The jury took only an hour on March 22, 1993, to return the guilty verdict. But the elation felt by Carolyn Thomas and other observers was short-lived.

The next day, the jurors sentenced Brosky to 10 years of probation after hearing pleas for leniency by his mother, Sheilaugh Brosky. Judges must impose the sentence recommended by the jury, but Young ordered that Brosky serve 180 days in jail as a condition of probation.

How far have we come?

Maryellen Hicks, then a judge on the 2nd Court of Appeals, said the shock of the sentence led to spontaneous demonstrations.

About 200 people marched on the courthouse the day after Brosky was sentenced, demanding justice for Thomas. Within four days, Hicks and other African-American leaders had organized a march that drew more than 10,000 people — black and white — to downtown Fort Worth.

Much of the outrage was focused on the jurors, who said later that they had intended to give Brosky a five-year prison term followed by 10 years on probation but were confused by the jury instructions.

"We were in utter shock that the majority community didn’t understand that we would be so hurt and angry and offended," Hicks said.

But, she said, she was gratified that legislators and court officials listened.

"I commend the district attorney who said we, too, are shocked and dismayed, and we’re willing to take this to a different level, and they did," she said.

County officials conducted diversity training and began actively recruiting more minority grand jurors, prosecutors and others, Hicks said.

"I think we’ve come a long way in the criminal justice system, but quite frankly many African-Americans and people of color still have a very negative perception of the justice system because of the lack of minority judges and jurors," she said. "Since Brosky and since we had to take it to the street, there’s a better understanding on all sides — minority and majority — but we’re not there yet."

The Rev. Wendell "Buck" Cass, another protest organizer, vehemently disagreed. He said he was "horrified" that Brosky was free.

"Killing a black man don’t mean nothing in Texas," Cass said. "Now he’s going to Canada where he can still live a full life. Donald Thomas can’t live no full life. He’s in the grave."

Not much has changed for minorities, said Cass, associate pastor of Morning Chapel CME Church, near downtown Fort Worth.

"No, the hate crime law didn’t do anything," he said. "It’s easy to say when you’re not affected by it. Those who are affected don’t see the changes. The same system is still in place, and they’re still doing the same thing."

And the Rev. Michael Bell, a leader of what he called the "death march" — "Justice is dead!" he said at the time — and discussions with prosecutors after the Brosky verdict, sees little change in the criminal justice system.

"Tarrant County has been pretty consistent in its failure to evolve as far as justice issues are concerned," said Bell, senior pastor of Greater St. Stephen First Church.

He cited the case of Grace Head, an older white woman in Arlington who hit her black neighbor in the head with a two-by-four. Head was tried under the hate crime statute — it’s rarely used in Texas — and was sentenced to 180 days in jail and a $4,000 fine after being convicted of a reduced charge.

But Bell credited then-District Attorney Tim Curry for meeting with African-American leaders to try to address their concerns.

"At least back then, there were conversations across cultures about race," he said. Since then, however, "any movement has been incremental," he said. "We have not made any great strides or quantum leaps. We seem to be stuck in a kind of time warp."

Staying quiet

Even Brosky’s attorney, Ernie Bates, didn’t know that his former client had been paroled until he got a call from Brosky’s mother a few days before the deportation.

Brosky came to the United States with his mother when he was 12 but never became a citizen. Noncitizens are routinely deported after serving time for criminal convictions. They are prohibited from re-entering the U.S. for as little as five years and for as much as life. A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement could not say how long the ban would last in Brosky’s case.

On Sept. 15, Bates said, Brosky called him collect on a borrowed cellphone. He was to be deported in two days. Brosky had been in the custody of U.S. immigration officials since he was paroled, 13 years after he was first eligible.

"He sounded a lot different from what I remember — none of the crazy talk from before," he said, referring to Brosky’s "intellectual" discussions of his "dyed-in-the-wool" white supremacist beliefs.

Bates contends that the teenage Brosky was "a true believer" in the ideology. But he said Brosky told him that he steered clear of those like-minded groups in prison.

In another brief call from Canada, Brosky told Bates that he just wants to get on with his life. "Sixteen years is a long time to serve when he was in the back seat passed out," Bates said. "He said he was glad he was transferred to Canada. 8."

Bates said he had no way to reach Brosky, and Brosky’s mother declined to put the Star-Telegram in touch with her son. She also refused to talk about her son’s life before and after prison.

In a brief phone conversation, the Dallas nurse, who was outspoken during the 1993 trials, seemed bitter about her son’s treatment by authorities and the media. Her son was vilified more than Roberts, who admitted killing Thomas, she said.

"I don’t want to stir things up," she said in a voice-mail message. "The press was not kind to him. I don’t trust [the media], the police or the justice system. I just want Christopher to have a life."

Relatives of Hendry, the Mustang driver, want the same for him. By pleading guilty in juvenile court, Hendry could have been freed when he was 18. But a juvenile court judge ordered Hendry to serve the remaining 13 years of his sentence in adult prison, and he did. He was paroled in 2006, two months before completing his entire 15-year sentence.

Since then, Hendry has done well, his attorney and relatives said. He got a driver’s license, a job and a house, and is staying out of trouble. Hendry’s mother declined to talk about her son, saying it was at his request because he wants to move on and fears retaliation from people still angry about the case.

Roberts’ family could not be located. He became eligible for parole in 2001, but his requests for parole have been turned down several times. He comes up for parole again next year.

His defense attorney Layne Harwell said he has had little contact with Roberts or his mother, Linda Roberts, who was nearly as outspoken during the trials as Brosky’s mother. "I haven’t heard from Linda, but she was very happy with what I did for him," said Harwell, who has retired.

Trying to cope

Carolyn Thomas, 45, is a shy, private woman who still speaks to groups about her experience but not as often as she did in past years. She works at the same job, attends the same church, has a daughter and is supported by friends and family.

"For me to go on, I had to pray and ask God to forgive the boys that killed my husband and to help me forgive them," she said. "I’ve learned a lot that made me a different person. I’m the same Carolyn, but a little stronger and more outspoken. It’s about standing up for what I believe no matter what.

"Overcoming obstacles makes you stronger and do things you have to do in life no matter how tough it is."

Donald Thomas’ mother, Ruth Aviles, had an emotional breakdown after the murder and the trials, said her husband, Paul Aviles.

"It changed her life 100 percent," he said in a telephone interview from Ohio, where the couple lives. "She was a happy woman. She hasn’t been the same since."

Aviles said his wife had to quit her job at an auto plant where they met. Without her income, the couple ended up filing for bankruptcy, he said.

"We’ve faced many hardships since then," Aviles said. "Our biggest concern is with her health. This has been very damaging."

Aviles said his wife was too upset to be interviewed about the case but said she appreciated the strangers who supported her during the trials.

"She would like to thank the people for the Fort Worth and Dallas who showed their support of the misjustice of Brosky’s first trial," he said.

Impact on the law

Mark Briskman, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, who helped write the Texas hate crime laws, said the Brosky case had an impact statewide, beginning with the passage of a 1993 law that made it a crime to target a person because of hate.

The law increased the range of punishment for crimes motivated by bias or prejudice and forbids granting probation for hate-motivated murder. The law defined a hate crime as an offense where the victim was chosen "primarily because of the defendant’s bias or prejudice against a person or a group."

From the beginning, the lack of specificity in that language troubled legal experts because it created ample room for legal challenges.

But combined with the 1990 prosecution of 17 leaders of the Confederate Hammerskins — the group the teens were associated with — the law led to a decline in the number of racially motivated hate crimes, which seemed rampant in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Briskman said.

Then came the 1998 murder of James Byrd Jr., a black man whose throat was slashed before he was stripped, dragged behind a truck and decapitated by three white men in the East Texas town of Jasper. Two of Byrd’s killers were sentenced to death; the third to life in prison. Byrd’s gruesome death led state legislators in 2001 to revise the hate crime law and name it for Byrd.

"The Donald Thomas incident was horrific and garnered a lot of attention," Briskman said. "But with time and the incident with Mr. Byrd, [Thomas’ killing] kind of got eclipsed.

"A lot people have forgotten, but having been involved with the Thomas case, it was just as bad and just as heartbreaking as the James Byrd case."

Kirk Lyons, an attorney who represents groups that believe they are discriminated against because of their Confederate or Southern heritage, said Texas legislators overreacted to the Brosky case.

Lyons, who works through the North Carolina-based Southern Legal Resource Center, said hate crime laws use people’s "belief structures" to convict them.

"I don’t want to be against the widow, but this resulted in bad law," he said. "The people that promoted this hate crime law nonsense are the same people who promote gun control legislation every time a politician is killed. The problem is nobody wants to be against that because they’ll be labeled racist. Nobody in government cares about the Constitution anymore."

Briskman disagreed.

"Hate crimes don’t just victimize the victim’s family," he said. "They victimize the whole community. If it’s a hate crime against an African-American, it’s a form of terror for the entire African-American community.

"That’s why we tack on the hate crime charge. It helps to bring closure to the community because the legal community recognizes it’s a hate crime."

Source

Motivated O'Neal still a force inside

2009-11-03T22:25:00.000-08:00

Jermaine O'Neal played like he was at home. He looked like it after the game, too.

The former Indiana Pacers center now playing for Miami gave his game shoes to a young fan in the stands after the Heat's 96-83 victory Friday night.

He walked over to the Pacers' postgame television broadcast and gave former teammate Austin Croshere, now doing color commentary, a kiss on the cheek. O'Neal high-fived and hugged some of the Conseco Fieldhouse security guards.

"It's good to be back home in Indiana," O'Neal said. "One thing that people haven't heard from me is that this will always be my family here, and this will always be my home.

"I appreciate the support I've had over the eight years. You guys and this community made me and gave me an opportunity to do some things in my life that I couldn't have dreamed that I would be able to do."

O'Neal's career blossomed with the Pacers.

Following four years of little playing time with the Portland Trail Blazers after being drafted out of high school, the Pacers acquired O'Neal prior to the 2000-01 season and he became an All-Star during his eight years here.

When injuries slowed him, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors prior to the 2008-09 season, then moved midyear to Miami. O'Neal said he still considers Indiana and Portland his homes.

"But especially Indianapolis because Indiana gave me the opportunity to do so many great things," he said. "I consider people here my family no matter what, no matter the people who don't like me for whatever reason.

"I wasn't a negative guy. All I did is, I played and I played hurt and I got hurt more by playing hurt. I still love this city. It's difficult to come back and play, but I have a new family, too, in Miami."

O'Neal had 22 points and 12 rebounds against the Pacers, becoming the first Heat player to open the season with consecutive 20-10 games. He also had 22 and 12 in the Heat's season opener, a 115-93 victory over the New York Knicks.

"You look athletic, man," Croshere told O'Neal after the game.

"I worked hard as hell," O'Neal said.

In the offseason, O'Neal went through a seven-week program with the Heat and another seven weeks with noted trainer Tim Grover in Chicago to regain his movement after knee injuries slowed him most of the past three seasons.

"This is the best Jermaine has played in at least three years," Heat guard Dwyane Wade said.

O'Neal averaged just 13 points per game in 2008-09 with Toronto and Miami and 13.6 in 42 games in his final season with the Pacers in 2007-08. Prior to that, he had six seasons of averaging at least 19 points.

"If it was going to happen in my career to come back, this was the summer to come back," O'Neal said.

On Friday, he made easy work of Pacers centers Roy Hibbert and Solomon Jones. Veteran Jeff Foster missed most of the game with a sprained right ankle.

"Our young guys got a lesson inside," Pacers coach Jim O'Brien said. "Solomon and Roy really got schooled by Jermaine."

Source

Florida Gators' defense still motivated by 2007 loss at LSU

2009-10-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

GAINESVILLE — Two years later, Florida safeties coach Chuck Heater feels a lot better about his defense's chance against LSU at Tiger Stadium.

"Unless Hester's back. Is he gone?" Heater joked. "He was such a man that night."

That would be Jacob Hester, now a second-year running back for the San Diego Chargers who turned in a legendary performance in LSU's 28-24 victory against Florida in 2007, a win that propelled the Tigers to a national championship and sent the Gators tailspinning to a 9-4 record.

Not only did Hester rush for 106 yards that night, he willed his team to victory, converting two crucial fourth downs late in the fourth quarter and scoring the game-winning touchdown with 1:09 remaining.

LSU went a stunning 5-for-5 on fourth down conversions that game and 8-of-17 on third down. The Tigers held the ball for more than 35 minutes, and Florida's young defense, littered with freshmen and sophomores, simply couldn't get off the field.

Even with all the Gators' accomplishments - two national titles in three years under Urban Meyer - the loss still keeps Meyer awake at night.

"That was a tough night," Meyer said this week. "All we got to do is go score. All we got to do is not turn the ball over twice."

"Does it haunt us? Yeah, it sure does."

The No. 1 Gators (4-0, 2-0) return to Baton Rouge tonight for the first time since that devastating loss in 2007, for a showdown against No. 4 LSU (5-0, 3-0) with major national title implications.

Tim Tebow is expected to be a game-time decision, though sources have told the Post that Tebow will sit in favor of backup John Brantley. Regardless of who plays quarterback, the Gators' defense is confident it won't have a repeat of its 2007 performance.

Six players that started the 2007 will start again tonight, including Brandon Spikes, Joe Haden and Major Wright.

Defensive coordinator Charlie Strong "told us that it's basically the same people that played in that game, but we just have two years more of experience and a national championship under our belt," Haden said. "We feel there's no way that can happen again, unless the whole team lays down."

The Gators' defense already got its revenge in last year's 51-21 win over LSU at The Swamp, scoring a touchdown, forcing two turnovers and limiting the Tigers to 27 minutes of offense.

But just to make sure his players don't get complacent, Strong went into the video room over the bye week and spliced together a few "highlights" from the 2007 game. Last week, he forced the defense to watch replays of all the third- and fourth-down conversions over and over again.

"We keep telling Coach, 'We did play them last year, if y'all forgot,'" Haden said.

Heater said the 2007 game was the best thing that could happen for the Gators' defense. The players started taking their jobs more seriously after the game, and in 2008 allowed 12 points per game while leading the Gators to a national championship. This year, Florida leads the nation in allowing just 7.3 points per game.

"We really went in there played hard and tough, but you couldn't see it because we couldn't get off the field," Heater said. "I think that was a real defining moment for our defensive guys."

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Inspectors motivated by pride in city

2009-10-15T10:13:00.000-07:00

WORCESTER — When Matt Lucier, a nuisance control officer for the Department of Public Works, sees evidence of illegal dumping, it's personal.

Worcester isn't just the city that employs him. It's where he was raised and has chosen to settle his family.

So, he takes exception to the piles of waste and bulky items left on the side of roads and in wooded areas by people who don't care about the city as much as he does.

“Some people think it's OK to just dump their trash in people's neighborhoods,” Mr. Lucier said as he drove around Worcester checking illegal dumping hot spots for trash. “How do you change people's thoughts?”

It may not be possible to change the mentality of those who use Worcester as their personal Dumpster, but the city has been able to change their actions. In the five years since Commissioner of Public Works and Parks Robert L. Moylan Jr. successfully advocated for a tougher illegal dumping ordinance and for surveillance cameras in hot spot areas, illegal dumping has dramatically decreased. Under the pilot program, the city has been able to fine up to three times the amount of cleanup costs through civil cases in Housing Court.

Since early 2006, the city has been able to successfully prosecute illegal dumpers, winning a total of $5,000 in the six cases it has brought to court. The money goes back to enforcement measures. The city has the ability to place cameras in any area deemed to be popular with dumpers. DPW workers believe the knowledge a camera could be capturing a person's actions is a powerful deterrent.

“Now, the law has teeth, we can actually enforce it,” Mr. Lucier said. “Within the past three years, we've cut in half the tonnage picked up for illegal dumping.”

Discarding trash isn't generally a crime that makes headlines, and when the city goes after people for it, it's generally a civil case. However, the impact of illegal dumping on a community cannot be underestimated. Mr. Moylan, also a city resident, has heard the whisperings and flat-out assertions that Worcester is a “dirty city.” He adamantly disagrees, particularly since taking a hard stance on dumping. His “Keep Worcester Clean” committee meets twice monthly to review complaints and the success of cleanup efforts.

“It's been an issue we've dealt with for a number of years,” Mr. Moylan said. “I believe we've led the way statewide to bring dumpers to justice. And, really, it's not the problem it used to be.”

Still, illegal dumping is on Mr. Lucier's radar daily. As a nuisance control officer, he patrols trash routes a day after pickup, warning or fining residents who disregard the city trash ordinance by leaving out trash too early or in non-compliant bags. Often, he'll come across trash discarded by residents, who may or may not be caught on camera.

If there is no video of the crime, Mr. Lucier searches for the next best thing: tossed-out mail or pill bottles with a person's address, perhaps.

On Davis Street, a hill off Piedmont Street that has no homes, Mr. Lucier took a quick look at bags of Styrofoam thrown on the side of the road. He tossed them in the back of his truck, noting workers will sift through them at the DPW to check for evidence of their source. Across the street, he got lucky: after finding a few pill bottles with the address labels ripped off, he came across a soggy piece of mail with a name and address.

As sloppy as illegal dumping is, those who do it are often meticulous in erasing evidence that will lead back to them. Mr. Lucier found seven bags of trash on Stafford Street last week. Though all were filled with multiple pieces of mail, the address had been cut out of each one.

The dumpers might as well have taken that time to recycle the trash or discard it in a city trash bag, Mr. Lucier said.

In April, the city reached an $800 settlement with an Oxford resident who backed up a U-Haul and threw out a large pile of debris in the city.

“It's an affront to those of us who believe so much in this community,” Mr. Moylan said. “Even more of an affront is when people come into our city and think they can dump with impunity.”

The most dumped-on areas tend either to be the most urban or in quiet, tucked away areas, people think they won't get caught. The rear of State Liquors on Park Avenue is no longer a dumping hot spot because of cameras and barriers. Swan Avenue, a largely unpaved, bumpy road off Mill Street, has been a dumper's haven.

Though some do come from out of town to dump in the city, Mr. Lucier believes the vast majority are city residents; in half of the cases in Housing Court, the dumpers were from Worcester.

One never knows, however, when an alert neighbor or camera may be watching.

“People get fed up,” Mr. Lucier said. “Not everyone who lives in these neighborhoods doesn't care about how they look.”

Source

Get motivated and track fitness with the Trainer

2009-07-24T00:34:00.000-07:00

MP3 players fulfill many roles for the people who use them. For some, a portable audio device is true to form as an essential commuter companion; others turn their players into home audio systems by attaching them to speakers. But one of the most popular uses for an MP3 player is as a workout motivator, which is why companies have packed fitness-friendly extras into the devices over the years. The most recent example is found in the Haier America Trainer, a 2GB player with a surfeit of features aimed at getting you in shape. At $60, the Trainer is a solid investment for gym rats who want to get the absolute most out of an MP3 player.

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Michael Jackson was reportedly working on two albums at time of death

2009-07-18T23:35:00.000-07:00

Billboard magazine is reporting that at the time of Michael Jackson's death, the aging pop star was working on two albums in addition to preparing for a 50-show concert series. One album, the website reports, was in the pop vein, while another would be made up entirely instrumental classical compositions. Jackson's pop album was a collaboration with songwriter Claude Kelly and Akon, who says Jackson was motivated by his fans and by his children, who had never seen him perform live. For the classical album, composer David Michael Frank was invited to Jackson's Holmby Hills home a few months ago looking for help with orchestration.

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Families bond in NBC’s lighthearted ‘Great American Road Trip’

2009-07-17T23:33:00.000-07:00

Parents who have taken road trips will chuckle - or cringe - watching NBC’s “Great American Road Trip,” premiering Tuesday at 8 on WHDH (Ch. 7).

Sure, everyone should see this exquisite land, but doing it while spending a month together in an RV with no personal electronics would seem daunting to even the closest of families. Yet seven brave families of four pile into NBC-provided RVs to head west on Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles in this reality series hosted by comic Reno Collier.

During each one-hour episode, the families face challenges. The family that loses leaves. The last family remaining after the eight episodes wins $100,000.

The first challenge is being deprived of iPods, portable DVD players and cell phones. For most teens, this is akin to cutting off oxygen.

“They’re meant to be fun family challenges,” said executive producer Lisa Hennessy. “There’s one where the dads did a cook-off - who could make the best burgers. And we did a blind taste test. We also have bigger challenges where the families do a zip line. We did it outside Las Vegas, and they have to hit a target with a balloon filled with paint. They’re just meant to be fun and funny.”

The 14 youths are between ages 9 and 16, and the families were selected to be geographically, racially, ethnically and economically diverse. Family togetherness and a desire to see the country motivated people to participate.

“I have always been fascinated with reality (TV, but) I was not willing to leave my family for an extended period of time,” said Amie Pollard of Wicksburg, Ala. “When I saw this, I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh! The trip of a lifetime, and we can do it as a family.’ I was kind of already having that separation anxiety because my son is literally less than a year from going to college. This is the chance for us to have one big hoorah as a family, take a huge vacation together and do things we have never, ever done before.”

Amie is married to her high-school sweetheart, Ron, and they have two children, Aaron, 17, and Anslie, 12.

Anslie, who addresses adults as “ma’am,” learned a lot about her parents, namely, “I really and truly thought they were not as together when we got on the trip,” she said. “I learned they were very close.”

Lenny Faverey, a doorman at a Manhattan building, had never driven farther than 100 miles and was nervous about maneuvering an RV. (NBC paid for the gas, which averaged $1,500 per family.) He and his wife, Dee, and their children, Dylan, 15, and Ashley, 10, had a great time.

“Doing this adventure with my family has given me a new light on life,” he said.

As magnificent as the sights are, Pollard says the trip made her realize “how much your day-to-day reaction with each other is limited because of technology. When all of that is taken away, there is so much for your family. We would lie in bed at night and tell jokes, and we would be laughing out loud in the dark in the RV. As adults, we get so wrapped up in careers and our jobs and all the things that don’t matter.”

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At Seattle Center 500 take oath to become U.S. citizens;

2009-07-16T23:32:00.000-07:00

Albert Chen called his fiancée Saturday to give her the news.

After a two-year engagement, she can come to the U.S. from China as Chen's bride-to-be. He became a U.S. citizen at a Fourth of July naturalization ceremony.

"I just called her last night," said Chen, a 41-year-old chemist from China. "I will call her today, share with her the experience. I think it's a very big event."

Chen was among more than 500 people from 79 countries who took the oath of citizenship Saturday at Seattle Center.

Whether they were motivated by love, like Chen, or by freedom, a fresh start, or the opportunity to vote, for each the certificate received was the end of a long journey.

More than 6,000 people took the oath at about 50 ceremonies across the country, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The annual Seattle ceremony is sponsored by the Ethnic Heritage Council.

Applicants for citizenship must be 18 and a permanent resident, must have good moral character, be able to speak and understand English and demonstrate knowledge of U.S. history and government.

Ivan and Nataliya Kerpan, of Everett, are Christians who grew up afraid to speak about their faith in the former Soviet Union. They believe God brought them to the U.S. from their home in the Ukraine because of the religious freedom here.

"We prayed for this, because we wanted to see more countries, and God sent us here ... because Jesus is savior," said Nataliya, who became a citizen six months ago and watched her husband take the oath on Saturday.

Mayor Greg Nickels, U.S. Reps. Jim McDermott and Dave Reichert, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell and Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed were among the officials who spoke at the noon ceremony. They urged the new Americans to vote and find ways to contribute.

"Remind us who have been born here what freedom means," Reichert said. "We sometimes take freedom for granted."

It was hot Saturday under the summer sun. Those taking the oath fanned themselves and made hats out of their programs. Members of the Greenwood Concert Band gulped water between Sousa marches. Friends and family huddled in the shade to hear the speeches.

In the front row of citizenship candidates, 13 men serving in the U.S. military prepared to become citizens. Most of them were preparing to deploy and fight for their new country, if they hadn't already.

"It means quite a bit, being able to be a part of this country," said José Aguayo, who was born in Mexico and moved to the U.S. as a child. He has served one tour in Iraq and expects to be deployed again, probably to Afghanistan.

Wete Tittora joined the Army a year ago and also expects to be deployed to Afghanistan. He emigrated two years ago from Togo and became a soldier out of love for his new home, he said.

"In my country, the best way to show a friend that you love him is to fight together with him against an enemy," he said. "That's the best way to say thank you to my country."

Source

Anti-smoking crusader motivated by personal loss

2009-07-15T23:31:00.000-07:00

SPRINGVILLE — Logan Jones still doesn't have the nerve to tell his mother he's a founding member of an anti-tobacco group.

It's not like they talk much anyway.

Sometimes, like this year, she'll call on his birthday. Then he won't hear from her for months.

In fact, Logan can't even remember what she looks like anymore.

Ten years ago she left 6-year-old Logan and his younger twin sisters for the drug and alcohol life. And she probably still smokes, he says matter-of-factly.

Then, four years after his mom left, Logan's dad died of pneumonia — lung complications caused by secondhand smoke. The 42-year-old father hadn't smoked a day in his life but worked with people who did, Logan said.

Smoking may have taken two people from Logan, but it left him with a magnetic resolve to create something positive from his losses.

"When we … hear of people who have cancer, (or) meet kids who've lost a mom or dad to lung cancer, (this is) our way of saying 'We are trying to do something about this,' " said Logan, who lives with his grandmother in Springville. "It's kind of a driving force."

But point out Logan's maturity or incredible sense of responsibility and the 16-year-old is quick to deflect the praise.

After all, he's only one member of OUTRAGE, the group of Utah County teens working to clear the air and spread the word.

"Everyone in the group has a pretty powerful story," Logan said. "They're in it for a reason. They're not just there to have fun. We really go out and do stuff."

That "stuff" began when the group of dedicated teens and energetic coordinator Jen Tischler went city-to-city educating councils about why a countywide smoking ban was needed in parks and recreation areas.

It's all about protecting kids where they play, Logan said.

Then the group trouped door-to-door to get signatures supporting clean air. Over nearly two years, OUTRAGE gathered 13,474 signature cards and 5,112 opinion surveys. It paid off in November when the Utah County Board of Health approved a ban on smoking in public parks, recreation areas and any outdoor party with more than 50 people.

The win was so big, it even got the attention of the Environmental Protection Agency.

OUTRAGE recently accepted the President's Environmental Youth Award in D.C., and days later the Utah Public Health Association's Youth Group Award, Tischler said.

"I believe so much in (these kids)," she said. "I believe in the work they're doing. I'm amazed by them."

Especially Logan, who has become determined, not depressed, by his experiences.

"He can affect so many other people because of his story," Tischler said. "I'm excited to see him grow up and see what he does. He's already done so much. He turned his tragedy into a triumph."

When Logan isn't busy with OUTRAGE, he squeezes in choir practices Saturday mornings at 7, time with his dog, Rose, and occasional geocaching ventures.

"He's so responsible," said his grandmother Barbara Jones. "I've never known kids that were so dedicated and serious about something."

OUTRAGE has to be. Lives are at stake.

"We're trying to … change social norms," Tischler said. "We're teaching kids that this isn't a normal habit, this isn't healthy for you."

And the group has the perfect teaching tools: Pig lungs. One healthy, one smoke-riddled.

During county fairs the teens inflate them with PVC pipes to compare strength.

"They smell pretty grody," Logan said. And they make some kids sick, so the group uses them wisely.

Logan also keeps a flash drive in his pocket. He'll show the shockingly truthful, anti-smoking and anti-meth ads to anyone who will watch.

They're not pretty, he says. But they're real. Just like the consequences of smoking.

"I've never gotten tired of doing it," Logan said of his work with OUTRAGE. "Of course you get tired, but you wake up the next morning and say, 'OK, I could do this.' "

Source

TEMECULA: Protesters line intersection

2009-07-14T23:24:00.000-07:00

TEMECULA ---- Some of the people lining the corners of the Rancho California and Ynez roads intersection during a tax protest Saturday afternoon said their beef isn't only with President Barack Obama.

"I don't think anyone here will tell you it's a Republican versus Democrat thing. It's an American thing," said Mike Horan of Poway. "It isn't so much politically motivated. People want to make sure they're being heard."

A crowd estimated by organizers to have topped out at 1,000 stood on all four corners of the intersection near Duck Pond Park in Temecula, some holding signs critical of the government and others waving flags. They elicited many thumbs up and honking horns of support from drivers who passed by.

Signs showed messages such as "Congress stay out of my wallet," "No Bama, No Boxer, No Bono" and "You can't fix stupid, you can only vote them out."

"We're just out here trying to get our message out," said Rick Reiss, one of the organizers. "A lot of people are frustrated with the government. ... People want government to leave them alone. They don't need government to come in and do everything for us."

Ben Cossart of Rainbow said protests such as the one Saturday can make a difference.

"This kind of thing did a lot in the '60s," he said. "Now, it's mainstream America (protesting). It's mom, pop and grandpa."

While there was criticism of the final year of George W. Bush's presidency, and a lot of anger with U.S. Rep. Mary Bono Mack being one of eight Republicans in Congress to vote in favor of the "cap and trade" energy bill, most of the negativity was aimed at Obama. The economic stimulus plan, energy policies and the unemployment rate drew the most ire.

"It's going to bankrupt our future generation," Reiss said. "Look what this generation is going to leave behind, it's an absolute disgrace."

In the sea of conservatives stood four local men who showed up in support of Obama.

"I'm a liberal," Britton Stackman of Murrieta said. "I felt my voice needed to be heard as much as their voice needed to be heard."

The four drew some friendly banter from their Republican counterparts, and some not-so-friendly personal insults, they said.

Horan, who delayed a family surfing trip to participate in the rally, said he's not so worried about his future, but that of his five sons and seven grandchildren.

"We want to see if we can get some semblance of our country back from the White House and those nuts in Congress," Horan said.

He said he came to the rally because people can't expect change if they don't let their voices be heard.

"You can't sit back and wait for things to happen," he said. "You have to take the initiative."

Horan said he is hoping that Obama has a successful presidency.

"If he fails, what kind of country are we going to have left?" Horan asked.

Debby Cossart donned stars and stripes as she joined her husband, Ben, at the protest.

"We want our country back," she said. "We're more desperate. Things get scarier by the moment."

Reiss helped organize a tax protest at Duck Pond Park on April 15, which he said drew more than 2,000 people on a day similar protests were held around the country.

He was happy with Saturday's turnout, considering it was a holiday and the protesters came out even though the mercury neared 100 degrees.

"You have got to be kind of nuts to come out here on a day like this," Reiss said. "It shows they're very dedicated."

Reiss said there currently are no plans for another rally, although he's eyeing April 15, next tax day, for another event.

Source

They made magic in backcourt

2009-05-28T20:55:00.000-07:00

ORLANDO, Fla. - It didn't take Anthony "Grandpa" Johnson long to make people forget about the Magic's suspended starting point guard, Rafer Alston, last night. Johnson was playing too well for anyone to waste time thinking about a guy in street clothes.

"Anthony Johnson, I thought, set the tone of the game," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "He's a wily, tough, old veteran and he came to play. He deserved that performance."

The 11-year veteran got the start in Game 3 in place of Alston, who served a one-game penalty for slapping the Celtics' Eddie House in the head Wednesday night. And Johnson quickly made his presence felt in Orlando's 117-96 rout, making his first three shots, including a two-handed dunk over Celtics center Kendrick Perkins.

"I was able to use my old legs and throw one down," said Johnson, 34. "I still can spring up a little bit."

Motivated by the chatter that his extended playing time would benefit the Celtics, Johnson immediately made it known that he wouldn't be the liability many had suggested. Johnson finished with 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in 28 minutes, shooting 5 of 7 from the field.

"It adds fuel to the fire," Johnson said. "I've always been talked about for the things I can't do. Trying to fight that battle is a waste of time."

Johnson will return to his reserve role tomorrow. The Magic still need two more wins before they can move on, and they will need the same type of performance off the bench.

Johnson's solid performance wasn't the only boost the Magic received. Courtney Lee returned from the sinus fracture that forced him to miss Orlando's previous three games. Wearing a protective mask, the rookie guard continued his solid postseason with an 11-point performance that received rave reviews from his teammates.

"He was great tonight," Dwight Howard said. "He played like himself tonight and it just feels good to see him back."

Aside from the feel-good stories, the Magic's growing disdain for the Celtics' physical play is becoming a hot topic.

"It's a playoff series, it's very physical. We understand that," Howard said. "We have to stay composed. We know that Boston is a very physical team; we have to be able to take those shots."

They've already sent some nasty glares the Celtics' way after hard fouls.

"We're not into fighting, but you're a human being too," said Hedo Turkoglu, who was whistled for a double technical (with House) in the fourth quarter last night. "You're man enough to stand up for yourself and sometimes you have to."

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Pushed in a new direction

2009-05-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

If you were recently laid off, you've probably heard enough about "blessings in disguise" and "silver linings."

But for some people, these aren't just platitudes. Consider the banker who became a foreclosure prevention counselor. Or the marketing executive who now heads a catering department. Or the investment analyst making a career from his true passion: model trains. For them, a job loss was just the jolt they needed to set off on a more fulfilling - if not necessarily more lucrative - path.

To be sure, starting over after a layoff is not for everyone. It involves time, energy, lengthy training, and a lot of reflection.

But for people who have long nourished visions of more satisfying jobs, losing a job can be a catalyst, said Dan King, who heads Career Planning and Management Inc. in downtown Boston.

"Sometimes a layoff gives people just the push they need to change their reality, " said King. "If you were just waiting for the right time, now you have the incentive to do it."

Just don't expect it to be easy.

Finance to food
For Deb Flohr, the decision to go to culinary school meant spending the better part of a year living out of her car and sleeping on friends' couches. The lifestyle was a far cry from the one she had before August of 2006, when she lost a high-paying sales job at a financial services company.

Flohr's decision to ditch 15 years of spreadsheets and pantsuits for dough and bakers' whites came suddenly, when she strolled past the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts, and saw a sign for an orientation session.

"I thought, 'Oh my God, I'm going to apply and figure out a way to go,' " she said. "My boyfriend said I was crazy."

Flohr said the move was about reclaiming the career she was meant to have, as opposed to the one she fell into. Her parents owned a hotel and restaurant in Killington, Vt., and in her final years of college, she worked in event planning. She had hoped to make a career of it, but took a job out of college at a financial services company, and one thing led to another.

"You get the financial responsibilities and you feel like you can't leave," she said. "I was miserable and looking for something else. Then [my company] started to lay people off, and I decided it's time to take that leap of faith."

After completing the year-long program at the culinary school in 2007, Flohr worked at restaurants on Cape Cod and in Savannah, Ga. Then responding to an ad, she took an hourly job with Wolfgang Puck at the Institute for Contemporary Art in Boston, a job that in December led to her promotion to director of catering.

Flohr has hefty student loans, topping $20,000, as well as a mortgage. She estimates she's taking a 75 percent pay cut this year, compared with what she was making in financial services. But she doesn't regret her decision for a moment. "I've finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up," she said.

Banker turned counselor
Over a 30-year career in banking, Joe Madaio has taken his share of knocks. He was laid off during the banking crisis of the early 1990s, and a couple years ago, parted ways with a South Shore credit union that was experiencing financial problems. Now, he works for a nonprofit in Brockton as a foreclosure counselor, and when people ask, he says he's doing well. "Foreclosures are a growth industry in Brockton," he quips.

It may seem like an unlikely transition, from representing banks to helping people keep banks off their backs. But even before getting laid off, Madaio was involved in a local initiative that brought together housing advocates and business leaders to address foreclosures, which have hit Brockton as hard as any community in the state. After he lost his job, these contacts helped lead to his position with Neighborhood Housing Services of the South Shore.

In addition to his banking experience, Madaio's own bouts with unemployment allow him to empathize with homeowners struggling with job loss.

At 60, Madaio has no illusions of getting rich from his new career. But there are other rewards, including the feeling that he's serving a greater purpose than a company's bottom line.

"You're not in the pressure cooker the way you are in private industry," he said. "I wanted to do something to give back to the community. Certainly that's the case in this role here."

Writing about a hobby
When Barry Lewis was recently laid off from his job at Boston mutual fund company Fidelity Investments, he turned to model trains. Now, he's writing marketing copy for a company that makes the miniature locomotives that Lewis has collected since he was a kid.

Lewis had written occasionally for the model train company MTH Electric Trains of Maryland for several years, but since losing his job he has cranked up his output. MTH, Lewis says, is the main competitor to the company synonymous with model trains, Lionel, of Chesterfield, Mich.

He expects this year to write about eight product catalogs, in which he highlights the specifications and historical significance of the dozens of train lines the company makes. He also writes a weekly newsletter for train collectors, and he's hoping the company will let him revamp its website, complete with a blog that would showcase MTH's products.

Lewis, 60, recognizes that making a living from model trains will be a challenge, so he hopes to cobble together other freelance writing gigs. But like "The Little Engine that Could," he's motivated and determined, which career advisers say is crucial to a successful professional transition.

For Lewis, who studied filmmaking in college, the work for MTH is a return to his creative roots after 15 years of writing financial reports for Fidelity. Lewis says he's still not earning nearly as much as he did before he was laid off, but the work is far more satisfying - and fun.

"All the boring stuff from your 401(k) that you throw away, that's the stuff I would write," Lewis said. "But with these catalogs, people stop and say, 'Hey, I like what you did there.' "

Learning to build homes
Jack Witherington was laid off twice in one day. It was the late 1990s, just as the bubble was beginning to deflate. Two heavy equipment manufacturing companies that make engines and trucks and employed Witherington as a sales agent informed him that they would cancel his contract.

With a wife, a child, and a baby on the way at the time, Witherington didn't take his next move lightly. He decided to haul himself from the Philadelphia area up to the Berkshires to go to the Heartwood School, an intensive program in timber-frame construction, which uses traditional beam building techniques and requires a high level of carpentry skills. This college-educated son of an executive at a small manufacturing company wanted to build houses.

"Since I was a little boy I've loved to work with my hands," Witherington said. "I wanted to build houses and homes that were special and part of the next generation of buildings that would be preserved with reverence in a 100-plus years."

Witherington, 42, said losing his job - or jobs - gave him the chance to seriously consider what he wanted to do.

Timber-frame construction appealed to Witherington because he would be building homes with a level of quality and craftsmanship not common in most suburban construction. He decided on Heartwood because it had a good reputation and because it was an intensive program. He figured he would be able to quickly get back into the working world.

He served as an apprentice at Heartwood over a summer while completing the courses, and then he began working for Bensonwood, an established timber-frame builder in New Hampshire. Witherington returned to the Philadelphia area, where his family lives, and in 2003, he started his own company, the Methods & Materials Building Co.

The company has steadily grown, although Witherington says business has slowed considerably since the housing market tanked.

But he's confident things will turn around, and in the meantime, the company is getting by doing smaller-scale jobs.

For Witherington, getting laid off truly proved a blessing in disguise as he chased a dream of building high-quality homes.

"I figured that was my chance to do it," he said. "You only regret the things you never try."

Source

It's the Prejeans! Your all-American broken home (Thank goodness they're ''not gay'') [video]

2009-05-26T20:52:00.000-07:00

'The gay and lesbian community has been supportive of Carrie. It's just been overwhelming.... I'm not gay.... Just this past Sunday [Carrie's mother and I] had our arms around each other, praying in church.''

William Prejean, father of controversial beauty queen Carrie Prejean of the Miss USA California pageant. This piece from E! has an interview with her divorced father who is relaying his interpretation of gay people's feelings about his daughter, Carrie, about the statements made during his divorce from Prejean's mother that he might be gay, and about his current relationship with his ex-wife. Prejean of course, has positioned herself to become the newest darling of conservative media and politically motivated people like the extremely anti-gay Maggie Gallagher and Alaska's Republican Governor Sarah Palin. (E! Online)

''Ms. Prejean accused me, in front of our daughter, of homosexuality.''

TMZ relaying a statmement from a document filed during 1996 divorce of Carrie Prejean's father. It is reported that her father, William Prejean, was accused of being gay by his wife at that time because he was, apparenlty, living with a gay man. (TMZ)

''One time my sister & I went in the hallway of my dad's apartment, & his roommate's door was open all the way & we saw [the roommate] in bed with another man. I don't think it's right for my sister & I to have to live that way.''

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Self actualization

2009-05-25T20:52:00.000-07:00

Self-actualization is a term that has been used in various psychology theories, often in slightly different ways (e.g., Goldstein, Maslow, Rogers). The term was originally introduced by the organismic theorist Kurt Goldstein for the motive to realise all of one's potentialities. In his view, it is the master motive—indeed, the only real motive a person has, all others being merely manifestations of it. However, the concept was brought to prominence in Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory as the final level of psychological development that can be achieved when all basic and mental needs are fulfilled and the "actualisation" of the full personal potential takes place.

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Self-verification theory

2009-05-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

Self-verification is a social psychological theory that asserts people want to be known and understood by others according to their firmly held beliefs and feelings about themselves, that is self-views (i.e. self-concepts and self-esteem). A competing theory to self-verification is self-enhancement or the drive for positive evaluations.

Because chronic self-concepts and self-esteem play an important role in understanding the world, providing a sense of coherence, and guiding action, people become motivated to maintain them through self-verification strivings. Such strivings provide stability to people’s lives, making their experiences more coherent, orderly, and comprehensible than they would be otherwise. Self-verification processes are also adaptive for groups, groups of diverse backgrounds and the larger society, in that they make people predictable to one another thus serve to facilitate social interaction. (Swann , Milton & Polzer 2000, p. 79, 238-250) To this end, people engage in a variety of activities that are designed to obtain self-verifying information.

Developed by William Swann (1983), the theory grew out of earlier writings which held that people form self-views so that they can understand and predict the responses of others and know how to act toward them (see Cooley, 1902; Mead, 1934).

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Monroe's motivated sequence

2009-05-23T20:38:00.000-07:00

Monroe's motivated sequence is a technique for organizing persuasive speeches that inspire people to take action. It was developed in the mid-1930s by Alan H. Monroe. It consists of five steps:

* Attention
o Get the attention of your audience using a detailed story, shocking example, dramatic statistic, quotations, etc.
* Need
o Show that the problem about which you are speaking exists, that it is significant, and that it won't go away by itself. Use statistics, examples, etc. Convince your audience that there is a need for action to be taken.
* Satisfy
o You need to solve the issue. Provide specific and viable solutions that the government or communities can implement to solve the problem.
* Visualization
o Tell the audience what will happen if the solution is implemented or does not take place. Be visual and detailed.
* Action
o Tell the audience what action they can take personally to solve the problem.

For instance, a more generalized format may be:

Monroe’s Motivation Sequence

1. Attention: Hey! Listen to me, I have a PROBLEM!
2. Need: Let me EXPLAIN the problem.
3. Satisfy: But, I have a SOLUTION!
4. Visualization: If we IMPLEMENT my solution, this is what will happen.
5. Action: You can help me in this specific way. Are YOU willing to help me?

The advantage of Motivated Sequence is that it emphasizes what the audience can do. Too often the audience feels like a situation is hopeless; Monroe's motivated sequence emphasizes the action the audience can take.

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Prosperity Consciousness

2008-10-06T06:42:00.001-07:00

The starting point of all riches is the development of a prosperity consciousness. You must become a financial success in your thinking long before you achieve it in your reality. Both poverty and riches are the result of a state of mind, and the most important single step you ever take on the road to wealth and financial independence is the decision to change your thinking, to impress into your mind an unshakable belief that you can and will achieve your financial goals. This must happen before anything else happens.

When I was growing up, I was fascinated by stories of successful men and women and how they made and lost their fortunes, and then made them over again. I read about the importance of a prosperity consciousness in the book, Think And Grow Rich, by Napoleon Hill, several times. But I never fully understood what it meant until about five years ago. Then it hit me and I've never been quite the same since. Every aspect of my life has improved dramatically, especially in the area of accumulating wealth, since I finally understood what it meant by a prosperity consciousness.

Here are two of the most exciting principles ever discovered in the long search by mankind for the secrets of health, happiness and great personal wealth.

The first principle is this. All causation is mental. All causation is mental. That means that everything that you are or ever will be will be as a result of how you use your mind. You are merely a mind with a body to carry it around with. The entire man made world that you see is simply an expression of thought. Your entire life is an expression of your own thinking. And since the quality of your thinking determines the quality of your life, if you improve the quality of your thinking, you must, you will, inevitably improve the quality of your life.

The second principle is what we call the law of expectations. This law says that whatever you expect with confidence, positive or negative, becomes your reality. If you confidently expect to succeed, if you confidently expect to learn something from every experience, if you confidently expect to become wealthy as a result of applying your talents and abilities to your opportunities and you maintain that attitude of confident expectations long enough, it will become your reality. It will give you a positive optimistic cheerful attitude that will cause people to want to help you, and will cause things to happen the way you want them to happen.

Here are two things you can do immediately to practice these principles in your day to day life:

First, start thinking today in a positive, optimistic, confident way about personal and financial success. Continually imagine what differences it would make in your life if you were financially independent. This is the starting point of developing a prosperity consciousness.

Second, develop your own attitude of positive expectations. Look for the good in every situation. Look for the valuable lesson in every setback or difficulty. Be positive and cheerful about everything that happens and you will be amazed at the difference it makes in your life.

Brian Tracy is the most listened to audio author on personal and business success in the world today. His fast-moving talks and seminars on leadership, sales, managerial effectiveness and business strategy are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that people can immediately apply to get better results in every area.

Think Like a Millionaire

2008-10-05T06:41:00.001-07:00

The most important attitude for financial success is long-term thinking. Successful people think a long way into the future and they adjust their daily behaviours to assure they achieve their long-term goals. In a longitudinal study done at Harvard University in the 50s and 60s, they studied the reasons for upward socio-economic mobility. They were looking for factors that would predict whether or not an individual or family was going to move upward and be wealthier in the future than in the present.

They studied factors like education, intelligence, being born into the right family, or having the right connections. In every case, they found individuals who had been born with every blessing in life who did poorly. They also found individuals who had been born or come to this country with no advantages at all who had been extremely successful. What was the distinguishing factor?

They finally determined that there was only one key attitude that mattered. They called it "Time Perspective." Time perspective refers to the amount of time that you take into consideration when planning your day to day activities and when making important decisions in your life.

People with long-time perspective invariably move up economically in the course of their lifetimes. When you spend weeks, months and years developing your skills and ability and expanding your experience in order to be successful, you have long-time perspective. The average professional person has a time perspective of 10, 15 and 20 years. Begin to see that everything that you are doing today is part of a long-time continuum, at the end of which you are going to be financially independent or financially unfortunate. People with short-time perspective think only about fun and pleasure in the short term. They have what economists call "The inability to delay gratification." They have an irresistible tendency to spend every single penny they earn and everything that they can borrow.

When you develop long-time perspective, you develop the discipline to delay gratification and to save your money rather than spending it. The combination of long-time perspective and delayed gratification puts you onto the high road to financial independence.

Now, here are two things you can do to develop the attitudes of financially successful people:

First, think long-term about your financial life. Decide exactly how much you want to be worth five years, ten years and twenty years from today. Write it down. Make a plan. Take action on your plan every single day.

Second, develop the ability to delay gratification. Instead of buying something on impulse, put off buying decisions for a day, a week or even a month. Decide in advance to "think it over" before you buy anything. This can change the way you spend money almost immediately

Brian Tracy is the most listened to audio author on personal and business success in the world today. His fast-moving talks and seminars on leadership, sales, managerial effectiveness and business strategy are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that people can immediately apply to get better results in every area.

Increasing Your Earning Potential

2008-10-04T06:40:00.001-07:00

In this article Brian Tracy points out the importance of continuously improving your skills and knowledge since this is the most important factors in your earning potential. He says that skills and knowledge in any field is doubling every 3 to 5 years, and that you need to do the same just to stay even. He introduces The Law of Three which says that you have to bring in 3 dollars of income for every 1 dollar you receive in salary from your company. On the end of the article he gives practical tips on how to increase your earning potential.

Debt Consolidation Articles

2008-10-03T06:38:00.001-07:00

"Debt consolidation entails taking out one loan to pay off many others. This is often done to secure a lower interest rate, secure a fixed interest rate or for the convenience of servicing only one loan.

Debt consolidation can simply be from a number of unsecured loans into another unsecured loan, but more often it involves a secured loan against an asset that serves as collateral, which is most commonly a house. In this case a mortgage is secured against the house. The collateralization of the loan allows a lower interest rate than without it, because by collateralizing, the asset owner agrees to allow the forced sale (foreclosure) of the asset in order to pay back the loan. The risk to the lender is reduced so the interest rate offered is lower."

Financial Goals

2008-10-02T06:37:00.001-07:00

You will need to make a list of goals of what you would like to achieve with your financial planning.

The best is to write down the financial goals in a list of priorities that are the most important to you, and what is absolutely necessary. This can be goals like paying for education, medical expenses, paying of expensive credit card debts and so on. These are all important things that will back fire on you if you let them lapse.

Secondary goals would be paying of mortgages and car loans and other debt that is less expensive then consumer debts.

Then you should make a list of your personal goals, everything that you are dreaming of and wish for. Like having longer holidays, buying a new car, playing golf or whatever. The personal motivation for short term goals are often many times stronger then saving for retirement many years ahead. Saving for retirement is what most people are talking about, but in my personal opinion this should be a secondary side goal that comes along with your primary goals.

What would be the easiest to motivate yourself for: A new flat screen TV next year, or retiring in 20 years?

*This does not mean that you give up paying off your debt, and just buy the TV on your credit card.

*It means that when you have paid off your current credit card debt and saved enough money to buy the new TV, you go buy it if you still want it.

*Maybe you by then have changed your mind and want to save a bit more for something more expensive and more useful.

*Maybe by then you have discovered another opportunity to actually make money on the money you have saved, instead of buying the TV.

*Maybe by then you have discovered how easy it actually is to save money and reduce your debt.

No matter how you look at it, you have to set goals that inspire your motivation. The first priority is clear; you have to cover all the things that you have to have.

Financial Planning

2008-10-01T06:36:00.001-07:00

Personal financial planning is important if you want to achieve financial freedom.

The basic idea with the financial planning for financial freedom is to make sure that you are building up funds and assets that eventually will pay for all your expenses.

When you have reached that point you have financial freedom per definition.

The planning is a way of trying to get there as smoothly and quickly as possible without having to sacrifice all 'The good things in life' during the process.

Everyone knows that it is good to have saved some money if there are unexpected things happening, but there are only a few who does something about it.

Why? Because most people think they can't. They think it is to difficult, they don't have enough money, they have to pay of their debt first or any other reason you can think of.

And anyway, saving money is really hard and you have to stay at home and you can never do things you like anymore, like going to a restaurant or to the movies. So that's why people put it off, they have so many ideas about it that they never even try!

It is important not to get to stiff and uptight about this, because then it becomes a pain. If you can not enjoy your journey to financial freedom, most probably you will not be able to enjoy the financial freedom itself. You would probably be too worried about loosing your money, or spending to much of them!

There are a few basics we will cover here and then you will be shown a few other resources that you can benefit from.

Mental Cross Training

2008-09-30T06:32:00.001-07:00

World-class athletes have known for many years that the only way that they can perform at their very peak is by developing all of their various muscles and abilities in a balanced way. In its simplest form, physical cross-training requires that you work on endurance, strength, and flexibility in a rotating format. When I was lifting weights as a young man, it was quite standard for us to work on the muscle groups that were less developed to keep them growing in balance with those muscle groups that were further ahead.

In mental cross-training, you must do the same thing with your repertoire of knowledge and skills. First of all, you need to determine the subjects that you have to be good at in order to be in the top ten or 20 percent in your field. Your job is to make the decision, right now, to go all the way to the top. And the fortunate thing is that, if anyone else has done it, you can do it as well. You simply need to follow in their tracks.

Harvard Business Review did a study some years ago on a subject that they called, "Critical Success Factors." The idea of critical success factors revolved around the discovery that to dominate any field of endeavor there are seldom more than five to seven skill areas that you absolutely, positively have to be good at. There may be a hundred or a thousand things that you have to do, but there are basically only five to seven areas where you need to commit yourself to excellent performance in order to move way ahead of the rest of the field.

These critical success factors are where you begin your program of mental cross-training. If you are in sales, for example, your seven critical success factors may be prospecting, getting appointments, establishing a relationship with the client, identifying the problem that the client has that your product or service will solve, presenting your product or service as the solution, closing the sale, and personal management. You will have to be absolutely, positively excellent in every one of these areas for you to be a great success in selling any product or service in any market.

And here's one of the most important discoveries about mental cross-training. If you are weak in any one critical area, that one area will set the height at which you use all your other skills. It will be the chief factor that determines your income and your level of success in your field. If you are absolutely excellent in six out of seven critical success factors but you are terrible in the seventh, you will be held back from ever realizing your full potential in whatever it is you do.

Let me give you an example. Let's say that you are absolutely excellent in every single part of selling except prospecting. Because of fear or negativity or competition in the marketplace, you are poor at getting appointments with new prospects who can and will buy your product or service. You may be outstanding at everything else but if you can't get in front of people, you will ultimately fail.

In another example, let's say you are good at prospecting and getting appointments and establishing rapport, but when it comes to actually getting the client to take action or to closing the sale, you tense up, you are unable to do it, and you leave empty-handed. Again, you could be outstanding at everything except closing the sale and that alone will sabotage your entire career.

If you are in sales, or in any other field, here's an action strategy for assessing your current level of performance. First, identify your critical success factors, the key areas in which you must be excellent if you want to be successful. Then give yourself a score from one to ten¾with one being the lowest and ten being the highest¾in each area. You will find that areas in which you have given yourself a low score are primary areas of stress, frustration, anxiety, and underachievement in whatever it is you are doing. You need to have a score above seven in every area for you to perform excellently in a well-balanced way.

It is essential that you be perfectly honest with yourself. It will do you no good to pretend that you are good at something when in reality it is interfering with your success in your career. Once you have worked out your critical success factors and you have given yourself a score in each of the five to seven areas, take your score to someone who knows you and ask him or her to score you. The best person for this is your boss, but if you have a friendly customer, ask if he or she will give you a score as well.

If you are in management, there will also be seven critical success factors that determine your level of achievement in your position. They could be a variety of skills but the most common, what I call the "big seven", are planning, organizing, staffing, delegating, supervising, innovating, and reporting. If you are poor in any one of these seven areas, that could be sufficient, in itself, to hold you back from using all your other talents.

Fortunately, if you feel that you are not particularly good in a critical success factor area, like delegating, you can read books, listen to tapes, and take courses, thereby bringing up your skills to above seven out of ten so that this area is no longer a problem for you.

In mental cross-training, the areas where you are weak are the sources of your major problems in your career. They are the areas that preoccupy you and concern you the most. And they are often in the activity areas where you get the worst results. You are likely to become anxious when it comes to performing those activities. If you are not careful, you will have a tendency to avoid performing in those areas, or even go one step further and convince yourself that you are already quite good in those areas. This is why it is so important that you ask other people around you to evaluate you in an objective way and tell you how well they think you are doing.

There is a new management technique that is becoming quite popular throughout the country. It is called the "360 Degree Method." In this managerial method, managers and subordinates are evaluated by all the people who work around them. Questionnaires are sent out to everyone within an organization, and each person is asked to evaluate their superiors and their subordinates. These questionnaires are then collected and analyzed for presentation at a meeting where each person sits in the middle of a 360 degree circle and is critiqued and evaluated by all the people with whom he or she works.

If this is done properly, it is extremely helpful to people. It comes as a great shock to most people that in areas where they think they are quite good, their coworkers and subordinates think they are quite poor.

For example, I had an executive working for me some years ago who felt that he was absolutely excellent at hiring people. He would not take any advice or input from anyone. He made his hires from the seat of his pants. And every single person that he hired turned out to be a disaster. Eventually, his right and authority to hire people had to be removed completely. This inability to learn how to properly interview and select the right people eventually proved to be fatal in his career. He had to go back to working on his own because he was simply incapable of picking people to work with him, no matter what position he had.

So here's the question: What are the areas you need to work on to bring yourself up to a high level of performance? If you are not sure, have the courage and the honesty to go to other people and ask for their feedback. Remember, feedback is the breakfast of champions. You can't get better unless someone is willing to give you an honest critique and help you see yourself as you really are.

If you are in sales, it is absolutely essential that you get your sales manager or someone else to go out with you at least once per month for an entire day to evaluate your sales performance. When this person comes out, he or she should sit there quietly and say nothing, just watching the way you interact with the customer. Afterward, this person should tell you exactly what he or she saw, both the good and the bad. Unless you have this kind of honest feedback, it is impossible for you to improve. But once you get this feedback, instead of being defensive, make a decision to go to work on yourself and improve that skill area so that it is no longer a limitation on your performance.

There are three rules that I want to emphasize with regard to mental cross-training:

First: It doesn't matter where you are coming from. All that matters is where you are going. The future is more important than the past. You can't change the past, but you can change your future by changing what you do today.

Second: For your life to get better, you must get better. If you want to earn more, you must learn more. Knowledge is the chief source of value today. If you want to improve the quality of your life, you must improve the quality of your knowledge and skills.

Third: You can learn anything that you need to learn to become any person that you want to become and to achieve any goal that you can possibly set for yourself. There are no limits except the limits that you set on your own mind.

From this day forward, make yourself a "do-it-to-yourself project." Begin and continue the lifelong process of continually getting better in all the areas that are important to you. Just as a champion athlete develops all of his or her muscles symmetrically and in balance, you must develop your mental muscles in a balanced way as well. Mental cross-training is truly an important step toward gaining control of your destiny.

Living Without Limits

2008-09-29T06:25:00.001-07:00

The starting point of great success and achievement has always been the same. It is for you to dream big dreams. There is nothing more important, and nothing that works faster than for you to cast off your own limitations than for you to begin dreaming and fantasizing about the wonderful things that you can become, have, and do.

As a wise man once said, "You must dream big dreams, for only big dreams have the power to move the minds of men." When you begin to dream big dreams, your levels of self-esteem and self-confidence will go up immediately. You will feel more powerful about yourself and your ability to deal with what happens to you. The reason so many people accomplish so little is because they never allow themselves to lean back and imagine the kind of life that is possible for them.

A powerful principle that you can use to dream big dreams and live without limits is contained in what Elihu Goldratt calls the "Theory of Constraints." This is one of the greatest breakthroughs in modern thinking. What Goldratt has found is that in every process, in accomplishing any goal, there is a bottleneck or choke cord that serves as a constraint on the process. This constraint then sets the speed at which you achieve any particular goal.

What Goldratt found is that if you concentrate all of your creative energies and attention on alleviating the constraint, you can speed up the process faster than by doing any other single thing.

Let me give you an example. Let us say that you want to double your income. What is the critical constraint or the limiting factor that holds you back? Well, you know that your income is a direct reward for the quality and quantity of the services you render to your world. Whatever field you are in, if you want to double your income, you simply have to double the quality and quantity of what you do for that income. Or you have to change activities and occupations so that what you are doing is worth twice as much. But you must always ask yourself, "What is the critical constraint that holds me back or sets the speed on how fast I double my income?"

A friend of mine is one of the highest-paid commission professionals in the United States. One of his goals was to double his income over the next three to five years.

He applied the 80/20 rule to his client base. He found that 20 percent of his clients contributed 80 percent of his profits, and that the amount of time spent on a high-profit client was pretty much the same amount of time spent on a low-profit client. In other words, he was dividing his time equally over the number of tasks that he does while only 20 percent of those items contributes 80 percent of his results.

So he drew a line on his list of clients under those who represented the top 20 percent and then called in other professionals in his industry and very carefully, politely, and strategically handed off the 80 percent of his clients that only represented 20 percent of his business. He then put together a profile of his top clients and began looking in the marketplace exclusively for the type of client who fit the profile; in other words, one who could become a major profit contributor to his organization, and whom he in turn could serve with the level of excellence that his clients were accustomed to. And instead of doubling his income in three to five years, he doubled it in the first year!

So what is holding you back? Is it your level of education or skill? Is it your current occupation or job? Is it your current environment or level of health? Is it the situations that you are in today? What is setting the speed for you achieving your goal?

Remember, whatever you have learned, you can unlearn. Whatever situation you have gotten yourself into, you can probably get yourself out of. If your real goal is to dream big dreams and to live without limits, you can set this as your standard and compare everything that you do against it.

The three keys to living without limits have always been the same. They are clarity, competence, and concentration.

Clarity means that you are absolutely clear about who you are, what you want, and where you're going. You write down your goals and you make plans to accomplish them. You set very careful priorities and you do something every day to move you toward your goals. And the more progress you make toward accomplishing things that are important to you, the greater self-confidence and self-belief you have, and the more convinced you become that there are no limits on what you can achieve.

Competence means that you begin to become very, very good in the key result areas of your chosen field. You apply the 80/20 rule to everything you do and you focus on becoming outstanding in the 20 percent of tasks that contribute to 80 percent of your results. You dedicate yourself to continuous learning. You never stop growing. You realize that excellence is a moving target. And you commit yourself to doing something every day that enables you to become better and better at doing the most important things in your field. Concentration is having the self-discipline to force yourself to concentrate single-mindedly on one thing, the most important thing, and stay with it until it's complete.

The two key words for success have always been focus and concentration. Focus is knowing exactly what you want to be, have, and do. Concentration is persevering, without diversion or distraction, in a straight line toward accomplishing the things that can make a real difference in your life.

When you allow yourself to begin to dream big dreams, creatively abandon the activities that are taking up too much of your time, and focus your inward energies on alleviating your main constraints, you start to feel an incredible sense of power and confidence. As you focus on doing what you love to do and becoming excellent in those few areas that can make a real difference in your life, you begin to think in terms of possibilities rather than impossibilities, and you move ever closer toward the realization of your full potential.

The Four Emotions That Can Lead To Life Change

2008-09-29T03:44:00.001-07:00

Emotions are the most powerful forces inside us. Under the power of emotions, human beings can perform the most heroic (as well as barbaric) acts. To a great degree, civilization itself can be defined as the intelligent channeling of human emotion. Emotions are fuel and the mind is the pilot, which together propel the ship of civilized progress.

Which emotions cause people to act? There are four basic ones. Each, or a combination of several, can trigger the most incredible activity. The day that you allow these emotions to fuel your desire is the day you'll turn your life around.

1) DISGUST

One does not usually equate the word "disgust" with positive action. And yet properly channeled, disgust can change a person's life. The person who feels disgusted has reached a point of no return. He or she is ready to throw down the gauntlet at life and say, "I've had it!" That's what I said after many humiliating experiences at age 25. I said, "I don't want to live like this anymore. I've had it with being broke. I've had it with being embarrassed, and I've had it with lying."

Yes, productive feelings of disgust come when a person says, "Enough is enough."

The "guy" has finally had it with mediocrity. He's had it with those awful sick feelings of fear, pain and humiliation. He then decides he is not going to live like this anymore. Look out! This could be the day that turns a life around. Call it what you will, the "I've had it" day, the "never again" day, the "enough is enough" day. Whatever you call it, it's powerful! There is nothing so life-changing as gut-wrenching disgust!

2) DECISION

Most of us need to be pushed to the wall to make decisions. And once we reach this point, we have to deal with the conflicting emotions that come with making them. We have reached a fork in the road. Now this fork can be a two- prong, three-prong, or even a four-prong fork. No wonder that decision-making can create knots in stomachs, keep us awake in the middle of the night, or make us break out in a cold sweat.

Making life-changing decisions can be likened to internal civil war. Conflicting armies of emotions, each with its own arsenal of reasons, battle each other for supremacy of our minds. And our resulting decisions, whether bold or timid, well thought out or impulsive, can either set the course of action or blind it. I don't have much advice to give you about decision-making except this:

Whatever you do, don't camp at the fork in the road. Decide. It's far better to make a wrong decision than to not make one at all. Each of us must confront our emotional turmoil and sort out our feelings.

3) DESIRE

How does one gain desire? I don't think I can answer this directly because there are many ways. But I do know two things about desire:

a. It comes from the inside not the outside.
b. It can be triggered by outside forces.

Almost anything can trigger desire. It's a matter of timing as much as preparation. It might be a song that tugs at the heart. It might be a memorable sermon. It might be a movie, a conversation with a friend, a confrontation with the enemy, or a bitter experience. Even a book or an article such as this one can trigger the inner mechanism that will make some people say, "I want it now!"

Therefore, while searching for your "hot button" of pure, raw desire, welcome into your life each positive experience. Don't erect a wall to protect you from experiencing life. The same wall that keeps out your disappointment also keeps out the sunlight of enriching experiences. So let life touch you. The next touch could be the one that turns your life around.

4) RESOLVE

Resolve says, "I will." These two words are among the most potent in the English language. I WILL. Benjamin Disraeli, the great British statesman, once said, "Nothing can resist a human will that will stake even its existence on the extent of its purpose." In other words, when someone resolves to "do or die," nothing can stop him.

The mountain climber says, "I will climb the mountain. They've told me it's too high, it's too far, it's too steep, it's too rocky, it's too difficult. But it's my mountain. I will climb it. You'll soon see me waving from the top or you'll never see me, because unless I reach the peak, I'm not coming back." Who can argue with such resolve?

When confronted with such iron-will determination, I can see Time, Fate and Circumstance calling a hasty conference and deciding, "We might as well let him have his dream. He's said he's going to get there or die trying."

The best definition for "resolve" I've ever heard came from a schoolgirl in Foster City, California. I was lecturing about success to a group of bright kids at a junior high school. I asked, "Who can tell me what "resolve" means?" Several hands went up, and I did get some pretty good definitions. But the last was the best. A shy girl from the back of the room got up and said with quiet intensity, "I think resolve means promising yourself you will never give up." That's it! That's the best definition I've ever heard: PROMISE YOURSELF YOU'LL NEVER GIVE UP.

Think about it! How long should a baby try to learn how to walk? How long would you give the average baby before you say, "That's it, you've had your chance"? You say that's crazy? Of course it is. Any mother would say, "My baby is going to keep trying until he learns how to walk!" No wonder everyone walks.

There is a vital lesson in this. Ask yourself, "How long am I going to work to make my dreams come true?" I suggest you answer, "As long as it takes." That's what these four emotions are all about.

The Formula for Failure and Success

2008-09-28T03:43:00.001-07:00

Failure is not a single, cataclysmic event. We do not fail overnight. Failure is the inevitable result of an accumulation of poor thinking and poor choices. To put it more simply, failure is nothing more than a few errors in judgment repeated every day.

Now why would someone make an error in judgment and then be so foolish as to repeat it every day? The answer is because he or she does not think that it matters.

On their own, our daily acts do not seem that important. A minor oversight, a poor decision, or a wasted hour generally doesn't result in an instant and measurable impact. More often than not, we escape from any immediate consequences of our deeds.

If we have not bothered to read a single book in the past ninety days, this lack of discipline does not seem to have any immediate impact on our lives. And since nothing drastic happened to us after the first ninety days, we repeat this error in judgment for another ninety days, and on and on it goes. Why? Because it doesn't seem to matter. And herein lies the great danger. Far worse than not reading the books is not even realizing that it matters!

Those who eat too many of the wrong foods are contributing to a future health problem, but the joy of the moment overshadows the consequence of the future. It does not seem to matter. Those who smoke too much or drink too much go on making these poor choices year after year after year... because it doesn't seem to matter. But the pain and regret of these errors in judgment have only been delayed for a future time. Consequences are seldom instant; instead, they accumulate until the inevitable day of reckoning finally arrives and the price must be paid for our poor choices - choices that didn't seem to matter.

Failure's most dangerous attribute is its subtlety. In the short term those little errors don't seem to make any difference. We do not seem to be failing. In fact, sometimes these accumulated errors in judgment occur throughout a period of great joy and prosperity in our lives. Since nothing terrible happens to us, since there are no instant consequences to capture our attention, we simply drift from one day to the next, repeating the errors, thinking the wrong thoughts, listening to the wrong voices and making the wrong choices. The sky did not fall in on us yesterday; therefore the act was probably harmless. Since it seemed to have no measurable consequence, it is probably safe to repeat.

But we must become better educated than that!

If at the end of the day when we made our first error in judgment the sky had fallen in on us, we undoubtedly would have taken immediate steps to ensure that the act would never be repeated again. Like the child who places his hand on a hot burner despite his parents' warnings, we would have had an instantaneous experience accompanying our error in judgment.

Unfortunately, failure does not shout out its warnings as our parents once did. This is why it is imperative to refine our philosophy in order to be able to make better choices. With a powerful, personal philosophy guiding our every step, we become more aware of our errors in judgment and more aware that each error really does matter.

Now here is the great news. Just like the formula for failure, the formula for success is easy to follow: It's a few simple disciplines practiced every day.

Now here is an interesting question worth pondering: How can we change the errors in the formula for failure into the disciplines required in the formula for success? The answer is by making the future an important part of our current philosophy.

Both success and failure involve future consequences, namely the inevitable rewards or unavoidable regrets resulting from past activities. If this is true, why don't more people take time to ponder the future? The answer is simple: They are so caught up in the current moment that it doesn't seem to matter. The problems and the rewards of today are so absorbing to some human beings that they never pause long enough to think about tomorrow.

But what if we did develop a new discipline to take just a few minutes every day to look a little further down the road? We would then be able to foresee the impending consequences of our current conduct. Armed with that valuable information, we would be able to take the necessary action to change our errors into new success- oriented disciplines. In other words, by disciplining ourselves to see the future in advance, we would be able to change our thinking, amend our errors and develop new habits to replace the old.

One of the exciting things about the formula for success- A few simple disciplines practiced every day - is that the results are almost immediate. As we voluntarily change daily errors into daily disciplines, we experience positive results in a very short period of time. When we change our diet, our health improves noticeably in just a few weeks. When we start exercising, we feel a new vitality almost immediately. When we begin reading, we experience a growing awareness and a new level of self-confidence. Whatever new discipline we begin to practice daily will produce exciting results that will drive us to become even better at developing new disciplines.

The real magic of new disciplines is that they will cause us to amend our thinking. If we were to start today to read the books, keep a journal, attend the classes, listen more and observe more, then today would be the first day of a new life leading to a better future. If we were to start today to try harder, and in every way make a conscious and consistent effort to change subtle and deadly errors into constructive and rewarding disciplines, we would never again settle for a life of existence – not once we have tasted the fruits of a life of substance!

The First Step For Getting Better Results

2008-09-27T03:42:00.001-07:00

How dramatically we can change our results is largely a function of imagination. In 1960, it was a technological impossibility for man to travel into outer space. Within ten years, however, the first man stepped out onto the surface of the moon. The miraculous process of converting the dream into reality began when one voice challenged the scientific community to do whatever was necessary to see to it that America "places a man on the moon by the end of this decade." That challenge awakened the spirit of a nation by planting the seed of possible future achievement into the fertile soil of imagination. With that one bold challenge the impossible became a reality.

THE SAME PRINCIPLE APPLIES TO EVERY OTHER AREA OF OUR LIFE!

Can a poor person become wealthy? Of course! The unique combination of desire, planning, effort and perseverance will always work its magic. The question is not whether the formula for success will work, but rather whether the person will work the formula. That is the unknown variable. That is the challenge that confronts us all. We can all go from wherever we are to wherever we want to be. No dream is impossible provided we first have the courage to believe in it.

The Ant Philosophy

2008-09-26T03:41:00.001-07:00

Over the years I've been teaching children about a simple but powerful concept - the ant philosophy. I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four- part philosophy, and here is the first part: ants never quit. That's a good philosophy. If they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them; they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, they'll climb under, they'll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you're supposed to go.

Second, ants think winter all summer. That's an important perspective. You can't be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering in their winter food in the middle of summer.

An ancient story says, "Don't build your house on the sand in the summer." Why do we need that advice? Because it is important to be realistic. In the summer, you've got to think storm. You've got to think rocks as you enjoy the sand and sun. Think ahead.

The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, "This won't last long; we'll soon be out of here." And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can't wait to get out.

And here's the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All that he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the "all-that-you-possibly-can" philosophy.

Wow, what a great seminar to attend - the ant seminar. Never give up, look ahead, stay positive and do all you can.

Success is Easy, but so is Neglect

2008-09-25T03:39:00.001-07:00

People often ask me how I became successful in that six- year period of time while many of the people I knew did not. The answer is simple: The things I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. I found it easy to set the goals that could change my life. They found it easy not to. I found it easy to read the books that could affect my thinking and my ideas. They found that easy not to. I found it easy to attend the classes and the seminars, and to get around other successful people. They said it probably really wouldn't matter. If I had to sum it up, I would say what I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. Six years later, I'm a millionaire and they are all still blaming the economy, the government, and company policies, yet they neglected to do the basic, easy things.

In fact, the primary reason most people are not doing as well as they could and should, can be summed up in a single word: neglect.

It is not the lack of money - banks are full of money. It is not the lack of opportunity - America, and much of the free World, continues to offer the most unprecedented and abundant opportunities in the last six thousand years of recorded history. It is not the lack of books - libraries are full of books - and they are free! It is not the schools - the classrooms are full of good teachers. We have plenty of ministers, leaders, counselors and advisors.

Everything we would ever need to become rich and powerful and sophisticated is within our reach. The major reason that so few take advantage of all that we have is simply, neglect.

Neglect is like an infection. Left unchecked it will spread throughout our entire system of disciplines and eventually lead to a complete breakdown of a potentially joy-filled and prosperous human life.

Not doing the things we know we should do causes us to feel guilty and guilt leads to an erosion of self- confidence. As our self-confidence diminishes, so does the level of our activity. And as our activity diminishes, our results inevitably decline. And as our results suffer, our attitude begins to weaken. And as our attitude begins the slow shift from positive to negative, our self-confidence diminishes even more ... and on and on it goes.

So my suggestion is that when giving the choice of "easy to" and "easy not to" that you do not neglect to do the simple, basic, "easy"; but potentially life-changing activities and disciplines.

Reaping a Multiple Reward

2008-09-24T03:39:00.001-07:00

For every disciplined effort, there are multiple rewards. That's one of life's great arrangements. In fact, it's an extension of the Biblical law that says that if you sow well, you will reap well.

Here's a unique part of the Law of Sowing and Reaping. Not only does it suggest that we'll all reap what we've sown, it also suggests that we'll reap much more. Life is full of laws that both govern and explain behaviors, but this may well be the major law we need to understand: for every disciplined effort, there are multiple rewards.

What a concept! If you render unique service, your reward will be multiplied. If you're fair and honest and patient with others, your reward will be multiplied. If you give more than you expect to receive, your reward is more than you expect. But remember: the key word here, as you might well imagine, is discipline.

Everything of value requires care, attention, and discipline. Our thoughts require discipline. We must consistently determine our inner boundaries and our codes of conduct, or our thoughts will be confused. And if our thoughts are confused, we will become hopelessly lost in the maze of life. Confused thoughts produce confused results.

Remember the law: "For every disciplined effort, there are multiple rewards." Learn the discipline of writing a card or a letter to a friend. Learn the discipline of paying your bills on time, arriving to appointments on time, or using your time more effectively. Learn the discipline of paying attention, or paying your taxes or paying yourself. Learn the discipline of having regular meetings with your associates, or your spouse, or your child, or your parent. Learn the discipline of learning all you can learn, of teaching all you can teach, of reading all you can read.

For each discipline, multiple rewards. For each book, new knowledge. For each success, new ambition. For each challenge, new understanding. For each failure, new determination. Life is like that. Even the bad experiences of life provide their own special contribution. But a word of caution here for those who neglect the need for care and attention to life's disciplines: everything has its price. Everything affects everything else. Neglect discipline, and there will be a price to pay. All things of value can be taken for granted with the passing of time.

That's what we call the Law of Familiarity. Without the discipline of paying constant, daily attention, we take things for granted. Be serious. Life's not a practice session.

If you're often inclined to toss your clothes onto the chair rather than hanging them in the closet, be careful. It could suggest a lack of discipline. And remember, a lack of discipline in the small areas of life can cost you heavily in the more important areas of life. You cannot clean up your company until you learn the discipline of cleaning your own garage. You cannot be impatient with your children and be patient with your distributors or your employees. You cannot inspire others to sell more when that goal is inconsistent with your own conduct. You cannot admonish others to read good books when you don't have a library card.

Think about your life at this moment. What areas need attention right now? Perhaps you've had a disagreement with someone you love or someone who loves you, and your anger won't allow you to speak to that person. Wouldn't this be an ideal time to examine your need for a new discipline? Perhaps you're on the brink of giving up, or starting over, or starting out. And the only missing ingredient to your incredible success story in the future is a new and self-imposed discipline that will make you try harder and work more intensely than you ever thought you could.

The most valuable form of discipline is the one that you impose upon yourself. Don't wait for things to deteriorate so drastically that someone else must impose discipline in your life. Wouldn't that be tragic? How could you possibly explain the fact that someone else thought more of you than you thought of yourself? That they forced you to get up early and get out into the marketplace when you would have been content to let success go to someone else who cared more about themselves.

Your life, my life, the life of each one of us is going to serve as either a warning or an example. A warning of the consequences of neglect, self-pity, lack of direction and ambition ... or an example of talent put to use, of discipline self-imposed, and of objectives clearly perceived and intensely pursued.

Read All The Books

2008-09-23T03:38:00.000-07:00

All of the books that we will ever need to make us as rich, as healthy, as happy, as powerful, as sophisticated and as successful as we want to be have already been written.

People from all walks of life, people with some of the most incredible life experiences, people that have gone from pennies to fortune and from failure to success have taken the time to write down their experiences so that we might share in their wealth of knowledge. They have offered their wisdom and experience so that we can be inspired by it and instructed by it, and so that we can amend our philosophy by it. Their contributions enable us to reset our sail based upon their experiences. They have handed us the gift of their insights so that we can change our plans, if need be, in order to avoid their errors. We can rearrange our lives based on their wise advice.

All of the insights that we might ever need have already been captured by others in books. The important question is this: In the last ninety days, with this treasure of information that could change our lives, our fortunes, our relationships, our health, our children and our careers for the better, how many books have we read?

Why do we neglect to read the books that can change our lives? Why do we complain but remain the same? Why do so many of us curse the effect but nourish the cause? How do we explain the fact that only three percent of our entire national population possess a library card - a card that would give us access to all of the answers to success and happiness we could ever want? Those who wish for the better life cannot permit themselves to miss the books that could have a major impact on how their lives turn out. The book they miss will not help!

And the issue is not that books are too expensive! If a person concludes that the price of buying the book is too great, wait until he must pay the price for not buying it. Wait until he receives the bill for continued and prolonged ignorance.

There is very little difference between someone who cannot read and someone who will not read. The result of either is ignorance. Those who are serious seekers of personal development must remove the self-imposed limitations they have placed on their reading skills and their reading habits. There is a multitude of classes being taught on how to be a good reader and there are thousands of books on the shelves of the public libraries just waiting to be read. Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary. We must not permit anything to stand between us and the book that could change our lives.

A little reading each day will result in a wealth of valuable information in a very short period of time. But if we fail to set aside the time, if we fail to pick up the book, if we fail to exercise the discipline, then ignorance will quickly move in to fill the void.

Those who seek a better life must first become a better person. They must continually seek after self-mastery for the purpose of developing a balanced philosophy of life, and then live in accordance with the dictates of that philosophy. The habit of reading is a major stepping stone in the development of a sound philosophical foundation. And in my opinion it is one of the fundamentals required for the attainment of success and happiness.

Practice Being Like A Child

2008-09-22T03:37:00.001-07:00

Remember the master teacher once said 2000 years ago, "Unless you can become like little children, your chances are zero, you haven't got a prayer." A major consideration for adults.

Be like children and remember there are four ways to be more like a child no matter how old you get –

1) Curiosity - Be curious. Childish curiosity. Learn to be curious like a child. What will kids do if they want to know something bad enough? You're right. They will bug you. Kids can ask a million questions. You think they're through. They've got another million. They will keep plaguing you. They can drive you right to the brink.

Also kids use their curiosity to learn. Have you ever noticed that while adults are stepping on ants, children are studying them? A child's curiosity is what helps them to reach, learn and grow.

2) Excitement - Learn to get excited like a child. There is nothing that has more magic than childish excitement. So excited you hate to go to bed at night. Can't wait to get up in the morning. So excited that you're about to explode. How can anyone resist that kind of childish magic? Now, once in awhile I meet someone who says, "Well, I'm a little too mature for all that childish excitement." Isn't that pitiful? You've got to weep for these kinds of people. All I've got to say is, "If you're too old to get excited, you're old." Don't get that old.

3) Faith - Faith like a child. Faith is childish. How else would you describe it? Some people say, "Let's be adult about it." Oh no. No. Adults too often have a tendency to be overly skeptical. Some adults even have a tendency to be cynical. Adults say, "Yeah. I've heard that old positive line before. It will be a long day in June before I fall for that positive line. You've got to prove to me it's any good." See, that's adult, but kids aren't that way. Kids think you can get anything. They are really funny. You tell kids, "We're going to have three swimming pools." And they say, "Yeah. Three. One each. Stay out of my swimming pool." See, they start dividing them up right away, but adults are not like that. Adults say, "Three swimming pools? You're out of your mind. Most people don't even have one swimming pool. You'll be lucky to get a tub in the back yard." You notice the difference? No wonder the master teacher said, "Unless you can become like little children, your chances, they're skinny."

4) Trust - Trust is a childish virtue, but it has great merit. Have you heard the expression "sleep like a baby"? That's it. Childish trust. After you've gotten an A+ for the day, leave it in somebody else's hands.

Curiosity, excitement, faith and trust. Wow, what a powerful combination to bring (back) into our lives.

Nitty Gritty Reasons

2008-09-21T03:36:00.001-07:00

Wouldn't it be wonderful to be motivated to achievement by such a lofty goal as benevolence? I must confess, however, that in the early years of my struggle to succeed, my motivation was a lot more down-to-earth. My reason for succeeding was more basic. In fact, it fell into the category of what I like to call "nitty-gritty reasons." A nitty-gritty reason is the kind that any one of us can have -- at any time, on any day -- and it can cause our lives to change. Let me tell you what happened to me . . .

Shortly before I met Mr. Shoaff, I was lounging at home one day when I heard a knock at the door. It was a timid, hesitant knock. When I opened the door I looked down to see a pair of big brown eyes staring up at me. There stood a frail little girl of about ten. She told me, with all the courage and determination her little heart could muster, that she was selling Girl Scout cookies. It was a masterful presentation -- several flavors, a special deal, and only two dollars per box. How could anyone refuse? Finally, with a big smile and ever-so politely, she asked me to buy. And I wanted to. Oh, how I wanted to!

Except for one thing. I didn't have two dollars! Boy, was I embarrassed! Here I was -- a father, had been to college, was gainfully employed -- and yet I didn't have two dollars to my name.

Naturally I couldn't tell this to the little girl with the big brown eyes. So I did the next best thing. I lied to her. I said, "Thanks, but I've already bought Girl Scout cookies this year. And I've still got plenty stacked in the house."

Now that simply wasn't true. But it was the only thing I could think of to get me off the hook. And it did. The little girl said, "That's okay, sir. Thank you very much." And with that she turned around and went on her way.

I stared after her for what seemed like a very long time. Finally, I closed the door behind me and, leaning my back to it, cried out, "I don't want to live like this anymore. I've had it with being broke, and I've had it with lying. I'll never be embarrassed again by not having any money in my pocket." That day I promised myself to earn enough to always have several hundred dollars in my pocket at all times.

This is what I mean by a nitty-gritty reason. It may not win me any prize for greatness, but it was enough to have a permanent effect on the rest of my life.

My Girl-Scout-cookie story does have a happy ending. Several years later, as I was walking out of my bank where I had just made a hefty deposit and was crossing the street to get into my car, I saw two little girls who were selling candy for some girls' organization. One of them approached me, saying, "Mister, would you like to buy some candy?"

"I probably would," I said playfully. "What kind of candy do you have?" "It's almond roca." "Almond roca. That's my favorite. How much is it?" "It's only two dollars." Two dollars. It couldn't be! I was excited. "How many boxes of candy have you got?" "I've got five."

Looking at her friend, I said, "And how many boxes do you have left?"

"I've got four." "That's nine. Okay, I'll take them all."

At this, both girls' mouths fell open as they exclaimed in unison, "Really?"

"Sure," I said. "I've got some friends that I'll pass some around to."

Excitedly, they scurried to stack all the boxes together. I reached into my pocket and gave them eighteen dollars. As I was about to leave, the boxes tucked under my arm, one of the girls looked up and said, "Mister, you're really something!" How about that! Can you imagine spending only eighteen dollars and having someone look you in the face and say, "You're really something!"

Now you know why I always carry a few hundred dollars on me. I'm not about to miss chances like that ever again.

And to think it all resulted from my own embarrassment, that when properly channeled, acted as a powerful motivator to help me achieve.

How about you? What nitty-gritty reasons do you have waiting to challenging and provoke you into change for the better? Look for them, they are there. Sometimes it can be as simple as a brown eyed girl selling Girl Scott cookies.

Nine Things More Important Than Capital

2008-09-20T03:35:00.001-07:00

When starting any enterprise or business, whether it is full-time or part-time, we all know the value of having plenty of capital (money). But I bet we both know or at least have heard of people who started with no capital who went on to make fortunes. How? You may ask.

Well, I believe there are actually some things that are more valuable than capital that can lead to your entrepreneurial success. Let me give you the list.

1. Time

Time is more valuable than capital. The time you set aside not to be wasted, not to be given away. Time you set aside to be invested in an enterprise that brings value to the marketplace with the hope of making a profit. Now we have capital time.

How valuable is time? Time properly invested is worth a fortune. Time wasted can be devastation. Time invested can perform miracles, so you invest your time.

2. Desperation

I have a friend Lydia, whose first major investment in her new enterprise was desperation. She said, "My kids are hungry, I gotta make this work. If this doesn't work, what will I do?" So she invested $1 in her enterprise selling a product she believed in. The $1 was to buy a few fliers so she could make a sale at retail, collect the money and then buy the product wholesale to deliver back to the customer.

My friend Bill Bailey went to Chicago as a teenager after he got out of high school. And the first job he got was as a night janitor. Someone said, "Bill, why would you settle for night janitor?" He said, "Malnutrition." You work at whatever you can possibly get when you get hungry. You go to work somewhere -- night janitor, it doesn't matter where it is. Years later, now Bill is a recipient of the Horatio Alger award, rich and powerful and one of the great examples of lifestyle that I know. But, his first job -- night janitor. Desperation can be a powerful incentive. When you say - I must.

3. Determination

Determination says I will. First Lydia said, "I must find a customer." Desperation. Second, she said, "I will find someone before this first day is over." Sure enough, she found someone. She said, "If it works once, it will work again." But then the next person said, "No." Now what must you invest?

4. Courage

Courage is more valuable than capital. If you've only got $1 and a lot of courage, I'm telling you, you've got a good future ahead of you. Courage in spite of the circumstances. Humans can do the most incredible things no matter what happens. Haven't we heard the stories? There are some recent ones from Kosovo that are some of the most classic, unbelievable stories of being in the depths of hell and finally making it out. It's humans. You can't sell humans short. Courage in spite of, not because of, but in spite of. Now once Lydia has made 3 or 4 sales and gotten going, here's what now takes over.

5. Ambition

"Wow! If I can sell 3, I can sell 33. If I can sell 33, I can sell 103." Wow. Lydia is now dazzled by her own dreams of the future.

6. Faith

Now she begins to believe she's got a good product. This is probably a good company. And she then starts to believe in herself. Lydia, single mother, 2 kids, no job. "My gosh, I'm going to pull it off!" Her self-esteem starts to soar. These are investments that are unmatched. Money can't touch it. What if you had a million dollars and no faith? You'd be poor. You wouldn't be rich. Now here is the next one, the reason why she's a millionaire today.

7. Ingenuity

Putting your brains to work. Probably up until now, you've put about 1/10 of your brainpower to work. What if you employed the other 9/10? You can't believe what can happen. Humans can come up with the most intriguing things to do. Ingenuity. What's ingenuity worth? A fortune. It is more valuable than money. All you need is a $1 and plenty of ingenuity. Figuring out a way to make it work, make it work, make it work.

8. Heart and Soul

What is a substitute for heart and soul? It's not money. Money can't buy heart and soul. Heart and soul is more valuable than a million dollars. A million dollars without heart and soul, you have no life. You are ineffective. But, heart and soul is like the unseen magic that moves people, moves people to buy, moves people to make decisions, moves people to act, moves people to respond.

9. Personality

You've just got to spruce up and sharpen up your own personality. You've got plenty of personality. Just get it developed to where it is effective every day, it's effective no matter who you talk to - whether it is a child or whether it is a business person - whether it is a rich person or a poor person. A unique personality that is at home anywhere. My mentor Bill Bailey taught me, "You've got to learn to be just as comfortable, Mr. Rohn, whether it is in a little shack in Kentucky having a beer and watching the fights with Winfred, my old friend or in a Georgian mansion in Washington, DC as the Senator's guest." Move with ease whether it is with the rich or whether it is with the poor. And it makes no difference to you who is rich or who is poor. A chance to have a unique relationship with whomever. The kind of personality that's comfortable. The kind of personality that's not bent out of shape.

And lastly, let's not forget charisma and sophistication. Charisma with a touch of humility. This entire list is more valuable than money. With one dollar and the list I just gave you, the world is yours. It belongs to you, whatever piece of it you desire whatever development you wish for your life. I've given you the secret. Capital. The kind of capital that is more valuable than money and that can secure your future and fortune. Remember that you lack not the resources.

Love the Opportunity

2008-09-19T03:35:00.001-07:00

Somebody said you have to love what you do, but that's not necessarily true. What is true is that you have to love the opportunity. The opportunity to build life, future, health, success and fortune. Knocking on someone's door may not be something you love to do, but you love the opportunity of what might be behind that door.

For example, a guy says, "I'm digging ditches. Should I love digging ditches?" The answer is, "No, you don't have to love digging ditches, but if it is your first entry onto the ladder of success, you say, 'I'm glad somebody gave me the opportunity to dig ditches and I'm going to do it so well, I won't be here long.'"

You can be inspired by having found something even though you are making mistakes in the beginning and even though it is a little distasteful taking on a new discipline that you haven't learned before. You don't have to love it, you just have to learn to appreciate America, appreciate opportunity and appreciate the person who brought you the good news; that found you.

Appreciate the person who believed in you before you believed in yourself, appreciate the person who said, "Hey, if I can do it, you can do it."

If you will embrace the disciplines associated with the new opportunity you will soon find that your self-confidence starts to grow, that you go from being a skeptic to being a believer. And soon when you go out person to person, talking to people, you will find it to be the most thrilling opportunity in the world. Every person you meet - what could it be? Unlimited! Maybe a friend for life. The next person could be an open door to retiring. The next person could be a colleague for years to come. It's big time stuff. And sometimes in the beginning when we are just getting started we don't always see how big it is.

So, before you are tempted to give up or get discouraged, remember all success is based on long term commitment, faith, discipline, attitude and a few stepping stones along the way. You might not like the stone you are on right now, but it's sure to be one of the stones that lead to great opportunities in the future.

Keep Track of Your Results

2008-09-18T03:33:00.001-07:00

Three key words to remember: weigh, count and measure. Now why weigh, count and measure? To see what your results are from your activity, your attitude and your philosophy. If you find that the results are not to your liking there are only three places to look. Your philosophy needs to be fine-tuned; your attitude needs to be strengthened or your disciplines need extra skill. But that's it. Activity, attitude and philosophy create results.

Now on results, here is what I teach the kids. Life expects you to make measurable progress in reasonable time. You must be reasonable with time. You can't say to someone every five minutes, how are you doing now? That's too soon to ask for a count. Guy says "I haven't left the building yet, give me a break!" Now you can't wait five years - that's too long. Too many things can go wrong waiting too long for a count to see how you're doing.

Here are some good time frames:

Number one - at the end of the day. You can't let more than a day go by without looking at some things and making progress. Old Testament says - if you are angry, try to solve it before the sun goes down. Don't carry anger for another day. It may be too heavy to carry. If you try to carry it for a week, it may drop you to your knees. So some things you must get done in a day.

Here's the next one - a week. We ask for an accounting of the week so we can issue the pay. And whatever you've got coming that's what you get; when the week is over. Now in business there are two things to check in the course of the week. Your activity count and your productivity count. Because activity leads to productivity we need to count both to see how we're doing.

My mentor taught me that success is a numbers game and very early he started asking me my numbers. He asked, " How many books have you read in the last ninety days?" I said, "Zero"; he said, "Not a good number." He said, " How many classes have you attended in the last six months to improve your skills?" And I said, "Zero." He said, " Not a good number." Then he said, "In the last six years that you've been working, how much money have you saved and invested?" I said, "Zero" and he said, "Not a good number." Then here's what he said, "Mr. Rohn, if these numbers don't change your life won't change. But" he said, " If you'll start improving these numbers then perhaps you'll start to see everything change for you."

Success and results are a numbers game. John joins this little sales company. He's supposed to make 10 calls the first week just to get acquainted with the territory. So on Friday we call him in and say what? "How many calls?" He says, "Well…" You say, "John, 'well' won't fit in the little box here. I need a number." Now he starts with a story. And you say, "John, the reason I made this little box so small is so a story won't fit. All I need is a number because if you give us the number we're so brilliant around here we could guess the story." It's the numbers that count. Making measurable progress in reasonable time.

Here's the best accounting. The accounting you make of yourself. Don't wait for the government to do it, don't wait for the company to do it. But you've got to add up some of your own numbers and ask, "Am I making the progress I want and will it take me where I want to go now and in the future?" You be the judge!

Keeping a Journal - One Of The Three Treasures To Leave Behind

2008-09-17T03:33:00.001-07:00

If you're serious about becoming a wealthy, powerful, sophisticated, healthy, influential, cultured and unique individual - keep a journal. Don't trust your memory. When you listen to something valuable, write it down. When you come across something important, write it down.

I used to take notes on pieces of paper and torn-off corners and backs of old envelopes. I wrote ideas on restaurant placemats. On long sheets, narrow sheets and little sheets and pieces of paper thrown in a drawer. Then I found out that the best way to organize those ideas is to keep a journal. I've been keeping a journal since the age of twenty-five. The discipline makes up a valuable part of my learning, and the journals are a valuable part of my library.

I am a buyer of blank books. Kids find it interesting that I would buy a blank book. They say, "Twenty-six dollars for a blank book! Why would you pay that?" The reason I pay twenty-six dollars is to challenge myself to find something worth twenty-six dollars to put in there. All my journals are private, but if you ever got a hold of one of them, you wouldn't have to look very far to discover it is worth more than twenty-six dollars.

I must admit, if you got a glimpse of my journals, you'd have to say that I am a serious student. I'm not just committed to my craft; I'm committed to life, committed to learning new concepts and skills. I want to see what I can do with seed, soil, sunshine and rain to turn them into the building blocks of a productive life.

Keeping a journal is so important. I call it one of the three treasures to leave behind for the next generation. In fact, future generations will find these three treasures far more valuable than your furniture.

The first treasure is your pictures. Take a lot of pictures. Don't be lazy in capturing the event. How long does it take to capture the event? A fraction of a second. How long does it take to miss the event? A fraction of a second. So don't miss the pictures. When you're gone, they'll keep the memories alive.

The second treasure is your library. This is the library that taught you, that instructed you, that helped you defend your ideals. It helped you develop a philosophy. It helped you become wealthy, powerful, healthy, sophisticated, and unique. It may have helped you conquer some disease. It may have helped you conquer poverty. It may have caused you to walk away from the ghetto. Your library, the books that instructed you, fed your mind and fed your soul, is one of the greatest gifts you can leave behind.

The third treasure is your journals: the ideas that you picked up, the information that you meticulously gathered. But of the three, journal writing is one of the greatest indications that you're a serious student. Taking pictures, that is pretty easy. Buying a book at a book store, that's pretty easy. It is a little more challenging to be a student of your own life, your own future, your own destiny. Take the time to keep notes and to keep a journal. You'll be so glad you did. What a treasure to leave behind when you go. What a treasure to enjoy today!

Facing the Enemies Within

2008-09-16T03:32:00.001-07:00

We are not born with courage, but neither are we born with fear. Maybe some of our fears are brought on by your own experiences, by what someone has told you, by what you've read in the papers. Some fears are valid, like walking alone in a bad part of town at two o'clock in the morning. But once you learn to avoid that situation, you won't need to live in fear of it.

Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear can destroy fortunes. Fear can destroy relationships. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the many enemies lurking inside us.

Let me tell you about five of the other enemies we face from within. The first enemy that you've got to destroy before it destroys you is indifference. What a tragic disease this is. "Ho-hum, let it slide. I'll just drift along." Here's one problem with drifting: you can't drift your way to the top of the mountain.

The second enemy we face is indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal your chances for a better future. Take a sword to this enemy.

The third enemy inside is doubt. Sure, there's room for healthy skepticism. You can't believe everything. But you also can't let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities and doubt the opportunities. Worse of all, they doubt themselves. I'm telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. Doubt is an enemy Go after it. Get rid of it.

The fourth enemy within is worry. We've all got to worry some. Just don't let it conquer you. Instead, let it alarm you. Worry can be useful. If you step off the curb in New York City and a taxi is coming, you've got to worry. But you can't let worry loose like a mad dog that drives you into a small corner. Here's what you've got to do with your worries: drive them into a small corner. Whatever is out to get you, you've got to get it. Whatever is pushing on you, you've got to push back.

The fifth interior enemy is over-caution. It is the timid approach to life. Timidity is not a virtue; it's an illness. If you let it go, it'll conquer you. Timid people don't get promoted. They don't advance and grow and become powerful in the marketplace. You've got to avoid over-caution.

Do battle with the enemy. Do battle with your fears. Build your courage to fight what's holding you back, what's keeping you from your goals and dreams. Be courageous in your life and in your pursuit of the things you want and the person you want to become.

Enterprise Is Better Than Ease

2008-09-15T03:31:00.001-07:00

If we are involved in a project, how hard should we work at it? How much time should we put in?

Our philosophy about activity and our attitude about hard work will affect the quality of our lives. What we decide about the rightful ratio of labor to rest will establish a certain work ethic. That work ethic - our attitude about the amount of labor we are willing to commit to future fortune - will determine how substantial or how meager that fortune turns out to be.

Enterprise is always better than ease. Every time we choose to do less than we could, this error in judgment has an effect on our self-confidence. Repeated every day, we soon find ourselves not only doing less than we should, but also being less than we could. The accumulative effect of this error in judgment can be devastating.

--- FORTUNATELY, IT IS EASY TO REVERSE THE PROCESS ---

Any day we choose we can develop a new discipline of doing rather than neglecting. Every time we choose action over ease or labor over rest, we develop an increasing level of self-worth, self-respect and self-confidence. In the final analysis, it is how we feel about ourselves that provides the greatest reward from any activity. It is not what we get that makes us valuable, it is what we become in the process of doing that brings value into our lives. It is activity that converts human dreams into human reality, and that conversion from idea into actuality gives us a personal value that can come from no other source.

So feel free to not only engage in enterprise, but also to enjoy it to it's fullest along with all the benefits that are soon to come!