2005-12-02

Danger... Asterisk ahead

I think I mentioned in a previous entry that I'd leave the online marketing entries to more knowledgeable folks...  well, I came across a little memo that I wrote a few years back (long before the programs we see today even existed), and it seems fitting here...  It's not aimed at anyone in particular, but I bet you know someone!  I did rewite it a bit and ran this for a short time on some of my sites, so maybe you've seen it.  Anyways... on with the self-plagerization (is that a word)?:

WANT ADS:  BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY - SOMEONE TO SIGN UP FOR MY FREE PROGRAM (I'LL EVEN SIGN YOU UP, SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO). THEN THE NEXT DAY, QUIT YOUR JOB, SELL YOUR COMPUTER AND JUST SIT AROUND THE HOUSE WATCHING TV.  IN RETURN I WILL SEND YOU A CHECK FOR $8,463.12 EACH AND EVERY MONTH, FOREVER, GUARANTEED*  CLICK HERE

P.T. Barnum would be proud! - There are many incarnations of Mr. Barnum's philosophy, fabled in song and story.

When looking for opportunities either online or off, always assume that you have to "do something"... here comes an old cliché (I got a million of them): There is no such thing as a free lunch.  The price you pay can come in many forms - Time, work, thought, money, energy, time away from the TV... In the internet age, we are bombarded with hundred of programs that appear too good to be true, free lunch, easy money, or other promises.  Are they all scams? No. (Though some of them are). Others are legitimate, but "promise" only the best case scenario - and they can back it up on paper...  It's a mathematical possibility to make the promises into reality.  You'll have to watch out for two things:  The word "if" and that dreaded asterisk.

Barnum understood the numbers game.  I've came up with this idea many years ago:  If I'd make a nice sign, a good display with a fancy looking funnel with a fan atop of it, I could sell air at 25 cents a minute -  if you paraded enough people in front of the display, a certain percentage of people will consider it a great deal. "It's not the deal you get that's important, it's the deal you think you get". (Of course I used that as an illustration - if only I had known that someone would later be making millions with the rise of "Oxygen Bars")

There is a song, whose title came from another cliché - "The big print giveth, and the small print taketh away"  If the Big Print contains phrases such as "up to", "as much as" or "as little as", and of course, the word "Free".  These are all signal flares!  In order to do what ever it is they say you can do - rest assured - you have to do something.  I read somewhere that 80% of the MLM recruits who join what ever program it is - Never sell anything or recruit anyone - once you get past the first head-in-the-clouds period - which lasts about a week! Is it the program that failed, or did the recruit just not do what it took to succeed? Perhaps a little of both - when looking at advertising, you never see the negatives, even when the "negative" is simply telling a new signup that they will be required, if they want to succeed, to DO SOMETHING - even if it's wrong (which would then require you to learn from your mistakes).

I've talked to people who complained constantly that they've joined hundreds of programs, and never made a cent.  When I asked what they had to do, I was told - "They (whoever "They" are) said all I had to do is join - then I'd make money"... And this took how many tries?? One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over - expecting a different result.  Drop a bowling ball on your foot a few times, and I'd hope that eventually you'd get the idea that it will hurt every time.

2005-11-25

Cranial Index 2005 – Phase 1

When I first began this blog “thing”, I thought to myself:  “Self,” I said, “Now you (or I or We) can put down all my (your, our) thoughts and share them with the world!” (You try talking to yourself when typing… It ain’t easy!)  I then did a little math, and allowing one entry per week, I would be finished in, oh, (let’s see... 52 times X, carry the 5 divided by Y)…. 416 years, 3 months and one week!

 I’m left with a few options:

1. Submit one entry per day, for the next 21,645 days.  Sure, I’d have to quit my job, but my great-great-great-great-grandchildren would be spared having to finish up what I’ve started.

B. Stop reading the paper, or just read headlines, stop researching and pay no attention at all to the world around me, therefore not have anything to comment on.  (Ahem…I’d also have to then switch my political party affiliation).

III. Condense my thoughts (not the first time the phrase “my thoughts” and the word dense have been used in the same sentence, by the way!).  I’m too lazy to write a book, so submit one entry every so often that includes thoughts on a variety of subjects, trying to keep it short!

I’ve decided on III. So here is my first edition of my Top 9 list (in case Letterman has copyrighted “top 10 list”).  I reserve the right to comment in more detail on any item in future submissions whenever I feel like it, because… well, I can!  So here goes:

#9.  I realize that I have little to offer in lessons for generating internet traffic, and I have nothing to sell (at least not until I upgrade to CP here at BlogEstates)… so I’ll leave all that to more knowledgeable folk!  My years of experience do tell me though, that for anything to work, you gotta Do Something!  It’s not magic!

#8.  If you are offended by seeing a religious symbol, or hearing a religious phrase, I’d like to know where you learned that the world was all about You! Get over it!  So Merry Christmas, happy Chanukah, have a good Ramadan, and to you Atheists… have a nice day!

#7.  The words “separation of church and state” DO NOT appear in the constitution or the bill of rights.  The 1^st Amendments clearly states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…”

-         What is a Law? A Ten Commandments on a court house is not “making a law”. 

-         An established religion, as in “Church of England”, an “Islamic State”, “Godless communists”  where it’s either you join this religion or get out (or we cut your head off… our option). 

-         Free Exercise thereof, does not mean you don’t have to pay to do jumping-jacks while praying…

#6.  What do you call low inflation rates, a 4.9% unemployment rate, 4 million new jobs in 2 years, and a raising stock market? Well, according to the media (which will be a favorite target here) in 1998, the “most robust economy in history”.  But here in 2005 it’s “the worst economy since the great depression”. 

#5.  The ACLU (founded by proud card-carrying communist Roger Baldwin… look it up) doesn’t give a hoot about your Civil Liberties.  Please explain why they will fight against the Boy Scouts to force them to allow gay scoutmasters, but will side with NAMBLA – which is fighting to eliminate age-of-consent laws, allowing 40-something men to have “consensual” relationships with boys as young as … well…  birth!! (Please don’t look at their website – It will make you ill for days).

#4.  The “War  in Iraq" was over in a month… We are fighting people (not the Iraqi people)  who have been taught from birth that they have two choices when confronting non-wacko-wahabi- Muslim-fanatics: “Convert them – or kill them”! (Note that I did not say all Muslims).  These terrorists (they’re not “insurgents” or “freedom fighters”) will kill Muslims as well, and do – on a daily basis.  I’d rather have our armed forces fighting them in Iraq and the Middle East rather than having us face them here.

#3.  The free flow of illegal Aliens into the US must stop.  Legal immigrants built this nation and continue to contribute, but others (non-documented workers, what ever the heck that is) must not be allowed to come and go as they like. This has less to do with jobs as there will be enough to go around (see #6), and if they are truly here to work, why would they not be willing to be “documented”.  The non-migrant workers are the ones to fear the most (see #4, last sentence)

#2.  We must find true conservative leadership, somewhere.  Yes, tax rate cuts increase dollars into government coffers (only every-time it’s ever been tried).  But spending by the federal government must be curtailed, and only spent on needed services, as outlined in the constitution (have you read it?).  See Amendment X The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

#1. Go Steelers!

…to be continued

2005-11-23

The 1st Thanksgiving & the failed experiment. A history lesson

It’s not just football and turkey, after all!

Everybody knows of the story of first Thanksgiving, the feast, the brotherhood, the friendship of the natives, etc., etc., so I won't go into that much. What is not widely known is that prior to, and after that harvest festival, the pilgrims partook in an experiment, not for the first time in history, not the last either. But it had the same result.

As Governor William Bradford later wrote, explaining the belief “…that the taking away of property and bringing in community into a commonwealth would make them happy and flourishing”. This idea (paraphrased) was that all working together for the common good, for the community, where all would share and share alike the fruits of each others labor… that the whole was greater than the sum of the parts, was put to the test. Governor Bradford went on: “The young men, that were most able and fit for labour and service, did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men's wives and children without any recompense. The strong, or man of parts, had no more in division of victuals and clothes than he that was weak and not able to do a quarter the other could”.

Those who worked had the same as those who didn’t! So why work hard at all! There was no feast the following year.

The thought that those who could work and did, were no wealthier, no more well off than the man who could work and didn’t. Those who couldn’t produce were compensated the same as the innovators, the hard laborers, business leaders. (I know I’m repeating myself, but do ya get the point)? 450 years later I learned a phrase to describe this this system: "From each according to ability, to each according to need". – Marx (Karl, not Groucho) - 1848

The communal system was abandoned in the spring of 1623 – because it wasn’t working! Not quite “every-man-for-himself”, as the whole of the community was still of import, but a philosophy that if one should work hard and be rewarded relevant to those labors, he would produce far more. One who once could “stay in bed” and still “provide” for his family, would be forced to produce or face starvation. Each family was given land to own, keep and harvest. The results could not be clearer.

Bradford writes: “This had very good success, for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been by any means the Governor or any other could use, and saved him a great deal of trouble, and gave far better content. The women now went willingly into the field, and took their little ones with them to set corn; which before would allege weakness and inability; whom to have compelled would have been thought great tyranny and oppression."

The Socialist experiment ended. (as well as the first welfare state). Freedom, property ownership, free enterprise and hard work built the strongest, the most productive economy, and the longest lasting democracy and free nation in the history of the world. And this has nothing to do with the government, other than they saw it best to stay out of the way. (Help us choose our leaders, keep us safe, and delivery the mail… then let human nature take care of the rest!) Our constitution provides for very little in the workings of an economy because our founding fathers learned the lessons from those first few winters.

…And why is this little story NOT told in our schools and in the media? We’ll look into that one at a later date!

Quotes of the day:

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
Thomas Jefferson, 1801

No government can ever pass a law to equal the powers of the heart, soul and will of a free man (or woman). Me, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving everyone...

Mike

2005-11-20

Introduction... My Life as a human.

This will be my first attempt at blogism...  but I've been studying blogology since 1973. My carrier as a blogster had to be put on hold until the invention of the backspace key and spell check button.

I would guess you could say I've got an opinion about just about everything, at least according to my friends. (You can ask both of them; I keep 'em chained to my lamp post, just in case they're needed)! I was once told by a friend (the one on the left, sitting on the sidewalk) that I would make a good reporter. He also had to point out that I had a good face for radio, but my voice was better suited to the print media.  My reaction was probably the same as any sane person... I told him to "shut up" and bought a thicker chain.  As you can probably tell by my picture to the right, which was taken long before I put on a few extra pounds and lost all the hair, he may have been at least partially correct in his assessment.

As you can probably also conclude from the previous 198 words, I also never became a reporter.  This is partially because I got caught up in the old school-work-wife-kids-grandkids-eat-sleep thing.  The other part of the reason is that I ain’t not got none gooder-than-the-next-dude writing talent.  One of my character flaws (and there are many), is that a I never let a simple thing like lack of talent keep me from doing it anyways – and have a little fun in the process.  Just ask a friend (the other one, who though it best to superglue his hands over his ears for some goofy reason) about my guitar playing.

Anyways… enough about me. 

This little spot will soon be filled with my observations about the world around us.  You may agree with me, or I could possibly insult you, your political views, or your intelligence. In which case, I’ll probably just say “Too bad”.  You have the right to be insulted, just as I have the right to insult you!  It’s in the constitution, word for word… look it up… I’ll wait here until you get back…

I’ll try to work a little humor, mostly to ward off that pesky spontaneous combustion problem. But some of the subjects warrant many a chuckle, I’m sure..

Thank you for stopping by…  I sure hope someone sees this. If you do feel free to bookmark this, and stop back.  If you or no one else sees this, still add me to your favorites list and stop back… Also feel free to put in your seven cents worth (darned inflation… I remember when it was only two).

Parting thought: If right is right, then is left wrong?  And if Left left, only Right would be left, right?

Nagging question of the day:  What is another word for thesaurus? And where could I look that up?

Ok… I’m done. Time to hose down the front lawn.

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