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Don's
Blog
It seems no self-respecting web site, or for that matter webmaster, is
without a blog, and we are
nothing if not self-respecting (or is that vain?). Anyway, the
following is
put forward as an effort at conformity, in a highly individualistic
manner
of course.
October 13,
2009
Climate Chicanery
Well waddya know. Both the BBC and
the New York Times have run stories recently that indicate global cooling has set
in and will persist for some years or even decades. I'm not one
to say I told you so, but .....
OK, just for the sake of argument, and only for that
purpose, let's say that global warming is or was a reality, and let's
go way out into left
field and even say that it is or was caused at least in part by human
activity. So what do western governments do about it? They
establish an extremely convoluted and totally nonsensical "cap and
trade" procedure under which we so-called "developed" countries send
billions of dollars to so-called "developing" countries (like China,
Russia, India et al) to buy (are you ready for this?) "carbon credits".
Does no one see the obscene contradiction here? The net result of
this foolishness can have only one result: an increase in carbon
emissions! Now follow me here. We export billions of
dollars, and these dollars have to come from taxes (the only source of
income that governments have). A lot of those taxes are paid by
goods-producing corporations, and even worse, in some cases the
corporations themselves buy the carbon credits. That increases
their costs and makes their products less competitive in the world
marketplace. However, China et al can now be MORE competitive
because of the money flowing in to offset their costs.
Still with me?
So, China et al can and do produce more of these goods, and do so using
energy sources that create a lot more carbon emissions than would be
allowed in the developed world. Net result? MORE DAMNED CARBON
EMISSIONS! What is wrong with this picture?
So who wins? Well, the planet certainly doesn't, and neither do
most of us in the developed world. China et al do OK, but the
real winners are the sharpies who know a good rip-off when they see it
and have set up carbon credit trading companies, making millions for
themselves out of this completely fictitious "problem". Does that
sound like an inconvenient truth? Sure does to me.
Oh, and by the way, if greenhouse gasses really are a problem (a
statement I allow only for purposes of
discussion), another inconvenient truth is that CO2
is a very small constituent of the whole; by far the greatest component
of greenhouse gas is (again, are you ready for this?) WATER VAPOR!!
Now, short of covering the world's oceans with gigantic swimming pool
covers, there's not a whole hell of a lot we can do about that.
Chicanery? Some might use much stronger language (I certainly
would in private).
OK, now that I've vacated my soap-box, why not come on over and join me
at Stuff That Helps.
Don Lee
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August 10th,
2009
As there are so many people out there who write so much better than I,
once again I am republishing someone else’s work (with permission of
course) and this time it’s an item penned by Herschell Gordon
Lewis. Enjoy.
Everybody Is
an Expert
By Herschell Gordon
Lewis
I’ve come to the conclusion that of every seven people you pass in the
street, five think they are experts in marketing and feel compelled to
thump their chests in public.
What possesses them? Perhaps a genie has popped out of a dim 40-watt
lamp to proclaim: “You’re an expert, so write marketing advice. Some
publication will use it and you’ll be regarded with awe.”
I say this because I’m looking at a marketing magazine in whose pages
are two columns by “experts,” both centering on the hot medium of the
year, the World Wide Web.
As a fellow expert, scheduled to blather about that very subject at
AWAI’s 2009 Bootcamp, I object to the opinions these guys are
discharging, labeled as authoritarian advice. Get this:
“The
subject line should be a ‘grabber.’”
Gee, I never knew that. Until I read this pearl of wisdom, I thought
the subject line should be dull and flat. What a revelation!
Now understand, please: I’m not talking about a marketing publication
aimed at eighth-graders attending a special school for those with IQs
under 80. This one is aimed squarely at you and me, and we deserve
useful information from those who, if not genuine authorities, can at
least lay claim to belonging to our peer group.
But that was just the opening salvo, fired from a pistol that at best
blows bubbles. Here’s another gem (a rhinestone) from one of the
magazine’s experts:
“The
thrust should be relevant to the reader.”
Once again, I couldn’t resist a “Wow! The eye opener of the day!”
reaction.
How could I not have read this before? I always thought the thrust
should be irrelevant. Nuts! In my innocent ignorance, I’d been
constructing sales messages all wrong!
What really makes me shake my head in disbelief is that any editor,
managing any professional publication, would open his pages to such
drivel.
Why am I making such a point of this, when every reader of these words
has had parallel experiences?
Because I was, am, and anticipate always being capable of transmitting
information my fellow marketers will not only regard as useful but as
marketing weaponry they haven’t brandished before.
Now that I have your
attention …
You’ve read this far.
That puts me one up on most of the experts clamoring to be heard. So
I’d better make the rest of what I want to share with you worthwhile.
And what’s more worthwhile than controversy?
If you happen to sit in on my session at AWAI’s 2009 Bootcamp, you’ll
be exposed to plenty of controversial comments and examples.
One area we’ll discuss will be “social media” vs. conventional Web
marketing.
(An indication of how we’ve rocketed through Future Shock and emerged,
battered but still battling, on the far edge: Google, without which
we’d still be in the Dark Ages, is only a dozen years old and already
has become the informational bulwark against which such challengers as
Bing flail like Don Quixote tilting at a windmill.)
The question: Do Facebook and MySpace and LinkedIn and Twitter and
Plaxo really compete with old dependable email on equal terms?
A more valid question tweaks the one just asked: Can Facebook and
MySpace and LinkedIn and Twitter and Plaxo really compete on equal
terms?
Opinion: Well, no, to both questions. We already have been exposed to
exposés ridiculing commercial enterprises that have attempted to
mount marketing campaigns by Tweeting or Facebooking. Social media are
two-edged swords, and once a marketer takes his or her hands off the
steering wheel, a crash is as likely as a safe journey to the
destination.
Of course, you’re free to argue. Of course, you’re free to wave a
counter-example or two in my face. And, of course, another medium –
maybe a hybrid – may spring up from the always-fertile trading turf we
regard as our backyard.
Sigh.
Want an expert marketing tip that will save money and make money? Easy.
Avoid these two words: available and submit. Now, doesn’t that prove
how little brainpower and communicative talent you need to be a
self-labeled “expert”?
I guess this mini-tirade helps prove the point I made when I began this
tirade: Of any group of seven people, five consider themselves to be
marketing experts.
Okay. I’m in. Now just pick four of the next six people you pass on the
street.
Or make it three of the next five, because obviously you’re an expert
yourself or you wouldn’t be reading this.
This article
appears courtesy of American Writers & Artists Inc.’s (AWAI) The
Golden Thread, a free newsletter that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on
the best wealth careers, lifestyle careers and work-at-home careers
available. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/signup/.
And while you’re here anyway, why not hop on back to Stuff That Helps and check
out all the neat stuff there.
Don Lee
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June 17th,
2009
The following article appears courtesy
of Early
To Rise,
a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving
health, and
secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com
ADHD:
The Cure Is in Plain Sight
By Melanie
Segala
Well-meaning parents and teachers rely on psycho-stimulant drugs to
deal with children who might otherwise be unmanageable. But
perhaps the cause and the cure of ADHD can be found at the dinner
table and in the school cafeteria.
In 1997, the student body of Central Alternative High School in
Appleton, Wisconsin was out of control and getting worse. On a
typical day, the faculty would cope with discipline problems,
drug use, truancies, expulsions, dropouts, and weapons
violations. A police officer was on staff to help maintain order.
That same year, Natural Ovens Inc. of Manitowac, Wisconsin began a
5-year study to find out if healthy nutritious foods could make a
difference in reducing behavioral problems and improving academic
performance at the school. The company took over providing meals
and managing the cafeteria. Junk food was banished.
Gone was the typical cafeteria fare of pizza, burgers, tacos, and
fries. In their place, fresh fruits and vegetables, whole-grain
breads, and entrees free of chemicals and additives. Natural
Ovens had its own cooks prepare recipes the old-fashioned way.
Students learned, maybe for the first time in their lives, how to
eat properly. And the changes were dramatic.
Teachers reported that their students were calm and well-behaved.
Dropouts and expulsions became almost nonexistent and students
who were on a downward spiral turned their lives around. Academic
achievement went up, while discipline problems went down.
Students became more focused in class and had more concentration
to study.
The old argument that administrators used to justify feeding children
junk food – “We might as well, because they’re only going to eat
it outside of school anyway” – proved to be unfounded. Once
students made the connection between nutrition, learning, and
behavior, the change stuck. They weren’t running to fast food
joints after school for a junk-laden fix.
We can all learn a lesson from the young people in Appleton, Wisconsin.
Bad food leads to bad behavior. And even worse – to a lifetime of
failures and health problems.
Michael Masterson has observed that children all over this country have
a metabolism that is off balance and burdened with toxins and
chemicals from processed foods, too much sugar, and dangerous
additives that affect neurochemistry. Our solution has been to
mask the problem with even more dangerous chemicals in the form
of prescription medications.
How can we call this a cure?
It’s time we paid attention to nutrition as the first and most
important influence on health. If you have a child with ADHD or
another learning or behavioral problem, take this article to your
next PTA meeting. Join other concerned parents and lobby your
school district to offer fresh nutritious meals that are free of
additives and genetically modified ingredients.
Start making the same dietary changes at home. Stop buying junk food.
Spend the money, instead, on organic produce and grass-fed meats.
Your grocery bill may even go down! If you need some recipe tips,
sign up for a free subscription to our natural health newsletter,
Total
Health Breakthroughs. Nutrition experts Kelley
Herring and Laura LaValle offer great-tasting, easy-to-prepare
meal ideas that feature fresh organic ingredients and the nutrients our
bodies need.
You and your kids are worth it.
End of Early To Rise article. Now, for more Stuff That Helps,
just click here.
Don Lee
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April 10th,
2009
A Theatrical
Moment
I recently had the pleasure, and I must say honor, of having a
significant part in a production staged by our local amateur theater
group. It was a dinner theater murder-mystery set in Monte Carlo in the
sixties, and the basic concept was a cold-war spy thriller, but with a
purely comic approach. The title was “Without a Hitch” and the
script included a number of references to that great thriller director,
Alfred Hitchcock. Someone made cell-phone videos of a couple of
my scenes and, while I may come to regret this later(!) I posted them
on YouTube. Here are the links, for those of you whose curiosity
exceeds your good sense!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcjklZncDXE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4frufxe37s
As I’ve been known to say, Brad Pitt probably started this way, but
then, he started a hell of a lot younger! Come to think of it,
he’s still a hell of a lot
younger.
Now, for some ageless assistance, why not head on back to Stuff That Helps.
Don Lee
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