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BLAINESWORLD
#551 4.23.2007 In this issue: 1. Reflections 2. FYI 3. It's plain to see 4. Reviews . . . DISTURBIA, etc. 5. TV alert 6. Best comeback 7. Websites 8. Computer tip 9. Top ten things I learned from AMERICAN IDOL 10. A quote I like 11. Thought for the day 12. Advance planning department _________________________________________________________ 1. Reflections A. Cynthia, my beautiful bride, and I spent several days together at her various "Move Your Body" workshops . . . she led separate groups on Thursday night, Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, and all I can say is that she is amazing . . . she's able to get all those in attendance up and dancing, and they have fun as well . . . almost everybody reports in their evaluations that "we had fun." Should you want to book her for your organization or school, please feel free to drop her an email at: cgreenfield1001@aol.com . . . plus, you might want to catch her at an upcoming session she's conducting (see Section 12D). Best of all: You might well get to see me, too, as I often am given the honor of being Cynthia's roadie . . . I drive her, when possible, and then help her set up. B. On Friday night, we had a lot of fun when we hosted a "Movie Night" for Cynthia's students at Elizabeth Avenue School in Somerset, NJ . . . we invited them and their parents to see a cute film that all ages can enjoy, BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, and served popcorn and juice to the 65 or so who came . . . we look forward to repeating the experience next year when we plan to show AKEELAH AND THE BEE, one of our favorites. C. On the health front, my mother had a somewhat rough week . . . she was home for a few days after rehab, then went back to the hospital because she wasn't feeling well . . . fortunately, she's back home, and we're hoping that she is where she stays for she is happiest there . . . as she noted, she most appreciates the "delicious quiet" that just can't be found in rehab centers or hospitals . . . now if she can just get her appetite back, as well as her energy level, she should be fine. D. On the school front, there was some good and bad news: * The good news was that two readers/colleagues were named as recipients of part-time faculty teaching awards: Karl Carter and Debbie Grant . . . they both do an outstanding job in the classroom at Bucks County Community College and are well-deserving (if not past due) of this recognition. * Also, Donna Wilkoski was named the director of financial aid at the College and Kelly Gredone was named the newest faculty member in the Business Department . . . two finer choices couldn't have been made! * I was greatly saddened, however, to hear the following news: Donald Trucksess passed away on Sunday, April 15th. There will be no funeral or memorial service. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers donations be made to: Samaritan Hospice 5 Eves Drive, Suite 300 Marlton, NJ 08053 http://www.samaritanhospice.org/ Condolences can be sent to: Anne Eileen Trucksess & family 1822 Riverside Drive Trenton, NJ 08618 Don was a friend and colleague for well over 20 years, as well as a subscriber to this missive . . . he was always there to help me, and his smile and enthusiasm never ceased to brighten my day . . . he'll be missed, not only be me--but by the many students and colleagues he inspired over the years. ***** BLAINESWORLD BEST AWARD ***** This week, it goes to James Freeman--professor of Language and Literature at Bucks County Community and, also, a longtime friend. Jim was recently named as recipient of the College's prestigious 2007 Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. He is an excellent teacher, well-respected by both his students and colleagues. In addition, he is the author of some 15 books, including PARADE OF DAYS (his most recent one). Jim is also a most accomplished poet. Top _________________________________________________________ 2. FYI I recommend books all the time, and I'm often asked, "How do you read so much?" which always makes me smile because, when I was a kid, my father was worried that I wasn't going to amount to much because he couldn't get me to read much beyond the Hardy Boys. But now I read about two books per month. What changed? I realized that the answers to every single question I have are offered in a book. Even better, I get to choose what I learn and from whom. Then armed with this information, I am in a great place to share it with others. SOURCE: BOOK YOURSELF SOLID (see also Sections 4C, 10 and 11) by Michael Port FYI, part 2 * Jamie in Pennsylvania (with a REQUEST FOR HELP): This year, I'll be participating in a very special event called the Breast Cancer 3-Day. I have embraced the challenge of walking 60 miles over the course of three days with thousands of other women and men. The net proceeds will support breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment through Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the National Philanthropic Trust Breast Cancer Fund. I've agreed to raise at least $2,200 in donations. I've set my personal goal at $3,000. So I need your help. Would you please consider making a donation? Please take a look at the enclosed donation form and designate the amount that's right for you. According to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, approximately 200,000 American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year, and nearly 40,000 will die from the disease. I am walking for every mother, father, daughter, son, sister, brother and friend who has been touched by breast cancer. I hope that you'll share this incredible adventure with me--by supporting me in my fundraising efforts. To make a contribution, please click: http://www.the3day.org/philadelphia07/jamie0522 Thank you in advance for your generosity! * Arlene in Pennsylvania, responding to an email in last week's issue from Dan in New Jersey: Let me see if I get this. Homeopathy does NOT work because it involves using substances in such small amounts, that they could not possibly create any physiological changes in the body. It doesn't follow the laws of physics. Right? Okay. So if that’s the case, if homeopathic remedies are so weak and diluted that they could not possibly create changes in the body, how is it that “thousands of people ended up calling poison control centers because of a bad reaction”. Do you see the glaring contradiction here? First he’s claiming that it won't create a reaction, and then he claims that it will create a reaction. You can't have it both ways. Either it creates a reaction or it doesn't. Perhaps he’s trying to claim that homeopathic remedies can ONLY cause harm, but it’s impossible that they can help. Yeah, right. By the way, the idea of introducing a substance into the body in a very small amount isn't all that out of the ordinary. In fact, traditional allopathic medical physicians do this all the time. It’s called a vaccination. With a vaccination, you are injecting a miniscule amount of the disease into the patient. It’s a small enough amount that the patient doesn't get sick (or does he?). This creates an antibody-antigen response, and the patient’s immune system develops memory T cells which react IF the patient ever gets exposed to a clinical dose of the disease. Of course, the vaccinations are loaded with mercury, formaldehyde and other extremely toxic substances which causes autism, massive irreversible neurological damage and even death. But who cares, as long as my biotech stock is doing well? Right? Is the FDA the solution to everything? Can we trust the fine people at the FDA? Are they looking out only for our best interest? The FDA said that PhenFen was safe and okay to use. They said the same thing about Thalidomide, Vioxx, Celebrex, and Bextra. Give me 10 minutes, and I'll provide you with a rather large list of FDA-approved drugs which have been documented to maim or kill people. According to their own research, pharmaceuticals (which were given to the right patient, in the right dosage, at the right time) kills around 105,000 Americans each year. How many people die as a result of taking multivitamins, fish oils, and other dietary supplements? Zero. But that’s not good enough for the pharmaceutical/FDA cartel. They want complete control and complete power over EVERYTHING. 10 years ago, most of the M.D.’s laughed or scoffed at the wellness concept. Today, they are embracing it with open arms. 10 years ago, you couldn't find supplements at CVS, Rite Aid or Eckerd Drug. Today, each of them has an entire section of the store dedicated to supplements and vitamins. In fact, in my Rite Aid, there’s a miniature GNC right in the middle of the store. So apparently, the public is starting to accept more and more non-pharmaceutical interventions. Top _________________________________________________________ 3. It's plain to see When a friend’s marriage began to unravel, my 12-year old cousin offered, “I think the problem is largely psychological.” “How so?” I asked. “He’s psycho and she’s logical." Top _________________________________________________________ 4. Reviews A. DISTURBIA is a thriller that held my interest until shortly before the ending . . . until then, I was interested in how Shia LaBeouf dealt with his court-imposed house arrest . . . his interaction with others, most notably a menacing David Morse and a bikini-clad Sarah Roemer, also made for a worthwhile movie-going experience . . . if only there had been a better conclusion than the last 15 minutes or so that reminded me of a slasher-type flick . . . rated PG-13. For a better film, I'd suggest renting REAR WINDOW . . . the plot is similar--very similar, in fact--and the cast features both Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly . . . you won't go wrong with that one, though I doubt that very few folks under 40 will make the effort to get it. B. NOTES ON A SCANDAL is now out in DVD format . . . my review from BLAINESWORLD #538 follows: NOTES ON A SCANDAL is a psychological thriller that sounds trashy, but actually is quite well done--and engaging, too . . . it is the tale of one teacher, Cate Blanchett, who enters into a relationship with one of her teenage students . . . when another teacher, Judi Dench, observes this, a complex relationship evolves that kept my attention throughout the film . . . Blanchett and Dench were both excellent, as was the always watchable Bill Nighy as the former's husband . . . the accompanying musical score by Philip Glass was an added plus . . . rated R. C. BOOK YOURSELF SOLID (see also Sections 2, 10 and 11) by Michael Port had me hooked after just reading the cover . . . its subtitle--THE FASTEST, EASIEST AND MOST RELIABLE SYSTEM FOR GETTING MORE CLIENTS THAN YOU CAN HANDLE EVEN IF YOU HATE MARKETING AND SELLING--seemed to me that it would give me information that I could personally use and, also, share with my students and colleagues. I was not disappointed; this book is a winner from the opening page. Port, known as "the guy to call when you're tired of thinking small," tells service professionals how to start and grow their business . . . however, his ideas can also be applied to many other fields of endeavor. I liked his many examples, most based on real clients he has personally helped. . . . in addition, Port provides more help to readers by making available his website that can be viewed for free (I've already obtained much useful information), and he includes a downloadable workbook that can be used to reinforce many of the concepts in his excellent book. I particularly appreciated the many interactive exercises that were included every few pages . . . one very clearly shows you how to develop a Book Yourself Dialogue; all you need to do is follow this step-by-step approach: Part I: Summarize your target market in one sentence. Part II: Identify and summarize the three biggest and most critical problems that your target market faces. Part III: List how you solve these problems and present clients with unique solutions. Part IV: Include the most dramatic ("Wow!") results that you or your clients have achieved. Part V: List the results and deepest benefits your clients receive. There were many other useful tidbits throughout the book; among them: * Why start by thinking of your own needs, desires, and passions rather than those of your clients? For one very simple reason: If you are not passionate about what you're doing, if your heart isn't in it, if it doesn't have meaning to you, you are not going to devote the time and energy required to be successful, and you'll never, in a million years, be able to convince people in your target market that you're the best person to help them. * If you've been feeling like you can't or shouldn't, be paid to do what you love, you must let that limiting belief go if you're to be hooked solid. * While the Book Yourself Solid Networking Strategy adds value to the lives of people who could become your clients, you'll also want to spend 50 percent of your networking time connecting with other professionals. Networking with other professionals provides you with an opportunity to connect and share resources, knowledge, and information. Bear in mind that working solo does not mean working alone. You can create so much more value when other talented people are involved. The above makes so much sense to me, in fact, that I'm now going to spend some time telling such other professionals as my chiropractor, my financial consultant and my personal organizer about BOOK YOURSELF SOLID . . . I'm pretty sure you will want to make similar recommendations after you finish this book. D. Enjoyed THE FORTUNATE PILGRIM by Mario Puzo, written before THE GODFATHER . . . this one also looks at the Italian-American experience, but from the perspective of a family where the woman holds the power. I was moved by the story of Lucia Santa and her journey from the mountain farms of Italy to the streets of New York . . . she hoped for a better life, but instead found herself living in Hell's Kitchen and in a bad marriage where she had to raise six children on her own. Their lives also fascinated me, as did Puzzo's description of what like was life in the twenties, thirties and forties . . . it made me feel like I was actually there--right with the characters. After the novel was over, I wondered how come it never was made into a major movie . . . I did found out that THE FORTUNATE PILGRIM was instead made into a TV mini-series in 1988, starring Sophia Loren and Edward James Olmos . . . so I now know what I'll be watching when I rent my next DVD! Top _________________________________________________________ 5. TV alert A. MaggieMoo's is making its Food Network debut on April 23rd at 7:30 p.m. EDT on the popular show "Unwrapped." Tune in to the episode called "Cakewalk" featuring MaggieMoo's Ice Cream Cupcakes, the first cupcake you can eat with a spoon! YES, if the place sounds familiar it is because you've read about it often in BLAINESWORLD . . . Cynthia and I had our reception for friends at this ice creamery after our wedding nearly two years ago! NOTE: If you've missed the above air date, go the this website: http://www.foodnetwork.com/ and search for the show UNWRAPPED and see when Episode CW1510 will be repeated. You can probably find similar information at: http://www.tvguide.com B. Unassuming people enter the CASH CAB as simple passengers taking a normal taxi ride, only to be shocked when they discover that they're instant contestants on Discovery Channel's innovative game show . . . Wednesdays at 5 and 5:30 p.m. For sample questions and a chance to win some virtual cash, please click: http://dsc.discovery.com/fansites/cashcab/quiz/quiz.html C. Dave Foley, one-fifth of the late, great comedy troupe Kids in the Hall, recently returned to the world of humor playing judge and jury on THANK GOD YOU'RE HERE, an amusing new improv-comedy competition . . . Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC. D. A classic TWILIGHT ZONE airs on Friday at 8 a.m. on SCI FI . . . it stars BEWITCHED's Agnes Morehead as a haggard farmwoman who struggles to defend her home from a group of tiny spacemen in 1961's THE INVADERS. Top _________________________________________________________ 6. Best comeback If you ever testify in court, you might wish you could have been as sharp as this policeman. He was being cross-examined by a defense attorney during a felony trial. The lawyer was trying to undermine the policeman's credibility . . . Q: "Officer--did you see my client fleeing the scene?" A: "No sir. But I subsequently observed a person matching the description of the offender, running several blocks away." Q: "Officer--who provided this description?" A: "The officer who responded to the scene." Q: "A fellow officer provided the description of this so-called offender. Do you trust your fellow officers?" A: "Yes, sir. With my life." Q: "With your life? Let me ask you this then officer. Do you have a room where you change your clothes in preparation for your daily duties?" A: "Yes sir, we do!" Q: "And do you have a locker in the room?" A: "Yes sir, I do." Q: "And do you have a lock on your locker?" A: "Yes sir." Q: "Now why is it, officer, if you trust your fellow officers with your life, you find it necessary to lock your locker in a room you share with these same officers?" A: "You see, sir--we share the building with the court complex, and sometimes lawyers have been known to walk through that room." The courtroom erupted in laughter, and a prompt recess was called. The officer on the stand has been nominated for this year's "Best Comeback" line . . . and we think he'll win. Top _________________________________________________________ 7. Websites A. What happened to all that stuff that was supposed to change our lives; e.g., by the year 2000? You can now see for yourself by clicking: http://www.RetroFuture.com I got a special kick out of reading about Smell-O-Vision, having actually seen POLYESTER back in 1981 and gotten the chance to get a whiff of dirty socks. And isn't it sooooo true that can history repeat itself? The episode of MY NAME IS EARL, airing on May 3 at 8 p.m. on May 3, will feature a scent-sational experience that can be enhanced by use of a card that can be found in the April 30-May 6 issue of TV GUIDE. B. For a collection of classic songs, please click: http://www.jhegarty.com/sounds/music.htm As I type this, I'm currently listening to Dean Martin's "Memories Are Made of This" and when that is over, I'll check out "Greenfields" (what a great song title!), "All I Have to do is Dream" and some 40 other tunes. The sound quality is excellent. C. BLAINESWORLD, the website, remains up and running . . . to view it, please click: http://www.blainesworld.net For a look of books I've reviewed (and enjoyed, for the most part), go to "Blaine's Best" on the left, then the second part of letter "O" . . . if you'd like to help me go even higher on the list of amazon.com reviewers, look up any book I've recently reviewed by clicking: http://www.amazon.com Find a book I've recently reviewed; e.g., the excellent DON'T RETIRE, REWIRE! by Jeri Sedlar and Rick Miners--all about helping you decide what you should do upon retirement from your present job . . . click customer reviews and when you find mine, probably at or near the top, read it . . . when asked whether my review was helpful, say "yes" if you feel that it was. For your information, I'm presently a "Top 500 Reviewer" (ranked #353) with 3,119 helpful votes of the 614 books I've reviewed. Top _________________________________________________________ 8. Computer tip How to forward email (IMPORTANT!) A friend who is a computer expert received the following directly from a system administrator for a corporate system. It is an excellent message that ABSOLUTELY applies to ALL of us who send e-mails. Please read the short letter below, especially if you know somebody who doesn't follow proper procedures--then forward this to them. Do you really know how to forward e-mails? 50% of us do; 50% DO NOT. Do you wonder why you get viruses or junk mail? Do you hate it? Every time you forward an e-mail there is information left over from the people who got the message before you, namely their e-mail addresses & names. As the messages get forwarded along, the list of addresses builds, and builds, and builds, and all it takes is for some poor sap to get a virus, and his or her computer can send that virus to every e-mail address that has come across his computer. Or, someone can take all of those addresses and sell them or send junk mail to them in the hopes that you will go to the site and he will make five cents for each hit. That's right, all of that inconvenience over a nickel How do you stop it? Well, there are several easy steps: 1.When you forward an e-mail, DELETE all of the other addresses that appear in the body of the message (at the top). That's right, DELETE them. Highlight them and delete them, backspace them, cut them, whatever it is you know how to do. It only takes a second. You MUST click the "Forward" button first and then you will have full editing capabilities against the body and headers of the message. If you don't click on "Forward" first, you won't be able to edit the message at all. 2. Whenever you send an e-mail to more than one person, do NOT use the To: or Cc: fields for adding e-mail addresses. Always use the BCC: (blind carbon copy) field for listing the e-mail addresses. This is the way the people you send to will only see their own e-mail address. If you don't see your BCC: option click on where it says To: and your address list will appear. Highlight the address and choose BCC: and that's it, it's that easy. When you send to BCC: your message will automatically say "Undisclosed Recipients" in the "TO:" field of the people who receive it. 3. Remove any "FW :" in the subject line. You can re-name the subject if you wish or even fix spelling. 4. ALWAYS hit your Forward button from the actual e-mail you are reading. Ever get those e-mails that you have to open 10 pages to read the one page with the information on it? By Forwarding from the actual page you wish someone to view, you stop them from having to open many e-mails just to see what you sent. 5.Have you ever gotten an email that is a petition? It states a position and asks you to add your name and address and to forward it to 10 or 15 people or your entire address book. The email can be forwarded on and on and can collect thousands of names and email addresses. A FACT: The completed petition is actually worth a couple of bucks to a professional spammer because of the wealth of valid names and email addresses contained therein. If you want to support the petition, send it as your own personal letter to the intended recipient. Your position may carry more weight as a personal letter than a laundry list of names and email address on a petition. (Actually, if you think about it, who's supposed to send the petition in to whatever cause it supports? And don't believe the ones that say that the email is being traced, it just ain't so!) 6. One of the main ones I hate is the ones that say that something like, "Send this email to 10 people and you'll see something great run across your screen." Or, sometimes they'll just tease you by saying something really cute will happen. IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN!!!!! (Trust me, I'm still seeing some of the same ones that I waited on 10 years ago!) I don't let the bad luck ones scare me either, they get trashed. (Could be why I haven't won the lottery??) 7. Before you forward an Amber Alert, or a Virus Alert, or some of the other ones floating around nowadays, check them out before you forward them. Most of them are junk mail that's been circling the net for YEARS! Just about everything you receive in an email that is in question can be checked out at Snopes. Just go to: http://www.snopes.com/ Top _________________________________________________________ 9. Top ten things I learned from AMERICAN IDOL (presented by Sanjaya on 4.23.07 on David Letterman's LATE SHOW) 10. The camera adds ten pounds to your mohawk. 9. Work hard and make sacrifices, you can finish in 7th place. 8. It's very important to "keep it real, dawg." 7. I should have gone for the Immunity Idol -- oh wait, that's SURVIVOR. 6. On-camera Simon is a bit nasty, but off-camera, he's a total jerk. 5. Voting for yourself 100 times an hour causes some wicked carpal tunnel. 4. When you forget the words, just do this (Sanjaya belts out, "OHHHHHHH"). 3. Honestly, I thought I was auditioning for ARE YOU SMARTER THAN a 5TH GRADER? 2. Nothing 1. America loves performers with bad hair--right, Dave? Top _________________________________________________________ 10. A quote I like Please give away so much value that you think you've given too much and then give more. I had a friend in college who, when he ordered his hero sandwiches, would say, "Put so much mayonnaise on it that you think you've ruined it, and then put more." Gross, I know (I believe that he has since stopped eating his sandwiches that way and his arteries are thanking him), but adding value is not a dissimilar experience.--Michael Port in BOOK YOURSELF SOLID (see also Sections 2, 4C and 11) Top _________________________________________________________ 11. Thought for the day When I REALLY liked a book, I'll mention it four separate times in this newsletter . . . this is the case with BOOK YOURSELF SOLID (see also Sections 2, 4C and 10) by Michael Port, in that I'd now like to share still another passage with you; it follows: It's time to stop thinking about selling as a canned presentation that influences or manipulated someone. The selling process is more about your clients and less about you. If you are selling properly, here's all you really need to do: * Ask more questions than you answer. * Listen more than you speak. * Consider the needs and desires of your potential clients before considering your own. * Keep the conversation positive and empowering. MY TWO CENTS: The above is good advice that can be applied to countless non-selling situations . . . in particular, if you're attempting to start and/or maintain a relationship, methinks you'll benefit by following Port's advice. Top _________________________________________________________ 12. Advance planning department A. Natalie in Pennsylvania: Cris Groenendaal, the third Phantom of the Opera on Broadway and his wife, conductor of Cats, Sue Anderson will present an evening of Broadway music on Friday, April 27, 7:30 p.m. in the Library Auditorium of Bucks County Community College. Tickets are $10.00 and can be purchased through Natalie Kaye, 215.579.1836 or online at: http://www.bucks.edu/cultural They are also available in the Student Life office. For anyone who loves the music of Broadway, this is a must-see. B. You're invited by yours truly; i.e., me: To have a chance to win $500! I'm speaking on Wednesday, May 2, at 8 a.m. to the Women's Business Forum. The location is the James Lorah House in Doylestown, located at the corner of Broad and Main--next to the courthouse parking entrance on Broad (the best place to park). Topic: "Differentiating Yourself in the Marketplace." No pre registration necessary; all are welcome! C. Jean in Pennsylvania: Come to “Go, Dana! Family Fun Night” on May 11 As 10-year-old Dana Demsko bravely battles leukemia, show your support at “Go, Dana! Family Fun Night” on Friday, May 11, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Newtown Athletic Club. For just $40 a family, enjoy refreshments, swimming, activities, games, a talent show, and contests throughout the NAC, located at Penns Trail and the Newtown Bypass. There will also be a basket raffle and silent auction, with items such as an original Craig Hackett watercolor, an overnight stay and brunch at the Temperance House, and a Philly Fan Sports Package. All proceeds help the Demsko family through this difficult time. To register, call the NAC program desk at 215.968-0600, ext. 12. Hope to see you there! D. Cynthia in New Jersey (see also Section 1A): * Move your Body classes every first and third Saturday of the month at 1:30 p.m., so next ones are on May 5 and 19. No charge, but love donations to the Princeton Center are always appreciated. Location: Princeton Center for Yoga and Health Montgomery Professional Center 50 Vreeland Drive Suite 506--off Route 206 Skillman, New Jersey For more information: http://ww.princetonyoga.com 609.924.7294 * Move your Body classes at night on May 17, 24 and 31 from 7-8:15 p.m. Cost: Just $5 per person. Location: Capitol Health Systems 1445 Whitehorse-Mercerville Rd. Hamilton, New Jersey For more information: http://www.capitolhealth.org
609.394.4512 Top _ ________________________________________________________ PS. Lest you forget: Administrative Professional's Week is celebrated from April 22-28, and Wednesday marks Administrative Professionals Day (formerly called Secretary's Day) . . . if you're fortunate to be working with any individuals who do this kind of work, make sure you recognize them for all their tireless efforts of your behalf . . . for more information, please click: http://www.holidayinsights.com/other/secretary.htm Also, please join me in praying that we soon get our remaining soldiers back from Iraq and that peace resumes in Israel . . . and make it a great week! ---------------------------------------------------------- SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBCRIBE INFORMATION If you or somebody you know wants to subscribe to BLAINESWORLD, have them drop me an e-mail to that effect . . . new readers are always welcome . . . my address is: bginbc@aol.com In the unlikely event you wish to unsubscribe, notify me at the same email address.
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