Worlds Best One Line Joke

Probably the most thought-provoking one-liner is
" Eat right. Stay fit. Die anyway."

It's sad but true—no matter what you do, you will die. This is because you have sinned against God. Let's see if that's true: Have you ever lied (even once)? Ever stolen (anything)? Jesus said, "Whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her, has committed adultery already with her in his heart." Ever looked with lust? If you have said "Yes" to these three questions, by your own admission, you are a lying, thieving, adulterer at heart; and we've only looked at three of the Ten Commandments. How will you do on Judgment Day? Will you be innocent or guilty? You know that you will be guilty, and end up in Hell. That's not God's will. He provided a way for you to be forgiven. He sent His Son to take your punishment: "God commended His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus then rose from the dead and defeated death. "Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit"—everlasting life. Then read the Bible daily and obey what you read. God will never let you down.

How to Get A Job

Paul Singh, ResultsJunkies.com –

“Here’s how I got more referrals than I could handle. I made a list of the top 10 companies that I really wanted to work with. Then, I documented a few high-level strategic ways I’d grow their business, and some tactical tips they could improve immediately.

When I sent the document (which was usually anywhere from 5-7 pages long) via email and snail mail to the founder, I always made sure that they understood that I was giving them this advice free. More importantly, I made it really clear that I’d be happy to give them as much advice as they’d like for free.

The only catch is that I’d want to send them a proposal if they wanted me to actually do the work myself.”

The Internet - Better than Sex?

If, after everything you've read in Early to Rise, you still doubt that the Internet is the best place to do business, consider this: According to a recent Harris Interactive poll, 46 percent of women and 30 percent of men would rather give up sex for two weeks than Web surfing.

The study, conducted on behalf of Intel, further found that 65 percent of U.S. adults say they can't live without the Internet. They consider access vital for business transactions, shopping, personal finances, staying in touch with friends and family, and more.

Source: Early to Rise quoting The Wall Street Journal and Harris Interactive

Peter Morley's Joke of The Week

Christmas Shepherd

One Christmas, two blokes built a skating rink in the middle of a field. A shepherd leading his flock decided to take a shortcut across the rink. The sheep, however, were afraid of the ice and wouldn't cross it. Desperate, the shepherd began tugging them to the other side.

'Look at that, said one bloke to the other 'That guy is trying to pull the wool over our ice!'

Iraqi Footballer

Iraqi Footballer

Russel Crowe flies to Baghdad to watch a young Iraqi play rugby league and is suitably impressed and arranges for him to come over to South Sydney. He's signed to a one-year contract and the kid joins the team for the pre-season.

Two weeks later Rabbits are down 10 nil to Easts with only 10 minutes left.

The coach gives the young Iraqi the nod and he goes in. The kid is a sensation - scores 3 tries in 10 minutes and wins the game for South Sydney! The fans are thrilled, the players and coaches are delighted, and the media are in love with the new star.

When the player comes off the ground he phones his mum to tell her about his first day of Australian Rugby League.

'Hello mum, guess what?' he says. 'I played for 10 minutes today, we were 10 nil down, but I scored 3 tries and we won. Everybody loves me, the fans, the media...

'Wonderful,' says his mum, 'Let me tell you about my day. Your father got shot in the street and robbed, your sister and I were ambushed, raped and beaten, and your brother has joined a gang of looters, and all while you were having such great time.'

The young Iraqi is very upset.

'What can I say mum, I'm so sorry.'

'Sorry? You're sorry?' says his mum, 'It's your fault we moved to Redfern in the first place!'

To be In Awe

"Stop asking me to be practical, to be reasonable, to look at logic, to do the responsible thing.
You are now forewarned: if you are to be a friend of mine you will do nothing to ensure that my feet are on the ground. If you need me, don't look for me in the company of levelheaded people. They bore me. They weigh me down with statistics and stories of dream-flyers who melted their wings and fell into the sea. So what if I get a little wet?

Never to be surprised is to stop God in his tracks. I don't want to understand anything anymore.

I want to be in Awe!"

insightful words from George Leonard

Red Wine Keeps for 4 days

Robust red wines will last for 4 days after opening if you take a few steps to keep them fresh.

With many great wines now coming with screw cap closures, a glass a night means that your bottle can last for 4 nights. [ not often for me! ]

Recommended Merlot: Lilac Hill Tall Towers

Murdoch The Man Who Owns The News

Rupert Murdoch doesn't show off. What you see is what you get. He is an old man, with a crevasses face, in inauspicious suits, with an ever prsent singlet under his white shirt. He might be worth $10 billion, give or take, but the money has never been the thing.

Excerpt: The Man Who Owns The News by Michael Wolff my Christmas reading.

Prevent Static Fires at the Petrol Pump

You probably know not to light up a cigarette when refueling your car. But there's another fire danger at the petrol pump you may not be aware of: static electricity.

According to a survey from the Petroleum Equipment Institute (PEI), most static fires occur when people return to their cars during the refueling process. You can pick up an electrical charge when sliding in or out of your car. Then, when you touch a metal surface - like the gas cap or the fuel nozzle - you can create a spark. The spark, in turn, ignites the fumes from the gasoline.

Approximately 100 static-related petrol station fires occur each year, according to the research firm Fowler Associates - so your chances of being involved in one are slim. However, to keep yourself - and those around you - safe while filling your tank, the PEI suggests taking these three precautions:

1. Turn off your engine.
2. Don't smoke.
3. Never re-enter your vehicle while refueling.

Gerry Harvey on Short Sellers

I would line them all up against the wall and shoot them,
all the short sellers.

Gerry Harvey

Virgin Train Service NOT

I wonder if Richard Branson will do anything about this "great publicitiy"

ZERO TOLERANCE IN REAL LIFE, BRITISH DIVISION - London Telegraph

Lena Ainscow, 75, was trying to travel from London to Bromely, England, to visit her grandchildren. She had a ticket, but platform personnel put her on an earlier train. The conductor refused her ticket because it was for the later train, and told her she must immediately pay 115 pounds for her fare -- ten times the normal ticket price. She didn't have that much on her, so fellow passenger Tom Wrigglesworth, 32, appalled at how the elderly woman was being treated, started collecting money from other passengers to help her out. The Virgin Train manager called police -- collecting money is "begging" and illegal, the manager said.

He ordered Wrigglesworth to give the money back or be arrested. Wrigglesworth refused the demand. "I couldn't sit there are let this helpless woman deal with it on her own," he said. Police officers sided with Wrigglesworth: they refused to arrest him when they heard the whole story.

A Virgin Trains spokesman later apologized for "any distress caused."

Source: London Telegraph

Which doesn't help anything until they give the manager plenty of distress over his actions.

Peter Morley's Joke of the Week

Next time you think your hotel bill is too high you might want to consider this...

A husband and wife are travelling by car from Brisbane to Melbourne. After almost ten hours on the road, they're too tired to continue and they decide to stop for a rest. They stop at a nice hotel and take a room, but they only plan to sleep for four hours and then get back on the road.

When they check out four hours later, the desk clerk hands them a bill for $450.00. The man explodes and demands to know why the charge is so high.

He tells the clerk although it's a nice hotel, the rooms certainly aren't worth $450.00. When the clerk tells him $450.00 is the standard rate, the man insists on speaking to the Manager.
The Manager appears, listens to the man, and then explains that the hotel has an Olympic-sized pool and a huge conference centre that were available for the husband and wife to use.

'But we didn't use them,' the man complains, 'Well, they are here, and you could have,' explains the Manager.

He goes on to explain they could have taken in one of the shows for which the hotel is famous. 'The best entertainers from New York, Hollywood and Las Vegas perform here,' the Manager says.

'But we didn't go to any of those shows,' complains the man again. 'Well, we have them, and you could have,' the Manager replies.

No matter what amenity the Manager mentions! the man replies, 'But we didn't use it!' The Manager is unmoved, and eventually the man gives up and agrees to pay. He writes a cheque and gives it to the Manager.

The Manager is surprised when he looks at the cheque. 'But sir,' he says, 'this cheque is only made out for $50.00.'

'That's correct,' says the man. 'I charged you $400 for sleeping with My wife.' 'But I didn't!' exclaims the Manager. 'Well, too bad,' the man replies. 'She was here and you could have!'

Where it started...

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

Martin Luther King Jr.

Mercy's Christmas wish...

WOW where has 3 months gone?

Only 2 weeks until Mercy's Christmas wish comes true!

What can I say really, this has been an inspiring, eye opening, emotional and stressful thing to organise and there is absolutely no way that I could have gotten through this without the assistance of my amazing fiance', family, friends, work colleagues and people who I have never met! Assistance has come in the most amazing forms and from the most unbelievable places and we are ever so grateful and have truly been blessed! Thank you so much to all.

Can wait to send everyone photos of Mercy and her new eye!

We have had a few issues along the way with having Mercy's Visa and Passport released as there is an issue with child trafficking in Kenya however we are thankfully at the end of that and I will receive confirmation tomorrow (Kenya time). Due to this delay air fares are actually costing us over $1,000 more than originally planned but that is just the way things go. It has been very time consuming, stressful and frustrating for the orphanage too which is a real shame too but am so thrilled with their determination to make this happen too. Thank you Mary.

Our finances Update:

We have had an increase in air fares so we still need around $4,500 to cover the remaining air fare costs for Mercy and her carer Mary as well as some petrol costs.

Some items in progress and to come are:

Stroller donated by Baby Jogger Australia is on Ebay and currently at $400+ and finishes in 2 1/2 days

Tukka restaurant is Brisbane is finishing off their collections and we are hoping around $500 there

A couple of Websites have raffles in progress

May be a little on the late side but am organising Christmas Cards to sell which will help a gorgeous local artist as well as Mercy. WILL EMAIL DESIGNS AROUND SO PLEASE HOLD OFF BUYING ANY YET!

Am working on the Brisbane journalists still and have enlisted the help of some of the tourist operations donating to us as they have some great contacts. Helps the both of us!

Donna Payne

Dance of the Bird of Paradise

Photography by David Wallace

Water Resources and Water Allocation

So this Department of Water Resources representative stops at a Queensland agricultural property and talks with the old farmer. The Rep tells the farmer,"I need to inspect your farm for your water allocation". The old farmer says, 'Okay, but don't go in that paddock over there.' The Water rep smells a rat and says, 'Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me.. See this card? This card means I'm allowed to go WHEREVER I WISH on any agricultural land. No questions asked or answered. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand?'" The old farmer nods politely and goes about his chores.

Later, the old farmer hears loud screams and sees the Water Rep running for his life. And close behind is the farmer's bull. The bull is gaining with every step.

The Rep is clearly terrified, so the old farmer immediately throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs......

'Your card! Your card! Show him your card!'

Peter Morley Joke of the Weeek

Wisdom of the Road Traffic Authority

photography by David Wallacs

Quote of the Week - Banks

'I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.'

Thomas Jefferson 1802

Are you too old - Abe Vigoda wasn't

Actor Abe Vigoda has changed my mind about when is it too late to make a life change. I beliieve it is NEVER too late to learn new things, start a new business, switch careers, or go into a different industry. Abe Vigoda, if the name does not ring a bell, is the dour-faced actor famous for playing the character Fish on the TV sitcom "Barney Miller."

A Google search will show Vigoda, who is still a working actor at age 87, got his big break was his first movie, "The Godfather," in which he played Sal Tessio.

"The Godfather" was released in 1972. Working backward you will see that Vigoda didn't begin his movie career until he was over 50. More impressive is that, at age 87, Vigoda - who has a slightly cadaverous appearance that makes him look ready for the Old Folks Home - is still a competitive handball player.

If Abe Vigoda could get his first movie role at over 50 - beating out actors his age who had decades more credentials and experience - then I am convinced that you and I can start a new career or business at any age.

World's Silliest Festival

Question: Where do you go to help gobble down 1,500 pounds of beans - and then watch outhouses race?

Answer: Arkansas

October 23 through 25, participants in the 26th annual Arkansas Bean Fest and Championship Outhouse Races will gorge on pinto beans. Then they'll cheer from the sidelines as outhouses on wheels are raced by drivers sitting on fake toilet seats.

Source: OzarkGetaways.com and Early to Rise

Hobby or Avocation

Michael Masterson writes in Ready, Fire Aim:

My neighbor Bob is bored. He has been extremely successful in everything he does and yet he finds himself sometimes bored to depression. I usually tell overachieving people like Bob to spend their extra energy getting fit and pursuing hobbies. But Bob is already super fit and a scratch golfer. I told him his boredom was the result of having too much capacity - in every area he pursued. But I didn't have a solution for him. I was stumped.

After sleeping on it that night, I had an idea I suggested to him the next morning. "For a guy like you," I told him, "golf and exercise aren't enough. You need an activity that is infinitely challenging."

Naturally, he wanted to know what I meant by infinitely challenging. I wasn't actually sure but I knew it had to be something that, like golf, can never be done perfectly and, like fitness, was enormously important. "It's not another hobby that you need," I said. "It's an avocation."

What's the difference?

A hobby amuses you. An avocation enriches you. A hobby can be entirely a selfish pursuit. An avocation benefits other people. A hobby can be short termed. An avocation is usually a lifelong pursuit. A hobby can satisfy some superficial aspect of your personality. An avocation needs to be driven by your core values. A hobby requires less of you and gives you less. An avocation requires more but gives more.

Playing golf is a hobby. Running an annual golf charity event can be an avocation. Watching documentaries is a hobby. Making documentaries is an avocation. Reading poetry is a hobby. Writing poetry is a avocation.

Peter Morley's Joke of the Week

Three sons left home, went out on their own and prospered. Getting back together, they discussed the gifts they were able to give their elderly Mother.

The first said, "I built a big house for Mum." The second said, "I sent her a Mercedes with a driver." The third smiled and said, "I've got you both beat. You remember how she always enjoyed reading the Bible? And you know she can't see very well any more. I sent her a remarkable parrot that recites the entire Bible. It took Elders in the church 12 years to teach him. He's one of a kind. Mama just has to name the chapter and verse, and the parrot recites it."

Soon thereafter, Mom sent out her letters of thanks: "Milton," she wrote one son, "the house you built is so huge. I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house."

"Gerald," she wrote to another, "I am too old to travel any more. My eyesight isn't what it used to be. I stay most of the time at home, so I rarely use the Mercedes. And the driver is so rude!"

"Dearest Donald," she wrote to her third son, "you have the good sense to know what your Mother likes. The chicken was delicious!"

Maverick Spirit Book nears publication

With nearly 1000 issues of The Maverick Spirit Newsletter, I am in the final stages of the publishing of a "best of the spirit" book.

Be sure to look out for it's publication in time for a great Christmas Gift.

And I will, Wayne Mansfield, edit the stories so you can be sure that there will be some great material to assist you on your lifes journey.

Wayne Mansfield

Warrior of the Light

Every Warrior of the Light has felt afraid of going into battle.
Every Warrior of the Light has, at some time in the past, lied or betrayed someone.
Every Warrior of the Light has trodden a path that was not his.
Every Warrior of the Light has suffered for the most trivial of reasons.
Every Warrior of the Light has, at least once, believed he was not a Warrior of the Light.
Every Warrior of the Light has failed in his spiritual duties.
Every Warrior of the Light has said 'yes' when he wanted to say 'no.'
Every Warrior of the Light has hurt someone he loved.
That is why he is a Warrior of the Light, because he has been through all this and yet has never lost hope of being better than he is.

Paulo Coelho,
21st century Brazilian writer
from Warrior of the Light

Feel the Fear and do it Anyway!

Susan Jeffers writes in Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway: How to Turn Your Fear and Indecision into Confidence and Action

I've often been asked to explain why we have so little trust in ourselves. I don't really know the answer to that. I know that some fear is instinctual and healthy and keeps us alert to trouble. The rest...the part that holds us back from personal growth...is inappropriate and destructive and perhaps can be blamed on our conditioning.

In all my years, I have never heard a mother call out to her child as he or she goes off to school, 'Take some risks today, Darling...' She is more likely to convey to her child, 'Be careful, Darling.' This 'be careful' carries with it a double message: 'The world is really dangerous out there...AND...you won't be able to handle it.'

Apart from such seemingly obvious connections, it is possible the cause of our fear lies elsewhere. But does it really matter from where our self-doubts come? I believe not. It is not my approach to analyze the whys and wherefores of troublesome areas of the mind. It is often impossible to figure out what the actual causes of negative patterns are, and even if we did know, the knowing doesn't necessarily change them. I believe that if something is troubling you, simply start from where you are and take the action necessary to change it.

In this case, you know that you don't like the fact that lack of trust in yourself is stopping you from getting what you want out of life. Knowing this creates a very clear, even laser-like focus on what needs to be changed. You don't have to scatter your energy wondering why. It doesn't matter. What matters is that you begin now to develop your trust in yourself, until you reach the point where you will be able to say: WHATEVER HAPPENS TO ME, GIVEN ANY SITUATION, I CAN HANDLE IT!

Susan Jeffers

From the Newsletter called PoepleEmail at http://www.peoplestuff.com.au/ by Phil Evans

Bird of Paradise by David Wallace

Ever heard of the Bakken Formation

GOOGLE Bakken Foundation.

The answer will surely challenge your understanding of the oil situation.

The U. S. Geological Service issued a report in April ('08) that only scientists and oilmen/women knew was coming, but man was it big.

It was a revised report (hadn't been updated since '95) on how much oil was in this area of the western 2/3 of North Dakota; western South Dakota; and extreme eastern Montana ...

Check THIS out:

The Bakken is the largest domestic oil discovery since Alaska's Prudhoe Bay, and has the potential to eliminate all American dependence on foreign oil.
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates it at 503 billion barrels. Even if just 10% of the oil is recoverable... at $107 a barrel, we're looking at a resource base worth more than $5.3 trillion.'

It's a formation known as the Williston Basin , but is more commonly referred to as the 'Bakken.'
And it stretches from Northern Montana, through North Dakota and intoCanada .
For years, U. S. oil exploration has been considered a dead end. Even the 'Big Oil' companies gave up searching for major oil wells decades ago.

However, a recent technological breakthrough has opened up the Bakken's massive reserves... and we now have access of up to 500 billion barrels.

And because this is light, sweet oil, those billions of barrels will cost Americans just $16 PER BARREL!That's enough crude to fully fuel the American economy for 41 years straight.

Top Ten Reason To Start Your Info Marketing Business

Great Reason To Start # 10) All the products are digital (eBooks, newsletters, teleconferences) so your production costs are basically ZERO. If you can speak or write, you can create a product. Or...

Great Reason To Start # 9) You can make a fortune repackaging, rebranding and repurposing existing, top-selling products (many available totally free). And having lots of hot-selling products isn't a problem, because...

Great Reason To Start # 8) You don't need a warehouse, inventory, employees or a storefront. All you need is a computer, an Internet connection, and a burning desire to build your own thriving, profitable online business. Furthermore...

Great Reason To Start # 7) The start-up costs are minimal. If you've got $5,000 or less (even a LOT less) to invest, total, this is the ideal business for you.

Great Reason To Start # 6) The profit margins can be huge. This is especially important for smaller start-ups who need immediate and high cash flow and want a business model that will quickly start delivering ever-growing profits.

Great Reason To Start # 5) You can work from anywhere, at any time, under any circumstances. Take back your life. See your kid's school plays while you can. Head to the Bahamas for 3 weeks and run the business from there. If you can imagine it, it's possible. And speaking of imagination...

Great Reason To Start # 4) If you don't have an idea for your business niche, no problem. The marketplace is infinite and expanding. To get started you can just hitch your wagon to someone else's rising star - and go along for the rocket ride. In other words, find a highly active area in the marketplace and copy what the most successful businesses are already doing. Unethical? Not at all! Quick, easy and profitable? You betcha!

Great Reason To Start # 3) The amount of buyers in the marketplace is growing like crazy. Just last year, over 145 MILLION people spent over $100 BILLION online. And these numbers are growing every year. Imagine having a store on Main Street with 145 million+ people marching by every year – Just think, how great would that business do?

Great Reason To Start # 2) You'll never be on your own. Stick with Early to Rise and you'll get continuing education, continuing training, and continuing mentoring from the top world-class experts on the planet.

Great Reason To Start # 1) Of all the wealth-building techniques out there, Info-marketing is the ONE that Michael Masterson always recommends to his family, closest friends and colleagues... and now he is recommending the same to YOU.

Coffee

If you love coffee, you'll be glad to know that you can indulge yourself and promote your health too. Coffee is a rich source of age-defying antioxidants, and recent research even suggests it helps prevent Parkinson's and fight diabetes.

But I have some jolting news. If the coffee you drink is not organic, you're exposing yourself to cup after cup of high levels of pesticides. Some of the many chemicals commonly used against the "coffee borer" include highly toxic endosulfan, dursban, basudin, and disulfoton.

Get the most out of your morning java by choosing organic, shade-grown coffee. You can find it in most food stores, or buy in bulk online from a company like Cafe Altura. Expect to pay about $25 per kilo for organic whole beans versus $16 for conventional whole beans.

Play Our Part In The World

"If we are to be a really great people,

we must strive in good faith to play

a great part in the world.

We cannot avoid meeting great issues.

All that we can determine for ourselves is

whether we shall meet them well or ill.

Theodore Roosevelt

The Safest Route

Are the roads you travel every day safe... or prone to deadly accidents? Find out with Saferoadmaps.org. Type in your address to see where every local vehicle fatality has occurred. You'll also learn such details as whether the driver was speeding or intoxicated.

The purpose of the website, created by the Center for Excellence in Rural Safety (CERS), is to make people aware of dangerous roads and intersections. The hope is that they will take alternate routes - or, if that's not possible, will at least be more cautious when driving in high-fatality areas.

(Source: North Florida Daily News)

Monday isn't a good day to eat lunch in East Perth

Feeling like something more substantial than a chicken wrap from Mr Bird's MYO I investigated what was on offer at the restaurants in Royal Street East Perth [ Claisebrook Village ].

I know that chefs and owners of eating houses need a day off but do they think nobody eats on Monday?? Well most of the eateries had the "we are closed" signs up today. I counted 7 "closed - we don't like people to eat on Monday" signs.

Really feeling hungry I tried Cafe Bellavista on Bennett Street which has a "open 7 days" sign.

First impressions were great - someone has spent a dollar or three doing up the restaurant and it has a welcoming feeling so I thought it would do great for lunch... however it was all downhill from there.

I was great by a delightful young English lass - enthusiastic but untrained!! After finding a seat in the the totally empty restaurant [ maybe nobody does eat on Monday?? ] I was presented with the menu and wine list.

The wine list has wine by the glass, so I said "I will start with a glass of Groundry Merlot." Sorry said the waitress, we don't have any of that... "Well any Merlot will do, as long as it is red" I suggested and I got a glass of "Merlot" which at least was red.

I ordered my main meal and asked if I could have some bread. What I received was a couple of slabs of three day old Turkish Bread which I needed to ask to be "microwaved" so I could at least eat it.

As I waited for my chicken parmigiana I noticed the background music had become very foreground... now I know it must have been very loud because Joanne keeps telling me I am deaf. Obviously the chef's favourite radio station...

The chicken was passable and then I tried my luck for a "flat white coffee." Being an Italian restaurant I thought my chances were fair to average but I have this rule of thumb - a quick coffee is NOT a good coffee. And it wasn't.

And all that cost $37 without even an passing comment on "sorry for the stale Turkish bread!"

And as I left, the waitress and the chef looked out into the street wondering why there were no other customers darkening their door.

Rating: 2 out 5 [ 1 for the new decor and 1 for being open on Monday! ]

Man Made Thunderbolts

A group of French and German engineers are one step closer to creating lightning on command. The team fired pulses from an extremely powerful laser into clouds above New Mexico recently. The pulses caused an increase in the electrical activity in clouds that precedes a lightning strike.

The activity was too weak to create actual thunderbolts, but the scientists believe faster, more powerful laser pulses will do the trick. They hope to use this technology to "disarm" thunderstorms by draining their power before they reach sensitive sites, such as rocket launch pads housing satellites.

With A Step

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with a step."

Lao-tzu,
6th century bce Chinese philosopher,
founder of Taoism from Tao Te Ching

Six Simple Steps to Living in The Moment

The notion of living in the present is both desirable and yet often confusing. How is it done, exactly?

Gill Hasson and Helena Pozniak offer six steps to a fulfilling life, right now:

1. Mindfulness Become aware of your thoughts and take control of your moods;

2. Gratitude Appreciating life's small pleasures has unexpected benefits;

3. Acceptance Let go of unattainable ideals;

4. Conquer Perfectionism If you're driven by the need to excel you need to enjoy life for its own sake;

5. Take Action Stop thinking, start doing; and

6. Be Creative Being absorbed in a task helps us experience life to the fullest!

This great piece of modern philosphy came via Phil Evans People Stuff Newsletter go here to subscribe http://www.peoplestuff.com.au/

Remember: "What others do or say is their stuff; how we react, or not, is our stuff"!

Hotels Hotels and More Hotels

Travelling constantly I often think there is nothing new to learn. With more frequent flyer points than is mathematically possible, a first hand knowledge of nearly every Airport Lounge from Mumbai to Auckland and in between, I could write the definitive “Guide to Business Travel on A Back Packers Budget.”

Well, even I can find something new and better when booking hotels in places you are unfamiliar with. My trusty http://www.wotif.com/ is great for Australia but doesn’t seem to work as well when we are travelling to India, Qatar and the UAE. A recent visit to India had me staying, on the recommendation of a business associate, in a hotel that raised the feeling “I have gone passed this… if I am 5,000 kms from home, I want to be staying in the comfort I have become accustomed to.”

As it was just a couple of days, I made do with the “3 star business hotel” without a decent restaurant, no gym, no wireless internet… you know, I made do.

My frustration lead me to searching the internet and I came across Hotels Combined. Oh was that something special. Not only easy to use ( don’t you just like those websites that say they are easy to use and then make you feel like an idiot ) Hotels Combined seemed to have every hotel on the planet listed.

Matthew is on his way to Doha in June and with just a couple of simple instructions we had 444 hotels to choose from. And for Dubai, I didn’t know that there were that many possibilities.

So I have a new edition to my Travel Favourites Hotels Combined. It will be getting a work out over the next 12 months as we stage our 100 city tour of the secret behind the secret world tour.
I am away then, looking for a place to stay in Manchester UK..

The Most Popular Books in the United States

A recent Harris Interactive poll of American adults has found that the Bible is the most popular book in the country among both men and women. Rounding out the top 10 are favorites that have topped best-seller lists for years:

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
The Stand by Stephen King
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Source: Early To Rise Newsletter

Work is love made visible

"Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy. For if you break bread with indifference, you bake bitter bread that feeds but half a man’s hunger. And if you grudge the crushing of grapes, your grudge distils a poison in the wine. And if you sing though as angels, and love not the singing, you muffle man’s ears to the voices of the day and the voices of the night."

Kahlil Gibran,
20th century Syrian-born mystic poet, philosopher, and artist from The Prophet

Stupid Stupid Stupid

Bungee jump master Carl Dionisio, 37, had a great idea for a specialized bungee jump: he'd make his bungee ropes out of condoms.

It took four months to make the rope. "It was difficult as the condoms are slippery," said Dionisio, of Durban, South Africa. "When we tied knots they would just slip out." Still, he said, "latex is latex" and, after four months and 18,500 rubbers, he was "99 percent sure that it would work." Luckily, it did.

The only problem: it could only be used once.

Source: South Africa Independent

Living Is Risking

Dr Joyce Brothers said,

"Accept that all of us can be hurt, that all of us can - and surely will at times - fail. Other vulnerabilities, like being embarrassed or risking love, can be terrifying too. I think we should follow a simple rule: if can take the worst, take the risk."

Source: Martin Avis's Kickstart

Walt Disney

"If you can dream it, you can do it."

Walt Disney,

founder of The Walt Disney Company

It's Not About Britney!

Some Sexy Car - Volkswagen - Eos

This is when the otherwise-pleasant Wilco-scored Volkswagen ads jumped the shark. No dude, you are NOT the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

Ayn Rand is Toxic for Free Enterprise

Adrian Bye of Tasmanian Consulting writes:

Most of you know that I'm a huge Ayn Rand fan and believe its critical for entrepreneurs to read. I've noticed that a large percentage (70%+) of successful entrepreneurs have read her. So I asked my friend over dinner if he had read her, and naturally he had, when he was in highschool. And I was shocked to hear that while he liked her a lot in the past, he now views her material as toxic.

He suggested that it's the kind of material that puts a target on your back if you're successful, and would create an unpleasant world if everyone studied her.

His point was that successful entrepreneurs will be successful anyway, and are just naturally attracted to Ayn Rand but would be better off without it and don't need it.

Phil Evans The Newcastle Philosopher

I noticed this gem when reading a back issue of Phil's newsletter:

2008 is a year to be embraced in every way possible;
a year to live out our personal dreams;
a year to fulfill our goals and all of our personal visions;
a year to rejoice in the potential we all have as individuals, and to realise the greater potential we have as a united community - both locally and globally;
a year to think big and focus on world peace;
a year to live with a feeling of complete gratitude, by focusing on what we have, rather than on what we don't have;
a year to live in harmony and abundance; and
a year to be the best darned person we can possibly be, as much of the time as possible!

And remember this: Never be afraid to be wrong: think of the joy it brings to others!

Phil Evans - People Stuff

WatchIndia.TV Bonanaza

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Qantas Staff Excell on QF653

On Wednesday I travelled from Melbourne to Perth on QF653

A Customer Service Disaster was close when the passenger in 4C directly across the isle from me started to feel fluid running onto his head... what could it be?? Three cabin staff appeared, treated the matter professionally but, importantly, in great humour, and the offending "passengers water bottle which had sprung a leak" was located and removed.

Every one was assured there were no further problems and each and every water soaked item was dried, rearranged and re-stowed. And a happy tone was set for the trip - over 4 hours - to Perth.

The Customer Service Manager for the flight was a Kiwi lass called Vicki and she made the trip memorable. And as the mood that resulted from the "averted disaster" caught everyone on board, the meal service was exceptional - the food wasn't bad either! - and I was able to score an additional ice cream to boot.

My travelling companion was an SEO Expert ( search engine optimisation for the non web people reading this..) Franki Nguyen from TN3 and we chatted for the 4 hours. Franki has a fascinating story of the 2 years it took for his family - Vietnamese boat people - to get to Australia and how they have prospered here.

So, as a seasoned traveller, on "just one more flight" I have to say THANKS Vicki and your QANTAS team for a fabulous time on QF653 from Melbourne to Perth on Wednesday.

BONUS: On the labels of the Red Wine served with our meal there was a promo by Dan Murphy and Seppelt for Victorian Cabernet and with some "sweet talking" I left the plane with 6 tags for the FREE bottle of red... what a trip.

Income for blogging is a hot topic

I wonder how long writing reviews for websites will be a viable way to earn money on line.

I have had a quick search of the available opportunities for people blogs to do this and there seems to lots and lots of places to do this. However, the amount varies from .50c to $1000.

One I saw today which looks interesting is called, of all things SnapBomb and it claims to create buzz and feedback for websites. It will be interesting to see whether any traffic is generated to my site by the inclusion of their keywords snapbomb, buzz, and blog marketing.

Anyway, if you are interested in this type of income have a look at their site here.

How to Make Your Clients Addicted

I came across this great outline of how to get clients to feel good about dealing with you. It was in an email I got from the people at X2 Digital

When dealing with a business – Does it feel right? When something just feels right it is because your brain is telling you that it’s happy. As humans, our brain needs certain things and if it gets them - it will be attracted to them in the future. We become addicted.

Understanding what triggers these feeling with your customers is the essence of effective marketing. Digital Marketing has a key role in these trigger processes. You should examine what messages and triggers your customers enjoy when dealing with you. Look at you repeat customers; what are you doing to create addictive relationships? And how can you expand these?

Typically your clients must feel at least three of the following four things at very high levels:

1 - Certainty Certainty Clients must be certain that they will get what they expected (service, professionalism, face time, delivery, information, outcomes, quality, product etc). Every time – without fail. What are your client’s expectations?

2 - Connection Clients must feel connected with your business, people or offer. It must sustain a strong relationship that rewards the client emotionally. (learn their names, habits, needs, support their feel of who they are or want to be etc). Not treating the customer simply as a number - you can perhaps even have fun.

How can you connect with your customers?

3 - Variety Clients feed off variety. They must feel they are getting change and choice from your offer. Nothing ever stays the same. (delivery, range, niches, variations, colour add-ons etc). Surprise and delight them – add spice into your customers life. Just think of the design industry; fashion, cars, razors etc

What can you create today that feeds this need for variety?

4 - Significance Significance is a big one and guess what - Everyone wants it. Developing in your client a feeling that they are valued, important, individual, and unique is often essential. When you are remembered, how does it make you feel? If you are complimented on your appearance or your choices - you can feel touched. Equally when using the brand or service you are fulfilling a desire to feel more of the person you aspire to be. (Marlborough Man, Greenpeace, Union Member, white glove service etc).

How are you building this feeling with your clients?

Japanese Roofed Courtyard Entry

Some of our pounding around the countryside is bringing us to the attention of Japanese demolishers, one of whom has just sent us images of a roofed courtyard entry and gate they have for sale.

We are not sure if a market exists for Japanese architectural pieces exists so I thought I would ask your opinion.

If we bought this to Australia we would need to sell it for $6000.

Do you think anyone would pay that?

Keith McLennan
http://www.japon.com.au

Would you believe these facts...

These interesting observations came from David Craker:

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.

(Hmmmmmmmmm........)

Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do.

(If you're ambidextrous do you split the difference?)

The ant can lift 50 times its own weight, can pull 30 times its own weight and always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

(From drinking little bottles of what?)

(Did taxpayers actually pay for this research??)

Polar bears are left handed.

(Who knew....? Who cares? How'd they find out, did they ask them?)

David Craker

“We bring your ideas to life”
http://www.inventconnect.com.au/

Kiwi Funny Business...

Humour in Business Awards New Zealand - Founder and Convenor - Pat Armitstead

“Business is about only two things – fun and profit. Successful companies are able to combine these two attributes. The Humour Awards ensure that we recognise the fun part of business”
Tony Falkenstein – Red Eagle Corporation – Judge

"I am delighted to be hosting for the 3rd consecutive year New Zealands Humour in Business Awards. The awards are designed to celebrate the notion of fun at work and contribute towards the general well being of individuals, teams and the nation. The aim is to raise awareness of the ways humour and fun contribute to workplace enjoyment and personal and team productivity. Entries for the awards need to be submitted by April 1st with judging being done by Mike Hutcheson, Ex MD Saatchi and Saatchi and now Director of Lighthouse Ideas, Tony Falkenstein from Red Eagle, and Barbara Plester, BBS, MBS (hons) Lecturer at Auckland University whose thesis was on humour in the workplace, Barbara said “Research suggests that enjoying fun and humour at work has impacts on employee retention, satisfaction and even performance and our entrants showed this in a variety of ways. “

Vegas Fun Online

The very latest in online casino fun is now available, and the website is FANTASTIC. There are loads of casino games to choose from and the download software makes everything easy.

Whatever you level of experience 32Vegas has a game and a plan for you. You are supported by live phone support and it seems that many languages are also offered. You can top up your account using various web payment systems so you can play to your hearts content.

The website is so cleverly designed that you would think you are in a real vegas casino! When I last visited there was a $3.9m bonus available... just like the real thing.

Just shove him out in front of the policeman's gun!

A woman was alone in her home in West Jordan, Utah, when someone knocked on the door. She was working and ignored it. A moment later a downstairs window smashed and three burglars climbed through.

Terrified, she grabbed a cordless phone, hid in an upstairs closet, and called police.

"One of the burglars came into the room I was in," said the 21-year-old victim, who didn't want to be identified. "Nothing was going through my mind except, 'Please don't look and find me'."

That's when the burglar decided to look for valuables in the closet. He even brushed across her boots and legs, but didn't look up; he would have seen her face. When police arrived, all three took refuge in the room, and one decided to hide in the same closet she was in.

"He didn't even realize I was standing there. He was smashing me up against the wall," she said. When police entered the room she burst out of the closet, yelling "He's in here! He's in here!" -- surprising the burglar even more than the officers.

All three men were captured; they were armed with knives.

Deseret Morning News

Crusing Our Life Away

As the pace of the 21st Century heats up, slow down and take a romantic cruise. Your holiday will automatically transform into leisurely paced adventure where days and nights seem as one and everyone really enjoys themselves.

Winter, summer, spring or autumn will make no difference to the experience of walking along the deck of a grand cruise vessel, feeling it keeping the rhythm with the gentle waves or being pitched to and thro by swells and ocean spray. You will marvel at the feeling of being at one with nature.

Cruising with during a Princess Cruises vacation will have you heading to an exciting exotic port-of-call. With your every need anticipated by vacation professionals who make sure you are completely relaxed, stress-free, and happy.

Each cruise company has a distinct feel and when you choose Royal Caribbean it will mean a completely relaxed, stress-free, and happy holiday will be yours! With over 150 exotic ports of call and destinations listed with Cruise Vacation Centre you will be spoiled for choice.

Value for money is what Royal Caribbean Cruise offers! Everything on board has been included in your fare so that you can be guarantees of a very affordable, active and entertaining vacation.

Looking for real adventure or something a little more exotic? Then your choice must be Norwegian Cruise Lines where your fellow cruisers know how to enjoy the adventure. Like you, your fellow cruisers are active travelers who are looking for new experiences, choices for the whole family and great value

Remembering that a dollar saved is often foolhardy, you know that your cruise holiday will be fabulous. Operating since 1993, Cruise Vacation Center has sent over 250,000 passengers sailing. Cruise Vacation Center strives to provide clients with a cruise specifically planned to their tastes, always providing extraordinary personal service and the lowest prices.