Are You Believable? Most Salespeople Aren't

Are You Believable? Most Salespeople Aren't by Art Sobczak

Ask just about anyone, and the ?believability score? for salespeople as a group-unfortunately-would rank right down there with most types of advertising, the contractor who says he'll get back to you with a bid, and most politicians.
We're a nation of skeptics. Which is contradictory to the way we try to raise kids. We teach them to not lie, yet they learn that many messages they're exposed to can't really be trusted.
I constantly hear phrases and claims from salespeople that cause the Bart Simpson-like response, ?Yeah, right,? or are just plain meaningless to the listener. Not only do these eat away valuable time on a call, they also chip at a salesperson's credibility.
What to Do
Purge puffed-up phrases from your sales vocabulary, and replace them with specific action-oriented, results-type statements.
For example, instead of ?We're committed to excellence,? explain the excellence:
?We check every order three times to minimize errors.?
Instead of, ?We're service oriented,? describe how:
?When you call with a question or problem, you dial the direct line of your own customer service rep who knows your account. You won't be bounced around between departments or have to deal with voice mail systems.
Here's one of my favorites. ?We're the most respected name in the _____ business.? What a pompous, self-serving, vain, and probably delusional, claim that is! Reminds me of the old Stuart Smalley routine from Saturday Night Live: ?And doggone it, people like me!? When I hear the ?most respected? claim, I laugh inside and think, ?By whom, yourself?? If you want to establish your credibility among your peers or in the marketplace, be able to back it up. For example, ?We were voted the number one provider of widget cleaning services, according to Widget Weekly Magazine.?
And how many minutes have gone by since hearing ?cost-effective?? Can anyone, anywhere give me a situation where a listener heard that term and said, ?Oh, you're cost-effective? Wow! That's what we're looking for, since the vendor we're using now is cost-useless. Sign me up!?
Again, give examples. I guess ?cost-effective? means that buyers get a return for their money. So describe the return in a way they can understand it, instantly: ?With this new process, you'll immediately eliminate the extra hours it's now taking you to perform the sorting task by hand. Based on what you told me, that will come to over $200 per month. You'll get your initial cost back in just six months.?
The theory I'm hammering home here is nothing more than substantiating your statements. Tell them what you'll do, then give facts to support the claim. And the more customized you tailor the statement to the prospect or customer, the more successful you'll be.

Art Sobczak helps sales pros use the phone to prospect, service and sell more effectively, while eliminating morale-killing 'rejection. To get FREE weekly emailed TelE-Sales Tips visit: http://ww.BusinessByPhone.com

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Secret Shopper Associations

Secret Shopper Associations

There are numerous associations dedicated to the employment and support of Secret Shoppers or Mystery Shoppers. These associations provide resources and assistance to people who want to enter or are already a part of the industry, and provide services to thousands of business setups and clients. Most of the big ones like MSPA (Mystery Shopper Providers Association) have extended their membership worldwide and are growing bigger everyday.

The MSPA (www.mysteryshop.org) is one of the biggest professional trade associations and sources that involve the recruitment of Secret Shoppers. It has more than 150 member companies around the world, which includes marketing research and merchandising companies, private investigation firms, training organizations and companies that specialize in providing mystery shopping services.

The National Shopping Service (www.nationalshoppingservice.com) has been an association of Mystery Shopping Providers since 1972. It is also the provider of a set of audit, feedback and inspection services, market research and analytics. NSS has employed more than 200,000 Secret Shoppers Worldwide.

The IMSA or International Mystery Shopper Association (www.imsa.org) aims to extend its Secret Shopping activities worldwide, both for local and international projects. The IMSA is the largest network of individually recruited and trained Secret Shoppers, and has over 500,000 shoppers making 1,000,000 visits a year.

Beginning in the 1980s, Bare Associates International (www.baiservices.com) has now more than 112,000 certified Secret Shoppers worldwide. BAI has its international office in Antwerp, Belgium. It has over 4500 financial, hotel, retail, health & fitness, golf course, residential, automotive and restaurant clients around the world. The corporate office of BAI is located at Fairfax, VA.

These are some of the largest Secret Shopper Associations with membership of more than 100 companies. Other big associations include National Center for Professional Mystery Shoppers and Merchandisers, QualityWorks Associates, Pinkerton Field Research Services, National Shopping Service Network, LLC etc.

Secret Shoppers provides detailed information about secret shoppers, how to become a secret shopper, restaurant secret shoppers and more. Secret Shoppers is affiliated with Instant Win Sweepstakes.

by Marcus Peterson
Aticle from Seo Marketing

Aromatherapy Essential Oils - Methods of Extractio

Aromatherapy Essential Oils - Methods of Extraction of Aromatic Essential Oils by Michael Douglas

There are several methods of obtaining aromatic substances from plant material, most of which are described below. But strictly speaking, essential oils are only those obtained by distillation or expression.

Distillation

Distillation is the most widely used and the most economical method of extracting essential oils. There is a great deal of skill involved in the process of distillation in the if the precious essential oil is not to be lost or changed in its composition. Some plants are distilled immediately after harvesting, whereas others may be left for a few days or even dried prior to extraction.

In distillation, the plant material is heated, either by placing it in water which is brought to the boil or by passing steam through it. The heat and steam cause the cell structure of the plant material to burst and break down, thus freeing the essential oils. The essential oil molecules and steam are carried along a pipe and channelled through a cooling tank, where they return to the liquid form and are collected in a vat. The emerging liquid is a mixture of oil and water, and since essential oils are not water soluble they can be easily separated from the water and siphoned off. Essential oils which are lighter than water will float on the surface, whereas heavier oils such as clove will sink.

Expression

This method is reserved exclusively for members of the citrus family such as bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, lime, mandarin and orange. The essence yielded is found in small sacs which are located under the surface of rind. This process was originally carried out using simple hand pressure. The citrus essence was squeezed from the rinds and then collected in a sponge which, once saturated, was squeezed into a bucket. Due to the labour costs involved the majority of citrus oil is now expressed using mechanical presses.

Solvent Extraction

The process of solvent extraction does not yield essential oils. This method is employed for flowers, gums and resins and it produces 'absolutes' and 'resinoids'. The technique is used for higher yield or to extract oils that cannot be obtained by any other process. Jasmine, for example, is adversely affected by hot water and steam.

Absolutes

To yield an absolute the aromatic plant material (flowers, leaves, etc.) is extracted by hydrocarbon solvents such as benzene or hexane. The plant material is covered with the solvent and slowly heated to dissolve the aromatic molecules. The solvent extracts the odour and then the solvent is filtered off to produce a 'concrete'. A concrete is a solid, wax-like substance containing about 50 per cent wax and 50 per cent volatile oil such as jasmine.

To obtain the absolute the concrete is mixed with pure alcohol to dissolve out the aromatic molecules, and then chilled. This mixture is filtered to eliminate waste products and to separate out insoluble waxes. The alcohol is evaporated off gently under vaccum. The thick, viscous, coloured liquid known as the absolute is left behind.

Resinoids

Solvent extraction can also be used for gums and resins to produce resinoids. Resins are the solid/semi-solid substances which exude naturally from a tree or plant that has been damaged. Commercially, resins are obtained by cutting into the bark or stem, and the gum-like substance hardens once it is exposed to the air.

The natural resinous material is extracted with a hydrocarbon solvent such as petroleum ether, hexane or alcohol. These solvents are then filtered off and subsequently removed by distillation. A resinoid remains where a hydrocarbon solvent has been used (eg. benzoin resinoid). Resinoids are often employed by the perfume manufacturers as fixatives to prolong the aroma of a fragrance (as are concretes).

Enfleurage

The process of enfleurage also yields an absolute, although this method is virtually obsolete nowadays. It is very time consuming and labour intensive and, therefore, highly expensive. Formerly this was the main method of extraction for delicate flowers such as jasmine which continue to produce perfume even after they have ben picked. It involves the use of purified odourless cold fat which is spread over sheets of glass mounted in large rectangular wooden frames. Flowers are strewn upon this layer of fat which absorbs the essential oil. After approximately a day the flowers are removed to be replaced by fresh flowers. The process is repeated many times - even beyond months - until the fat is saturated.

Carbon Dioxide Extraction

The relatively new method was introduced only in the 1980s. The price is high because the equipment used is expensive. The process has been designed for the perfume industry. Oils which are extracted utilising carbon dioxide are supposed to be superior, pure and very close to the natural essential oil as it exists in the plant - and they are completely free of residues of carbon dioxide.

Hydrodiffusion/percolation

Hydrodiffusion or percolation is the most modern method of extraction. This process is faster than distillation, and the equipment is much more simple than that used for carbon dioxide extraction. Steam spray is passed through the plant material (which is suspended on a grid) from above. The emerging liquid composed of oil and condensed steam is then cooled. The result is a mixture of essential oil and water (as in the distillation process) which can be easily separated.

Maceration

For this process plants are placed into a vat of warm vegetable oil which causes the plant cells to rupture, causing the absorption of the essential oils. The vat is then agitated for several days. The resulting oil is filtered and bottled, and is ready for use as a massage medium. Examples of macerated oils are calendula, carrot and hypericum.

For more information on essential oils, essential oil blends, essential oil recipes, aromatherapy .... visit us at http://www.massagemanual.com

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Bill to Stop Gerrymandering

Inquirer columnist Chris Satullo writes that this Monday HB 2420 will be introduced in the Pennsylvania House. It is designed to keep communities and municipalities within the same congressional and state legislative districts. Satullo, in "Stop the gerrymander," points out some of the quirky boundaries we have at present:

You see, the line separating the Sixth District, represented by Republican Jim Gerlach, from the Seventh, represented by Democrat Joe Sestak, cuts across this block at a 45-degree angle. As best I can tell, the folks in the house to my right are represented by Sestak, but the cars in their garage are on Gerlach's turf.

Those who keep up with state congressional politics know that Patrick Murphy won the 8th congressional district because of the votes in that odd shaped bit of Montgomery County that was pasted on during the last redistricting. But I defy anyone to specify exactly where those district boundaries are, especially right where Bucks and Montco meet.

You can see the boundaries of the nation's congressional districts at nationalatlas.gov. As a good example, take a look at the 6th congressional district. Seriously, what logic went into that? Check around at some of the other states. I saw a few that had whacky districts but nothing that was chopped up quite as badly as Pennsylvania's Montgomery County.

This is an issue that needs attention. The bill will have to be acted upon quickly, before the legisative session ends, to have any real impact on the next redistricting, done every 10 years and coming up very soon.

Flavia Colgan Gets New TV Gig

From this Sunday's Inqlings by Michael Klein, in the Inquirer

Daily News columnist Flavia Colgan has been hired as a correspondent for the CBS Early Show to do stories on ordinary folks doing positive, inspirational things. First piece will be on Timmy Kelly, the local teen who sings at Eagles games. The interview took longer than expected, Colgan says, because she and her crew grew emotional. Air date has not been announced.

Colgan blogs for the Daily News at Citizen Hunter.

First Quarter 2008 FEC Report Round Up

Introductory Notes:

I've been working on this post in bits and pieces for weeks; for some reason it has been harder to do this quarterly report round up than the previous ones. Could be part of post-presidential primary malaise. No telling. In any event, since it was done over a longer period of time remarks are less consistent from district to district.

This post covers only the January - April 2nd quarterly report and not the 48 hour filings that had to be made just before the primary. Those will show up in the June reports, filed in mid-July.

Itemized contributions are those over $200; the donor's name, address, occupation, amount of donation and amount of total donations are listed. Contributions under that amount are lumped together as unitemized so it is impossible from the reports to see if those people live in Pennsylvania, etc.

In addition to the straight numbers there are some other things I note. One is whether or not the reports are scrambled. Most reporting software keeps donations in alphabetical order by donor's last name. This makes it easy to see multiple donations in a quarter and so on. However, the treasurer or assistant treasurer can scramble the reports so the donations are listed randomly. This makes it more difficult for people, such as their opponent and me, to keep track of their donations. So it has no bearing on politics generally, it just makes my review more difficult and more prone to error. Two items I note that scrambled reports discourage is counting how many donors have contributed all that they legally can, a total of $4600 ($2300 for the primary, another $2300 for the general) and how many donors are from out of state. The convoluted geography of congressional districts makes determining how many donors are from out of the district far too cumbersome, in state is as close as I can get. You should be all the more certain to double check anything I say about a scrambled report.

Another item I track is whether or not there are disbursement notes for health insurance. After all, if a candidate is in favor of people having access to health insurance that access ought to start at home, so to speak. I also note how many paid staffers are listed. And generally, anything else that catches my eye.

However, you should, as always and above all, keep in mind that I am a rank amateur, doing this by counting on my fingers or with a pencil and scratch paper and prone to being interrupted by small children yelling "The cat just threw up!" or something else breaking my train of thought. Should you be intrigued by anything mentioned here, please do look at the full report yourself. They are available at www.fec.gov.

If more than one number is listed, the first is for this quarter, the second for the cycle as a whole. Most of the challengers are filing their first reports so there is no second number for them as yet.



6th Congressional District:

Jim Gerlach, Incumbent Republican

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 165,285.61
Individual, untemized: 15,719.50
Individual, total: 181,005.11 / 724,784.05
Political Party committees: 98.00 / 1,662.82
PACs: 204,720.97 / 750,220.97
Total: 385,824.08 / 1,476,667.84
Transfers: 30,854.61 / 34,278.91
Refunds: none this quarter
Other Receipts: 5,191.65 / 14,751.09
Total Receipts: 421,870.34 / 1,530,383.14

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 206,828.56 / 914,641.48
Refunds: 250.00 / 4,850.00
Other: 450.00 / 2,350.00
Total: 207,528.56 / 921,841.48

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 500,238.01
Contributions: 421,870.34 / 1,530,383.14
Disbursements: 207,528.56 / 921,841.48
Ending cash on hand: 714,579.79

Personal Observations: Scrambled. Of direct contributions, not including those via partnerships, approximately 30 donors were from out of state. This is a comparatively low number. 6 newly maxed out contributors. There are contributions listed for the Chicksaw Nation, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, as if they were individuals, and a donation from someone who works at Video Gaming Technologies. 4 paid staffers, pays health insurance, pays for cable tv, DC web hosting service; spent a total of about 68K on NJ media consultants and a DC fundraising consultant. That's a lot. 16K for a Texas direct mail company. Several large payments to VISA with no breakdown of what it was for, a note says see subvendor for detail. A PA fundraising consultant was paid over 23K.

Bob Roggio, Democratic challenger

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 123,275.00
Individual, untemized: 17,824.99
Individual, total: 141,099.99
PACs: 3,600.00
Total: 144,699.99
Loans from the candidate: 60,500.00
Total Receipts: 205,199.99

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 36,941.07
Total: 36,941.07

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 00.00
Contributions: 205,199.99
Disbursements: 36,941.07
Ending cash on hand: 168,258.92

Personal Observations: Scrambled. There are some very interesting things here. For one, just over 10% of Roggio's donors are from out of state, and only 3 maxed out. So he has a solid in-state base of donors that he can go back to for additional donations. Not very many were even into four figures so there is potentially a lot more money to come from the group he has already established contact with. And that isn't including the $5K he has raised from Act Blue. Roggio has paid 5 people to work on his campaign, one named Roggio. Excluding things beyond his control (where the credit card fees are paid, etc), he only sent $1K out of state, for accounting services. He also made health insurance payments. Very impressive.



7th Congressional District:

Joe Sestak, Incumbent Democrat

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 374,382.11
Individual, unitemized: 67,960.05
Individual, total: 442,342.16 / 1,694,834.82
Political Party committees: 50.28 / 2236.69
PACs: 195,195.62 / 684,226.89
Candidate: none this quarter (4,600 total)
Transfers: none this quarter
Refunds, etc.: none this quarter
Other Receipts: 8,367.29 / 15,328.10
Total Receipts: 645,955.35 / 2,439,352.53

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 95,422.80 / 472,888.71
Refunds: 1,104.16 / 8,234.16
Total: 96,526.96 / 481,122.87

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 1,713,302.21
Contributions: 645,955.35 / 2,439,352.53
Disbursements: 96,526.96 / 481,122.87
Ending cash on hand: 2,262,730.60


Personal observations: This report is lengthy and scrambled so I am less sure of these numbers than any other candidate's numbers. 28 newly maxed out contributors. Of individual contributors not donating via a partnership or via Act Blue, 69 were from out of state. 5 paid employees, 2 named Sestak. No mention of health insurance. Webhost in VA, online campaign tools from DC. Nearly $3K to Council for a Livable World. Uses a PA printer.

Craig Williams, Republican challenger

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 112,692.74
Individual, untemized: 7,045.00
Individual, total: 119,737.74 /
Political Party committees: 1,250.00 /
PACs: 12,850.00 /
The Candidate: 1,061.00
Total Receipts: 134,898.74 /

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 1,984.35 /
Total: 1,984.35 /

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 000.00
Contributions: 134,898.74 /
Disbursements: 1,984.35 /
Ending cash on hand: 132,914.39

Personal Observations: Scrambled. 13 (18?) out of state donors, out of around 100 total. 5 maxed out donors. About $700 paid to Complete Campaigns of California, another $1000 for rent, and $200 in kind for office supplies. About $18,000 in debt, most to Keystone Strategies of PA for computer services, etc.


8th Congressional District

Patrick Murphy, Incumbent Democrat

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 422,647.49
Individual, unitemized: 53,992.41
Individual, total: 476,639.90 / 1,440,219.95
Political Party committees: none this quarter
PACs: 137,000.00 / 775,620.33
Total: 613,639.90 / 2,222,935.41
Transfers: none this quarter
Other Receipts: 1,725.88 / 45,125.22
Total Receipts: 615,365.78 / 230,3681.11

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 115,942.35 / 688,173.52
Refunds: 9,700.00 / 14,977.00
Total: 127,992.35 / 708,500.52

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 1,171,977.42
Contributions: 615,365.78 / 2,303,681.11
Disbursements: 127,992.35 / 708,500.52
Ending cash on hand: 1,659,350.85

Personal Observations: Out of 493 individual itemized contributors (not included those who donated via Act Blue or partnerships), 219 are from outside Pennsylvania. 15 maxed out contributors (some showing up as maxed out are listed as having some contributions refunded). There are a number of payments for taxi fare, parking, and Amtrak. Almost $2000 in webhosting costs to a firm in MA. Paid around $4000 to a PA printer. Paid over $10,000 to Sutter's Mill Fundraising in DC. 5 paid staff. Pays health insurance costs. Murphy feels your pain – he lists costs for gas and office heating. Small debt for copy machine lease.

Tom Manion, Republican challenger

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 340,998.93
Individual, untemized: 14,720.00
Individual, total: 355,718.93
PACs: 66,760.00
Total: 422,478.93
Other Receipts: 40.63
Total Receipts: 422,519.56

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 4,383.00
Refunds: 1,400.00
Total: 5,783.00

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 000.00
Contributions: 422,519.56
Disbursements: 5,783.00
Ending cash on hand: 416,736.56

Personal Observations: Scrambled. 44 out of state donors. 14 maxed out donors. No paid staff. Over $3,000 to a bookkeeping consultant in Maryland.


13th Congressional District

Allyson Schwartz, Incumbent Democrat

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 234,606.60
Individual, unitemized: 17,490.00
Individual, total: 252,096.60 / 1,299,351.59
Political Party committees: 19.00 / 491.87
PACs: 141,750.00 / 605,950.00
Total: 393,865.60 / 1,905,793.46
Refunds, etc.: none this quarter
Other Receipts: 8,460.08 / 27,392.79
Total Receipts: 402,325.68 / 1,953,642.13

Disbursements
Operating: 141,020.80 / 496,786.96
Refunds: 4600.00 / 7300.00
Other: 975.00 / 225,815.00
Total: 146,595.80 / 729,901.96

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 1,619,431.38
Contributions: 402,325.68 / 1,953,642.13
Disbursements: 146,595.80 / 729,901.96
Ending cash on hand: 1,875,161.26

Personal observations: There were 367 itemized individuals, 110 from out of state. Only 8 are maxed out (there were 9 but someone was granted a full refund). I noticed a number of contributors from the non-profit world and medical / health practitioners (midwives, etc). Health insurance paid. A VA polling firm paid $38,000. A fundraising consultant in DC paid over $12,000. Delaware web hosting firm. A legislative staffer paid over $11,000 for consulting and $1947 for travel. 3 paid employees. The DCCC paid $19.00 for fundraising. The campaign is buying a car (car payments listed). This was odd: $233.55 paid for food from Bed Bath & Beyond. If the petit fours you ate at that last fundraiser tasted soapy maybe there's a reason?

Marina Kats, Republican challenger

Kats received $4600 in individual itemized contributions, plus $1000 from a PAC for a total of $5600. She had $124.00 in operating expenditures, leaving her with a total of $5476.00 cash on hand at the end of the quarter.

Personal Observations: She received a total of $4600 from one donor (a gentleman whose name was paired with hers as a sponsor on an invitation to a charitable event I recently received) and $1000 from the Friends of Jim Saxton, located in New Jersey.



15th Congressional District

Charlie Dent, Incumbent Republican

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 99,420.00
Individual, unitemized: 9,009.00
Individual, total: 108,429.00 / 530,122.44
Political Party committees: none this quarter
PACs: 59,000.00 / 399,837.33
Total: 167,429.00 / 930,253.77
Transfers from other authorized committees: 34,033.72 / 34,033.72
Refunds, etc.: none this quarter
Other Receipts: 2,944.86 / 7,448.62
Total Receipts: 204,407.58 / 974,593.11

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 123,665.16 / 602,957.97
Refunds: 300.00 / 450.00
Other: none this quarter
Total: 123,965.16 / 633,082.97

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 535,091.73
Contributions: 204,407.58 / 974,593.11
Disbursements: 123,965.16 / 633,082.97
Ending cash on hand: 615,534.15

Personal observations: Scrambled, 8 out of state individuals. Some donations from LLPs without a breakdown of individuals. 6 newly maxed out contributors, one donated $4900, but was refunded the $300 overage. Over $34000 donated from D&G PAK. $11,000 paid to a firm in VA to do a voter survey, $8000 to a Virginia firm for consulting. Charlie is now reimbursing Shawn for health insurance!!! Yippee!!!!! Over $5000 paid to a Philadelphia firm for consulting. Over $3000 paid to a Philadelphia firm for fundraising and consulting. 3 paid employees.


Sam Bennett, Democratic challenger

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 59,950.01
Individual, unitemized: 9,420.63
Individual, total: 69,370.64 / 21,2016.67
PACs: 48,460.00 / 99,710.00
Total: 117,830.64 / 311,726.67
Other Receipts: 332.44 / 1,582.44
Total Receipts: 118,163.08 / 313,309.11

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 29,603.27 / 130,064.77
Other: not this quarter
Total: 29,603.27 / 130,539.77

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 94,270.03
Contributions: 118,163.08 / 313,309.11
Disbursements: 29,603.27 / 130,539.77
Ending cash on hand: 182,829.84

Personal observations: I counted about 24 out of state itemized individual donors out of about 95 total, and about 6 newly maxed out donors. Two paid employees, no mention of health insurance. An in-state consultant received nearly $3800 and an out of state web designer $2500.


16th Congressional District

Joe Pitts, Incumbent Republican

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 39,950.00
Individual, unitemized: 00.00
Individual, total: 39,950.00 / 93,145.00
PACs: 46,000.00 / 215,054.35
Total: 85,950.00 / 308,199.35
Other: not this quarter
Total Receipts: 85,950.00 / 313,769.17

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 46,777.94 / 246,717.83
Other: 5,000 / 54,250.00
Total: 51,777.94 / 315,967.83

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 175,897.11
Contributions: 85,950.00 / 313,769.17
Disbursements: 51,777.94 / 315,967.83

Ending cash on hand: 210,069.17

Personal observations: Reports are scrambled, with PACs and individuals mixed in. One paid employee, no mention of health insurance. Largest single expense, almost $8,600 is for a fundraising firm in Virginia, another $5000 contribution to a county GOP party.


Bruce Slater, Democratic challenger

Contributions
Individual, itemized: 5,420.00
Individual, unitemized: 4,834.72
Individual, total: 10,254.72 / 25,093.89
PACs: 250.00 / 250.00
Total: 10,504.72 / 25,343.89
Loans from the candidate: 540.60 / 1515.60
Total Receipts: 11,045.32 / 26,859.49

Disbursements
Operating Expenditures: 13,323.81 / 23.500.78
Total: 13,323.81 / 23,500.78

Summary
Beginning Cash on hand: 8,387.56
Contributions: 11,045.32 / 26,859.49
Disbursements: 13,323.81 / 23,500.78
Ending cash on hand: 6,109.07

Personal observations: All but one of the 13 itemized contribution from Pennsylvania. No newly maxed out contributions. In disbursements, $8,000 in consulting fees.

Achieving True Happyness In Nine Easy Steps

Achieving True Happyness In Nine Easy Steps by Andre Bell -

Few movies have had the strength to move me to action. The Pursuit of HappYness is definitely the exception.

Will Smith plays the role of Chris Gardner, a down and out dad who's faced with poverty, homelessness, singleness, and a job that paid ZERO - you heard that correctly ZERO dollars in income.

Faced with these challenges many parents give up their children to orphanages or to relatives. And in some extreme cases, some parents have gone as far as to kill their kids and themselves. Chris Gardner did none of those things. He did something truly amazing despite his circumstances. He persevered. And he fought to improve his life for himself and his son.

Chris Gardner had reason to pursue happiness. He was at rock bottom. If you have not seen the movie yet I won't spoil for you how the movie ended or why he was in that situation.

Though I've never lived on the streets (and I hope I never do) I can relate to portions of the movie because I've seen adversities too. Most of us have.

If YOU are struggling with life's many challenges, or boredom, or sadness, or some other problem blocking your happiness I've put together a list of things you can do right now to start feeling happYier. These steps have helped me too.

Here are the steps:

1) Get your hands on things you feel proud to own or have around you. For Chris, his son and those dang machines where the objects he held to.

2) Get active. Read, exercise, watch a good movie (watch The Pursuit of HappYness if you haven't already), paint, swim, or whatever you like to do that is good to do

3) Find a place you enjoy being at, either alone or with friends. This could be your home, the public library, Barnes and Nobles, Starbucks, the beach or your favorite park

4) Find upbuilding people to hang out with and avoid happyness 'vampires'.

5) Develop skills at something you are really good at (painting, drawing, building, fixing pc's, public speaking, etc)

6) Develop a relationship with God through prayer and reading the Bible. Stay away from weirdoes who claim you need to drink poison and put a plastic bag over your face to be with God in a space ship. Those people are not good for you.

7) Look at adversities as opportunities. I can't recall who said it but the saying is, 'when life hands you lemons... make lemonade'.

Instead of grumbling how bad things are, look at ways of reframing the bad into something good. I know this sounds easier said than done. Here's one example of how I did it as proof it's possible and I believe you can too.

After I outsourced the production of one of my projects I found out I was going to lose $4,700. I thought my Internet Identity Theft Protection DVD was being produced in the same format as DVD's you buy from the stores. When I found out they were DVD-r's instead of pressed DVD's I was hot.

I knew I couldn't sell these without upsetting a lot of people. Though DVD-r supposedly work in 90% of all DVD players, 10% of players cannot read this newer format.

The problem with statistics is there's no way to control which percentage of users received my DVD's. 100% of buyers could be in that 10% failure group. That's a lot of people to anger. So instead of upsetting people, or tossing out the DVD's out of anger myself, I gave the DVD's away. I made lemonade.

I'd like to think the goodwill I received in exchange more than made up for the loss of cash I'd receive had I sold the DVD's. Adversity to opportunity. I'm convinced it's not what happens to us that ultimately controls the quality of our lives. It's how we handle what happens to us that makes the difference. So if life gives you lemons, strive to make lemonade.

8) There's a word in Japanese I like a lot. It's Kaizen. It means continuous incremental improvement of an activity. Another key to finding happyness, is striving to become more successful, better at something. I would add one thing to this... enjoy the process. I've seen people crying and pissed off because they couldn't get some task right. That's not what I mean.

One of my favorite quotes comes from a book few people have ever heard of. The book is, In Pursuit of Success, by Joe B. Hill. Here's the quote:

'Life as a whole and the pursuit of success are supposed to be pleasurable.'

So enjoy what you are doing.

9) Develop a 'trust me' attitude. Believe that once you set your mind and plans on an objective you will achieve it. That's what Chris Gardner did. He kept asking ?do you trust me' to his son. And then pursued his dream.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying think, hope wish, and dream and then good things will magically come to you. If Chris Gardner had adopted that attitude he'd probably still be living in the streets and bathing in public restrooms.

For Chris, happyness was represented by attaining money. He took action. We each need to take action to attain happyness too. Some people claim wishing is enough. It isn't.

As Napoleon Hill said: 'Wishing will not bring riches. But desiring riches with a state of mind that becomes an obsession, then PLANNING, definite ways and means to acquire riches, and backing those plans with PERSISTENCE which does not recognize failure, will bring riches.' ? Think And Grow Rich

Even the Bible agrees with this at Genesis 11:6 when it says of mankind before God scrambled the languages, 'And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.'

Imagine that... even God acknowledged that mankind, who was 'created a little less than angels' can achieve whatever we imagine to do. That's probably why Hill coined the phrase, 'what the mind can conceive the mind can achieve'.

Oh, here's one 'bonus' tip for achieving happiness: do something nice for someone else. Preferably someone who has no way of repaying you other than saying thank you. If even that. You'll see the truth behind the saying there's more happYness in giving than in receiving.

Taking each of the steps above could lead to more happYness in your life.

You can learn more from a guide that few people will read because of the title... Dr. James Herdon's Personalized Depression Therapy (available through http://Amazon.com). Don't let the title fool you. The steps he outlines apply beyond depression. I'm convinced that even people who are not depressed can benefit from what Dr. Herdon has documented.

Also, learn more about how to choose to be happy through these collections of articles and free books on the California State University of Long Beach site at http://www.csulb.edu/~tstevens/index.html

And by all means, if what you need to truly become happy is professional help, seek that help from a competent professional.

You may publish this article in your newsletter, on your website, or other publication as long as the article content is not altered and the resource box MUST include an active link. Notification of the use of this article is appreciated, but not required. Andre can be reached at http://www.andrebell.com/contact

Andre Bell is a perpetually happy person. To receive a free copy of his Internet Identity Theft Protection DVD visit http://www.NoIDtheft.net and he will happYly send one to you.

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Some necessary things in order to know more about

Some necessary things in order to know more about eczema by Groshan Fabiola

A group of conditions that affect the skin, making it inflamed, red, dry, and itchy is known under the generally name of eczema. There were cases when a rash developed in one area or over the entire body.
One of the most usual forms of eczema is the atopic eczema, known under the name of atopic dermatitis too.

It is known that eczema looks different from person to person. In children, it appears usually on the elbows, knees, face, neck, and scalp, and in adults on the hands and elbows, and also inside of the elbows and back of the knees.
There are some symptoms that eczema can show. Some of them are skin redness, itchiness, infection of the areas where the skin has been broken, and we can also mention formation of small, fluid-filled blisters that might ooze when scratched and dry, scaly, or crusted skin that might become thick and leathery from long-term scratching.
There is not known for sure why eczema occurs, but it was seen that it seems to run in families, and a genetic factor in the development of eczema is suggested. Those who have a family history of asthma, hay fever, and other allergies are more predisposed to develop eczema.

When the disease gets worse, we say it is the period of flares, and when remissions come, skin improves or clears up entirely. There are some factors that can make eczema symptoms to flare. Skin irritants cause burning, itching, or redness and produce irritation to the skin. This category includes chemicals, perfumes, harsh soaps, and even wool or a tight clothing.
Allergens like pollens, pet hair, dander and some foods can worsen eczema symptoms.
We can also mention low humidity, heat and high humidity as environmental factors, and another factor that is known to trigger flare-ups in some people with eczema is stress.

Eczema is a common disease, it affects many people, it is known it can occur at any age, but usually if affects young children. It is known to affect both men and women equally, and those who have a family history of asthma and allergies are more predisposed into developing it.

In order to find out if a patient has eczema, the doctor will check on the symptoms, and will analyze an area of scaly or crusted skin, to be sure the patient hasn?t other skin diseases or infections. The treatment varies depending on the symptoms, but the main purpose is to reduce itching and discomfort, and also to prevent infection and further flare-ups.

Prevention is very important, that?s why we should avoid the so-called symptom triggers, skin care products with alcohol, and we should use a moisturizing cream or lotion several times a day in order to keep our skin moist.

For more resources about nummular eczema or even about cause of eczema please review http://www.eczema-info-guide.com

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Important Information About Time Warner Cable

Important Information About Time Warner Cable
By Christopher Luck

What should you know about Time Warner Cable? Whenever I hear about large corporations that have their hands in a lot of things at once, I am always curious to know a little bit about the history of the company. Once such company I wonder about is Time Warner Cable. Seems that no matter where you look, you see something that relates to them in some way. Who are they though and what is there to know about them? Here is a little bit about Time Warner Cable that may help you with who they are and what they do.

In the most basic sense, Time Warner Cable is a company based in the Unites States that provides cable television service, high speed internet access, and services for video on demand in a little more than half of the states. The company serves mainly the southern part of the Unites States. Formed originally in 1989, Time Warner Cable is now a division of AOL Time Warner.

For Time Warner Cable, 2005 was a big year. Back in April, Time Warner Cable put out a new triple play bundle. They offered Digital Cable, high speed internet access, and even digital phones for their cable customers. As a result, their subscriber totals increased dramatically. At the end of June in 2005, they had about 5.2 million customers in the United States. By the end of September of the same year, that number had gone up to about 5.2 million customers. That is quite a jump for Time Warner Cable in a fairly short amount of time.

In their Austin, Texas location in 1999, Time Warner Cable started testing video-on-demand equipment. After that, they began providing a movies on demand service to subscribers on a trail basis during 2000. Then, in 2001, Time Warner Cable offered the service in additional locations. Finally, as of the last of 2003, Time Warner Cable was offering their video on demand service to all 31 of its divisions.

In addition to all of the services they provide, Time Warner Cable also has its hand in a number of other things. They have ownership money in sports stadiums, athletic teams, and other real estate as well. All in all, Time Warner Cable, is a large and powerful company.

Large companies with the prominence of a Time Warner Cable are interesting. With their now being a part of AOL, the overall company has even become more recognizable and powerful. Time Warner Cable offers service and quality cable and internet access to millions of people across 31 divisions and 26 states in the United States. With this little history lesson, at least now you know a little more about this company and what exactly its role is for all of us now.

If you would like to view more of my articles on Time Warner, please feel free to visit my cable secrets website!

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3 Keys To Increasing Your MLM Blog Traffic

3 Keys To Increasing Your MLM Blog Traffic by

Bogs have proven to be an effective tool for building a network marketing business. The key to generating mlm blog traffic is to post useful content frequently and submit your blog to directories, search engines and social bookmarking sites.This article discusses how to generate ongoing mlm blog traffic.

Blogs are excellent for online network marketing.. In network marketing, the key to success is to build and maintain relationships with people who you can help.. The informal nature of blogs makes them easy to read and so the response is also more than what is generated by a normal website. Blogs are easy to produce and their heavy content makes them perfect for getting business. Also, adding new content to a blog is very easy. Network marketers need to communicate with customers and prospects on a regular basis and reviewing and adding new material to a website is often difficult and time-consuming.

Blogs appeal to many people due to their simplicity and dynamic nature. Building relationships with prospects and customers and informing them about tools, solutions and products can be done easily through postings on a blog. It is a great way to educate and motivate existing team members

The subject of your MLM blog can be anything that will benefit and educate network marketers and business opportunity seekers.. Posting original articles will increase your MLM blog traffic because you will be adding fresh unique content, that search engines use to deliver higher rankings. Submit your articles to the article directories as soon after posting them to your blog as you can. The search engines will spider your blog first and still credit you for being the original publisher.

If you do not want to post articles to your blog, you could personalize it by talking about your own unique experiences of the product or program that you are promoting, on an ongoing basis. You could also write your own unique review of the program, mentioning both the major benefits and features of the program, and any slight faults inherent in the program for added credibility readers will appreciate your honesty as most so-called reviews are nothing more than hyped-up sales pitches. This will give your blog more credibility, which is an excellent way to increase mlm blog traffic.

Also make sure that you include prominent links to your own unique affiliate links and your other websites and blogs. You could also use a simple resource box with a link to your website at the end of each post.. Talking of which, after every post be sure to notify the various search engines by using 'ping' services such as Feedburner, Bolgflux or Pingomatic.

Writing and finding unique content for your blog is critical. It is not all that difficult and when posted frequently and pinged correctly, will result in steady and increase mlm blog traffic. More mlm blog traffic means more people are getting to know and trust you and looking at your websites and primary network marketing business.

Jon Roussel is a successful internet marketer in Beverly, MA He helps people succeed with a home based business that will generate a long term reliable leveraged residual income. Learn more at http://www.networkmarketing6cs.com

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Secret Shopping Facts

Secret Shopping Facts

Following the rapid growth of the Secret Shopping industry, recent years have seen myths about this job circulating on the internet, local papers and other forms of mass media. If you are a Secret Shopper aspirant, it is imperative that you learn to differentiate between the facts and fiction associated with this industry.

Many people, inspired by Ads on the Internet and other sources, are of the impression that Secret Shopping can lead to the road to riches, which is totally false. Secret Shopping is only meant to be a part-time job that enables you to earn a little side income. Earnings, for example are rarely more than $20 to $40 per assignment.

Secret Shopping is not only about the shopping, traveling or getting free gifts. Though you normally don?t need prior experience, having customer service experience, good communication and writing skills are a must to become an effective Secret Shopper. Personal qualities like patience, practicality, punctuality etc are also equally important. Therefore, Secret Shopping is a more serious job than most people assume it would be.

Another fact Secret Shopper applicants should know is that genuine Secret Shopping Companies do not charge registration, application or training fees. If you come across any Ad that requests money for information or other fees, never respond. This could be the work of some potential scammers, especially if they refused to divulge information about their identity.

Secret Shopping is not an easy job where you can make money shopping and drinking coffee all day. Assignments can be tough especially with bigger business setups because crucial management decisions are made according to the evaluation reports you submit. This means that a Secret Shopper has to observe and pay close attention to every detail at all times, which is not exactly a totally stress-free job.

Secret Shoppers provides detailed information about secret shoppers, how to become a secret shopper, restaurant secret shoppers and more. Secret Shoppers is affiliated with Instant Win Sweepstakes.

by Marcus Peterson
Aticle from Seo Marketing

Dresses Are The Newest It Thing

Dresses Are The Newest It Thing by

Haven?t worn a dress in a while and you need one for Friday night?s dinner date? Don?t stress, with a little help and a plan, you can find that perfect dress for Friday night. Here?s how:

Find out where you?ll be going. Is it formal, semi-formal, casual, or grunge? You don?t want to show up in a formal dress to find out he?s taking you to the beach for a nice romantic dinner!

Now decide on the type of dress. It?s important to choose a dress that flatters your figure. Not every dress works for all body types. The most flattering dresses are those with darker colors and simple cut. You want to show off best features and play them up.

Now choose a color. You could wear black, but why not explore some of the other dressy options? Bright colors and bold prints are dramatic. Pastels, mid-range brights and soft prints are great for dressy day occasions. Blues, pinks and whites look great on almost anyone.

Now it?s time to coordinate the color and type with the style. There are literally thousands of different styles of dresses. Try on many, even the ones you don?t like on the hangers. Some dresses look awful on the hanger but great on a body! You?ll never know until you try one on.

For special evening occasions, choose a cocktail dress. This is where the classic ?little black dress? fits in.

For a picnic on the beach, try a sexy little spaghetti strap dress.

You should definitely set a budget before shopping because it?s easy to fall in love with a $500 dress and then try to justify it!

Usually special occasion dresses cost more than casual dresses. If you comparison shop, you can find one that works in your price range.

Now that you have the perfect dress, you?ll need to do some accessorizing. The trimmings will take their cue from the dress and the occasion. Don?t add a ton of glitz, you?ll overwhelm your outfit. Sparkly brooches and pins are great ways to add special pizzazz to your outfit.

Bridget Allen has worked for many years in the fashion industry, at a senior level, and she has written an amazing totally free fashionista minicourse that will thrill, entertain, and most importantly educate you about what you absolutely need to know about fashion. Get the free course ' Fashionista Essentials' now at http://www.i-stylish.com

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Eating The Right Foods And How To Do A Low Calorie

Eating The Right Foods And How To Do A Low Calorie Diet by jimsy

For anyone that is looking to lose weight and seeking information on 'how to do a low calorie diet', one of the most essential qualifications for doing so is to eat less. No matter what type of diet you may be on, it will be necessary for you to pay attention to the foods that you are eating and the quantities of them, too. That means spending a few minutes looking fort he right food. That food is the food that offers the lowest calories possible but still packs a nutritional punch to it. If you can secure this type of diet, you will find rewards happening each day in dropped pounds.

Consider Fiber And Protein

One of the best ways for you to get that full feeling without filling up on lots of food is to consume foods that are rich in good fiber and lean proteins. Now, you?ve heard all about low carb diets and those are anything but the best choice for you. Unfortunately, you?ll need to invest a few minutes in finding out what carbs are good carbs and which are the right ones. The fact is that you can?t just cut them out. If you do, you?ll end up having to restrict yourself for the rest of your life. Instead, consider a low calorie diet solution.

When you eat foods that are refined carbs, such as those that are white including rice and pasta, you are packing on carbs that don?t do much for you at all. Instead, consider eating brown rice and whole grain wheat pasta. Chances are you won?t notice the difference but they will provide you with another benefit too. They will fill you up. So, they provide a nutritional benefit that your body needs and they keep you full longer and faster, meaning you eat less. The end result is that they are the perfect choice for the low calorie diet.

In addition to this, consider the protein that you need. Again, you can?t cut out the proteins altogether, but you can control the ones that you consume. Answering questions on how to do a low calorie diet, one would say that If you eat more lean proteins, such as those like fish and lean cuts of chicken, you will gain the protein that your body needs that is no full of saturated fats that your body shouldn?t have. In fact, lean proteins also provide a full sensation that will last, allowing you to eat less and lose weight.

Eat less and lose weight, that?s as simple as a low calorie diet can get.

Jim Lang. Tired Of All The Low Calorie Diet Scams? Click Here For An Excellent Trusted Formula - http://www.LiveHotPromos.com/Low-Calorie-Diet

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Live Your Private Dream

Live Your Private Dream
By Sally Edwards

It?s an interesting combination- piano teacher by day; standup comedian by night. To tell you the truth, I went for years denying my comic abilities, never telling the other grade school moms about the person I really was. None of them knew I?d spent most of my life, six days a week and sometimes threes shows a night, in smoky comedy clubs trying to make people laugh.

I didn?t want to admit my recent past because I felt too many negative connotations come to mind in the words 'standup comedian' - drinking, drugs, lewd material and perhaps irresponsible parenting. Living my teenage years at an all-girl?s Catholic boarding school, I?d been engrained with a lifestyle that was not a match. And so I kept my past and dreams a secret.

I took off many years from standup comedy when my children were small. After my third child was born, I missed them all so much when I would go out to do a show at night. I continually thought, 'Why am I here? I want to go home.' Eventually the desire to be with my children at night combined with a healthy dose of exhaustion convinced me that I could leave standup comedy and lead a 'normal' life. In retrospect, the lesson learned is - never turn your back on your dream - it will catch up with you, if you?re lucky.

What happened in those years that I stayed away from the stage? I wrote and wrote and wrote. (Eventually that writing would become my first show entitled, 'BIG PEOPLE, little people!') It was easy to write. I found my children endlessly amusing - let?s change that to downright hilarious. I thought to myself, 'What if adults acted like children?? 'How long would it take for an adult who acted like a child to be committed?' Maybe less than a minute?

My son wore his Power Ranger costume to the grocery store. If I did that nobody would think I was cute. They?d commit me. They?d call the authorities. They?d call 911. They?d say, 'Bag Lady in Aisle 6!'

What if I started screaming in church and tried to run up the aisle? Nobody would say, 'She?s kind of cranky today.' No! They?d hustle me out and everyone would be very 'disturbed'.

What if I ate a spaghetti dinner and left the sauce all over my mouth and ran it through my hair? How do kids get away with this stuff!

And it made me laugh. And I wrote it down. And I?m still writing it down today.

The other day I was teaching a six-year-old girl a beginning piano lesson. In all her innocence, she started her own interesting conversation with me. 'Mrs. Edwards. don?t you hate it when you?re on the monkey bars and you forget you have a skirt on, and your underpants show?' And I said quite matter-of-factly, 'Yes. I do hate that! And I know just how you feel!'

Sally Edwards is a professional keynote speaker, corporate comedian and standup comedienne who began her career studying improvisation at Chicago?s Second City. Sally has been featured on Showtime?s Comedy Club Network, A&E and NBC TV?s Friday Night.

Sally is now a frequent guest on Chicago's WGN Radio.

www.comedybysally.com

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