Saturday, February 26, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
What Kind of Online Marketer are you? A Dabbler or a Doer? Your Answer Matters.
Our Director of Website Development at Worldprofit Inc., Sandi Hunter has words of encouragement and sound advice for all who are venturing out into the world of marketing online. For me this is a timely missive and hits its target. A big thank you to Sandi Hunter.
presented here by Sylvia Kinzie
By Sandi Hunter
Every day I talk to people who are trying to earn an honest buck in an online business. These are average people who come from all walks of life, from all corners of the globe. The common goal they share is the desire to earn money online in any number of online affiliate or reseller type programs. Although the goal is the same, the approach to making this happen is always different and so too are the results. I have outlined here the marketing approaches that I observe everyday, the ones that are effective and the ones that aren't. See if you recognize yourself in any of these examples.
The Dabbler.
The Dabbler's marketing approach involves putting a little bit of effort into this and a little bit of effort into that. This type of marketer will post a few blogs, send a few tweets, join a safelist or two and participate in a handful of traffic exchanges. This person has a basic understanding of what is required to market their online business. The problem is they simply won't commit to rolling up their sleeves, digging in and doing what is necessary to consistently promote and build results. They are too busy talking about it, planning it, and getting organized. The Dabbler sometimes doubles as an excuse-machine. They readily offer up reasons for not having completed the necessary tasks to build their business. Or, they easily assign blame to others for their lack of success. It has always puzzled me how it is so easy to find reasons for not being successful. What about all the reasons why you CAN be successful? The Internet offers burgeoning earning opportunities!
The Learner.
This type of marketer is a professional online student. They read continuously, watch videos, sign up for everything to get even more details and more help. They are so busy learning, and soaking up knowledge they never actually DO anything or apply what they learn. They are never ready to START applying what they have learned. They want to study more, take it all in, buy more books, take more courses. The Internet itself, and marketing strategies are constantly evolving. You will never know every last detail about marketing and when you think you are getting close, technology will change again. Stop with the learning and start with the doing! Everyday you focus ONLY on learning, is another day you have not made a dime. Dive in, get wet, start promoting your business, products and services - now - RIGHT NOW! Yes, there is much to learn about online marketing, never stop learning but be sure to never stop MARKETING.
The Sweat and Tears Syndrome
This marketer is the saddest one of all. They promote with a frenzied intensity in short bursts spending hours in all the wrong places, promoting all the wrong things. They furiously tap away for hours at their keyboard "working their business" late into the night for 2, 3 days, maybe a week or more. Their blog is bursting with good key word content, they've tweeted like a mad person, they've bought leads with great promises from a sketchy vendor that seemed to good to be true. Exhausted, they pause and wait for the results. When they don't get instant results, the sweat turns to tears. Frustrated they swear, stomp, tantrum and move on to the next greatest online money-making program ever - that is in pre-launch! The insanity begins again. This type of marketer has no patience, and leaps from one program to another, with no loyalty or commitment.
The Doer
The DOER is the marketer that SUCCEEDS! The DOER is the one who doesn't get caught up in all the details. The DOER is a courageous beast. They blunder, make mistakes, but carry on. They understand the sheer power of the web to market products to the world and to profit from their labour. They understand that with the right products and tools they can sell anything! The web is fat with buyers. DOERS understand that you MUST have patience, and MUST work a business constantly, knowing this means consistent promotion every day. DOERS accept that there will be frustrating times, failures, and obstacles on the path to success. The DOERS I know, aren't always the people you might expect. Many of the DOERS I know are average people, with very little sales or technical background. Their gift is that they are not afraid to try, they don't give up, they dig in and work hard. There are DOERS all over the world right now marketing their products, services, and affiliate programs in all corners of the web, turning a profit each and every day. This type of marketer has tapped into the right resources, training and tools, applies them consistently, setting realistic goals carrying a positive attitude.
Here is my advise to you as an online marketer on your way to success.
Every single day when you wake up, set a goal for yourself. Make your goal realistic and measurable. Post your goal on your computer, date it.
Initially your goal may be to simply find 5 great places to promote your business. Then your goal may evolve into actually posting your ads, product, service or opportunity to 5, then 10, 20+ sites each day. Once the promotion is is place, set goals for the number of sales each day.
As your business grows never lose your focus on that goal. Don't get distracted. Remember, at the end of the day you want to actually have made money! Tweeting, face booking, article submissions, and blogging HELP your business grow but are not direct profits in your pocket. Yes, promotion, networking and Search Engine positioning is important and you should work at this but it takes time to do this. Do not let these activities overwhelm you to the point where you forget to make money! Keep your eye on the prize.
Set a goal for a minimum earnings per day. Start off realistic. If you don't make that amount today, set a new goal for tomorrow. When you start making money, adjust your daily goals accordingly. For those of you who are new to online marketing you CAN make money every single day provided you have the proper tools and resources to do so and of course great products and services to promote. Just make sure you are the DOER described in this article.
I close with a quote from one of my favourite DOERS, Ray Kroc, McDonald's Corporation. "Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get."
By Sandi Hunter
Every day I talk to people who are trying to earn an honest buck in an online business. These are average people who come from all walks of life, from all corners of the globe. The common goal they share is the desire to earn money online in any number of online affiliate or reseller type programs. Although the goal is the same, the approach to making this happen is always different and so too are the results. I have outlined here the marketing approaches that I observe everyday, the ones that are effective and the ones that aren't. See if you recognize yourself in any of these examples.
The Dabbler.
The Dabbler's marketing approach involves putting a little bit of effort into this and a little bit of effort into that. This type of marketer will post a few blogs, send a few tweets, join a safelist or two and participate in a handful of traffic exchanges. This person has a basic understanding of what is required to market their online business. The problem is they simply won't commit to rolling up their sleeves, digging in and doing what is necessary to consistently promote and build results. They are too busy talking about it, planning it, and getting organized. The Dabbler sometimes doubles as an excuse-machine. They readily offer up reasons for not having completed the necessary tasks to build their business. Or, they easily assign blame to others for their lack of success. It has always puzzled me how it is so easy to find reasons for not being successful. What about all the reasons why you CAN be successful? The Internet offers burgeoning earning opportunities!
The Learner.
This type of marketer is a professional online student. They read continuously, watch videos, sign up for everything to get even more details and more help. They are so busy learning, and soaking up knowledge they never actually DO anything or apply what they learn. They are never ready to START applying what they have learned. They want to study more, take it all in, buy more books, take more courses. The Internet itself, and marketing strategies are constantly evolving. You will never know every last detail about marketing and when you think you are getting close, technology will change again. Stop with the learning and start with the doing! Everyday you focus ONLY on learning, is another day you have not made a dime. Dive in, get wet, start promoting your business, products and services - now - RIGHT NOW! Yes, there is much to learn about online marketing, never stop learning but be sure to never stop MARKETING.
The Sweat and Tears Syndrome
This marketer is the saddest one of all. They promote with a frenzied intensity in short bursts spending hours in all the wrong places, promoting all the wrong things. They furiously tap away for hours at their keyboard "working their business" late into the night for 2, 3 days, maybe a week or more. Their blog is bursting with good key word content, they've tweeted like a mad person, they've bought leads with great promises from a sketchy vendor that seemed to good to be true. Exhausted, they pause and wait for the results. When they don't get instant results, the sweat turns to tears. Frustrated they swear, stomp, tantrum and move on to the next greatest online money-making program ever - that is in pre-launch! The insanity begins again. This type of marketer has no patience, and leaps from one program to another, with no loyalty or commitment.
The Doer
The DOER is the marketer that SUCCEEDS! The DOER is the one who doesn't get caught up in all the details. The DOER is a courageous beast. They blunder, make mistakes, but carry on. They understand the sheer power of the web to market products to the world and to profit from their labour. They understand that with the right products and tools they can sell anything! The web is fat with buyers. DOERS understand that you MUST have patience, and MUST work a business constantly, knowing this means consistent promotion every day. DOERS accept that there will be frustrating times, failures, and obstacles on the path to success. The DOERS I know, aren't always the people you might expect. Many of the DOERS I know are average people, with very little sales or technical background. Their gift is that they are not afraid to try, they don't give up, they dig in and work hard. There are DOERS all over the world right now marketing their products, services, and affiliate programs in all corners of the web, turning a profit each and every day. This type of marketer has tapped into the right resources, training and tools, applies them consistently, setting realistic goals carrying a positive attitude.
Here is my advise to you as an online marketer on your way to success.
Every single day when you wake up, set a goal for yourself. Make your goal realistic and measurable. Post your goal on your computer, date it.
Initially your goal may be to simply find 5 great places to promote your business. Then your goal may evolve into actually posting your ads, product, service or opportunity to 5, then 10, 20+ sites each day. Once the promotion is is place, set goals for the number of sales each day.
As your business grows never lose your focus on that goal. Don't get distracted. Remember, at the end of the day you want to actually have made money! Tweeting, face booking, article submissions, and blogging HELP your business grow but are not direct profits in your pocket. Yes, promotion, networking and Search Engine positioning is important and you should work at this but it takes time to do this. Do not let these activities overwhelm you to the point where you forget to make money! Keep your eye on the prize.
Set a goal for a minimum earnings per day. Start off realistic. If you don't make that amount today, set a new goal for tomorrow. When you start making money, adjust your daily goals accordingly. For those of you who are new to online marketing you CAN make money every single day provided you have the proper tools and resources to do so and of course great products and services to promote. Just make sure you are the DOER described in this article.
I close with a quote from one of my favourite DOERS, Ray Kroc, McDonald's Corporation. "Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get."
About The Author:
Sandi Hunter is the Director of Website Development at Worldprofit Inc.,
where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
LIVE! Monitors closing sales 24/7
....could be yours......
Click==>WeBroadcastToYou
Check out Autopilot Income Machines
Click==> Auto Pilot
presented here by Sylvia Kinzie
By Sandi Hunter
Every day I talk to people who are trying to earn an honest buck in an online business. These are average people who come from all walks of life, from all corners of the globe. The common goal they share is the desire to earn money online in any number of online affiliate or reseller type programs. Although the goal is the same, the approach to making this happen is always different and so too are the results. I have outlined here the marketing approaches that I observe everyday, the ones that are effective and the ones that aren't. See if you recognize yourself in any of these examples.
The Dabbler.
The Dabbler's marketing approach involves putting a little bit of effort into this and a little bit of effort into that. This type of marketer will post a few blogs, send a few tweets, join a safelist or two and participate in a handful of traffic exchanges. This person has a basic understanding of what is required to market their online business. The problem is they simply won't commit to rolling up their sleeves, digging in and doing what is necessary to consistently promote and build results. They are too busy talking about it, planning it, and getting organized. The Dabbler sometimes doubles as an excuse-machine. They readily offer up reasons for not having completed the necessary tasks to build their business. Or, they easily assign blame to others for their lack of success. It has always puzzled me how it is so easy to find reasons for not being successful. What about all the reasons why you CAN be successful? The Internet offers burgeoning earning opportunities!
The Learner.
This type of marketer is a professional online student. They read continuously, watch videos, sign up for everything to get even more details and more help. They are so busy learning, and soaking up knowledge they never actually DO anything or apply what they learn. They are never ready to START applying what they have learned. They want to study more, take it all in, buy more books, take more courses. The Internet itself, and marketing strategies are constantly evolving. You will never know every last detail about marketing and when you think you are getting close, technology will change again. Stop with the learning and start with the doing! Everyday you focus ONLY on learning, is another day you have not made a dime. Dive in, get wet, start promoting your business, products and services - now - RIGHT NOW! Yes, there is much to learn about online marketing, never stop learning but be sure to never stop MARKETING.
The Sweat and Tears Syndrome
This marketer is the saddest one of all. They promote with a frenzied intensity in short bursts spending hours in all the wrong places, promoting all the wrong things. They furiously tap away for hours at their keyboard "working their business" late into the night for 2, 3 days, maybe a week or more. Their blog is bursting with good key word content, they've tweeted like a mad person, they've bought leads with great promises from a sketchy vendor that seemed to good to be true. Exhausted, they pause and wait for the results. When they don't get instant results, the sweat turns to tears. Frustrated they swear, stomp, tantrum and move on to the next greatest online money-making program ever - that is in pre-launch! The insanity begins again. This type of marketer has no patience, and leaps from one program to another, with no loyalty or commitment.
The Doer
The DOER is the marketer that SUCCEEDS! The DOER is the one who doesn't get caught up in all the details. The DOER is a courageous beast. They blunder, make mistakes, but carry on. They understand the sheer power of the web to market products to the world and to profit from their labour. They understand that with the right products and tools they can sell anything! The web is fat with buyers. DOERS understand that you MUST have patience, and MUST work a business constantly, knowing this means consistent promotion every day. DOERS accept that there will be frustrating times, failures, and obstacles on the path to success. The DOERS I know, aren't always the people you might expect. Many of the DOERS I know are average people, with very little sales or technical background. Their gift is that they are not afraid to try, they don't give up, they dig in and work hard. There are DOERS all over the world right now marketing their products, services, and affiliate programs in all corners of the web, turning a profit each and every day. This type of marketer has tapped into the right resources, training and tools, applies them consistently, setting realistic goals carrying a positive attitude.
Here is my advise to you as an online marketer on your way to success.
Every single day when you wake up, set a goal for yourself. Make your goal realistic and measurable. Post your goal on your computer, date it.
Initially your goal may be to simply find 5 great places to promote your business. Then your goal may evolve into actually posting your ads, product, service or opportunity to 5, then 10, 20+ sites each day. Once the promotion is is place, set goals for the number of sales each day.
As your business grows never lose your focus on that goal. Don't get distracted. Remember, at the end of the day you want to actually have made money! Tweeting, face booking, article submissions, and blogging HELP your business grow but are not direct profits in your pocket. Yes, promotion, networking and Search Engine positioning is important and you should work at this but it takes time to do this. Do not let these activities overwhelm you to the point where you forget to make money! Keep your eye on the prize.
Set a goal for a minimum earnings per day. Start off realistic. If you don't make that amount today, set a new goal for tomorrow. When you start making money, adjust your daily goals accordingly. For those of you who are new to online marketing you CAN make money every single day provided you have the proper tools and resources to do so and of course great products and services to promote. Just make sure you are the DOER described in this article.
I close with a quote from one of my favourite DOERS, Ray Kroc, McDonald's Corporation. "Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get."
By Sandi Hunter
Every day I talk to people who are trying to earn an honest buck in an online business. These are average people who come from all walks of life, from all corners of the globe. The common goal they share is the desire to earn money online in any number of online affiliate or reseller type programs. Although the goal is the same, the approach to making this happen is always different and so too are the results. I have outlined here the marketing approaches that I observe everyday, the ones that are effective and the ones that aren't. See if you recognize yourself in any of these examples.
The Dabbler.
The Dabbler's marketing approach involves putting a little bit of effort into this and a little bit of effort into that. This type of marketer will post a few blogs, send a few tweets, join a safelist or two and participate in a handful of traffic exchanges. This person has a basic understanding of what is required to market their online business. The problem is they simply won't commit to rolling up their sleeves, digging in and doing what is necessary to consistently promote and build results. They are too busy talking about it, planning it, and getting organized. The Dabbler sometimes doubles as an excuse-machine. They readily offer up reasons for not having completed the necessary tasks to build their business. Or, they easily assign blame to others for their lack of success. It has always puzzled me how it is so easy to find reasons for not being successful. What about all the reasons why you CAN be successful? The Internet offers burgeoning earning opportunities!
The Learner.
This type of marketer is a professional online student. They read continuously, watch videos, sign up for everything to get even more details and more help. They are so busy learning, and soaking up knowledge they never actually DO anything or apply what they learn. They are never ready to START applying what they have learned. They want to study more, take it all in, buy more books, take more courses. The Internet itself, and marketing strategies are constantly evolving. You will never know every last detail about marketing and when you think you are getting close, technology will change again. Stop with the learning and start with the doing! Everyday you focus ONLY on learning, is another day you have not made a dime. Dive in, get wet, start promoting your business, products and services - now - RIGHT NOW! Yes, there is much to learn about online marketing, never stop learning but be sure to never stop MARKETING.
The Sweat and Tears Syndrome
This marketer is the saddest one of all. They promote with a frenzied intensity in short bursts spending hours in all the wrong places, promoting all the wrong things. They furiously tap away for hours at their keyboard "working their business" late into the night for 2, 3 days, maybe a week or more. Their blog is bursting with good key word content, they've tweeted like a mad person, they've bought leads with great promises from a sketchy vendor that seemed to good to be true. Exhausted, they pause and wait for the results. When they don't get instant results, the sweat turns to tears. Frustrated they swear, stomp, tantrum and move on to the next greatest online money-making program ever - that is in pre-launch! The insanity begins again. This type of marketer has no patience, and leaps from one program to another, with no loyalty or commitment.
The Doer
The DOER is the marketer that SUCCEEDS! The DOER is the one who doesn't get caught up in all the details. The DOER is a courageous beast. They blunder, make mistakes, but carry on. They understand the sheer power of the web to market products to the world and to profit from their labour. They understand that with the right products and tools they can sell anything! The web is fat with buyers. DOERS understand that you MUST have patience, and MUST work a business constantly, knowing this means consistent promotion every day. DOERS accept that there will be frustrating times, failures, and obstacles on the path to success. The DOERS I know, aren't always the people you might expect. Many of the DOERS I know are average people, with very little sales or technical background. Their gift is that they are not afraid to try, they don't give up, they dig in and work hard. There are DOERS all over the world right now marketing their products, services, and affiliate programs in all corners of the web, turning a profit each and every day. This type of marketer has tapped into the right resources, training and tools, applies them consistently, setting realistic goals carrying a positive attitude.
Here is my advise to you as an online marketer on your way to success.
Every single day when you wake up, set a goal for yourself. Make your goal realistic and measurable. Post your goal on your computer, date it.
Initially your goal may be to simply find 5 great places to promote your business. Then your goal may evolve into actually posting your ads, product, service or opportunity to 5, then 10, 20+ sites each day. Once the promotion is is place, set goals for the number of sales each day.
As your business grows never lose your focus on that goal. Don't get distracted. Remember, at the end of the day you want to actually have made money! Tweeting, face booking, article submissions, and blogging HELP your business grow but are not direct profits in your pocket. Yes, promotion, networking and Search Engine positioning is important and you should work at this but it takes time to do this. Do not let these activities overwhelm you to the point where you forget to make money! Keep your eye on the prize.
Set a goal for a minimum earnings per day. Start off realistic. If you don't make that amount today, set a new goal for tomorrow. When you start making money, adjust your daily goals accordingly. For those of you who are new to online marketing you CAN make money every single day provided you have the proper tools and resources to do so and of course great products and services to promote. Just make sure you are the DOER described in this article.
I close with a quote from one of my favourite DOERS, Ray Kroc, McDonald's Corporation. "Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get."
About The Author:
Sandi Hunter is the Director of Website Development at Worldprofit Inc.,
where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
LIVE! Monitors closing sales 24/7
....could be yours......
Click==>WeBroadcastToYou
Check out Autopilot Income Machines
Click==> Auto Pilot
Thursday, February 24, 2011
How to get thousands and thousands of responses to your blog... and what to do when you get 'em.
Puffery...? Of course we must undersand the art of presentation ...invitation. An encouragement to love the " bon mot" from Dr Lant.
presented here by Sylvia Kinzie
by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
Of course you already have a blog, right? You are, I mean, on the cutting edge of the Internet, yes?
Well, if you are still blog-less today is indeed your lucky day, because I am going to show you right here, right now how to use your blog to get not a few but a positive avalanche of the best prospect leads on earth. And the great thing is, you can start today, this very minute.
Now affirm and reaffirm this: when you're in business, running a business blog, the objective is and always will be to generate terrific prospect leads... and follow them up to make money.
It's easy to forget the objective when you're publishing a blog which can all too easily be seized by the shear joy and vanity of seeing your name in print. Folks, if you need lovin' and crave adulation get a dog. They give unqualified affection. But don't subvert the purpose of your blog.
Nothing sells itself, absolutely nothing.
I have amongst my marketing students some of the very brightest people around... and when they make a mistake, I know the pedestrian run of mankind and marketers are making it, too, in spades.
One of the most rooted errors of these folks is the pernicious, invidious notion that their blog and its contents will sell themselves; that what they are promoting and selling in their blogs needs no introduction, nor powerful words of recommendation; it's good enough on its lonesome.
In a word: rubbish! In two words: complete rubbish!
Dear friend, there is nothing in this world, not the policies and messages of presidents, popes, and sovereign kings; not the very finest example of the most potent of salubrious medications; not the safest swiftest modes of transportation.... absolutely nothing sells itself.
Once you have realized this essential truth of business, you enter a new, higher level of commerce and marketing... for you are now a puffer in the Great Age of Puffery.... and your daily objective is clear: to puff better, more artfully, more carefully, more successfully than any other puffers on this planet. He (or she) who puffs the most, the best, reaps the most.
Thus, say you intend tomorrow to publish a jim dandy article on some subject of note and significance. The duffer puffer, the one on the bottom of the marketing heap, merely publishes the article, with this unvoiced sentiment: "Here's the article. Make of it what you will. I can't be bothered to tell you why you should read it... perhaps I don't even know."
And some dare call this marketing.
Now, try this instead...
(puff the day before you publish the article.)
Tomorrow, you readers have an incredible gift coming. I persuaded internationally known author and commentator Dr. Jeffrey Lant to let me have, in advance of publication, his latest article. It details the truth about the relationship of Snow White with those with-it guys, the 7 Dwarfs. You won't believe what one of the most perceptive commentators around has discovered about Snow... and those Dwarfs. Can you say 'Happy.' You certainly will tomorrow...."
With these fast-moving words, you are keeping your audience, your present and future customers all, on the very edge of their seats. You want them in a pother of anticipation and excitement about What Happens Next. You, cleverkins, are ascending in the crucial business of puffery; selling the sizzle, not the steak. And you're frolicking all the way to the bank.
Remember, puffing is not something occasional or episodic. It is not merely one essential thing in marketing; it is the essential thing and it must be regarded accordingly... from this moment on. Let me make this point absolutely, crystal clear:
If you want to sell a product, you must puff it.
If you want to sell your service, you must puff it.
If you want a person to read your blog, you must puff it.
If you want that same person to read an article in that blog, you must puff it.
Get the picture?
A few more hints
Your puffs must appear prominently in your blog, at least 1 at the top of the first page.
They must be short, enticing, action oriented. They must radiate a single imperative message: Look at all you get, look how delicious it is, grab it, grab it now...'
Here's another example.
"Wow! I'm ecstatic to tell you that I've snagged another one of Dr. Lant's superb articles. Yesterday nearly 400 of you smarties emailed me with your thanks, congratulations, and sincere appreciation for his last insightful article. Now I've got another for you. Stay tuned... you'll have it in just HOURS. Make sure to email me at once with your reactions and compliments... it's another winner!!! You can reach me by email (email address here); cell phone (number here)... or land line (number here.) And I want to hear from each and EVERY one of you!"
You must get on with the essential business of puffing each and every day, without exception, that you want money.
And, I guarantee you, that as you improve in your puffery, you will improve your prospect responses, dramatically.
And your bottom line? Why that will improve, too, and dramatically so if and only if you follow up each and every response, as quickly as possible, with a special offer. In other words, thank the respondents, thank them as soon as possible... and always give them a thing (or two) which makes you money. Thus are you benefited as you benefit your fast-responding prospects.
There are many things, of course, which factor into consummate blog success. They include
* having good content, interesting, practical, timely;
* publishing according to a schedule, never missing a deadline;
* writing directly to your readers, always using "you";
* keeping every word of text short, peppy, upbeat,
* and, always and forever, every single day, puffing.
Because if you don't puff, if you do not encourage, recommend, admonish, excite, and motivate you are leaving the crucial act of marketing in the hands of those least able to discern for themselves what to do. That decision must be yours. You and only you must advance the necessary reasons for acting as you want them to act. That crucial aspect of marketing belongs to you... and you must do this every time you want results. Like today.
About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc.,
where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online.
Dr. Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
LIVE! Monitors closing sales 24/7
....could be yours.....
Click Here
Check out Autopilot Income Machines....... Click Here Now!
presented here by Sylvia Kinzie
by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
Of course you already have a blog, right? You are, I mean, on the cutting edge of the Internet, yes?
Well, if you are still blog-less today is indeed your lucky day, because I am going to show you right here, right now how to use your blog to get not a few but a positive avalanche of the best prospect leads on earth. And the great thing is, you can start today, this very minute.
Now affirm and reaffirm this: when you're in business, running a business blog, the objective is and always will be to generate terrific prospect leads... and follow them up to make money.
It's easy to forget the objective when you're publishing a blog which can all too easily be seized by the shear joy and vanity of seeing your name in print. Folks, if you need lovin' and crave adulation get a dog. They give unqualified affection. But don't subvert the purpose of your blog.
Nothing sells itself, absolutely nothing.
I have amongst my marketing students some of the very brightest people around... and when they make a mistake, I know the pedestrian run of mankind and marketers are making it, too, in spades.
One of the most rooted errors of these folks is the pernicious, invidious notion that their blog and its contents will sell themselves; that what they are promoting and selling in their blogs needs no introduction, nor powerful words of recommendation; it's good enough on its lonesome.
In a word: rubbish! In two words: complete rubbish!
Dear friend, there is nothing in this world, not the policies and messages of presidents, popes, and sovereign kings; not the very finest example of the most potent of salubrious medications; not the safest swiftest modes of transportation.... absolutely nothing sells itself.
Once you have realized this essential truth of business, you enter a new, higher level of commerce and marketing... for you are now a puffer in the Great Age of Puffery.... and your daily objective is clear: to puff better, more artfully, more carefully, more successfully than any other puffers on this planet. He (or she) who puffs the most, the best, reaps the most.
Thus, say you intend tomorrow to publish a jim dandy article on some subject of note and significance. The duffer puffer, the one on the bottom of the marketing heap, merely publishes the article, with this unvoiced sentiment: "Here's the article. Make of it what you will. I can't be bothered to tell you why you should read it... perhaps I don't even know."
And some dare call this marketing.
Now, try this instead...
(puff the day before you publish the article.)
Tomorrow, you readers have an incredible gift coming. I persuaded internationally known author and commentator Dr. Jeffrey Lant to let me have, in advance of publication, his latest article. It details the truth about the relationship of Snow White with those with-it guys, the 7 Dwarfs. You won't believe what one of the most perceptive commentators around has discovered about Snow... and those Dwarfs. Can you say 'Happy.' You certainly will tomorrow...."
With these fast-moving words, you are keeping your audience, your present and future customers all, on the very edge of their seats. You want them in a pother of anticipation and excitement about What Happens Next. You, cleverkins, are ascending in the crucial business of puffery; selling the sizzle, not the steak. And you're frolicking all the way to the bank.
Remember, puffing is not something occasional or episodic. It is not merely one essential thing in marketing; it is the essential thing and it must be regarded accordingly... from this moment on. Let me make this point absolutely, crystal clear:
If you want to sell a product, you must puff it.
If you want to sell your service, you must puff it.
If you want a person to read your blog, you must puff it.
If you want that same person to read an article in that blog, you must puff it.
Get the picture?
A few more hints
Your puffs must appear prominently in your blog, at least 1 at the top of the first page.
They must be short, enticing, action oriented. They must radiate a single imperative message: Look at all you get, look how delicious it is, grab it, grab it now...'
Here's another example.
"Wow! I'm ecstatic to tell you that I've snagged another one of Dr. Lant's superb articles. Yesterday nearly 400 of you smarties emailed me with your thanks, congratulations, and sincere appreciation for his last insightful article. Now I've got another for you. Stay tuned... you'll have it in just HOURS. Make sure to email me at once with your reactions and compliments... it's another winner!!! You can reach me by email (email address here); cell phone (number here)... or land line (number here.) And I want to hear from each and EVERY one of you!"
You must get on with the essential business of puffing each and every day, without exception, that you want money.
And, I guarantee you, that as you improve in your puffery, you will improve your prospect responses, dramatically.
And your bottom line? Why that will improve, too, and dramatically so if and only if you follow up each and every response, as quickly as possible, with a special offer. In other words, thank the respondents, thank them as soon as possible... and always give them a thing (or two) which makes you money. Thus are you benefited as you benefit your fast-responding prospects.
There are many things, of course, which factor into consummate blog success. They include
* having good content, interesting, practical, timely;
* publishing according to a schedule, never missing a deadline;
* writing directly to your readers, always using "you";
* keeping every word of text short, peppy, upbeat,
* and, always and forever, every single day, puffing.
Because if you don't puff, if you do not encourage, recommend, admonish, excite, and motivate you are leaving the crucial act of marketing in the hands of those least able to discern for themselves what to do. That decision must be yours. You and only you must advance the necessary reasons for acting as you want them to act. That crucial aspect of marketing belongs to you... and you must do this every time you want results. Like today.
About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc.,
where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online.
Dr. Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
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Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Rhubarb... of my grandmother, her pies, and this ancient vegetable (or in New York State, fruit).
by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
Some of my grandmother's possessions arrived here the other day. They have been in storage a long, long time and, at last, my brother and sister decided (no surprise this) that I, as an historian, should store these things until they (or my sister's 2 children) should be ready to take on the task of dealing with items that are valuable but which no one really wants... the trouble with "heirlooms".
Anyway, one box of the many boxes received here contained my grandmother's best china. It's Lusterware, made in Japan, highly decorative, but very thin and fragile. Irritatingly, two cups were broken, thanks to UPS; that is, however, another story...
What is the story (as you'll see) is that grammie's desert plates all arrived intact... carrying with them a host of memories which seized me the minute my helper Mr. Joseph opened the box.
This china, you see, was only used on the Most Important Occasions. And children were not allowed to use it, or even touch it, for Any Reason. I wasn't allowed to eat off it until I was in college, and even then the idea seemed unduly fast, even heretical. Where china was concerned, no rushing was the way it was; other things, too.
I don't remember how many times I was allowed to eat off one of these honored desert plates; not often. But one of those rare occasions was when grammie, Victoria Burgess Lauing, served one of her entirely memorable, joy to behold, more joy to devour, pies you never forget. And if (as was common) the conversation was all the usual family-get-together type (dull as dishwater) until someone (could have been me) "mistakenly" mentioned one of the (numerous) forbidden subjects which even when whispered was sure to lead to the desired altercation, hot words, family entertainment...
but I digress.
With grammie (we never thought of her as "Vic" though that was what her friends called her... we were shocked by this... but never said so)... with grammie I want to make perfectly clear, it was always about the pie, the whole pie, and nothing but the pie... and when the Lusterware was added, it was,quite simply, the stuff of family lore.
Grammie was a renowned cook, so renowned that all her children (including my mother) could hardly boil water; I like to think they were in awe of her abilities and never ventured to outdo her. That was inconceivable. Or perhaps, like the children of so many celebrated people the talent couldn't be passed on.
In any event I feel bound to tell you that every single pie grammie ever produced was delicious; it was a matter of pride, as I daresay it was with every other Illinois housewife of the period. But the plain, irrefutable truth is that grammie never baked a mediocre, second-rate pie with any deformity whatsoever. We'd all rather have a hand cut off than say otherwise. So her cherry pies, her blueberry pies, her show-stopping pumpkin pies, her peach pies... but you get the idea... were, each and every crumb of them, astonishing.
But the pie that took the cake was her rhubarb pie... and as her "helper" from an early age with this important project, I feel it only fitting and proper to tell you about my pivotal role... and about the rhubarb, too, which always rose to the occasion whenever my magic grannie summoned its potential and turned its bitterness into poetry.
A minute's walk from her kitchen, always spruce and never out of control, was the kitchen garden, mostly vegetables, some fruits, always flowers, too, for grammie had an eye for color and arrangement; here, too, I was her "little helper" because I liked vegetables and adored flowers. Those were sufficient passport into the significant zones of her influence. My grandfather was per force allowed in; he loved using his tractor in the largish garden; it was his special task. I was a card-carrying adult before I realized that the apple-pie ordered garden was not only testament to his very Teutonic traits... but also to the fact that he loved her so and took this entirely personal, and useful, too, way to show it. Young people, as we know when we aren't one, see much but the meaning often follows years behind.
As the designated "helper" (interestingly enough and to their complete irritation not another of her numerous grand children received this high accolade); it was mine and mine alone. These things can happen when you are the first born son and grandson, you know what I mean if you are one and probably take umbrage if you're not.
As helper, I say, I was given the task of selecting just the right rhubarb stalks, for you may very well imagine grammie was precise and unyielding about ingredients. They must be just so.
I may imagine, for I can no longer recall, how she took me by the hand (for she believed in education and knew when to do her part) and showed me the rhubarb patch. She would have shown me, daughter of England that she was, sharing the great queen's name, too, how a garden is fashioned and what must be done; in this case regarding the all-important rhubarb stalks. If they were poorly chosen, they might get into and threaten perfection. (She never told me, but I know now, that would never have happened; she had a keen eye for such things and she never overlooked the crucial fundamentals. Substandard stalks, or anything else inferior and not quite good enough for her cuisine and her family, they would have been promptly removed and sent to the compost heap.
In due course, I learned the key facts about rhubarb. First, the leaves are toxic and could quickly and forever end your pie-eating career. She made it plain that testing her on this matter would result in any number of demerits.
She made it clear just which stalks were desirable; which ones might be down the road apiece (but not yet); which ones were too old and past consideration, which ones needed to be picked, and picked at once. It was rhubarb 101 and in my mind's eye, I still see us as we were these 60 years and the high importance of the task in time I did alone, without supervision, knowledgeable myself and reliable. She had selected, as she knew, just the right "helper".
Once the stalks were brought inside (with the poisonous leaves removed), she perused my work and made appropriate comments, with a courtesy that was all her own. Then she said I could run along, and it was seldom, if ever, that I left without a tip, for she knew, too, having had such days herself, that no child should ever feel impoverished or neglected when so very little could make such a difference.
I doubt that she kept up with the latest news about rhubarb and its uses; she had a system that met the needs and garnered unceasing, universal approbation. Who could improve on perfection?
But perhaps in 1947, the year that brought her in February, her first grand child, and a son to boot, she saw this bit of news about the plant she knew so very well, its secrets, uses, deficiencies, and the way to wend them all to her will... Perhaps in 1947, she noticed that a court in New York State made a significant ruling about rhubarb. The court noted that rhubarb is not a fruit but a vegetable. However, it also noted that Americans in common usage regarded rhubarb as a fruit. And so the court ruled that rhubarb for purposes of regulation and duties must be regarded as a fruit. A side effect was an immediate reduction in taxes paid.
Her comment might well have been of the down-home common sense variety, thinking the court had done the right thing, recognizing the reality and using their noggins. Then, with the certainty that she was sharing a masterpiece, she would have offered you some pie; rhubarb if you were lucky.
About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc.,
where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online.
Dr. Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
LIVE! Monitors closing sales 24/7
....could be yours......Click Now
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Some of my grandmother's possessions arrived here the other day. They have been in storage a long, long time and, at last, my brother and sister decided (no surprise this) that I, as an historian, should store these things until they (or my sister's 2 children) should be ready to take on the task of dealing with items that are valuable but which no one really wants... the trouble with "heirlooms".
Anyway, one box of the many boxes received here contained my grandmother's best china. It's Lusterware, made in Japan, highly decorative, but very thin and fragile. Irritatingly, two cups were broken, thanks to UPS; that is, however, another story...
What is the story (as you'll see) is that grammie's desert plates all arrived intact... carrying with them a host of memories which seized me the minute my helper Mr. Joseph opened the box.
This china, you see, was only used on the Most Important Occasions. And children were not allowed to use it, or even touch it, for Any Reason. I wasn't allowed to eat off it until I was in college, and even then the idea seemed unduly fast, even heretical. Where china was concerned, no rushing was the way it was; other things, too.
I don't remember how many times I was allowed to eat off one of these honored desert plates; not often. But one of those rare occasions was when grammie, Victoria Burgess Lauing, served one of her entirely memorable, joy to behold, more joy to devour, pies you never forget. And if (as was common) the conversation was all the usual family-get-together type (dull as dishwater) until someone (could have been me) "mistakenly" mentioned one of the (numerous) forbidden subjects which even when whispered was sure to lead to the desired altercation, hot words, family entertainment...
but I digress.
With grammie (we never thought of her as "Vic" though that was what her friends called her... we were shocked by this... but never said so)... with grammie I want to make perfectly clear, it was always about the pie, the whole pie, and nothing but the pie... and when the Lusterware was added, it was,quite simply, the stuff of family lore.
Grammie was a renowned cook, so renowned that all her children (including my mother) could hardly boil water; I like to think they were in awe of her abilities and never ventured to outdo her. That was inconceivable. Or perhaps, like the children of so many celebrated people the talent couldn't be passed on.
In any event I feel bound to tell you that every single pie grammie ever produced was delicious; it was a matter of pride, as I daresay it was with every other Illinois housewife of the period. But the plain, irrefutable truth is that grammie never baked a mediocre, second-rate pie with any deformity whatsoever. We'd all rather have a hand cut off than say otherwise. So her cherry pies, her blueberry pies, her show-stopping pumpkin pies, her peach pies... but you get the idea... were, each and every crumb of them, astonishing.
But the pie that took the cake was her rhubarb pie... and as her "helper" from an early age with this important project, I feel it only fitting and proper to tell you about my pivotal role... and about the rhubarb, too, which always rose to the occasion whenever my magic grannie summoned its potential and turned its bitterness into poetry.
A minute's walk from her kitchen, always spruce and never out of control, was the kitchen garden, mostly vegetables, some fruits, always flowers, too, for grammie had an eye for color and arrangement; here, too, I was her "little helper" because I liked vegetables and adored flowers. Those were sufficient passport into the significant zones of her influence. My grandfather was per force allowed in; he loved using his tractor in the largish garden; it was his special task. I was a card-carrying adult before I realized that the apple-pie ordered garden was not only testament to his very Teutonic traits... but also to the fact that he loved her so and took this entirely personal, and useful, too, way to show it. Young people, as we know when we aren't one, see much but the meaning often follows years behind.
As the designated "helper" (interestingly enough and to their complete irritation not another of her numerous grand children received this high accolade); it was mine and mine alone. These things can happen when you are the first born son and grandson, you know what I mean if you are one and probably take umbrage if you're not.
As helper, I say, I was given the task of selecting just the right rhubarb stalks, for you may very well imagine grammie was precise and unyielding about ingredients. They must be just so.
I may imagine, for I can no longer recall, how she took me by the hand (for she believed in education and knew when to do her part) and showed me the rhubarb patch. She would have shown me, daughter of England that she was, sharing the great queen's name, too, how a garden is fashioned and what must be done; in this case regarding the all-important rhubarb stalks. If they were poorly chosen, they might get into and threaten perfection. (She never told me, but I know now, that would never have happened; she had a keen eye for such things and she never overlooked the crucial fundamentals. Substandard stalks, or anything else inferior and not quite good enough for her cuisine and her family, they would have been promptly removed and sent to the compost heap.
In due course, I learned the key facts about rhubarb. First, the leaves are toxic and could quickly and forever end your pie-eating career. She made it plain that testing her on this matter would result in any number of demerits.
She made it clear just which stalks were desirable; which ones might be down the road apiece (but not yet); which ones were too old and past consideration, which ones needed to be picked, and picked at once. It was rhubarb 101 and in my mind's eye, I still see us as we were these 60 years and the high importance of the task in time I did alone, without supervision, knowledgeable myself and reliable. She had selected, as she knew, just the right "helper".
Once the stalks were brought inside (with the poisonous leaves removed), she perused my work and made appropriate comments, with a courtesy that was all her own. Then she said I could run along, and it was seldom, if ever, that I left without a tip, for she knew, too, having had such days herself, that no child should ever feel impoverished or neglected when so very little could make such a difference.
I doubt that she kept up with the latest news about rhubarb and its uses; she had a system that met the needs and garnered unceasing, universal approbation. Who could improve on perfection?
But perhaps in 1947, the year that brought her in February, her first grand child, and a son to boot, she saw this bit of news about the plant she knew so very well, its secrets, uses, deficiencies, and the way to wend them all to her will... Perhaps in 1947, she noticed that a court in New York State made a significant ruling about rhubarb. The court noted that rhubarb is not a fruit but a vegetable. However, it also noted that Americans in common usage regarded rhubarb as a fruit. And so the court ruled that rhubarb for purposes of regulation and duties must be regarded as a fruit. A side effect was an immediate reduction in taxes paid.
Her comment might well have been of the down-home common sense variety, thinking the court had done the right thing, recognizing the reality and using their noggins. Then, with the certainty that she was sharing a masterpiece, she would have offered you some pie; rhubarb if you were lucky.
About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc.,
where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online.
Dr. Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
LIVE! Monitors closing sales 24/7
....could be yours......Click Now
Check out SEO Business Box Click Here
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
New Orleans' Sidney Bechet house demolished; Baltimore's Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum slated to be closed. Such is our heritage destroyed... one uncomprehending authority after another.
by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
This is a story about stupidity, shortsightedness, carelessness, neglect and the ongoing destruction of our culture, one brick at a time.
Today's examples are taken from the cities of New Orleans, Louisiana and Baltimore, Maryland... but the sad thing is, without breaking a sweat, one could easily see them replicated in all America's great cities...and throughout the countryside, too.
Ask officials in these locations if they value historic preservation and without dropping a stitch they'll tell you how important it is and how much, how very much, they appreciate, nay venerate the special history of their special place.
Then having mouthed such hollow shibboleths... they go back to their true vocation... saving a penny here and there by ravishing the patrimony which should have been their fierce honor to protect, save, preserve, maintain, and to pass on to the next generation in better shape than they found it.
Sidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet (pronounced BAH-shay, 1897-1959) was the very quintessence of the signature sound New Orleans has made its own. Saxiphonist, clarinetist, composer, Bechet delivered the champagne of jazz.
His was a distinctive beat with wide vibrato, insistent, proud, irresistible... every note the note of a master. He delivered it with grace, style, just a touch of arrogance but always, always with surety and confidence. The people in the Quarter knew a good thing when they heard it and they demanded Bechet... who preceded cornetist and trumpeter (and friend) Louis Armstrong into the recording studio by several months. In such a way, carried on a wave of music, Bechet sent the essence of la Novelle Orleans worldwide.
It was sultry, languid, it was the sound of love's longing, and the wrong man (or woman) loved deeply, disastrously, without hope or escape. And if Bechet and his lively rhythm decided you would get up and dance... you did, and riotously so, for he was the man, laissez les bon temps roulez.
It was Bechet... who was discovered at age 6, when he lived with his wealthy Creole family in the 7th Ward.
Now that house and what was left of its contents are a heap of dust and rubble, gone forever, another testament, if one were needed, to the folly of empowering vandals to preserve that which they cannot understand and will not protect.
The folks in slow-moving New Orleans are mad-keen now to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. And as they engage in this herculean task, they have made herculean errors, including the complete demolition of Bechet's home. The city sanctioned marauders pulled up to the home of this jazz great and, without a word, set about their destructive task. "They pulled up and went about tearing it down. The roof had fallen down, but it could have been fixed," reported neighbor and appalled onlooker Charles Spencer.
And so New Orleans, giving lip service to the value of its history and its irreplaceable artifacts, has with this attack impoverished itself, a situation calling for a saxophone's lament Bechet knew so well how to deliver and move us. Where can his shade call home now...?
Edgar Allan Poe
If the family home of Sidney Bechet is now gone forever, the family residence of Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), the master of cerebral terror and the macabre, is still extant, just.
Located in the worst of Baltimore's many distressed neighborhoods, this small row house on North Amity Street once housed the family Poe, dysfunctional, inbred, dipsomaniacal, incestuous. Here, on top of each other, lived Poe's aunt Maria (Poe) Clemm, youngest sister of Poe's father David and, too, Maria's ailing mother Elizabeth Cairnes; Maria's son Henry, her daughter Virginia (soon to be Poe's 13-year-old child wife), and for a short time, but only for a short time, his older brother William Henry... about to die, pickled with alcohol.
Poe had just been dismissed from West Point (1831) and needed the ministrations of his family which, in time approved fashion, fought fiercely for its tenuous gentility. Here an unprecedented, unexampled American master was about to be born.
Just where Poe wrote in this warren can only be imagined... but write he did; those with the need to write will always find a way. And, so, here on North Amity Street, where he resided from 1832-1835, Poe's genius began to find its way, lurid, unsettling, threatening, terrible. Perhaps the best work he wrote there is the "MS Found In a Bottle" (1833)
In it is the genius of Poe struggling against the tendency of young writers to overwrite, too many words, the prose carried by too lush adjectives, not nouns and verbs. I'll quote from the beginning, so you can see for yourself:
"Of my country and of my family I have little to say. Ill usage and length of years have driven me from the one, and estranged me from the other. Hereditary wealth afforded me an education of no common order, and a contemplative turn of mind enabled me to methodize the stores which early study very diligently garnered up." Such effusions are good to see; the better to learn how genius shapes itself.
Now the City of Baltimore, priding itself that this American original lived amongst them, wishes to save itself the bother of preserving the reality, comfortable in its lip service alone to the great man.
Though it costs the municipality a paltry $80,000 or so each year, most for the modest salary of its one-person staff, curator Jeff Jerome, this same municipality has announced its munificence stops forever by mid-2012. Then the axe will fall, on the curator Jerome, who has kept the faith alone... and on Poe, too.
This result, though likely, is not inevitable. The city fathers, though unlikely, could with stroke of pen write another conclusion, at least a stay of execution. The great genius of Poe is worth this, and more. What's more, he's already written le mot juste: "By what miracle I escaped destruction, it is impossible to say." That is his manuscript found in a bottle, and we need to heed it.
And if they do nothing, these pettifogging clerks and picayune economizers, then what? Then shall this place, too, be gone forever, to live again never more.
Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum 203 North Amity Street, Baltimore, MD 21233-2501 (410) 396-7932.
About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc.,
where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online.
Dr. Lant is a noted historian and also the author of 18 best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
LIVE! Monitors closing sales 24/7
....could be yours......Click Here
Shocking Software Breakthrough!
This is a story about stupidity, shortsightedness, carelessness, neglect and the ongoing destruction of our culture, one brick at a time.
Today's examples are taken from the cities of New Orleans, Louisiana and Baltimore, Maryland... but the sad thing is, without breaking a sweat, one could easily see them replicated in all America's great cities...and throughout the countryside, too.
Ask officials in these locations if they value historic preservation and without dropping a stitch they'll tell you how important it is and how much, how very much, they appreciate, nay venerate the special history of their special place.
Then having mouthed such hollow shibboleths... they go back to their true vocation... saving a penny here and there by ravishing the patrimony which should have been their fierce honor to protect, save, preserve, maintain, and to pass on to the next generation in better shape than they found it.
Sidney Bechet
Sidney Bechet (pronounced BAH-shay, 1897-1959) was the very quintessence of the signature sound New Orleans has made its own. Saxiphonist, clarinetist, composer, Bechet delivered the champagne of jazz.
His was a distinctive beat with wide vibrato, insistent, proud, irresistible... every note the note of a master. He delivered it with grace, style, just a touch of arrogance but always, always with surety and confidence. The people in the Quarter knew a good thing when they heard it and they demanded Bechet... who preceded cornetist and trumpeter (and friend) Louis Armstrong into the recording studio by several months. In such a way, carried on a wave of music, Bechet sent the essence of la Novelle Orleans worldwide.
It was sultry, languid, it was the sound of love's longing, and the wrong man (or woman) loved deeply, disastrously, without hope or escape. And if Bechet and his lively rhythm decided you would get up and dance... you did, and riotously so, for he was the man, laissez les bon temps roulez.
It was Bechet... who was discovered at age 6, when he lived with his wealthy Creole family in the 7th Ward.
Now that house and what was left of its contents are a heap of dust and rubble, gone forever, another testament, if one were needed, to the folly of empowering vandals to preserve that which they cannot understand and will not protect.
The folks in slow-moving New Orleans are mad-keen now to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina. And as they engage in this herculean task, they have made herculean errors, including the complete demolition of Bechet's home. The city sanctioned marauders pulled up to the home of this jazz great and, without a word, set about their destructive task. "They pulled up and went about tearing it down. The roof had fallen down, but it could have been fixed," reported neighbor and appalled onlooker Charles Spencer.
And so New Orleans, giving lip service to the value of its history and its irreplaceable artifacts, has with this attack impoverished itself, a situation calling for a saxophone's lament Bechet knew so well how to deliver and move us. Where can his shade call home now...?
Edgar Allan Poe
If the family home of Sidney Bechet is now gone forever, the family residence of Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849), the master of cerebral terror and the macabre, is still extant, just.
Located in the worst of Baltimore's many distressed neighborhoods, this small row house on North Amity Street once housed the family Poe, dysfunctional, inbred, dipsomaniacal, incestuous. Here, on top of each other, lived Poe's aunt Maria (Poe) Clemm, youngest sister of Poe's father David and, too, Maria's ailing mother Elizabeth Cairnes; Maria's son Henry, her daughter Virginia (soon to be Poe's 13-year-old child wife), and for a short time, but only for a short time, his older brother William Henry... about to die, pickled with alcohol.
Poe had just been dismissed from West Point (1831) and needed the ministrations of his family which, in time approved fashion, fought fiercely for its tenuous gentility. Here an unprecedented, unexampled American master was about to be born.
Just where Poe wrote in this warren can only be imagined... but write he did; those with the need to write will always find a way. And, so, here on North Amity Street, where he resided from 1832-1835, Poe's genius began to find its way, lurid, unsettling, threatening, terrible. Perhaps the best work he wrote there is the "MS Found In a Bottle" (1833)
In it is the genius of Poe struggling against the tendency of young writers to overwrite, too many words, the prose carried by too lush adjectives, not nouns and verbs. I'll quote from the beginning, so you can see for yourself:
"Of my country and of my family I have little to say. Ill usage and length of years have driven me from the one, and estranged me from the other. Hereditary wealth afforded me an education of no common order, and a contemplative turn of mind enabled me to methodize the stores which early study very diligently garnered up." Such effusions are good to see; the better to learn how genius shapes itself.
Now the City of Baltimore, priding itself that this American original lived amongst them, wishes to save itself the bother of preserving the reality, comfortable in its lip service alone to the great man.
Though it costs the municipality a paltry $80,000 or so each year, most for the modest salary of its one-person staff, curator Jeff Jerome, this same municipality has announced its munificence stops forever by mid-2012. Then the axe will fall, on the curator Jerome, who has kept the faith alone... and on Poe, too.
This result, though likely, is not inevitable. The city fathers, though unlikely, could with stroke of pen write another conclusion, at least a stay of execution. The great genius of Poe is worth this, and more. What's more, he's already written le mot juste: "By what miracle I escaped destruction, it is impossible to say." That is his manuscript found in a bottle, and we need to heed it.
And if they do nothing, these pettifogging clerks and picayune economizers, then what? Then shall this place, too, be gone forever, to live again never more.
Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum 203 North Amity Street, Baltimore, MD 21233-2501 (410) 396-7932.
About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc.,
where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online.
Dr. Lant is a noted historian and also the author of 18 best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
LIVE! Monitors closing sales 24/7
....could be yours......Click Here
Shocking Software Breakthrough!
Monday, February 21, 2011
And I am telling you... knock 'em dead diva Jennifer Hudson needs better material than 'Where you at?', and she needs it now!
by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
This is the story of a woman of rare talent, a woman with the ability to engross us, envelope us, touch our lives with searing emotion, pain, anguish and the cross currents of love. This is the story of a woman who rose to the very pinnacle of her profession on this ability... whose music forced itself into our hearts...
It is the story, too, of the woman who has been badly advised in her subsequent career moves... who has gone from giving listeners goose bumps, chills, and involuntary tears ... to giving them next to nothing.
Once she delivered transcendence. Now, chic and svelte with just the right lip gloss, she delivers next to nothing at all, just smooth predictabilities.
This is the story of blow 'em out diva Jennifer Hudson... of her highs and lows, of the truth and sincerity she has given us... and what she needs from us right now so she can deliver it again.
Author's note: To get the most from this article, you need to listen to two Jennifer Hudson tunes. The first is the one that made her, "And I am telling you I'm not going" and the second, her latest, "Where you at?" You can easily find both in any search engine. Listen to them now... then return to continue...
How Jennifer Hudson got started
Born September 12, 1981 in Chicago, Hudson was raised as a Baptist and graduated from Dunbar Vocational High School in 1999. She didn't need a vocational school to tell her what she wanted to do. She wanted to sing, to perform, to rouse an audience, to get them out of their seats, cheering. She had as her particular icons Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, all capable of shredding our reserve and allowing the diva in, to do with us what she would, chaos, turbulence, mayhem... and most of all, love... so that we would always remember her and the never-to-be-forgotten moments we spent together.
(Not quite) the American Idol
Hudson, who had been singing on Disney Cruise Lines for several months, auditioned for the third season of "American Idol." She said, en passant, during her audition that she'd been doing so. Contestant judge Randy Jackson, the most grounded of the reviewers, said "We're expecting more than a cruise ship performance from you." They got it... but it wasn't quite enough to win the title for her. Two other would be divas, Fantasia Barrino and LaToya London, powerful vocalists both, helped push Hudson to an entirely forgettable seventh place. But this was a woman determined to succeed... and so she, along with hundreds of professional singers and performers showed up in November, 2005 to audition for the film adaptation of the musical "Dreamgirls." Raven-Symond and Fantasia Barrino, her more successful competitor on "American Idol", wanted the plum role of Effie White, too, in this most lavish all-black film ever (budget $80 million.)
Hudson got the role... and she ran with it into musical history.
The song that did it is titled "And I am telling you I'm not going." It is the kind of song each of us wants to have sung to us at least once in our lives, to validate that we are alive and profoundly loved.
When you listen to this pulsating number, in an instant you are, in your mind, beyond Effie and her unceasingly turbulent life. You are thinking of yourself... of your life.... of people you have loved...and the ones who have loved you, perhaps unwisely. You are drowning in this music...and the singer, Hudson, won't let you go.
There's no way I can ever go. No, no, there's no way. No, no, no, no way I'm living without you. I'm not living without you. I don't want to be free. I'm staying. I'm staying. And you, and you You're gonna love me, oh ooh mm mmm You're gonna love me.
It was beyond bravura... it was a kick to the solar plexus!. It was pain! Life! Love!
It was glorious!
And you felt all of it... every single note and syllable...
... and so did the critics, pundits, and prognosticators of the world. All too often carping, captious, this time they rained unceasing praise... and every honor the lady could ever imagine, much less possess... including the 2006 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and 28 additional awards; the Golden Globe Award as Best Actress in a Supporting Role, the same from the Broadcast Critics... and the same again from the Screen Actors Guild. Touching our lives had taken her from an undistinguished seventh place finish on "American Idol" into history. Dazed, in awe, astonished she accepted it all with graciousness and sincere appreciation. She was a woman one delighted to honor.
Then tragedy struck, life mirroring art.
On October 24, 2008 Hudson's 57-year-old mother, Darnell Donnerson and the singer's 29-year-old brother Jason were found shot to death inside their Chicago home. Missing was Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King; soon his body was found. It was all the work of William Balfour, 27, estranged husband of Hudson's sister Julia.
Now Hudson's life had more turbulence and mayhem than Effie's. She took time to pause, reflect, regroup. The world, shocked, mourned with her... standing by to see What Happened Next. And that was less, much less that we knew so well the lady could deliver.
The problem with great Talent of the kind exhibited by Hudson in her astonishing moment is that it makes what follows seem uninspired, second rate, mediocre. In short, after a great event, that moment of high significance one needs more help than ever; it is easy, you see, to get off track. It's easy merely to go through the motions... rather than do what's necessary to outdo your greatest moment; this always means hard work, dedication, boldness, risk without the certainty of success. Talent demands this... being glibly second rate never does.
Sadly, Hudson's career showed every evidence that she had lost her way and was listening to the wrong people. They told her to lose weight (she did), go glam (she did), cultivate a sexy black chanteuse image (she did)... but it all looked contrived, crafting an image by the numbers... instead of using her God-given voice to maximum effect, touching all our lives.
Her latest tune, "Where you at?" (released January, 2011) shows the dangers of her path. It takes her patented "wronged woman" theme... and, with insipid music and verse, dilutes it until it might as well be a cocktail lounge tune about a missed date. Hudson's talent is not shown... only the fact that she is listening to the wrong handlers... and needs to get rid of them... fast.
Jennifer: yours has been a life of determination, of some success, then astonishing success and worldwide acclaim, followed by great tragedy, then peace with boyfriend David Otunga, with his unlikely careers as Harvard Law School grad and pro wrestler. Pour all this into your next records. Give us everything you've got... and that is so very much, indeed.
Shuck off the handlers and did deep into yourself, bringing it all up, using it all, giving it your own signature sound and energy. You can do this, Jennifer. Do it now, for our sake, for your own... and we're gonna love you!!!
About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc.,
where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online.
Dr. Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
http://WeBroadcastToYou.com
Check out Profit Monarch
http://sylviak65.profitmx.hop.clickbank.net
This is the story of a woman of rare talent, a woman with the ability to engross us, envelope us, touch our lives with searing emotion, pain, anguish and the cross currents of love. This is the story of a woman who rose to the very pinnacle of her profession on this ability... whose music forced itself into our hearts...
It is the story, too, of the woman who has been badly advised in her subsequent career moves... who has gone from giving listeners goose bumps, chills, and involuntary tears ... to giving them next to nothing.
Once she delivered transcendence. Now, chic and svelte with just the right lip gloss, she delivers next to nothing at all, just smooth predictabilities.
This is the story of blow 'em out diva Jennifer Hudson... of her highs and lows, of the truth and sincerity she has given us... and what she needs from us right now so she can deliver it again.
Author's note: To get the most from this article, you need to listen to two Jennifer Hudson tunes. The first is the one that made her, "And I am telling you I'm not going" and the second, her latest, "Where you at?" You can easily find both in any search engine. Listen to them now... then return to continue...
How Jennifer Hudson got started
Born September 12, 1981 in Chicago, Hudson was raised as a Baptist and graduated from Dunbar Vocational High School in 1999. She didn't need a vocational school to tell her what she wanted to do. She wanted to sing, to perform, to rouse an audience, to get them out of their seats, cheering. She had as her particular icons Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, all capable of shredding our reserve and allowing the diva in, to do with us what she would, chaos, turbulence, mayhem... and most of all, love... so that we would always remember her and the never-to-be-forgotten moments we spent together.
(Not quite) the American Idol
Hudson, who had been singing on Disney Cruise Lines for several months, auditioned for the third season of "American Idol." She said, en passant, during her audition that she'd been doing so. Contestant judge Randy Jackson, the most grounded of the reviewers, said "We're expecting more than a cruise ship performance from you." They got it... but it wasn't quite enough to win the title for her. Two other would be divas, Fantasia Barrino and LaToya London, powerful vocalists both, helped push Hudson to an entirely forgettable seventh place. But this was a woman determined to succeed... and so she, along with hundreds of professional singers and performers showed up in November, 2005 to audition for the film adaptation of the musical "Dreamgirls." Raven-Symond and Fantasia Barrino, her more successful competitor on "American Idol", wanted the plum role of Effie White, too, in this most lavish all-black film ever (budget $80 million.)
Hudson got the role... and she ran with it into musical history.
The song that did it is titled "And I am telling you I'm not going." It is the kind of song each of us wants to have sung to us at least once in our lives, to validate that we are alive and profoundly loved.
When you listen to this pulsating number, in an instant you are, in your mind, beyond Effie and her unceasingly turbulent life. You are thinking of yourself... of your life.... of people you have loved...and the ones who have loved you, perhaps unwisely. You are drowning in this music...and the singer, Hudson, won't let you go.
There's no way I can ever go. No, no, there's no way. No, no, no, no way I'm living without you. I'm not living without you. I don't want to be free. I'm staying. I'm staying. And you, and you You're gonna love me, oh ooh mm mmm You're gonna love me.
It was beyond bravura... it was a kick to the solar plexus!. It was pain! Life! Love!
It was glorious!
And you felt all of it... every single note and syllable...
... and so did the critics, pundits, and prognosticators of the world. All too often carping, captious, this time they rained unceasing praise... and every honor the lady could ever imagine, much less possess... including the 2006 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and 28 additional awards; the Golden Globe Award as Best Actress in a Supporting Role, the same from the Broadcast Critics... and the same again from the Screen Actors Guild. Touching our lives had taken her from an undistinguished seventh place finish on "American Idol" into history. Dazed, in awe, astonished she accepted it all with graciousness and sincere appreciation. She was a woman one delighted to honor.
Then tragedy struck, life mirroring art.
On October 24, 2008 Hudson's 57-year-old mother, Darnell Donnerson and the singer's 29-year-old brother Jason were found shot to death inside their Chicago home. Missing was Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King; soon his body was found. It was all the work of William Balfour, 27, estranged husband of Hudson's sister Julia.
Now Hudson's life had more turbulence and mayhem than Effie's. She took time to pause, reflect, regroup. The world, shocked, mourned with her... standing by to see What Happened Next. And that was less, much less that we knew so well the lady could deliver.
The problem with great Talent of the kind exhibited by Hudson in her astonishing moment is that it makes what follows seem uninspired, second rate, mediocre. In short, after a great event, that moment of high significance one needs more help than ever; it is easy, you see, to get off track. It's easy merely to go through the motions... rather than do what's necessary to outdo your greatest moment; this always means hard work, dedication, boldness, risk without the certainty of success. Talent demands this... being glibly second rate never does.
Sadly, Hudson's career showed every evidence that she had lost her way and was listening to the wrong people. They told her to lose weight (she did), go glam (she did), cultivate a sexy black chanteuse image (she did)... but it all looked contrived, crafting an image by the numbers... instead of using her God-given voice to maximum effect, touching all our lives.
Her latest tune, "Where you at?" (released January, 2011) shows the dangers of her path. It takes her patented "wronged woman" theme... and, with insipid music and verse, dilutes it until it might as well be a cocktail lounge tune about a missed date. Hudson's talent is not shown... only the fact that she is listening to the wrong handlers... and needs to get rid of them... fast.
Jennifer: yours has been a life of determination, of some success, then astonishing success and worldwide acclaim, followed by great tragedy, then peace with boyfriend David Otunga, with his unlikely careers as Harvard Law School grad and pro wrestler. Pour all this into your next records. Give us everything you've got... and that is so very much, indeed.
Shuck off the handlers and did deep into yourself, bringing it all up, using it all, giving it your own signature sound and energy. You can do this, Jennifer. Do it now, for our sake, for your own... and we're gonna love you!!!
About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc.,
where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online.
Dr. Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
http://WeBroadcastToYou.com
Check out Profit Monarch
http://sylviak65.profitmx.hop.clickbank.net
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Thoughts on the plucky crocus... determined, colorful, the harbinger of spring. We need to know you better.
by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
For over 60 years my dreary mid February days have been graced by a small visitor about whom I, too slothful and sadly oblivious, have known too little.
Abashed, this year I decided, belatedly, to greet my little guest in proper style, not with just a nod and cursory thanks... but knowledgeable, the better to render suitable homage and ample gratitude. In short, no longer to glance at and pass by but to know my annual visitor as some dear friend, valued and appreciated.
This year, therefore, in its too brief time, I intend to know the crocus better, and to salute its graceful presence which has, despite my neglect, always shed its color and bold courage on me, and millions more.
Some facts about the Crocus longiflorus
The crocus (plural crocuses or croci) is a genus of perennial flowering plants. It is native to a large area including coastal and subalpine central and southern Europe including, interestingly enough, the islands of the Aegean; also North Africa and the Middle East, across Central Asia to Western China. In short, it has moved, by inches, a vast area to colonize, its sway far more than Rome's and Alexander's, Tamerlane's and Genghis Khan's.... combined. And all with our hardly noticing.
The genus Crocus is placed botanically in the iris family (Iridaceae). It grows from corms, which constitute its handy food supply, providing what it needs to get through the winter and the energy it requires to push through snow and ice, and so be present, timely, to astonish us and cause the thought, "Spring is just around the corner!" Then smile.
There are dozens of crocus species; my sources widely differing in just how many. One said 80, another 300. It seems my experts need to know the crocus better, too. Perhaps only the croci know.... In any case, some 30 varieties are cultivated, all distinguished (whether of the fall or spring blooming type) by three stamens. Three things secure our attention to the croci: when they arrive... and how they look... and the flavorful uses to which (particularly the autumn blooming variety) can be put.
Crocus plants, determined to be seen, either arrive (in the spring) before any other flowering plants...... or (in the autumn) after all the other flowering plants. This forces us to see them as they are, without distractions or competitors. When the croci are here, it is just them... and us. It's the way they like it.
Its colors
The first thing we notice about the crocus is its shoots, rising up, inexorably, through mud and snow and ice, determined to show these symbols of the past that the better, warmer future is on its way. To no other flower do we pay such close attention as it pushes up towards the sun, but this one speaks to us of the springtime soon to come... or (in the autumn variety) urges us to fast prepare for the certainty of winter, close at hand.
Either way, spring or fall, the crocus dazzles us with its enormous array of colors... of which lilac, mauve, yellow and white predominate. Don't just glance and rush distracted on your way, as most people do, seeing so little. You need to bend down and look carefully.... for the crocus delights in holding back some aspect of its hues, until you stop, stoop, and take a minute, patient, to scrutinize... and truly see.
The useful crocus, flavorful, medicinal.
You can, if hungry, eat crocus bulbs. You can boil them, bake or cook. But it is the crocus (saffron) that is the most utilitarian. Its snout with stamens is valuable in medicine, seasoning... and even dye. This crocus variety is the most cultivated (with Spain the leader) as a savoury spice. It can easily cost $1 for one gram. This means, too, that saffron is worth counterfeiting... and people do, substituting the far cheaper tumeric (a good spice but no challenge) for saffron, the most expensive spice on earth.
Saffron has a bitter-spicy taste and a pungent smell. In the Middle East particularly it is used for meat, fish, seafood and rice. It must be used alone (for it does not mix well) and should only be used in very small quantities. If you over use... you can easily spoil your dish, for in larger quantities, saffron delivers an unpleasant, bitter taste... and a very irritated eater.
By the way, should you wish to try this spice... do not use just any crocus to do so. Proper saffron, the king of spices, can easily be mixed with meadow saffron, which is very poisonous. I wonder how many bargain hunting saffron fanciers discovered this... too late?
All this is worth knowing, but this spice derives from the fall flowering crocus... and this story must focus on the spring variety... for it is that I pass every late winter day, until now in ignorance. It is also this variety which has caused poets, mostly pedestrian, to put pen to paper... and create a paean... though their sentiments are perhaps greater than their poetical abilities.
Arguably the most famous poem ever written about the crocus is by Harriet Beecher Stowe (d. 1896). Here's what Abraham Lincoln said of her when they met in 1862: "So, you're the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war." (The book, of course, is "Uncle Tom's Cabin", published 1852).
She uses the crocus as a metaphor for resurrection in her poem "The Crocus." (Publication date unknown.)
Beneath the sunny autumn sky, With gold leaves dropping round, We sought, my little friend and I, The consecrated ground, Where, calm beneath the holy cross, O'er shadowed by sweet skies, Sleeps tranquilly that youthful form, Those blue unclouded eyes.
...
In blue and yellow from its grave Springs up the crocus fair, And God shall raise those bright blue eyes, Those sunny waves of hair. Not for a fading summer's morn, Not for a fleeting hour, But for an endless age of bliss, Shall rise our heart's dear flower.
***
Such certainties the Victorians possessed, which we do not share. We know the crocus will come again... but are less sure than they about the return of our lamented loved ones or their eternal bliss.
Still, I can be sure about the return of the crocus, year in, year out. It is good, in our world of turbulence and disturbing changes, to know that this reassuring event will recur, something we can count on and look forward to.
In a moment or two, I shall step out to quaff the frigid air for it is winter still. I have here been incased too long... and on my way I shall surely take an extended moment to consult the crocus' upward arc. Confident, It looks to the sun.... as I do, too... this hardy pioneer promising me, yet again, that spring -- and warmth -- and new life, too, all these are coming soon, mine to cherish yet again and gladly so.
About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc.,
where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online.
Dr. Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
Click Here
Check out Autopilot Income Machines
For over 60 years my dreary mid February days have been graced by a small visitor about whom I, too slothful and sadly oblivious, have known too little.
Abashed, this year I decided, belatedly, to greet my little guest in proper style, not with just a nod and cursory thanks... but knowledgeable, the better to render suitable homage and ample gratitude. In short, no longer to glance at and pass by but to know my annual visitor as some dear friend, valued and appreciated.
This year, therefore, in its too brief time, I intend to know the crocus better, and to salute its graceful presence which has, despite my neglect, always shed its color and bold courage on me, and millions more.
Some facts about the Crocus longiflorus
The crocus (plural crocuses or croci) is a genus of perennial flowering plants. It is native to a large area including coastal and subalpine central and southern Europe including, interestingly enough, the islands of the Aegean; also North Africa and the Middle East, across Central Asia to Western China. In short, it has moved, by inches, a vast area to colonize, its sway far more than Rome's and Alexander's, Tamerlane's and Genghis Khan's.... combined. And all with our hardly noticing.
The genus Crocus is placed botanically in the iris family (Iridaceae). It grows from corms, which constitute its handy food supply, providing what it needs to get through the winter and the energy it requires to push through snow and ice, and so be present, timely, to astonish us and cause the thought, "Spring is just around the corner!" Then smile.
There are dozens of crocus species; my sources widely differing in just how many. One said 80, another 300. It seems my experts need to know the crocus better, too. Perhaps only the croci know.... In any case, some 30 varieties are cultivated, all distinguished (whether of the fall or spring blooming type) by three stamens. Three things secure our attention to the croci: when they arrive... and how they look... and the flavorful uses to which (particularly the autumn blooming variety) can be put.
Crocus plants, determined to be seen, either arrive (in the spring) before any other flowering plants...... or (in the autumn) after all the other flowering plants. This forces us to see them as they are, without distractions or competitors. When the croci are here, it is just them... and us. It's the way they like it.
Its colors
The first thing we notice about the crocus is its shoots, rising up, inexorably, through mud and snow and ice, determined to show these symbols of the past that the better, warmer future is on its way. To no other flower do we pay such close attention as it pushes up towards the sun, but this one speaks to us of the springtime soon to come... or (in the autumn variety) urges us to fast prepare for the certainty of winter, close at hand.
Either way, spring or fall, the crocus dazzles us with its enormous array of colors... of which lilac, mauve, yellow and white predominate. Don't just glance and rush distracted on your way, as most people do, seeing so little. You need to bend down and look carefully.... for the crocus delights in holding back some aspect of its hues, until you stop, stoop, and take a minute, patient, to scrutinize... and truly see.
The useful crocus, flavorful, medicinal.
You can, if hungry, eat crocus bulbs. You can boil them, bake or cook. But it is the crocus (saffron) that is the most utilitarian. Its snout with stamens is valuable in medicine, seasoning... and even dye. This crocus variety is the most cultivated (with Spain the leader) as a savoury spice. It can easily cost $1 for one gram. This means, too, that saffron is worth counterfeiting... and people do, substituting the far cheaper tumeric (a good spice but no challenge) for saffron, the most expensive spice on earth.
Saffron has a bitter-spicy taste and a pungent smell. In the Middle East particularly it is used for meat, fish, seafood and rice. It must be used alone (for it does not mix well) and should only be used in very small quantities. If you over use... you can easily spoil your dish, for in larger quantities, saffron delivers an unpleasant, bitter taste... and a very irritated eater.
By the way, should you wish to try this spice... do not use just any crocus to do so. Proper saffron, the king of spices, can easily be mixed with meadow saffron, which is very poisonous. I wonder how many bargain hunting saffron fanciers discovered this... too late?
All this is worth knowing, but this spice derives from the fall flowering crocus... and this story must focus on the spring variety... for it is that I pass every late winter day, until now in ignorance. It is also this variety which has caused poets, mostly pedestrian, to put pen to paper... and create a paean... though their sentiments are perhaps greater than their poetical abilities.
Arguably the most famous poem ever written about the crocus is by Harriet Beecher Stowe (d. 1896). Here's what Abraham Lincoln said of her when they met in 1862: "So, you're the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war." (The book, of course, is "Uncle Tom's Cabin", published 1852).
She uses the crocus as a metaphor for resurrection in her poem "The Crocus." (Publication date unknown.)
Beneath the sunny autumn sky, With gold leaves dropping round, We sought, my little friend and I, The consecrated ground, Where, calm beneath the holy cross, O'er shadowed by sweet skies, Sleeps tranquilly that youthful form, Those blue unclouded eyes.
...
In blue and yellow from its grave Springs up the crocus fair, And God shall raise those bright blue eyes, Those sunny waves of hair. Not for a fading summer's morn, Not for a fleeting hour, But for an endless age of bliss, Shall rise our heart's dear flower.
***
Such certainties the Victorians possessed, which we do not share. We know the crocus will come again... but are less sure than they about the return of our lamented loved ones or their eternal bliss.
Still, I can be sure about the return of the crocus, year in, year out. It is good, in our world of turbulence and disturbing changes, to know that this reassuring event will recur, something we can count on and look forward to.
In a moment or two, I shall step out to quaff the frigid air for it is winter still. I have here been incased too long... and on my way I shall surely take an extended moment to consult the crocus' upward arc. Confident, It looks to the sun.... as I do, too... this hardy pioneer promising me, yet again, that spring -- and warmth -- and new life, too, all these are coming soon, mine to cherish yet again and gladly so.
About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc.,
where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online.
Dr. Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
Click Here
Check out Autopilot Income Machines
Two top Massachusetts officials release their autobiographies. U.S. Senator Scott Brown's bares all; Governor Deval Patrick's barely a book at all.
by Dr. Jeffrey Lant
It has often been said that there is a book in each of us. I believe there is; at this moment, I've written 18, with more to come.
But the aphorism is deceptive. To have a book inside is by no means to have a good book, inside your head or on the page. Many of those penning books prove what we always suspected... that books are too important to be left to quotidian authors and their often glaring limitations.
Books can make, books can break reputations.
One special literary genre is the subsection of political authors; either the ones who write their own books themselves, or the (now frequent) example of those with a thin offering of insights and observations; these need the felicitous (and practiced) ghost writer to spin the little they offer into The Book that will entice (if not ultimately satisfy) the public
Now two such political authors of high office have written (or assisted in the writing of) their autobiographies.
It is my privilege to provide the exegesis.
Governor Deval Patrick, "A Reason To Believe. Lessons from an Improbable Life", Broadway Books, Division of Random House.
U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, "Against All Odds. My Life of Hardship, Fast Breaks, and Second Chances." Simon and Schuster.
First, His Excellency the Governor...
We live in a society so desperate for "content" that those in the business of providing it in books, videos, films, etc. are literally forced to grab virtually anything that offers even the most slender promise -- and any chance of profit at all. In other words, we have far exceeded with our technologies and communications mega-systems, the means of disseminating content, the ability to provide even a tiny fraction of desirable content.
Hence Governor Patrick's ill-judged effort.
Here there was trouble even before a single word had been written. You see, this then one-term little known Massachusetts politician was offered the astonishing advance of $1.35 million after a auction for the rights that pitted 9 publishers against each other, thereby proving that they, too, suffer from the dangerous syndrome of hope over experience.
Patrick, a Harvard-trained lawyer who writes like one, with diligence but no felicity, made it clear from the get-go that he intended to write a motivational, educational, instructional tome, not a kiss 'n' tell. Every warning bell at respected Simon and Schuster should have sounded. But publishers are pack animals. If one has a book by a poor black boy who made good (can one say Obama?) then every other self-respecting "major" publisher must have one too. Those who look for sense and sensibility in the publishing game are bound to be disappointed. You've got 'peat... then endless repeat.
So, in a nutshell Patrick's book is about a boy from the projects who went to the most privileged of prep schools (Milton Academy) to the even grander privilege of Harvard... only to suffer a few bruises and rebuffs along the way. Is this a book? As Gertrude Stein (who went to Radcliffe herself) might have said, "There is no there there."
The book disappoints in anecdotes like this:
In 2008 knock 'em down diva Jennifer Hudson sang the National Anthem at the Democratic National Convention. Hearing it moved Patrick to sobs. When he pulled himself together, he bumped into Newark, New Jersey mayor Cory Booker. He was also overwhelmed by Hudson's delivery... and the two of them cried again, together.
And this is the high point of Patrick's underwhelming book.
One more anecdote proves the point.
The news coverage on the release of this book unfailingly mentions the "big bombshell" found in its pages; namely the fact that the newly-elected Governor of Massachusetts almost resigned because his wife was near a nervous break down because of the unanticipated pressures attaching to her position as First Lady of the Commonwealth. Well might this disclosure be cited, but not in the way he anticipates. Massachusetts in recent years has had many "first ladies" who opt out of the (non elected) role completely. And Mrs. Deval might have done the same. Thus, more drivel this; a most telling story providing more proof that then the man was not ready for prime time.
Senator Brown's book is entirely different, a winning effort because Brown continues to reveal the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, engaging us with a picaresque tale right out of "Tom Jones." (Henry Fielding, 1749) In the best traditions of this riveting genre, there is hardly an engrossing, shocking, salacious detail that our tell-all, show-all senator neglects. He is nothing if not thorough.
Brown provides the details, and I mean all the details, about his molestations at summer camp... how he was accosted by men in public places (and what happened then)... and, shockingly, about the endless, mind numbing beatings suffered at the hands of his mother's serial, unsuitable partners. This indeed is a tale for our psychotic times, and we all love, admit it, each tawdry, jaw-dropping detail.
The senator doesn't stint. He tells about his nude centerfold experience at Cosmopolitan magazine, the beautiful women, charmed to pet and enjoy, the parties at Studio 54; (he was surrounded by drugs but like Bill Clinton never indulged, scout's honor).
How did this upward trajectory start and develop for the boy whose previous achievements were limited to ever more inventive shop listing? This lad's face (and the body he decided to craft) was his fortune... and he ran with it, right up to and perhaps even beyond the Senate of these United States.
Brown has a tale to tell, indeed, and its substance would have emerged whoever had written it. But here, as in so many things, our Junior Senator from Massachusetts, was lucky. He bagged as his ghost Lyric Winik who "helped" former First Lady Laura Bush with her memoirs. Make no mistake, Winik is the best of the best... and he has delivered for Brown, perhaps (if he wins re-election in 2012 in his fervid Democrat state) unto the White House itself. Really, the Smithsonian should request of the senator now his famous pink hot pants for their permanent collection.
There is more, much more, but it is a charity to Senator Brown and the blissful retailers carrying this book to forego the joys of telling you. Get the book. It has undoubtedly raised the bar for political autobiographies. And a good thing, too, else we'd be left with the high minded, low octane effusions of politicians like Deval Patrick, who should stick with his day job. As for Scott Brown, he will always have options, and our attention.
About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc.,
where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online.
Dr. Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
http://WeBroadcastToYou.com
Check out Copy Paste Traffic
Click Here
It has often been said that there is a book in each of us. I believe there is; at this moment, I've written 18, with more to come.
But the aphorism is deceptive. To have a book inside is by no means to have a good book, inside your head or on the page. Many of those penning books prove what we always suspected... that books are too important to be left to quotidian authors and their often glaring limitations.
Books can make, books can break reputations.
One special literary genre is the subsection of political authors; either the ones who write their own books themselves, or the (now frequent) example of those with a thin offering of insights and observations; these need the felicitous (and practiced) ghost writer to spin the little they offer into The Book that will entice (if not ultimately satisfy) the public
Now two such political authors of high office have written (or assisted in the writing of) their autobiographies.
It is my privilege to provide the exegesis.
Governor Deval Patrick, "A Reason To Believe. Lessons from an Improbable Life", Broadway Books, Division of Random House.
U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, "Against All Odds. My Life of Hardship, Fast Breaks, and Second Chances." Simon and Schuster.
First, His Excellency the Governor...
We live in a society so desperate for "content" that those in the business of providing it in books, videos, films, etc. are literally forced to grab virtually anything that offers even the most slender promise -- and any chance of profit at all. In other words, we have far exceeded with our technologies and communications mega-systems, the means of disseminating content, the ability to provide even a tiny fraction of desirable content.
Hence Governor Patrick's ill-judged effort.
Here there was trouble even before a single word had been written. You see, this then one-term little known Massachusetts politician was offered the astonishing advance of $1.35 million after a auction for the rights that pitted 9 publishers against each other, thereby proving that they, too, suffer from the dangerous syndrome of hope over experience.
Patrick, a Harvard-trained lawyer who writes like one, with diligence but no felicity, made it clear from the get-go that he intended to write a motivational, educational, instructional tome, not a kiss 'n' tell. Every warning bell at respected Simon and Schuster should have sounded. But publishers are pack animals. If one has a book by a poor black boy who made good (can one say Obama?) then every other self-respecting "major" publisher must have one too. Those who look for sense and sensibility in the publishing game are bound to be disappointed. You've got 'peat... then endless repeat.
So, in a nutshell Patrick's book is about a boy from the projects who went to the most privileged of prep schools (Milton Academy) to the even grander privilege of Harvard... only to suffer a few bruises and rebuffs along the way. Is this a book? As Gertrude Stein (who went to Radcliffe herself) might have said, "There is no there there."
The book disappoints in anecdotes like this:
In 2008 knock 'em down diva Jennifer Hudson sang the National Anthem at the Democratic National Convention. Hearing it moved Patrick to sobs. When he pulled himself together, he bumped into Newark, New Jersey mayor Cory Booker. He was also overwhelmed by Hudson's delivery... and the two of them cried again, together.
And this is the high point of Patrick's underwhelming book.
One more anecdote proves the point.
The news coverage on the release of this book unfailingly mentions the "big bombshell" found in its pages; namely the fact that the newly-elected Governor of Massachusetts almost resigned because his wife was near a nervous break down because of the unanticipated pressures attaching to her position as First Lady of the Commonwealth. Well might this disclosure be cited, but not in the way he anticipates. Massachusetts in recent years has had many "first ladies" who opt out of the (non elected) role completely. And Mrs. Deval might have done the same. Thus, more drivel this; a most telling story providing more proof that then the man was not ready for prime time.
Senator Brown's book is entirely different, a winning effort because Brown continues to reveal the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, engaging us with a picaresque tale right out of "Tom Jones." (Henry Fielding, 1749) In the best traditions of this riveting genre, there is hardly an engrossing, shocking, salacious detail that our tell-all, show-all senator neglects. He is nothing if not thorough.
Brown provides the details, and I mean all the details, about his molestations at summer camp... how he was accosted by men in public places (and what happened then)... and, shockingly, about the endless, mind numbing beatings suffered at the hands of his mother's serial, unsuitable partners. This indeed is a tale for our psychotic times, and we all love, admit it, each tawdry, jaw-dropping detail.
The senator doesn't stint. He tells about his nude centerfold experience at Cosmopolitan magazine, the beautiful women, charmed to pet and enjoy, the parties at Studio 54; (he was surrounded by drugs but like Bill Clinton never indulged, scout's honor).
How did this upward trajectory start and develop for the boy whose previous achievements were limited to ever more inventive shop listing? This lad's face (and the body he decided to craft) was his fortune... and he ran with it, right up to and perhaps even beyond the Senate of these United States.
Brown has a tale to tell, indeed, and its substance would have emerged whoever had written it. But here, as in so many things, our Junior Senator from Massachusetts, was lucky. He bagged as his ghost Lyric Winik who "helped" former First Lady Laura Bush with her memoirs. Make no mistake, Winik is the best of the best... and he has delivered for Brown, perhaps (if he wins re-election in 2012 in his fervid Democrat state) unto the White House itself. Really, the Smithsonian should request of the senator now his famous pink hot pants for their permanent collection.
There is more, much more, but it is a charity to Senator Brown and the blissful retailers carrying this book to forego the joys of telling you. Get the book. It has undoubtedly raised the bar for political autobiographies. And a good thing, too, else we'd be left with the high minded, low octane effusions of politicians like Deval Patrick, who should stick with his day job. As for Scott Brown, he will always have options, and our attention.
About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc.,
where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online.
Dr. Lant is also the author of 18 best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
http://WeBroadcastToYou.com
Check out Copy Paste Traffic
Click Here
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