Thoughts upon the latest acquisition to my collection, a portrait of Joseph II, emperor of Austria, patron of Mozart.

by Dr. Jeffrey Lant

I am now at the stage of life and collecting where I am looking for quite specific things. These things must either fill a gap in my collection or expand the collection in a new way, but related to what it already contains.

Items must also have the undeniable "wow" factor, the je ne sais quoi which is so hard to explain in words but so easy to see in person.

Oh, yes, one more  thing: the price must be, if not a bargain, then most attractive, so that one can justify, yet again, exceeding one's (always too meager) budget.

Imperial Hapsburg portrait.

My latest acquisition, a fine portrait of Austrian emperor Joseph II by Josef Hickel, fills all these criteria, but for the price, for I admit I did exceed my budget. I am chagrined, of course, but realistic. The auction market which has been so attractive for purchasing during the great recession now over is now most healthy again. Just as I got bargain after bargain during that recession, so I must logically expect to pay more now that that once-in-a- lifetime buying opportunity has waned.

I expect you'd like to see this picture.

Go to the website of the auction house, Vienna's celebrated Dorotheum in business since 1707. You'll find it at dorotheum.com

Once there find the entry for the Alte Meister (Old Master) pictures sale, Part I, 13 April, 2011,  lot  473. Be sure to click on the link that increases the size of what you see.

Here are the facts about this picture:

Josef Hickel (born Bohmisch-Leipa/Bohemia, 1736; died Vienna, 1807).

Portrait of Emperor Joseph II in a Chevaux Legers uniform, with the Order of the Golden Fleece set with brilliants; the Order of Maria Theresa and the Order of Saint Stephen. Oil on copper, oval 32 x 26 cm, framed.

About the painter and his picture.

Josef Hickel was court painter to Empress Maria Theresa, for whom he portrayed numerous high-ranking personalities. In 1769 he was appointed a member of the Florentine Academy. In Vienna, where he was likewise affiliated with the Academy, he was repeatedly commissioned to paint Emperor Joseph II and portrayed him at least five times. He left altogether more than 3,000 portraits. The present painting depends on contemporary English portraiture, a typical feature of which is the hint of a clouded sky in the background, so that the sovereign, in contract to the meticulous rendering of his appearance, is placed against the limitless expanse of space in order to augment his significance.

These are the bare facts.  Now, as every serious collector knows, the real work begins.

Every collector is an  historian and needs to act like one.

Understand that every picture, and every other collectible artifact for that matter, is an aperture into the past, a way of seeing and understanding days gone by while building a collection of significance.

My involvement with this lot began when I was in high school in the mid 1960s. There for the first time I became aware of Josef Hickel, but as celebrated artist father of a celebrated artist son, Karl Anton Hickel. Hickel fils' portrait of the English early 19th century statesman Charles James Fox was pictured in a book for a project about Fox's oratory.  (Charles James Fox: A Man for the  People, author  Loren Reid, 1969) That picture was most assuredly not in the grand tradition. It showed Fox very much as his contemporaries saw him: overweight, unkempt, hat askew, undeniably the most charming and popular man of his age. This was a Fox captured by a Hickel. Hickel pere and fils thus became must-have names on my list of desirable acquisitions.

Do you have such a list of the desirable painters, silver smiths, seat furniture craftsmen etc that you would like to have? You must. These lists are invaluable as you consider new acquisitions and, for that matter, as you de-acquisition because you have outgrown various items, styles, and craftspeople.

Because this list is very important, you must start it as early as possible and constantly work to keep it up to date.

Why Joseph II? (1741-1790).

For hundreds of years the Hapsburgs, in all their various manifestations and titles, more often than not Holy Roman Emperors, guarded Europe from menacing Turks, Russians, Slavs, and more. They were an essential cog in the wheel of European civilization. Indeed, so important were the Austrian and their sprawling possessions that had they not have existed, they would have had to be invented.

Their capital was Vienna, and there one emperor after another left his signature on a metropolis fit for a monarchy sanctioned by God, Holy and Apostolic. Joseph II thus became the Vicegerent of God on earth... and he acted accordingly... not least in turning Vienna into the cultural capital of Europe. A bumptious lad with egregious ego, dripping with disdain for the less gifted, aimed for Vienna, too. His name was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (born 1756). He was a handful even for the emperor himself.

However, when I look at my imperial portrait, I see the man who gave Mozart his first great break: commissioning from him the first opera in the German language, the masterwork which came to be known as "The Abduction from the Seraglio." Mozart, whose genius was greater than the empire itself, was ungrateful, of course. That is the cross even emperors must bear.

By the way, I feel honor bound to set the record straight on two standing charges against Joseph II,

1) that he told Mozart that "The Abduction..." had too many notes, Mozart immediately telling His Imperial Majesty it had just the number it needed. This story is most likely apocryphal, though it is clear Joseph II never did figure out how to treat the potty-mouthed boy who wrote with the voice of God Himself.

2) Mozart was not dumped in a common pauper's grave. Joseph II, enlightened monarch, wished to cut the giant expenditures his subjects spent on unproductive funerals. He ordered all bodies be thrown in common pits to be covered with flesh-dissolving lime. And so it was with Mozart.

 Now I am  part of the story.

This fine picture, still in Vienna, willl shortly to go to my conservator Simon Gillespie in London. For over 20 years now, he has taken the merely excellent and with unsurpassed talent turned my pictures, all my pictures, into glorious History. Once they are here, I become part of the story... Improving, maintaining, preserving, augmenting. But make no mistake, they most assuredly own me, never the reverse. And I am proud, honored, content to have it so.
About the Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. Dr. Lant is an avid art collector and the author of 18 best-selling business books.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
http://WeBroadcastToYou.com.

Check out Xtreme Profit Robot
I just wanted to let you know that you can get
the brand new Clickbank software "Xtreme
Profit Robot" for FREE here

The Truth On Steve Iser & His Commission Crusher Software

Lately there's been a lot of talk about this relatively unknown 24 year-old
online millionaire named Steve Iser who's exposing his software
program Commission Crusher, to the world for a very limited time...

So just who is Steve and what should you know about him?

Simply put, Steve is unlike any other marketer online. With nearly 5 years
of marketing online, Steve has gone from College dropout at 20 to millionaire
status in less than 3 years.

He's run the full gamut from promoting affiliate programs, creating info
products, software training, sold websites, spoken at marketing conferences,
created his own CPA offers and in the process of his career has already helped
thousands of people create successful businesses online.

You name it - he's probably done it. This young turk believes in "paying it
forward". In other wards, his goal with Commission Crusher is to help
his 500 new students utilize his new software to create a new group of rich.

His new software program, Commission Crusher, utilizes a simple method that
allows you to tap into any market or niche online and find out WHO exactly
has the traffic - so you can tap into it and get a piece of the pie for youself.

Needless to say, he's unlike most of these other "gurus" out there. He does
things differently. And he takes a personal interest in helping his customers
succeed.

If you want to know more about Commission Crusher and what Steve's got going
on right now, check it out below:
Commission Crusher

Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
http://WeBroadcastToYou.com.

What your local school is NOT teaching your children that you must to ensure their lifetime success.

by Dr. Jeffrey Lant

Have you considered lately just what your local school is -- or more importantly -- is not teaching your children? Probably not. Like most parents, you take the matter on faith; hoping they're teaching what your children most need to get ahead.

Unfortunately, in at least 4 key areas, your children are learning little or nothing of what they absolutely must know to get ahead and lead profitable, productive lives.

#1 Local schools don't teach necessary interview and job skills, leaving your children vulnerable particularly in tight job markets.

Here are just some of the items on which the school is letting you down:

* how to write a resume and cover letter
* how to look for and find available jobs
* how to follow up with prospective employers
* how to dress for the interview
* how to handle themselves during  interviews.

Obviously obtaining employment is crucial. Sadly, your school is letting you down.

#2 Your school is not delivering detailed information on financial affairs.

Mastery of basic information about money, debt, investments, etc is crucial. However, here's what your school isn't teaching:

* how to open a bank account
* how to use checks, including how to balance a check book
* what a home mortgage is and how to get and keep one
* how to do a home budget
* understanding and benefiting from pensions
* understanding mutual funds and other financial investments
* how to complete a tax form.

We live in a "capitalist" culture, but the overwhelming majority of our citizens are clueless about how to benefit from it, because our schools teach nothing about it.

#3 How to be a good citizen. Your school isn't telling, leaving this to "catch as catch can" with disastrous results.

Election after election takes place with 40%, or more, of citizens failing to vote. No wonder. Here's just some of what our schools don't teach:

* what is a citizen? What are his/her rights and responsibilities
* what is the Constitution? What is the Bill of Rights?
* how to register to vote
* how to read a ballot
* how to  understand referenda and other citizen initiatives
* how to vote.

We decry low voter turn-out and participation yet fail to teach what is necessary for a healthy democracy.

#4 Basic human relations skills

Have you looked at your children lately?  Have you actually listened to them?

EVERY civilization prior to ours was painstaking in teaching young people successfully how to interact with other people. They realized that such skills were absolutely crucial for a successful marriage and life generally.  Instead of this sensible system, we let matters take their course with predictable results. Here's just some of what our schools don't teach:

* how to greet strangers and make them feel comfortable
* how to look people in the eyes
* how to handle a basic conversation
* the meaning of courtesy and how to deliver it
* how to express appreciation
* how to reciprocate.

Get the picture? Without your school's interest or support, your children are left at sea with no assistance or insight whatsoever about necessary questions of human relations. Boorish and self-defeating behaviors are therefore inevitable.

Since The Schools Are Unable or Unwilling To Assist, These Things Are YOUR Responsibility

It is clear that leaving matters to your school is a bad mistake. Public educators are unable or unwilling to teach these matters. Thus, if you want the best for your children YOU must become their recognized, organized "life skills" teacher.

Don't treat this matter casually or lightly. It is far too important for that.

* Think what your children must know but are not getting in school.
* Schedule regular meeting with your children.
* Be clear on what you want them to know.
* Encourage active participation and discussion.
* Invite their friends to participate.

It is not the fault of the children that they are being short- changed in schools. Don't compound the problem by short-changing them at home. Start today. You'll be glad you did, and your children will reward you by maturing into better people, with suitable appreciation for all you did!

P.S. If  your school district teaches at least some of these things, be glad.... then ask them to implement the rest!

About The Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., where small and home-based businesses learn how to profit online. Attend Dr. Lant's live webcast TODAY and receive 50,000 free guaranteed visitors to the website of your choice.
Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
http://WeBroadcastToYou.com

Check out Ultimate Cash Blueprint  
These secrets are exclusive. You won't find
a million and one marketers using it.
Press Here

The eagle has landed! Raptor Resource Project Decorah, Iowa Eagle Cam.

by Dr. Jeffrey Lant

You've heard of  "The Eagle Has Landed"  before. It was a best-selling novel by Jack Higgins in 1975; then, in 1976, a big budget film starring Michael Caine et al, with a soaring score by Lalo Schifrin. The plot centered on the Nazi attempt to capture Winston Churchill and bring him to Germany. It had swash and buckle and derring-do to beat the band.

But you know what? This article on a family of Bald Eagles in America's heartland is far more exciting, indeed mesmerizing -- and I say it who is not known for nature lore or for climbing every mountain.

See for  yourself.

Before you dig into this article, go to any search engine and search for the Raptor Resource Project Decorah (Iowa) Eagle Cam. Once you've found it (easy), you'll have trouble shutting it off (hard). I went to have a look; stayed for a couple of hours; went back later and was captivated watching an adult feed the chicks; then (in the middle of the night) back again to make sure all was well. The late afternoon winds had died down; the night was serene and the adult had the chicks under belly, snug and well fed.

My fascination is shared by hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children worldwide, many of whom get so involved in this fascinating story that they pack up the kids and head to Decorah to see the reality show live. So many people visited the Eagle Cam Saturday, April 2, 2011 (over 100,000 that day) that the Raptor Project's website crashed... it was the only thing that went down that day. Everything else about the eagles and their enthusiastic following was up, up, up.

First hatch 4/1/2011.

What the world and its brother has been paying attention to is this:

First egg laid 2/23/2011

First hatch 4/1/2011... Second hatch 4/3/2011... Third hatch 4/6/2011

This information is posted as it happens on the RRP blog, which under the guiding hand of Amy Ries, one of the dedicated band that runs this show, provides maximum access and information without jeopardizing what makes the project enthralling: ready, close-range access to the eagles... without spooking the raptors and making them anxious.

Amy's blog entry for Friday, April 1, 2011 was characteristic:" Eagles incubate for roughly 34-37 days, according to a number of online sources. Last year, the Decorah eagles laid three eggs: one on February 5, one on February 28, and one on March 5. The first eaglet hatched on April 3. This year, the eagles starting laying eggs a little earlier, but had the exact same spread: February 23, February 26, and March 2nd." Then follows a clear, well-written post on eagle incubation, including a detailed answer to the questions inquiring minds want to know: who takes care of the eggs better, male or female?

The answer: "The female eagle incubates more, but the male shares incubation duties as well."

Blog comments left by the faithful are numerous, enthusiastic, heartfelt, and revealing. Many queries are left about just what the eagles are eating for themselves and feeding the chicks... about how the chicks are faring... about whether the eagles and their eaglets are all doing well. The Raptor Project turns humans of any age into concerned friends, god parents and adopted relations. These parent eagles and their adorable (and they are) chicks touch us, each and every one. We want them to do well and our concern is palpable, sincere, highly credible to us and good to know, since we humans are the greatest menace to the eagles. After all, it was only the other day that eagles were almost gone.

Bob Anderson to the rescue, doing more than his bit for raptor preservation.

Though many have helped in the development of RRP, one person above all deserves the kudos. That person is Bob Anderson, the executive director, Founding Father, with a distinct resemblance to Bob Keeshan, Captain Kangaroo. He first provided his first public feed of bird cams in 1991. That was from a falcon's nest mounted halfway up an 800-foot-tall electric plant smokestack in Oak Park Heights, Minnesota.

He launched his first eagle camera in 2003 at another power plant in Colorado. He pointedly set up an osprey cam on Earth Day 1993, to remind folks that important as RRP and its work is, it is but a part of a global problem we ignore at our peril. He has never done so.

As for his beloved eagles, they have perched in a tree behind Anderson's "mission control" operation; (a garage lent by Willard and Mary Ellen Holthaus) for 5 years. He knows their fascinating habits well. The male eagle, for instance, is markedly smaller than the female; the gal he's with now is his second mate. They seem contented and are certainly prolific.

Too much of a good thing?

For years, many years, Bob Anderson and a few friends and supporters labored tirelessly, hardly known, the work hard, exhausting, and obscure. The Internet and streaming video changed all that forever. The raptors Anderson wanted to save and preserve now became, as they are now, the acknowledged stars of a production with mind-boggling visibility, popularity, and renown. At any given time, over 100,000 people are viewing the raptors at home. There have been, so far, more than 30 million views...

Founding Father Anderson is pleased of course. These majestic creatures, the very symbol of our great republic (since 1782) should be seen and appreciated by all. Above all birds the eagle must thrive and soar. But here there are dangers, too.

The website crashes too often; well-meaning visitors cut through the yards and lawns of the good, so-far uncomplaining citizens of Decorah and vicinity, turning Anderson into a diplomat. New equipment is needed... and new conservation projects need funds. And all this must be accomplished without disturbing, frightening, or threatening the eagles themselves. That above all.

A couple of bucks would help. Like so many of our essential non- profit organizations, crucial to our entire way of life, RRP has done wonders with very little. This can only work so long. Frankly, sending them a few bucks would cost you little and ensure the continuing success not only of Raptor Research Project but the eagles at its center.

As for me, today I shall check in at Raptor Cam. I was worried yesterday that the littlest chick, perhaps the newest born, was somewhat neglected during feeding time, and I want to see for myself that all is well.

Note: Send your tax-deductible contributions to

Raptor Research Project ATTN Bob Anderson, Executive Director 2325 Siewers Spring Road Decorah, Iowa 52101-7501

About the Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses. 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 Ultimate Cash Blueprint
These secrets are exclusive. You won't find
a million and one marketers using it. Have a look=>Here!

It's time for your bonfire of excuses. Reflections on gettingout of your own way, seizing success today

by Dr. Jeffrey Lant

One way and another I have been in business for, what, over 40 years.

I have created and run businesses, right up to the present.

Taught  thousands of business students of every age.

Written 18 business books and thousands of business articles.

Had a nationally syndicated radio program on business.

But you get the point. Having now established, I trust, my bone fides, I am going to have my say about why so many people who say they want to be entrepreneurs will never, ever succeed in business.

Hint: it's something millions of entrepreneurs do daily that keeps them firmly amongst the also-rans.

It's the matter of excuses. The better you are at making them, the less good you are at making money and the less success overall.

Thus, today I want to propose a new and absolutely essential project for yourself...  retiring your characteristic excuses, one at a time, and then burning them in the most important fire of your life, the bonfire of excuses.

First, hear what you say and perceive how deeply ingrained excuses are in your conversation.

Language is made up of building blocks, starting from letters of the alphabet, through words, phrases, etc. By the  time we're adults most of us have long since stopped paying attention to the building blocks of communication; we talk, we hope others listen to what we say because we're not listening to it ourselves. Why should we? We know what we mean, right?

Your first task today is to put yourself and your daily attempts to communicate under a microscope. To root out excuses you must first know you make them. Are you aware, for instance, how often you blame lack of time to invest in your business for your failure get ahead?

This is a classic excuse, with innumerable variations.

Here excuse means to cite as a cause for failure or inaction an event, person, or thing which in point of fact has absolutely nothing to do with the matter; to excuse yourself from responsibility and provide a spurious reason for lack of progress, growth, success. In the process you deceive all and sundry; most importantly you deceive yourself.

Let's look at one crucial area where your facility with making excuses is killing your profits and growth: ad copy. When was the last time you reviewed each and every ad you're paying good money to run? I bet it's been a long, long time (if at all). Instead of reviewing  your ads, keeping track of all your responses and profits, knowing how much these ads cost, and then retiring the losers, you instead say "I would have done it, but I was too busy."

This is, of course, rubbish.

The long and short of the matter is that you

1) didn't budget time;

2) let lesser activities take precedence, in part because you were slothful and they were easier;

3) therefore let unresponsive, unremunerative ad copy continue without a plan for reviewing, removing, re-doing.

If you are to stop and permanently eradicate from your business life the crippling excuses which are so damaging to your success, you must be willing to see yourself as the clear problem... and do what it takes to radically change your ways.

As regards the above matter of reviewing ad copy, you need to scrutinize your current daily activities (how many hours did you say you took for "breaks"?) and ruthlessly drop the activities which aren't paying and rigorously substitute those that either save you money, make you money, or both.

"I don't have the money."

Think of the machines, the personnel, the training, the marketing and advertising, the research and development your business requires. It can be, and for many is, daunting.

Thus when asked why you have an outmoded computer or Internet services, etc. you offer without thinking that you "don't have the money". More rubbish.

The truth is you most likely have not reviewed each and every dollar you spend, to determine (with the most severe scrutiny) just where it all goes... and, taking the matter one step further, to where it ought to go.

Thus, your knee-jerk response, offered over and over again, is that you lack the funds.

"My computer is old, but I just don't have the money..."

"My delivery van needs to be traded  in for a new one and the correct, updated advertising information painted on it, but I just don't have the money..."

"I know I look like a homeless person, but I just don't have the money for suitable clothes..."

Each and every one of these commonly-used excuses spurns the truth in favor of this very popular excuse. And so, daily, you hobble  your business... by your own failure to review  your situation, see things as they are, and make the necessary decisions accordingly. You don't need an excuse... you need a psychiatrist.

Why do you do it? Whatever your reasons, excuses are anathema... the bane of business success... the root of diminished expectations and realities.

Fortunately, you can start the necessary changes.... today!

You now have a choice: to continue making excuses, passing them off as facts when they are anything but... or ruthlessly eradicating them, from this moment. Some of you, through inaction, will keep your current situation; making excuses, not money.

But if you're determined to grasp maximum success, you'll thank me for this necessary wake-up call and follow these steps to the letter:

1) As stated, review what you say and how you say it.

2) Don't create excuses which attempt to pass off as facts your faulty suppositions, unproven deductions, and general inaccuracies.

3) Put the harshest light on what you do and say; determine whether it makes you money, or not, and reform accordingly.

4) Beginning today, now, keep a pad with you at all times, and as you hear yourself making an excuse, any excuse, write it on  your pad as a configuration of  words due to be expunged.

5) Try to remove at least one excuse from your speech every day. As you do so, write the inhibiting phrase on a page. Then take it out to your barbecue and burn it.... burn it completely, thoroughly, until absolutely nothing is left. This marks your transition from excuse maker to problem solver. You are already on the heady road to... MORE of what you want, rather than excuses for what you didn't have and could never get under your old regime. Happily, you are about to be a better and a richer person. Let me be the first to congratulate you.

About the Author
Harvard-educated Dr. Jeffrey Lant is CEO of Worldprofit, Inc., providing a wide range of online services for small and-home based businesses.
 Republished with author's permission by Sylvia Kinzie
http://WeBroadcastToYou.com

Check out Ultimate Cash Blueprint
These secrets are exclusive. You won't find
a million and one marketers using it.
Watch this here today so you can cash in on this, too!