I Know Who Killed Me - This is a great Movie - Um, What? Not only do we not know what's happening in this commercial, we don't want to know what's happening in this movie. Fortunately, neither did the rest of America.
This articel appeared on Stuffed on Friday, 23 February 2007 and was written by Jenny Shu
Glen Fergusson - Sales and Marketing manager for a brand new Californian Porsche dealer. Has lost his job and faces possible legal proceedings as the company strives to reclaim the costs of the 18 Porsches given away free under Glen's Opening day "buy one get one free promotion" "I admit I didn't really do the numbers properly on this one" said Glen who told reporters that he had "seen the concept work really well for coffee stores" and in terms of numbers you could argue that Glen's campaign worked. As the new Porsche dealer sold 18 Porsches in the first hour of the store opening.
It took the head office a full hour to realise what was going on and subsequently shut the store.
Local man Bruce Stepper took out a second mortgage on his home after getting a promotional flyer in his mailbox. "I am ecstatic - I brought a shiny red Porsche today, got another one free and I have sold just sold it on EBay, all up I end up getting a Porsche 911 for $5000"
Jane Cameron was arguably even more entrepreneurial. The local Janitor purchased a Porsche using the dealers "no deposit finance plan for low income earners", sold both cars, paid off the finance account and walked away with $120,000 profit. The finance plan was another one of Glen's initiatives that has now been cancelled.
A red faced Glen stated "I have never really been too good at Math and I was sure the whole time we were making money - I was initially blown away by the amount of cars we were selling in that first hour. I had seen the "buy one get one free card" work extremely well for the new coffee shop down the road and thought what a great idea I will try it here."
National spokesman for the dealership chain was quoted as saying "We are just glad that the idiot didn’t have time to run with his 'test drive 5 cars, get one free loyalty stamp card' campaign.
When we know what our values are, and when we have a clear set of goals in all areas of our lives, we're in a much stronger position to politely and appropriately say 'no' to potential time-stealers and less relevant activities.
A new study reported in General Dentistry suggests that sugary beverages could increase the risk of Alzheimer's. The researchers were trying to determine if high sugar consumption in an otherwise normal diet could impact Alzheimer's progression.
They found that mice that consumed a diet that was 10 percent sugar water gained more weight, had higher cholesterol, and developed insulin resistance. In other words, they became classic diabetics. Sound like a familiar pattern? What's more, the mice showed a decline in learning and memory retention, and their brains contained OVER TWICE as many amyloid plaque deposits – a hallmark of Alzheimer's.
Now you're thinking, "Hold on, Dr. D. – I don't have a diet that contains 10 percent sugar water. This test is bunk!" Actually, the human equivalent of the mouse diet would be about five cans of soda a day – a lot, to be sure. But even if you don't drink that much soda, there are plenty of other ways we funnel sugar down our throats, and it all ads up.
I saw another report the other day that pointed out that Americans are now drinking about 20 percent of their total caloric intake. And sugary beverages – of which there are so many these days – are everywhere. And don't forget: Those sports drinks may be refreshing, but they're like drinking a Milky Way bar. And I'm sure you don't think about it much, but fruit juices, like orange and grapefruit, can be tossed into this category as well.
Whether it's your teeth or your brain … you should think twice the next time you reach for a drink.
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Thursday, January 10, 2008
Windmills and solar panels are so last century.
A gym in Hong Kong, collaborating with inventor Lucien Gambarota, is experimenting with a really alternative source of energy: workout machines.
Dynamos have been attached to cycling and Stairmaster machines, generating enough electricity to power lights and TVs in the gym. The experiment has been such a success that the company has plans to expand the program to its other locations.
A police sergeant and two constables were out patrolling outside Brisbane, Qld., Australia, when their vehicle was struck by lightning.
"Everything went on -- the siren, lights, horn," said Sgt. Craig Shepherd. "It was one of the most freakiest things I've ever seen."
The officers limped the damaged 4WD vehicle back to the station -- the siren blaring the whole way -- so they could get the tools to disconnect the siren. (Australian AP) ...The most freaky thing about this: three cops, and none of them had a pocketknife to cut the siren's speaker wire.
Every week, block in a few important non-urgent actions.
It's too easy to get caught up in everlasting deadlines. To change that emphasis make appointments with yourself, written into your diary or organiser, to work on one or two activities per week of long-term and long-lasting value.
If you're not sure what sort of things you could be working on, think of the big tasks you're putting off until you 'have time'.
Almost certainly they can be broken down into small chunks and there will be something you can realistically start on.
SkillPath provide great seminars in Australia. I subscribe to their monthly newsletter. Here is a great article on how to get back control of your time, by learning to say "NO" the American way.
"You aren't likely to show irritation and snap at your supervisor or a colleague who interrupts you because it might seem rude and impolite. To the other person, the reason they're interrupting you may be a major concern that could affect you too. If the person is a team member or someone you supervise, you probably want to help, but now may not be the best time. The problem may be important, but it probably isn't something that must be resolved immediately.
The USA method is a very effective way of telling others that you respect them and their needs, that you have something going on that requires your full and immediate attention and that you have an alternative plan.
The USA method requires practice. As you use it, you'll be amazed at how well you'll begin controlling interruptions rather than allowing them to control you.
Here's how it works:
Understanding statement or statement of empathy.
Example: "Greg, I'm sure this problem is important." (It is to Greg and it might be for you, too, but it's probably not urgent.)
Situation statement. You make a statement that explains the present situation.
Example: "I'm working on a report that needs to be finished by 1:00."
Action statement. You make a statement that describes what you will do.
Example: "Let's get together this afternoon between 3:00 and 3:15. I'll meet you in the conference room."
Pay particular attention to how these examples allow you to control the environment. You set the time and you suggest meeting in the conference room rather than at your own desk. This gives you the freedom to escape if the meeting goes on too long.
This is a quite a beautiful shot, with nice lines and lovely color. The glow of the candles is particularly nice -- it brings out the color in the women's head pieces.
The fact that the second woman is slightly raised up, a little more revealed, it breaks the pattern and she becomes a more dominate point of this photo, its primary subject.
Had her head been down, however, as Megan pointed out, more in line with the rest, it would certainly have been interesting also.
Constantly ask, 'What is my highest priority right now?'
This is a great focusing question. When we use it as a constant background mantra or self-question we find it easier to stay on task with the activities that really will make a difference.
We're also less likely at the end of the day to find we've not dealt with our highest priorities of the day.
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Thursday, November 01, 2007
Irish Americans love to talk about St. Patrick. Aside from inventing green beer, he's the guy who -- according to historian Thomas Cahill -- helped save Western civilization. How so?
As the story goes, Patrick was captured in Roman Britain at age 16 by Irish raiders. For six years, they kept him as a slave.
Years later, in the 400s, Patrick had the chutzpah (there's really no better word for it) to go back into the pagan nation of his former captors as a missionary.
At first, it didn't go so well. He was beaten and robbed. At one point, he was left in chains awaiting execution. The kings didn't like him, because they couldn't buy his loyalties with gifts. The people didn't like him because he didn't share their faith.
So what did he do? He got started anyway. Not by cooking up some master plan, or by making sure he had enough Franklin Day Planner pages to book half-hour slots for all those conversions... but by just getting started, in the only way he could imagine how.
He taught the Irish common folk to read.
See, back then, most Europeans were illiterate. The decline of Rome and rise of barbarian hordes made that even more so. Books, on the continent, were used as little more than kindling.
The greatest store of knowledge up to that point, the writings of Ancient Greece and Rome, were literally going up in smoke.
Patrick didn't set out to save the classics. He just set out to civilize the people. There is no civilization, Cahill observes, without books.
Just like schoolchildren, Patrick's pupils went to work. First they learned the alphabet. Then they practiced their writing by copying out the only texts available, those same ancient texts, word for word.
Plato, Aristotle, Euripedes, Homer, and more... they all survived, thanks to those efforts. Had it not been for Patrick's decision to "just do it" those works might have disappeared forever.
Become what I call a 'walking question mark'. There are always better ways to do things. Every time you do a task, look for a shortcut, some way to trim a few seconds or a minute or two off the task. They mount up to a surprising total over a week.
A very simple example: You're emptying the dishwasher. To quickly put away the cutlery lay a tea towel on the bench right beside your cutlery drawer. Tip the contents of the cutlery basket on to the tea towel. Then you can swiftly pick up and put away each category - it takes only a few moves.
Now apply that thinking to how you manage your paperwork, how you put things away, how many unnecessary steps you take in a day. Notice how often you say in frustration, ‘Bother it. I forgot to get (or do) ..... '.
Time-saving efficiencies are all around us, but most people don't go looking for them. Instead, they just complain about lack of time.
If you look at the great entrepreneurs of our era — Kirk Kerkorian, Donald Trump, and Rupert Murdoch, to name but a few — the one thing they all have in common is that they are great dealmakers. All of them hire others to handle their day-to-day operations, while they work on identifying and closing lucrative deals.
And so it is with many individuals in a wide variety of occupations, people who have used their dealmaking prowess to build empires. Wolfgang Puck is undoubtedly a great chef, but probably no better than thousands of other great chefs. From what I know of his rise to the top, it is clearly because he is a dealmaker supreme, who found a way — make that many ways — to transform himself from a gourmet chef into a culinary empire.
Ditto Howard Schultz, the man who built Starbucks into a global phenomenon. Start a chain of coffee shops? Are you kidding me? What a terrible idea. Nevertheless, in the face of declining coffee sales in the U.S., Schultz had the audacity to charge $3 for a cup of the world’s dullest and most common drink — and served it in a paper cup, to boot!
And this came about at a time when the world appeared to be moving too fast for people to slow down, relax, and enjoy a cup of coffee, as they did in the good old days. Now, with $30 billion in sales, Schultz leaves the day-to-day management to CEO Jim McDonald, while he travels the world making deals to further expand Starbucks’ reach.
I could go on and on … with Steve Riggio, who built Barnes & Noble into a retail giant and, in the process, transformed the way bookstores do business … with Martha Stewart, who built an empire by teaching women how to excel at being good housewives … with George Lucas, who created a one-man industry based on a single story. The list of dealmaking, empire-building entrepreneurs is endless.
