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Vol. 26, No. 6 ●June, 2008

You can find this newsletter and some past issues on the web @ www.Freeman-Spicer.com

 

 

A Year Has Passed . . . . . . . . . A year has passed since I last reminded you to check your own personal credit. Go to www.annualcreditreport.com and fill in your personal info. Remember to choose just one credit reporting agency – then in 3-6 months pick another. That way you can check all three during the year and keep up on your credit entries and/or errors.

 

Bill Gates . . . . . . . . Bill Gates recently gave a speech at a high school about 11 things they did not and will not learn in school. He talks about how feel-good politically correct teachings created a generation of kids with no concept of reality and how this concept set them up for failure in the real world.

v  Rule 1: Life is not fair – get used to it!

v  Rule 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

v  Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

v  Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss.

v  Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping: they called it opportunity.

v  Rule 6: If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

v  Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

v  Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life HAS NOT. In some schools, they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

v  Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you FIND YOURSELF. Do that on your own time.

v  Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

v  Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.

If you can read this – thank a teacher. (Koziel)

 

Actual Letters to Dear Abby: . . . . . Dear Abby, I have a man I can’t trust. He cheats so much, I’m not even sure the baby I’m carrying is his. Dear Abby, What can I do about all the Sex, Nudity, Foul Language and Violence on my VCR?  (Snopes.com)

 

Selling Benefits . . . . . . .  Every feature of your product has numerous benefits. Here’s an exercise to give your mind a healthy benefit workout: What are the benefits of having a 270 horsepower engine in a luxury car? They could include power to spare when passing a slower car, quick acceleration away from a hazard, the feeling of being in charge, less wear and tear, higher resale value, a smoother ride, etc. The point to learn: One feature does not equal one benefit. List your product’s top ten features, then come up with at least five different benefits for each and every feature. Remember, features only justify the price. Benefits justify the purchase. This gives you fifty new ways to close more sales. (Selling Power)

 

Another Priest, Preacher and Rabbi Story . . . . . . . . . A Priest, a Baptist Preacher and a Rabbi all served as chaplains to the students of Northern Michigan University in Marquette. They would get together two or three times a week for coffee and to talk shop. One day, someone made the comment that preaching to people isn’t really all that hard. A real challenge would be to preach to a bear. One thing led to another and they decided to do an experiment. They would all go out into the woods, find a bear, preach to it, and attempt to convert it. Seven days later, they all got together to discuss their experiences. Father Flannery, who has his arm in a sling, is on crutches, and has various bandages on his body and limbs, goes first. “Well,” he says, “I went into the wood to find me a bear. And when I found him I began to read to him from the Catechism. Well, that bear wanted nothing to do with me and began to slap me around. So I quickly grabbed my holy water, sprinkled him and said, Holy Mary Mother of God, he became as gentle as a lamb. The bishop is coming out next week to give him first communion and confirmation.” The Reverend spoke next. He was in a wheelchair, with an arm and both legs in casts, and an IV drip. In his best fire and brimstone oratory he claimed, “Well brothers, you KNOW that we don’t sprinkle! I went out and I found me a bear. And then I began to read to my bear from God’s Holy Word! But that bear wanted nothing to do with me. So I took hold of him and we began to wrestle. We wrestled down one hill, up another and down another until we came to a creek. So I quickly dunked him and baptized his hairy soul. And just like you said, he became as gentle as a lamb. We spent the rest of the day praising Jesus.” The Priest and the Reverend both looked down at the Rabbi, who was lying in a hospital bed. He was in a body cast and traction with IV’s and monitors running in and out of him – he was in real bad shape. The Rabbi looks up and says, “Looking back on it, circumcision may not have been the best way to start.” (Waxman)

 

As November Draws Closer . . . . . . . .  expect a barrage of pre-recorded phone calls and other pleas from presidential hopefuls who want your vote – and your financial support. Keep these facts in mind:

·         You can give only so much: $2,300 to a candidate for each primary or general election; $28,500 to a national party; $10,000 per state or local party.

·         Your info will go public. Once you exceed $200, your information is given to the Federal Election Committee which posts it on FEC.gov. Other sites then display it in searchable databases.

·         You get no thanks from Uncle Sam – contributions aren’t deductible. (Money)

 

Quotes: “My theory on housework is if the item doesn’t multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be.” Erma Bombeck

“True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.” Kurt Vonnegut

 

A Young Boy . . . . . . . enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer “This is the dumbest kid in town . . . . watch while I prove it to you.” The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks “Which do you want, son?” The boy takes the quarters and leaves. “What did I tell you?” said the barber. “That kid never learns!” Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same young boy coming out of the ice cream store. “Hey, Son! May I ask you a question  . . . . why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill? The boy licked his cone and replied “Because the day I take the dollar, the game’s over!” (LaFree)

 

Health Note . . . . . . . Probiotics – Help or Hype?  Microbes have invaded the supermarket: Many brands of yogurt, drinks, bars, and cereal have now added healthy strains of bacteria, called probiotics, to their products. These packages generally carry vague health claims, such as “promoting digestive balance” or “aids in digestive and immune health.” But marketing may suggest more curative powers for the foods. Since the term “probiotic” isn’t legally defined under federal regulations, companies can brandish the word without stating the strain of bacteria a product contains or whether there are enough to be beneficial. Nor do they have to make sure the bacteria will still be alive when you buy the item. You may find more info on the company’s Web site, but not always. So choose these products if they deliver the taste and nutrition you’re looking for; just be skeptical about their ability to treat particular illnesses. (Good Housekeeping)

 

Sputtering Economy . . . . . . .  A sputtering economy has some parents delaying decisions about summer camp, or opting for fewer weeks, says a YMCA spokesman. But it won’t be all poison ivy for camp operators. “We’ve found that the dollar a parent spends on a child is the last dollar they cut,” says Peg Smith, CEO of the American Camp Assoc. Indeed, some campers that cater to affluent families report an enrollment surge. Business this summer is up 18% at Pali Overnight Adventures in Running Springs, Calif., where kids 9 to 16 can choose Extreme Action Camp, or Spa Princess Experience (complete with pedicures and aromatherapy). A two-week session, with meals prepared by Pali’s five-star chef, runs just under $3,000. (BusinessWeek)

 

1500’s Education . . . . . . Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies, by then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.  Another: Houses had thatched roofs piled high with thick straw-piles, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying, It’s raining cats and dogs. Another: The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, Dirt poor. The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance way. Hence, the saying a thresh hold.  (More next month.) (Doolittle / Rasmussen)

                                                                                                             

“Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.” James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

                                                                                                             

“To be loved, you have to be nice to others every day! To be hated, you don’t have to do squat.” Homer Simpson

 

Sincerely,

Edward C. Levy

President