How Do You Think Obama Won?

There are many theories from the media, the pundits, blogger and regular people about How Obama Won. Would you like to share your thoughts? Feel free to post your comments here and tell us what you think made the difference. What helped Obama win?

Nikki Leigh

PS - Are you on the waiting list to be notified when How Obama Won arrives? Are you interested in signing up for our affiliate program? Complete information is posted in the right hand column of the blog at www.learnhowobamawon.blogspot.com.

Possible Help in a Struggling Economy

Every aspect of our daily lives are affected by sales, even though we may not think in those terms. When you buy any product or service, various sales people are involved in the background. Even your utilities are affected by the sales process. Sales people have gotten a bad “rep” for years, but that isn’t necessary. We all know people in the sales industry that are superstars. The question is – how do you become a sales superstar? Mark Tewart is a definite expert who has the answer to this question and he is sharing his thoughts and tips in his new book “How to be a Sales Superstar”.

Read my review here - http://www.evancarmichael.com/Book-Reviews/2820/How-to-be-a-Sales-Superstar-Break-All-the-Rules-and-Succeed-While-Doing-It-by-Mark-Tewart.html

On Monday December 22nd, I'll interview Mark Tewart on my internet radio show. I'm going to try to do something different this week. When we look at the current economic situation in the US and the world - we know that many businesses are in precarious positions. So, I'm asking people to send me their questions. I can ask my own questions, but I'm willing to ask your questions during the show. Mark Tewart has a wealth of great information to share and I'm glad to have the opportunity to share it with my listeners.

For people who aren't in business - think about the unemployment numbers. They are higher than they have been in many years. If you had tips to help you do better in your current job - even if you aren't in sales - wouldn't that make you worth more to your current employer?

Feel free to send me your questions and for people who cannot listen to the show live, you can visit the site www.blogtalkradio.com/nikkileigh and download the show. We will be on air Monday December 22, 2008 at 3 pm EST. If you have questions, please forward them to nikki@nikkileigh.com


Nikki Leigh - Award Winning Fiction and Non Fiction Author
Promotional Services - http://www.nikkileigh.com/promo.htm
FREE Insiders Guide to Virtual Tours - www.nikkileigh.com/insiders_guide.htm
Follow Me on Twitter - http://www.twitter.com/litekepr

Chasing Diana by Jack Firestone & Robin Firestone

Chasing Diana, a New Book by Jack Firestone & Robin Firestone, the Only Americans to Witness to the Fatal Car Crash of Princess Diana

The Couple Recently Testified at the Final Inquest in London on

December 3, 2007

LOS ANGELES - Sept 25, 2008 – Jack Firestone and Robin Firestone, the only Americans to have witnessed the fatal car crash of Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed in Paris’ Alma tunnel, have authored a new book, Chasing Diana. The book, just released, is available at www.amazon.com as will soon be available in all major book stores nationwide.

Earlier this year, Jack & Robin Firestone were called upon to give testimony in London at the Royal Courts of Justice for the Coroner's Inquests into the Deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales and Mr. Dodi Al Fayed. It was the culmination of a decade long journey for the Firestones in their quest to formally go on record as to what they witnessed in the Alma Tunnel in Paris during the early morning hours of August 31, 1997. The day following the closing of the final Inquest, the Firestones had a heartfelt private meeting in London with Dodi's father, Mohammed Al Fayed, who has pointed the finger of guilt, and continues to do so, directly at HRH Prince Philip, husband to Queen Elizabeth II.

In Chasing Diana, the Firestones convey their 11 year personal journey, utilizing a guise of historical fiction, to express the overwhelming effects resulting from being placed at a crossroads in history. An average American family, the Firestones were vacationing in Paris back in 1997 when fate intervened, turning their lives upside down. Upon their return home from Europe, they were inundated by the press, and their lives were forever changed.

Praise for Chasing Diana:

“The book is reminiscent of Oliver Stone's ‘JFK,’ which took the Kennedy assassination and added intrigue and conspiracy theory into a narrative, telling of a lawyer trying to solve the president's death. Chasing Diana spins murderous paparazzi and crooked cops into its tale.”

- Justin Paprocki, The Island Packet

About the book:

Chasing Diana by Jack Firestone and Robin Firestone

ISBN: 978-1419696572

Publisher: Firestone Media Ent. Inc.

Printed by: BookSurge Publishing (an Amazon company)

Date of publication: June 27, 2008

Pages: 162, S.R.P.: $19.95

For more information, please visit www.ChasingDiana.com and www.ChasingDiana.blogspot.com

Five Quick Tips on How to Manage Fear

Five Quick Tips on How to Manage Fear

By: Stanley Popovich

Some people have a difficult time in managing their fears and anxieties. Here are five quick tips on how to manage fear so it doesn’t get the best of you.

Be smart in how you deal with your fears and anxieties. Do not try to tackle everything all at once. When facing a current or upcoming task that overwhelms you with a lot of anxiety, break the task into a series of smaller steps. Completing these smaller tasks one at a time will make the stress more manageable and increases your chances of success.

A person should visualize a red stop sign in their mind when they encounter a fear provoking thought. When the negative thought comes, a person should think of a red stop sign that serves as a reminder to stop focusing on that thought and to think of something else. A person can then try to think of something positive to replace the negative thought.

No one can predict the future with one hundred percent accuracy. Even if the thing that you feared does happen there are circumstances and factors that you can’t predict that can be used to your advantage. You never know when the help and answers you are looking for will come to you.

Learn to take it one day at a time. Instead of worrying about how you will get through the rest of the week, try to focus on today. Each day can provide us with different opportunities to learn new things and that includes learning how to deal with your problems.

A lot of times, our worrying can make the problem even worse. All the worrying in the world will not change anything. All you can do is strive for your best each day, hope for the best, and when something does happen, take it in stride. If you still have trouble managing your anxiety of the future, then talking to a counselor or clergyman can be of great help. There are ways to help manage your fear and all it takes is some effort to find those answers.

BIOGRAPHY:

Stan Popovich is the author of "A Layman's Guide to Managing Fear Using Psychology, Christianity and Non Resistant Methods" - an easy to read book that presents a general overview of techniques that are effective in managing persistent fears and anxieties. For additional information go to: http://www.managingfear.com/

Don’t Accept the Big Bad Economy by Mark Tewart

Don’t Accept the Big Bad Economy

By Mark Tewart

I couldn’t help but notice all the doom and gloom in several blog posts, especially in regards to Starbucks closing 600 stores. Yes, the economy is tough, but the most important economy is between your ears. If you keep reading about the bad economy and you keep telling everyone how bad it is, you’re allowing yourself to have a bad economy and to perpetuate that it is okay to struggle. The media will do enough of that — don’t help them. Bad economies come faster and stay longer because of media reports that are spread virally by people.

No matter the conditions, you are always in charge and there are always opportunities. I would invite everyone, when someone tells you about how bad it is, to simply reply that you heard about the bad economy but you refused to participate. All the governments, presidents and economic policies in the world cannot make you a prisoner or a victim if you refuse to allow it.

I invite everyone to look at the economy as an opportunity. This is a perfect opportunity to look for additional revenue streams and niches. Replace your daily regimen of TV news, radio news and newspapers with self-improvement material. Learn new skills, read motivational and educational material. Become more valuable to others and money will come to you no matter the economy. The world is an abundant universe. Money is abundant. Money simply shifts and moves towards value. Money is nothing more than a physical form of exchange. Value given, value received. It’s the duty for all of us to perpetually increase our value. The money

you make tomorrow will be because of what you did today.

You can read the story of Starbucks and see that 600 stores are closing and see doom

and gloom, or you can look at the total Starbucks story and see one of the largest and fastest expansions of any company in history. If Starbucks is smart, they will use this as an opportunity to grow for the future — or, like most big dumb companies, they will think scarcity. The root of the word “scarcity” is “scared.” I would invite Starbucks - and any person - to stop accepting the worst-case scenario. Your mortgage company, grocer or oil company does not care if there is a bad economy. If you are looking for sympathy, it will only come from others who have decided to become prisoners to the bad economy. My wish for you is to not allow that. My wish for you is prosperity and abundance. The choice is ours. We can choose to win or choose to lose, but the choice is ours.

Mark Tewart is a professional speaker, consultant, entrepreneur and author of “How To Be A Sales Superstar – Break All the Rules and Succeed While Doing It available in book stores and Amazon. You can contact Mark Tewart at info@tewart.com or www.marktewart.com

Mark Tewart’s websites include: www.marktewartlive.com, www.marktewart.com and www.howtobeasalessuperstar.info

To read the first chapter of How to be a Sales Superstar and to receive several FREE bonuses from Mark Tewart, visit www.marktewartlive.com.

Full tour details are posted at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-to-be-sales-superstar-by-mark.html

10 Tips to Winning in a Bad Economy

During the months of November and December, Mark Tewart is touring the blog-o-sphere with Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tours and we will feature a couple of his articles which address the current economy and sound advice about what we can do to survive and excel in these tough economic times. Many businesses are flourishing - how can you flourish? Read on for details and the link to Mark Tewart's full tour schedule and a link to free gifts are posted at the bottom of this message.

10 Tips to Winning in a Bad Economy

Unless you have been hiding in a cave somewhere, you have heard that the U.S. economy is doing poorly. Housing starts are down, the value of the dollar is down, car sales are down, real estate is down, retail is down, gas prices are up, food prices are up, bankruptcies are up and the sky is falling. What is a person to do?

1. Don't Drink the Cool Aid
The news is sensationalized and fear sells. Things are rarely as good as they seem and things are rarely as bad as they seem. If you allow yourself to give in to the news, you will determine your destiny. When people tell me about the bad economy, I tell them I have chosen not to participate.

2. You Can't Cut Your Way to a Profit
Expense management is done at all times, not just in bad markets. Cutting expenses in bad times is a misnomer. It's like taking Tylenol for a heroin addiction. You set your good and bad habits in good markets, not bad. Be selectively extravagant and prudently frugal. I have never seen a business survive and thrive a down market by trying to cut expenses as their long-term strategy.

3. Don't Cut Your Life Line
Some of the easiest variable expenses to cut out are advertising and marketing. That also takes a bad situation and makes it worse. When your business drops and you take action to stop the flow even more, you are doomed. Be smarter with your marketing and adopt direct response methods that can be tracked and measured, but don't cut marketing because it's the easiest cut.

4. Dance With Who Bought You
The past and present customers are the lifeblood of any business. These customers are also the most overlooked and underutilized asset in ALL businesses. Everyone gives lip service to their glorious love of their customers, but what are you really doing to create and nurture the relationship? Do you have a relationship building program that creates over 50 positive customer contacts per year? You can have all the BDCs and CRMs you want, and that does not mean you are creating personalized-based marketing that creates relationships. The people who have done business with you already like and trust you and will most likely do business again - and bring others - if they are appreciated, rewarded and, yes, asked. NOBODY does a good enough job with their customers. There's gold in them thar hills.

5. Make the Bad News Good
Use all the bad news and the fear and negative emotions associated with it to your advantage. Use the headlines in your marketing and advertising and become the solution provider, i.e., 10 Tips for Winning in a Bad Economy.

6. Stop Boring Me to Death
If I get another "one size fits all, looks the same" mailer for an event sale, I think I will puke. Be creative and use trash can mailers, wallet mailers and other dimensional mail. Stop trying to get the lowest cost per piece and concentrate on the highest ROI for your mailings and other marketing. Boring does not sell in any media format.

7. Go Back to the Basics
Everything is basics. Instead of cutting your education, double your education efforts. If the market is really that bad, then you should have tons of time to educate yourself and your team. If your opportunities are fewer, then you must maximize each customer contact. TLC - Think like a customer. Examine your process from a customer's point of view and ask yourself what creates heartburn for those customers.

8. Super-Size It
You can impact your bottom line immediately by increasing either transaction size or the gross margin. In my entire career, I have never found a business that cannot increase their transaction size and margins. Stop accepting fate as a commodity and differentiate yourself, your product and business and ask for more money. You can do this through add-ons, bundling, value added presentations and better process for asking for and negotiating money. "Do you want fries with that?" and "Do you want the large popcorn for 25 cents more?" are not accidental questions.

9. Create Multiple Experiences
If your customers buy one product or service from you, then they will buy more. The average automobile dealership only retains 19 percent of their customers from sales to service. That number is business suicide. Sending a one-time mailing for a discount oil change does not constitute a continuity program. With a continuity program, any business can move from that 19 percent figure to 50 percent and more. When you create a continuity program, you will insulate your business from bad economies in the future because you will be less dependent on conquest customers.

10. Speed of the Boss, Speed of the Crew
As the leader thinks and acts, the team shall too. If the leaders of your business talk "bad economies" and "bad markets," the team will believe it. What are your leaders doing right now? Don't major in the minor. Spend every minute of the day in the pursuit of things that will create customers and incomes now and in the future. Just last week I had a dealer tell me that he was waiting for this bad market to turn around before he did anything with his business. My reply was, "How is that working for you?" If the leader does not believe, don't expect the troops to believe.

Mark Tewart’s websites include: www.marktewartlive.com, www.marktewart.com and www.howtobeasalessuperstar.info

To read the first chapter of How to be a Sales Superstar and to receive several FREE bonuses from Mark Tewart, visit www.marktewartlive.com.

Full tour details are posted at http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-to-be-sales-superstar-by-mark.html

Sex Selection in the United States in the 21st Century

During the month of November, author Shobhan Bantwal is doing a virtual book tour with Promo 101 Virtual Blog Tours to promote her latest release - The Forbidden Daughter. While I was coordinating this tour, I spoke to many people who could not believe there are gender based abortions anywhere in the world in the 21st century. How could parents make the decision to kill a healthy child - just because the baby is a girl? Its hard enough to believe that people are doing this in other parts of the world, but I found an article today about this practice happening in the United States. To learn more about Shobhan Bantwal and The Forbidden Daughter, visit her tour page - http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/09/forbidden-daughter-by-shobhan-bantwal.html.

Nikki Leigh

Sex Selection Alive and Well
in South Asian Immigrant Communities in the U.S.

(India Currents, News Feature, Sunita Puri, Posted: Mar 17, 2006)

The woman lying on the examination table is clearly nervous. She has a look of troubled anticipation, brows deeply furrowed, lips pursed and pale, and forehead glistening with tiny beads of sweat. She takes a deep breath, and grasps her dupatta with moist hands, while mouthing prayers into the off-white wall.

“It’s a girl.”

I watch the woman’s blank expression, and catch the look of frustration on her husband’s face in the corner of my eye. Seconds later, she begins to cry.

As a medical student I first became interested in the issue of sex selection upon talking with South Asian women who told me they were abused or neglected by their husbands and extended family because they had given birth to girls. I was surprised to learn that such pressure to have boys exist even within immigrant South Asian communities in the United States. A number of factors have converged to actually enable this practice: easy access to routine ultrasounds (forbidden in India), the availability of abortion services, and the American fertility industry, which offers everything from preconception sex selection to at-home gender determination kits. Ads for sex-selection clinics have appeared in South Asian community papers and even The New York Times.

I thus decided to do a research project on sex selection and the reasons for its prevalence among both South Asian immigrants and non-South Asians in the United States. This research is formally intended for the master’s thesis required for my medical degree, but I also wanted to do this project to promote dialogue about a preference for sons and its impact on the lives of women and children. Any quotes and locations have been changed to protect the identities of my research subjects.

When I first began my project, I was extremely wary. I had seen that newspaper articles about the skewed gender ratio in India often make the front page, yet offer little insight into the reasons for sex selection, or the pressures and emotions involved in such decisions. I did not want to further stereotypes about the preference for sons among South Asians. I wanted to understand what drives women to seek three or more abortions in their quest for a male child. I wanted to know how the desire for a son, and not wanting any more daughters, affected a couple’s existing children. I wanted to understand how medical providers felt about offering sex selection services or simply early sex determination via ultrasound. And, I wanted to understand why this practice was occurring in the United States among South Asian immigrants.

“In this country?” is the incredulous response I most often hear when I discuss some of the trends I’ve observed. Yet my own surprise has lessened as I’ve researched the reasons behind son preference. Religious and cultural festivals are not the only practices that survive the processes of immigration: the ultrasound machine has retained its iconic status among some South Asian immigrants in this country. When I ask women why they want a son, they often expect that I should know and understand that this is “an expectation of women,” as one woman put it.

Yet, what draws couples to travel across the state and sometimes to other states to get an ultrasound scan? What motivates them to spend thousands of dollars to select fetal sex before conception? Surprisingly, it is often women themselves who firmly believe that they need to have a son. The couples visiting these clinics usually already have at least one daughter—I have never seen a couple try and select the sex of their first child. When I ask why, they often tell me, simply, that every mother has a right to a son. Sometimes, their stories are heartbreaking: their female in-laws taunt them, call them infertile, drive them to it. It is sometimes their own mothers or mothers-in-law who pressure them to have a boy. In other instances, the tension between the couple in clinic is palpable, and I wonder about the pressures women face from their husbands at home.

It is undoubtedly difficult for couples to speak with me about their most personal and intimate matters. Yet they patiently answered my questions, allowed me to sit in on their clinic visits, and afforded me glimpses into their emotional experiences. Many are deeply conflicted, and openly acknowledge the tension in being a woman and not wanting a daughter. Some do not want to have a girl because they want to prevent another woman from suffering as they have. Some hope that the newer technologies of sperm sorting will actually decrease their emotional suffering by avoiding an abortion.

A crucial question arising from this work is, what does this practice do to our daughters? Children are usually overlooked in the debate about sex selection, yet they are among the most immediately affected. Children who witness parents’ ongoing attempts to have a son are impacted emotionally and materially. A South Asian American student told me in an interview, “Do these parents think we don’t know what they’re up to? Of course we do. It’s no mistake that all the families I know have, like, four girls and the youngest is a boy. It’s obvious to us even if we don’t say anything. Because what can we really say?”

One could argue, as many physicians have, that patient autonomy and the concept of choice makes sex selection permissible if patients believe it is the best option for their family. However, it is not entirely clear whose choice it is. If a woman faces intense pressure, psychological or otherwise, to have a son, is she really exercising her choice? If she is harassed, threatened, or emotionally abused, is she free to seek or not seek sex determination or sex-selection services?

The real issue is not necessarily sex selection per se, but what sex selection signifies—the unequal status of women. While many couples say they need to have a son since they already have daughters, many do not know how to answer me when I ask if they would seek a daughter if they had only sons. Technology or physicians alone are not at the root of the problem. The use of technology and marketing of sex selection exist because of the preference for a male child. Technological advancement undoubtedly increases the pressure to use technology in order to have a boy. One woman told me, “Now that all these methods exist, if I don’t use them, my in-laws will harass me.” While I understand the role that technology plays in making this issue worse, ultimately it is the deep-seated preference for boys that we must question and challenge. For instance, why is it that some couples believe they have “too many daughters,” but we rarely hear complaints about “too many sons”?

We must acknowledge the societal pressures to have a son rather than condemn couples who succumb to them. Judgment and blame will only thicken the shroud of secrecy surrounding these practices, making it even harder to talk about it. Family planning decisions are naturally complex and emotional, but in this instance they can be influenced by expectations from family and community that result in unusual pressure and harm to both women and children.

How can the family and community provide a more positive influence? We can take steps towards change in small ways. For example, we can congratulate couples equally when sons and daughters are born. We can organize small meetings about creating more opportunities for women’s advancement, and more days to celebrate women’s many accomplishments. We can hold debates about the role and status of women, making space for women to talk about the ways they have experienced gender inequality. We can remind our daughters every day that they are equal to their brothers in every way.

When I look around me, I see strong, brilliant, beautiful South Asian daughters committed to improving the world around them. Our women are teachers, world-class athletes, artists, musicians, writers, activists, doctors, lawyers, models, actresses, mothers, daughters, and sisters. Let us celebrate our daughters, and all the women of our community, and take active steps towards achieving equality of women and men, daughters and sons.

Sunita Puri is a second-year medical student at the UC San Francisco-UC Berkeley joint medical program. She is currently conducting an ethnographic study of son preference and sex selection among South Asian immigrants in the United States.

http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=77ccb8095412ea46e40184e503787025

Obama as Anti-Christ: Religious Extremism Not Dead as Political Influence

Now that a GOP campaign ad casts Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama in the role of anti-Christ, maybe it’s time to acknowledge that the impact of religious extremists isn’t quite as dead as mainstream media keep reporting.

The John McCain ad, ‘The One,’ playing on YouTube not so subtly paints Obama as the anti-Christ for adherents to an extreme interpretation of Revelations. This YouTube spot stokes these believers’ worst fears of global conflagration in an ultimate war between God and the devil.
McCain’s spin doctors want to scare these people into voting against Obama by casting a ballot for the Arizona senator, even if they don’t like McCain all that much.

Although mainstream media articles keep declaring the death of religious conservatism, religious conservatives obviously could impact this year’s election outcome. Otherwise the McCain camp would not bother to try to scare up their votes.

It’s so eery–and alarming. My fantasy saga chronicles what happens when politics and piety collide, just as they have in U.S. elections since 200, all of which have been marred by extreme divisiveness and bitterly contested vote counts.

The fictional theocrats try to wrest power from the secular government of an island nation called Azgard, just as Christian Dominionists seriously seek to impose religious totalitarianism on the United States, and Islamic extremists want to impose a Caliphate on the Middle East. The fictional power struggle leads to civil war, eventually resulting in the destruction of the country and most of the world.

What might happen in real life if extreme religious viewpoints continue to influence the elections as well as public discourse and policies? Consider McCain’s statements about U.S. troops in Iraq for 100 years and supposedly joking comments about bombing Iran.

There is little humor and much to be alarmed about in any type of militant religiosity–Muslim, Christian, Hindu or whatever.

By StoneScribe

StoneScribe is C.L. Talmadge, author of the Green Stone of Healing® epic fantasy series. For a free ebook on the link between healing and spirituality, visit http://www.greenstoneofhealing.com and sign up for the newsletter.

The Subject of Race is Being Discussed in The Final Weeks of this Election Season

The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House – Will Race and Ethnicity Decide the Presidency?

Any way you look at it, this is a historic political season. Whether the next president is a Democrat or a Republican, there will be a “first” in the new administration. The first black president or the first woman vice president will be elected. The media and the internet are buzzing with the possibilities.

Race and politics is an interesting and sometimes explosive combination. This topic is the focus of Earl Ofari Hutchinson’s book The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House. Throughout this election year, we have all seen the news reports, the specials, the debates and much more that addresses the questions and curiosity about race and politics. More specifically, what it would mean to have an African American president in the white house.

Race isn’t a new issue in politics and The Ethnic Presidency delves into a vast array of details from the past three decades to demonstrate the difference race and ethnicity makes in any election. Race is a much bigger factor in the 2008 election than it has been in past elections.

For an inside view at the history of race in politics, take a deeper look into The Ethnic Presidency. This book is a must have for political junkies who follow each election, but it is also a great primer for the millions of first time voters who would like to understand more about the people and the elements of this election year and elections in the past. Get a real look at the way each political party used race and ethnicity to further their agenda through the years.

It examines:
Obamamania
The soaring Latino vote
The silent but potent Asian-American vote
The GOP’s love-hate relationship with black and Latino America
Will America accept a black president? Can Obama be that president?
Will the GOP use the same Southern Strategy that repeatedly won the White House?
Did blacks and Latinos elect Bush?
Have the Democrats taken the black and Latino vote for granted?

For much more information and to order your own copy, visit The Ethnic Presidency on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1881032256/.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author, syndicated columnist, political analyst and commentator. He is a frequent guest on Hannity and Colmes, The O’Reilly Factor, The Big Story, EXTRA, and numerous CNN News and Talk Shows. He is associate editor of New America Media. His op-ed columns appear in the Baltimore Sun, Huffington Post, L.A. Times, Los Angeles Daily News, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, the Philadelphia Inquirer, San Francisco Chronicle, and the Christian Science Monitor, and other major newspapers. He is the author of ten books.

Energizing People of Integrity

ENERGIZING PEOPLE OF INTEGRITY
By Dean Kilmer
(Author of “Igniting the Moral Courage of America” Moral Courage Publications)

Our integrity has been kidnapped, and we didn’t even notice what happened! The false concept that people of faith must not speak up in the public arena, the insidious concept that truth is relative, and an over indulgence in the idea of tolerating everything and anything have kidnapped our integrity! If we cannot understand real truth and we are never allowed to speak up for what we believe, how can we have integrity?
In order to restore integrity, we must understand all three aspects of integrity.
1. Integrity is discerning what is right and what is wrong.
2. Integrity is acting on what you have discerned, even at personal cost.
3. Real integrity includes publicly stating that you are acting on your principles.

How do we bring back honesty and integrity to our people?

First, we restore God’s absolute truth as the basis of our personal lives. You can always trust people who are living up to God’s standards in the Bible.

Secondly, we restore courtesy, respect and a positive attitude in our homes. Yes sir, no sir, yes ma’am and no ma’am are powerful attitude developing words for our children. Since attitude is more important than reality, a positive attitude about life allows them to see the good in other people. When they look for the good in people, they will also look for truth and honesty.

Thirdly, each of us should write a mission statement for ourselves and our families. A strong sense of divine purpose keeps individuals and families in line with God’s eternal purposes. Take time to honestly consider why God put your family on this earth. What are your special talents and abilities? How can you and your children impact eternity? As you and your family work toward your mission, you will be developing integrity in their hearts.

The fourth step is to build community support for good character. While the news always highlights the negative, we need to build a positive encouraging community spirit. The Moral Courage Foundation (explained on my website www.moralcourage.net) can bring your whole community to an appreciation of those young people who are living with integrity. The attitude of a community is determined by where the spotlight shines! Makes sure it shines on the right people!

Some people believe that the tidal wave of destructive values including abortion, homosexuality, broken homes and child abuse is too powerful to ever be stopped. However, you need to remember that our God took a coward, Gideon and 300 hundred men and defeated an army of 132,000 men. God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called and He has called you!

“People who lack integrity are changed by the circumstances of their lives, while people of integrity change their circumstances by acting on their principles.”

Race in Politics - The Ethnic Presidency

The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House – Will Race and Ethnicity Decide the Presidency?

Any way you look at it, this is a historic political season. Whether the next president is a Democrat or a Republican, there will be a “first” in the new administration. The first black president or the first woman vice president will be elected. The media and the internet are buzzing with the possibilities.

Race and politics is an interesting and sometimes explosive combination. This topic is the focus of Earl Ofari Hutchinson’s book The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House. Throughout this election year, we have all seen the news reports, the specials, the debates and much more that addresses the questions and curiosity about race and politics. More specifically, what it would mean to have an African American president in the white house.

Race isn’t a new issue in politics and The Ethnic Presidency delves into a vast array of details from the past three decades to demonstrate the difference race and ethnicity makes in any election. Race is a much bigger factor in the 2008 election than it has been in past elections.

For an inside view at the history of race in politics, take a deeper look into The Ethnic Presidency. This book is a must have for political junkies who follow each election, but it is also a great primer for the millions of first time voters who would like to understand more about the people and the elements of this election year and elections in the past. Get a real look at the way each political party used race and ethnicity to further their agenda through the years.

It examines:

· Obamamania

· The soaring Latino vote

· The silent but potent Asian-American vote

· The GOP’s love-hate relationship with black and Latino America

· Will America accept a black president? Can Obama be that president?

· Will the GOP use the same Southern Strategy that repeatedly won the White House?

· Did blacks and Latinos elect Bush?

· Have the Democrats taken the black and Latino vote for granted?

For much more information and to order your own copy, visit The Ethnic Presidency on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1881032256/.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author, syndicated columnist, political analyst and commentator. He is a frequent guest on Hannity and Colmes, The O’Reilly Factor, The Big Story, EXTRA, and numerous CNN News and Talk Shows. He is associate editor of New America Media. His op-ed columns appear in the Baltimore Sun, Huffington Post, L.A. Times, Los Angeles Daily News, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, the Philadelphia Inquirer, San Francisco Chronicle, and the Christian Science Monitor, and other major newspapers. He is the author of ten books.

No More Mr Nice Guy by James Alston

New Book Jumpstarts a Frank Discussion of the Plight of Black Americans in the Workplace

No More Mr. Nice Guy by James E. Alston is an autobiographical analysis of corporate racism and the need for justice

STONY POINT, N.Y. – In No More Mr. Nice Guy, James E. Alston tells his personal story of life as an African-American in the corporate world, and he uncovers the face of discriminatory practices on the job.

Racism is alive and well in corporate America, suggests author James E. Alston in his blistering book, No More Mr. Nice Guy. Alston analyzes his own 30-year career as an African-American corporate executive, detailing the instances and the impact of evasive, covert and discriminatory practices of managers and co-workers at all levels of employment. The author asserts that although many people believe discrimination affects only impoverished or inner city African-Americans, he shows in this gripping book that middle to upper middle class people are equally affected.

Written in concise, clear prose, No More Mr. Nice Guy chronicles both the rewards and the punishments leveled upon the author at every step of his climb up the corporate ladder. An essential read for business professionals, No More Mr. Nice Guy is an incisive reminder to all readers that discrimination still exists.

For more information or to request a free review copy, members of the press can contact the author at jayalston@hotmail.com. No More Mr. Nice Guy is available for sale online at Amazon.com, BookSurge.com, and through additional wholesale and retail channels worldwide.

About the Author

James E. Alston attended SUNY at Farmingdale, New York and has had a rewarding career in the business industry. He lives in Rockland County, N.Y. He also owns a home in Raleigh, N.C. and spends time in Atlanta.

How to Survive Getting Into College

How to Survive Getting Into College (Hundreds of Heads Books, www.hundredsofheads.com, $13.95) offers real-world tips and advice from hundreds of former high school seniors who have been through the college admissions process and succeeded. The book follows in the footsteps of Hundreds of Heads’ bestselling college life guide, How to Survive Your Freshman Year – and contains the best tips, stories, and advice on the college application process based on interviews with students from over 100 colleges—both public and private—across the country.

The book was edited by former Ivy League college admissions officer, Rachel Korn., who offers great tips for acing the admissions process— and getting into the college of your dreams. Korn says admissions officers focus on three important factors in students’ applications:

1. A genuine feel for the applicant's personality.

2. A contribution to the school.

3. Whether the applicant is maximizing their environment and their talents.

Korn, points out in How to Survive Getting Into College that an applicant can never know too much about their target schools. She says:

1. Research, research, research. Through the school’s website and/or a college tour, learn as much as possible about the school’s academic and cultural atmosphere. Knowledge about the university will prepare the applicant to sit down and successfully complete the application.

2. Tailor the application to the school - know the characteristics it values. Convey through essays how the school “matches” the student. Listen to admissions officers' presentations and glean from reading school materials if there are initiatives (especially new ones) that should be mentioned.

3. Let college counselor and teachers know about you top choice and why. They can reflect that in their letters to bolster the student’s sincerity to the admissions committee. DO NOT attempt this with a school that is not a favorite. Admissions officers will figure it out.

Korn also shares some of the top mistakes students make in applying to schools, including:

1. Failure to research. Apply ONLY to schools where there is a match with interests (size, academics, culture).

2. Seeking a "big name" for a recommendation and thinking that this is the ticket into a school. Recommenders who know the student best are those to choose. A fancy title is not impressive if the recommender does not know the person.

3. Using public websites to try to predict chances of admissions or to learn about a school. NO ONE can predict chances of admission, certainly not peers who see nothing more than lists of grades and activities.

Finally, Korn offers these top 5 tips for acing the college admissions process— and getting into the college of your dreams (for more – buy the book!):

1. APPLY to about 5 or 6 schools with a few true safety schools (including at least 1 public school) and a few reach schools.

2. WRITE an essay that shows what makes you tick - do not write an essay that you think an admissions committee wants to read.

3. ASK questions of your interviewer - the interview is a two-way street and you should approach the interview as a conversation.

4. FIND positive, true passions to fill your time - there is no "right" activity, so choose a passion not an obvious resume builder.

5. DRESS to casually impress when you visit schools - you never know, you could meet your admissions officer.

Excerpted from How to Survive Getting Into College (Hundreds of Heads Books, http://www.hundredsofheads.com, $13.95, ISBN 1-933512-05-9), available at your favorite bookstore or online bookseller. Hundreds of Heads Books’ offer the wisdom of the masses by assembling the experiences and advice of hundreds of people who have gone through life’s biggest challenges and have insight to share. Visit www.hundredsofheads.com to share your advice or get more information. And for some free, weekly advice for entering freshmen – sign up for the Hundreds of Heads “Advicemail” series, at http://old.hundredsofheads.com/newsletter/subscribe.asp?book.

Tough Economic Times Calls For Strong Leadership

Strong Leadership Needed in

Challenging Economic Times

by Hugh Ballou

“When times get tough, the tough get going.” - Anon.

"Nothing else in the world... not all the armies... is so powerful as an idea whose time has come." - Victor Hugo

- Economic News Headlines -

“GMAC posts $2.5 billion loss in 2nd quarter”

“Auto parts supplier Dana to cut 2,500 more jobs”

“Sara Lee swings to loss based on wheat costs”

Each day in the news we hear of the problems and/or failures in companies, such as mentioned in the headlines above. These companies are having a hard time in this difficult economy. How can you protect your company from these same kinds of problems? I don't claim to know what the problems were at these companies, but here are some examples and suggestions to help you protect your company during these difficult economic times.

In the challenging state of the economy, good leaders shine and poor leaders are exposed as ineffective. In many situations, the fate of organizations could rest on the skill of the leader. The way decisions are made and the attitude of the organization is key to success in tough economic times.

Symptoms of Poor Leadership

In the stress caused by a down economy, weak leaders and those they lead can be paralyzed by seeing only problems and challenges. This brings out negative actions by leaders. Here’s a list of behaviors that negatively influence employees and team members:

· Control: Asking for too many reports (sales calls, activity logs, etc.) that take time and send a message of mistrust.

· Micromanagement: Setting activities and schedules to tell employees not only what to do, but also how to do it. This sends a message of lack of confidence.

· Blaming: The leader blames others for situations beyond their control, or worse yet, blames others for situations they have created through poor leadership. This sends a message in incompetence.

· Silos: Departments or divisions draw into their ‘”own space” and do not effectively communicate or relate to the others. This sends a message of a hidden agenda.

· Attitude: A negative attitude not only makes hard work more difficult, but it instigates other negative attitudes. This sends a message that failure in ahead.

· Obstacles: False evidence appears to be real. A poor leader sees only obstacles and is bound by the restrictions implied by these obstacles. This sends a message of fear.

Solutions Provided by Strong Leadership

As some organizations cut back and build trenches for hibernation fearing loss, visionary leaders choose to put resources into building systems, strategies, skills and relationships to address the existing market. Here are some actions that strong leaders take:

· Training: Put resources into building skills of leaders and team members. This results in improved skills for addressing the future.

· Planning: Build action plans to address obstacles. This results in a culture that reframes barriers into opportunities.

· Coaching: The effective leader always has a coach and learns to coach team members. This results in improved relationships.

· Empowering: Allow team members to utilize their skills and talents and mentor them with information and strategies as well as budget. This results in new paradigms. This results in greater synergy in the team.

· Envisioning: Brainstorming and planning the future with team members creates trust and new ideas for action plans. This results in increased trust.

· Affirming: Along with allowing team members to utilize their skills, affirm good work. This results in the refocus of apathy into enthusiasm.

· Reframing: Be the model of what you expect from your team. Look at possibilities, not limitations. Be honest about the facts while looking at the options. This results in improved attitude.

· Reorganizing: Consider realignment of tasks and duties. Some team members many have become stale in their area of responsibility and the reassignment of duties might spark some interest. This results in greater ownership of the whole vision as well as individual areas of responsibility.

· Collaborating: Build cross-disciplinary project teams. People from different departments or divisions can team with others creating new visions for success. This results in greater effectiveness since tasks can be swapped and combined.

In challenging times the effective leader and a leader in training can demonstrate their worth to the organization. It’s a time to concentrate to building resources, strengthening relationships, fine-tuning systems and structures and working to improve personal skills. The great leader always articulates and shares goals and stays focused on the vision for the future.

As a final note, be sure to celebrate. Each success can be a celebration that brings momentum to the next accomplishment.

Hugh Ballou

Hugh Ballou is president of SynerVision International, Inc., an international consulting, coaching, and training practice in Blacksburg, Virginia. His unique insights for leadership training and teamwork come from his 40-years of experience as choral and orchestral conductor bringing harmony and synergy to group process. Hugh’s specialty is working with business owners as process coach and business strategist with clients in many countries.

His skill in teaching the collaborative leadership model is practical and proven in the trenches with his work in mega churches, non-profit organizations and businesses of all types.

He has published five books on Transformational Leadership: Moving Spirits, Building Lives: Church Musician as Transformational Leader, Moving Spirits, Building Lives A Workbook for Transformational Leaders, Building High Performance Teams: Systems and Structures for Leading Teams and Empowering Transformation, Leaders Transform: A Transformational Leadership Resource (Fall 2008), and his newest book: Transforming Power: Stories from Transformational Leaders to Inspire and Encourage and numerous articles on Transformational Leadership.

For more information

Transforming Power: http://www.transforming-power.com

Hugh Ballou: http://www.hughballou.com

Book information is available at http://www.amazon.com/Transforming-Power-Transformational-Encouragement-Inspiration/dp/0881775312

For full tour details, visit -http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2008/06/transforming-power-virtual-tour-with.html

A SPECIAL BONUS TO EACH PERSON WHO PURCHASES TRANSFORMING POWER TODAY – Hugh Ballou has compiled a list of great FREE bonus gifts for anyone who purchases Transforming Power today. To see a sample of the items that are being given away, visit http://www.transforming-power.com. Just buy a copy of Transforming Power, return to this page and click to submit your invoice number to receive the web page link to download all of these gifts for FREE.

How to Submit

It can be very beneficial to tie your book subject with current events. This is especially effective with press releases, blogs and online articles. These examples will show how this promotion works. Do you have an example of an article or press release which ties your book to a current event? If you have a topic related to your book that is in the news, contact me at nikki_leigh22939 at yahoo.com.

Review the posts on the site to see various examples of how other people used current events to promote their books.

Teaching to Write or Writing to Teach?

Ever since I graduated from San Diego State University with my Masters Degree in Creative Writing, I have been teaching to write. In other words, the teaching paid the bills so I could write. Following ten years of writing and teaching, I accumulated some fiction about which I was proud to say, “These stories were written to teach the reader something.”

What better way to label a volume of short fiction that had a lot to say to humanity about compassion, understanding and open mindedness, than to put the picture of “Compassionate Conservative” himself, George Walker Bush, right on the cover? Of course, the title story about “The President’s Parasite” is a satire, one of the time-honored traditions of my relatives from the British Isles, Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope and George Orwell. Satire teaches by using ironic humor, and this story is dripping with it.

How’s this? I’ll make you, the reader, a promise. If you have an open mind and are not offended by things like the biggest penis on record, homeless folks fighting for fame and fortune, the President of the United States being outwitted by a genius tapeworm residing in his bowel, or an abortionist who sings Beatles’ songs, then perhaps you will see the humor in my work. Remember how it was in school? Sometimes, the teacher made you think about what you were reading. That’s the way it is in my new book of short fiction, The President’s Parasite and Other Stories.

I am the kind of guy who chuckles out loud when showing my college students The Trial, a film based on the novel by Franz Kafka. There’s a scene in it where Joseph K. watches a lawyer make love to a washer woman on the floor of the courtroom where he is supposed to be getting his “justice,” but all the court officials stand around “gawking” at them. Milan Kundera, the Czech author of The Unbearable Lightness of Being was quoted as saying, “Franz Kafka should be read as fact and not as fiction.” Aha! So, Joseph K. is magically transformed into William Jefferson Clinton, one of the Bush boys, or dozens of other “absurd politicians” that we elect as our leaders. Now do you understand why I laugh?

My college professor, Dr. Maurice Friedman, once told us in his “Modern Existentialism” class, that he knew Max Brod (the best friend of Kafka who refused to burn his manuscripts when K. died), and that Brod told Friedman that Kafka used to read from his work to a collection of “Czech Literati” at some bistro in Prague. Friedman said Brod and the audience “laughed their asses off at Kafka’s stories,” as I hope you will laugh when you read many of the stories in this collection. It’s the laugh of the literati “insider,” so this makes you an intelligent human being. If you don’t laugh, and you take them seriously, then that’s fine too. Many never found the humor in Kafka. Remember this: I am a teacher who teaches to write and writes to teach. So, write to me at jimmusgrave@cox.net, if you have questions!

Political Analyst Predicted Racial Divide on Obama Candidacy in the Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House

A New York Times Poll released July 15 found that the prospect of an Obama presidency has deeply divided black, white and Hispanic voters. A majority of Hispanics and blacks say an Obama White House will improve race relations. A majority of whites say it won’t. In his book, The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House, noted political analyst Earl Ofari Hutchinson predicted that race would be a decisive factor in the presidential race.

Hutchinson said that the New York Times poll validated many of the key points and predictions in his book, The Ethnic Presidency. The poll found that a majority of whites are skeptical about Obama’s competency, experience and political beliefs. While a majority of blacks and Hispanics believe that Obama is best able to bring racial harmony and hope to the poor and dispossessed.

“The racial divide that the New York Times poll found on everything from black and white views of racial progress, political expertise, immigration, and the future of the country under the first African-American president,” says Hutchinson, “echo the points detailed in The Ethnic Presidency.”

Hutchinson goes much further and tells how racial messages, images, stereotypes and code words impact and influence presidential elections past and present. The New York Times poll found African-American, Hispanic and Asian voters will play a major role in the presidential election. Hutchinson tells why their role and importance in presidential elections has grown immensely in the past decade and will continue to grow in future presidential elections.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His new book The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House was published by Middle Passage Press, February, 2008.

Imago Relationship Therapy with Edythe Denkin

Imago Relationship Therapy teaches couples that ‘They each are responsible for their own happiness’ and when this lesson is internalized in a person’s psyche, they can then begin to find happiness in their marriage. Imago tools help the couples achieve this goal. Here are some simple but wise steps, based on Imago Relationship Therapy, from my book “Relationship Magic”, that helps people start on the path towards self –discovery.

1. When there is a hurtful situation you first must do whatever it takes to help you clarify what is bothering you: Go somewhere ALONE, then yell, scream, even name-call your feelings. Since you are alone you can do this again and again until you feel better and identify what it is that is bothering you. Then try this again a few hours later. Wait another few hours, write your feelings down, and when you are ready, meditate on your feelings.

2. Next, do whatever you can do to clear up any disagreements by dialoguing with your partner. Remember to listen to your partner and to express yourself only by repeating (mirroring) what you have heard them say. After each “mirror”, ask them: “Is there anything else you would like to share about this topic?” When you partner has said all they have to say on the subject. THEN it is your turn. Hopefully by this point, you have heard their side of the disagreement and can feel some empathy for what they are experiencing.
3. Then decide what you have to do to correct the situation and DO IT. Once you do what you have to do, your partner will probably want to correct his/her side of the equation so the two of you will not feel out of balance. But don't do it for your partner, do it for yourself. Make a commitment to yourself, and keep it.
   
4. Acknowledge and meditation on this experience of feeling respected. Listening to yourself and your partner and by having your partner do the same is the key. Self-respect is the most important step in loving yourself and your life. When you are respectful to yourself first, you will automatically respectful of your partner. When you give yourself the understanding, the care, and the acceptance you need in order to feel good again you will be able to do the same for your partner. Practice this philosophy.

In short, steps 1 through 4 can be summed up by SAY/WRITE IT, SHARE IT, DO IT, BELIEVE IT!

About the author -

Edythe Denkin, PhD, is a Certified Marriage Counselor. Her most recent book, Relationship Magic, is a set of tools in parable form for those wanting to keep or rekindle the love and communication in their relationships. Dr. Denkin understands that “Happily Ever After” does not just come naturally. It takes communication, honesty, and empathy. This book is based on her work with Imago Relationship Theory.

The host of “Catch Your Kids Doing Things Right,” a four-part television series in which she taught many of her techniques to a wide audience, she has been trained and certified as an Imago Relationship Therapist by Dr. Harville Hendrix, best-selling author of Getting The Love You Want, et al.

Edythe is also the author of Why Can’t You Catch Me Being Good?, a best-selling book from Adams Media that shows how to raise self-confident and well-behaved children.

Edythe has embraced a spiritual quest and a personal calling to help people find their childhood triggers and help them reclaim their emotional freedom and happiness.

A graduate of Temple University, Denkin began her career as an Elementary School teacher. She went on to receive her Masters Degree in Elementary Education from the University of Bridgeport, and her PhD from Walden University. She has over thirty years experience as a therapist and relationship expert, specializing in marriage and child therapy, and is also a teacher, coach and motivational speaker. She is a member of the Institute For Relationship Therapy and the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. Dr. Denkin was recently honored by the University of Bridgeport with a Most Distinguished Alumni Award.