Tuesday, December 19, 2006

This is a video revolution

Now you cannot have an excuse for not having a public video at www.youtube.com :

Quick Capture
Record video from your WebCam directly to YouTube! No upload required.

Friday, December 15, 2006

Another social networking site to take advantage of

http://www.pathconnect.com/ericstandlee

It is simple to setup your profile on many different profile sites so that people who stumble across you can find out more about you.

Sites I use:
LinkedIn
Orkut
Pathconnect
MySpace
Spaces.live.com
Ecademy
Xing/OpenBC
Ryze
...

This list keeps growing.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

I invite you to try this FREE marketing idea with me

I am just starting to try this, but since it is free and apparently a powerful replacement/augmentation to email marketing, I thought I'd share it with you.

Go here: http://www.desktoplightning.com/businessmentor to get started (free).

Eric

[From Google Reader] Getting Sales Things Done

Gang,
I just read this on the blog of a new connection from LinkedIn of mine and I just had to share it.

Getting Sales Things Done

Elegant_clock_2 Lori Richardson, the Sales Process Diva, addresses the issue of identifying actions that lead to new sales, new revenues, and that retain existing customers for life.  In fact, she notes that this revolves around time management or personal management, if you will. She writes,

"One of the major issues people in selling (including sales leaders) have is in managing their time. As a former Franklin-Covey facilitator, I spent so many hours talking to people about using their planner, and focusing on what matters most. It was great theory, but the actual steps and process threw people. The planners I gave out in my sessions turned out to be glorified address books and monthly calendars - that's about it. "

She notes that the personal productivity guru David Allen , author of Getting Things Done, gets it. He understands and offers an elegant way to get people universally to take action.

I've said for some time that a PDA is simply a productivity tool. Getting one does not necessarily mean you will suddenly be organized. It's not the device itself, it's how you use it. Only when you understand how to use the tool can it truly increase your productivity.


Merry Christmas,
Eric Standlee

Saturday, December 09, 2006

My Birthday This week

I celebrated my 36th birthday this week.

I hope that explains the lack of news.

I will catch you up and even do a new podcast next week.

Eric

Thursday, December 07, 2006

How many qualified prospects do you want?

Some of my friends know me as the computer geek, other people know me as the online presence doctor, and still others know me as the father of my kids (oops, that doesn't matter), but some may not know that I like most didn't know that there was an unlimited supply of leads out there.  "Huh?", you say?  Say you know me as a geek who teaches people how to find unlimited leads online.  That I do.  And, it isn't out of fear neccessarily that I don't have much experience meeting people offline.  As an analytical introverted person, I just figured out that there are more online and more readily available to share what they do and what I can do for them.

Any way, I have been studying from an expert in the field of network  marketing of over 35 years.  Funny thing is that I actually turn 36 this Friday.  Here is a powerful excerpt from one of Tom "Big Al" Schreiter's books called Big Al's Super Prospecting: Special Offers & Quick-Start Systems which I bought as a package with a bunch of audios when I attended one of his seminars recently:
         How many qualified prospects do you want?
    The amount of prospects who ask you what you do for a
living is directly proportional to the number of prospects where
you initiate the same question. So, if you want to have 10
prospects come to you with the question, "    What do you do for a
living?" all you have to do is ask 10 prospects that very same
question. If you want 15 prospects, ask 15 prospects the same
question.
    Not only is asking this question effective prospecting, but it is
also lots of fun. Since many prospects won'feel a need for your
product or opportunity, you' have the opportunity to learn
about many new occupations, hear interesting real life stories,
and have the chance to meet a variety of colorful people. And
that' just the downside to using this technique.
    The upside is you will find many ready, willing, and able
prospects just looking for your opportunity or product benefit.
These prospects will gladly set aside time for a presentation at
their home or at a formal business opportunity meeting. These
are the type of prospects that you won' have to beg to go to a
meeting. They want what you offer.
   This simple question really is a win-win opportunity. The
prospects get an audience for their life stories and you get the
opportunity to sort for qualified leaders. Life doesn' get much
better than this.

This included from the book out of respect for its value to me:
100s of pages of free
training tips and newsletters at
http://www.fortunenow.com
I have found some great nuggets in this book and the Big Al materials which apply to life in general as well as building a solid pipeline of people to share my business with.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

HR Web Cafe:Study links work stress and burnout to an increase in type 2 diabetes

HR Web Cafe:Study links work stress and burnout to an increase in type 2 diabetes:

Stress and burnout are correctly associated with j.o.b.s and the obvious conclusion is that people should consider the lower stress of owning their own home-based business. Beyond the tax benefits, working on your own time and calling your own shots from your home office should reduce stress levels and increase family time and thus have health implications.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

read this: RED FRIDAY

Thanks to a friend I am glad to share this post:

"Last week, while traveling to Chicago on business, I noticed a Marine sergeant traveling with a folded flag, but did not put two and two together. After we boarded our flight, I turned to the sergeant, who'd been invited to sit in First Class (across from me), and inquired if he was heading home.

"No," he responded. "Heading out?" I asked?  "No. I'm escorting a soldier home."  "Going to pick him up?"  "No. He is with me right now. He was killed in Iraq.  I'm taking him home to his family. "

The realization of what he had been asked to do hit me like a punch to the gut. It was an honor for him. He told me that although he didn't know the soldier, he had delivered the news of his passing to the soldier's family and felt as if he knew them after many conversations in so few days. I turned back to him, extended my hand, and said, "Thank you. Thank you for doing what you do so my family and I can do what we do."

Upon landing in Chicago the pilot stopped short of the gate and made the following announcement over the intercom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to note that we have had the honor of having Sergeant Steeley of the United States Marine Corps join us on this flight. He is escorting a fallen comrade back home to his family.  I ask that you please remain in your seats when we open the forward door to allow Sergeant Steeley to deplane and receive his fellow soldier. We will then turn off the seat belt sign."

Without a sound, all went as requested. I noticed the sergeant saluting the casket as it was brought off the plane, and his action made me realize that I am proud to be an American.  

So here's a public "Thank You to our military Men and Women for what you do so we can live the way we do."

RED FRIDAY – Join the great many people wearing Red every Friday. The reason?  Americans who support our troops used to be called the silent majority.  We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers.  We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing.  Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops.

Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that Americans who support our men and women afar, will wear something red.

By word of mouth, press, TV, let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, coworkers, friends, and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know the once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on. The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is "We need your support and your prayers." Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something red every Friday.

WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE BECAUSE OF THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO, OVER THE PAST CENTURIES WITH THEIR RED BLOOD bought and paid for your freedom.  It was and is their sacrifice and patriotism that gives you the freedom to agree or disagree.  It is our "freedom" that draws millions of immigrants fleeing from their homeland because they don't have the FREEDOM to disagree.   

Just copy and paste the link into your browser.

 

Thanks Ellen for sharing this.  Share this with everyone.



--
Eric Standlee
http://www.linkedin.com/in/ericstandlee
Prospered not to increase my Standard of Living,
but to increase my Standard of Giving

PS. Would you be open to showing referring organizations how to receive **hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars** for their ministry or faith-based non-profit without asking anyone for any money whatsoever?
http://www.businessconferences.info/ht

Take this entrepreneurial quiz: http://www.7kovernover.com/quiz.pdf

See what our Team Members have to say:
http://www.7kovernover.com/testimonialsar.htm

Download Slay Your Giant (originally $29.95) at no cost quick before this link stops working:
http://businessconferences.info/SlayYourGiant.pdf

Thursday, November 23, 2006

A Ring Tone Meant to Fall on Deaf Ears - New York Times

I tested this audio without telling my kids and they complained about the tone. It works because I didn't hear it at all. The funny thing is the dog didn't react either.

A Ring Tone Meant to Fall on Deaf Ears - New York Times

Tuesday, November 21, 2006

Coupon codes for retail stores

The creator of BugMeNot.com has launched http://www.retailmenot.com/, which provides coupon codes for retail stores, without the privacy-infringing registration requirements. A very useful tool.

Many online stores allow for a "coupon" or "promotion" code when you order to automatically assign discounts, deals and freebies (kinda like money for nothing). RetailMeNot.com is a place for finding and sharing these coupon codes.
So… when you buy online, check here for discounts first (unless you're frikkin crazy).

Via GoodExperience

Email me if you found this useful

Saturday, November 18, 2006

The Real Story

The Real Story

Watch this video and see what's really happening in Iraq.

But, Iraq is the sidelines compared to extreme Iran getting a nuke.

Pray everyday that they don't get it and fire it on Israel or any other free country.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

To Blog or Not to Blog

In case you need more information on this subject...

To Blog or Not to Blog

For those of you wanting to "read all about it" from a reliable source on blogging, try out this new study report, The Blogging Success Study, from Northeastern University and Backbone Media.

http://www.scoutblogging.com/success_study/

The report cites the Mississippi Hospital Association as a great example of a successful blog. They also site multiple other small businesses and organizations, so this is NOT a pie in the sky report about corporate or tech blogging - it is applicable. It also addresses customer experience via the blog, which is a key element, in my opinion to small business success in the blogosphere.

Fwd: Microsoft releases six security updates

Watch out for the latest patches.  I don't know if any of these will crash your box, but be forewarned.

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Network World's Security News Alert, 11/15/06

Microsoft releases six security updates, 11/14/06
Microsoft has issued six security updates, fixing critical bugs in Windows components ranging from Internet Explorer to the Microsoft NetWare client service.


Editorial comments: Write to Site Editor Jeff Caruso
Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza

Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772

Copyright Network World, Inc., 2006



Reaching International Audiences?

Advertising on the internet even in America and you might get people who only speak Spanish.  You need to know what they say when they reply and you need to be able to translate what you are saying if you want to continue the conversation.  While automatic translation isn't perfected yet, there are some free services that make it pretty easy to get close.

I recommend http://www.google.com/language_tools?hl=en

I just recently had this situation and being able to translate back and forth between English and Spanish has been helpful.

Eric

Fair Tax Blogburst

by Terry Dillard of The Right Track


Well, the elections are over and I've heard everything from "It's a sure thing" to "No way it'll even make it out of committee now" regarding the FairTax.


One thing I do know -- never underestimate the power of a grassroots movement. Democrats were shown in 1994 not to take their power for granted, and Republicans had that same lesson hammered home to them a week ago. The American people have no hesitation whatsoever about "flushing the toilet" as I prefer to call it.


Whatever your political orientation, it's been amply proven by now that lower taxes produce a stronger economy -- if we can keep spending in check. Giving Americans the ability to choose exactly how much they pay in taxes via the FairTax is a win-win situation for individuals and our government.


I found an interesting blog article that managed to work the FairTax into a post on national security. From "Freedom Is Always the Right Answer", the post is titled "Defeating China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran in the Cold War of Terror". The post begins:



China and Russia are allied and using all the tools at their disposal, including supporting North Korea and Iran, and to a lessor extent Venezuela, to defeat us in a new Cold War of Terror. China and Russia have supplied weapons, diplomatic cover, and economic support to these rogue states to drain American resources, our respect in the international community, and generally create chaos. China is stealing our technological secrets through a coordinated program of traditional intelligence and computer infiltration. China and Russia are threatening our satellites. China constantly threatens our ally, Taiwan. We can use the lessons from the first Cold War to figure out how to win this new one.



The author postulates that winning the war against terror and those who sponsor it -- directly or indirectly, it would seem -- will require the same tactics used by JFK to get the missiles out of Cuba, and by Reagan to defeat the Soviet Union. Part of this, of course, is economic in nature. According to the author's theory:



Once we put China in this position, it won't allow North Korea to be the tail that wags the dog. China will be upset with the U.S., as will the rest of the world who will call us dangerous cowboys, like they did Reagan, but China's only good option would be to work for a nuclear free Korean peninsula. China would suffer the economic pain (no more Kentucky Fried Chicken) of losing the world's greatest consumer as a costumer, plus it would be in the untenable position of being at the mercy of the madman in North Korea. America could get China's support for regime change or some other policy to remove the nukes in North Korea.


America would also suffer economic pain (T-Shirt prices would rise) from these trade restrictions, but domestic policy would limit that pain, and turn it into an advantage. By adopting the FairTax, America would begin to return as a manufacturing juggernaut. Reducing government interference in the free market would assist this process. American products, no longer burdened by the income tax, would compete with Chinese made products on the world market, further enriching America and hurting China/NK. This American growth in manufacturing would drive prices lower to compensate for the price increases from restricted trade with China/NK. This would put pressure on China to democratize. [TD - emphasis added]



But aside from National Security, the FairTax is just a good idea. The Kodiak Daily Mirror came out in favor of it because it is grassroots in nature. You know, "We the people" kind of thinking. In "New Tax Act Gives Power to the People", the Daily Mirror gives its reasons for supporting the FairTax:



A proposed bill, The Fair Tax Act, would change the way our government collects our tax money. It sounds the death toll for the Internal Revenue Service, paycheck withholdings and tax returns. As the replacement, a national sales tax, designed to fund our government at its current rate, would replace our old system. It relieves the burden of an overly complicated tax code as special interests lobby for loopholes.


The national sales tax will be collected on all new goods and services and takes the place of our income withholdings. The system is blind to income levels, yet ensures the basic necessities of life are not taxed through a tax pre-bate system. This prevents the government from dictating what the basic necessities are and affords us the ability to make our own decisions. [TD - emphasis added]



How cool is that? What a novel idea! Letting us make our own decisions! I like it! The Daily Mirror finishes the article by referring to no less a document than our own Declaration of Independence:



As stated so eloquently in our Declaration of Independence, we hold the power, not the government or our elected officials. It is time for a real change offered by the Fair Tax Act to encourage economical growth and investment. It is time to do away with the burdensome taxation system that we detest and political officials use to gain votes.



All I can add to that is a hearty "Amen"!


The FairTax Blogburst is jointly produced by Terry of The Right Track Blog and Jonathan of Publius Rendezvous. If you would like to host the weekly postings on your blog, please e-mail Terry. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll.


FWD: Kristen Silverberg, Brand USA

This was a great article on ERM/PRM and how it can affect countries as well as us:

Today I had an interesting call. I spoke with Kristen Silverberg, the Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs. She's a very charming woman, sharing anecdotes about her three year old niece, as well as being as intellectually stimulating as they come.  We brainstormed some great ideas for incorporating ERM (executive relationship management) and PRM (personal relationship management) into international relations.

Kristen brought up the conflicting ideas surrounding our country right now, not only involving criticism from the outside, but debate from the inside as well.  She focuses the bulk of her time on the Security Council working on negotiations with resolution language. Funny, one of the main criticisms the United States faces is that of "going it alone," and this is becoming a dignity issue for the rest of the world. We are starting to appear, from the outside, as though we don't need the help of other countries, and that couldn't be more untrue. 

I couldn't help but see how this relates to each of us as individuals – the struggle with being able to ask for help, and letting other people help. The interesting thing about it is that when a person, or in this case, a country, is brave enough to ask for help, it increases the value of that country as a brand.  I can't remember a time when brand USA was more valued than after 9/11, or when Katrina devastated our southern coast. The pinnacle of intimacy is letting people help you and being able to ask for help. When you ask for help, you're at once showing respect for their abilities and letting them inside your walls.

There are so many things in our lives that make us build up walls around ourselves. The sad thing is that we think our walls are so unique, that no one else has the same ones, but at the end of the day, we all have similar worries and frustrations and we are all looking for the same things, deep mutual understanding with others.  The way we get there is to help people get comfortable to "exhale." Get them to talk about things they are passionate about.  Tell people about our own past struggles. It comforts others to know that we haven't had it easy either, that life is a struggle for all of us. 

Kristen sees this all the time. She said that people in foreign diplomacy are always traveling to ask someone for a meeting, or to ask people to stand on their side.  They want to be sure they haven't been abandoned.  To ask for this kind of help means asking to share some level of intimacy with them.

While some people may look at this plane of intimacy as insincere, it's important to realize that if your heart is in the right place then it isn't trite at all. 

I believe what Kristen is doing is so important and needed right now. I have said for a long time that the "brand" of the United States of America needs some attention, and Ms. Silverberg appears to share that sentiment. Not that we should focus too much on promoting brand USA for the sake of promotion. Without changing our relationships, that sort of marketing would be hollow and only alienates people and countries and groups that could help us, and us them. We need genuine relationships to strengthen our country's brand just like our personal brands.

source:http://nevereatalone.typepad.com/blog/2006/11/kristen_silverb.html


Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Today's Word with Joel & Victoria

This is a powerful message and VERY appropriate for those in business.

Getting Comfortable Outside Your Comfort Zone

Today's Scripture

"As they went a woman who wanted to be healed came up behind and touched him, for she had been slowly bleeding for twelve years, and could find no cure (though she had spent everything she had on doctors). But the instant she touched the edge of his robe, the bleeding stopped." (Luke 8:43)

Today's Word from Joel and Victoria

Are your hopes, dreams, and visions way big today? I hope so, because there are no limits for the powerful and loving God that you serve! When God puts a dream in your heart, even a big dream that seems almost impossible, He will also put in your heart the ability and the opportunity to complete it. The tough part is that you're going to have to step outside of your comfort zone, and allow God to give you what you need. The woman described in Luke 8 had a dream of being healthy, but nobody could help her. She kept dreaming and reached out for Jesus to be healed. Reach out for your dream today and watch God do the rest!

A Prayer for Today

God, I know that You have big plans for me. Help me to let You do things that are out of my comfort zone. Thank you for Your power and for the dreams You give me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Read another Word with Joel & Victoria

View archived messages »

Joel Osteen Ministries, 3700 Southwest Freeway, Houston TX 77027

Copyright © 2006 by Joel Osteen

--
Eric Standlee
http://www.linkedin.com/in/ericstandlee
Prospered not to increase my Standard of Living,
but to increase my Standard of Giving

PS. Would you be open to showing referring organizations how to receive **hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars** for their ministry or faith-based non-profit without asking anyone for any money whatsoever?
http://www.businessconferences.info/ht

Take this entrepreneurial quiz: http://www.7kovernover.com/quiz.pdf

See what our Team Members have to say:
http://www.7kovernover.com/testimonialsar.htm

Download Slay Your Giant (originally $29.95) at no cost quick before this link stops working:
http://businessconferences.info/SlayYourGiant.pdf

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

50 ways to find new business and generate leads

Gang, I had to share this wonderful site full of 53+ ways and places to find new business and generate leads:
With these insights and tips, you and your team can drop years of research and discovery time from your efforts and focus on selling. In fact, even the most experienced sales and business development professionals may find the untapped vein of business that “never occurred to me”. Or, you may find one of the ideas becomes the spark to a completely new idea of your own.

May your business overflow!

Eric

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Dare to Believe for Greater Things

I was reading in "Your Best Life Now" by Joel Osteen, and on
page 76 under the heading "Dare to Believe for Greater Things",
the following spoke loud and clear to me:

"God said to Abraham, 'I'm going to bless you so that you can be
a blessing'  God is saying that same thing to you.  He wants to
bless you with abundance, so you can turn around and be a
blessing to other people."

"Maybe you have endured terrible disappointments.  Unspeakable
negative things may have happened to you, to the point that you
have ceased believing for anything good to occur in your life.
You've lost your dreams.  You are drifting through life, taking
whatever comes your way.  You may be tempted to tell yourself,
'I've been living this way too long.  I'm never going to get any
better.  I've prayed, I've believed, I've done everything I know
how to do.  Nothing's changed.  Nothing's worked.  I might as
well give up.'"

"I've had people tell me, 'Joel, I don't want to get my hopes
up.  I've been through so many hurts in the past.  If I don't
get my hopes up and nothing good happens to me, at least I won't
be disappointed.'"

"Friend, that attitude is contrary to God's desires for you.  No
matter how many setbacks you've suffered, God still has a great
plan for your life.  You must get your hopes up.  If you don't
have hope, you won't have faith.  And if you don't have faith,
you can't please God, and you won't see His power revealed in
your life.  Keep hope alive in your heart.  Don't ever give up
on your dreams.  Don't allow discouragement or other setbacks to
keep you from believing what God says about you."

If you are like me, then this part of the book speaks to you
loud and clear.

Friend, I am sure that God wants you to over-come.  You
need to surround yourself with those who agree and affirm that
in you daily so that you can daily affirm that in yourself.

Blessed to be a blessing,
Eric Standlee
"Commit your works to the Lord, and your plans WILL succeed."
-- Proverbs 16:3

Landing page quality update -- You NEED to understand these changes and their affect on your landing page

Landing page quality update

In early July, we sat down with Andrew C., product marketing manager for Ads Quality initiatives. At that time, Andrew spoke of our continuing efforts to improve the quality of our users' experience when they visit an advertiser's landing pages. Today he returns with a heads-up regarding an upcoming development:

In the next few days, we will be making two changes to how AdWords evaluates landing page quality. First, we'll begin incorporating landing page quality into the Quality Score for your contextually-targeted ads, using the same evaluation process as we do for ads showing on Google.com and the search network. Advertisers who may be providing a poor experience on their site will notice that their traffic across the content network decreases as a result of this change. Second, we're improving our algorithm for evaluating landing page quality and incorporating landing page content retrieved by the AdWords system.

As with our July system update, both of these changes will affect a very small portion of advertisers, so the vast majority of advertisers will not be affected at all by either change. However, those who may be providing a low quality user experience will see an increase in their minimum bids for Google.com and the search network and/or a decrease in traffic across the content network. In most cases, we expect that the higher minimum bids will cause the low quality ads and keywords to become "inactive for search." Since July, we've received quite a few questions from advertisers about our landing page quality initiatives, and I'd like to address the most common ones today:

Why are you focusing on landing page quality?
The goal of our ongoing landing page quality initiative is to improve the experience of our users by providing high quality results not only in the ad text, but also once the user has clicked through to the site. We strongly believe that an excellent experience on the advertiser's site is an essential element in earning the continued trust of our users. Clearly, the better the user experience, the more likely it is that users (who are also your potential customers) will continue to seek out -- and click on -- AdWords ads over the long term. This is to the advantage of everyone: users, advertisers, and Google alike.

What do you consider to be a high quality landing page?
While we suggest landing page and site guidelines, we don't provide more specific recommendations because there's no one-size-fits-all approach to best create landing pages. We therefore encourage you to focus on building landing pages that are best for your users, whether they come from AdWords or other sources. In doing this, it may be instructive to put yourself in your customer's shoes and closely examine what it is that leads you to explore and do business with a site rather than simply click the "Back" button.

Will my landing page quality affect my ad's position?
Not for Google search. While one's landing page quality is directly correlated with the minimum bid required for one's ads to run, it does not affect your ads position (or 'rank', as it is often referred to) at all. However, since there is no minimum bid requirement for contextually-targeted ads, low quality landing pages will result in the need to bid higher to compete in the auction, which could also impact your position on pages in the network.

Update:
Clarified that the term 'search' in the second paragraph means 'ads showing on Google.com and the search network.'

Posted by Sarah, Inside AdWords crew

Joel Osteen Ministries: Subscribe to Joel's Podcast

I am listening to the podcast "Keep Pressing On" and it is a blessing to my heart.

PODCASTS
Each week you can download the 30 minute Joel Osteen Television program in audio or video format to your iPod, PC or MP3 player.
You can listen to audio podcasts, or watch the video ones.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Japanese News Leans to the Left

Some may not know that my second most fluent language is Japanese. It is my home language as my wife and three kids are Japanese.

So, we get TvJapan on Dish to keep up with current events and the drama shows on Japanese TV to keep our language up. It really is a family time and with the DVR we minimize our time in front of the boob tube.

But, with the election tomorrow, the Japanese news and oppinion shows have been focusing on the election. You might not know it, but the affect of the election will be felt as far away as Japan and all of Asia on the other side of the world.

The sad thing, and in fact the most frustrating thing for a conservative like me, is that Japanese TV is more of a puppet head than Alan Combs on the Fox News Hannity and Combs show. Alan's ficticious slanted beliefs about the politics of America pale in comparison to the single-minded far-left slant of the Japanese reporting. The show we just watched would have made Alan proud, as if that is a good thing. The only interviewed people with a negative oppinion on the Bush administratin, the extremely good economy we have, and the ultra-low unemployment that conservative republican leadership has blessed us with. I take that back, they made light of one conservative republican mayor of some country town who was trying to drum up republican votes among her citizens for tomorrow's election.

It was enough to get Sean Hannity red-faced and steamed! I know I was.

Newt Gingrich for President! Clone him and fill the house and senate with him. Thank God for God fearing conservative leadership like George Walker Bush and Newt.

Add chat to your own site | Chatcreator.com

Add an ajax (web2.0) chatbox to your site:
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Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Fwd: [LinkedInUSAF] Soldiers' Angels Project Valour-IT - USAF Team!!!

Help support those who are surviving having stood in harms way for us:

---------- Forwarded message ----------

I've joined the Soldiers' Angels Project Valour-IT USAF Team. We are
raising funds for injured soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines that
need voice activated/controlled laptops. This is a short term project,
ending on Veteran's Day - 11 November 2006.

If you have a moment, and can spare a small donation, please go to our
blog and help the US Air Force Team stay on top!

LinkedInUSAF.blogspot.com 

We are in second place, right behind the US Army ... c'mon, we own the
sky, we gotta get on top! And, the Marines are HOT ON OUR SIX, people.
We can't have that, we need to be NUMBER ONE!

   :)

In fact, our blog is not the only one. There are a few of our members
that have joined this cause and working to get as many laptops as
possible. Here's the USAF Team roster, so far, and I don't know if any of
you run these sites:

OPFOR
Euphoric Reality 
THIRDWAVEDAVE 
richardlowry 
Cold Fury 
My Weekly Thoughts 
The Adventures of RV-6 N466PG 
Stop The ACLU 
iowahawk 
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler 
Soldiers' Angels New York 
Dude Where's The Beach 
Spec Ops Angels 
Fix 4 RSO 
Exile in Portales 
Radio Patriots 
MURDOC ONLINE 
Defense Tech 
Right on the Right 
No Angst Zone 
Banter In Atlanter 
Townhall Blog 
Bill's Bites 
Gateway Pundit 
Mudville Gazette 
Seraphic Secret 
CoInside 
The Splatter Zone 
Air Force Pundit 
Conservative Thinking 
VodkaPundit 
LinkedInUSAF 
Gazing at the Flag 

If you visit ANY of these great sites, or know someone that is ex-USAF
(or active duty) and has a blog, get them on the list! And, stop by
their site and donate to this worthy cause.

So, please help up win this year! We haven't done so well in the past,
and, I'm trying everything I can to boost the USAF Team into the
stratosphere!!!   :)  For an inter-branch rivalry, this is where we
want to be hands-down winners!

It's two fold - the Air Force Team wins and so do those in need.

Thanks for listening, and this is a one-time special announcement
regarding this donation drive.


----

Eric Standlee




Monday, October 30, 2006

Mandriva One - Mandriva Linux

Mandriva One brings you a top-notch operating system and best-in-class software applications, all on one CD! Simply insert the Mandriva One CD in your CD-ROM drive to launch the system and access office, Internet and multimedia tools, with no need to install. Later, if you choose to, a few clicks are all that's needed to install Mandriva One onto your hard drive, along with any files you created while in Live mode!

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Do you really understand what it takes to be a CEO? Insights from research.

Understanding the CEO can make a huge difference when communicating with one.  Is there a difference between large company and non-profit and bantum sized firm's CEOs?  Read more at

CEO Insights


THE AVERAGE CEO
Graphic 1 shows the average of the 98 CEOs in the "I Opt" database. The average CEO's interest appears to center on creative options and on acting to secure them.


Graphic 1
The average CEO's RI (Relational Innovator) style is dominant. It is geared to plotting a course for the firm. The CEO seizes on new insights and explores what they might mean to the firm. How a new insight might fit into the business system is quickly outlined. A collegial atmosphere tends to surround the CEO when operating in this mode. The CEO is open to changes, modification and elaboration. A vision of what might be is being created.

Not every issue yields to the RI strategy. Even when it does, the creative process will sooner or later be exhausted. The CEO then shifts to their next most favored strategy, the Reactive Stimulator (RS). At this point talk is over. It is now the time to "do." The CEO's focus changes from what to do to when it will be done. Collegial give and take is replaced by authoritative direction. Milestones are set and commitments sought. Focused action is the CEO's interest.

The world is not linear. Neither is the CEO's approach. They bounce back and forth between their preferred strategies. The combination catalyzes the adjustments the firm needs to navigate an ever-changing environment. The average CEO is a creative "doer."

The "take home" from the above is that if you want to engage an average CEO, bring something creative to the table. Attach some kind of action proposal (RS) to it and be ready to move if it is accepted. Having some analytical HA material available explaining why a course has been selected is probably advisable but it should not be stressed. The least important thing is laying out exactly how things are to be done.


NON-PROFIT CEOs
Sixteen of the 98 CEOs in the "I Opt" database head non-profit or government (state and federal) agencies. Non-profits face more nebulous missions than firms in the profit-sector. There is no clear "bottom line." Market feedback is slower and less clear-cut. These differences reflect themselves in the CEO's profile as shown in Graphic 2.

Graphic 2
Non-profit CEOs favor the RI (creativity) strategic style but with a bit less intensity. Less defined goals make figuring out how a new idea "fits in" more difficult. A slower market feedback means less reliance can be placed on decisive action (RS). Too much damage can accumulate before a problem is known. In response the secondary strategy shifts to the analytical HA. Initiatives are more likely to be analyzed before being acted upon. Getting it done right is more important than being first to market.

All of the secondary strategies lie close together in strength. This is testimony to the nature of mission. The advantage of one strongly dominant secondary style is less clear cut. Like other CEOs the non-profit CEO is plotting a course in an uncertain environment. They are doing it more cautiously because they have to.

The "take home" from this mini-analysis is that the non-profit CEO can be engaged with creativity. However, the process of deciding what (if anything) to do will be longer. There are simply more things to consider. The balanced secondary styles mean that they may appear more "reasonable" than their profit-sector equivalents. They will seriously consider a wider range of proposals. The cost is elongated discussion and slower decisions.

Keep in mind this is mini-analysis is based on averages. There are non-profits with explicit goals and fast feedback. This means that there are non-profit CEOs who use strategic patterns similar to the profit-making sector. But these people will not be the typical non-profit CEO.


LARGE FIRM CEOs
Larger firms tend to face complex issues and their decisions usually involve more stakeholders. The 82 profit-sector CEO's in the database can be divided by size. Twenty-three have revenue of over $100 million. This should result in a different strategic profile—and on average it does.

Graphic 3
Graph 3 shows the style distribution with the non-profits excluded. Large-firm CEOs appear less willing to take decisive action and more inclined to subject initiatives to analysis before acting. Graphic 4 shows that smaller firms are more likely to have CEOs who are prepared to act more aggressively. Large firm CEO's are also prepared to act but none occupy an extreme position. This reduces the overall RS average of large firm CEO shown above in Graphic 3.

Graphic 4
The analytical HA offers a similar story but on the other side. Graphic 5 shows that the large firm CEOs are seldom found at the "very low" HA level. This has been shifted to the "low" level. This move has the effect of increasing the large firm CEO's average HA score. In other words, the higher overall HA is due to fewer people in the very low category rather than to more people in the higher ones.

Graphic 5
The difference in large and smaller firm CEO's profiles lies in the extremes. Large-firm CEOs are inclined to cluster in a band in the middle of the spectrum. It is likely due to the nature of the decisions being made. Complex decisions combined with multiple stakeholders probably favor moderate people in the CEO chair of larger firms.

Strategies that work for the CEOs of smaller firms are likely to be transportable to larger firms. The CEOs are equally interested in creative ideas. Their response to an initiative is likely to be more moderate but of the same character. In terms of decision-making information flows, what works at one CEO level will probably work at another.

I have taken this IOPT Test, with CEO results, and can help you understand this better if you need help.


Thanks Gary for the insight.

Good news from Iraq is really out there

Being former Air Force and a father, this story really touched me:

A Gentle Warrior

You guys know that I've been really burned out lately. I keep sitting down at my computer to try and explain what's been going on inside my head, but then the words fail me. How's that for a first?! I was describing my state of mind to Kit and I called it a "crisis of faith" - in the people of my country and the future of our nation. It has been hanging over my head and clouding my mind for several weeks now. Maybe I'll elaborate more on it, but then again, maybe you don't care to hear it. It's not happy stuff.

So Kit wisely counseled me to look for the good and share that with you. I have haltingly taken her excellent advice and found something that truly touched my cynical heart - as only an American soldier can do. Maybe you've seen this before, but for me it is new.

john-gebhardt-and-iraqi-girl.jpg

This picture is of Chief Master Sargeant John Gebhardt. A little Iraqi girl was rescued from an attack by insurgents, who killed her entire family and shot her in the head. She survived, but would cry all day. She would only be calm when Gebhardt would hold her. So Gebhardt has held her and slept with her in his arms for four nights (by the time the picture was taken).

I owe a big thank you to Muslihoon and OPFOR for casting a beam of brightness into my musings of doom and gloom.



Here's praying that Christians take over the news outlets and start sharing the good news about Iraq.  Americans on bad news about Iraq from all of the politically biased news outlets want the troops home now, Americans on good news that what we are doing it making a difference want the job done right!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

JOINRED.com - Brilliant Alliance Marketing

This is a great cause.  We need an orange for orphanages, and a blue for compassion like programs, and a white for Christian companies' products giving back the kingdom...

Maybe you've seen the shirts on Gap ads or the new red phones from Motorola or the smoking hot red iPods from Apple. They're hot - and they're for a cause. One of the 12 Steps in our Results Revolution marketing program advocates the use of alliance marketing - riding the coattails of a national advertising campaign, joining with a nonprofit or partnering with another local business that targets your customers. With this campaign, national brands are linked together for a common cause - Product RED. And it's a raving success. You have to "join" on the Product RED web site to be "notified" of product availability.

http://www.mpdailyfix.com/2006/10/joinredcom.html

http://www.myspace.com/joinred

How can you support this cause in your small business? or another national cause? This one is hot - and Christmas is a great time to see RED.


Not if I beat you to it... <grin>

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Spot Me gadgets for conference connections

From the Never Eat Along Blog:

Consumer Electronics Assoc. economist Shawn DuBravac pointed me to this report on a cool gadget used this past summer at the World Economic Forum in Tokyo to facilitate more connections between attendees.

The Spot Me gadgets that the World Economic Forum is distributing to participants are incredibly cool. The size of a small PDA, it has the complete schedule and list of participants programmed into them, but the neatest part is its radar function which checks the surrounding area and tells you who is sitting near you. Plug in the people you want to talk to, and the thing will buzz when one of them are in your range. Send messages to them, set up appointments, awesome. I had heard about a similar function that was used unsuccessfully as a dating-match service, but gizmos like this seem infinitely more suited towards business networking.

Link: Spotme | Conference Navigator


All offline networking should be so connected.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Google Docs & Spreadsheets - use it to post to your blog

This document has not been published to your blog. You need to set your blog site settings before you can post documents to your blog.

If you have a google account, then you can go to https://docs.google.com and create a document just like using word or excel, then in the publish options setup your blog at say blogger and publish the document to your blog.

Amazing! five stars!

IE7 May Be Illegal « Why noone will buy Vista

IE7 May Be Illegal « Why noone will buy Vista

Anti-trust lawsuit again?

Does Microsoft ever learn? We are all not just peons forced to buy software from one house. We have choices and Mac looks best.

Eric

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Please keep the Kurfmans in your prayers

Eric and family are missionaries to Japan:

A GREAT big thank you to all who prayed for us on Saturday at our landlord's house.
Things went as well as they can when so few of the family are truly believers...
I believe the LORD helped me to emphasize (repeatedly) that the ONLY way to enter into eternal life and
to truly know you will go to heaven when you die is through repentance and believing in the LORD Jesus.

I was able to share that is NOT the only thing Jesus is interested in...eternal life begins right now in HIM.

Friday night when I went talk with the wife, she had put a can of beer and 2 "pears" on a tray in front of the 3 people's pictures.
We talked for a while and she felt like she had to do that for the deceased father's sister.
But after we talked and she admitted they had never done those kind of things that much before, the aunt probably wouldn't notice.
Honestly that 87 year old aunt is one of the most open to the Gospel. Anytime I share from the Bible she is always listening intently.

Several of the relatives were all geared up for the typical incense and chanting thing,
but the wife was able to tell them, we aren't doing that. PLEASE pray for Yoko Hori uchi. We have talked often about the fact that God isn't interested in
a "religious ceremony" for anything. She seems to understand but at the same time has a hard time taking the last "leap".

I came away feeling like we had done what we could do and the LORD would have us do at this point.
And "ya' cain't do no more 'n 'at"  can you??

THANKS AGAIN !!
BLESS YOU ALL!!
Eric and the crew


Thursday, October 19, 2006

Apple shipped some video iPods with Windows computer virus

All I have to say is OOPS!

Apple shipped some video iPods with Windows computer virus
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
... Computer Inc. said a fraction of its iPod players sold in the past month contained a virus that affects rival Windows systems. The ...
See all stories on this topic


Today's HomeWord for 10/19/06 - Five-Fingered Prayer

Having trouble seeing Today's HomeWord? Click here for the Web version.                                       




Five-Fingered Prayer

This devotional was written by Kelly McFadden

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.—Ephesians 6:18

Recently, an email was sent to me that demonstrated how to use your fingers to pray.  Each finger can be used to bring to mind different ways to pray for those around you.  If you're looking for ideas to improve your prayer life, give it a try.

Thumb:  The strongest digit on your hand. Give thanks for all the strong things in your life, like home and family, or relationships that support and sustain you.

Index finger:  This is the pointing finger. Pray for those people and things that guide and help you in your life. Friends, teachers, doctors, nurses, emergency services and so on.

Middle finger:  The tallest finger. Pray for all the important people who have power in the world, like world leaders and governments, members of parliament and local councilors, city mayors and aldermen, our president.

Ring finger:  The weakest finger on your hand. It cannot do much by itself (ask anyone who plays piano). Remember the poor, the weak, the helpless, the hungry, the sick, the ill and the bereaved.

Little finger:  The smallest and the last finger on your hand. Pray for yourself.

One of the things I like most about this guide to prayer is that it reminds me to keep others before myself.  Too often when I pray, I immediately present God with my needs, wants and desires, and then lose my train of thought before I even think to pray for anyone else. Try using this tool as you drive home from work or go out for a walk.  Prayer is something we can do at all times and this may be just the tool to make it a part of your life, not just something you do before you go to bed or face a difficult situation.   Prayer is an activity we can't engage in enough.  God hears our prayers and your hand is a good way to remind yourself to pray for someone else.



To comment on today's devotional, click here.



GOING DEEPER:
1. Think through the five-fingered prayer.  Can you place someone you know in each category? 

2. Today when you are in your car, turn off the radio and put your cell phone aside.  Take some time to pray through your fingers for those in your life who fit each category.

FURTHER READING:
Psalm 34:4-10; Romans 8:26-27; 1 Thessalonians 1:3-3

To change your email address, click here.


http://homeword.com

32232 Paseo Adelanto, Suite A
San Juan Capistrano, CA - 92675
800-397-9725





Could there be dirty bomb threats at NFL venues this weekend?


StarPhoenix
Officials skeptical of NFL dirty bomb threat
Calgary Sun, Canada - 2 hours ago
By AP. WASHINGTON -- An Internet message claiming seven NFL stadiums will be hit with dirty bombs this weekend was met with "strong skepticism" yesterday by US ...
Officials express skepticism at dirty bomb threat San Jose Mercury News
NFL stadium dirty bomb threat doubted by experts Houston Chronicle
NFL dirty-bomb threat defused Chicago Tribune
Philadelphia Daily News - Kentucky.com
all 869 news articles »

[Feedburner] More Groovy Featurettes

Take advantage of these new tools to make your feeds even more powerful.  Click the link about the story about "Eric" and how he created a tutorial for feed flares.  You can use what he gives you right away, guarantee it.

Eric




More Groovy Featurettes

In our haste to tell you about some recent enhancements, we missed a few. (What can we say, things move mighty fast around here - three of our developers have already showed up for work tomorrow). Fresh off the FeedBurner "Check this when it's done" list are the following free featurettes available for your immediate use:

Digg This, now dynamic-ized
We've been working directly with the team from Digg to create an official and dynamic version of this popular FeedFlare. Now, the "Digg This!" FeedFlare reflects the latest number of Diggs and comments. If your post has been dugg and people have commented, your FeedFlare link will reflect it.

Sphere FeedFlare has been upgraded
Do you want your readers to easily discover blog posts related to your content? The awesome crew at Sphere have upgraded some code to now reflect the most recent number of related items. The FeedFlare link will look like this in your feed or on your site: "Sphere: N posts on similar topics." No related posts for an item? The link will not appear because it's smart like that.

Activate both the Digg and Sphere FeedFlares from the "Optimize" tab with FeedBurner. Here's a screenshot for you visual folks:

DiggFlare.png

Need help FeedFlare-ing?
All of this FeedFlare talk might have you thinking, "How can I make one?" Eric has written some instructions for creating a parameterized FeedFlare unit of your very own. Use FeedFlare to:

  • Cross-promote another property. Check out Om Malik's static FeedFlare in his FeedBurner feed.
  • Run a house promotion.
  • Create aStore in Amazon. Steve shows you how .
  • You can even use FeedFlare to sell a sponsored text link.
Fabulously easy! We have plans to make the FeedFlare creation process much easier, but in the meantime, you can find additional FeedFlare documentation and a handy interactive Scratchpad on our site.

Third-party extension
Steve Smith, our knight in shining armor, has updated his ordered list plugin for WordPress. The plugin will detect all ways to access your feed (e.g. http://www.yoursite.com/feed/ or http://www.yoursite.com/wp-rss2.php, etc.), and redirect them to your FeedBurner feed so you can track every possible subscriber. It will redirect your main posts feed, and optionally your main comments feed as well. If you have a WordPress blog and are looking for an simple way to take advantage of FeedBurner services, Steve's plugin is the "it" plugin for you.

Show the world you're hot for FeedBurner
Hey, sometimes you may feel like giving back and to you, we say "Thanks!" If you're bursting with FeedBurner fanhood, we are pleased to offer the following:

  • New Chicklets - Now you can find i_heart_fb.gif and powered_by_fb.gif under the Chicklet Chooser within the "Publicize" tab.
  • FeedBurner Shmoogies - New and vinyl FeedBurner stickers are in. They're more shiny and sturdy. We'll even throw in a button if you mail us a self-addressed stamped envelope to adorn our kitchen. Requests should be sent to:

    FeedBurner (note the big "B"!)
    Attn: I Want a Sticker!
    549 W. Randolph, 6th floor
    Chicago, IL 60661


Do you have a customer-centric company?

Even if you're a one man company, stop thinking less than $1,000,000 and stop shooting yourself in the foot.

Consider the following story an apply it to your micro-enterprise.

Want a Happy Customer? Coordinate Sales and Marketing
In today's hyper-competitive world, your sales and marketing functions must yoke together at every level-from the core central concepts of the strategy to the minute details of execution. Harvard Business School professor Benson Shapiro on creating the customer-centric team.
Source: Working Knowledge

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

ACTION ITEM: Information about Wal-Mart

I just got this email from a missionary friend in Japan.  I had no idea that this sort of thing had happend all the way back on August 21, or I am getting forgetful at this ripe age of 35. <grin>

Pass this very important information on:
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Eric Kurfman
Date: Oct 17, 2006 2:56 AM
Subject: Information about Wal-Mart

WAL-MART Joins HOMOSEXUAL AGENDA 
IN TIME for CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

In a rather risky move - just before Christmas shopping season, it
was announced on August 21 that Wal-Mart has joined the National
Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.
( http://www.nglcc.org/ht/display/ReleaseDetails/i/5735/pid/576 )

The original announcement states: "The National Gay & Lesbian
Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) announced today a partnership
with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc... This partnership will include executive
representation on the NGLCC's Corporate Advisory Council (CAC)
and sponsorship of the organization's 2006 events and initiatives."

Yes - you heard right. Just prior to the Christmas shopping season -
the most important time of year for retailers - Wal-Mart suddenly
joins itself to the radical homosexual agenda. Did no-one in
management consider that Wal-Mart has always been seen as a
"family-friendly" store? Did they not consider that millions of
Christians and conservative Americans may object - and take their
Christmas shopping elsewhere? Did they not take note of the fact
that right across the country, overwhelming numbers in the 2004
election voted to keep marriage as between "one man and one
woman"? What on earth were they thinking?

Even the LA Times, which was among the first to break this story
in the mainstream press, commented that, "For Wal-Mart Stores
Inc., even trying to make new friends is controversial." The Times
quoted Randy Sharp of the American Family Assn. who said that
he and others had stopped shopping at Wal-Mart because of its
shift from a "pro-family" stance.

Now, why didn't Wal-Mart see this kind of reaction coming? Do
they not care if they alienate large numbers of existing customers?
Or is it just that they figure no-one will do anything about it? What
kind of business takes an action that is bound to offend millions
of its customers just before the busiest time of the year?

The reaction of people who hold conservative values was well
summed-up by WorldNetDaily in a commentary entitled, "Why
did Wal-Mart go 'gay'?" earlier this month.

In it, Kevin McCullough writes: "On nearly every occasion I've visited
a Wal-Mart, I've nearly always seen entire families shopping together...
there quite possibly couldn't be a more family-friendly vendor in all
of America... Until this week... Wal-Mart stores have now signed
on to an agreement with the 'National Gay and Lesbian Chamber
of Commerce.' Leaving me to ask the question: WHY?... why is
Wal-Mart now spending resources in time, attention and money
to promote same-gender sexual behavior?

"Why will a Wal-Mart vice president now sit on the NGLCC task force?

"Why will Wal-Mart spend monetary resources to help fund
conferences that promote same-gender sexual behavior?"

The WorldNetDaily piece goes on to comment that, "In turning
their back on the Red State shopper who disapproves of these
changes, Wal-Mart has made a terrible business decision."

Many conservative Americans could only shake their heads in
agreement at this sad assessment. And yet it appears that
Wal-Mart remains completely unapologetic and unmoved. One of
its spokesmen even dismissed their decision as "just another
routine business outreach."

There has been no backing down - no apology at all. It is almost
as if Wal-Mart feels it will suffer no major repercussions at all
from this. Even though they must be aware that in some quarters
there is talk of "boycotts", etc, they seem almost blissfully unconcerned.

Well - maybe they are right. But on the other hand, it just may be
that Wal-Mart is about to find out how its customers really feel
about these new changes. For a big retailer at Christmas-time it
would take only 2% or 3% of its customers to send a very clear
message by shopping elsewhere. If that happened, the alarm bells
would be huge - right across the retail world.

Please PASS THIS ON.

LA TIMES Article-
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-walmart25aug25,0,1146352.story WORLDNETDAILY Articles- http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51774 http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=51782 NGLCC Articles- http://www.nglcc.org/ht/d/Releases/pid/576 ----------------------------------------------------

Now you know.

Eric Standlee

Reasons not to buy anything from Citgo or Venezuela for that matter

The president of that country:
  • denigrated our country and our President before the UN
  • befriends IRAN and other terrorist nations
  • encourages central and south American mafias to traffic in slaves bringing them into our country
  • and the last straw is that he has been caught supporting people from terrorist nations blocked from entry into the USA to obtain false passports and ids so that they can sneak into our country
And, now he wants to be given a place on the UN Security Council?  The vote shouldn't be close at all, unless...
The countries voting for Venezuela to join the UNSC are receiving bribes from Chavez....?????

Unbelievable!