Carmine

March 15, 1972

Spent a day recently talking politics with a large group of high school students taking part in the University For Young Americans - a unique program operated by Baldwin-Wallace College to give Ohio youth an opportunity to pick the brains of adult leaders.

Each Saturday, B-W conducts a seminar on a topic selected by the young people themselves. I was asked to participate at Orrville on the topic "The Role of Young People in Politics."

On the whole, I found these youth intelligent, aware, motivated and informed at about the same degree as any hand-picked group of adults. In other words, the young folks were no more, and no less, elite than their elders - a fact I personally find reassuring.

Our young people are just as responsible and practical as their parents. They are somewhat prejudiced and naive - but no more so than adults.

The most disturbing question asked me was "When do politicians cease to be politicians and become people?"

I was so taken aback by the query that I am afraid I did not answer it as convincingly as I wanted. I wish I had said it in more detail as follows:

Politicians are people. They are not a special interest operating outside the general members of society. As a matter of fact, politicians are the broth of people because they are freely chosen on the basis they express the desires of people.

You may disagree strongly with politicians, but their strength comes from the people.

It is fashionable in some circles today to bad-mouth politics - to link it with greed, graft, corruption.

Indeed, the terms "smoke filled rooms," "pork-barrel," "log-rolling," "gerrymander," "ward-heeler," "fat cats," "spoils system" are emotional clichs frequently used to describe politics.

But when we take an objective, historical look at politics we find something entirely different.

Politics is the cement which holds civilization together.

The word "civilization" means to live together in a city. As we come closer together our diverse needs and desires - at once the curse and blessing of thinking man - come into conflict.

Politics is the ancient art of reconciling the most destructive of these conflicts so that people can focus their energies on important undertakings.

Politics is nothing more than a process of compromise.

Without compromise we do not have politics, we have confrontation. Confrontation is jungle rule, the strongest, most ruthless animal takes all. The weak and unwary die. It's that simple.

At any given moment, politics represents the will of the people. It changes as people change. It is an extension, therefore, of human nature. Politics is imperfect because human nature is imperfect. Politics will improve as we improve.

And I am happy to say that both mankind and politics gets better with each generation. Only if you do a better job than those of us on this platform have done, will we feel our own lives were successes.

In the United States, politics is particularly exciting and dull, rewarding and frustrating, dynamic and lethargic.

I know this seems paradoxical, but extremes characterize the two-party system unique to America.

With only two parties, the conflict of politics is reduced to its simplest form. Who is against whom is clearly evident. It is as elemental as a fist fight. As a matter of fact we call it "adversary" politics. It is extremely exciting.

Finally, however, the conflict has to cease - from mutual exhaustion if nothing else. Withdrawing gracefully, working out an agreement, writing down the rules - all this is tedious and dull. But just as peace is the only thing that gives significance to war, compromise is the necessary antidote to conflict.

Politics is frustrating because it often circumscribes our desires, cuts it off short of our full wishes. Yet politics is rewarding because it enables us to move masses of people toward common, worthwhile goals - even if maddeningly slow.

Because each person is an individual - with different degrees of education, experience, and motivation - commanding their attention, and inducing them to act is a most difficult task. The more people, the harder the task.

In a huge country like the United States the slow process of reaching consensus - of deciding goals - is lethargic in comparison with such forms of government as - say - the dictatorship of Cuba, or the military rule of Egypt, or the committee rule of Russia. In the final analysis - however, American politics is dynamic because it gets things done better, with the least sacrifice of personal freedom.

Republicans and Democrats contend with each other, no holds barred. And - yes - we often go too far. However, there are no fragment parties to share administrative control of government. There are no paralyzing coalitions that govern without ruling - as in most European countries.

As long as politics remains dynamic, our country will be great. We will make mistakes, but we will make many more successes - as we have. The ballot box gives, and the ballot box takes away. This is the heart of the whole matter.

Without politics civilization would quickly perish - and our cities crumble to dust - as our numbers dwindled to fit the tribal hunting society which alone can survive without politics.

With politics we can reorder our priorities as we wish, adjust our desires to harmonize with those of our neighbors and - most probably - finally attain peace on earth and good will among men.

Lindsey Williams is a Sun columnist who can be contacted at:

LinWms@earthlink.net

LinWms@lindseywilliams.org

Website: http://www.lindseywilliams.org with several hundred of Lin's articles written over 40 years, and his book "Boldly Onward," about the original explorers of America.

Handsome commissions of between 20 and 35% make it possible for anyone with the right skill set and motivation to build a successful business in the insurance industry. Whether you choose to purchase a franchise or start your business from scratch, this business has the potential to produce a handsome return while at the same time, helping others manage their risks effectively.

Before The Start-Up, Let's Not Get Ahead Of Ourselves
Insurance agent requirements differ from country to country, so it's important to do research before getting started. Your local department of commerce or searching on Google is good place to get started. In most countries you will need a license to sell insurance. This usually involves taking a relatively short course and examination.

Finally, to be successful you will need excellent sales skills. Most of your working day will be spent consulting with clients and making sales. Its very important that you are relaxed around strangers and can sell your policies without making potential clients feel pushed or uncomfortable.

The Start-Up
There isn't much required to get started. You will need a small home office with a work space, desk, comfortable chair, computer, printer, office software and business stationary such as business cards, letterheads and an invoice template. If you're on a tight budget you might consider downloading Open Office instead of buying Microsoft Office as your software suite.

The choice of going it alone or buying an insurance franchise will largely depend on your budget. Franchises sell for between $50,000 and $75,000 (USD). If you can afford it, this is a much easier route to take. Training, licensing, branding and support to name a few will all be provided for you. If you don't have the budget or would simply prefer to start your own business, the independent option is for you. As an independent insurance agent you will still need to be affiliated with an insurance company. Do extensive online research into the features and benefits each insurance company has to offer before signing up to a program. Feedback from actual agents is the best information to look for, information like this is often found on forums, user groups such as Yahoo Groups and perhaps even the occasional blog.

Making It Work
The key to success in this highly competitive industry is to specialize in a small portion of the market. You could for instance focus on small business insurance or commercial property insurance, the options are endless. Businesses rarely fail from being too focused; don't be afraid to focus on a very small niche in the industry. Home business insurance vs. small business insurance would be a good example of this.

Marketing
Once you're established, word of mouth will account for a large part of your new business. Until that time you will need to work hard to establish yourself in this very competitive industry. Advertise your services in local classifieds, community publications, on billboards, with a sign outside your house, online by developing a website with useful content and by cold calling.

Target your advertising efforts directly at your chosen niche. If for instance you specialize in insurance for boat owner's, focus your efforts by advertising in places this target market is likely to frequent. Places such as shipping publications or yacht clubs.

Don't Forget
Don't forget to account for hidden expenses such as membership dues to industry associations and omissions insurance.

Andrew Misplon is co-owner of The Work Pad - Work at Home Ideas and Advice The Work Pad is a content site dedicated to work at home entrepreneurs. Our original content is written in house and includes a complete database of work at home ideas. Go beyond just finding a job and use our Excel at Home articles to achieve success at home.

It is the rented houses that we inhabit that become home till we finally save up enough money and buy that house of our own. Not that there is any great problem in staying in a rented apartment. But there is always that niggling feeling that this is not a place that we can call our own; that it belongs to somebody else. You cannot make any long term modifications in the house. Making major renovations will in all likelihood not be permitted. You do not even have the desire to invest in that perfect couch merely because carrying it around from one rented apartment to another would be such a nuisance.

Rented houses are all right if you feel that it is a temporary state of affairs. However, as soon as we feel settled in our jobs, our families, and our lives in general, the impulse to return to a place that we can call our own begins to rise. John Denver sang, "Take me home country roads / To the place I belong." We all want to belong somewhere. And that sense of belonging does not really come when you are staying in a rented apartment. The only way to get that sense of belonging? Purchase property that you can finally call your own.

Of course, shifting from the status of a tenant to that of a homeowner is not a cakewalk. For one, purchasing property is a suggestion that you are ready to settle down to a more stable living pattern. Could we call it the first sign of ageing? Perhaps. And which of us is willing to reveal how old we have really become? Moreover, purchasing a house, no matter how small it is, will definitely make you short of cash. Add to that the fact that most of us cannot purchase a house without getting adequate help from a financial institution.

However, thanks to the popularity of loans these days, the shift from tenant to homeowner has become fairly easy. It is no longer such an uphill task to get your loan application selected. Unsecured loans are found in large quantities and it is quite facile to find cheap loans in this day and age. Of course, unsecured loans do not only go into the buying of a house. You could also use them for debt consolidation. Loan taking has become very facile. And as a result, so has buying a house. You no longer have to be a tenant if you are hoping to get a place that you can call your own. Thoroughly research the loan markets to select the best mortgage loan for you.

Ajeet Khurana recommends: cheap loans, unsecured loans, and consolidation loan.

Education has been described as the best investment one can make to secure their future and on the part of parents, it has been said to be the best legacy they can give their offsprings. With the advent of the internet, there is no limit or boundaries on an individual guest for knowledge.

Now one can take the same classes available in a brick and mortar institution their quiet of the home.

Although this way sounds grand, it does have some Issues which I outline below together with some Answers.

Issue No1: Traditional classes are better then online college classes

Answer: Granted some online classes may not be good, but it depends on the kind of degree and college one chooses. Another thing to consider in your learning style. Most online classes make use of Blackhead learning system for classes.

Issue No 2: Online college degree programs are very hard.

Answer: A child learning to walk for the first time falls a lot but later becomes more confident as the month wear on. For those who have a very busy schedule or have weird work hours, online college classes enable them to get education.

Issue No 3: Employers dont value owner of online college degree programs.

Answers: Most online college degrees are comparable to standard in-class classes. Depending on what you are interested in there are online college search engines available to sort through the numerous accredited online college courses available online.

Although these three issues might seem overwhelming at first, but if you persevere you will find that online college degree classes as rewarding as in-class college courses.

You can also find more information on online college degree programs at Infoflakes.com

http://www.infoflakes.com is a comprehensive resource that helps provides information that can help students find a college degree program to advance their career.

At Home

Keep related items together, for example the coffee filters and coffee live above or near the coffee maker. (saves 2-5 minutes a day)
Create a communication center on the fridge for messages, chores etc. (saves 5 minutes a day)
Keep the grocery list posted where all family members can add items as they run out. (Saves 10 30 minutes a week, depending if you forget something and have to go back to the store!)
Create a checklist for groceries arranged in the order of your grocery store aisles. (saves 5-10 minutes shopping)
Create recipe categories that make sense to you. (saves 5 minutes a day)
Identify a place to put car keys, gloves, umbrellas etc., for easy access when you leave the house (saves 5 minutes a day or a lot more if you really cant find your car keys!)
Use an answering machine or service to control calls. Return calls at your convenience. (saves 10-20 minutes a day)
When opening your incoming e-mail, apply The FAT System (File-Act-Toss). If you arent sure you need it, toss it! (saves 5-10 minutes a day)
Create an address book for quick reference. Outlook Express, ACT!, and Quicken all come with address books, or you can do it the old fashioned way and input info by hand in an actual book. Keep it updated. (saves 5 minutes a day)
Put daily grooming/make-up needs in a single container easily accessible. (saves 3 minutes a day.)
Make a habit of looking when you go from one place to another, and see what needs to go with you. (saves 3 minutes a day.)

Family

Teach your children to use an alarm clock or clock radio. (saves 5 minutes a day)
Choose clothing and accessories the night before (saves 5 minutes a day)
Pack lunches the night before (saves 5 minutes in busiest time of the day)
Designate a place where family members can check to see if they have messages. (saves 5 minutes a day per person)
Start a childs file system with a simple container, basket, file or shelf. It may contain information about their medical records, medicines, education, extra curricular activities, memorabilia, etc. (saves 10-15 minutes a week)
Designate a special place for your child to put the papers they bring home from school. (saves 5-15 minutes a week)
Run errands at non-rush hour times if possible. Keep stops sequential to avoid driving in circles (saves 15-45 minutes a day)

Work

Avoid an overflowing e-mail In Box, by creating folders. Create a folder for each committee, project, person etc. (saves 5-10 minutes a day)
Attach the old message when replying to an e-mail to help the recipient remember its original content. (saves 5-10 minutes a day)
For lengthy or complicated e-mail, create your message in a word processing program and attach it to your e-mail. This allows you easy access for editing and retrieval. (saves 10 minutes a day)
If you need a copy of an e-mail, print it and then delete it! Remember to file your e-mail hard copy in your paper management system, such as The Paper Tiger, so you can find it again in 5 seconds or less! (saves 5 minutes a day)
Keep your filing system simple. Dont create too many categories, its better to put information into the largest general category first. (saves 10 minutes a day)
Organize computer documents. Put into one folder. Your computer already has it for you - My Documents. Then create subfolders for each program that you use, such as Word, Excel, Power Point, etc. Then save it. (i.e., My Documents/ Word/Mary Stowe letter/Marketing for book. (saves 10 minutes a day)
Practice the Art of Wastebasketry. Take a minute to clean out whenever you can. (saves 5-10 minutes a day)
Let calls go into voice mail. Dont allow the phone to interrupt your work unless its truly necessary. Return calls when you have a set time to talk. Checking messages can also give you time to prepare for what the caller wanted and avoid having to return calls back and forth. (saves 15 minutes a day)

Barbara Hemphill is the author of Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger at Work and Taming the Paper Tiger at Home and co-author of Love It or Lose It: Living Clutter-Free Forever. The mission of Hemphill Productivity Institute is to help individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so they can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. We do this by organizing space, information, and time. We can be reached at 800-427-0237 or at www.ProductiveEnvironment.com

Xtreme X2O. Not many people have heard of it...yet. This amazing new, organic mineral product has become the foundation of one of the fastest growing, home based businesses on the planet. People from all walks of life are interested in leaving the corporate "rat race" and starting their own, home-based business. Americans are looking around them today and seeing large companies fall apart, social security being eaten away, friends loosing their "real jobs" through downsizing and the myriad of other calamities associated with life in the big city. This causes one to stop and think about what the real problem is and what can one do about it.

I live in a town that lives and breathes because of the automotive industry as well as a few other small manufacturing companies. Most recently our middle-sized town in middle-america has been knocked on its heels by the Delphi Automotive story http://www.topix.net/com/dph. If the other manufacturing plants in our town follow suit, there will be thousands of people with either no job or making just above minimum wage.

Many people try to go the home-based business or self-employed route every day only to find that it is much more difficult than they imagined. There are thousands of "business-in-a-box" systems available today ranging from purchasing a well established francise for hundreds of thousands of dollars to joining one of those things their cousin Jenny has gotten involved in that everyone thinks will never work. There are certainly scandalous companies around in the Multi-Level Marketing business arena but there are also thousands of people around the U.S. and other countries that have not only made a comfortable living but became millionaires in the process.

Xooma Worldwide launched in May of 2005 with the announcement of their flagship product Xtreme X2O. What is making this company rise above the rest is a number of attributes that most MLM companies do not possess. First and foremost, they actually have a legitimate product that is helping people get healthy. The product is very simple. X2O is a small sachet (or teabag) full of a coral calcium based product that is 100% organic. You put the sachet in a bottle of water and drink it. That's it. The other dilemma that Xooma has solved is the start up costs. There aren't any. No hidden fees of any kind. Just start buying the product and if you don't like it, you simply quit. No restocking fees, no cancellation fees and most important, no distributor sign-up fees. Finally, one major problem with most multi-level marketing companies is they start with no infrastructure to support their growing company. If they manage to get off the ground, they can't keep up with the quickly growing demand. Here today, gone tomorrow and many people wake up to find their "investment" has disappeared. I met a young man named Frank Morgan who has become quite wealthy with Xooma Worldwide who told me that he has a check on his wall at home from a past MLM firm he was involved with for over $100,000. He never got to cash it because he woke up one morning and found the company had vanished. Xooma has a parent company called Health Through Nutrition (HTN) that has been around for over 13 years. They have all of the corporate support they need; web developers, shipping, accounting, legal, product development, etc. Both companies are being managed by people who have failed and succeeded in the home-based, multi-level marketing business who know what it takes to make the company thrive. The recurring theme and goal for Xtreme X2O is that it will someday be bigger than Gatorade. One of Xooma's top distributors, Mr. Tommie Weber, says, "I can envision one million kids carrying a green bottle and drinking X2O. We're changing the health of a generation."

Xooma Worldwide and the home-based, mult-level marketing business model may have many skeptics but the proof is in the success. X2O is a successful product that has changed the health and wealth of thousands of people around the U.S. and 20+ foreign countries. With all of the automated systems for advertising and training available today, anyone really can get into a home-based business that can get them out of the "rat race" known as corporate america without having to recruit their cousin Jenny!

Bryan B is an entrepreneur who has recently left the corporate "rat race" and what many considered a lucritive career in the automotive industry to follow his dream of working at home. Bryan has explored many avenues of income to support his family which includes the Xooma business plan. http://www.x2obuilder.com/jslservices is a place you can visit to explore the many facets of the product and compensation plan offered by Xooma Worldwide. Bryan also created his own website at http://www.x2o4life.com to help people get healthy through natural means.

Choosing The Right Color Scheme Can Be Simple And Easy

One of the hardest parts that anyone has to face when designing a website is the color scheme. Most people know that the difference between using a good scheme and a bad scheme can be the difference of a site succeeding or failing. The colors of a site convey the overall feel and mood of your site, so it is important to pick colors that go along with your companys goal or idea. Even if you cant remember your middle school art class, the rules of creating a color scheme for a website are fairly easy.

Keep it Simple

One of the most important parts when developing you sites color scheme is to only pick a few basic colors. In fact, if you are planning to use more than 5 colors on your site you are using too much. It can be very hard for many people to find the information that they are looking for when they can not even see it. Also it is important to remember that using an uncommon color is not ideal. In fact, using the browser-safe web palette is not a bad idea. While many computers can now display a wide range of colors, there are a few that still only show a few basic colors. In fact, using the web safe palette is fairly easy because many programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and other web tools have the palette built in.

Text

The pages text is absolutely the most important part of any website. I have never understood why many sites make their text so hard to read. If someone can read it, they probably are not going to stay at your site and more than likely not buy your product. As a general rule, try to use black as the main text of the site and use lighter text for graphics and other parts. At the same time, dont forget to use a font that is clear and simple to read.

Picking the Colors

When picking the colors for you site there are several different ways you can go about picking them. First, you can use complementary colors which are colors opposite to each other. Or you could use analog colors which are colors that are located right beside each other on a color wheel. And one more very pleasing color combination is to use chromatic colors or different shades of the same color. However, whichever one that you pick remember to keep your site easy to read and pleasing to the eyes.

The color combinations that can be used on a website are endless, however it is very important to remember the basics of choosing a color scheme. While you may be tempted to get creative and choose a variety of colors, make sure they go together and that they represent the look and feel of your company.

About the Author: Drew Johnson is a Public Relations intern for Kinetica Media, an Internet marketing company that works to harness the power of websites, email and search marketing to enable businesses of all sizes to get and keep more customers. Visit http://www.kineticamedia.com or call 866-526-4309 to see how their proven online marketing services can increase your customer loyalty and sales.

I have had a lot of people ask me why bad things happen to good especially when they cant see anything in their life that would attract bad things. This is one of those questions that can boggle your mind and be very confusing. However, I dont think that it has to be as complicated as people make it.

There is one school of thought that says every single thing that happens in your life is because you have attracted it into your life. I dont totally agree with that. Although I do think that most of what happens in your life is because you attracted it. The truth of the matter is that the law of attraction is not the only law in operation on this earth.

Think of it like this. There are two main laws at work when you are in an airplane. These laws are the law of lift and the law of gravity. These laws are in a constant battle with one another when you are in an airplane. Likewise, there are laws that are in conflict with the law of attraction as well as other people and what is operating in their own life.

The truth is that bad things happen sometimes because we live in an imperfect world. I do think that most of the time each individual does attract what happens but thats not always the case. There are also other people that have different things that are going on in their life that can affect you. So the next time that something bad happens in your life first examine your life to see if you need to make any changes. If nothing can be found, realize that life isnt perfect and just move on in life.

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Jason Osborn has dedicated himself to changing thousands of lives by helping people find their greatness and true potential through his Find Your Greatness Newsletter.

Whether you are selling used automobiles, water purification tablets, encyclopedias door to door or mortgages, a sales persons next client always begins life in the sales cycle as a sales lead. Wikipedia summarizes a sales lead simply and effectively. A sales lead is the identity of a person or entity potentially interested in purchasing a product or service, and represents the first stage of a sales process.

Mortgage brokers and lenders are constantly on the look out for the best mortgage lead, which is often perceived to be a mortgage lead most likely to convert into a mortgage customer. The best mortgage leads often come from marketing lead generation processes such as mortgage lead purchases, direct marketing, advertising, Internet marketing or from sales person prospecting activities such as cold calling.

In Glengarry Glen Ross, the 1992 film written by David Mamet and directed by James Foley, Alec Baldwins character Blake presents his sales personnel with the Glengarry leads, referred to as gold due to their high conversion rate. Solid leads of this nature are highly desired, the first significant step in a sales cycle that will end with a sale and satisfied client. Just as Blakes staff are hungry for the best leads, mortgage brokers and lenders are eager for the best mortgage leads.

As the first stage of the sales process, a solid mortgage lead is a highly treasured commodity. You may be wondering what constitutes the best mortgage lead. The best mortgage lead, of course, is your most recent mortgage lead. Theres no mortgage lead like it.

Mark Carey is an Internet marketer and webmaster of www.juicyleads.com. JuicyLeads is a major provider of refinance mortgage leads. For mortgage leads and refinance leads, visit http://www.juicyleads.com