Leadership and authenticity are inextricably linked. If you are imperfect and yet authentic while also exhibiting the leadership characteristics of integrity, honesty, character and self respect, you will still have followers. As humans, we are imperfect. Followers know that. But, with authenticity, at least on a bad day, your followers will bring you something soothing with a ‘she’s having a bad day” and forgiveness, while they ensure that the processes run smoothly and the tactical plan is executed.

We all remember the scene in Jerry McGuire when the words “you complete me” were uttered. It silenced protagonists and seized us in its emotional grip. But what about when we meet an inauthentic jerk, do you experience a moment when you wanted to say “you deplete me!”

Emotional vampires are all around us. They are easy to identify. Note when you interact with someone and as they walk away energized, you feel drained. In that moment, realize that your energy and motivation have been sapped, and you now need to find your own personal energy source and replenish yourself.

Envision your corporation. Mentally take a walk around. What do you see? Are people energized, excited and motivated? Do they excitedly communicate about the company’s vision and your dreams for the corporation’s future? Or are they in a dreamlike state just going through the motions. If your company is an emotional desert or filled with people just going through the motions, then this should be a wake up call to your leadership. In today’s market you cannot afford a leadership void. Get everyone on the bus and moving in the right direction.

Here are three things you can do right now if you have a “You deplete me” style of management in the organization:

1. Root out the source of this management style and employ a "you deplete you pay" compensation plan.

2. Provide a reporting mechanism for those who are being drained of motivation and forced to shut down and bury their ideas.

3. Reward managers who encourage a collaborative management style that utilizes all the brains in the room. You're paying for those brains, expertise, and ideas, so utilize them to the best of your capability. Innovation need room to breathe so it can come to life.

Here's the thing, Nike has a sneaker that wirelessly connects to the runner's iPod. The skeaker and iPod work together so that the speed of the runner selects a slow or fast song. Sound incredible? Just imagine the conference room the day the employee said "I've got an idea! What about a sneaker that wirelessly communicates with the runner's iPod?" What do you think would have happed if the leadership at Nike laughed it off and caused the employee to shut down?

Hmm, I see millions of dollars with little wings flying away. Don't let tha happen to your company.

The first month is almost over and it got me wondering how many people have taken action to make this year their best year yet. Living your best year is screamed at us from magazine covers, in movies and on television shows. When asked ‘who wants to live their best year in 2010?’ All hands go up. We all mean it at the time, our hearts of full of good intentions at the time, we mean to keep our promise to ourselves at the time. So what happens?

Life, priorities, that’s what happens. I mean when you can’t even keep a promise to yourself there’s a bigger problem going on.

I am a professional speaker and a trainer. That’s what I do. Knowing how the brain works, I offer resources at the back of the room that help attendees continue to learn and grow long after the program ends. Often the person purchases the product and that's it.

Shelf Help

There is a term in my industry calls “shelf help.” It refers to people who are attracted to personal development and invest in themselves during the program. After the program is over and they return to their jobs and their life, their personal development is pushed off the priority list and they never get around to reading or listening to the material.

The product sits on the shelf and collects dust. That’s why we call is Shelf Help.

What to do?

If that happens to you, here are a few tips you can use to fix the problem:

1. If the product is an audio program, begin listening to it in the car immediately after leaving the program. Then the next time you are on your computer drag and drop the tracks onto your iPod, Zune or other .mp3 player. Now you can listen to it anywhere. Why you can even listen to it while in the supermarket instead of the cheesy music they usually play.

2. If the product is a book, begin reading it the day you purchase it. Remember you don’t have to read the entire book in one sitting, you can promise yourself to read five pages a day. Double sided, that’s ten pages and in ten days you will have read 100 pages. This number can be even higher as the topic pulls you in and grabs you.

3. If the product is a DVD, pop it in instead of a Netflix or Blockbuster video. You’ve seen the commercials of the family around the TV, why not pop in a personal development DVD that everyone can learn from and then discuss it? Many of the DVDs are very compelling and you might learn more about your children during the discussion of the content.

The Result?

Using these techniques you will find it easy to learn and grow from the materials you purchase for personal development. You will even find as I always do, that each time you listen to the audio or watch the DVD you notice and learn something you missed last time. Shelf help then is something others do while you use the tools to live your best life.

2010 The Beginning

It starts with setting expectations for yourself, followed by taking action on the steps needed to bring your dreams to fruition. Each new year is a fresh start, but after the balloons deflate, you dispose of the party hats, and the hangover subsides, there's work to do.

What are your goals? You can choose to focus on only one area of your life to make execution simple. You can decide to work on one goal for each area of your life, and attract the people you need to help you bring it to fruition.

Whatever you decide, (and it's totally up to you) here are three steps to help in your success.

Use the P.E.P. formula of Possibilities, Expectations, and Persistence.

Step One - Possibilities

Review the Goals you have set. Those are your 2010 possibilitites. You will need to review them with a "Plan, Do, Review" mindset as that helps you determine what you need in order to achieve your goals, and creates a measurement tool to track progress. They say "a dream without a plan is only a wish" and "if wishes were horses, beggers would ride" so you need to create a plan which you will execute to ensure your possibilities become your reality. You will need to arouse and guide your subconscious mind to use its creative power to attract to you the people and support structure you need.

You have to "ink it to link it" in your brain. This means you must write it down not simply think about it. The very act of writing it down creates it in your subconscious mind much like quantum physics. Writing it down awakens your subconscious mind to be on the alert when oppoprtunity crosses your path. It sets the law of attraction in motion.

Step Two - Expectations

What expectations have you set for yourself? The goals help you to define your expectations. This includes balance for each area of you life - professional, financial, physical, family, spiritual, and lifestyle.

Alan Dundes said "Future orientation is combined with a notion and expectation of progress, and nothing is impossible."

Orison Swett Marden said "We advance on our journey only when we face our goal, when we are confident and believe we are going to win out."

As you set your expectation, you begin that journey to achievement of your destiny in 2010 with high hopes.

Pope John XXIII said "Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you have tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do."

A key component to success in 2010 is to put your goals into action. By doing so, you ignite your creative power and fine tune your subconscious attraction magnet to draw ideas, resources, and circumstances that align with your possibilities, to accelerate creation.

Step Three - Persistence

Louis Pasteur said "Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies in my tenacity." The same is true for you. Without tenacity many give up often when they are closest to their goal.

Thomas Huxley said "Patience and tenacity are worth more than twice their weight of cleverness."

Chin-Ning Chu said "To succeed in life in today's world, you must have the will and tenacity to finish the job."

Plan to finish the job no matter what it takes. Focus on your 2010 goals and work consistently to bring them to fruition. A great program that can help you achieve your 2010 goals is at this link: Http://budurl.com/singlepayment - Receive three complimentary special reports valued at $250 immediately when you register.

Authentic communications consist of methods that can be used to resolve conflicts and difficult conversations. It can help with creating better understanding and greater teamwork. These methods can be used for giving speeches, talking in front of a group of people at a meeting, or just speaking to another individual. If you have problems with communication in your corporation, association, or as an individual, you can attend a communications workshop.

First it is important that you use the words "I" and "my" when making statements. This authenticates that you're talking about yourself to your audience. Then in order to effectively communicate, you will need to speak on a personal level, instead of abstractly or generally. For instance, if you're speaking with business partners or someone close to you, you need to communicate what you're trying to say directly. There shouldn't be any mind games or guessing games. Be specific about your point - then when you're finished, your audience should be able to answer that you wanted and/or needed without a problem. If they are unable to, then your request or idea wasn't communicated properly.

Use the word "you" carefully. If you don't think before you speak when talking someone, it could cause misunderstandings and could even make them become defensive. The word "you" is a way to analyze or second guess; don't try to speak for someone else, allow them to take responsibility for themselves.

Communication is a two-way street, it requires listening and speaking. Pay attention to yourself and when you feel the urge to say something. Of course, you should wait until the appropriate time to voice your thoughts and opinions to avoid an agrument or misunderstanding. Overall, you need to stay intact with your intuition.

Show that you're listening. Respect others by carefully listening to what they are trying to communicate. In order to comment, you have to know what you're talking about, otherwise there will be a big misunderstanding about what is being said. Most of all you should think before you speak. Paraphrasing what you think you heard to clarify helps ensure you received the message correctly.

Everyone has the right to their own opinion. Your job isn't to change people's minds. It's to ensure that you get your point across effectively. Communication doesn't mean conversation only. It's a way to express yourself. Diversity of communication is a valuable skill. If you have having problems in the workplace then one of those workplace seminars will help you.

In order to reach your objectives and goals for your personal and business life, you have to learn how to properly communicate what it is you desire. Sometimes it takes talking with the right people to bring you a step closer to achievement of your objectives. Do what you can to make these improvements. As a coach, trainer and mentor that holds seminars for motivational meetings, management communication skills, and business or personal coaching, I can help.

What's your communications challenge?

Use the contact form at http://www.yvonnefbrown.com/contact to send me your question.

The first step you must take is to plan what your goals will be for the new year. The most popular goals involve personal/business relationships and self improvement. Prepare to work towards these goals. It is important that you know what it will take to achieve the plans that you have made for the coming year. Even more important, you should create goals that are realistic. It’s good to want to overachieve, but it could end up stressing you out and may even cause you to quit. So if you’re looking to start a new career or better your current workplace, write a list of things you can do to make those improvements. Having more than one way of achieving your goal can come in handy if one option doesn’t work out.

Next, you should remain positive at all times. When the new year rolls in and you start to act on your plans, don’t get bummed because things don’t go as wished. Think of back-up plans if something doesn’t go your way. Be optimistic; this is the best way to keep a smile on your face and life looking bright. If you can look on the bright side of negative and potentially negative situations, you’ll avoid downfalls in your plans. Just rethink things through to get back on the right track.

A new occurrence for speakers today is tweeting during your presentation. I know how you feel when that happens. That’s why I have resorted to asking attendees to get in their one text before we start and during their breaks.

If you are speaking at a conference, be aware that the tweets and texts might be sent to the people currently in your audience or on their way to the workshop.

One conference speaker experienced this pitfall when they had low turnout for a seminar that previously had blowout attendance. Evidently attendees tweeted “don’t come to this workshop, the speaker is not very good.” On reading this many attendees decided to attend a different session and the speaker’s credibility was crushed.

Conversely, if you are a good speaker with an engaging style, the tweets would be “hurry up and get to this session. The speaker is fantastic.” This could turn a low turnout session into a blowout session and it’s all happening in real time.

In a recent presentation I recommended a book that would be helpful to the participants. As I spoke, I noticed a young man who was very focused on his iPhone. This is a normal occurrence during today’s presentations. There’s even a term for it “Absent Presence.”

As I left the room for the break, he called me over to show me his iPhone. During the presentation, had downloaded a free Kindle® app for his iPhone, visited Amazon, purchased, and downloaded the book and was already reading it.

What’s the point of this pitfall? To inform you that just because they’re on their iPhone during your presentation, doesn’t mean they’re tuning you out. Maybe they’re taking action on the recommendation you just made.

This brings us back to Pitfall #2 ‘verifying during your presentation.’ Today’s audiences are used to instant gratification and have the tools to get it. So it is crucial that your recommendations and suggestions are correct.

Forget about slide decks with 30 - 50 slides. To really connect with today’s audience you must have fewer slides and more interaction.

Presentations should be lively so that the audience is energized. They want to interact and role playing helps them connect the dots and have a more transformational experience.

Many members of today’s audience are Gen X or younger. They are the highly stimulated generation from gamers to video creators. Sitting in a chair listening to you drone on through a PowerPoint presentation makes their eyes glaze over. They used PowerPoint for their school projects and need more.

Here are three ways you can engage them:

a. After explaining a point, provide them with a case study that they can solve. Then have them role play the techniques they used to solve the case study.

b. Create a reality game or play “Jeopardy” with the clues including the tips you are teaching them or speaking about.

c. Give them an exercise to create something or think outside the box. They are very inventive and sometimes create something that knocks your socks off. I once gave a group straws, staples, scotch tape and colored markers. They could build anything they wanted. The winning entry was a “Bridge over Troubled Water.”

Time will fly by and you will find yourself in the role of facilitator. When they want the speaker back they actually request it. This technique gets them really jazzed up and energized.

Your job is to research and find fun examples for your role play.

There was a time when speakers were looked up to as the experts who brought knowledge to the marketplace and helped people to be more successful. While this is still true the game has changed significantly.

With the ubiquitous access to the Internet speakers have a new type of heckler to contend with.

For example, at a recent conference for the medical profession in Las Vegas the speaker referenced an article on the industry and mentioned several items for the audience.

After the lunch break when the audience returned, an attendee raised his hand. Thinking there was a question, the speaker acknowledged him.

The attendee then said, “I thought the speaker’s remarks were incorrect earlier. So while at lunch I surfed the Web, found the article, and verified what was said. Sure enough the speaker is wrong. By the way, here’s the URL to get that article yourself and get the facts right.”

Gone are the days when your audience simply took notes and accepted your expertise without verification. So today it is critical to not only verify your material, but to also check for the most up to date information prior to stepping on the platform.

Today the audience not only expects information, they expect the most up-to-date information possible along with where they can learn more if they desire. So the night before a presentation, be sure to check online to ensure you have the most recent information. While you’re at it, check article links as they may have been deleted or the website removed. Google often has a cached version though and that helps.

Today's audience consists of multiple generations each with their unique expectations from the speaker. For the first time in history there are five generations in your audience. One generation likes lecture style, another likes to share expertise. The next generation likes you to ask their opinion & the youngest two generations prefer role play, videos and other media.

How can you tell who is in your audience? Your best approach is to do an on the spot survey by show of hands. A quick way is to ask:

1. How many of you found work in job ads that said help wanted men, help wanted female? (Boomers & Veterans).

2. “How many of you were latch key kids or school mates who were latch key kids?” (Gen X).

3. “How many of you prefer IM/ texting?” (Gen Y & Gen M).

Now you know who is in the room.

If you are speaking at a conference you can include these questions in your pre-program assessment. Often the meeting planner can inform you who the audience is. In the event that is not a viable option, the above on the spot survey should suffice.

Armed with these results you can instantly customize your program to ensure you speak the language of your audience. By providing information in the manner your attendees desire, you will engage and wow them.

Part two of this five part series “Verifying facts during your presentation.”

Learn about Understanding and Working Effectively with Five Generations in the Workplace http://budurl.com/5Generations

Well they're still working on that app for me but there is one new app that is helpful for everyone especially in this economy.

There's a new Smartphone app that finds the best prices for any item you're purchasing and sends it directly to you. Picture this: You're ready to buy an item in the store but are not sure you're getting the best price for the item.

What to do? Well, scan the barcode with your Smartphone and it will search the area, find the least expensive price for the item, send it back to your Smartphone, and tell you if it's in stock. Then it will provide you with a Google map to get you from your current location to the store with the item in stock for that best price.

I don't know about you, but that sounds really valuable to me as I am always seeking the best price for anything I purchase.

Watch the video as KXAS's Kristi Nelson reports on a smartphone application that will look for the lowest price and local availability on purchases.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/32182174#32182174>

Let me know what you think.

They've set a new path of study for many colleges and universities recognizing the longevity of smartphones and social media, college professors say.

Jeanette Der Bedrosian write of an iPhone Developer University Program launched due to the fee to create, test, and distribute (many times at a profit) applications for the iPhone.

Standford University is offering a course to 60 students taught by two Apple employees in app development technology. Students are liking this and its not wonder. I do not have an iPhone but my son does and he loves it. During a drive in his car this weekend I noted that his car radio connects directly to his iPhone and plays tunes from the ipod feature on the phone.

During a recent training program I recommended a book to the attendees. One student downloaded it immediately using the Kindle feature on his iPhone.

Yes, there's an app for that too. Intruiged, I requested a demonstration because as you know, I got a Kindle for Mother's day and love it. The student demo'd the book to me, showed how he can change the font, and can read the page in landscape mode simply by turning the device. "This is how I get my reading done on the flight" he said.

In the article, she mentions that "The first app Auten created was "Kids Be Gone," designed in Robertson's class, which emits a high-frequency sound only kids can hear. The app, as the name suggests, was designed to keep children away from the iPhone user. Auten says he experimentally provided the app at no charge for 24 hours and was shocked to see it downloaded by 2,000 users.

"It blew my mind," he says. "Most classes at NJIT are theory-based, but this one really gives you a way of making money."

Amazing. No wonder colleges are now teaching app development. The $99 fee is minimal and how you can have you app in the hands of millions!

Check the full article at: http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/life/20090721/iphoneapps21_st.art.htm

Mere hours before facing a bilateral mastectomies surgery, while battling breast cancer in late 2001, on the heels of a rigorous six-month course of chemotherapy, with my family at my side, my childhood best friend, Kelly, or “Tigger,” as she remains affectionately called, was right there for me, alongside my parents, sister and husband. In her inimitable way, she lifted me up during this difficult time, so much so, that I hardly felt a drop of anxiousness while we visited in my hospital room, prior to my rapidly approaching surgery. How did she manage to so elevate my spirits? Aside from just being her ever-fabulous self, she brought a big “boom box” into my hospital room, quite a funny sight! Yet, it was the sounds from the boom box that buoyed me. It was equipped with assorted favorite tunes from the Jackson Five and from Michael Jackson!

We gleefully reminisced about how we had spent much of our adolescence together firmly enamored – okay, infatuated - with a young and vibrant Michael Jackson. We had his posters on our walls and had each declared that we wanted to marry him, at the tender age of 15. Our years in junior high school and high school were filled with our listening to his incomparable music in daily – often hourly - doses. We even went to his concert together in 1981, during the Off the Wall (still my favorite album) tour, with his talented brothers backing him up. The tour was the first to feature Michael’s solo music as an adult artist. The show was billed as “The Jacksons, starring Michael Jackson.” We both still have our sentimentally cloaked ticket stubs from the show. That once-in-a-lifetime concert was an authentic thrill, inviting us to witness the unveiling of a legend in the making. As we stood laudably cheering at the top of our lungs, letting the resonating dance beats keep us unrestrained on our feet, Michael’s performance was as goosebump-delivered as it gets!

A year or so before that unforgettable event, it was Tigger, at age 16, who faced an emergency surgery, an appendectomy. When I visited her in the hospital, circa 1980, I brought her a pre-CD-era cassette recorder, with our favorite Michael Jackson tunes on it – a “mixed tape” – made with the purity of friendship. Panning forward to just over twenty years later, in 2001, both of us then in our mid-thirties, while I waited for the nurses to come and get me to take me to surgery, that morning transcended the experience of the surgery itself, as my nerves gave way to an unexpected joy, causing any anxiety to dissipate, while we passed the time listening to Michael’s music with my family.

When the nurses finally entered my hospital room, pushing the stretcher ready to take me to the operating room, they heard us reveling in the Michael Jackson music of our youth, and suggested that I ask my surgeon to play the tape in the OR. I was surprised to hear this – happily surprised. So, I did just that! I asked my doctor to do so and he happily obliged, putting on those thoughtfully assembled tunes right there in the OR. I was listening to Michael Jackson, more content and at ease than I could ever have anticipated, as I climbed from the stretcher to the operating table. Believe me, there is nothing quite like the surreal experience of listening to “Don’t Stop til You Get Enough” (oddly appropriate for a bilateral mastectomies surgery!), while drifting under the anesthesia’s influence. I felt like I was at a party, rather than a life-altering surgery.

Tigger was and is the best! Michael was and is the best! Tigger and I touched base last night, after the news of his untimely death came over the ongoing broadcasts. We took comfort in each other’s joyful memories, long associated with that early chapter in our lives, dominated by our love of Michael Jackson and his phenomenal music. As we mourned the loss of this huge talent, we also mourned the loss of a piece of our childhood. We chose to disregard any thoughts of Michael that did not align with our magical memories of the legend, who, in death, will no doubt realize his biggest dream - to be ranked with the ultimate handful of iconic entertainment legends, like Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe and John Lennon. I trust that Michael must somehow now be viewing our earthly world from heaven, witnessing the ushering in of infinite affection and the outpouring of love for him from around the globe, from across generations and from diverse ethnicities. Michael Jackson will be dearly regarded and dearly missed.

Telling the truth without fear

I am always interested in the attendees response to the question "can you tell the truth without fear at work?" Sometimes the response is unanimous that 'of course' I can tell the truth. More often than not, I get no response but instead receive a look of incredulity, and a smirk of "you're kidding, right?" Some time ago an attendee said that their CIO always wants the truth and so provided the department with a catch phrase that allows them to do just that. It's "intellectual honesty" as in, "Bob, in all intellectual honesty..." This phrase, I was informed, prepared the CIO for bad news while providing employees with a means of presenting even the most unpleasant news.

I like it. Everyone's on the same page. it even provides employees with a way of disagreeing with each other. This is a crucial communication that Patrick Lencioni calls "engaging in good conflict" in his book "The Five Disfunctions of a Team." It is evident that being in a position where it is difficult to tell the truth without fear creates many problems. This leads me to the second question in today's blog post.

What are you communicating to your employees?

A second question that I pose to attendees is "you are a project manager and your boss adds a new project to your plate. You have neither the resources nor the time available to execute it successfully. Do you discuss the issues with your manager and explain your reasoning?"

Imagine my surprise when I was told: "We can't do that." We woud have to be quiet and take on the project. "Even if you knew it would fail?" As I asked, I feared the response. "Yes, even if we knew it would fail, we would have to take on the project anyway. In today's market, if we don't do it, it is easy for them to fire us, find someone who needs a job and is willing to take it on, despite the fact that it would fail. So, we would just do it, let it fail and continue from there."

WOW! Is it any wonder then, that the economy is in its current state. What this says is, given the worst circumstances, an employee will take a project they know will fail, their manager knows will fail, and the company knows will fail, because that's the company's culture. It makes me wonder how many of today's organizations have this culture of lies vs. truth, and communication that encourages failure then rewards it.

Do you work in a company that allows you to tell the truth without fear or do those who take on failed projects end up being promoted? Send me your comments via the comment page at http://www.yvonnefbrown.com/contact

Regardless of the group you belong to, on this day our thoughts turn to MOM.

Whether you sent a card, took mom to dinner, or like my son, gave her a gift she will love you for it. So, if you haven't already, do it now! There's still some day left and you can fix that. Remember, even if it is just a phone call, the point is you thought of her and are letting her know you're thinking of her.

If she is no longer with us, visit her resting place and leave some flowers, if you have not money for flowers, just visit and tell her you love her and miss her. Taking action is all it costs you today.

As for me, I got the surprize of my life when my son Charles presented me with a Amazon Kindle. As a knowledge junkie whose latte factor is books, I'm practically being pushed out of my office by my books. Well No More! The Kindle holds up to 1,500 books and is thinner than a pencil. It does everything I need and is so intuitive I started using immediately. With my travel schedule, I no longer have to select which book I want to bring with me. I can carry as many as I want - plus it just fits in my purse and is as light as a feather.

THANKS CHARLES! You made this the best Mother's day ever!

Check out the Kindle by visiting http://www.amazon.com

"People who lose money to scammers aren't always at fault. Here's a scheme that would be difficult for someone to spot in advance.

Let's say a financial con artist tells 1000 potential clients that a particular stock will go up on a given day. He tells 1000 others that the same stock will go down.

Say the stock goes up. The man focuses on the first 1000 people, as they think he got it right. He then chooses a different stock and tells 500 of them the stock will go up. He tells the other 500 it will go down. No matter what the stock does, 500 possible clients think he got it right again. So after repeating this a few times, the fellow winds up with a list of people convinced he has predictive powers - and ready to give him their life savings.

While this ruse isn't a pyramid scheme, it does illustrate how easy it is to concoct ways to trick people by preying on their wishful thinking."

A recent "ask Yvonne" question for my newsletter http://www.yvonnefbrown.com was from a woman who was duped into investing in a coaching program at a 'millionaire' seminar. I also learned from an acquaintance that she was also scammed by a coaching program while attending a separate event. These two stories are a reminder that we should be careful who we trust because like the financial con artist mentioned above, not everything is as it seems on first glance.

The following article by By Christopher Elliott cites some of these insidious charges.

Look out for cancellation penalties. Beware of energy surcharges. And watch for facilities fees.

To get an idea of how absurd it’s becoming, meet Jim Swofford. He found a mysterious $5 fee on his Hertz bill recently, which a representative described as a cancellation fee. Car rental companies typically don’t charge their customers for cancellations, so Swofford, who frequently rents from Hertz, said he didn’t want another car he’d reserved for later.

“That’ll be $25,” the agent told him.

“So I jokingly said I would not cancel but just be a no-show,” he remembers. “She said that would result in a $50 fee.”

Or talk to Eric Hegwer, a photographer from Austin, Texas, who spotted a $1 “energy surcharge” on his Hertz car rental bill recently. “My previous rentals didn’t have one,” he says.

I asked Hertz about the two new surcharges. Company spokeswoman Paula Rivera told me the cancellation fee, which was added in December, applied only to prepaid reservations and is meant to “reimburse Hertz for the paperwork and billing involved with a prepaid reservation.” The fee also covers part of the company’s cost of holding vehicles for prepaid reservations. The energy surcharge, which was added in October, bills all rentals in most states an additional $1 a day “to offset the increasing costs of utilities, bus fuel, oil and grease,” she said.

How to stay ahead of these extras? Knowing is half the battle. Here are five of the newer charges that could sideswipe you on your next trip.

A fee for something you’ve already paid for
This is one of the more creative new ways of separating you from your money: charging you twice for the same thing. “Three times now, with three different companies, they have tried to charge me for gas when I’ve returned the car with a full tank and claimed it was an honest mistake,” says Sid Savara, a software engineer in Oahu, Hawaii. “It leads me to suspect they are just tacking the fee on and most people aren’t noticing or complaining about it.”

Boston-based author John DiPietro brought his own E-ZPass toll transponder when he rented a car in Massachusetts recently, but Budget billed him for the toll roads anyway. “We’re still trying to resolve it,” he told me.

Now more than ever, it’s important to be on the lookout for duplicate charges on your rental bill.

A fee for something that should come with the car
Such as tires. Enterprise recently charged one of Edgar Dworsky’s readers a $2 “tire fee.”

Surcharge on surcharges
Scott Lerman found a “privilege fee” on his last car rental in Florida, which applied to rentals picked up within 48 hours of flight arrival. “Never seen anything like it,” says the Livingston, N.J.-based freelance publicist. (The fee covers the costs of operating an off-airport location.)

Seth Mendelsohn, the president of a food store in Boulder, Colo., found a $4 “downtown arena” fee on his bill when he visited Kansas City recently. “Apparently the city is trying to pay for part of the Sprint Center through car rental fees,” he told me.

Most of these fees can be avoided by pre-paying for your car through one of the “opaque” travel sites such as Hotwire.com or Priceline.com, or by buying through an online travel agency that guarantees its rates

Read the full story here. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30033404/

In that filing, Deloitte says that "HUD violated law and regulation by failing to follow the stated evaluation criteria, and also by engaging Deloitte in nonmeaningful and misleading discussions," and the firm is looking for government intervention regarding the contract until the matter can be resolved.

Stay tuned.

Source: Consulting Magaine

According to the Associated Press, in Beijing "Vigilant Internet users spotted news photos of a housing official and posted heated online discussions about his $15,000 Swiss watch and $22 a pack cigarettes. Two weeks later Jhau Juigen in Nanjing was fired. He is under investigation for an apparent "lavish lifestyle" that exceeds his government salary, according to the state run China Daily. "

It is interesting how different countries use this wonderful technology. As the AP writes "While ethics on the internet have yet to be established" at least the Chinese are able to utilize this valuable tool.

You can read the full article at USA Today under the title "China's Net users take aim online"

What do you think?

Change has come to America. The citizens have spoken not just for change but in a landslide victory for ONE AMERICA!

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer" Obama

Barack Obama represents the best in all of us and displays the temperment that is truly needed in the country today. As I write this from my hotel room in Columbus, Ohio, I am glad that I stayed up late to witness the historic moment when the people spoke loudly with their votes about their hopes and dreams for the future of America.

When I came to this country from Jamaica, I came seeking the American dream so well known worldwide. I found it. I appreciate it. I am grateful for it. And tonight I experienced another dream come true. Barack had my vote from the start when my husband and I donated to his Senate run. Even then we knew there was something unique about this candidate. As I watched Barack's historic run for the office of President of the United States, I knew we had made the right decision to support him.

Congratulations to Barack Obama and his family! We look forward to to your leadership of this our great country, the United States of America.

As I am on the road again this week, I realized that I would have to vote early since I would not be in Chicago on November 4th. The city had early voting places last week and so I went down to the polling place. I was feeling quite excited as I took the escalator downstairs. When I arrived there were so many people in line it was impossible to tell where the line began and ended. Luckily, there were five to six line managers to show us where the end of the line was. It curled around several times and had many breaks as doors could not be blocked. We were told that it takes 45 minutes to an hour to get to the voting booths and they were right. That's exactly how long it took.

Interestingly, no one seemed to mind. Like me, they said "I don't care how long it takes, I'm here now and I'm going to vote!" I struck up a conversation with some line mates and in no time at all was in the room with the voting booths. There were over 50 voting booths in the room and countless workers behind the tables verifying our identity, checking our IDs and providing instructions on how the procedure works.

Once in the booth my voting went smoothly, quickly and easily. As I departed, I was glad I remembered that I would be in Ohio this week because I would have been broken hearted to miss the opportunity to vote.

So, now it's your turn. Get out there on Tuesday and VOTE!

I often remind you dear readers that you must be ever vigilant because if you don't you have no one to blame but yourself. We've seen the $700 billion bailout of the banks and by now you know that it looks like you're going to have to bail yourself out. So today when my son Charles called me to alert me that some politicians on Capital Hill were eyeing the end of the 401K as we know it I was intrigued. So I searche dthe web to determine if he was right or not and sure enough I found the above titled article at the Wall Street Journal.

They are seeking to take your 401K and roll it into Social Security and have at it. Previous and current events clearly indicate how adept they are are losing our money while protecting theirs. So I am compelled to direct you to the article so that you can read it for yourself and do what you can to protect your 401K funds.

To be sure they have not yet clearly outlined their plan, but fore-warned is fore-armed so I recommend you keep on top of the information. Experience shows that once they start talking about it you should get ready for change.

Here is One Bully Story

I should have known what kind of boss Jackie Pebble would be from the first moment I had contact with him, and maybe I already did. But the rent was due, my COBRA insurance had run out, and I was sick of interviewing. I needed a job—fast.

When I arrived at the appointed time for my first interview, for a senior editor job at a trade magazine for dermatologists, he kept me waiting in the lobby of the company's Manhattan office for 15 minutes. Then the receptionist handed me her phone receiver and said, "Mr. Pebble would like to speak with you."

"I can't see you today," he announced. "I'm too busy."

Calling HR to Complain

His rudeness left me momentarily speechless. Finally I managed to say, "I came all the way from Connecticut for this interview, so I'd really appreciate it if we could have it today."

"All right," he said. "But you're going to have to wait."

Wait I did, for about 45 minutes. He finally showed up, ushered me in, and gruffly quizzed me about my journalistic background for about 10 minutes, and the interview was over. When I got home that afternoon, I still felt annoyed about the discourteous treatment Jackie had doled out earlier in the day. So annoyed, in fact, that I called HR to complain. What did I have to lose? There was no chance I would get this job, I figured, and I didn't want it anyway.

The Worst Boss I've Ever Had

Gayle, the HR person I spoke with, was very nice. "I'm sorry to hear you had a bad experience," she said. "But on the bright side, Jackie was just up here asking if we could raise the salary for the job to meet your requirements."

I was speechless again. Maybe he is a good guy, I thought, and I'd just happened to catch him in a rare disagreeable mood. And money talks, after all. "Well, that does make me feel a little better," I said. I ended up accepting the job and starting work the following Monday.

By Friday, Jackie had established himself as the worst boss I'd ever had—a distinction he still holds. He would give me a project and bark a few directions, never explaining them thoroughly or giving me the info I needed. The first day, he threw a bunch of photos at me that needed to be returned to whoever sent them. But all they had was the person's name—no address, no phone number. This was back in pre-Internet days, long before you could simply type "David Stein" and "dermatologist" in Google and come up with some clues.

A Toxic Corporate Culture

All the experts Business Week consulted said a solid option would simply have been to start job-hunting after two months of her start date, once it became obvious Jackie wasn't going to change.

"She needed to get out of there," one expert said. "'My boss talks to me that way all the time' is a hard line to hear. This person is saying that the culture here is that most people are jerks."

The bad behavior started even before the job started and only got worse. Could anything have been done to change the situation? What do you think?

*This story is true. The author's name and other names and identifying details in the story have been changed.

I teach people how to deal with these bullies in my Bully Busting Seminars. To learn more about the seminars send me an email at yvonne at jadcommunications dot com.

Read more about this story at www.businessweek.com

Here are eight things to do in preparation of requesting a business loan

1. Get an Intellectual Property attorney. Get some references and vett them.

2. Know that lenders are specialized like doctors. Be sure the lender provides the kind of loans that fit your purpose.

3. Always pre-qualify your lender before you see them. Ask them:

- The size loans they are responsible for to ensure they match the amount you are borrowing.

- Tell them what industry you’re in

- Tell them what region of the country you’re in

4. Understand that you only competing against the other potential borrowers

5. The person taking your application can’t say yes. They are screening the borrowers. (they can however say no)

6. The first meeting with the lender is only the first date (if they like you they’ll want more information). Don’t bring lots of stuff.

7. Remember the 4Ps. Be Punctual, Professional (look the part), Prepared (have the right answers to their questions) and Prompt. Get in and get out. No more than five minutes. Give them the proposal and leave.

8. What to bring to the meeting:

- The executive summary – what the loan is about

- Term sheet – “I want X amount of money at X rate (what you are willing to pay, etc.)

- Information about your relationship with the lender (do you have an account with them? How long have you had an account with them?)

- A copy of your credit report

- Photos of the operation. Take a picture in front of your computer if that’s where you work.

- Board of advisors (lawyer, accountant, tax person)

- Your press clipping and press releases.

Certainly you can’t get enough of a good thing and Bill Bartmann is the best there is. This is the clearest description of how to approach a bank for a loan that I have ever learned. I trust you will find it valuable as well.

Billionaire business man Bill Bartmann www.billbartmann.com was a speaker at the event and he shared the three essentials for success. First, you need a vehicle to get you from where you are to where you want to be. Second, you need fuel. This can be your money or other people’s money. Third, you need a guidance system, a sense of direction and where you want to go. One of my favorite quotations from Bill is “If you follow the herd, there won’t be anything else left when you get there.” Bill charges $10,000 per hour for his coaching program so I was thrilled to learn about business success from him.

Donna Krech www.donnakrech.com founder and CEO of Thin and Healthy Total Solution www.thinandhealthy.com shared the seven motivation assassinators. I loved her “praise brings life more than anything” shout out and especially the “slow motion movie” style of keeping track of how you’re doing.

Stephanie Frank the “accidental millionaire” http://www.stephaniefrank.com/ taught us that the way to "Win in Business Without Losing Your Mind" is to use a system to shortcut your success.

Simon T. Bailey helped us to release our brilliance. This past Disney executive was high energy, unique and his program was content rich. Check him out at www.simontbailey.com

Gravitational Marketing gurus Jimmy Vee and Travis Miller were hilarious and had a great tag-team approach to speaking that I have never seen before. They are all about customer attraction and retention and they're good at it. Learn more about the science of attracting customers at their small business marketing website by visiting and downloading the free customer attraction starter kit at www.gravitationalmarketing.com.

Bob Burg spoke of course, as did many other speakers. Each and every one of them was great. There was one speaker though who really helped me personally after I sat in the “hot seat” and I’d like to thank him and introduce you to him.

Dave Lakhani is Mr. Persuasion. He is the founder of www.boldapproach.com and author of “Subliminal Persuasion” teaches people the art of persuasion. I had an opportunity to have a one-on-one discussion with this millionaire and got some great ideas from him that I will be implementing soon. One truly inspiring moment was when, after I told Dave some of my personal story that I have kept secret for many years, he crafted it into a powerful story ‘on the fly’ that just blew me away.

So by taking that trip, I was able to spend time with and learn from a billionaire, meet millionaire women and connect with them and get personal advice from a millionaire who will be featured on “The Big Idea” with Donny Deutsch tomorrow night. Make sure you tune in, I know I will.

Next time Bob Burg has his Extreme Business Makeover event, I will send you an invitation so that you too can learn from the expert millionaire how to bring your dreams into fruition and make your million. Just send me an email indicating your interest. In the meantime, visit www.burg.com and get a copy of the recording.

Oh yeah, Thanks Dave Lakhani. Your advice was truly helpful and I’ll keep you posted on the results as I implement them.

It’s easy when you’re in college to run with the crowd, go with the flow and think certain things are funny. After graduation though when your potential employer searches the web as part of your background check what will they find? Were you a schmuck on You Tube? Did you feel safe behind your computer screen and say and do things you now regret?

Are you a parent who wonders why your child cannot get a decent job even after thousands of dollars have been invested in their college education? Check out the “My Child” version and see what comes up.

They even have a global “do not call list” called “My Privacy” with a personalized MyPrivacy dashboard, that allows you to control how and where your information appears online. Check it out today at http://www.reputationdefender.com and then share your thoughts.

Just send me an email at yvonne@jadcommunications.com

Yes, it's true I've made it a point to seek Gen Y out and pick their brains about how their generation's perspective on current events . Remember, this is the most educated generation in history. Never before has so many new hires entered the workforce with an MBA in hand. So I thoroughly enjoyed reading Tamara Erickson's article about Gen Y recently. In the article Tamara states:

"Y’s, when faced with a new challenge, tend to function like a heat-seeking missile – single-mindedly pursuing the person in the organization with the most relevant experience. In many cases, this person is a Boomer – often in some distant part of the organization, or several hierarchical levels removed. This approach reflects how Y’s like to learn – from an expert, just-in-time, and in response to the specific challenge they need to address. And it reflects their comfort in relating to Boomers on a peer basis, developed over an adolescence of friendly interaction with their parents and parents’ friends."

I have found this to be very true and got a kick out of the executive who shared his love of Gen Y like a guilty pleasure with Tamara. He said he "found himself spending a high proportion of his time these days with the Y’s several levels down in his organization."

There's more to Gen Y than meets the eye. You can read the full article here http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/erickson/2008/04/the_boomery_love_fest.html Some of the article comments are acutally fun as well. No wonder Gen X feels so left out. for them for boomers! Maybe Gen 'X' could learn from this what I mentioned in my April 11th post. Boomers and Gen Y are sharing the stage, Gen X just needs to change their attitude and they can take their place on stage too.

Madonna and Justin Timberlake are all over the media with their musical collaboration and video. That is just another example of how Boomers and Gen Y can work well together successfully for their careers and their companies. Hey, Wake up Gen 'X', and get with the program.

A few weeks ago Eric Zorn, a writer for the Chicago Tribune, wrote an article titled "If kid is not answering e-mail, send txt msg, K?" In the article, Mr. Zorn tells the story of about his 18 year old son Alex trying to contact the freshman son of a family friend via email, and consistently receiving no response. When they finally sent a text message, they received a response immediately. It turns out that Generation 'Z' finds email to be antiquated and Passé so they simply ignore it.

Fast forward to three days ago you will find the volume of articles regarding the lack of writing skills in term papers and resumes. A recent article in the Tribune's Red Eye reports that a study co-sponsored by the National Commission on Writing at the College Board, the non-profit group that administers the SAT and other placement tests has found that:

• 50% of teens surveyed say they sometimes fail to use proper captialization and punctuation in assignments
• 38% have carried over IM or email shortcuts such as LOL
• 25% of teens have used :) and other emoticons
• 64% have used at least one of the informatil elements in school

An April 24th article on MSNBC titled "Teens use , LOL, in school writing" mentions that The Pew Internet and American Life Project, in a study released Thursday, also found that teens who keep blogs or use social-networking sites like Facebook, or News Corp.’s MySpace, have a greater tendency to slip nonstandard elements into assignments. The results may give parents, teachers and others a big :( — a frown to the rest of us — though the study’s authors see hope.

“It’s a teachable moment,” said Amanda Lenhart, senior research specialist at Pew. “If you find that in a child’s or student’s writing, that’s an opportunity to address the differences between formal and informal writing. They learn to make the distinction ... just as they learn not to use slang terms in formal writing.”

A recruiter recently voiced her frustration and concern with resumes that are poorly written, and the most painful read in her long career. The spelling is atrocious and Gen 'Z is unable to even write full sentences.

What this means to you and your organization is the downgrade of communications to a level never before experienced in a professional environment. So prepare yourself, add some professional writing courses to your corporate training programs.

And, if you are the parent of a Gen Z, start teaching them at home not only the difference between formal and informal writing, but the impact poor writing skills will have on their careers. Then check their assignment before they turn it in and have that 'teachable moment' at home. You might even find yourself LOL while bonding with your children.

Read the MSNBC article here - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24294592/

So I’m at my hotel this week and as usual picked up my copy of USA Today and there it was in black and white. The headline said “”X” marks its spot in the cultural limelight” and the subtitle of the article is “Author kicks boomers aside.”

I’ve watched for years as corporate America pushed the boomers aside and hired the younger generation because ‘they’re energetic’ and knew that the time would come when these youngsters would speak out about their feelings. Truth be told, some seminar attendees have told me from time to time that their younger colleagues have even actually said “why don’t you retire already and get out of my way?’ So I saw it coming. Did you?

In the article, Jeff Gordinier author of “X Saves the World: How Generation X Got the Shaft But Can Still Keep Everything from Sucking” claims he wants to make it perfectly clear that he is not whining. “I’m just weary of hearing about them. Let’s move on. Who Cares? Stop!” He claims “we’ve accomplished more than we get credit for” and cites everything from “green” architects to Pulp Fiction, to YouTube, Google and The Colbert Report. Well good for you. If that’s all you have to take credit for then YOU step aside buddy. While those are fun its not enough to keep the economy or society going.

Gordinier, editor at large at Details magazine says “the boomers have hogged the limelight for so long it’s hard to even get on the stage.” Speak for yourself buddy. Lots of Gen “X” and Gen “Y” people are on the stage doing their thing right next to the boomers. He claims that Gen Xers have been ignored in society’s’ eyes. I disagree. We’ve been paying attention from the moment you entered the corporate world declaring that you “wouldn’t choke yourself with a tie” and bringing business casual into the workplace.

It’s your presentation that needs help. All Mr. Gordinier has to do to understand what’s going on is to inspect the name of his book. “Sucking?” Pathetic. And he calls himself an editor. Stop whining, grow up, demonstrate leadership and you will find the credibility and success you seek.

There is a new twist in the marketplace, however, that you need to be aware of. According to today's Chicago Tribune, in addition to drug screening some employers are taking the process one step further by requiring genetic testing of new employees. These tests detect an employee's predisposition to possibly acquiring certain diseases during their lifetime! Naturally, this has sparked huge legal and ethical debates. What does this mean? Do employers now intend to say "your genetic coding reveals a propensity for diabetes or cancer and so we cannot hire you?"

The law firm Pepper Hamilton recommends that employers stay up to date on federal and state discrimination laws and request written permission from the employee before engaging in such practices. I recommend that you arm yourself and your loved ones by also staying on top of this controversial new practice and be prepared to protect yourself from this practice. Remember that it will be on file with the employer into perpetuity.

The potential exists for gross misuse of this type of background check. What do you think of this new practice? email me at yvonne@jadcommunication.com and share your thoughts.

Today, just 45 minutes ago in fact, the Associated Press Posted the following article:

NEW YORK - A rogue trader at MF Global Ltd. rang up $141.5 million in losses on the broker's account this week, the company said Thursday, a black eye that cost the company almost a fifth of its market value.

The Bermuda-based broker said on Wednesday morning it discovered Evan Dooley, a trader at the company's Memphis, Tenn., branch, trading wheat contracts in amounts that exceeded how much he was allowed to trade.

MF Global fired Dooley and liquidated the wheat contracts, which led to a $141.5 million loss. An entry-order system that should have blocked the trades failed, the company said. The story continues that "MF Global brokers options and futures contracts for 130,000 clients at 70 exchanges like the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Chicago Board of Trade and the New York Mercantile Exchange. The company said the trading loss does not threaten the $19.5 billion clients have in their accounts."

The SEC needs to step in DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. If the trading companies are held accountable responsible and have to PAY BACK the monies that their rogue traders "lose" perhaps that will make them more vigilant during the ackground checks for employees. I would also make them execute the checks and balances on their traders on a more timely basis.

So far this year alone, we have the trader at Societe Generale who rang up more than $7 billion in losses on his company's account by placing unauthorized bets on European stock indexes and now this trader at MF Global Ltd. rang up $141.5 million in losses. When is it going to stop?

Here's the thing, when you lose while betting at the casino in Las Vegas, the casino has the money. In this instance, someone has the money as well. So I ask you again, do you know where your 401K and retirement funds are? Do you know where the fund managers are investing those monies? You'd better check right now.

You can read the rest of today's Associated Press story at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23388778/ - I also recommend you read my blog post from February 27th below to get a full story regarding gambling traders.

Don't know if you heard the latest but... There's a new way to get your boarding pass and airport information. American Airlines has made it easy to get the information you need for your travels regardless of where you are. Those of you who talk on the phone in the bathroom know what I mean.

Some of the features that got me excited are:

• Check in for your flight
• View your travel Itinerary
• Confirm your departure gate
• Flight Status and Schedules
• Delayed Baggage Status
• Destination Information: includes weather and airport information
• Admirals Club® Lounges: find locations, purchase one day passes and memberships
• Change your flights
• Book your car

All you have to do is simply type www.aa.com into your cell phone or other Web-enabled mobile device and get connected. I hear they will even scan the flight check-in barcode directly from your mobile phone! Now how cool is that? I love technology!

To learn more about this visit http://www.aa.com/index_us.jhtml

Bearings, a 100 year old British bank, was brought down by rogue trader Nick Leeson. In 1995 trader Nick made $1.38 billion in unauthorized trades that brought Bearings Bank to its knees. The bank was ultimately purchased by a Dutch bank for $1.

This latest $7.2 billion loss by French bank Société Généralé who today find themselves with rogue junior trader Jérôme Kerviel at the helm of a string of bets that at one time had $50 billion of their funds on the table is troubling. When the dust settled their final loss was $7.2 billion. I can almost hear their sighs of relief that the loss was smaller than originally thought.

My question is, where were the internal checks and balances that should have prevented a trader with a gambling habit from running wild? How does it get so far out of hand? It is especially of concern to me since I recently watched the movie “Rogue Trader” starring Ewan McGregor. When Nick Leeson brought down Bearings bank I was a bank officer at what is now J.P. Morgan Chase bank. As a member of the banking establishment I listened and watched as my bank made decisions and added controls so that it wouldn’t happen to us.

Interestingly, trader Jérôme Kerviel scoffs at the bank for missing the elementary sign that something is wrong. He only took four days off last year. “It is one of the first rules of internal controls: a trader who does not take vacations is a trader who doesn’t want his books to be seen by others” he said. It seems he considers them responsible for not executing the checks and balances created to prevent just this behavior.

Leeson wrote the best selling book “Rogue Trader: How I brought Down Bearing Bank and Shook the Financial World.” His life was made into the above mentioned movie, he did his few years in prison and today he is a highly paid public speaker. He’s now written another book titled “Back From the Brink: Coping with Stress.” Bringing others to financial ruin apparently has its rewards.

The way I see it, this is a wake up call for us when we decide where to put our 401K or savings. These people are using our funds to do the trades. They are responsible and have a fiduciary duty to ensure our life savings are protected and that our pot of gold grows. We should be ever vigilant about the trustees we put our money with.

I recommend that you watch the movie “Rogue Trader” then contact your 401K people and make sure your savings are safe. Banks only create money by using our money. How well are they watching over yours? Is someone minding the store are are the checks and balances crumbling as I write this?

It seems the banks have learned nothing since 1995. Have you?

Hermene's N'Digo magazine cover article extolls the virtues of Alexis Levi-Scott, the world’s first Black woman owner, CEO and general manager of a professional male basketball team –– the Las Vegas Stars of the International Basketball League (IBL) Expansion Teams. “As a child, I’ve always known that I was going to be someone special. I was blessed with the gift of envisioning the future, so I knew something would happen,” recalls Alexis.

Don’t place her on the list of famous immortals yet, because just like many single Black mothers today, Alexis is a hard worker. A registered nurse for 14 years, this dedicated and devoted parent inspired her sons to play basketball and in return they inspired her to become more involved with their activities, which catapulted her greatest achievement thus far.

Read the story about this incredible woman's journey to achievement of her destiny at http://www.ndigo.com/coverstory.asp - Be sure to sign up for the N'Digo newsletter while you're there. Tell them I sent you!

Previously we just didn't have a way to get these brainstorms to TSA administrator Kip Hawley and the other decision-makers.

But last week the TSA added a blog to their website in order to “facilitate an ongoing dialogue on innovations in security, technology and the checkpoint screening process.” Titled the “Evolution of Security” the blog invites us to post comments, questions and complaints about TSA issues. And we certainly have. In the first 48 hours, more than 1,000 comments were received. Now you can add yours as well.

A visit to the blog reveals a flood of postings from irritated travelers along with responses from the TSA. I know you want to give them a piece of your mind. So here's your chance. Just visit their blog "Evolution of Security" at http://www.tsa.gov/blog and tell them what you think, ask your questions, and get a few things off your chest.

Today the JAD Woman Talking Blog announces our support and endorsement of Barack Obama as the next President of the United States. Please take a moment to visit the link below to learn what happens when creativity and an idea whose time has come fuses together.

The Yes We Can Song was written by will.i.am and performed by many artists who are also moved to express that YES WE CAN!

Just turn on the sound on your computer and click this link to watch the video of the song Yes We Can - http://www.dipdive.com/

I am filled with emotion and HOPE.

PEACE - Yvonne F. Brown

Remember to sign up and join the movement.

There has been lots of talk for years about how unprotected your information and data is when using WiFi hotspots and in public areas. If you have ever been on a business trip and had your flight delayed or been stuck at the airport you must admit that you fired up that laptop and got to work. Consultants are especially suceptible to this open use of computers as every minute of your time is billable.

To help you better understand how easy this is, I refer you to an article by David Pogue who put a note up on his blog seeking a guest who could appear on his show and show him the 'hacky' ropes. He found John Baer, a technical consultant who seemed just right for the part.

They met in a WiFi coffee shop and David fired up his laptop. That's all it took. Then John turned his laptop around to reveal the following:

* Every copy of every e-mail message sent *and* received.

* A list of the Web sites David visited.

* Even, incredibly, the graphics that had appeared on the Web sites David had visited.

The most astounding part is that no special software was needed and anyone can do it. Scary Huh? So be careful out there. I recommend you hop on and hop off the WiFi in public areas. Just download your mail and then disable the WiFi, then fire it back up to send your responses and disable it again. There is no guarantee that you won't be hijacked, but at least the window of opportunity for a hacker is only open for a very short time.

Read David Pogue's full artice at this link http://tinyurl.com/24zxg8

2007 was a good year for JAD Communications International but I was restless. I was ready to move to the next level. So, one of my New Year Resolutions was to create a new website for my speaking and coaching business. JAD Communications International will still function as it has always done, bringing you news and views related to advocacy for women. The new website is a means of providing people and companies who need a speaker for their conference, or a coach for their career, with one source for that information. The new website is www.yvonnefbrown.com and I would love your feedback regarding ease of use, look and feel, and content. That said, I am asking you to take a visit and tell me what you think.

As thank you for the feedback, I will present you with a complimentary membership in the JAD Communications network valued at $79. I will also give a copy of the book “Proven Ways Women Overcome Obstacles and Succeed” to anyone who responds by February 28th, 2008. All you have to do is fill out the form on the contact page of www.yvonnefbrown.com with your comments and send it.

“You’ve got to take life by the lapels and say, ‘Baby, I’m with you’!” - Maya Angelou

Yvonne F. Brown

www.yvonnefbrown.com

www.jadcommunications.com

www.jadcommunications.com/Blog

That's why I went to Circuit City. It was the closest store that sold my charger and I had less than an hour to get it done. So I jumped in my car and drove over.

Behind the counter was a young man who made me wait while he completed his cell phone call. No problem, perhaps it was important. During our discussion regarding my purchase, this Verizon salesman picked up his cell phone and started reading an instant message then actually decided to respond to it while I (the customer) waited.

I not only called him on it, but informed him that I would write about it on my blog. That's when I suddenly became important again and he begged me not to write about this awful experience.

We all have our priorities and this is mine. If you're in Oak Brook, avoid the Verizon store in Circuit City. They don't care about your business unless you IM them.

Warning, you might not like what you see.

http://www.bestviral.com/video/6629/dont_ever_drink_from_hotel_glasses

Happy New Year!

Wishing you a prosperous 2008

May you have good health, career success, prosperity, and a year filled with abundance.

Yvonne F. Brown

In an article titled, "Baggage Ban on Batteries" they report the following:

To help reduce the risk of fires, air travelers will no longer be able to pack loose lithium batteries in checked luggage beginning Jan. 1, the Transportation Department said Friday.

Passengers can still check baggage with lithium batteries if they are installed in electronic devices, such as cameras, cell phones and laptop computers. If packed in plastic bags, batteries may be in carryon baggage. The limit is two batteries per passenger.

The ban affects shipments of non-rechargeable lithium batteries, such as those made by Energizer Holdings Inc. and Procter & Gamble Co.'s Duracell brand.

I'm a professional speaker and I bring more than two extra batteries every trip. Consider this. The tools of my trade include a wireless microphone and digital camera. These two devices alone require more than just the two batteries allowed per passenger.

The wireless microphone needs batteries and some locations charge premium prices if the batteries in your mike dies. The digital camera is great for capturing the audience and testimonials. These two devices alone require four batteries.

The NTSB has instituted this ban because "The Federal Aviation Administration has found that fire-protection systems in the cargo hold of passenger planes can't put out fires sparked in lithium batteries. The National Transportation Safety Board earlier this month said it could not rule out lithium batteries as the source of a cargo plane fire at Philadelphia International Airport last year."

Such reactionaries. Instead of adding more burden to passengers, I recommed they invest the time and effort to determine WHAT REALLY CAUSED THE FIRE! Not being able to rule out batteries as the source is not a valid reason for this change.

Those plastic bags are sandwich size and can only hold so much folks. Now we have to add batteries too?

Read the article here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22421190/

I spoke with my 87 year old mother on Christmas day!

I know that some of you are saying so what? But you don't know the whole story. Whan I arrived in America at 17 years old it was the first time that I was able to live with my mother for any period of time. She left me with my grandmother in Kingston, Jamaica (West Indies) when I was only 3 months old and the next time I saw her I was in high school. She came back to Jamaica for a visit, and that was the first time I saw her in person. So when I got to the United States we didn't know each other very well and like all teenagers I thought I knew everything.

We didn't get along at all! So by age 18 I moved out and never returned home. I was miffed at her and rarely spoke to her for years.

On her 80th birthday I made peace with her and attended her birthday party. We have had a fair relationship since then.

This year I couldn't get her off my mind and was just thinking of calling her when the phone rang and my husband Bill said "its your mother..." I truly was stunned. Since we speak so seldom, the call caught me off guard.

It was so good to hear from her! We spoke for an hour and a half as I caught up on all the family news about my four brothers and three sisters. The news about my neices and nephews was all uplifting and before you could say "life is good" I was calling my siblings all over the country and reconnecting.

Yes, it's a problem we all have today. With our full schedules, type A lives, forty hours of work to complete in a 24 hour day we often put off things like keeping in touch with family members then run out of day. But NO MORE!

After speaking with my mother and listening to her strong voice even at 87 I was reminded that the women in my family are strong. My mom is very healthy thank God and she gave me one of the best presents I could ever have, reconnection with my foundation. I love her and because of this gift I made my first resolution of 2008.

I will keep in touch with family more - Hell we're even talking family reunion and I for one am looking forward to it.

As always, I really enjoyed meeting the ladies and teaching them about leadership. Each location provided me with opportunities to help individuals on a one to one basis and do what I do best which is helping women to achieve their objectives. One woman in Birmingham, AL wrote on my evaluation "This seminar is the best thing since the creation of Lays Potato Chips. I just can't have one. I need more of these seminars!"

At the end of my session in Burlington, VT two women came up to me. That's when it happened.

One woman said to me "you were sent here today for a reason. You are a Miracle! You've never been to Vermont before have you? When I arrived today and saw a woman of color at the front of the room I just had to sit in the front row." As her eyes filled with tears I realized the sincerity of her comment, and that without even realizing it, I was making an important impact on her that would make a positive difference. We connected and had a good discussion.

It meant a lot to me because that's my mission and purpose in life. I help women on the Journey to Achievement of their Destiny. In that moment, her journey and mine had joined together and I will never forget her.

I am grateful that she took the time to share the experience with me.

That's right folks, I'm not kidding. The man who abandoned his pregnant girlfriend to cavort with Britney Spears, make two other children, and then leave her with her life in shambles is being touted as someone we should look up to.

Mothers, protect your daughters. Fathers, protect your sons. This is what the media is foisting upon our children as the role model to aspire to. It's like picking up a rock, turning it over to the wiggling worms on the bottom and then saying "kids this is what we want you to become."

It's bad enough that they have him on the most influential list, but to put him on the cover is just plain ridiculous. Get him out of our face already he's scum!

Lynn Brewer has delivered 200 speeches at $13,000 per appearance (which equals millions of dollars) by billing herself as the whistle blower. She even went so far as to create a company called The Integrity institute. Adding insult to injury, Ms. Brewer is listed with Nobel Peace Center Exhibition She is considered a star and is a founding member of the Open Compliance and Ethics Group. She delivered the keynote address at a Sarbanes Oxley conference hosted by the New York Stock Exchange. She has spoken all over the world and at universities on the importance of Ethics.

The recent article in USA Today that outed this unethical woman includes interviews with her former co workers who know her only as a back office researcher.

Sherron Watkins, the REAL whistle blower bears a resemblance to Ms. Brewer and I can see how those who did not do their homework might mistake the two. As professional speaker and member of the National Speaker's Association (NSA) I find her behavior unforgiveable. But those who hired her for speaking engagements should have done their homework better. One can only wonder how those who heard her speak about Ethics feel today knowing they were listening to a fake and a fraud.

To read the full story on USA today, follow this link http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/2007-10-11-enron-lynn-brewer_N.htm?csp=34>

Sadly, rather than recognize the buying power of the African American dollar, they decided to attribute this tremendous success by saying: “Tyler Perry is a mogul,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. “There is a built-in audience base for Tyler Perry’s movies, no matter what time of year, no matter what the subject matter.”

Michael Clayton the movie came in 3rd with only $11 million and Elizibeth: The Golden Years came in 6th with only $6 Million a far cry from what the critics expected.

Imagine that! Was it only last week that Halle Berry told an interviewer how difficult is for Black actresses to get scripts and good movie parts? Wake up Hollywood, check out the numbers and start courting ths intapped market.

The article title is Wal-Mart workers win pay ruling - Walmart workers in Pennysylvania who previously won a $78.5 million class-action award for working off the clock will share an additional $62.3 million in damages a judge ruled on Wednesday, October 3rd. About 125,000 people will receive payment under a state law.

Stay tuned, and stand up for your rights.

I purchased my copy immediately and plunged into the article. The story on page 50 talks about the many white collar workers who are mounting lawsuits against big business and demanding their overtime pay. If you are one of those who have not been paid for overtime read on.

The story, written by Michael Orey, tells how workers from truck drivers to stockbrokers are winning huge overtime lawsuits. It centers around attorney Mark R. Thierman who pursues a law practice that helps his clients to win hundreds of millions of dollars from some of the biggest names in Corporate America. No industry is immune and some of the lawsuits that have recently been settled include, Citigroup/Solomon Smith Barney - $98 million, UPS - $87 million, IBM - $65 million, Sony Computer Entertainment America- $8.5 million and Carnival Cruise Lines - $6.25 million. These lawsuits were all settled in 2006 and 2007.

Pending lawsuits include Fedex, Intel, The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Sprint Nextel and Unite Here (a labor union).

Like I said, if you or someone you know is a victim of lost wages due to unpaid overtime, I strongly recommend that you purchase the October issue of Business Week, read it, and contact Mark R. Thierman or another attorney who works in this area to advocate on your behalf.

Incidentally, while on a recent business trip, I saw a commercial for an attorney who also advocates for people whose companies owe them overtime. So, take action!

You can buy a copy of Business Week like I did or read the article at www.businessweek.com. Just put "wage wars" in the search box and it will take you to the article online.

I would love to hear your comments or experiences on this topic.

One poor working stiff sent the question to a discussion group I participate in because she is a salaried worker. Recently her employer issued a policy that "salaried workers are expected to work at least 45 hours and managers are required to work 50 hours per week." As salaried workers they do not qualify for overtime pay. What does this mean?

In my opinion, this means that some employers expect people to work for *FREE!*

So, you work 50 hours per week minimum for your salaried position that is based on 40 hours per week. You work through your lunch hour and are available 24/7 via your Blackberry. When do you have a life? Where are the government watchdogs who should be protecting workers? Where is the corporation's conscience? The "leaders" take vacation, have lunch, and go home to their family. What about the workers? It's no suprize that most of today's illnesses are stress related and hospitals are filled with people whose bodies have made them slow down. Companies think they are getting more from their workers, the wise ones will investigate how much it is costing them in sick time and medical insurance claims.

One of these Labor Days they will find themselves with Generation Y employees who have a commitment to work/life balance. Perhaps this next generation will put their foot down and actually have lunch, take vacations and really have something to celebrate for Labor Day.

How about you? Do you work through lunch? What is your company's policy?

On Tuesday evening I had to take a connecting flight to get to my next engagement. To make a long story short, I didn't arrive at my hotel until 1:30 am. Got to bed at 2:00 am and arose at 5:30 am to deliver my Leadership Skills for Women seminar. I was welcomed by the attendees and received positive feedback from them. If only that was all for the week. But no there was more to come.

On wednesday night I tried to check in online and couldn't print my boarding pass. Turns out there were storms in Chicago and the flight home was cancelled. So I stayed overnight at the hotel. When I got to the airport the next morning, the flight was delayed for another hour and a half.

I finally arrived in Chicago and sighed with relief when I got on the train from O'Hare to home.

The train broke down on the tracks and as I sat there waiting for the engineer to fix it, I thought "a horrific ending for a horrific week." So, how was your week?

Baroness Valarie Amos who left Guyana at the age of nine, had a distinguished career in public service, and did lots of work in South Africa after Nelson Mandella came to power. Then in 1997, completely out of the blue, she recieved the call from Tony Blair appointing her Leader of the House of Lords and the Lord President of the Council. Her keynote was memorable, her gentle spirit welcoming, and her achievements inspirational.

Read the full write up about this wonderful conference at:

http://www.jadcommunications.com/newsletters/JADcom081007.html

Call me old fashioned but isn't Valentines Day one that is filled with warmth, love and affection?

I couldn't believe my eyes when I opened the Sunday Tribune and read about this new set of cards. In studying the new generation I note that they are different from previous generations. Today in the news there is a looping replayed to death video of young girls beating each other to a pulp while others passively observe. We have become a society of people numb to crudeness and violence. Frankly, I just turn off the television or change the channel as I prefer not to allow such things to enter my psyche.

Now, however, we have twisted cards about bashing in someone's skull supposedly as a Valentine card. Another card reads, "If we weren't together and I saw you on the street, I'd bash your head in with a brick so you would fall down and I could be there to catch you." WHAT!? Get out of my life sicko!

Like I said, enough already. Don't buy these cards. In fact, one person's reaction to these so called "cynical" cards is that they are more like "cards serial killers could send."

Indeed. What are your thoughts readers? Share your comments below.

Ms. Passmore delivered the news at a hastily called meeting with middle managers on Thursday, according to an employee who was there. After revealing that she is going through a divorce and apologizing for being distracted at work, Ms. Passmore disclosed that she has become involved with someone who “makes her happy,” according to the employee who was there.

After revealing that she is going through a divorce and apologizing for being distracted at work, Ms. Passmore disclosed that she has become involved with someone who “makes her happy,” according to the employee. She then identified that person as Andy Rolfe of Keystone Consulting Group LLC. Mr. Rolfe and Keystone were hired last June to help the Itasca-based company cut costs.

Looking back over the previous news related to this company we find that:

In January 2005 the Itasca-based distributor of Precious Moments figurines and other collectibles, finally filled the chief financial officer position vacant since August with Paula Manley, CFO at Oak Brook-based Follett Higher Education Group, a supplier to college bookstores. She assumed the CFO position at Enesco on January 24.

One of her first tasks was to help the company transition to a new computerized inventory system. Enesco blamed problems with the previous system for shipping delays and losses in 2004.

In June of 2005 the Itasca-based manufacturer of giftware Enesco Group, Inc. said after markets closed that it was eliminating 12 percent of its payroll including the position of its chief operating officer. The company expected the move to save $2 million annually and anticipates recording a charge of $340,000 in the second quarter.

The majority of the salary expenses in the Chicago area were eliminated in operations and information technology, the company said. The 12 percent reduction in salary costs included the elimination of open positions.

In July 2005 the company announced that its chief financial officer, Paula Manley, was resigning for health-related reasons. Ms. Manley’s resignation came less than three weeks after the Itasca-based giftware and home décor company announced a massive downsizing, including the elimination of the chief operating officer position.

Enesco hired Chicago-based Keystone Consulting Group LLC last June to help it cut costs. Ms. Passmore told a group of middle managers on Feb. 2, 2006 that she’s in a relationship with Keystone founder Andy Rolfe, according to an employee in attendance.

A company spokeswoman last week told Crain Chicago Business that the relationship began after Enesco hired Keystone and that the board evaluated the situation and decided it was a “non-issue.” Enesco continues to retain Keystone.

My question is: If this is a non-issue, then why did the company amend their code of conduct? In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said it updated the code “in connection with management’s periodic review to reflect developments in employment laws, including such areas as equal employment opportunity, affirmative action, sexual harassment and other workplace harassment issues.”

Bentley College’s Mr. Hoffman, says "the change in the section on conflicts of interest 'seems like a retroactive, doctored attempt to avoid this conflict of interest that the CEO and consultant have.'”

I agree wholeheartedly. Corporate employees of Enesco Group. Inc. surely are wondering why the rules are changed to accommodate the CEO. Corporate leadership has now lost their credibilitiy. This action sends a negative message to staff and customers alike that the organization's ethics are questionable.

While Ms. Passmore, CEO is distracted at work, who is minding the store? With this distraction, what is the current level of productivity for Enesco Group?

I teach leadership topics all across the country and the foundation of corporate leadership is their credibility. People first listen to the words, then they watch the actions. They listen to the talk then they watch the walk.

A judgment of 'credible' is handed down when words and deeds are consonant. If people don't see consistency, they rightly conclude that the leader is at best not really serious, or at the least is an outright hypocrite.

That's my 2 cents. What do you think?

The January 15th Sunday Times News Review section 4 had a cover story called Working Girls. It chronicled the troubles of six high flying women who are suing their employer for more than $billion and their complaints about treatment as professional woman in the city and Wall Street.

Let me highlight some of the more troubling things I found in the article.

1. A female employee left a box of sweets on her desk at haloween and boss said loudly in front of her colleagues "You should move that or men will have their hands in your box."

2. A successful female employee of one merchant was called the "tethered goat" meaning her role was to attract male clients.

3. A boss said of a female analyst at Schroders in London "had cancer, been a pain, now pregnant."

4. An equity trader toiled for more than a decade at her bank but claims she lost out to junior, less productive male rivals in pay and promotion.

5. Maria Rubahkina, a New York vice president of corporate communications claims that a male junior from London not long out of actuallly working in a nightclub was promoted above her. A senior executive justified the decision by saying he "would feel more comfortable working with someone male and British."

6. A woman as put under pressure by a supervisor and colleague to leave during a dinner celebrating the closure of a big deal so the male clients and bank employees could visit a strip club.

7. A senior executive organized a wine tasting event inviting everyone in the group except two of the women members of the team.

8. A senior executive will take staff to lunch and only address remarks to the male staff members.

9. One woman mentions that the day before she delivered her baby she was called into the office to 'run her eyes' over a woman applying to join the firm. She was asked "Would this potential recruit be the sort who woul might sue the company?"

10. One woman asked "why should I be put in the position of deciding whether to go to a lap dancing bar? Some of us are married with children; we don't want to go to those places."

Why indeed. Have we come this far as professional women that we now have to acquiesce to this type of treatment? I think not.

Now I can hear some of you saying what's the problem? However, I am confident that there are many men and women who find these behaviors offensive. How would you like your daughters treated this way after the thousands of dollars spent on their college education? What if you were treated this way after giving all of your days and late nights working on a project for your employer?

The truth is that when I showed this section of the Times to our UK women attendees none of them had seen it. And they were as repulsed as I was.

Here in the US I dare say there may be similar behavior but we cannot learn about and change it without your help. If you or anyone you know works in a corporation that exhibits these or like practices share your experiences now. We cannot change what we are unaware of. Consider it an exercise in Ethics, the ethics of self respect and self empowerment.

Was that only a year ago? It seemed so far away that I took the time to verify and sure enough

those accomplishments were made in 2004. I thought of the many starts, stops, mis-steps and dreams of the last 12 months. Sometimes I felt like a failure, and other times I felt like a winner, but at all times I felt that the journey to achievement of my destiny was a fascinating one. I met some incredible women this year and spoke to thousands of women all over the United States about their dreams and aspirations. I have a much better understanding of the many obstacles women face not only in the business world but also in their personal life.

I colaborated with women from all over the world and connected on a deep level with all of them. My mission to empower, connect, achieve equality and elevate the standard of living for women worldwide is stronger than ever. I know that I am on my path and am dedicated to helping 10,000 women by the year 2015.

So I declare 2006 The Year to Face my Fears. I will take the road less traveled and look forward in anticipation and optimism to next 12 months.

I have to go now, there's a letter I need to write to myself about the accomplishments of the last 12 months. I encourage you to do the same and when you do, come back to this blog and share your comments.

There's no tomato sauce. Toppings are more typically scrambled eggs and bacon, not pepperoni and mushrooms. But they're baked with pizza dough in pizza ovens.

Papa John's is testing Omelet Pizzas in the morning at downtown locations in five cities. Happy Joe's Pizza, a regional chain in Iowa, is about to move breakfast pizzas out of testing and onto permanent menu boards at some stores.

The $3.49 6-inch personal pan pizzas feature scrambled eggs and cheese. Bacon, sausage and ham are optional.

* I'm a picky eater but I LOVE this idea. It's an omelet, it's a breakfast sandwich, it's got all the yummy things I love on it and it's affordable. I did a search online after reading this article in USA Today and even found a recipie for making your own. God, I'd love to have one right now!

To read the entire article, visit http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2005-12-07-pizza-breakfast_x.htm and while you're there remember to vote on the whole idea of Breakfast Pizza. We'd love to hear your comments too. So before surfing over, post your comments here. Mmm, Mmm Yum!

He may get some guff for carrying a purse, but he says it's all in the name of science: He has designed a solar handbag that can power small electronic devices like cell phones.

The black purse is covered with laminated solar panels and is designed to power any small device that uses a USB port.

Hynek, 27, a doctoral student in mechanical engineering at Iowa State University, designed the Solarjo Power Purse during a handbag competition in an experimental garment design class.

The purse is designed to power any small device that uses a USB port, including cell phones, personal digital assistants, iPods, global positioning devices, voice recorders and small cameras.

You can read the full article here http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10564821/

Check it out and let us know if you would really carry a handbag like this or if that's just wishful thinking on Joe's part.

You're running on empty, racing around town to get a last minute Christmas gift, and you make a grave but innocent error. You forget to gas up, and your tank registers "E", and now, you're stuck on the side of the road.

But you thought ahead. You signed up for roadside assistance with your auto insurance company, so with one phone call, help can be on the way - for free!

Not so fast. Summoning that "free" help can end up being an expensive mistake. It could lead to higher insurance premiums or even rejection of insurance coverage.

Huh?

I am adding this to my blog because it's just another of those insiduous things that are happening today that I think you should know about. If you're like me you will find this truly disgusting. The source for the article is listed at the bottom of this post.

You're running on empty, racing around town to get a last minute Christmas gift, and you make a grave but innocent error. You forget to gas up, and your tank registers "E", and now, you're stuck on the side of the road.

But you thought ahead. You signed up for roadside assistance with your auto insurance company, so with one phone call, help can be on the way - for free!

Not so fast. Summoning that "free" help can end up being an expensive mistake. It could lead to higher insurance premiums or even rejection of insurance coverage.

Huh?

Last week, the Tampa Triune wrote about a woman who was denied insurance because she claimed, she had called for roadside help too many tiimes -- two flat tires an a "keys locked in her car" incident during three years.

State Farm, which allegedly rejected the woman's insurance application, wouldn't discuss the specific consumer's situation. But a spokesman confirmed that emergency road service claims are entered into a CLUE database which the company uses when setting rates and determining insurance eligibility.

Critics of the insurance industry reacted with surprise.

My husband and I reacted with surprise... What about you? Are you surprised? Share your comments about this astounding discovery.

You can read the full article written by Rob Sullivan at the Red Tape Chronicles at MSNBC.com by clicking here http://redtape.msnbc.com/2005/12/run_out_of_gas_.html

A brilliant man, a split second in time, and a life is forever changed

John Erickson was one of my husband Bill's direct reports at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. He came to Bill one day and asked to work with him on the Project Support Office project. Over the course of working together they built a fine relationship that continues to this day. John is a brilliant man, highly motivated and lots of fun to be around. When my company Ball of Gold Corporation provided PMP certification classes at a local university, we hired John as one of our speakers to provide the students with additional expertise from a highly respected professional.

John is a health nut and power walks for exercise. It was on one such walk that the impossible happened. John was power walking down Michigan Avenue and when the light changed, he stepped off the curb to cross the street. At that very moment, a van traveling at a very high speed ran through a red light and ran John down. He was hit so hard that it ripped an aeorta, broke both of his legs, broke one arm and caused other more severe damages.

Bill visited John yesterday in the trauma unit and when he was told that John was in the room he was unable to find him. The nurse said "he's right there" but you see, the trauma is so great the John was unrecognizable. His entire face has changed! John is unable to speak, he has a plug in the back of his head, both legs are in a cast, one arm is in a cast, he has a catheter strapped to his leg for bio purposes and a permanent grimmace on his face like that of someone who has had a stroke. Our beautiful, talented, lover of life, can only make sounds. The nurse informed Bill that they will be doing something to John's brain that should "jump start" it. I am heartbroken and so is everyone who knows John and whose life he has touched.

Since the accident, Bill and I have noticed how often people jam on the gas pedal and speed through the red light. It happens frequently. John had the green light, the van ran through the red light. So be careful out there. Don't step off the curb too soon. Not even when you have the green light. Wait for a few moments to ensure that if someone flies through the light, what happened to John, won't happen to you.

No one wanted to be involved, no one has come forth as a witness. There were many witnesses to the accident. When Bill wrote of his visit to John on one of his online discussion groups, the responses poured in. "That's how my grandmother died, that happened to my cousin, my sister had that happen to her."

So, be careful out there. Be very, very careful and don't step off the curb too soon.

My colleague and I were having a disagreement about whether the flight would take off or not. Don was in the line just behind us and allowed me to move ahead of him so that my colleague and I could speak to the airline together. My colleague was convinced that the flight would be cancelled. I was equally convinced that it would depart because of my firm belief in possibilities.

This sparked a discussion about the possibilities of the universe and that's when I learned what Don Gillespie did for a living. He works on a project called the SOFIA.

Don and I kind of live in the same world. The world of possibilities. His project is for infrared astromers. The SOFIA is the long awaited successor to the Kuiper Airborne Observatory. It is a remodeled plane that will gather invisible, far-infrared energy emited from celestial objects at wavelengths of 50-200 um. Most infrared energy is absorbed by water in the atmosphere, a phenomenon that limits ground-based infrared astronomy. SOFIA will solve that problem by flying in the stratosphere, above 95% of atmospheric water.

SOFIA will be the largest airborne observatory in the world, and will make observations that are impossible for even the largest and highest of ground-based telescopes. The observatory is being developed and operated for NASA by a team of industry experts led by the Universities Space Research Association.

Needless to say, Don and I had a spirited discussion about possibilities, destiny, dreams and opportunites during our flight. All too soon it was over and we went our separate ways but I will never forget Don or our discussion. You never know who you will meet during your travels!

I am commited to helping women to bring their dreams into fruition and to achieving their destiny. Don is committed to bringing dreams and possibilities into fruition.

I often tell the women in my conferences to dream big as the Universe will give you exactly what you ask for. Don and his team's dreams are as big as our actual Universe. Both dreams bring into existence a possibility that seems impossible on first inspection and consideration. Both dreams are not only possible but can be brought into fruition.

To learn more about the SOFIA project visit About SOFIA the Next Generation Observatory

To read about the SOFIA Telescope visit The SOFIA Telescope

To read the .pdf click here Seeing stars with SOFIA

What are your possibilities and what are you doing to bring them to fruition? If the answer is nothing, what are you waiting for? How can I help you make it a reality?

Valerie will clean your house, change light bulbs, wash the dishes, do the laundry, check the sports scores for you, book plane tickets and call the police if there's an emergency. She speaks English but more importantly, understands English and hence can be programmed by non-programmers. Valerie went on sale Christmas of 2004 for US$59,000 with a two year warranty...

"Androids are going to be the best thing since sliced bread," enthuses inventor Chris Willis. 'You get a 24 hour security guard, a helper which will do most of your household chores and help you organize your life and one which will work tirelessly 24 hours a day for the price of the electricity required to provide power—it's a very compelling proposition, and the technology is all there to create it now.

Chris Willis the inventor says ''I'm expecting that in 10 years we'll see a huge market developing and that the US, Europe and Japan will each account for around a third of global sales. By that time, I expect 10% of US households will have a robotic assistance of some kind, and that will only be the beginning.

Hey, you know what, it makes me think about the movie "The Terminator"—is this where the story starts or do we finally have someone (or something) who will mow the lawn, and do the housework? Has technology finally provided women with the helper we need? Yes, I know it's a little pricey but a car costs about the same and when did your car ever help out with the housework?

When I found this story about Valarie, I was excited at how far robotics has come. How about you? Do you consider this a step forward or is it creepy like the Terminator movie?

To read the entire story, learn more about the lovely Valarie and see more pictures of her click this logo:

Gross-Moore purchased the dealership several years later and turned it into a thriving business with 50 employees in two locations, averaging 145 car sales per month and some 63 million dollars in annual sales. She transformed Barrington Dodge into a “five-star” dealer, the highest ranking possible from the manufacturer. To cap off her success, Shirley sold her business two years ago—and has much to say about personal beliefs, preparing for one’s departure and overcoming the words of naysayers.

“I think one thing we don’t think about as women business owners is how we will exit the business. That should be a very early part of your planning. I often say there’s only a few ways you can go – you can allow your heirs to inherit the business; you can just close it down if you decide to do so; you can sell the business; or you can be carried out on a gurney. That last alternative isn’t one I wanted!” exclaimed the successful entrepreneur.

“I had grown my business to the point where I had to do one of two things –infuse additional cash in it, build a new facility and acquire state-of-the art technology—or sell it while it was at its peak. And I chose to sell it.” So that’s the end of Gross-Moore’s story, right? No way…she’s getting ready for Round Two using a “new” technique: networking, “For 14 years I operated in a vacuum, working as hard as I could, not having the opportunity to really interact with other women business owners. I’ve been to a few networking events recently, so by the time I’m ready to start my next business, I’ll have already made all the contacts necessary.”

When she started her dealership fellow dealers took bets she would only last 6 months but she was focussed on making her business a success. Today, Shirley says "As women we have to be brave enough to take a chance. Speak up for yourself! Have confidence in your capabilities. Women must have enough confidence to step out and just do it!"

Listen to my interview of Shirley Gross-Moore on the new JAD Communications Podcast at http://www.podcastpickle.com/casts/?1822

Part 2 of the interview airs next week. Subscribe to the PODcast by visiting www.jadcommunications.com

This one really takes the cake. An associated Press article dated July 20th said "Car maker Volvo has asked the Swedish government to waive the country's strict drunken driving laws to allow its test drivers to booze on the job."

The request was made in Sweden where only one drink can get you six months in jail!

Don't believe me, read the article here Drink and Drive with Volvo

What say you folks? Can you believe that the car can now take over for the drunk on the road?

The way Buzzword Bingo worked is each meeting attendee would keep track of words and phrases such as, "at the end of the day", "when the rubber meets the road", "net, net" and so on. The person who reached bingo first would simly make a coughing sound (ahem) to indicate that they won. The manglers of the English langauge never caught on and we had lots of fun at their expense. Over the years this corporate speak has reached the point where one can hardly understand what is being said.

So it was with great glee that I read the article "Attack of the Weasel Words" at the MSNBS website written for Newsweek by Susanna Schrobsdorff about a new book by Australian author Don Watson. Like many of us, Mr. Watson is so fed up with this mealy mouth style of communication that he has written a book called “Death Sentences: How Clichés, Weasel Words and Management-Speak are Strangling Public Language,” a surprise bestseller in Australia last year which prompted a flood of mail from other frustrated language lovers like yours truly.

Some of Mr. Watson's examples are beyond comical and border on the ridiculous. For example, He laments the fact that librarians are now referred to as: “information needs identifiers,” and that his 12-year-old granddaughter’s report card said that she had “developed a variety of products” in history class. He cites a John Deere tractor safety notice that warns customers to lock the brake or “unexpected non-powered tractor movement may occur.”

When asked what are some of the words he detests most Mr. Watson replied "Implemented." You'll see implemented everywhere. In this language, you “implement” rather than speak or do. And then there is enhanced. Everything is being enhanced. That word is being used in place of other more precise and descriptive words. You can enhance your marriage or your job. You can even implement your enhancements. And "input" is another good one. Companies talk about “input into our people.” This reflects technology and accounting [ideas]. It all has to do with input and outcomes.

But wait, there's more. In my opinion, the worst example of this mangling of the language is this one from a high-school [evaluation]: “Just as the skill and processes are not compartmentalized in the creation process, the evaluation of outcomes will occur against a background of understanding that separation of outcomes into discrete components is subordinate to the evaluation of the total process as a comprehensive outcome.” Nobody has any idea what that means.

Mr. Watson has collected examples that people have sent to him and they are posted on the Web site www.weaselwords.com.au. The site is filled with great cartoons and even a confessions section. My favorite is by Barry Carter who writes "I’m a weaselwordholic." Check it out and let me know what you think. I don't know about you, but I'm going to buy the book if only for levity during stressful moments.

Thank you Mr. Watson. You've ripped the mask off the weaselbeast and left it standing naked before us.

Readers, are you as sick as I am about this corporate speak? Share some of your examples here and let's see how creative you can get.

After losing thousands of dollars playing slot machines near his California home several times a day for nearly two years, Neglia stumbled across an Internet report linking a popular Parkinson’s drug he used with compulsive gambling.

“I thought, 'Oh my God, this must be it,”’ he said. Three days after stopping the drug, Mirapex, “all desire to gamble just went away completely. I felt like I had my brain back.”

The behavior usually disappears when the drug dose is lowered, Verhagen said. He praised the Mayo article for raising awareness for doctors and patients.

California attorney Daniel Kodam, who filed the lawsuit last year, said he’s spoken with more than 200 Mirapex patients who developed compulsive behaviors, including excessive gambling, sex and shopping. He is seeking to have the complaint certified as a nationwide class-action lawsuit.

Now I don't know about you, I find this very disconcerting as lives are ruined by the very priscription that is supposed to help someone who is ill. If you have a relative or friend who is taking Mirapex, you should have them checked out as soon as possible to ensure this does not happen to them. What do you think of this recent discovery about the drug Mirapex?

I love Terry McMillan's books "Waiting to Exhale" and "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" they are positive and uplifting stories of women fearlessly triumphing in life. Fastforward to today and let's take a look at Stella (Terry) who based her '96 chart topping book on her person life story and you will find a bitter pill to swallow.

According to the story in the July 11th issue of People Magazine, McMillan has filed for divorce charging that the man who helped her 'get her groove back' is deceitful and the marraige itself is based on deceit because he hid from her the fact that he is homosexual. McMillan now claims that Mr. Plummer, who was 20 when they met in Negril, Jamaica, married her for money and the hope of gaining U.S. Citizenship.

All of that is horrific enough to me particularly as I learned recently what 'on the downlow' means at an event where the panel was moderated by Gwen Ifill. I also learned that the number of African American Women with Aids has increased significantly due to the fact they are married to men who practice sex 'on the downlow.' This means having sex with other men without their wife's knowledge. These scoundrels then return home and pass the virus to their unsuspecting wives. The statistics presented by the doctors on the panel were staggering.

Now this man claims that "he didn't know he was homosexual when they got married." According to the article in People Magazine, he also says that she turned on him with 'homophobic' vengeance. Perhaps Ms. McMillan's response was based upon her realization that he might have given her Aids. Or more significantly because he embezzled at least $200,000 from her. In court papers this deceitful scoundrel owns up to taking $62,000 which he calls "a gross error of judgment."

In the words of Ms. McMillan's lawyer "to find out your husband is gay is not the journey Terry packed for." Terry's books have inspired two movies and so she is financially healthy. She has the freedom to recreate her life any way she sees fit. And I agree with her that "women make a lot of investment in husbands and children. We do everything, and a lot of women don't even have their own lives and end up completely dependent on their husbands."

"You're not putting me on an anchor and taking me to the bottom of the ocean with you," says Ms. McMillan. I agree wholeheartedly! This is a woman who clearly is on a new journey to achievement of her new destiny.

Have you heard of this secret lifestyle? Has it affected you or someone you know in any way?

Check it out folks! It's actually kind really cool and some of them are pretty good too.

Mideast Hip Hop Face Off - as Oprah says they "got with the program."

Culture meets culture through the language of music.

Hey American Hip Hop stars are you listening? You've got competition! Russell Simmons go get em!

The Web site, called Channel 9, uses Web logs, Mob logs, wikis and forums as well as other technologies to reach out to developers. The site was created by a group of five engineers and technology evangelists at Microsoft and named after the in-flight audio channel that allows passengers on United Airlines to listen in on cockpit communications.

"We think developers need their own Channel 9, a way to listen in to the cockpit at Microsoft, an opportunity to learn how we fly, a chance to get to know our pilots," a welcome message on the Channel 9 Web site states. "Five of us in Redmond are crazy enough to think we just might learn something from getting to know each other."

Web logs are personal-journal type entries on a Web page, Mob logs are Web pages with pictures taken using a camera phone and wikis are user-editable Web pages.

Channel 9 is about creating a new level of communication between Microsoft and developers -- beyond the news groups, blogs and the press releases, the site's creators write on a "Who We Are" page. The site is not meant as tool for marketing, public relations or sales lead generation, according to a list of site rules.

Microsoft has been keen to increase the dialogue with developers. Earlier this year the company added Web logs published by its employees to the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN), its main site for developers.

This week, Microsoft is hosting a select group of developers and users, those who have been named MVP, or Microsoft Most Valuable Professional. Over 2,500 people have been awarded MVP status; about half are developers, and 1,500 are attending the MVP Summit in Seattle and Redmond, Washington, according to Microsoft.

Last year, Microsoft encouraged the creation of a blogging community around its Professional Developers Conference and quietly launched a blogging service called TheSpoke as part of Microsoft's Academic Developer initiative targeted at tech-savvy people in their teens and 20s.

Source: Infoworld

The play centers on four women at a lingerie sale with nothing in common but a black bra AND memory loss, hot flashes, night sweats, not enough sex, too much sex and more! This parody is set to 26 classic baby-boomer songs "Puff, My God I'm dragging" to the disco favorite "Stayin Awake, Staying Awake."

OK, I took that description of the play directly from the advertisement. Check it out at Apollo Theatre and bring your husbands or boyfriends. It's time to take a break from the corporate world and just laugh until you cry like I did.

The first thing we did was to use the Bluetooth wireless connection to transfer all my phone numbers from Outlook to my cell phone with one synchronizing click. Yep, it was that easy. All phone numbers were instantly in my Erricsson cell phone.

Next we just left the Compaq iPAQ laying in the middle of my desk and used Bluetooth to synchronize. One tap on the screen was all it took. Now the cradle is only used to charge the PDA battery.

What we have created is a PAN a Personal Area Network. I love it! And I highly recommend it.

Oh yeah, and with the bluetooth wireless headset I can make phone calls without touching the phone. All I have to do is say "call...." and give the name of the person and the phone makes the call. I love technology!

visit http://www.bluetooth.com to learn more about this wireless technology.

My neighbor is a young woman and has been experiencing "premature menopause" for the last 3 years. I will get back to you all about the show after I see it tomorrow.