By Zig Ziglar

IS ANY ONE OF US SUPERIOR?

When all of us understand that there is no superior sex or superior race, we will have laid a foundation for building winning relationships with both sexes and people of all races, creeds and colors.

The five people who have had the greatest impact on my life were all women: my mother, my wife, my oldest daughter, an elderly African-American lady and my first-grade teacher. I can only imagine what I would have missed in life had I been sexist.

Three Native Americans had a significant impact on my life: one in my sales career, another in my speaking career and yet another in my spiritual life. Each one dramatically -- even radically -- increased my effectiveness and expanded my opportunities. Each one had a positive influence on my financial life, family life and community life. Sister Jessie, the African-American lady noted above, spent the July 4, 1972, weekend in our home and, as a result, I became a Christian -- a truly life-enhancing, life-changing experience.

Over the years, I've met thousands of people. Of the thousands, there are three men with whom I bonded instantly. The first was Bernie Lofchick, from Winnipeg, Canada. Our friendship extends over 34 years. He was the first person who believed in my ability to communicate through writing and speaking, and he had a dramatic impact on my career. We visit regularly on the phone, and occasionally in person. He came to Dallas to comfort me and grieve with me when my oldest daughter, Suzan, died. We are closer than brothers, despite the fact that I'm Southern Baptist and he is of the Jewish faith.

The second is Dr. John Maxwell, whom I met on a plane. John Maxwell is one of the truly outstanding communicators in the world today. His writing and recordings have been very uplifting and encouraging to me. John wrote, in part, the following on his way to attend Suzan's funeral: "Zig, over the last few years, we have enjoyed many good times together. Today, I want to share grief with you and Jean over the loss of your daughter. I offer to you my continued love, friendship and prayers." John is Anglo-Saxon.

The third man with whom I instantly bonded is Honor Bell, an African American whom I also met on a plane. Honor is a very successful man who served in the U.S. Navy for many years and now is heavily involved in encouraging and working with the youth of America. After a brief conversation, I knew that he was a man who is in God's hands and adheres to the old code of honor, duty and country, which Douglas MacArthur so eloquently spoke about.

My beautiful Mexican daughter-in-law is from Campeche, Mexico. She met my son as a student in college. Her presence and the beautiful granddaughter they presented to us have added much enjoyment to our lives. I call her "Bonita," for "beautiful woman."

Krish Dhanam is from India, and has been in America for 11 years. He arrived here with $9 in his pocket, and today, owns a beautiful home, directs our international operations and is one of our busiest speakers.

I am hopeful you will ponder this column as I pose the question, "What would I have missed out on throughout my life if I were racist?" It is extraordinarily important in our multicultured society and with a tight job market to recognize that talent comes in all colors, sizes, shapes and forms. Since 46 percent of all workers who voluntarily leave their jobs do so because they do not feel respected or appreciated, it becomes increasingly important that we learn to respect and be considerate of the other person, regardless of race, sex and so on.

The best way to succeed in all areas of your life is to work with and through other people. Be courteous and respectful, and I really will see you over the top!

To find out more about Zig Ziglar and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. Subscribe to Zig Ziglar's free e-mail newsletter through info@zigziglar.com.
Copyright 2006 Creators Syndicate Inc.

It makes a big difference in ‘convincing’ search engines like Google and Yahoo that your site has the relevant content about a topic, for example Ford Truck. When someone searches for Ford Truck on www.USLINX.com for example, we will display at the top of the list the sites that it believes have the most information about Ford Trucks. The more relevant and focused the content of your folder is, the higher it will appear on the search results and the more visitors you will get from search engines, and from other sites.

Ron McBride
Exec Director
www.WeDemocrats.com
CEO
www.USLINX.com

Gov. Rod Blagojevich will announce an energy plan today to reduce Illinois' dependence on foreign oil by offering incentives to boost production of fuel sources made from agricultural products and coal.

The governor said his plan would create 30,000 new jobs, many in Southern Illinois, with a goal of providing for 50 percent of the state's energy supply by 2017.

"No other state has the combination of natural resources that we have in Illinois," Blagojevich said. "We're the nation's leading producer of soybeans. We're the No. 2 producer of corn. And we have the nation's third-largest reserves of coal.

"That means opportunity," he said, "opportunity to turn more corn into ethanol and more soybeans into diesel fuel. And it means turning coal into home heating fuel and electricity. It means creating 30,000 jobs downstate."

Highlights of the plan, to be unveiled this afternoon during a speech in Edwardsville, include:

l Investing in biofuels by providing incentives to build up to 20 new ethanol plants and five new biodiesel plants;

l Increasing the number of gas stations that sell biofuels so that all stations offer 85 percent ethanol fuel (E-85) by 2017;

l Investing $775 million to help build up to 10 new coal classification plants that use Illinois coal with the goal of providing 25 percent of Illinois' diesel fuel needs, 25 percent of its natural gas needs and 10 percent of its electricity needs by 2017;

l Building a pipeline, possibly through Mount Vernon, to move carbon dioxide captured from coal gasification plants to oilfields in southeastern Illinois to extract more oil and natural gas and to store the carbon dioxide underground;

l Meeting 10 percent of the state's electricity needs from renewable sources by 2015 and finding ways to cut emissions and reduce consumption by 10 percent by 2017.

"Stop and think about what that means," the governor said. "It means that if we make the right investments now, within 10 years, we'll be able to produce enough energy from our natural resources to cut our dependence on foreign oil in half. That means billions of our hard-earned dollars will stay here at home, in our economy, rather than leaving Illinois forever.

"We have the resources," he added. "We have the technology. We have the expertise. If we start today, we can solve this problem in the next 10 years. No other state can say that. And the federal government hasn't even conceived of that yet. But we can do it here in Illinois."

The governor said he would propose $100 million over five years to build 20 new ethanol plants across Illinois, estimating that it would generate $1.7 billion in business investment. An additional $100 million over 10 years would build four plants in downstate Illinois, he said, using new technology to create ethanol from plant waste materials like corn husks and wood pulp.

To speed up production, the governor will issue an executive order that expedites state permits and streamlines the permit process. He also will create a task force to drive continued investment.

The governor said he would like every gas station to offer E-85 by 2017. To reach the goal, he said he would propose spending $30 million over five years to add 900 more E-85 pumps statewide by 2010. The additional pumps would mean 20 percent of all Illinois stations would offer E-85 in four years.

An investment of $775 million over 10 years would allow for construction of 10 gasification plants across the state, he said. He estimated that the use of Illinois coal supplies would account for 25 percent of the state's diesel needs, 25 percent of its natural gas needs and 10 percent of its electricity needs.

The pipeline to transport carbon dioxide would run 100 miles from gasification facilities proposed in Taylorville, south to Mount Vernon and east to the oilfields. A process called "Enhanced Oil Recovery," which uses carbon dioxide to extract more oil from existing reserves, could double the amount of petroleum produced by Illinois annually, he said.

The plan will cost $27 million annual in general revenue to support $1.2 billion of total capital investment. To pay for it, the governor said he will increase efforts to collect takes from corporations that evade taxation.

"Taking these five steps means creating 10,000 permanent jobs and almost 20,000 construction jobs, and almost all of them would be downstate," the governor said. "It means generating over $12 billion in private investment. It means giving our farmers new markets for their corn and soybeans. It means helping Illinois companies produce more ethanol. It means reducing global warming. And, most importantly, it means giving consumers a choice and giving consumers a chance.

"Right now, we're held hostage to the whims of OPEC. We're held hostage to political situations and unstable leadership in places like Iran and Venezuela. We're patronized and ignored by our leaders in Washington and manipulated and extorted by oil barons in the Middle East. It's about time someone stands up for the American people. It's about time some says, 'Here's a plan. Let's act, and let's solve this problem.' "

Blagojevich said his plan is different than any solutions out there.

"It's different from anything any state has tried before. But these aren't normal times," he said. "As countries like China and India continue to develop, the demand for oil and gas is only going to grow. The supply will only decline.

"As a nation, we represent only 4 percent of the world's population. But we consume 25 percent of its annual energy use. Staying the course is not an option. Using our own natural resources is. Someone has to act. And that someone is us."

Go get em Hot Rod, we are behind you 100%

Ron
www.wedemocrats.com

Below is a blog post from Hitwise global research general manager Bill Tancer, who has superimposed the monthly data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) on a Hitwise search term volume chart (below) for the search query "homes for sale". According to Hitwise during the month of July there was a 42 percent increase in search volume for the term "homes for sale".

This is an excellent example of how search term volume on a term can act as a leading indicator, helping us to predict future indicator movement. Aside from the excitement of discovering this indicator, the other good news is, barring any unusual circumstances over the next week, our search term data indicates a reversal in the downward trend reported by NAR yesterday.

Here is link to the full blog post in case you you can't see the charts below:
http://weblogs.hitwise.com/bill-tancer/2006/08/unexpected_decline_in_existing.html

Hitwise is an online audience measurement company providing competitive intelligence data to help marketers instantly understand the daily behavior of online consumers in order to better inform their marketing campaigns.

If you are interested in speaking with Bill Tancer please contact me.

Thank you,
Matt Tatham
Manager, Media Relations
Hitwise
212-380-2939
matt.tatham@hitwise.com

Unexpected Decline in Existing Home Sales? Not Exactly.

On Wednesday, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) released their existing homes sales figures for July. Headlines covering the release talked about the surprising drop in this economic indicator. Once again, leveraging the power of our search term data (as we did here in our post about the monthly unemployment number), we weren't surprised by the news; we actually anticipated this drop over a month ago.

This is an excellent example of how search term volume on a term related to an economic indicator, can act as a leading indicator, helping us to predict future indicator movement. In the case of existing home sales, this is possible for three reasons:

1)The search query "homes for sale" is directly related to the subject indicator, the purchase of a home

2)Consumers interested in purchasing a home, likely search for "homes for sale" in advance of actually purchasing a home, from the data above, that gap can be anywhere between two weeks to a month.

3)The National Association of Realtors, and other organizations and government agencies require several weeks (three in this case) to compile and release their number, our search term data is based on weekly data, allowing us to chart volume every Monday for the previous week.

Aside from the excitement of discovering this indicator, the other good news is, barring any unusual circumstances over the next week, our search term data indicates a reversal in the downward trend reported by NAR yesterday. The August numbers, scheduled to be released September 25th, should reflect that reversal. Mark your calendars.

NANCEGREGGS'S JOURNAL: NANCE RANTS

The Country Formerly Known as America

Posted by NanceGreggs in General Discussion: Politics

Wed Aug 23rd 2006, 10:52 PM

It’s hard to even imagine it now, but legend has it that it was once the most powerful nation on the face of the earth. It stretched from sea to shining sea, and offered vistas of purple mountains’ majesty above fruited plains and amber waves of grain. It was once thought of as so undeniably good, its undisputed crown was the pride of brotherhood.

In the early days of its demise, which few saw as inevitable at the time, the will of its people was thwarted by the very technology that had once harkened the advent of increased communication amongst its own citizens and, in turn, between the people of the world.

The die was cast. The rich were immediately rewarded for their foresight in contributing to the right people at the right time, as well as their innate ability to build their personal fortunes on the backs of their fellow citizens without pang of conscience. The corporations stood in line, palms upturned and fingers outstretched, ready to grab their piece of the pie, even if watching others go hungry was part of the deal.

The hard-working middle-class busied themselves with looking the other way, naively secure in the knowledge that their climb to the top of the income-bracket ladder was well within their reach, and to hell with those who would be left behind.

And then one day the unthinkable happened. The threat, the people were told, was now a reality. A never-ending war was launched based on a myriad of premises too flimsy to be remembered, and those in positions of political power were quick to join the sky-is-falling chorus without ever bothering to look up to see if that were so.

Imagined boogey-men became the excuse to rescind the very foundation of law the nation was founded upon, as well as the tool to silence those who asked the obvious questions that had no reasonable answers. In the aftermath, while the country’s treasury was looted and the youngest and brightest of its citizens were sent to die, unprotected in battle, the very fabric of this once-proud nation began to unravel like the cheaply constructed flags it mindlessly waved.

The insanity set in early, as happens in such circumstances. Formerly respected elected leaders engaged in the kinds of debates once relegated to schoolyards, their childish prattle drowning out the seriousness of the situation: an economy that was ripe for collapse, a form of government that was about to fail, and a president who had usurped the powers they were meant to keep in check.

The broadcast airwaves were filled with lunatics. Some concocted implausible stories and, passionate and wild-eyed, screamed them as fact. Others droned on like lobotomy survivors, mouthing words in measured tones that lacked any semblance of thought; no questions asked, no explanations required.

In one of its final years of existence, the great nation lost one of its key cities, a place of historic and cultural value that had once been a source of pride. It was swept away by a combination of natural disaster and national indifference, and slipped beneath the waters without a whimper from those who could have saved it with little effort.

Few in power noticed, but it was truly the beginning of the end. While unwinnable wars on the other side of the world were reported, with equal importance, alongside wars on Christmas at the mall, while the discussion of questionable election results was overtaken by 24-hour coverage of runaway brides and missing co-eds, the once-powerful nation slipped into madness.

The citizens were told that the disastrous war, declared not on a people but a concept, was within inches of a victory that had yet to be defined, while other wars on other battlefronts were fought for reasons no one could explain. Civilians died, cities were destroyed, once fertile farmland was rendered forever fallow, and both sides claimed to be the winning side as each buried its children in graves as shallow as their reasons for the fight.

Citizens spied on citizens; every word was suspect, every action an excuse to belittle, to accuse, to imprison – and finally, to torture. Those who had once revered God now worshipped at the altar of the false deities their government had created, and arrogantly delighted in the suffering of their fellow men.

The purple mountains’ majesty became invisible through the fog of pollution, the fields of amber grain were harvested not to feed the hungry but to be sold to the highest bidder, the forests were depleted, and the potable water was left toxic and barren for the sake of the corporate bottom-line.

And it came to pass that the great nation that once stood as a beacon of hope, that was once so proud and full of promise, became but a memory in the minds of those who had lived and prospered in its days of former glory.

Will that great nation rise once again? Will its leadership be wrested from the grasp of those who have wrapped themselves in psuedo-patriotism as they wantonly destroy everything it once stood for? Will those who remember what it was to be free to speak, free to think, free to pursue the right course of action take a stand and refuse to yield?

That, my friends, is the question of the millennium. And I am counting on my fellow Americans to say enough is enough, this tyranny, this lunacy, this evil that has overtaken our country will not stand.

Thought you guys/gals might enjoy this!

Ron
www.wedemocrats.com