Sorry to say this, but the technical glitches still are not fixed. I guess tech support has been gone over the entire holiday weekend, or at least the development team, who must fix the problems, are out of the office. Even inserting a comma in a previous post creates a formatting disaster. Please bear with us, while I try not to grit my teeth… Where are those theatrical masks when I need them? You know, the ones showing tragedy and comedy?
An ethical dilemma for the majority of writers is being asked to write about a topic on which we cannot just state the facts and still sound neutral. This is particularly true when the subject of the article is doing something morally wrong. Unless the writer is a spin doctor by profession, i.e. a public relations officer, this is a work-for-hire project that will not be particularly successful in the eyes of the client. Even removing inflammatory words from the newspaper or magazine article, as journalism professors teach, cannot change the facts.
Many such potential assignments exist, including botched environmental issues, investment scams, tainted foodstuffs, children’s furniture and toys known to be unsafe, and so forth. They are full of pitfalls, to use a trite expression. You will find companies advertising that they buy your lottery winnings, so that you don’t have to wait through 25 years of annuity payments. Of course, there is a moderate to high fee involved. Another example is that of an advance to needy persons who have serious cash flow problems. These also return an unusually high interest rate to investors.
Unless the funding company has unusual integrity (and there are a few of those around), unconscionable rates up to 15% per month, are paid by the person who has been “loaned” the money. Since it is not a loan, rather an investment against expected inheritance, settlement, or arriving windfall sources of cash, government usury laws do not apply. The advance does not have to be repaid, if an inheritance case, for example, is lost; however, restrictive clauses in the agreement prevent the recipient from dropping the lawsuit, even after many weary years of litigation. Something is wrong with this picture.
The bottom line for most writers is that such an assignment will have you gritting your teeth at best. And if the pay is very low, compared to your normal market rates, it is better to pass on it. If your editor won’t take back the assignment, all you can do is finish it, and be prepared to defend your stand.
It’s good to be back online! There’s new software now, therefore much reformatting yet to do, but we’re live again. And Hostway is now almost back to its normal standards of unparalleled excellence in web hosting. And no, they didn’t ask me to say that. It’s just the beginning of thanks at this time of year.
This has been a year to test us all, and I’m sure most of us agree that we could have done without many of the awful trials and tragedies we’ve had. Yet this is life, the only mortal life we have, and we deal with it the best we can, based on how we were raised and the extent of the additional learning we’ve allowed ourselves to absorb. Access to information is the way out of poverty. The ability to read is the key to everything in this world! Yet how many millions of people lack that great blessing? Those of us who can read should be eternally grateful that we had the opportunity to learn how.
Education for anyone out of their childhood is the responsibility of the individual. Yet too many people in authority want to keep the uneducated as they are, forever uneducated. (The ignorant and the illiterate are easier to control, and they don’t question the decisions others make, decisions that drastically alter their lives.) Yet we can all do something to help, whether it’s formal teaching, or informal chats around the water cooler or the PC at work. And if we know someone who would gladly take a basic reading or keyboarding or welding class, if they only had the transportation to get to it, maybe we can at least research bus schedules for them, or identify alternate locations. Could we possibly help to find a babysitter while they’re attending class? Something to think about.
In times of great personal stress, along with national and global upheaval, we need to keep our vision for the future, both for this life and the next world. If we’ve become fixated on the rear license plate in front of us, while we’re stuck in traffic, it takes real effort to lift our heads and sweep our glance from side to side and further down the road. And it takes superhuman effort to do so, when we’re burdened with heavy loads of responsibility for family, yet see no Exit ramp from this superhighway.
While I’m not a supporter of the current war in Iraq, I wholeheartedly support our troops who are sacrificing so much, even their lives (and certainly their futures), after being sent over there. National Guardsmen and women, in particular, didn’t sign on for active duty overseas. They need our prayers now and our friendship when they return, as do all of our troops in all of the dangerous war zones around the world. And may they all return home safely and soon!
I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, wherever you are.
This is a test entry in my blog. We have had annoying, unwanted pop-ups and possible spyware interfering for the past week. Please bear with me, readers, while I root this out.
A local morning news show on TV has been holding a second series of auditions for a new weathercaster / meteorologist. Although it’s hard to imagine that anyone who has earned a degree in the science would put him- or herself through such torture, being “the weatherman” is a type of entertainment these days. They did have plenty of applicants; perhaps some did not have college degrees in meteorology.
While the semi-finalist candidates are mostly poised—hard to accomplish under so much stress—the same cannot be said of the judges and quasi-judges. They seem to have taken too many pages from Simon’s book, on another audition show, that is, from him of the caustic comments. Both judges and anchors (who are allowed to toss in their own barbs, along with a few compliments) reflect badly on the normal professionalism at the station.
While the entertainment world is harsh, there is no reason whatsoever why folks suddenly “given a little authority” need to be brutal. That kind of behavior is unprofessional, unkind, and devoid of valid purpose. Those who do not have the necessary talent will likely fail in this world, but who is to determine what talent really is? As just one example, how many “failures” have gone on to outrank their dismal classmates in worldly success or humanitarian endeavors? We may well judge that someone lacks ability in an area we ourselves know well, but we don’t need to be the one who throws that last shovelful of dirt on their dreams.
Those who are successful in this world get there by helping others along the way, not by tearing into them like hyenas at a carcass, before the vultures shift toward it. I truly hope that the good candidates earn gainful employment elsewhere. And may they have the graciousness to be nice to other people on their way up, even though they were not afforded the same kind of treatment themselves. We will all meet the same people on our way down the slippery slope, as we met on our way up the career ladder. We will most certainly run into them in the next life. The future could be quite interesting, for the servants, slaves and victims in this life may well be the rulers in the eternal worlds.
www.shirleyannparker.com/discoveries.htm
The following article is reprinted with permission from Ms. Folger’s newsletter.
Don’t Confuse A Work-at-Home Scam With Hard Work
By Liz Folger, founder of www.bizymoms.com
I received an email from an acquaintance this last week. They wanted me to check out a particular company to see if it was a scam or not. So I clicked on over and saw the site, looked at their ad. It looked to me like it was a legitimate opportunity. You didn’t have to pay anything to start the business; you didn’t have to buy anything to get started either. Basically anyone starting the business would just need to put in some work to make money at this business.
We’ve been reading these crazy work-at-home scams for years now, and I’m afraid we are starting to believe them. It’s been said, that if you read or hear something enough, you start to think it’s the truth, and this could very well be the case. All these scams tout the fact that a home business is EASY, the products simply sell themselves. I don’t ever remember any product just walking up to me, all by itself, and saying, “Hey Liz, buy me, I’m irresistible.” ‘Course, I’m not dead yet, but I just don’t see it happening.
Any business or venture you start is going to take some work, maybe even a little sweat on your part. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling a product or your service; you are going to have to sell. Don’t think a business is a scam, if you don’t sell things overnight. Every business, no matter how wonderful it is, takes time to grow.
You talk to any full-time salesperson and they are going to tell you this, “You’ve got to keep at it. Hearing a no can’t slow your pace.” They say (whoever “they” are) that you might need to contact 10 or more people before you get that one magical YES. This past week I was reading a book called, “The Sales Bible,” By Jeffrey Gitomer. He gave an example of how to deal with all those no’s. He says, “If you hear a no, thank the person and ask them if they know anyone else who might want to say no, because that means you are just that much closer to getting a yes.”
I also think that, as women, we are at a disadvantage. I might ruffle some feathers here, but I work with a LOT of women and I work with men. When women hear a no, they take it VERY personally. Remember it’s the product they are saying no to, not you. For some reason men don’t seem to take it so close to heart. However, women are much prettier than men, so I think everything equals out in the end.
When you’re selling your product or service, keep a positive attitude. This is where really believing in what you are selling comes in handy. If you’re just selling a product because you think you are going to make a ton of money, then you aren’t going to last very long in that business. But, if you are in a business because it’s your passion, and you would basically do the business for free because you love it so much, then you’re much more apt to trudge ahead and work even harder on making your business a success, even when the money isn’t rolling in.
I read a great quote the other day by Ray Kroc, and I’d like to share it with you as I wrap this up. It said, “Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get.” When you’re on your path to finding that perfect part- or full-time home business, first look at what you already enjoy doing. Sometimes we don’t even think about starting a business using our talents, interest and hobbies. You already “work” at these interests, so why not get paid for it? The less your business feels like work, the more work you’re going to put into it, and the luckier you’ll be in your home business endeavors.
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Liz Folger is the founder of http://www.bizymoms.com. She is also the author of the book, “The Stay-at-Home Mom’s Guide To Making Money From Home.” She invites you to come check out bizymoms.com and sign up for her free weekly e-newsletter for all the latest in working from home.