Charmaine on an earlier FOX appearanceCaution: Might be safe for work -- but not for kids.

Has advertising crossed the line? Shock ads linked below.

Charmaine will be debating Greg Muehler from Serve Marketing on FOX tomorrow, Saturday, March 1, 2008. Hit time is 8:40 am Eastern -- two segments.

From Newsweek, This Is Your Brain on Scary Ads -- Are these graphic PSAs inspiring or offensive? You decide.,

The image is meant to shock: a little girl's face atop a woman's body, cleavage spilling over a low-cut cocktail dress. ...The ads are disturbing, to put it mildly. But more disturbing, its creators say, is what they're trying to combat: 71 percent of teen pregnancies in inner-city Milwaukee are the result of statutory rape. ... But industry experts say the campaign represents a genre of public-service advertising that's becoming more lurid than ever.

Shock advertising is an age-old gimmick. But compared with milder fare from years past ("This is your brain on drugs"), today's imagery is "like a sledgehammer to the face," says Steve Hall, founder of the industry blog AdRants. For instance: the ad displayed above-an anti-drunk-driving spot for Arrive Alive-featuring a scantily clad girl collapsed in a men's bathroom. Experts have called it muddled and pointlessly provocative.

Alert Reader Kalynne Pudner, at Auburn University and teaches Biz Ethics, points us to this analysis by By Jeffrey A. Tucker at Mises, as in Ludwig von,

But why must it be tacky and unbearable to so many of us? Well, let's be blunt: business is trying to reach the masses. Mises explains:

"Business propaganda must be obtrusive and blatant. It is its aim to attract the attention of slow people, to rouse latent wishes, to entice men to substitute innovation for inert clinging to traditional routine. In order to succeed, advertising must be adjusted to the mentality of the people courted. It must suit their tastes and speak their idiom. Advertising is shrill, noisy, coarse, puffing, because the public does not react to dignified allusions. It is the bad taste of the public that forces the advertisers to display bad taste in their publicity campaigns. The art of advertising has evolved into a branch of applied psychology, a sister discipline of pedagogy. Like all things designed to suit the taste of the masses, advertising is repellent to people of delicate feeling."

A sister discipline of pedagogy? Yes indeed it is, and it is also art, and those with "delicate feeling" need to learn to appreciate it for what it is. They don't have to believe a word of it. Decline to drink the potion to make you thin. Refuse the breakfast that will make you concentrate. Eschew the hand cream that will restore moisture. Be as skeptical as you want and, instead, save every penny. Turn off the television if you hate it and sit in your perfect environment and listen to Gregorian chant.

Newsweek continues,

Still, deterrence by disgust can work. In 2006, a series of Volkswagen safety ads drew attention for showing its cars in heart-stopping traffic accidents; within weeks, sales inquiries were up. A more recent ad for Canadian workplace safety features a glowing young chef describing her fiancé, whom she'll never marry, she says, because she's about to be in a "terrible accident." She then slips and scorches her face with a cauldron of boiling water. ... "Some small amount of discomfort is worth it if it creates positive change," says Gary Mueller, founder of Serve, the agency behind the statutory-rape ads. The small discomfort, though, is getting bigger.

Danger: gallery of shock ads on Newsweek.

Please watch and let us know what you think.

Thank you (foot)notes:

See: Reality, Marketing and Aristotle. Your Business Blogger and Charmaine were extras background artists in a movie. But The Dude was the star. And gave us a lesson in marketing.

Ludwig von Mises. Mises is pronounced "MEE-zus." Charmaine told me.

Kalynne Pudner earned her Ph.D. at the University of Virginia. Auburn was lucky to get her.

Caution: Marketing follows. Here's some advertising sure to offend some:

Invitation to Solutions To Your Management Problems at www.Yoest.com

Posted at 7:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Your Business Blogger at the
Stern School of Business, NYU Solutions To Your Management Problems,
Invitation to The Harbour League Seminar-fund raiser for 26 March 2008.

You Are Invited!

60 second script.

This is Jack Yoest Your Business Blogger with Solutions to your Management Problems.

I want to invite you to a short seminar – that you won’t want to miss.

In this short two hour meeting I will talk about what management is – and what it is not.

Here are corrections to common management myths:

Management is not barking out orders.

Management by walking around -- is not management.

Management does not empower subordinates.

A Hands – on Manager is not a manager.

In our class I want to emphasis three tactics that will help change your practice of management

1 -- Discipline – As a former Armored Cavalry officer I like the Army’s definition – and it’s not what you think.

2 -- Selling – If you’ve ever carried a bag like I did as a sales guy – you know that in every transaction – especially in office politics -- someone is selling, someone is buying – and managers always get this wrong.

And finally 3rd – Stop it – Every client I’ve ever worked with – every project I’ve ever managed – we’re working too hard because we’re working on the wrong things.

Don’t make these mistakes.

Go to www.yoest.com for details and registration

Posted at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Charmaine and Bill Buckley, 2005 William F. Buckley Jr., died this morning in his study in Stamford, Connecticut.

He will be missed. Our prayers go to his family and his extended family at National Review.

Standing athwart history and yelling, Stop!

Only Bill Buckley could make a movement move by yelling "stop."

Thank you (foot)notes:

My favorite Bill Buckley quote was concerning women in combat. He asked a liberal-lesbian-who-wanted-women-in-war-but-never-wanted-to-fight, "Is the phrase, 'Women and Children First' anachronized?" I didn't know 'anachronized' was a word. But it must be, if Buckley said it...

See William F. Buckley, Rush Limbaugh, George Will at NR's 50th. Not Cheney

Posted at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One Room School House circa 1895Columnist (Dr.) George Will once wrote, " Not long ago the education establishment promised that if we would only invest more in the nation's schools, they would produce a nation of Einsteins and Edisons. Today, we'd be pleased if upon leaving school our children have heard of Einstein and Edison."

Indeed, our Dreamer at the local high school, is forced to sit in a class room and listen to a movie recommendation from a history teacher. So Charmaine and Your Business Blogger watched the teacher's subject matter.

The movie is rated R. Lotsa sex. Lotsa violence. Some history, I suppose. (But I didn't notice for the bare buttocks. Jodie Foster gives a great performance -- if you know what I mean and I think you do...)

What's the big deal? the liberal education elite might ask, As long as the children are learning?

But are they?

Alert Reader, Dr. Crouse, sends this along,

1895 Eighth Grade Final Exam

And to think, most people don't believe in the dumbing down of America...... Remember when our grandparents, great-grandparents, and such stated that they only had an 8th grade education?

Well, check this out. - - -

This is the eighth-grade final exam from 1895 in Salina, KS, USA. It was taken from the original document on file at the Smokey Valley Genealogical Society and Library in Salina, KS, and reprinted by the Salina Journal.

8th GRADE FINAL EXAM

Grammar (Time, one hour)

1. Give nine rules for the use of Capital Letters.

2. Name the Parts of Speech and define those that have no Modifications.

3. Define Verse, Stanza and Paragraph.

4. What are the Principal Parts of a verb. Give Principal Parts of lie, lay and run.

5. Define Case, Illustrate each Case.

6. What is Punctuation? Give rules for principal marks of Punctuation.

7. Write a composition of about 150 words and show therein that you understand the practical use of the rules of grammar.

Arithmetic (Time, 1.25 hours)

1. Name and define the Fundamental Rules of Arithmetic.

2. A wagon box is 2 ft deep, 10 feet long, and 3 ft. wide. How many bushels of wheat will it hold?

3. If a load of wheat weighs 3942 lbs., what is it worth at 50cts/bushel, deducting 1050lbs. for tare?

4. District No. 33 has a valuation of $35,000. What is the necessary levy to carry on a school seven months at $50 per month, and have $104 for incidentals?

5. Find cost of 6720 lbs. coal at $6.00 per ton.

6. Find the interest of $512.60 for 8 months and 18 days at 7 percent.

7. What is the co st of 40 boards 12 inches wide and 16 ft. long at $20 per meter?

8. Find bank discount on $300 for 90 days (no grace) at 10 percent.

9. What is the cost of a square farm at $15 per acre, the distance around which is 640 rods?

10. Write a Bank Check, a Promissory Note, and a Receipt.

U. S. History (Time, 45 minutes)

1. Give the epochs into which U. S. History is divided.

2. Give an account of the discovery of America by Columbus .

3. Relate the causes and results of the Revolutionary War.

4. Show the territorial growth of the United States .

5. Tell what you can of the history of Kansas .

6. Describe three of the most prominent battles of the Rebellion.

7. Who were the following: Morse, Whitney, Fulton, Bell , Lincoln, Penn, and Howe?

8. Name events connected with the following dates: 1607, 1620, 1800, 1849, 1865.

Orthography (Time, one hour)

1. What is meant by the following: Alphabet, phonetic, orthography, etymology, syllabication?

2. What are elementary sounds? How classified?

3. What are the following, and give examples of each: Trigraph, sub vocals, diphthong, cognate letters, linguals?

4. Give four substitutes for caret 'u'.

5. Give two rules for spelling words with final 'e.' Name two exceptions under each rule.

6. Give two uses of silent letters in spelling. Illustrate each.

7. Define the following prefixes and use in connection with a word: ?bi, dis, mis, pre, semi, post, non, inter, mono, sup

8. Mark diacritically and divide into syllables the following, and name the sign that indicates the sound: card, ball, mercy, sir, odd, cell, rise, blood, fare, last.

9. Use the following correctly in sentences: cite, si te, sight, fane, fain, feign, vane, vain, vein, raze, raise, rays.

10. Write 10 words frequently mispronounced and indicate pronounciation by use of diacritical marks and by syllabication.

Geography (Time, one hour)

1. What is climate? Upon what does climate depend?

2. How do you account for the extremes of climate in Kansas ?

3. Of what use are rivers Of what use is the ocean?

4. Describe the mountains of North America.

5. Name and describe the following: Monrovia, Odessa, Denver, Manitoba, Hecla, Yukon, St. Helena, Juan Fernandez, Aspinwall & Orinoco.

6. Name and locate the principal trade centers of the U.S.

7. Name all the republics of Europe and give the capital of each.

8. Why is the Atlantic Coast colder than the Pacific in the same latitude?

9. Describe the process by which the water of the ocean returns to the sources of rivers.

10. Describe the movements of the earth. Give the inclination of the earth.

Notice that the exam took five hours to complete.

Gives the saying "she/he only had an 8th grade education" a whole new meaning, doesn't it?

Jodie Foster went beyond 8th grade -- she went to Princeton. And had sex in my living room.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Your Business Blogger has an undergraduate degree in education and teaches business management at the Northern Virginia Community College.

Our good friend Cheri Yecke did her doctoral dissertation at the University of Virginia on the correlation between tax dollars spent per student and test scores. She didn't find any. Yes, there is no correlation between the amount of money spent per student and the student's test scores. A school system spending $6,000 per student had about the same test scores as a system spending $10,000 per student. The tax payer does not get his money's worth -- as one would expect from any union dominated enterprise. Her findings shocked the education industry. Her work was of no surprise to the parents who choose to home school.

Cheri Yecke continues to be harassed wherever she serves.

Update: Alert Reader Jill Zimon reminds us that Jodie Foster attended Yale -- Not Princeton as I had written. Jill says, "I know this more because one of my high school friends was Foster's freshman year roommate, than because I follow Foster. :)" Way cool anyway.

Posted at 9:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Watch the 90 second clip. Students: this is not a substitute for class attendance. But it is good to know what the professor thinks...

Comments disabled due to DoS attack, please email here.

Posted at 11:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Family Research Council based in Your Nation's Capital, has a number of job openings.

In particular, Charmaine is looking for a Broadcasting Director.

The Broadcasting Director will manage the production, distribution and promotion of FRC's radio programs, and audio and video projects and products. The Broadcasting Director oversees production of and edits FRC's weekly radio program and the daily radio commentary. The Director is responsible for evaluating the effectiveness of current broadcast projects and planning for new ones. This position maintains the production schedule for FRC's radio studio. The incumbent manages production, distribution, and marketing of FRC audio projects; to include radio programs, public service announcements, commercials, and audio tape productions. The incumbent also has responsibility for all video needs in the organization.

Salary is in line with experience and is based in Washington, DC. And,

Bachelor's degree in Communications, Radio Production, or related field and 5 years of related experience or equivalent combination of training and experience is required. Experience within and/or familiarity with the pro-family movement necessary. Preference will be given to applicants with related media experience and knowledge of pro-family policy issues. Strong organizational and administrative skills; and excellent written and oral communication skills are also required. Knowledge of Microsoft Word and experience with Excel is preferred. Experience in producing, recording, and editing radio program is essential. Knowledge of ProTools audio software, FTP Server, and studio equipment is essential. Knowledge of Final Cut Pro video editing software is helpful.

Contact FRC or email us.

Posted at 7:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee continues to play to packed houses. At last night's rally in Plano, Texas, the campaign staff were forecasting some 500. Not a bad crowd.

2,000 cheering voters showed up. I Like Mike.

The race is far from over. John Culberson, congressman from Houston, recently endorsed Huckabee. Culberson's district borders Tom DeLay's old district -- who also endorsed Huckabee.

John predicts that Houston will go for Huckabee. And as Houston goes, so goes Texas.

Representative Culberson made his decision after hearing Huckabee at CPAC and talking with him afterwards.

John McCain's race to 1,191 delegates is not a given.

Posted at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

An Alert Reader sends this,

I had told many of you about the command given by the new Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy: The flags of the United States and the Brigade of Midshipmen may no longer be processed down the center aisle of the Chapel and no longer can they be dipped before the altar of God.

Vice Admiral Jeffrey Fowler underscored his direct order with the word that if his command was not obeyed, he would no longer worship at the 11:00 am Protestant worship service.

Many retired military members of the Chapel community wrote to protest this unlawful order. We prayed and worked to have this order countermanded.

Last Sunday, the flags returned to the Chapel. They were processed down the center aisle. Many were in tears at seeing their return.

The "Supe," however, did not return.

We would welcome Admiral Fowler and his family, but not at the price of our precious religious liberty.

Our family, and hundreds of others, thank God for this result.

Thank you all for your kind words of encouragement during this difficult time.

Admiral Fowler is clearly confused on the hierarchy between the state and the church. It would appear that he, like most Godless liberals, fear the dominance of the Creator.

Liberals should fear not.

Bible believing Jesus lovers know well that every Christian is commanded to obey every law of the state.

Every law, save one.

There is one law that the Christian is commanded NOT to obey. The Christian is commanded to share the Good News even if the state forbids. This is the only law that the Christian can knowingly break.

Admiral Fowler should know that that any order he gives will be followed. He didnot need to worry about the Flags rendering respect. Or the loyalty of the service members under his command. They will obey him.

Unless.

Unless Fowler forbids the sharing of the Gospel.

So Admiral Fowler doesn't care for God on Campus. But probably doesn't mind Girls on Carriers:

John Howland, at USNA-At-Large, writes

This stuff is Exhibit A why women should not be allowed anywhere near combatant warships.

Think hard. Imagine, for example, that this clip and other "related clips" are just brief visual manifestations of an iceberg of incredibly complex interpersonal dynamics throughout the entire thousands of personnel aboard this ship.

And, you are going to go into a real war with that?!?

As former Secretary of the Navy James Webb attests, military institutions must be coercive, hierarchical, and self-sacrificial, and as such they depend on a rigid code of fairness with regard to conduct, performance, and deportment, promotion on merit, and egalitarian treatment that by its nature cannot be gender- neutral.

For as soon as the sexes are mixed in close quarters, especially for prolonged and tense intervals, the jealousies, courtships, and favoritism that are bound to erupt must corrode fairness and discipline.

Imagine, writes Webb, a ship at sea for a hundred days during which numerous crew members pair off for sex. That in itself spawns favoritism, duplicity, and pregnancies.

But what of the crewmen who don’t “score” with shipmates and must stifle their libido for months? “The inescapable feelings of resentment, competition, and anger that follow create a powder keg of emotions that cannot help but affect morale, discipline, and attention to duty.”

To military expert Edward Luttwak, the belief that mixing the sexes need not affect order and discipline is “a grotesque, puritanical hypocrisy.

The Army can’t do something that eluded the Franciscans. It can’t run a mixed monastery.”

DoS problems persist -- email comments here.

UPDATE: The Naval Academy dips the Flag; The Air Force Academy reserves a pew.

At the front of the chapel, a single row is roped off. "Reserved" the sign says, for all the United States aviators who are missing in action or prisoners of war. The only occupant of the pew is a single, burning candle.

"Greater love hath no man than this. . ." reads the plaque. The Scripture it alludes to concludes: "that a man lays down his life for his friends."

Bryant Jordan at Military.com has the story.

The traditions with the Flag are rich and varied. The Flag covered my father's coffin. Illustrators use a stylized Flag to make a point. There are places where the Flag flies on eternal patrol. The opening scene in Private Ryan.

UPDATE: the email above is from Alert Reader Bob Morrison. He says, "Vice Admiral Fowler is to be commended for changing his mind on this. He now knows, I'm sure, that his JAG officers had given him bad advice. The posting of the flags at the Chapel is a revered tradition of the Academy." Bob, like most Alert Readers, is so much more diplomatic than Your Business Blogger (R).

Posted at 3:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It is an unwritten rule that media outlets, friendly or not, will use the most unflattering picture-portrait in the universe.
Note UPDATE at end.
If an editor must choose between the subject in, say, post-marathon svelve-ness -- or a picture after an all-nighter finishing a tedious chapter on statistics after two years of desertion writing.

And after having that baby...

The editor will, of course, pick the poorest. This is editorial bias.

So if an editor can choose between this,



Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D. or this.

The Alert Reader knows which way the call is going to go.

Charmaine is less bothered by this than Your Business Blogger.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Dan Gigoff writes,

Yoest returned to FRC last month, when Huckabee’s cash flow got too tight, but she had this interesting insight in what keeps Huckabee going in the face of very long odds:

"It fits with a worldview that sees life as being dependent on God’s will... and a Christian following God’s will means taking the next step that’s in front of you.

That’s where I think he’s coming from to a large degree.

It’s entirely consistent to say, “I’m going to play that out—it’s not over till it’s over.”

...There’s a route to a brokered convention. It may not be pretty, but it’s possible."

Update/Correction: Dan Gilgoff, the Politics Editor at Beliefnet, Inc. substituted a newer picture as requested. He was very gracious. Alert the Media.

Beliefnet, Inc tag line: Inspiration. Spirituality. Faith. Award-Winning Content. - Winner, 2007 National Magazine, Award for General Excellence Online. Largest Spirituality & Inspiration Website with 3.2MM site visitors and 11.0 MM newsletter subscribers.

DoS problems persist -- email comments here.

Posted at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Your Business Blogger gives a five minute presentation for Managing Management Time (TM)

Are you controlling events?
Or are events controlling you?

Posted at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Nitro Dragster
Credit: Baumgartner Your Business Blogger used to play an acceleration trick known among car-guys as 'the quarter game' in his old Corvette.

Here's how the bet would work: Find a traffic-free interstate on-ramp,

Toss a quarter on the passenger side floorboards,

On acceleration the passenger attempts to reach forward to pick up the quarter --

We would bet the quarter that he (always a 'he' -- Girls didn't like to play...) He could not lean down and pick up the coin as Your (law-abiding!) Business Blogger raced thru the gears. The passenger could not overcome the G's.

I would usually win...

Or maybe 'cause the friend would be laughing so hard at my occasional -- rarely -- infrequent missed gear shifting.

Guys laugh at things like this.

Girls didn't like all the noise.

An Alert Reader sent this along to demonstrate real G-force acceleration.

Acceleration Put Into Perspective

* One Top Fuel dragster 500 cubic-inch Hemi engine makes more horsepower than the first 4 rows at the Daytona 500.

* Under full throttle, a dragster engine consumes 11.2 gallons of nitro methane per second; a fully loaded 747 consumes jet fuel at the same rate with 25% less energy being produced.

* A stock Dodge Hemi V8 engine cannot produce enough power to merely drive the dragster's supercharger.

Your Business Blogger in his old '58 Vette
Blond Option no longer available * With 3000 CFM of air being rammed in by the supercharger on overdrive, the fuel mixture is compressed into a near-solid form before ignition. Cylinders run on the verge of hydraulic lock at full throttle.

* At the stoichiometric 1.7:1 air/fuel mixture for nitro methane the flame front temperature measures 7050 degrees F.

* Nitro methane burns yellow. The spectacular white flame seen above the stacks at night is raw burning hydrogen, dissociated from atmospheric water vapor by the searing exhaust gases.

* Dual magnetos supply 44 amps to each spark plug. This is the output of an arc welder in each cylinder.

* Spark plug electrodes are totally consumed during a pass. After 1/2 way, the engine is dieseling from compression plus the glow of exhaust valves at 1400 degrees F. The engine can only be shut down by cutting the fuel flow.

* If spark momentarily fails early in the run, unburned nitro builds up in the affected cylinders and then explodes with sufficient force to blow cylinder heads off the block in pieces or split the block in half.

* Dragsters reach over 300 MPH before you have completed reading this sentence.

* In order to exceed 300 MPH in 4.5 seconds, dragsters must accelerate an average of over 4 G's. In order to reach 200 MPH well before half-track, the launch acceleration approaches 8 G's.

* Top Fuel engines turn approximately 540 revolutions from light to light!

* Including the burnout, the engine must only survive 900 revolutions under load.

* The redline is actually quite high at 9500 RPM.

* THE BOTTOM LINE: Assuming all the equipment is paid off, the crew worked for free, & for once, NOTHING BLOWS UP, each run costs an estimated $1,000 per second.

The current Top Fuel dragster elapsed time record is 4.441 seconds for the quarter-mile (10/05/03, Tony Schumacher). The top speed record is 333.00 MPH (533 km/h) as measured over the last 66' of the run (09/28/03, Doug Kalitta).

Putting this all into perspective:

The only Corvette that matters today:
The Dreamer in her 'Vette with proud dad.
I driven both, and this -- this is life in the fast lane.You are driving the average $140,000 Lingenfelter twin-turbo powered Corvette Z06. Over a mile up the road, a Top Fuel dragster is staged & ready to launch down a quarter-mile strip as you pass. You have the advantage of a flying start. You run the 'Vette hard up through the gears and blast across the starting line & pass the dragster at an honest 200 MPH. The 'tree' goes green for both of you at that moment.

The dragster launches & starts after you. You keep your foot down hard, but you hear an incredibly brutal whine that sears your eardrums & within 3 seconds the dragster catches & passes you. He beats you to the finish line, a quarter-mile away from where you just passed him. Think about it - from a standing start, the dragster had spotted you 200 MPH & not only caught, but nearly blasted you off the road when he passed you within a mere 1320 foot long race!

That's acceleration!

Thank you (foot)notes:

The Alert Reader writes,

Let me see if I’ve got this right. What you’re telling me is that in the space of under 2 and a half minutes of running a Top Fuel dragster (28 runs of 5 seconds each at $1,000 per second), I would have spent enough competing in the dragster to have paid for a Lingenfelter twin-turbo powered Corvette Z06 (that will run 200 mph).

Hmmmm.

Comments may not be enabled because of a nasty DoS. But please email your thoughts here.

Alert Reader Pat Patterson writes,

And that\'s why the proper way to do the quarter trick is to use your dad\'s Chevy Nova, almost bone stock, station wagon with a dealer installed 327 and Turbo-Hydramatic. The only person I ever saw miss a gear with that car was my mom who also could fry the clutch of a stick shift without actually leaving the garage in the morning to drop my sister off at school.

My dad was not a car guy and couldn\'t understand why the wagon got such terrible gas mileage and also why his teenage son didn\'t seem to mind driving around in that statin wagon with that infamous puke green metallic color that Chevy loved so much. I should also mention that it had dog dish hubcaps, a sticker for the Long Beach Naval Station and a bumpersticker for the March of Dimes on it. The perfect stealth car, or rather considering this was in the 60\'s, the perfect Q-ship.

Patterson lets us in on the best kept secret of acceleration: Automatic transmissions transmitted greater torque and faster shifting than any manual transmission. Even the old PowerGlide Turbo-Hydramatic could jump off the line faster than my old 'Vette with a wide-ratio 4 speed. (Although a 4:11 rear end would have been helpful...but we'd be back to that 8 mile a gallon concern.)

Patterson does not write if any money ever changed hands as he tooled around town...

Posted at 8:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Penta-Posse
election nite 2004 Me too.

As the father of the five-person cohort called the Penta-Posse, Your Business Blogger is looking for angles for college admission and funding.

And not just Title IX...

Our friends at the Daniel Kovach Scholarship Foundation have an opportunity for cash. $2,000. Real money.

For political bloggers. If you are a college student, or have parents looking for help, go enter the 2nd Annual Political Blogging Scholarship.

And let us know how it works for you.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Thank you to Alert Reader Jennifer Rotman, Scholarship Coordinator, at College Scholarships.

Comments may not be enabled. Nasty DoS attack. Please email us with comments.

Update: Jill Miller Zimon, Freelance Writer, Editor and Blogger has more information and -- as the main stream media like to say -- original reporting,

Hi Jack -

I don't know if you have ever spoken with Daniel, but here's a post I wrote after interviewing him and one that links to a CNN article about him.

Thanks for posting about the blogging scholarship. An Ohio blogger I know used one (though I don't think it was the same one) to cover New Hampshire primary prep last summer.

Best,

Jill

Posted at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mike Huckabee
on bass guitar
Photo Credit: The Dreamer

I Like Mike! Be sure to remember to vote tomorrow, Tuesday, February 12th for Mike Huckabee.

Your Business Blogger and Charmaine will be voting for Huckabee.

Please join us.

From the Republican Party of Virginia,

REMINDER: Virginia Primary on Tuesday, February 12 Submitted by Josh Noland on Fri, 02/08/2008 - 12:44.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, February 8, 2008

RICHMOND, VA - The Republican Party of Virginia is encouraging registered voters to head to their local polling locations on Tuesday, February 12 to participate in Virginia's Republican primary.

Voters should go to their normal polling locations, and polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The Republican primary is open to all registered Virginia voters.

"The Republican Party is putting forward a strong field of candidates who are vying to become our party's nominee for president in 2008," stated RPV Chairman John Hager. "The Republican field offers a stark contrast to the democratic candidates who are out of step with mainstream Virginia voters and lack the experience to lead our country forward. I encourage Virginia voters to turnout on February 12th, vote in the Republican primary, and have their voices heard."

Six candidates will appear on Virginia's Republican primary ballot. These candidates include:

Rudy Giuliani

Mike Huckabee

John McCain

Ron Paul

Mitt Romney

Fred Thompson

Virginia's Republican primary is winner-take-all and will bind its Delegates on the first round of balloting at the Republican National Convention. For more information on becoming a Delegate to the National or State Conventions, visit our website, www.rpv.org.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Full Disclosure: Charmaine has served as an adviser to the Huckabee campaign.

We are having DOS attacks. If you would like to leave us a comment, click here.

Posted at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

She's just got to stop this. The first serious female candidate for President and she's tearing up all over the place?

Posted at 9:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Dreamer took this great shot at CPAC this morning. . . outstanding speech, as always. It still amazes me that people think the Gov is anything but a conservative.

The Kansas win is such a thrill. A 3 to 1 margin?! This race is not over.

I keep telling people, yes, the delegate math may be improbable. . . but not impossible. And the Huckabee campaign specializes in improbable.

As the Governor said today at CPAC -- "I didn't major in math; I majored in miracles."

Posted at 7:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Laugh out loud funny.

Wins Texas on ColbertNation. . . soon to win it in USANation, too!

Posted at 7:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Gianna Jessen
Abortion Survivor
Marathon Runner Years ago, Your Business Blogger was clipping the finger nails of the infant Dude. My fine motor skills and eye sight were not quite what they once were and I clipped deep and The Dude bled red bad.

Everyone present cried.

Nothing hurts more than baby blood.

But this blood may not bother everyone.

Trick Question: To a Democrat, What is botched abortion?

Answer: A Live Birth

This is a world-wide problem. See Alive and Kicking Campaign: Run, Gianna Run!,

Every year in Britain, 50 babies are born-alive -- after an abortion attempt.

Babies born alive. Don't you just hate medical malpractice? The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is mounting an investigation into this horrible rash of babies born alive -- according to their standards an abortionist is supposed to be sure they stop the baby's heart with a direct injection of potassium chloride.

The problem? "In practice, few doctors are willing or able to perform the delicate procedure," says Britain's Sunday Times.

But in the virtuous US of A Congress addressed this abortion loophole and crafted the Born Alive Infants Protection Act,

"The law guarantees that every infant born alive enjoys full legal rights under federal law, regardless of his or her stage of development or whether the live birth occurred during an abortion."

Who could possible vote against saving a baby. A baby born alive?

Barack Obama. Democrat.

Thank you (foot)notes:

My grandparents immigrated from Poland in the 'teens. Mom, or as Babcia as she is now known to her grand-kids, would occasionally let loose a Polish cuss word, Scha-clef.

A horrible, terrible word.

It means, Dog's Blood.

The British with the King's Language, also use bloody words. As in Bloody Fool. This is actually a blasphemy referring to the Blood of The Christ. Should not be used in polite company (or in a respectable blog...).

Alert Readers remember the Roman governor Pontius Pilot publicly washing his hands of the blood of The Innocent Man.

And we will also remember Lady Macbeth's problem with blood that would not wash, "Out, out d@mn spot..."

There is power in the blood.

Text of the federal Born-Alive Infants Protection law (Public Law 107-207)

See Heart of Darkness at The Caferteria Is Closed.

Barack Obama has baby blood on his hands. And he doesn't hurt.

Posted at 5:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Official
CPAC
Blogger
Here in Your Nation's Capital, at CPAC this week conversation has centered on our Presidential candidates -- and the acceptability of their positions.

Mike Huckabee and John McCain are said to be imperfect candidates because there are some disputes with one position or another.

But if they are "not conservatives" as some would say, then why are conservatives voting for them? And not a Romney or a Thompson?

Back in Iowa, Your Business Blogger asked Frank Luntz about his book on Words That Work, and what he thought was going on with the electorate.

He said that voters seem to be interested, "less in issues -- but in the attributes of the candidates -- are they believable?" Are they likable?

This seems to at least partially explain the success of Huckabee and McCain -- there may not be perfection on issues, but people like and trust and believe these candidates: the attributes of the candidates are more important; in some ways even more than the positions on issues.

This also explains the success of Obama. Who has a rather thin record of achievement . . . but has an infatuated following. No one can point to what Obama has done, but he's done it with panache.

Little Miss Attila, Charmaine and
Baby Boo at CPAC

Thank you (foot)notes:

Charmaine has served as an adviser to the Mike Huckabee campaign. Huckabee will be speaking at CPAC tomorrow, Saturday, at 9am. Be there!

Posted at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dobsons and Yoests
circa 2005 Your Business Blogger and Charmaine are working CPAC in Your Nation's Capital. Rumors were a-flying that Huckabee would drop out following Mitt Romney's suspension of his campaign.

Dr. Dobson's endorsement of Mike Huckabee on Thursday night changes the political landscape and will end speculation on who leaves when.

Mike Huckabee is in a real battle with McCain for the White House.

Not too many months ago the concern among the GOP-ers was that the evangelicals would split off and form a third party because the pro-life and marriage issues were being ignored by the conservative party.

With Huckabee, the pro-lifers would not have to leave -- the party is still focused on keeping the economic conservatives happy and that was a primary focus of McCain's speech today.

But Your Business Blogger was never really sure that many of the super-rich were conservatives anyway...as Tim Carney reminds us in the Big RipOff.

Charmaine and Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee and staffers.AP
Charmaine in the black leather.
Photo Credit: Alex Brandon

We like Mike!

Please let us know what you think here!

Thank you (foot)notes:

Full Disclosure: Charmaine has served as a senior adviser to the Huckabee campaign.

See: Are Business Elites Capitalists?

Tim Carney was a panelist at last year's CPAC 2007.

Read the kind words by Sarah Posner at The American Prospect also working the Bogger's Row at CPAC.

Michelle Malkin has another view of the third party option on Hot Air.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 8:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mitt Romney at the podium
Photo Credit: The Dude The ball room was packed to capacity at above-the-fire-marshal limits.

But the thousands of supporters in the room didn't know what was coming.

There is no wireless on the lower floors so they did not know from Drudge that Mitt was leaving.

Romney's speech started out as a barn-burning stump speech to the cheering, yelling crowd.

But his tone changed subtly speaking of the war. He turned a corner, did a simple setup, then he drop the bomb, stunned the crowd. He was leaving and said McCain was the best leader for our country in this time of war.

(His words, his cadence , his delivery was world-class. McCain or Huckabee would do well to hire his wordsmiths...)

Thank you (foot)notes:

We arrived on time but the room was full. The room was guarded by bouncers ushers at the entrances. So Your Business Blogger and Charmaine and some of the Penta-Posse and attachments were escorted 'round back through the press entrance, just like real Main Stream Media.

CPAC was treating bloggers right.

But the room was backed and no chairs were remained. The room-monitors commanded that all had to be in seats or leave. Print media had to sit on the floor.

Charmaine was in a businesses skirt and Your Business Blogger was in a bespoke suit, so sitting on the carpet was not our first option.

But the enforcers were not demanding that the visual-camera-media sit down -- they were manning the camera equipment.

So we simply whipped out our Handy Cam and cameras and starting filming and taking pictures. Print media had to sit, but visual got to stand.

Print guys could still plow their trade by listening.

Visual media got to stand. They (we) needed visual access.

The First Amendment trumps Fire Marshal Regulation.

See Dr. Crouse at TownHall with Pushy Pundits

Update: We understand that Mitt Romney wrote the speech.

Posted at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Charmaine on an earlier FOX debate Charmaine will be interviewed on FOX News tonight. She will be discussing the politics of John McCain's work on judicial appointments and "The Gang of 14."

McCain and Huckabee
credit: CNN Hit time is scheduled to be 6pm Eastern.

This segment was taped earlier today.

Let us know what you think.

Thank you (foot)notes:

Update: Your Business Blogger and Charmaine and the Penta-Posse will be attending CPAC as Official Bloggers. Be sure to call and visit if you are among the 6,000 conservatives across the country coming to Your Nation's Capital today thru the weekend.

Mike Huckabee is scheduled to speak on Monday at 9am.

CPAC Blogger

Update: From the Family Research Council Action,

Dr. Charmaine Yoest, FRC Action's Vice President for Communications will appear on Fox News "Special Report with Brit Hume" at 6:10 PM ET this evening to discuss the Super Tuesday results.

Alert Readers will recall that Charmaine has served as a paid senior adviser to the Huckabee campaign. She has returned from her leave of absence from the Family Research Council as Vice President of Communications.

See the Washington Post Campaign Tracker: McCain has raised $7 million, spent 10 million and has 3 mil on hand. (6 mil came from somewhere -- accounts payable? Owner investment?)

Campaign finance does not add up in the same way numbers do when Your Business Blogger teaches his business courses...

McCain bio at the jump.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

About ten minute ago I checked in with Drudge. The headline read "Romney shows pulse."

Hit refresh a few minutes later and it read: "Huckabee, Romney shows pulse."

Woohoo!

Posted at 8:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Dude interviewing Mitt Romney at last year's CPAC

The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) is meeting this week February 7 to 9.

Your Business Blogger,

The Dreamer,

The Dude and

The Diva will be a-blogging.

Reasoned Audacity is honored to get a hook-up seat on bloggers row.

CPAC 2008
Following are blogs on Bloggers Row.

The conservative event is held yearly and is heavily attended.

Mike Huckabee is schedule for 9am on Saturday morning.

The three-day event begins Thursday at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC.

*CPAC 2008 BLOGGERS ROW*

Ace O'Spades
Alarming News
Atlas Shrugs
Bluey Blog
Captain's Quarters
Conservatives with an Attitude!
Fausta's Blog
FreedomWorks
Gay Patriot
Girl on the Right
HotAir.com
Hugh Hewitt
Human Events
Little Miss Attila
Mary Katherine Ham
Matt Sanchez
Musclehead Revolution
My Man Mitt
Newsbusters
Outside the Beltway
Politico
Reasoned Audacity
Red State
Riehl World View
Right Wing News
Sam Adams Alliance
Save the GOP
The American Mind
The Autonomist
Truth Laid Bear

Thank you (foot)notes:

Reasoned Audacity
CPAC 2007 Official Blogger Kristina Grabosky at CRC Public Relations is the go-to source for all good things PR at CPAC. (Unpaid link.)

Special thank you to Robert Stacy McCain for setting up the links.

Your Business Blogger also blogs at Management Training of DC, LLC. (Unpaid link...)

Posted at 7:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I Like Mike Huckabee and Charmaine


"The [Republican] establishment won't have it..." said a high senior adviser to Huckabee (not Charmaine).

Speculation abounds on Huckabee being VP to McCain.

Salena Zito from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports in Huckabee: It ain't over 'til it's over, that even Larry Sabato from Mr. Jefferson's University is suggesting this end game,

"Sabato says that there’s no question that Huckabee wants McCain to win if Huckabee cannot.

"Huckabee, like McCain, hates Romney. That is obvious. Let’s see what happens on Feb. 5. Huckabee may be splitting off enough evangelical votes to hurt Romney and help McCain. That may be Huckabee’s calculation. Eventually, he wants to be McCain’s running mate,” Sabato said. "

(What Sabato very graciously leaves out is that none of the candidates care for Romney. The public doesn't really like him much either...)

People Like Mike. Huckabee.

Ronald Reagan would often remark on the "Difference between box office and critics."

The critics -- the establishment, the pundits and, well, the bloggers are often at odds with the box office. The public who buys the tickets. And who votes.

But today the critics, like Sabato, might be right. And might be aligned with the people. It might be possible for the voting public at the box office and ballot box to overwhelm the establishment-GOP-institution. To go against The Man. To go against gasp! Rush Limbaugh. Or Hannity or Ingraham or -- [add establishment figure here].

The real story in this election is not the division between the critics and the box office. But the realignment. The 'Establishment' has now become 'Limbaugh-Hannity-Ingraham.'

McCain and/or Huckabee will win. The Man will lose.

Mike Huckabee is running for President. And polls point to a long shot.

But if he doesn't hit this cycle, he is in the game and is the dominant contender in any future scenario.

Thank you (foot)notes:

We have been under attack again and had to disable comments until we patch and repair. Please email me with your comments and thoughts here.

Charmaine served as a paid adviser to the Huckabee campaign. She also worked in the Reagan White House.

Your Business Blogger's first consulting gig was in Reagan's Department of Education, in the Office of Bilingual Education. Si, hablo Espanol!

See the Washington Post, Huckabee Could Impact Tuesday's Results, By LIZ SIDOTI, The Associated Press, Sunday, February 3, 2008; 9:59 PM,

Speculation also abounds that he is positioning himself for a vice presidential slot. And with no job to fall back on, and with books to sell and speaking engagements to line up, it's possible Huckabee believes his stock will rise higher the longer he stays in the race.

"I'm running for president," he contends, refusing to entertain such talk.

Don Suber says, It's Over.

Visit The Other McCain. And be sure to visit us at Reasoned Audacity at CPAC.

Posted at 8:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Alert Readers know that the best indicator of future performance is...past performance.

Is it possible to change at the age of 60? Your Business Blogger would hope that we all would embrace continuous learning and update our skills. And to embrace truth. At whatever age.

But.

How many convictions can one man change -- all at once -- all at a mature age?

Change on Reagan?
Change on abortion?
Change on guns?
Change on homosexuals in the boyscouts?

And each of the changes of heart happens to coincide with position of the Republican conservative base?

This does not seem, as we say in academia, to be authentic.

Watch the clip: Huckabee suggests that Romney found conservative puberty at 60.

Voters should be slow to completely trust any teenager...

Thank you (foot)notes:

Full Disclosure: The wife of Your Business Blogger, Charmaine, has been a paid senior adviser to the Huckabee presidential campaign.

Correction: It is not known if Romney has changed his position on allowing homosexual Boy Scout Masters.

Posted at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)