The new Leadership Development Carnival #1 is up and running at Great Leadership, hosted by Dan McCarthy. The Carnival is a clearing house of leadership and leadership development advice and commentary from over 30 leadership pundits, including Your Business Blogger(R).

Carnivals serve a vital function in the blogosphere that is missing in most conventional blogs: Editorial oversight.

Dan McCarthy does this ably and without direct compensation. Bloggers work for links and traffic. Go visit.

Dan will be working as the editor of the Leadership Development Carnival every month. If you'd like to submit an article, use the carnival submission form.

My humble submission was The Four Speeches Every Speaker Delivers.

Most people fear public speaking more than death itself. The public-speakers'-adrenaline rush forces the talker to review his podium performance.

And while there at Great Leadership be sure to visit Keeping Your Study Skills Razor Sharp that I may have to steal borrow for my students.

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Is Obama Wright? - Pastor Jeremiah Wright & Senator Barack
forwarded by Soren DaytonFellow Blogger Soren Dayton forwarded an outstanding video that weaved Barack X. Obama's words and actions and pictures.

We live in the sight and sound generation. Where our preferred medium of communications is the moving picture.

A recent human resource management survey revealed that some 80% of influencers and decision makers in hiring will view a video of a job applicant. If you are applying for a job -- send a YouTube.

This is what Soren Dayton did. The video Soren Dayton forwarded is a type of job application for Obama and the presidency.

It is compelling! It is creative! It is brilliant!

Soren Dayton is fired. The McCain campaign threw Soren under the bus.

So Soren Dayton is out of the campaign gig. Which makes him available. Hire Dayton for your next project.

Dayton will get you noticed...

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Thank you (foot)notes:

Join the Support Soren Dayton! group on Facebook. Your Business Blogger(R) did. I'm member number 61, I believe.

Soren Dayton volunteered his time and good name to support John McCain's candidacy for the Presidency. When he linked, via his Twitter account, to a hard-hitting video mashup against Barack Obama, the McCain campaign dumped Soren, and a national media conflagration ensued.

The purpose of this Facebook group is twofold:

1) To express support for Soren Dayton.
2) To let the McCain campaign know that we expect them to FIGHT, not roll over at the merest hint of controversy.

Soren Dayton Roundup.

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Charmaine Yoest, Ph.D. addresses
the 2,600 attendees at last year's Summit
Photo Credit: Peter Shinn Hold September 12 on your calendar for the Values Voter Summit in Your Nation's Capital.

Called "the most exciting meeting there is in Washington" by author and radio host Bill Bennett, FRC Action's 2007 Values Voter Summit (formerly "The Washington Briefing") attracted over 400 national and international members of the media, a waiting list of speakers, and thousands of values voters representing nearly every state in the union and many foreign countries.

On September 12-14, 2008, 60 days before an historic election, FRC Action (a 501c4) will host its third annual Values Voter Summit at the Hilton Washington in downtown D.C., and you are invited.

As a participant in one of the conservative movement's must-attend events of the year, you'll have the opportunity to hear from some of America's key leaders at a decisive moment in our nation's history, including invited speakers such as Newt Gingrich (confirmed), Chuck Colson, Lou Dobbs, Bill Bennett (confirmed), Lt. Col. Oliver North, Gov. Bobby Jindal, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Star Parker (confirmed), Justice Clarence Thomas, Patricia Heaton, Roger Hedgecock (confirmed), House and Senate leaders, and all the 2008 presidential nominees.

Charmaine at the podium 2006 In addition to lively discussions on issues ranging from life, marriage, school choice, and radical Islam to judicial activism and religious liberty, attendees can take part in: celebrity book signings; breakout training sessions; Radio and Bloggers' Row; special co-sponsored meals hosted by Focus on the Family Action, American Values, and Alliance Defense Fund; a unique student track (including a Friday night reception); and the Faith, Family, and Freedom Gala Dinner on Saturday evening.

The Values Voter Summit is quickly becoming one of Washington's most anticipated weekends of the year. Packages start at just $95 for adults and $50 for students and pastors. Sign up now and enjoy a $25 early-bird discount! Registration opens online tomorrow, March 15, at www.valuesvotersummit.org. Call 1-877-372-2808 for more details.

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Thank you (foot)notes:

See Values Voter Summit 2007 and more.

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Chuck Colson Zondervan, the publisher of Chuck Colson's latest book, The Faith, Given Once, For All has invited Reasoned Audacity to offer questions. Later this week, on Thursday, March 6th, Colson will be considering what Charmaine and Your Business Blogger have submitted. Please email us your thoughts -- Colson will also review blog comments.

UPDATE: Here are questions and Colson's responses -- please email us with your impressions.

A few years you said that America is no longer a "Christian Nation." Can you expand on this statement?

America is not a Christian nation in the sense that it is dominated by Christian values. It has become largely post-Christian. We still have a strong Christian heritage; in effect we live off of that in many respects, because it provides the moral undergirding that allows our free society to continue. In God & Government you’ll find I deal with this in some depth, as I do also in How Now Shall We Live? I didn’t in The Faith, simply because The Faith is really about the fundamental doctrines all true Christians share, not about whether America is succumbing to secularism.

Also, in The Faith, you identify secular atheism and militant Islamism as the two main threats to Christianity today. If you had to pick between them, which do you think presents the greater threat and why?

As to the two threats to Christianity today, the greatest and most immediate is militant Islam. Islamo-fascists want to destroy us, and have access to weapons of mass destruction. So fortifying us against the assault of extreme Islamists is critical. But it’s a hard choice, because secularism is rotting us out from within. I guess it’s simply a question of which is the more urgent.

Email your thoughts.

***

A number of years ago Colson remarked that, "America is no longer a Christian nation." I've asked Colson to expand on his observation.

Colson's tag line is What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters. Colson reminds the Alert Reader that Christianity is a world-view that seeks out truth -- and believes that truth is knowable. Colson gently takes on Richard Dawkins and Daniel Dennett and Christopher Hitchens and Chris Hedges and Barry Lynn. Colson uses winsome argument. With a subtlety that Your Business Blogger has yet to master...

Colson notes that a majority of Christians do not believe in absolute truth and 60% cannot name 5 of the 10 commandments.

Knowing Jesus is a start. But is this really enough? A baby Christian should grow in knowledge. Bill and HIllary Clinton and Barack Obama might very well be able to say "Jesus is Lord" and believe in their hearts that He was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. The book of Romans would say that this is enough. Is Obama saved? If he passes St. Paul's litmus test, he would be. But Colson explains,

"Christians must see that the faith is more than a religion or even a relationship with Jesus; the faith is a complete view of the world and humankind's place in it. Christianity is a world view that speaks to every area of life, and its foundational doctrines define its content. If we don't know what we believe -- even what Christianity is -- how can we live it and defend it?"

Italics in original.

Get The Faith
by Chuck ColsonMy second question for Colson would be, "Can a person be a mature Christian and permit abortion; to be pro-choice?" Is the Christian who believes in abortion "rights" practicing "Faith without works..."?

***

"Be ye transformed by the removing of your minds..." goes the old Bible study joke. Colson writes that we indeed become new creatures, renewing the mind. Taking on new habits; discarding the bad. Colson is a living testimony to this transformation. But it's not what many might think. My third question for Colson, "How on earth did you stop smoking cigarettes?"

Colson continues, "Christians do not impose; they propose a vision of a culture of life, to educate and persuade..." In academia and in business we call this continuous learning. Christians would call this growing in faith. To move from milk to meat. And Colson lives this out. At a mature age he changed his position on capital punishment after visiting mass-murderer John Wayne Gacy in prison. Colson also did a thorough study of C.S. Lewis's essay "The Humanitarian Theory of Punishment." Colson's book is worth reading if only to learn of a man's journey to a compassionate defense of capital punishment. (Pages 189-190.) Any reader over 50 -- or teenager, to state the obvious -- will marvel at a man over 50, who can change his mind...

Colson closes his book on the spread of the good news in China. Rick Warren, who also wrote a blurb for Colson, once said that Christianity is being run out of Europe and Islam is rushing in to fill the vacuum. The religion of Marxism has been ruled out of China and Christianity is blossoming forth. China may very well become a "Christian Nation" as South Korea has become.

Colson points out that the variable for America's success is Christianity. He quotes an American journalist who reported on the Chinese study of American financial prowess. "We have realized," said the Chinese researcher, " that the heart of your culture is your religion: Christianity. That is why the West has been so powerful. The Christian moral foundation of social and cultural life was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then the successful transition to democratic politics."

Aslan's On The Move. In China, anyway.

###

Thank you (foot)notes:

In Colson's footnotes he credits reporter Aikman for his writing, Jesus in Beijing. In consulting in China, Your Business Blogger was amazed to learn that the Christian society-change agents were...the lawyers. Imagine, lawyers who go to church. This is why there is hope for China.

And less for American politics. Obama said that,

"I think that it is a legal right that [homosexuals] should have that is recognized by the state. If people find that controversial then I would just refer them to the Sermon on the Mount, which I think is, in my mind, for my faith, more central than an obscure passage in Romans."

There is no mention of same-sex hook-ups in the Sermon on the Mount. The Book of Romans is hardly obscure. The passage Obama refers to is from the first chapter,

Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

Obama gets the Bible wrong. He's got lots of Christian company. He should read Colson's book.

Other blogs on the tour:

March 3 - One Year Bible Blog

March 4 - Acton Institute PowerBlog

March 5 - The Dawn Treader

March 6 - Reasoned Audacity

March 7 - Challies.com (thank you to Tim for this book blog tour model)

March 10 - Adrian Warnock

March 11 - Tall Skinny Kiwi

March 12 - Mark D. Roberts

March 13 - Rebecca Writes

March 14 - Jolly Blogger

Please email your thoughts.

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Charmaine and Your Business Blogger celebrated the third birthday of our blog in February. We are honored by your visits and comments and links.

Friends used to ask us why we web-logged (before it was popular and accepted by normal people).

Our reasons were/are practical:

Charmaine, Your Business Blogger
Penta-Posse at the Grand Canyon
Easter 20051. Catastrophe. A secure remote web-based storage for our articles and pictures. Everyone should have favorite family photos stored on a server in addition to an album. Store Christmas pictures (the kids grow up so fast). So the only thing you need to take with you out of a burning house are the kids. All of them...

2. Clients. All small businesses need a blog. To communicate with customers and to cultivate a network of friends and referrals. Cheap marketing. Don't miss the next exciting management seminar!

3. Kids. What would Dad do? No, no, they don't ask that now -- this is for when we are gone. Search the blog, Penta-Posse. (Parents get smarter as children age.) Our biggest fear now-a-days is an electromagnetic pulse bomb (EMP) set off by terrorists as Frank Gaffney et al describes in War Footing that would wipe out our 2,000 posts. EMP a-coming if Oboma Obama elected.

4. Criticism. An honest critique and feedback is often helpful. The blogosphere is chock-o-block of Court Jesters and watch dogs.

5. Recruiting. Charmaine has found the best talent on the planet from Evangelical Outpost and TruePravda. And a pastor.

Charmaine observes that I learned my truncated style of writing while in the Army. Short sentences.

Short paragraphs.

As Don Suber instructs. Perfect for blogging.

Blogging has introduced us to bullies and saints.

Blogging has Charmaine getting the body count in London on 7.7, getting close to George Clooney and an occasional free movie.

Recent denial of service attacks have been a challenge to our web gurus who are distracted by (paying) clients. In-kind bartering has a down side -- comments are down. Please email us.

Thank you Alert Readers all. We are in your debt...

###

Thank you (foot)notes:

If you didn't bookmark this saint, do it now. Everybody wants to help Save The Earth, but nobody wants to help Mom do the dishes.

Posted at 3:02 PM | Permalink
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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

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Mike Huckabee and staffers.
Charmaine in the black leather.
GOP presidential hopeful and former
Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee talks with
advisors and campaign staff on board a plane
en route to South Carolina after the
New Hampshire primary in Manchester, N.H.,
Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008.
AP Photo Credit: Alex Brandon

Alert Readers have alerted Your Business Blogger that Reasoned Audacity was down.

I have assured our friends who support Romney that we were not forbidding access to them. But that we were under a denial of service attack. And it was not personal.

Unless the DOS was coming from the Romney campaign...

See Charmaine in the red scarf.

Republican presidential hopeful, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, poses with a supporter as his wife Janet takes a picture during a campaign rally early in the day in Grinnell, Iowa Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008.

AP Photo Credit: Paul Sancya

Charmaine and Mike Huckabee

###

Thank you (foot)notes:

My web guru Peter Shinn, found and fixed my problem. He is a pro. You should retain him. He does good work.

But.

He is expensive.

Contact me if you'd like to reach him.

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For the Children.

Carve here.

(Thanks, mom)

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Talking Points Memo Family Research Council Faults Brownback For Pro-Rudy Comments
By Greg Sargent - October 26, 2007, 6:53PM

"Today we've been chronicling the fallout from the surprising remarks made yesterday by conservative Senator Sam Brownback, who startled a lot of people in GOP primary politics by saying that he'd grown "more comfortable" with Rudy's abortion views after meeting with him face to face.

The latest: A top official with the Family Research Council, a top social conservative group, expressed surprise and dismay at Brownback's dalliance with Rudy in an interview with Election Central.

"The wording is curious," said Charmaine Yoest, a vice president at FRC. "It goes beyond what I would have expected of him."..."

Read the entire article here.

###

Thank you (foot)notes:

And be sure to catch the comments on Greg Sargent's piece.

UPDATE: see David Dayen's The Third Party Question

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Charmaine at the podium
addressing last year's
crowd of 1,700 The Family Research Council is having their annual Briefing in Your Nation's Capital.

This year will be interesting. All GOP presidential candidates will speak. Sen. Sam Brownback, Rudy Giuliani, Rep. Ron Paul, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Rep. Duncan Hunter, Sen. John McCain, Gov. Mitt Romney, Rep. Tom Tancredo, Fred Thompson.

No Democratic candidate has accepted.

Liberals: won't fight; won't debate.

From FRCAction,

The Washington Briefing 2007: Values Voter Summit is cosponsored by American Values, Focus on the Family Action, Alliance Defense Fund and High Impact Leadership Coalition.

The Briefing will be held October 19-21 at the Hilton Washington Hotel in Washington, D.C. A presidential straw poll, exhibit hall, radio row, book signings, bloggers' row, and much more will be packed into this three-day conference. Saturday evening Dr. James Dobson will be honored at a gala dinner where he will receive FRC's inaugural Vision and Leadership Award.

Members of the media must register for FRC media credentials prior to the event.

Contact J.P. Duffy at jpd@frc.org or fax, names, numbers and e-mails on company letterhead to 202.393.2134.

For more information regarding the log onto www.frcactionwashingtonbriefing.org or call the FRC Press Office at (866) FRC-NEWS.

More from FRC Action, the C(4)

In addition to the GOP presidential candidates, the speaker line-up includes Sean Hannity, Newt Gingrich, Chuck Colson, Gary Bauer, Bishop Harry Jackson, Alan Sears, Mark Levin, Roger Hedgecock, Rich Lowry, Paul Weyrich, Dr. Richard Land, John Fund, Ed Meese, Ben Stein, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, Representatives Marsha Blackburn and Jean Schmidt, Star Parker, Phyllis Schlafly, Senator Rick Santorum, Michael Steele, Father Frank Pavone, Bill Bennett, and Judge Robert Bork.

Charmaine, as Vice President for Communications for FRC will be working The Political Blogosphere with Soren Dayton, Political Consultant; David All, The David All Group; Matthew Eppinette, Americans United for Life; Erick Erickson, RedState; Joe Carter, Director of Web Communications for FRC

###

Thank you (foot)notes:

From last year: The Real Story: The Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC

The Family Research Council, FRC Action Briefing: Family, Faith and Freedom

FRC Action Briefing September 2006

People for the American Way weighs in FRC's Perkins Suggests Romney Better Than Huckabee on Religious-Right Issues

For more info,

Attendees at the Summit will now have the chance to make their own assessments of the GOP contenders in person at the Summit. In addition, members of FRC Action (see the web site address that follows) can vote in the first-ever Values Voter Presidential Straw Poll, either online or in person on October 19 and 20.

For information or to register, go to www.thewashingtonbriefing.com or call toll-free at 1-888-372-2284.

Pam Spaudling's take at Mark your calendars for the 2007 Values Voters Summit/Washington Briefing

A Buck For Huck has Washington Briefing

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Were you our 500,000th visitor???

If this was you, let us know in the comments -- we'll send you either a copy of my book, or one of the super-cool "I Think Therefore I Blog" t-shirts. Whichever you prefer.

Or if you are not sure if you were the one or not -- give us a reason to name you the winner

Alert Readers might remember that we are suckers for a good story. . .

Thanks so much for reading Reasoned Audacity!

Posted at 10:46 PM | Permalink
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The biggest complaint of the blogosphere is that the writing has no accountability, no third party oversight.

Except the carnivals. And the best business carnival in the business is The Carnival of the Capitalists.

Submissions, as the Alert Reader will know, are self-selected by the author, and edited and vetted by the carnival host. Not every article submission is accepted.

***

My friend Anita Campbell leads this week's carnival with about the best collection of podcasts todate. This is an essential resource for anyone considering podcasting or who might want to be a guest on radio and podcasts -- and who needs a list of the better podcasts. Anita Campbell presents 100 Small Business Audio Podcasts posted at Small Business Trends Radio | Small Business Information. Anita demonstrates here what is best about the blogosphere. (Full Disclosure: Your Business Blogger has written for Anita Campbell.)

Wayne Hurlbert tells us in Management techniques: Delegating responsibility,

As a company grows, the number of responsibilities grow right along with it. Not only do the number of departments expand, but their size and scope increases as well. Taken together, managing all departments and staff within the organization becomes too much for any one person. No one possesses the time or skills required for each and every job in the business. Delegation of responsibility is essential. It is here that problems can arise that can hurt the company's performance.

Wayne, as usual, gets it right: One of the biggest challenges to the manager, especially the business owner, is to have staff that are less Boss reliant -- and become more self reliant members of the team. Wayne Hurlbert is always worthwhile reading.


Brian at Financial Dominance shows us the new Illinois 529 Bright Start Savings plan and simply explains why this plan has went from one of the worst 529 plans in the US to one of the best. This article caught our attention: the Penta-Posse will be venturing to higher education soon (too soon...) We would have liked a bit more detail on the fee structure and how other states complicate this. But Brian points us to a way these education savings plans should work at Very Happy With Illinois 529 Savings Plan.

Douglas Galbi at purple motes has a thoughtful piece television serves couch potatoes

Don't rush the lawyers if you have been wronged. Read this counter-intuitive, yet practical article by Carmen Van Kerckhove at Race in the Workplace with What to Do If You're Experiencing Racial Discrimination At Work,

Think twice before reporting racial discrimination to your company's human resources department. Why? Because it's not always the most effective strategy.

Read on for a step-by-step guide on what to do if you believe your supervisor is discriminating against you because of your race...

See Jason Koeppe’s Strategic Internet Marketing Blog and A Step By Step Guide For Choosing the Right Keywords - StrategicSiteMarketing.com,

Effective keyword research is underrated. Really. And not just in its benefit and importance as it relates to SEO and online search marketing. Thoroughly understanding what keyword phrases your target audience is using to find you (your product or services) is literally invaluable. This knowledge is one of the best weapons you have in your business building arsenal and this weapon can be used both online and off. We’ll come back to that thought a bit later. For now, let’s dive right into how to effectively choose the best keywords for search marketing...

Nickel does the numbers in How to Make Money in the Stock Market (Revisited). The numbers are compelling. No charge.

Here are some youthful capitalists who are starting really early with their business plans: 5 Of The Youngest Entrepreneurs On Their Path To Success And Riches on thedigeratilife by the Silicon Valley Blogger.

Steven Silvers who can manage image better most anyone has Vick story prompts greyhound racing industry to defend itself earlier than usual. posted at Scatterbox by Steven Silvers,

The American Greyhound Track Operators Association rushes to spin some distance between the controversies surrounding its own industry and the nation’s new interest in illegal dog fighting.

Vick should have hired Silvers.

David Kam presents The Importance of Logo posted at MarketingDeviant.com.

Gustav S submits 10 Reasons why only 4% of the population achieve their goals posted at success-is-in-you.com.

Ian Welsh has a Biblical reference Reaping What You Sow: Hedge Fund and Housing Bubble Edition posted at The Agonist,

What's happening to the housing and financial markets right now is the entirely foreseeable consequence of past deliberate policy decisions by the Fed and the Bush administration. The reason a bail-out is finally occurring is because the people who matter are getting hurt.

Kurt Brouwer has Subprime and Stocks? What Happened? posted at Fundmastery Blog,

Financial markets around the globe have been weak and jittery in recent weeks. The following discussion is meant to give you some background on the subprime lending mess and how it spread throughout the financial markets.

Dax Desai writes What does the potential Fed rate cut mean? posted at Dax Desai, where he explains the effect of the potential Fed interest rate cut on investments.

Pawel Brodzinski presents 15 Ways to Be a Good Boss posted at Software Project Management,

Want to be a leader who will be followed by the team? Want to have employees working willingly on your success? Want to be a good boss?

Michael Fowke presents Canary Wharf: the new reality posted at Money is the way. All about investment banks in Canary Wharf and their new way of doing business.


Barry Welford presents Google Rankings Drive Sales - SEO Expectations posted at BPWrap - Internet Marketing From A Different Point Of View,

Some website owners assume that Google keyword search rankings directly affect sales. So a #1 position will be better than a #2 or #3 position. What counts is the bottom-line result and many other factors come into play in determining that.

Louise Manning presents What is business ethics? posted at The Human Imprint,

Politicians are trying too hard to pressure the Federal Reserve. If they aren't stopped now, we'll have a much harder time stopping them in a few years when they try to use an inflation tax to balance the budget.

Peter has Decide For the Success of Your Home Based Business posted at Make Money Online.

Read the Millionaire Mommy Next Door with How to Treat Affluenza: Spend Less and Live a Happier Life posted at Millionaire Mommy Next Door,

The number of "very happy" people peaked in 1957, and has remained fairly stable or declined ever since. Even though we consume twice as much as we did in the 1950s, people were just as happy when they had less. 86% of Americans who voluntarily cut back their consumption feel happier as a result.

wilson ng presents The Challenge of Providing Choice posted at Reflections of a BizDrivenLife,

Some people want a variety of choice, while some people want quality pre-selected information. Whether you are selling products or ideas, how many alternatives do you provide? Here is a short article on how the number of offerings affect decision-making.

Chief Family Officer presents Great Debate over at AFM: To Sell or Not To Sell? posted at Chief Family Officer.

FMF submits What I'd Do with a High-Paying, Unrewarding Job posted at Free Money Finance and read how he's handled bad job situations

Alvaro Fernandez outlines The Ten Habits of Highly Effective Brains posted at Brain Fitness Blog with some tips to keep our brains sharp.

Good news for health insurance costs: Insureblog's Henry Stern reports that prices are moderating, and explains why.

Leon Gettler has original reporting with an Interview with AXS-One chairman and CEO Bill Lyons posted at Sox First,

An interview with AXS-One chairman and CEO Bill Lyons on why companies struggle with their electronic documents and how email is the new legal Chernobyl.

Wally Bock at Three Star Leadership says, Evidence-Based Management offers the manager some effective tools for making better decision. But it may be harder than you think to make the vision of what Evidence-Based Management can do match up with reality. See issues.

Nina presents Gay Affluence: fact, fiction, or somewhere in between? posted at Queercents,

Gay affluence is a myth and perhaps the most misunderstood fact about gays and lesbians. We are not wealthier. Or are we?

Rob May writes What Dasani Bottled Water Taught Me About Better Blogging posted at Businesspundit, A case study of Dasani provides insight into why blogging requires more than just quality posts.

Matthew Paulson presents Long Term Care Insurance: When It Makes Sense, When It Doesn’t. posted at FinanceIsPersonal.com.

Where are interest rates headed? James Hamilton of Econbrowser concludes that the Fed has abandoned its 5.25% target for the fed funds rate, and, when it goes back to targeting, will pick a lower value, in Whee!

Charles H. Green presents It's a Dog Eat Dog World, Isn't It? posted at Trust Matters,

In an emerging business world that throws everyone together in constantly permutating ways, that old competitive nature we prized decades ago is becoming a bit of a millstone.

Babak presents Bond Market Screaming For Rate Cut - Fed Listening? posted at Trader's Narrative.

Marlon J. Broussard presents The True value of Money in Our Age | MoneyBlog posted at MoneyBlog,

The point is not to just point out the fact that a dollar is only worth 4 cents (about the exact cost of printing, regardless of the denomination), but to shed light on some things you need to be mindful of...

Logan Flatt, CFA suggests A Simple, 3-Step Program posted at PowerWealth.com,

How would you like to live in crushing, abject poverty? Does the idea of living and sleeping on the streets of a major American city sound appealing to you? Would you like to grow old and penniless, spending your final days on this Earth barely getting by on the meager checks sent to you by some large government bureaucracy? Well, my friend, do I have the program for you.

Michelle Cramer warns us of A Bad Customer Service Experience posted at GreatFX Business Cards,

The customer, in fact, is not always right, but good customer service is treating her as though she is. Making the customer feel appreciated, even when they are not pleased, is the goal.

Next week's carnival will be celebrated on September 3, 2007 at the Geek Practitioners Blog.

Posted at 4:53 PM | Permalink
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Joe Carter
blogger at The Evangelical Outpost Joe Carter has just release his EO 100. Reasoned Audacity is honored to be on the list.

Joe Carter writes,

"What are the best Christian blogs?"

Over the past four years, I've been asked a variation of that question dozens of times. When people hear that I myself am a "Godblogger"--a formerly derogatory term for a blogger who writes about religion or faith--they often inquire which ones I'd recommend.

Trying to answer such a query is like trying to recommend a church -- there are too many factors involved to give a generic, one-size-fits-all response. Still, it is a worthy question and one which I've given a lot of thought. The following list--The EO 100--is my attempt at providing thorough response.

###

Thank you (foot)notes:

Evangelical Outpost is ranked 1,516 by Technorati. As of July 31, 2006 Technorati tracked 50 million blogs. EO is rated number 40 by The Truth Laid Bear.

The list at the jump.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 10:37 AM | Permalink
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I was amused when the lefty blogosphere melted down over the Intelligent Design debate and started accusing me of believing in UFO's. (Just for the record. . . I don't.)

But I'm not so amused when they make cavalier assertions that "Charmaine Yoest said" and are so sloppy that their "proof" is a link to something that has nothing to do with me. And when they state in a morally superior tone and very dismissively that I said something that I never did. In the Internet Age, there is no excuse for not quoting someone accurately.

I work hard to make reasoned arguments about the issues I care about. So it really irritates me when those who disagree don't bother to engage with what I really said and slander me by putting up false statements.

The latest accusation? Apparently now I supposedly believe in "sex cults." Here's what some woman calling herself "Bean" says about me:

Remember when the FDA was holding up approval of EC over-the-counter? People like the Family Resesarch Council (and in fact Ms. Yoest herself) were all worked up because they were worried that EC would encourage promiscuity among teens and other women, leading to sex cults. Seriously.

(I love it when anonymous people get snarky -- I make statements under my own name.)

Seriously. Here's the challenge: someone show me where I said anything, anywhere about "EC encouraging promiscuity" or "leading to sex cults." Show me.

Well Ms. Anonymous Bean, to back up her (false) assertion provides two links. Great. I was intrigued. Perhaps I had forgotten losing my mind and making a public statement about sex cults. She had hyperlinked the word "Seriously" as if to say, "boy, do I have the goods." So I clicked over.

Sure enough, there was a quote from me:

"It's very clearly caught up in political dynamics and I would go so far as to say there is electoral politics involved here," said [FRC's Charmaine] Yoest.

Hey, I remember saying that!

But, um, where are the sex cults??

That appears to be further down in the article, quoting a woman named Dr. Janet Woodcock.

Excuse me, "Bean." My name, let us recall, is Dr. Charmaine Yoest.

Then, continuing down the article, is another quote describing the lawsuit Family Research Council filed against the FDA challenging their decision to create the historically unprecedented system of selling Plan B over-the-counter to women over 18 and by prescription to those younger:

[The conservative groups'] lawsuit charges that the FDA had no authority to approve the same drug and labeling for simultaneous prescription-only and over-the-counter distribution and that the FDA cannot treat the drug differently based on the age of the buyer because "FDA lacks the authority to enforce Plan B's age limitations."

That does pretty much sum up one element of our lawsuit against the FDA. Again, I have to note, I'm not seeing where the sex cults come in.

And then, just when I was getting ready to click away from this ridiculously sloppy website in disgust, I see the first commenter weighs in, once again putting words in my mouth -- and simultaneously misrepresenting both me and the organization I work for:

It's not just Plan B. Charmaine Yoest was the FRC's pointwoman on keeping girls from getting the HPV vaccine lest it encourage promiscuity.

Sigh. This time it's a woman named Julia who needs a little help with her fact-checking. I was not FRC's "pointwoman" on the HPV vaccine. We do have someone who speaks on that issue quite a bit; it's usually not me. And we are not opposed to the vaccine -- in fact, if Julia had done her homework she would have found that we have supported the vaccine; we just opposed making it mandatory since HPV is not spread through casual contact.

Sex cults. Oh please.

Seriously.

Posted at 9:01 PM | Permalink
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Roy Blunt
Credit: The DudeYour Business Blogger was wondering what the Republicans were going to do about the war, the wall, Osama, Obama. So I wandered over to The Heritage Foundation this afternoon for a free lunch. And happened upon The House Minority Whip, Roy Blunt, an R from fly-over country.

If any one could, well, show me, it'd be someone from Missouri.

The Dude tagged along. He's likes a free meal as much as his dad.

The Dude live blogged. Sarah Little from Blunt's press office ablely worked the crowd. See The Dude's report at Panzer Commander.

After Blunt's talk, I feel a bit better about the state of the Union. Not that the GOP may or may not get good things done, but at least they might stop bad things from happening.

Which might be good enough -- it is around our house. Which is like a carnival.

But for well organized carnivals, here are some suggestions,

See Blog Carnival of Observations on Life July 8, 2007, By Anja Merret. While there visit Reciprocity - What we do in Life always comes back to us March 17th, 2007 by Callum.

But sometimes good does not come back measure for measure. I've found the ratio to be about 10-to-1. See What is the best tactic to get a referral? More Biblical than Karma-tic.

Visit The Carnival of Family Life. See Physical Education.

Stop by Carnival of Life, Happiness & Meaning #8, hosted by Life Insurance Lowdown, Life insurance news, reviews and tips. Don't let the title scare you (as it did me). No agent will call. No emails from Nigeria. And see What Makes a Relationship Great? Much more articulate than The Complete Married Man's Guide To Spousal Responses.

For a good post on Office Politics. Read Management vs. Politics by HotStrategies.

It is not until we look at later definitions... that we see a political content. He maps management as ‘SAMP’, Science, Art, Magic and Politics. In this definition we are seeing politics as part of management activity in which he acknowledges that in order to be a successful manager an individual has to know how to “play the game” in order to achieve his objectives.

For more on Office Politics, with a nifty video see Management Training, Tip #1 at the last Office Politics link.

And please visit Carnival of Family Life - June 25 2007 for about the nicest compliment Your Business Blogger got all week.

###

Thank you (foot)notes:

See Roy Blunt's speech at the jump. From his website,

As Whip, Congressman Blunt is the second highest Republican in the House of Representatives. He selects and leads a team of Deputy and Assistant Whips, which columnist Robert Novak has described as "the most efficient party whip operation in congressional history."

Continue Reading »

Posted at 6:03 PM | Permalink
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Two years ago Your Business Blogger sent the Little Woman to the G-8 with the B3: Bono and Branson and Bush. Scotland and England are still being bombed by the jihadists.

Not the US of A. Not yet. We must be doing something right.

Follows is a re-post of Charmaine's reporting from Edinburgh and London on 7.7.05.

Charmaine on the plane with Richard Branson

Following is an edited cross post from Charmaine's Reasoned Audacity, July 1 - 7, 2005.

A year ago, Charmaine calls early morning from Edinburgh. "I'm having trouble flying into London," she says.

I'm still waking up. I ask, "When can you come home?"

"I don't know," she says, her voice unsteady, "They're still clearing the bodies."

A wake up call.

London, welcome to the war.

It started, as most things these days do, with Powerline.

Following is original posting from London as Charmaine called it into me, when her site went down. Any inconsistencies may be due to transcription overload.

This is Jack, the husband: Charmaine called. Her site is still down, but she wanted to file a report to Powerline.

"Flew into Heathrow airport and took a $150 cab ride into north London to conduct interviews and document the bombsites. Bobbies cordoned off area around the sites sealing the scene of the explosions. I got to within a block or so of Edgware Tube station entrance with Londoners sitting calmly, relaxing in pubs. Everything is strangely calm, business as usual. I interviewed a woman, an interior designer, expecting some emotional display. There was none. "We don't do a lot of group hugging in England," she said, making me think of the stiff-upper lip. "We are not sentimental."

And she seemed to reflect the mood of the London population. Not for what they were doing but for what they were not doing: No candles, no out-pouring of grief, no hoards of gawkers milling around police tape, no teddy bears, no bouquets of flowers. No movement. No tears. Everything normal, except, maybe for that bus with the top blown off. Workers cleared and cleaned up the area real well. Spiffy. And got back to their pints.

I visited hospitals and learned that 'only' 37 were confirmed dead at that time. More confirmations were expected.

There were no moms with little children in downtown London. I interviewed middle-aged businessmen on cell phones and kids with Mohawks, none who were surprised.

Londoners gently reproached me about my concern over the bloodshed, "You Americans get sentimental over silly things. We're used to getting bombed." The IRA Troubles had hardened hearts as well as the London infrastructure.

I expected some grief, at least as much as there was when Lady Di died. And grief I got. I interviewed three very ordinary, normal teenaged English Muslims, one with short spiky hair (dressed not unlike my 10 year-old-dude). All three seems to be parroting Muslim talking points. "The bombings were a conspiracy by Blair to generate support for the war," they recited in a charming British accent.

The bombers were quite indiscriminate. Edgware is not far from the heart of Little Beirut, a Muslim ethnic neighborhood.

A young British black woman told me, "The bombings are Tony Blair's fault -- they killed a 100 thousand Iraqis -- and it's like a boomerang [coming back at the British]." Most everyone I talked to believed that the British caused the bombing or had it coming.

Of the dozen or so people I interviewed only white males in business attire expressed surprise that anyone would think the British were at fault in anyway.

But these gentlemen were the minority. Most felt that the Brits were complicit. The people at London's ground zero were sounding like the "wobbly" Spanish after their train bombings.

The day is a cloudy, cold, rainy 7.7."

Charmaine is still out on the streets -- 9pm local London time and will be sending pictures soon.

Read the entire story at My Wife Flew off with Bono and Branson; Bombed in London 7.7.05 .

See Charmaine and Michelle Malkin work to keep the Muslims from sawing off more heads.

CMR Salamander points to HotAir with video.

Posted at 10:40 PM | Permalink
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Jingo-Jihadists Cheerfully Surrendering Mike Jingozian, candidate for president (of the United States) has begun his political campaign.

With a surrender.

Using the banner "Jingo-Jihadists for Surrender Soonest" the JJ for SS hopes to mobilize the America-Firster voting public into surrendering, a la French, to Al Qaeda.

However. It might be a mistake for a politician to throw his hands into the air and cry "Surrender Now!" This makes for a compelling picture message, that didn't even work for Cindy Sheehan.

The first rule of politics, as in medicine is First Do No Harm.

Which is close to a motto in our household: Don't screw up.

(Alert Readers understand well that Your Business Blogger rather enjoys a [calculated] risk. Don't Screw Up is not a retreat from trying, but an invective to be smart.)

Smart politics has yet to be found in the Jingo-Jihad Surrender presidential campaign. The first item on which Your Business Blogger advises clients is to get the big, simple things right.

Like your name.

And the domain. This being the internet age and all.

Which makes the Jingo-Jihad Surrender campaign so sad. Mike Jingozian claims a degree from Harvard and various technology awards.

You'd think he'd get the basics right. Him running a super-duper tech company as he is wont to remind us voters. And running for President (of the United States!).

Basics like:

www.MikeJingozian.com

Mike Jingozian
visionary on a pedestal The Jingo-Jihadists might also reconsider the Reset photo shooting. It is very difficult to get a good publicity shot of a client where the audience is looking up his nose holes. Even assuming excellent nose-hair-hygiene.

So, we start with three minor campaign criticisms:

1) Surrender is bad bannering
2) Claim your name domain
3) Make your picture perfect

Yes, there's more. Continue reading the Jingozium Erratum at the jump.

Reset American banner ###

Thankyou (foot)notes,

See "First, do no harm": Not in the Hippocratic Oath sans abortion.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 8:23 AM | Permalink
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Mike Jingozian
founder of AngelVision
announces political ambitions "You will hear more about my political plans in the months ahead. For now, I wish you peace and harmony. Be well, Jingo."

A number of Alert Readers have been following our case study of AngelVision. The founder, Mike "Jingo" Jingozian has been most unhappy with Your Business Blogger's analysis and has hired (at least two) lawyers and a private investigator in response to the critique and the comments.

(A private investigator??!! I'm honored.)

Jingo will be running for an elected or appointed public office -- but has taken some time off the campaign trail and his business to address Reasoned Audacity's review of the unusual AngelVision management style.

Jingozium Erratum
Your Business Blogger at
Oxford's circular library
May 1995Over the next few weeks we will discuss the challenges of crisis management in dealing with the blogosphere.

AngelVision continues to be an outstanding case study -- on a "distinctive" reaction to public criticism.

Meanwhile Jingo should consider CampaignSiteBuilder.com to help him launch his political career. (See compensated link on sidebar.)

Continue reading at the jump. Hint: Don't hire expensive private investigators to spy on bloggers.

###

Thank you (foot)notes:

Be sure to visit AngelVision and take the Jingo on-line poll on what to do with Your Business Blogger. Here's how I voted:

Number three: Don’t be a wimp! Kick some @ss! Sue the b@stard out of principle! [Expletives modified]

The vote results will surprise you.

(Charmaine voted for "ignore him." She's no fun.)

Here's my advice and bumper sticker for his political world view.

UPDATE: 16 May 2007, Mike Jingozian claims that Your Business Blogger is a Washington government insider. Very flattering, but I must not be much of a political insider because I just now noticed that Jingo Jingozian is really, really running for public office. No, not town council. Not for congress. Nope. Jingo is going the Full Monty. Mike Jingozian is running for President. Goodness.

Blue state Oregon is now in play for the GOP.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 12:20 PM | Permalink
Comments (8)

GOP Presidential Debate Smackdown? Nope. The buzz is on Blumenthal.

Max meant to be snarky. But comes off stupid silly. Or worse: An amateur.

Blumenthal on the Huffington Post hotlinked to a picture on the Family Research Council web site. Max is 'borrowing' server space. Not really a big deal...just bad form.

Joe Carter and Jared Bridges at FRC caught it and substituted this come-back:

Dead Kitty: Blumenthal Poisons Cats

The Huffington Post lefties are slow learners. Liberals always are. So Max Blumenthal re-hot-links. And screws up yet again.

But cannot get ahead of Christian Soldiers Marching as to War. Or Blumenthal's Comedy Club.

FRCBlog: Max Blumenthal's Favorite Stops on the Interweb

###

Thank you (foot)notes:

Joe Carter, a former Marine,
said he started blogging as a way
to become an influential voice
for Christian values even though
he doesn't have
Ivy League credentials.
(By Rich Lipski, The Washington Post) Joe Carter is the Editor at the FRCBlog and was recently highlighted in The Washington Post. He blogs at The Evangelical Outpost.

Jared Bridges is a contributor at FRCBlog and personally blogs at TruePravada.

The Carter/Bridges brilliance is noted in NewBusters Editors' Pick May 4, 4007.

Brian Kaylor at For God's Sake Shut Up! sees nothing funny. Pursuing a Ph.D. has that effect. His sense of humor should return after his dissertation defense.

Kevin Aylward at Wizbang has an update.

See ChristianityToday.

Blogroll the BlueyBlog: Max Blumenthal: Image Thief

HuffPo p0wn3d by FRCblog.com! by Laura at Pursuing Holiness. Our kind of girl.

And see what Joe Carter did with:

Michelle Malkin

Little Green Footballs

National Review Online

RedState

FreeRepublic.com

Human Events' Right Angle

Bluey Blog

Wizbang!

NewsBusters

InstaPundit

TownHall.com

Pursuing Holiness

WORLD magazine's blog

Wonkette

in A Lesson in Web Etiquette for the Huffington Post (Part II)

Like a dog that returns to his vomit is a fool who repeats his folly. -- Proverbs 26:11

Wizbangblog is on the story with analysis,

That's not ignorance of how the web works, no that's willfully dishonest bandwidth theft on the part of Mr. Blumenthal.

Posted at 11:28 AM | Permalink
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The Dude will be on Gregg Jackson's show Sunday night, March 18th. Gregg and The Dude met while The Dude was blogging the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).

R to L: The Dude from Panzer Commander, John Tabin from The American Spectator, Michelle Malkin, Ed Morrissey at Captain's Quarters.

On March 2nd The Dude was the youngest blogger on the scene. He secured an interview with Mitt Romney and gives us Mitt's take on bloggers vs. the mainstream media here. The Dude is pictured above proudly wearing his TownHall.com hat.

The Dude was working the exhibits at the CPAC trade show -- he knows how to work a trade show -- and introduced himself to Gregg Jackson.

CPAC 2007 Hit time Sunday is 9:40 pm Eastern. Listen in and let us know how he did.

WRKO Talk Radio
Boston

###

Thank you (foot)notes:

Gregg Jackson is the Co-Host of Pundit Review Radio on WRKO Boston's Talk Station www.WRKO.com He is also a contributing editor at PunditReview.com, a 2005 and 2006 Weblog Award finalist in the Best Media/Journalist Blog category.

Jackson is author of Conservative Comebacks to Liberal Lies: Issue By Issue Responses to the Most Common Claims of the Left from A to Z. More at the jump.

Alert Readers know that The Dude is is no stranger to show business. See his First Show Biz Break.

Continue Reading »

Posted at 10:36 PM | Permalink
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Roxane and Jim Gilmore; Charmaine and Jack Yoest
April 2005 Governor Jim Gilmore promised to be the First Blogger-in-Chief, if sworn in as president. Gilmore addressed the weekly conservative blogger lunch today at the Heritage Foundation hoping to "talk over the heads of the standard press."

Although Gilmore promised to start blogging; he did not promise to hire a blogger full time during the campaign. (I was hoping for a bit more pandering to this crowd, but it never was quite Gilmore's style.)

Far from pandering, Gilmore continues his combative conservatism.

Which, these days, might just sell.

The former governor of the Commonwealth Virginia claims "a broad record of success" and states that "there is not a conservative in the race" besides him.

He might be right.

Except for being pro-choice thru the 13th week. So I ask him, "As governor you hired pro-lifers extensively in your staff, do you promise to do the same if elected president?"

Gilmore reminded us that no one has done better in "service to the pro-life community" and walked down his leadership list on pro-life initiatives:

1) A 24 hour waiting period for abortions,

2) Pushed stopping partial birth abortions,

3) Championed Hugh Finn.

Alert Readers will remember Hugh Finn sustained severe brain injuries from a car accident, and was comatose for 3 and a half years. After moving him to a Virginia nursing home, his wife Michele requested the removal of his feeding tube, but his parents and his six brothers filed suit to stop her.

Careful readers of this blog will recall the hyperventilating over "hyperalimentation" -- feeding food and water through a tube -- during the legal battle over Terri Schiavo's case. In 1998, the Commonwealth of Virginia -- and Governor Gilmore -- confronted nearly exactly the same situation as that posed by Terri Schiavo for Florida and Governor Jeb Bush.

The Governor supported continuing Finn's feeding tube, and the case went all the way to the Virginia Supreme Court which ruled in favor of Mrs. Finn.

Finn died eight days after the tube was removed.

Gilmore enjoys a pro-life record any pro-life candidate would envy.

###

Thank you (foot)notes:

Full Disclosure: Your Business Blogger is pro-life. And campaigned for Gilmore, voted for him and served as his Assistant Secretary for Health and Human Resources while the governor was in office. Watched the Governor up close on the Hugh Finn case. Gilmore got this right.

James Gilmore Is Running For President: Can A Pro-Choice Republican Win?

Read on some of Gilmore's management style at Y2K and The Management of Hurricane Katrina's Aftermath.

Gilmore may have been planning this for a while; see Americans for Freedom and Opportunity.

Also see Are Children at Risk in Red States?

Rob Bluey is the weekly host at The Heritage Foundation -- be sure to read his report Jim Gilmore: The First Blogging President? at Redstate.com

Posted at 2:38 PM | Permalink
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Thank you so much for reading Reasoned Audacity!

If you think you were our 300,000th visitor -- see below, please comment. The first commenter will receive a copy of Charmaine's book Mother in the Middle: Searching for Peace in the Mommy Wars, published by HarperCollins. If your comment is not the first, but is more clever than creditable, we might send you a book anyway.

Alert Readers will remember that Reasoned Audacity will be two years old in two days. We launched on 23 February 2005 writing about Tocqueville. And the freedom of association of blog writers and readers.

Thank you for reading at least one of our 1,197 posts.

We remain in your debt, Charmaine and Jack.

Bill Maher with Mother in the Middle.

Posted at 1:27 PM | Permalink
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"This just in...oops, too late,
the bloggers got there before us.
from The Wall Street Journal Bloggers a