-- -- If you have been meditating on becoming an inventor, you should consider that a 40-hour work week will become your vacation time out of a 56-hour work week. ;-)

-- "The task of the leader is to get his people from where they are to where they have not been." -- Henry Kissinger

-- "If it feels good, do it. If you have problems, blame somebody else." -- George W. Bush, President
- "A Great Moment in Presidential Speeches" - David Letterman Show, 07/28/2008

July 30, 2008
Small Business Saves The Economy's Bacon

There are a host of reasons why small business employment numbers should have been anemic in July. But, they weren't. As a matter of fact, small business kept overall job growth from moving into the red.

The ADP National Employment Report showed non-farm employment rose by only 9,000 jobs. That is one of the worst showings in several years.

Large businesses, those with over 500 employees, lost 32,000 jobs. Middle sized businesses, those with between 50 and 499 employees lost 9,000 people.

Small businesses, those with less that 50 people, added 50,000 jobs.

The odds against small business pulling all of the load were considerable. In theory, high energy costs and tight credit should be shutting down the ability of companies of modest size to stay open, let alone expand.

Without any direct help from the Fed or the banking system, small businesses must, in many cases, be financing whatever success they have out of their own operating cash flow.

As the economy moves toward the Fall, the open question is whether small business can continue to buck the overall trend. The answer to that is, without some support for credit and commodities price relief, the answer is probably no.

Douglas A. McIntyre

-- What kind of way to the top will you choose? --

-- "Josephson Institute of Ethics: The Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring, Citizenship" --

-- -- "Nikola Tesla, in his heyday in the 1890s, was a rich and famous inventor and held more than 700 patents. He is better known for developing alternating current (AC) electricity. -- He was also naive. - Thomas Edison, who saw Tesla as competition, did all he could to undermine Tesla's work. It worked. A series of patent lawsuits left Tesla with no money or credit, despite his many inventions. He died broke in 1943." --
-- -- "After falling short of its projected profits, Success magazine declared bankruptsy in 1999." (Uncle John's Unstoppable Bathroom Reader)

-- -- Hang in there: "...the total number of millionaire households in the USA dropped by 11% -- from 3.7 million in 2001 to 3.3 million in 2002." (Things are rough at the top.)

-- "Gates falls to world's third richest on Forbes list"

-- "ABC News: How to be the Next Bill Gates" --

-- There is always death and taxes; however death doesn't get worse every year.

-- -- "Debt disasters of the rich and famous."
-- -- "Special Report: Why going broke is a fact of life in America" --
-- -- "Is The New Bankruptcy Law Working?"

-- "Which jobs have highest rate of depression?"

-- -- Seventy-three percent of CEOs have thought about quitting their jobs in 2003. -- That is up from fifty-four percent in 2000. In addition, eighty-six percent say they have been "kept awake at night" worrying about their rivals" -- BusinessWeek 12/22/2003 --
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
-- -- Corporate Study:

-- After a two year long study, the National Science Foundation announced the following results on corporate America's recreation preferences:

-- The sport of choice for unemployed or incarcerated people is: Basketball.

-- The sport of choice for maintenance level employees is: Bowling.

-- The sport of choice for front line workers is: Football.

-- The sport of choice for supervisors is: Baseball.

-- The sport of choice for middle management is: Tennis.

-- The sport of choice for corporate officers is: Golf.

-- -- Conclusion: -- The higher you are in the corporate structure, the smaller your balls become.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
-- "The Hidden Pain of Being an Entrepreneur - AOL Small Business" -- "On the one hand, history may show that an absolute irrational belief by the visionary entrepreneur may be the only thing that leads some companies to success. On the other hand, it's also the main cause of many a company's failure. So how do you know if you're the cure or the disease?"

-- "The first mistake in public business is the going into it." -- Ben Franklin

-- "Feeling down? Get happy, dammit! - Behavior - MSNBC.com" --

-- "There are two kinds of people who never amount to much: those who cannot do what they are told, and those who can do nothing else." -- Cyrus Curtis

>>>>>>>>>> Stress

A lecturer when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g.

The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.

If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem.

If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance.

In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on."

"As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can."

So, my friend, Put down anything that may be a burden to you right now. Don't pick it up again until after you've rested a while. Here are some great ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Accept that some days you're the pigeon, and some days you're the statue.

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably worth it.

* It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply be kind to others.

* Never put both feet in your mouth at the same time, because then you won't have a leg to stand on.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* When everything's coming your way, you're in the wrong lane.

* Birthdays are good for you. The more you have, the longer you live.

* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons... Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

*A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

* Have an awesome day and know that someone has thought about you today...I did.

-- "Westinghouse DVD, America's Greatest Industrialist, Tesla, Edison, technology" --
-- "Westinghouse Trailer Inecom" --

-- -- Thought of the day: --
-- -- "The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively, while everyone else is created by their lives, passively waiting to see where life takes them next. The difference between the two is the difference between living fully and just existing."
-- Michael E. Gerber, Author of The E-Myth Revisited

-- In 2003, the minimum wage in the United Kingdom was £4.20 per hour. In the United States it was $5.15. In China it was 18 pence (29 cents), and in India it was 7 pence (11 cents). Ref: Sunday Times (UK)

-- "Making Money, the How-To Way - New York Times" --

-- "Where the wealthiest suburbs in America are"
-- "bizjournals: Business Pulse Surveys"

-- Don't see problems, see opportunity.

-- "10 Tips: How to be a 'freecycler' - Extreme Consumerism - MSNBC.com" --

-- "RICH" PUBLICATIONS ON THE RISE FROM 1997-2007 ACCORDING TO THE STANDARD PERIODICAL DIRECTORY --

-- You've heard of people working 'til their dying day. Well, don't say you're too old to invent. Good old Colonel Harlan Sanders started out with his Kentucky Fried Chicken Recipe, his trade secret, and became a millionaire when he was nearly seventy. --

-- You say you plan on seriously working on your idea later, when you have time? You say that you have no time to do it now? - How many times have you heard of some new product that just came out on the market and you said, "I thought of that thing years ago. It could have been me that invented it. Well, it could've??"

-- How many hours in a day do you need, 'cause when you were a teenager, you didn't go to bed sometimes until the sun came up? - You're older now..what's the matter? What's the difference? Do you have to go to bed early? - You are grown. Stay up another hour or two and work on your invention.

-- You say that it's too big a project and that you don't know where to start? -- What have I been telling you? -- That's precisely why the Inventors Association is here for you; to show you how, to inspire you and to help you.

-- You can do it!

-- You say that you don't have any money, or enough money, or don't know how to find money, or that you've always been unlucky.

-- Well, let's face it. As long as you're going to be around to be a burden on yourself and society, you can be of service. "No man is completely worthless. He can always serve as a horrible example." ;-))

Patent Attorneys who are helping the Inventors Association of St. Louis

-- Edison had been working weeks, months, and many hours in the day on his incandescent light bulb. And finally, Success!

-- He ran upstairs to wake his sleeping wife to share with her--shouting, "I DID IT!!"

She rolled over and said those memorable words--spoken by women ever-after: "Shut the damn light and come to bed!" :-))

-- GADGET NATION: A JOURNEY THROUGH THE ECCENTRIC WORLD OF INVENTION by Steve Greenberg, hit bookstores nationwide in late April, 2008. This book showcases more than 100 inventors from coast to coast. Some are huge successes, others are deep in the red--but all are fascinating fun to read stories. Gadget Nation truly captures America's can-do spirit of invention. www.gadgetnation.net --
-- Gadget Nation Book Release --
-- -- Energy Efficient and Time Saving Gadgets --

-- "Websites offer foreclosure victims comic relief"

-- --> We're Off to See The Wizards
-- --> Top Law Firms -- and ambulance chasers

-- I promised earlier to give the names of Patent Attorneys who are helping the Inventors Association of St. Louis. --
I sincerely hope that you will contact any one of these listed when in need of an Intellectual Property Attorney:

-- Mrs Grace J. Fishel -- 2200 Westport Drive Suite 202, St. Louis, MO 63146 -- 314-878-0440 - Fax: 314-275-7693 Fishel@theapplicant.com

-- Kevin L. Klug -- 11237 Concord Village Ave., St. Louis, MO 63123 -- 314-849-2273 -
-- Bio: Kevin Klug's law firm, Klug Law Office (http://firms.findlaw.com/klugk/), was founded in 1993. Mr. Klug is licensed to practice law in the state of Missouri, the U.S. District Courts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit and also before the U.S. Patent and Trademark office.

-- Before entering law school, Mr. Klug was employed in R&D with Storz Instuments where he was using UNIX while working on ultrasonic intstrumentation. At Emerson Electric, he worked on embedded computing for airborne radar systems. He then became an Assistant Professor of Avionics at Parks College of Engineering at St. Louis University. Mr. Klug personally holds patents in the medical electronics field.

-- Mr. Klug specializes in the prosecution and litigation of patents, trademarks, and copyrights. He is able to offer legal guidance in a midwest location for those persons or organizations which are seeking an attorney who is scientifically and technically strong.

-- Mr. Klug holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Missouri at Rolla, an MS degree, also in Electrical Engineering, from Washington University, and his Juris Doctorate from St. Louis University.

-- Charles C. Mc Closkey, LLC -- 763 S. New Ballas Rd Ste 170, St. Louis, MO 63141 -- 314-872-8136 / 447-0390 fax ccmlaw@socket.net
-- --> With a Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree from Notre Dame, Chuck served his country well as an Army officer. He has had prior employment in engineering projects throughout the United States. He graduated with a JD degree from St. Louis University Law School in 2001. He ran for the Missouri House of Representatives in 2002 and keeps active in politics. Chuck has extensive experience in preparation and prosecution of patent applications for medical equipment, packaging components, chemical processes, and many other mechanical and electrical devices."

-->> "General Information Concerning Patents, Attorneys and Agents" <<--

-- Daniel S. Klotzer -- 4579 Laclede Ave #210, St. Louis, MO 63108 -- 314-616-7111 - Patent Agent

-- -- Grandma and the Lawyers --

Lawyers Should Never Ask A Southern Grandma A Question, If They Aren't Prepared For Her Answer.

In a trial in a Southern small-town, a prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly elderly woman to the stand.
He approached her and asked, "Mrs.. Jones, do you know me?" She responded. "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr.. Williams. I've known you since you were a young boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me.

You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot, when you haven't the brains to realize you never will amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. - Yes, I know you."

The lawyer was stunned! Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs.. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?"

She again replied, "Why, yes I do. I've known Mr.. Bradley since he was a youngster, too.

He's lazy, bigoted and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was 'your wife.' - Yes, I know him."

The defense attorney almost died. - The Judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and in a very quiet voice, said, "If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I'll send you to the electric chair!!

-- "A CEO's face tells you the company?s success - Careers - MSNBC.com" -- "People high in assertiveness are often insufferable. So, even though they may get their way, they're choking off relationships with the people around them,"

-- The grandfather was now living with his son and daughter-in-law and their young family. It was his time in life, that time when he had lived a full life and was lucky to have been taken in. His wife was gone and he knew that he should pass his knowledge down to the younger generations.. but no one it seemed wanted to listen to a doting old man. -- He stood back. He didn't butt in. He bit his tongue. He knew that his son and daughter-in-law must be left to be the obvious parents. Yet, he felt there must be someway for him. He would, gradually, in his grandfatherly way, try and teach his grandson..
-- "Jimmy, when I was a small boy like you, I had my duties and chores to do. I got up early every morning. I went out to the barn and milked Bossy, our cow, so that we could have fresh milk for breakfast. I brought in water that I dipped from the cistern. And before I left, I chopped firewood for the cookstove, -- brought an armful in for the hearth. I then carried out the ashes from our old Franklin stove to dump in a lowspot. And then I helped my mother before eating my breakfast and running off to school. My dad was already up and about to the south forty. --
I didn't have a bus to pick 'me' up at 'my' door. No, siree, I had to walk to school -- two miles there and back. I got to play only at recess 'cause I had my job as a stockboy, working at the green-grocer after school. I made fifty-cents a week and was mighty glad to get that. Then I came back home to help my mother and father, and then I did over three-hours of homework before cleaning-up and going off to bed. And.." He was finally interrupted by the child, who was bored by those 'good old days stories;' saying to all at their table to hear, "Gee, grandpa, aren't you glad you're living with us now?" :-))