-- PERCEPTION --

- How prospective customers, clients, the general public and individuals perceive of us – as a person or as a business – is an important element to our success.

- When projecting an image and capabilities to the marketplace, there are things that businesses – and each of us can and should do - that helps lead to the perception that makes people want to do business and interact with us.

-- "PERCEPTION . . . more Powerful than Truth" is based on these three premises:

1) That in addition to the products and/or services that people need (or want), at least one other reason people do business with us is their PERCEPTION of us and our businesses. "How we appear in their minds eye."

2) That those of us in business or have invented something that we’d like to turn into a business, would like to see it grow. – "More customers, more clients, more sales, which will lead us to greater profits."

3) That an understanding of PERCEPTION is our great aid in being with people and improving interpersonal relationships. "If they like us, they'll buy us!!"

Larry Mattes
M A Marketing Communication

$$ PERCEPTION
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-- "You see things and you say, "Why?"
- But I see things, that never were; and I say, "Why not?" -- George Bernard Shaw: Back to Methuselah Part 1, Act 1 (1921)

-- "I'm giving you an offer you can't refuse." -- The Godfather, -- Thomas A. Edison
-- > -- > In Italian; "MAFIA" means "Beauty, Excellence and Bravery" - "COSA NOSTRA" means "Our Thing" --
"NAKED IN NEW YORK BEAUTIFUL NUDE OIL PAINTING"
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-- It will be no great sacrifice on your part -- for you to bodily show up to your once a month monthly IASL Meeting. It won't hurt you. It will be 'no skin off of your nose' to come for the three hours. Yet, it will be 'your keeping your nose to the grindstone.'

-- "Nothing is particularely hard if you divide it into small jobs." -- Henry Ford

-- "This brings it down to cases." -- replied Humphrey Bogart, in Sahara

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
--- "O.K., "I'll pay.. I'll pay up -- but I'm telling you right here, you gotta promise me that I'll get more outta that invention thing than what I put into it."

--- "R-i-g-h-t - Pay up the $55.00 - Later Renew at $35.00!"

--> Pass it over and we'll launder it for you.
--> You're too young to handle it yourself ;-)

-- I've heard it said time-and-time-again by speakers: "By the same token, .." <-- What the hell does this mean?!! <-- <-- What are they saying - by any stretch of the imagination - calling a spade a Spade?

-- "On the other hand..." -- "Having said that..."

-- Upon becoming an IASL Member gives you a certain mis-aligned hierarchal status:

-- First Level: Junior Nerd, otherwise known as an Apprentice Misfit
-- Second Level: Troubled Crackpot [male], Crazed Dingbat [female]
-- Third Level: Sophomoric Bon Vivant,
-- Seeking Truth & Justice
-- Top Level: Esoteric Expert, with the following initials embellished after name, CC&BW, Chief Cook & Bottle Washer ;-)

-- "We are a nation of doers, inventors. That's who we are." -- John Katzenberger

-- "If you've got it, you flaunt it!" -- Zero Mostel, in The Producers

-- "Put your money where your mouth is. See!" -- Edward G. Robinson, in Key Largo

-- "Look Ma! I'm king of the hill!" -- James Cagney, in White Heat

-- "Look, Buster, ya pay up or I'll have ya swimmin' wit-da fishes an you'll be wearin' concrete boots." -- George Raft, in Pretty Boy Floyd

-- One of the most important things in life is 'showing up.' -- 'Paying Your Dues.' -- 'Contributing Your Share.' -- 'Doing Your Duty.' -- 'Standing Up for What's Right.' -- 'Keeping Your Promise.' -- 'Defending Your Homeland.' -- 'Believing In Democracy and in God.' -- 'Pledging Your Allegiance.'

-- YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US --
--- THE INVENTORS ASSOCIATION OF ST. LOUIS

-- "Some people think only intellect counts; knowing how to solve problems, knowing how to get by, knowing how to identify an advantage and seize it. But the functions of intellect are insufficient without courage, love, friendship and empathy." -- Dean Koontz

-- "Get a world-class education for free" --

-- INVENTORS: We have a 'catchy phrase' to say when somone directs or sends us onto the right pathway:
"Friend, you just saved my pass." ;-)

-- "eSellerate: the complete way to sell your software" -- "PayDotCom.com"

-- Fill in the blanks: - "Take a good healthy
__ __ __ __. You'll feel so much better for it."

-- United States Patent: PP16166 --

-- "Patent Statistics Reports Available For Viewing" --

-- "World's lightest material made into muscle - Discovery.com" --

-- -- God vs. Science

'Let me explain the problem science has with religion.' The atheist professor of philosophy pauses before his class and then asks one of his new students to stand.

'You're a Christian, aren't you, son?'

'Yes sir,' the student says.

'So you believe in God?'

'Absolutely.'

'Is God good?'

'Sure! God's good.'

'Is God all-powerful? Can God do anything?'

'Yes'

'Are you good or evil?'

'The Bible says I'm evil.'

The professor grins knowingly. 'Aha! The Bible!' He considers for a moment.

'Here's one for you. Let's say there's a sick person over here and you can cure him. You can do it. Would you help him? Would you try?'

'Yes sir, I would.'

'So you're good...!'

'I wouldn't say that.'

'But why not say that? You'd help a sick and maimed person if you could. Most of us would if we could. But God doesn't.'

The student does not answer, so the professor continues.

'He doesn't, does he? My brother was a Christian who died of cancer, even though he prayed to Jesus to heal him. How is this Jesus good? Hmmm? Can you answer that one?'

The student remains silent.

'No, you can't, can you?' the professor says. He takes a sip of water from a glass on his desk to give the student time to relax.

'Let's start again, young fella. Is God good?'

'Er..yes,' the student says.

'Is Satan good?'

The student doesn't hesitate on this one. 'No.'

'Then where does Satan come from?'

The student falters. 'From God'

'That's right. God made Satan, didn't he?

Tell me, son. Is there evil in this world?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Evil's everywhere, isn't it? And God did make everything, correct?'

'Yes'

'So who created evil?' The professor continued, 'If God created everything, then God created evil, since evil exists, and according to the principle that our works define who we are, then God is evil.'

Again, the student has no answer.

'Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things, do they exist in this world?'

The student squirms on his feet. 'Yes.'

'So who created them?'

The student does not answer again, so the professor repeats his question. 'Who created them?'

There is still no answer.

Suddenly the lecturer breaks away to pace in front of the classroom. The class is mesmerized.

'Tell me,' he continues onto another student. 'Do you believe in Jesus Christ, son?'

The student's voice betrays him and cracks. 'Yes, professor, I do.'

The old man stops pacing.

'Science says you have five senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Have you ever seen Jesus?'

'No sir. I've never seen Him.'

'Then tell us if you've ever heard your Jesus?'

'No, sir, I have not.'

'Have you ever felt your Jesus, tasted your Jesus or smelt your Jesus? Have you ever had any sensory perception of Jesus Christ, or God for that matter?'

'No, sir, I'm afraid I haven't.'

'Yet you still believe in him?'

'Yes'

'According to the rules of empirical, testable, demonstrable protocol, science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?'

'Nothing,' the student replies. 'I only have my faith.'

'Yes, faith,' the professor repeats. 'And that is the problem science has with God. There is no evidence, only faith.'

The student stands quietly for a moment, before asking a question of His own. 'Professor, is there such thing as heat?'

'Yes.'

'And is there such a thing as cold?'

'Yes, son, there's cold too.'

'No sir, there isn't.'

The professor turns to face the student, obviously interested. The room suddenly becomes very quiet. The student begins to explain. 'You can have lots of heat, even more heat, super-heat, mega-heat, unlimited heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat, but we don't have anything called 'cold'. We can hit up to 458 degrees below zero, which is no heat, but we can't go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold; otherwise we would be able to go colder than the lowest -458 degrees...' 'Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-458 F) is the total absence of heat. You see, sir, cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat we can measure in thermal units because heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.'

Silence across the room. A pen drops somewhere in the classroom, sounding like a hammer.

'What about darkness, professor. Is there such a thing as darkness?'

'Yes,' the professor replies without hesitation. 'What is night if it isn't darkness?'

'You're wrong again, sir. Darkness is not something; it is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light, but if you have no light constantly you have nothing and it's called darkness, isn't it? That's the meaning we use to define the word.'

'In reality, darkness isn't. If it were, you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn't you?'

The professor begins to smile at the student in front of him. This will be a good semester. 'So what point are you making, young man?'

'Yes, professor. My point is, your philosophical premise is flawed to start with, and so your conclusion must also be flawed.'

The professor's face cannot hide his surprise this time. 'Flawed? Can you explain how?'

'You are working on the premise of duality,' the student explains.. 'You argue that there is life and then there's death; a good God and a bad God. You are viewing the concept of God as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, science can't even explain a thought.'

'It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing. Death is not the opposite of life, just the absence of it.'

'Now tell me, professor. Do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?'

'If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, young man, yes, of course I do.'

'Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?'

The professor begins to shake his head, still smiling, as he realizes where the argument is going. A very good semester, indeed.

'Since no one has ever observed