Get used to Micheal Phelps if you haven't already had a good, long look, because we'll be seeing him in alot of places, like...um, everywhere. This man, the face of 2008 Beijing Olympics, with the oodles of gold around his neck, is about be the spokesperson for alot of stuff. As I write this post, an AT&T commercial just came on ESPN with him in it. A rabid fan is going crazy about him in the ad.

As a marketer, would you charge ahead and sign on to this bandwagon? The pros are certainly there in terms of the global awe surrounding his achievements and the clean-cut image. Yet, will we be over-Phelpsed in a few weeks? Will consumers be able to recall which product he's signing off on, and asking you to sign onto, and when?

It'll be fun to watch the big brands go head-to-head in a duel to leverage this man's likeness in the most creative - and recall- and sales-generating - ways.

Let’s hope they switch it up for the real deal–that hand looks terribly Photoshopp-ed. But at least he’s starting to cash in on his $100 million dollar endorsement deals!

”[There will be] no Wheaties box this time around; it’s going to be Kellogg’s,” Phelps‘ longtime agent Peter Carlisle revealed to Access Hollywood.

No Wheaties box but Phelps, who scored a record-breaking eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, will appear on special edition cereal boxes this fall for both Kellogg’s Corn Flakes and Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes.

rZx--wheaties

Originally uploaded by richardzx

New York Post reports that Golden Boy Micheal Phelps has opted to have his mug displayed predominately on boxes of Frosted Flakes bypassing the offers from General Mills owned Wheaties.

Wheaties certainly appears to be continuing to support its brand as a health conscious breakfast cereal; however, for them to not push Micheal Phelps to be their box top boy questions how much they are willing to pay to do so. Unfortunately, without the continual athlete endorsements that they have enjoyed I fear they will succumb to being just another strangely named breakfast cereal searching for an audience. (Grape Nuts anyone?)

Paul, the 72-year-old congressman from Texas whose maverick presidential bid drew wide support in Alaska, sent out a letter to his supporters here urging them to vote for Young.

“Don and I have served together in Congress for many years, and I consider him a friend,” Paul wrote in the letter. “Don has been an outspoken voice against environmental extremists over the years and has strongly opposed the types of federal regulatory overreach advocated in the name of environmentalism.”

Don Young is rEVOLutionary?  Who knew?

In issuing this endorsement, Rep. Paul bypassed both small government conservative Sean Parnell and libertarian Republican state representative Gabrielle LeDoux.  But I can't say that his refusal to endorse my candidate, Sean Parnell, bothers me, as I would be more likely to vote for the GOP candidate Ron Paul didn't endorse.

You can donate to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell's campaign here.

Michael Phelps is all the talk over here and rightly so. At the age of twenty-three he broke the record for the number of gold medals achieved in one Olympic Games: eight. After he won six medals in Athens in 2004 he apparently earned $5 from Visa. Keep in mind this man has sponsors. Prior to even stepping foot in Beijing he earned $1 million from one of his sponsors, Speedo.

As companies seem to have endless dollars for celebrities to promote their brands, this is one brand worth investing in.

One thing that struck me was the issue of credibility ... emphasized by promotional endorsements during the Olympic cycle.  I observed that people are hyper-cynical of endorsements from people who really do not know anything about the product or service they are endorsing.  More than once I heard people remark and wonder whether the endorser even uses the product or service.  They lacked credibility with the audience and the marketing effort fell flat.

Often, the business owner can be the most credible messenger!  What steps are you taking to position yourself as a credible and trusted expert within your industry? To penetrate a market or gain greater marketshare, potential customers must feel that they can trust you to provide a product or service that offers the best value available to them, given their needs and restrictions. But trust is not something easily given.

To become worthy of their trust, people must see the reasons for giving it to you. They are asking tough questions and they must receive valid answers to their questions. And here is the bottom line proof of
trustworthiness. People must see clear demonstration that you are more interested in them than you are in yourself. In other words ... selflessness.

They must see that your goal is to improve their life rather than simply to fill your wallet. Is that message coming across from your business? If you need a place to get started, think about providing information. Give people the know-how they need to make better decisions and share that know-how freely and liberally. If possible, offer this information at no charge as a public courtesy.

Look for something in your business that demonstrates that you are thinking about them (as a group or even one at a time) and that you understand their unique needs. When people see that your interest is genuine and not manipulative, then they will happily reward you with their trust ... and their business.

By Gil Gerretsen. President of BizTrek International, Inc.

I am endorsing Terry Bergeson for Director of Public Instruction for the following reasons:

 1)  Your cutting of the budget for the WASL and still being able to adhere to the having effective test results necessary for the true results which a test should give. An administrator which cuts a major cost in half must always be given a second and third look of approval.

 2) Your test still tests with true and false and multlpal choice.  But the rigors of testing with an essay style and fill in the blank is an uncompromising characteristic of some of the top Universities in the country.  True results can only be seen if the rigors of test can prove the worth of the student and the worth of the high school and the attending and tested student. 

 3)  Endorse your getting of a $60 Million grant for the improving of reading scores in the lower performing and disadvantaged academic school systems in Washington State.  You have had dramatic improvements and am looking forward to your continued redeployment of those achievements in the rest of the Washington State School systems.

 4)  Am looking at the continued extension of Larry Ishmael achievements in the Issaquah School System and your carrying on with these aggressive accomplishments transposing them throughout the state.  From a low test score school system to a Number 3 in the State School System in one term as a District Supervisor of the Issaquah School System. 

 5)  You have accomplished one of my requirements for a manager.  One must be able to have two if not more innovative ideas and implement those ideas.  Number one above you are in the process of implementing this idea and the cherry is the cost of administration will be cut in half.  The other is the use of grant funds.  These funds have been used and the test results have showed aggressively positive results.  When fully implemented throughout the state our students aptitude and appreciation for other forms of learning should dramatically improve as well.  If I am aware of two ideas you must have additional endeavors of achievement which I in advance am applauding.  Affective and efficient use of government resources should be the goal of all elected officials.  Congratulations!

 The above reasons are why I am endorsing Terry Bergeson for another term as Director of Public Instruction in the State of Washington.  You have a high threshold and in four more years will have an even higher threshold to pass.  Our children will achieve!!

 Thanks

 Keith Ljunghammar, EA

Candidate for 46th Legislative District, position 1

2400 NW 80th Street, #324

Seattle, WA 98117-4449

206.388.9982

vbhoundabout@hotmmail.com

Gun Owners Action League of Washington

P.O. Box 50143

Bellevue, WA 98015-0143

Questions Call (425) 985-4867

Joe Waldron

Chairman

Denise received support from across the ideological spectrum of the Democratic Central Committee, demonstrating her independence from the warring political factions of San Francisco politics.

Read more about the DCCC endorsement in the Chronicle, the Bay Guardian and Beyond Chron.

The people of Maryland's Eastern Shore should know that in some cases, being a Blue Dog Democrat means voting with Nancy Pelosi 90% of the time.  That's what they can expect if they vote for Frank Kratovil in November.

You can donate to Andy Harris' campaign here.

As a new generation of Republicans slowly take over state parties and Congressional delegations around the country, Palin and Parnell are perhaps the most public examples of what can turn into bloody internal conflicts. While other revolts have been quietly conducted, Palin knocked off her own party's governor two years ago and has called for the state GOP chairman to step down.

Here is the ad:

You can donate to Sean Parnell's campaign here.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce agrees with Rep. Nick Lampson on energy policy and gave the Democratic congressman an award in April for being "an effective ally to the business community."

Republican challenger Pete Olson is diametrically opposed to the business federation on what to do about the 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

But today the Washington-based coalition of millions of businesses will endorse Olson for election on Nov. 4 to the 22nd District U.S. House seat.

This endorsement should carry a lot of weight with businesses in the metro Houston district who may have been more inclined to support an incumbent in this election cycle.  It will also reassure all conservatives who are pro-immigration enforcement that Pete Olson is getting this endorsement in spite of his hard-line stance on immigration, not because of it.  (The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is pro-business, but also pro-amnesty.)

So congratulations to Pete Olson and his campaign for securing this major endorsement while staying true to a conservative position on immigration.

You can donate to Pete Olson's campaign here.

 CD 4 PEOPLE Committee/District Council 48 ( Milwaukee County )

 September 9^th Primary Election

 State Assembly

 District 8 – Pedro Colon

 District 10 – Annette Polly Williams

 District 15 – Tony Staskunas

 District 16 – Leon Young

 District 17 – Barbara Toles

 District 20 – Christine Sinicki

 District 22 – Sandy Pasch

 November 4^th General Election

 State Assembly

 District 7 – Peggy Krusick

 District 9 – Josh Zepnick

 District 12 – Fredrick Kessler

 District 13 – David Cullen

 District 18 – Tamara Grigsby

 District 19 – Jon Richards

 District 21 – Glen Brower

 State Senate

 District 4 – Lena Taylor

 District 6 – Spencer Coggs

 Milwaukee County

 County Treasurer – Dan Diliberti

 CD5 PEOPLE Committee (Waukesha County/Parts of Milwaukee County )

 State Assembly

 District 14 – David Hucke

 District 24 – Torrey Lauer

 State Senate

 District 8 – Sheldon Wasserman

 Racine/Kenosha County PEOPLE Committee’s

 State Assembly

 District 61 – Robert Turner

 District 62 – Cory Mason

 District 63 – Linda Flashinski

 District 65 – John Steinbrink

 State Senate

 District 22 – Robert Wirch

 If an endorsement was made in a September 9^th Primary Election and depending upon the outcome of the Primary, some races may be revisited afterwards at the next Steering Committee meeting which meets at the PEOPLE Convention coming up this September.  Also, if there is a race that is not listed in this email and there is a primary election or the race is just not listed, then the Committee that oversees that seat for AFSCME’s endorsement, decided to not make an endorsement in that race at this time.

The guy who lied about the weapons of mass destruction, or, um, the other guy who lied about the WMDs? Wild speculation from “America’s Election HQ”…

First, we have Kristol:

“[Powell] may well give a speech at the Democratic convention explaining his endorsement of Obama,” Kristol m a FOX News contributor, said, citing inside sources.
“This is not an absolute done deal, but these people are very confident that Powell will endorse Obama,” Kristol said, adding that he thinks Powell, a Republican, still has “a high respect” for John McCain, Obama’s Republican rival.

And then, in the same article, we have Powell’s spokeswoman Peggy Cifrino:

“There’s absolutely no truth to it whatsoever,” Cifrino told FOXNews.com. “Colin Powell will not be at either convention. There’s absolutely no truth to this.”

Roll Call executive editor Mort Kondracke, also a FOX News contributor, said he personally has spoken with Powell, who denied the report and said he has made no endorsement decisions, according to Kondracke.

Given Kristol’s track-record of being dead wrong about absolutely everything, he’s not exactly a reliable source of information, although it does seem a little odd that he’d be peddling this story with such a strong degree of certainty if there was more than a little doubt about it. Time will tell, I guess.

Fox News is exclusively reporting that Colin Powell will be endorsing Barack Obama for President.

Wow.

This is huge.

According to the article, Powell will make his endorsement official while giving a speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Wait... What?

Powell's speaking at the Democratic National Convention??

I'm barely even breathing at this point...

Really- I'm pinching myself.

As far as I'm concerned, Colin Powell has only two flaws-

One, he's Republican (which hell, I can easily forgive, if he's plannin' on shaping up and acting right from here on out) and two, he was the Secretary of State during George W.'s first term... which, um, unfortunately, was the term in which we invaded Iraq.

Whatever- he's not running for office- Obama is! So what if Powell erred a teeny bit in helping Bush plot what ultimately became the biggest, most expensive blunder in the history of our country?

I don't think Powell was actually hired to do much other than agree with Bush anyway, and who knows how much worse this nightmare would have turned out, had he not been around to do a little damage control. Hard to imagine, but honestly, do we really know what all Bush would have demolished... er... accomplished had he not had his side-kick Powell right next to him?

Regardless, Colin Powell is a superstar, and if he is in fact endorsing Obama, it's quite likely that Obama has just won the election.

If this is real, we may as well swear Barack Obama into office now.

In the meantime Powell's people say none of this is true, and that he won't be endorsing anyone... but those who claim to be in the know seem to be certain it's all about Obama.

(Crashing back down to earth)

My mom always said, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Sigh.

The truth will all come out eventually... either Powell's speaking at the DNC or he isn't... either he's gonna endorse Obama or he won't.

In the meantime, this girl will keep right on hoping against hope that Fox News got it right this time... I'll keep reading the articles online, experiencing something dangerously close to an orgasm over this...

... and try not to feel too disappointed if it all turns out to be a lie.

If Powell were to endorse Obama at the Democratic National Convention, it would most likely occur on the third night when Bill Clinton and the VP nominee are scheduled to speak. On that night, Democrats will focus on veterans and national security, which makes it the most logical night for Powell to address the Democratic National Convention.

WTH is he doing?

Oh this has gone way too far now. Ridiculous. Circle jerk.

Stay tuned.

The bigger news is this fall over 1,000 churches are taking the One Month to Live Challenge. Just search "One Month to Live" at YouTube.com and check out some of the promo videos available. Fun stuff. Also, check out some featured artwork from CreativeMYK.com. It's interesting, from what I read on the artist's portfolio page this artwork is being created for a television series? Watch out.

link here: http://www.onemonthtolive.com
link here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/02/books/bestseller/0302besthardadvice.html
link here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A3LD5739AAMXVM?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview

By DAN MALLOY

This afternoon, I stood with fellow constituents, clergy and political leaders to express outrage and concern over the statements made by Lee Whitnum in the course of her campaign for Congress in the 4^th Congressional District.  Through comments in the newspaper, written editorials, her campaign website and during a debate with Jim Himes, Ms. Whitnum has consistently espoused beliefs that are deeply offensive to many Connecticut residents.

It is important to speak up when a candidate for public office crosses the line and I am proud of Jim Himes for doing so.  In recent attacks on Jim, Ms. Whitnum has evoked age-old stereotypes that are downright anti-Semitic, and have no place in a campaign.  Her statement that the United States and Israel were directly responsible for the attacks on September 11^th only divide us as Americans and should not be tolerated.  Her views on immigration and desire to give Afghanistan back to the Taliban are shocking.

Jim Himes continues to prove that he is the right person to represent us.  He comes with an innovative set of ideas and experiences that will bring a new perspective to Congress and his intelligence, integrity and enthusiasm only underscore his capabilities.

I wholeheartedly endorse Jim Himes for Congress in the 4^th CD and ask you to join me at the polls tomorrow.  

Washington, D.C.:

Veterans and Military Families for Progress (www.vmfp.org) enthusiastically and proudly endorses Robert Hamilton in the upcoming California Forty-ninth Congressional District election.  Founded in 2005, VMFP is dedicated to ensuring that the rights and needs of veterans, active-duty service members (including national guard and reservists), and their families are understood by the American public, endorsed by our elected officials, and protected by legislation, regulation, and public policy initiatives. 

Hamiton’s service to our country cannot be questioned. He was commissioned as a naval officer from the NROTC Program at UCLA, served aboard a destroyer during the Vietnam War, has two brothers who have served, and shares the values of our military forces.  Hamilton’s strong commitment to the issues that are critical to veterans, those serving now, and their families is unsurpassed. His public support for mandatory full funding of the Veterans Administration and his declared determination to provide for the establishment of a national veterans and military family policy give veterans and their families hope that at long last a congressman will vote in such a way as to keep faith with those who have served and sacrificed.   

Additionally, Hamilton’s decision to support the passage of a 21^st century GI bill, and his deep understanding of the need for providing and guaranteeing full health coverage for National Guard and Reserve personnel, demonstrate that he is a candidate who has the character and courage to do what is right for those in service to our country.  We feel that veterans, active duty, military families, and in fact, all people of the Forty-ninth District of California will be well-served with Robert Hamilton as their representative by ensuring that America remains strong in national defense and in fighting terrorism. 

Veterans and Military Families for Progress is a 501(c)(4) non-partisan, not-for-profit veterans organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is a 21^st Century organization made up of members located throughout the country, and from across the breadth of rank and military services, who served, are serving, or are family members of those who have heeded the call to serve their country in the U.S. military.

After every flight, Quantas pilots fill out a form

Here are some of the actual maintenance complaints submitted by the Qantas' pilots (as marked with a P) and the solutions recorded (as marked with an S) by the maintenance engineers.

By the way, it is relevant to note that Qantas is the only major airline in the world that has never, ever, had a major accident!

Problem: Left inside main tire almost needs replacement.
Solution: Almost replaced left inside main tire.

P: Test flight OK, except auto-land very rough.
S: Auto-land not installed on this aircraft.

P: Something loose in the cockpit.
S: Something tightened in the cockpit.

P: Dead bugs on windshield.
S: Live bugs on backorder.

P: Autopilot in altitude-hold mode produces a 200 feet per minute descent.
S: Cannot reproduce problem on ground.

P: Evidence of a leak on the right main landing gear.
S: Evidence removed.

P: DME volume unbelievably loud.
S: DME volume reset to a more believable level.

P: Friction locks cause throttle levers to stick.
S: That's what friction locks are for.

P: IFF inoperative in OFF mode.
S: IFF always inoperative in OFF mode.

P: Suspected crack in windshield.
S: Suspect you're right.

P: The number 3 engine is missing.
S: Engine found on right wing after a brief search.

P: Aircraft handles funny.
Ed. (I love this one!!!)
S: Aircraft warned to straighten up, fly right and be serious.

P: Target radar hums.
S: Reprogrammed target radar with lyrics.

P: Mouse in cockpit.
S: Cat installed.

And the best one saved for last......

P: Noise coming from under the instrument panel. Sounds like a midget pounding on something with a hammer.
S: Took hammer away from midget.

Don Young is one of the worst congressmen in the U.S. House. His massive appetite for earmarks and pork projects, including the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere," is legendary. He is one of only 13 Republicans to vote in favor of ending secret ballots in union elections. He has spent, to date, $1.2 million responding to ongoing federal corruption investigations related to his VECO and Coconut Road dealings.

[...]

Luckily for conservatives (and Republicans), Don Young is being challenged in the primary by Sean Parnell, a young reformer who has been endorsed by National Review, the Club for Growth and Alaska Right-to-Life, among many others.

The choice here, between a pork-o-rama 35-year incumbent under federal investigation and a young conservative reformer, should be pretty easy for anyone who understands that the GOP has serious problems and needs to change its big spending ways and get back to true conservative principles.

This election cycle presents an opportunity for Alaska Republicans to rid themselves of one of their most corrupt politicians. I join Ragnar Danneskjold at the Jawa Report in hoping Alaskans choose ethical governance over incumbency on August 26.

You can donate to Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell's campaign here.

Per the advice of both Tim Ferris and Michael Leddy, I recently purchased and installed an Incredible Head Power Showerhead. (Yeah, I know, an unfortunate name.) I found it at Wal-Mart for under $5. I got the model with the soap-up valve for navy showers and have begun, whenever possible, taking navy showers.

What, you ask, is a navy shower? Well, as Wikipedia explains, a navy shower is when you (1) turn on the water, (2) immediately wet the body, (3) turn off the water, (4) soap up and scrub, (5) turn the water back on and rinse off the soap.” The opposite of a navy shower is a Hollywood shower. Growing up, I remember my dad taking navy showers all the time. I imagine he picked up the habit in the military. I, however, have been a Hollywood shower man for as long as I can remember. Until recently, that is.

Now, navy showers aren’t for everyone, and technically you don’t even need an Incredible Head Power Showerhead to take them – though it makes things easier. Yet if a one-time staunch Hollywood shower man like myself can change his habits, you can too. It’s the red-blooded American thing to do and it’s good for the planet because it helps conserve water.