Luxury: Real Estate (3)

Michael Zingraf
Superb properties with panoramic sea views, top-quality building materials, the most prestigious locations, chateaux influenced by Venetian palaces at the heart of perfactly lanscaped grounds, masterpieces of ultra-modern architecture ...


Only the best, the rarest and the most exceptional on the French Riviera from Menton to Saint-Tropez is offered by Michaal zingraf. We are present in the most popular towns on the French Riviera, Cannes, Mougins, St-Paul de Vence, St-Jean Cap Ferrat and Monaco, in order to offer you the widest possible selection: from Provencal "bastides" and residences full of charm to mansions and Californian-style villas. Nothing escapes our team, permanently on the look-out for very best, for a remarkable offer.


Waterfront Property
Cannes and the Riviera is an area to enjoy life, properties have an emotional value and it is necessary to respect the personality, the sensitivity and the confidentiality of both buyer and seller. The perfect knowledge of 2000 waterfront properties justifies your visit and you have all the time to choose the property of your dreams.

Luxury: Real Estate (2)

Dotta Immobilier
Dotta Immobilier is one of the oldest agencies in Monaco. Created in 1894, our family company has made a name for itself and built a reputation as the leading high-class real estate agency, offering "exceptional services for exceptional clients". Our offices are located in the "Carre d'Or", the most prestigious area in Monaco, nearby the Hotel de Paris, the Hotel Hermitage and the Casino.




Magrey & Sons
Quality properties for sale and to rent in the Cannes and Mougins region. Offices at Galerie de l'Hotel Majestic, 9 Bd Croisette, Cannes.

Luxury: Real Estate (1)

For 25 years now on the Cote d'Azur, our international clientele has trusted us for their real estate purchases in Monaco or their properties on the French Riviera. Our customers particularly appreciate our discretion and our dynamism, which enable us to offer them exclusive and customised services, in all confidentiality, in Monaco and elsewhere, for luxury real estate on the Cote d'Azur .


We are situated in the very heart of Monaco, and accompany our clients in their passion for real estate along the whole of the Cote d'Azur (prestige apartments in Monte-Carlo, luxury properties in Cap Ferrat, exclusive villas in Cannes, prestige properties in Cap d'Antibes) and across Europe (London, Paris, Geneva).


Azur Prestige
We have a wide range of properties for you to consider. Starting with charming studios through to prestigious properties located in the south of France (St Tropez, Ramatuelle, Grimaud...)




Chesterfield
Chesterfield are specialists in the sale and acquisition of flats and houses at the top end of the Central London market.

Luxury: Yachts and Boats (3)

1969 - Paolo Vitelli, before taking his University degree started his own company in Turin, Italy, The purpose of the business was to charter sailing boats. Therefore he transformed his passion into a business of luxury motor yachts. Amerglass, a modern Dutch shipyard producing boats in fibreglass, conferred the first dealership contract in Italy on the newly-founded power boat manufacturer Azimut. The business developed quickly, adding the distribution of sailing boats, motorcruisers and finally motoryachts from different makers: British Powles, Westerly, and others.

The product of a joint-venture with Amerglass, the first fibreglass motorcruiser developed, the AZ 43 BALI, was an instant success. The range of motorcruisers extended downwards with the introduction in 1977 of the AZ 32 Targa model: soon after, a full range of successful luxury Motorcruiser and Motoryacht models came onto the market.


For 125 years the name of Blohm + Voss has stood for quality in shipbuilding and mechanical engineering. Today, Blohm + Voss GmbH is a highly specialised industrial enterprise in which sophisticated products are produced for the world market. The activities of Blohm + Voss GmbH can be summed up in three areas: Naval vessels, Fast passenger, ferry and cargo ships, Mega yachts.

Luxury: Yachts and Boats (2)

The history of CRN is a story full of successes, which have been accumulating right from the beginning. Set up by Sanzio Nicolini in 1963, the shipyard immediately established itself in a market which targeted a very select clientele. This has been the guiding principle behind CRN right from the outset and has earned it a position among the top world builders of luxury mega yachts. The first "series" of 23 metre hulls known as "Super Conero" was built, followed by even larger and more prestigious boats, made in association with designers who will help to establish the shipyard internationally.


With a fleet of 118 mega yachts launched, the CRN shipyard in Ancona has, since 1963, been one of the principal world builders of luxury yachts in steel and aluminium. CRN is the acronym of "Costruzioni e Riparazioni Navali" and is the symbol of an unquestionable leadership in the international yachting world. Today the shipyard builds fully customised mega yachts in steel and aluminium from 46 to 72 metres under the CRN name and semi-custom vessels in composite from 29 to 43 metres under the Custom Line name. Recognisable for their characteristic bow, CRN yachts have always been a synonimous of exclusiveness and prestige.


The yachts by CRN are everything a ship-owner could want. Style, elegance, prestige, exclusiveness, but giving the possibility of expressing oneself and creating ones own wishes. Real giants in the field of yachts, with the same aim: transmitting unforgettable emotions on board a queen of the sea, a perfect combination between power and design at the highest level.


The experience of designing and building nearly 30 superyachts since 1981 has made Amels a world leader in custom yacht building. Amels is now operating in a fully modernized facility that has built more than 400 naval and commercial ships since 1876. By any standard, this means that today's Amels is capable of delivering the highest quality superyachts in the industry.


Amels has indeed mastered the art of yacht building, creating fully customised luxury yachts up to 100 metres by applying advanced research and thorough testing, and by constantly raising its quality to set the standard for others, winning many coveted awards along the way. Now, to meet increasing demand by clients who seek to build a luxury yacht on a proven platform of Amels architecture, but in less time and with greater economy, Amels has introduced the innovative concept of LIMITED EDITIONS, embodied in the first of a new series, the AMELS 171. The Amels logo has come to stand for durability, security, beauty, comfort, and lasting value. It signifies one of the finest luxury yachts that people and machines can build together.

Luxury: Yachts and Boats (1)

Aicon Yachts, with its head office in Giammoro, has been working for more than fifteen years in the field of interior furnishings, and in particular, in naval and motor yacht outfitting (in wood, metal and composed materials). At present, Aicon employs 80 personnel, each with acquired experience, and extensive relationships established with skilled operators in the yacht building industry. They enjoy a competitive advantage that is derived from being located in Sicily, where yacht building has undertaken an important shift in development toward the construction of luxury motoryachts (from 14 to 35 meters). They expect to grow to over 250 employees over the next four years, with sales approaching 100 billion (Italian lire).


The Aicon shipyard is based in the industrial area of Giammoro, about 200 meters from the water. Aicon's production facilities cover approx. 39,000 square feet, with 14,00 under cover. The facilities house all fiberglass, stainless and joinery, along with the machinery and technology for processing timber and metal. CAD-CAM systems are used in the production of Aicon's line of yachts. To accommodate Aicon's growing line-up, they have acquired a well-known maintenance shipyard in Augusta for the production of semi-displacement yachts ranging from 100 to 130 feet. And in March of 2005, the Villafranca Tirrena site will host production of the new open series yachts.


Atlantis revolutionizes standard concepts of quality of the Italian yachts. Sophisticated style taken care of by the most well known and established international designers, exclusive materials, innovations and hi-tech solutions from the automobile industry together overturn the previously regarded 'normal' equations between dimensions and magnificence of the luxury speed boats.


Atlantis follows a continuous process of technological development: new technologies to obtain luxury motor yachts with the highest levels of structural resistance using efficient procedures that have a minimal environmental impact. Only a limited number of competitors can boast, even today, the innovative procedures that have been adopted by the Atlantis yard for over 10 years.


The elevated automation and the efficient assembly lines of our luxury speed boats are decisive factors in the Italian high quality production. These elements are further enhanced, in our yards, with carefully planned control procedures designed to elevate quality indexes, which we are able to guarantee and witness.

Luxury: Jets and Helicopters (4)

An improvement on the popular Gulfstream IV-SP (G400), the Gulfstream 450 comes with upgraded engines, the latest avionics technology, and aerodynamic enhancements. With a range of almost 5000 statute miles, the Gulfstream 450 connects continents with ease. Fourteen passengers fly in a spacious and comfortable cabin which includes a full service galley, a large stand-up lavatory, and an in-flight accessible baggage compartment. A flight attendant is on board every Gulfstream 450 flight to ensure your comfort.


Gulfstream 500/550
The Gulfstream V has evolved into the Gulfstream 550, the best all around ultra-long-range business jet in the world. With numerous upgrades such as new avionics, greater fuel efficiency, better airfield performance, and improved range. The Gulfstream 550 boasts the longest cabin in its class allowing up to 14 passengers to work productively or to stretch out and relax. Fourteen oversized windows bathe the stand-up cabin in natural light. Other amenities include a large, stand-up lavatory, an in-flight accessible baggage compartment and a full-service galley. A flight attendant is onboard every flight to help ensure passenger comfort and safety.



Gulfstream 200
The Gulfstream 200 offers the range and comfort of a large cabin business jet for a midsize cabin price. In addition, an impressive cruise speed of 540 mph makes the Gulfstream 200 ideal for nonstop transcontinental travel. Passenger comfort is one of the many hallmarks of this super midsize business jet. Its spacious cabin seats nine passengers comfortably and offers 6'3" of stand-up headroom, which exceeds all other aircraft in its class and is taller than most large cabin jets. Furthermore, the fully heated and pressurized baggage compartment in the Gulfstream 200 is the largest in its class with 150 cubic feet of space.



Sikorsky S-76
The S-76 helicopter has long set the standard for VIP helicopter transport, uniquely meeting the needs of discriminating clientele around the world. Now, the upgraded and enhanced S-76 known as the S-76C++ is raising the bar even higher. Sikorsky Aircraft delivers safety, comfort, performance and more in the S-76C++ helicopter, with an array of thoughtfully designed upgrades that make it the gold standard for the executive transport mission. The S-76C++ merges modern technology enhancements, including more power- ful engines, with luxurious interior appointments designed to enhance executive comfort at every turn. At the same time, the S-76C++ delivers maximum value, remaining extraordinarily cost-effective to own and operate. Long known for setting the standard for excellence among the world's executive transport helicopters, Sikorsky has continued that legacy with the evolutionary S-76C++.


Sikorsky S-92
The Sikorsky S-92 offers a standard 9-passenger interior within its spacious cabin, and can incorporate custom features including a galley, wet bar, closets, and even a lavatory. Active vibration suppressors and acoustic technologies make the cabin considerably quieter and the flight smooth so you can relax, read or get some work done. With a six-foot (1.83 m) high ceiling, the S-92 offers true stand-up headroom – enabling you to walk freely throughout the cabin without stooping. The wide, open space also means more comfort when seated. To complete the perfect flight environment, the S-92 offers warm air at your feet and fresh, controlled air overhead.

Luxury: Jets and Helicopters (3)

Global Express XRS
The Bombardier Global Express XRS corporate jet is the most luxurious, most accomplished business jet ever built, accommodating the desires of the most sophisticated and demanding traveler with no compromises. Building on its Global Express heritage and raising the bar yet again, this extraordinary aircraft offers even greater cabin comfort, enhanced performance and further advanced technology for increased productivity and peace of mind. No other aircraft in its class flies you faster, farther. Balancing comfort, speed and range in a way that maximizes each with agile brilliance, the Bombardier Global Express XRS corporate jet places you at the top of your game and the world in the palm of your hand.


With a cabin as responsive to your needs as the world's finest hotel, the Bombardier Global Express XRS offers the ultimate in spaciousness, privacy, luxury and comfort. From a well-appointed aft stateroom with its own amenities, to the separate and generous main cabin, ample galley and dedicated crew rest area - nothing has been overlooked in providing the ideal "13-hour-plus" environment. Numerous enhancements are evidence of the even more enlightened approach to passenger comfort and productivity that Bombardier has taken with the Global Express XRS.


Challenger 300
Created from a clean sheet, the Bombardier Challenger 300 is the definitive, super-midsize corporate jet, developed to satisfy customer needs unmet by any other aircraft. The Bombardier Challenger 300 aircraft is a sophisticated, high-performance business jet with a true U.S. coast-to-coast range. As owners affirm, it is "right on the money" and, without doubt, the best value in its class. Uncompromising and unlimited in both comfort and business capabilities, the Bombardier Challenger 300 aircraft has been created with ingenuity and vision, to evolve smoothly with the rapid pace of the corporate world and maintain its value over time.


Global 5000
The Bombardier Global 5000 corporate jet aircraft outclasses all competitors in one affirming declaration of style and performance. This powerful and luxurious aircraft provides unequalled comfort, at unmatched speeds and over unsurpassed distances. More versatile than any business jet in their class, Global 5000 aircraft allow access to even the most challenging airfields around the world.

Kingair

Ever wonder why there are scores more Beechcraft King Airs flying around the world than all other turboprops combined? It is simply because they can do more at a lower cost than the others. And the best-selling model of all is the venerable Beechcraft King Air B200. How else would it have continued in production for so many years? It was the best when introduced; it is even better today.

The new-generation Beechcraft King Air B200 continues the tradition of unmatched capability and value with enhancements including a Collins Pro Line 21 avionics package to improve its already-legendary capabilities and the unique, quiet cabin that will make passengers even more comfortable than before.




Beechcraft Kingair 350
The new-generation Beechcraft King Air 350 is truly a "go anywhere, do anything" airplane. With its luxurious nine-passenger interior, it makes the perfect business tool or family getaway vehicle. With its reliable Pratt & Whitney Canada engines, fowler flaps, rugged and wide dual-wheel main landing gear, and exceptional short-field performance, the King Air 350 gets you into and out of runways as short as 3,300 feet - at gross weight.

But there is more to a King Air 350 than muscle. It also performs more cost-effectively than anything in its class. So adding a Beehcraft King Air 350 to your portfolio actually lets you do more for less. It saves you money to use elsewhere.

Luxury: Jets and Helicopters

Airbus Corporate Jet
Next Item

The Airbus Corporate Jetliner offers the best business travel or entertainment environment. It belongs to the most successful airliner Family ever, the A320 Family. With 3,700 sales, the A320 Family is flown by 150 clients, including more than 25 "Executive" customers. Today, 25,000 pilots are qualified to fly the ACJ. The Airbus Corporate Jetliner brings new dimensions to the business jet market with the widest cabin in its class, the most modern technology, the highest operational performance flexibility and the best customer support coverage.

The ACJ cabin benefits from the widely recognized and voted best overall A320 Family cabin. Almost twice as wide as standard business jets, the ACJ cabin offers a 6000 ft³ cabin volume or 850ft³ area which is greater than any other business jet on the market. In addition, the ACJ features the highest ceiling in the market with 2.25 m/7.4 ft, ensuring a full standing height everywhere in the aircraft.

This extra space will stretch your designer's imagination to create the best in comfort and style. The ACJ is bringing new dimensions to the business aviation world in order to increase your comfort, productivity and security. It offers enough space to accomodate fully private offices making the working invironment more productive: on board presentations and negotiations during the trip make it a truly mobile company head office. The spacious cabin offers a very high flexibility in cabin arrangement for private, governmental and corporate operations.

VIP Life Stories

We don't tolerate the involuntary obeying others, even at school. We refuse to stay in one line with mediocrity. We do not accept the preservation of status quo by bureaucrats.
We refuse to act according to the book.

We write our own "book" of life and create by denying traditions. We can survive failure after failure but not change our belief in our own self. We move forward, push to the edge, and live our dreams.

Creative personalities, innovators, leaders. We believe in our self, in our own decisions and leave aside those who don't share our point of view. We demonstrate such confidence in our ideas, that the fear of failure, which follows the others, retreats. We have such self-confidence, that others start to think that we know, where the levers of the world are and how to operate them.

Who are we? How have we succeeded? And how can you use our ideas on your own way to success?

Welcome to the most useful and rare database on the world: the database of success. Enjoy it!

Los Angeles–Area Talent Agencies

AKA Talent Agency (ATA-AFTRA)

6310 San Vicente Blvd., Ste. 200

Los Angeles, CA 90048

(323) 965-5600

www.akatalent.com

Designated Agents: Partners Mike Abrams, Doug Ely, Pamela Porter represent adults for On-Camera Commercials. Assistants: Shannon Bobo and Chip Hooley (Adult On-Camera Commercials). Noreen Konkle represents children 5 and older for On-Camera Commercials; David Stieve is the Adult Theatrical Agent; Patrick Welborn is the Head Theatrical Agent; Jason Doran is the Youth Theatrical Agent; Mike Schibel heads the newly-formed Hosting and Broadcasting Division.

Interviews by appointment only, mailed submissions by referral only. No walk-ins/drop-offs; unsolicited materials will not be reviewed or returned. Attends showcases.



Abrams Artists Agency, Inc. (ATA-AFTRA-EQUITY)

9200 Sunset Blvd., 11th fl.

Los Angeles, CA 90069

(310) 859-0625

Commercial Direct: (310) 859-1417

Fax: (310) 276-6193

Designated Agents: Adult (Features, TV, Theatrical): Harry Abrams (Owner), Joe Rice, Marni Rosenzweig, Harold Augenstein, Nathan Schwam, Gregg Klein, Eric Emery, Brian Cho, Lauren Peltz. Youth (Features, TV, Theatrical): Wendi Green, Jennifer Millar. Adult Commercials: Mark Measures, Peter Novick, Valerie Chiovetti, Keith Clemens, Kristin Nava and Tony Stevens. Youth Commercials: Brad Diffley. Voice Dept. (Theatrical & Commercial): Mark Quinn, Mark Measures, Bradford Bricken, Gabriel Watkins. (Broadcast Journalism/Host/MC's): Alec Shankman, Mark Measures.

Actors/actresses, athletes, broadcasters, speakers/lecturers, children (5-12), comedians, narrators, spokespersons, teens (13-19)/young adults, voice actors for animated series/features, CD-ROMs and interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, soaps, sound recordings & promotional announcements, theatre, TV, voice-overs.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Don't phone/fax or visit. Attends showcases.



Acme Talent & Literary (ATA-AFTRA-EQUITY-WGA-DGA)

4727 Wilshire Blvd., #333

Los Angeles, CA 90010

(323) 954-2263

Commercial Direct: (323) 634-7933

Fax: (323) 954-2262

Designated Agents: Adam Lieblein (President), Stephen Rice (A) (Adult - Theatrical, TV); Emily Hope (A) (Adult - Commercials); Eddie Winkler (Children/Commercials); Greg Meyer (Adult - Theatrical); Molly Sweet (Children Theatrical); Tag Turner (Print); Karin Jensen (Print); Mickey Freiberg (WGA-DGA) (Packaging, Literary).

Actors/actresses, athletes, children (5-12), comedians, ethnic/foreign types, literary dept., models (Male & Female), seniors (mature), teens (13-19)/young adults for animated series/features, CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, music videos, print advertising, soaps, sound recordings, theatre, TV and voice-overs.

Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Must be established and have references for theatrical submissions. Literary submissions should be query letters only with SASE. Accepts videotapes for theatrical submissions when referrals have been made. Tapes will not be returned. Attends showcases. Please don't phone/fax or visit.



Allure Model & Talent Agency (ATA-AFTRA)

5556 Centinela Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90066

(310) 306-1150

Email: alluretalent@earthlink.net

Designated Agents: Shawn Brogan (S) (Agency Director/Theatrical Agent/Owner); Liza Karakashian (Commercial Dept.); Miss Jamie (Head of the Children's Department); Robin Welch (Office Manager in charge of New Talent); Michael Daly (Fashion/Print Dept.); Joe Fiske (Literary Dept.); Merci Ligertwood (Assistant), Nicole Jamison (Office Assistant); Andrea Ballard (Administrative Assistant).

Represents all types and ages of actors/actresses, models (male and female) and dancers for CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, music videos, print advertising, soaps, theatre, TV. Currently looking for all types.

Please don't phone/fax or visit. Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés and tapes (audio/video) by mail only. Audio/videotapes will not be returned. Attends showcases. Industry referral preferred. To submit scripts, writers must be Writers Guild members only.



Alvarado Rey Agency (ATA-AFTRA)

8455 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 410

Los Angeles, CA 90048

(323) 655-7978

Designated Agent: Nikkolas Rey (Owner/ Agent); Alex Lara (Associate), Vince Gomez (Associate, Print Division), Andrew Somerville (Associate, Theatrical Division).

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), ethnic/foreign types, language specialists, seniors (mature), teens (13-19)/young adults for animated series/features, CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, print advertising, soaps, sound recordings & promotional announcements, theatre, TV, voice-overs.

The print department is expanding in the commercial and fashion areas and submissions are encouraged. Please send to the attention of the Print Division. Theatrical Department is by referral only. Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. No longer accepts unsolicited tapes. Don't phone/fax or visit. Attends showcases.



Amatruda Benson & Associates (ABA) (SAG)

9107 Wilshire Blvd., #500

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(310) 276-1851

Fax: (310) 276-3517

Designated Agents: Kimberly Gola (Print, Commercial), Joseph Le (Feature Film, Television) and Chris Ledford (Adult Commercials).

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), dance performers, ethnic/foreign types, teens (13-19)/young adults for commercials, films, print advertising, soaps, theatre and TV.

Don't phone/fax or visit. Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Attends showcases/accepts showcase invitations. Open call every Wednesday from 3-4 pm for child models, all ethnicities, ages 3 and up, size 3T to 16 juniors, for print ads. Please bring current photo (snapshots okay) with child's name, dress size, and contact phone number on back. Photos will not be returned.



Amsel, Eisenstadt & Frazier, Inc. (ATA-AFTRA-EQUITY)

5055 Wilshire Boulevard, #865

Los Angeles, CA 90036

(323) 939-1188

Designated Agents: Michael Eisenstadt, John Frazier (Owners - Theatrical); Carolyn Thompson-Goldstein (Youth - Theatrical & Commercials); Gloria Hinojosa (Theatrical & Commercial); Nicole Jolley (Youth Theatrical & Commercials).

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), comedians, ethnic/foreign types, seniors (mature), teens (13-19)/young adults for animated series/features, CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, music videos, soaps, theatre, TV.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Don't phone/fax or visit. Attends showcases.



Angel City Talent 4741 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Ste. 101

Valley Village, CA 91607

(818) 760-9980

Fax: (818) 760-9985

Designated Agents: Mimi Mayer is handling adults for film, television, stage and theatrical, voiceovers and public/motivational speakers. Lincoln Dabagia is handling actors/actresses (actively seeking seasoned character actors of all ages and ethnicities), athletes, broadcasters, comedians, hosts, dance performers, ethnic/foreign types, language specialists, models, swimsuit models, male and female, (16 and older, all ethnicities) for on-camera commercials, narrators, performers with disabilities, seniors (mature), singers and spokespersons in the Commercial Department. Youth/Teen Agent: Vicki Miller.

Currently seeking kids from 4-17, all ethnicities, shapes and sizes, good characters, strong actors (L.A.–area residents and industry referrals preferred).

Don't phone, fax, or visit. Interviews by appointment only. Only industry referrals. Mail submissions. Absolutely no personal deliveries. Attends showcases and plays, locally, regionally and nationally.



Bobby Ball Agency (ATA-AFTRA-EQUITY)

4342 Lankershim Blvd.

Universal City, CA 91602

(818) 506-8188

Designated Agents: Owner: Patty Grana-Miller. Choreography/Dance: Michelle Zeitlin; Commercial & Host: Tony Hannagan; Models: Christine Tarallo, Wendy Bogdan; Commercial & Sports: Brandon Olech; Kids Commercial & Theatrical: Doug Murphy.

Actors/actresses, athletes, children (5-12), dance performers, hand/body parts, seniors (mature), models, narrators, singers (Equity), spokespersons, teens (13-19)/young adults for commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, music videos, print advertising, soaps, theatre, TV, voice-overs (only Spanish).

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Don't phone/fax. Attends showcases.



Baron Entertainment (SAG-AFTRA)

5757 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 659

Los Angeles, CA 90036

(323) 936-7600

Fax: (323) 936-8600

Email: rod@baronentertainment.com

www.baronentertainment.com

Designated Agents: Rod Baron (Owner). Michael Sutton, Jon Meyer and Bill Ramsey (Assistants).

Actors/actresses of all ages including children, athletes, comedians, models (female & male), musicians, spokespersons for commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, music videos, print advertising, soaps, and TV.

Don't phone/fax or visit. Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Attends showcases/accepts showcase invitations. Looking for experienced talent.



Marian Berzon Talent Agency (SAG-ATA-AFTRA-EQUITY-WGA)

336 E. 17th St.

Costa Mesa, CA 92627

(949) 631-5936

Designated Agents: Marian Berzon and Mark Pavlovich.

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), ethnic/foreign types, models, narrators, performers with disabilities, seniors (mature), spokespersons, teens (13-19)/young adults for animated series/features, CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, print advertising, soaps, theatre, TV and voice-over.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only.



Bonnie Black Talent & Literary Agency (SAG-AFTRA-WGA)

12034 Riverside Dr., Ste. 103

Valley Village, CA 91607

(818) 753-5424

Designated Agents: Bonnie & Frank Black.

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), comedians, literary dept., seniors (mature), models, spokespersons, teens (13-19)/young adults for CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, print advertising, soaps, TV.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Do not phone/fax or email. Do not visit. Attends showcases. Send query letters only. No scripts. Do not seal submissions.



Brand Model & Talent (SAG-AFTRA)

1520 Brookhollow Drive, #39

Santa Ana, CA 92705

(714) 850-1158

Designated Agents: Linda Robirds (Print Division), , Lisa Burdick (Children), Kara Noel (Non-Union Children), Crystal Anderson (Tradeshow/Promotion), Marlyn Klaarmand (New Faces), Lisa Audiss (Commercial-Theatrical, Plus Size, 12-18, 5'9 and above, Voice-Over), Katrina Attaman (Fittings and Runway).

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), dance performers, ethnic/foreign types, hand/body parts, infants/babies, seniors (mature), models, narrators, spokespersons, teens (13-19)/young adults for commercials, industrials, infomercials, print advertising, voice-overs.

Don't phone, fax, or visit. Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Accepts tapes (audio/video). Send snapshots. Don't visit. Attends showcases.



Buchwald Talent Group (AFTRA)

6500 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 2210

Los Angeles, CA 90048

(323) 852-9555

Buchwald Talent Group is a youth agency-handling babies to young adults. Designated Agents: Philip Leader, Debbie Palmer, Julie Fulop (Commercials and Voice-overs).

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/ résumés and tapes (audio/video) by mail only. Attends showcases. Buchwald Talent Group is the youth division of Don Buchwald & Associates.



Cassell-Levy, Inc. (CLInc.) (ATA-AFTRA)

843 North Sycamore Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90038

(323) 461-3971

Designated Agents: Leanna Levy, Richard Ohanesian and Susie Kittelson.

Actors/actresses, athletes, children, broadcasters, comedians, ethnic/foreign types, performers with disabilities, language specialists, seniors (mature), narrators, spokespersons for CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, industrials, infomercials, print advertising, voice-overs.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Accepts tapes (audio/video).



Castle Hill Enterprises (SAG-AFTRA-EQUITY-AFM)

1101 S. Orlando Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90035

(323) 653-3535

www.castlehillagency.com

Represents actors/actresses, children, young adults, ethnic foreign types, language specialists, musicians, variety performers, performers w/disabilities, seniors, singers and spokespersons for Theatre, T.V., film, commercials, CD-ROMS & Interactive, Industrials/Info-mercials, music videos, print advertising, soaps, sound recordings & promotional announcements, and voiceovers.

Don't fax or visit. Interviews by appointment only.



W. Randolph Clark Company (SAG-AFTRA)

13415 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 3

Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

(818) 385-0583

Designated Agents: W. Randolph Clark (President), Arlene Tsurutani.

Actors/actresses, children/teens (ages 3-16) (union/non-union), seniors (mature) (SAG/union only), for animated series/features, CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, music videos, TV.

Don't phone/fax or visit. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Tapes upon request only. Unsolicited audio/video tapes not returned. Interviews by appointment only. Attends showcases/accepts showcase invitations. Also represents below-the-line production talent: costume designers, production designers and directors of photography.



Colleen Cler Talent Agency (SAG-AFTRA)

178 S. Victory, #108

Burbank, CA 91502

(818) 841-7943

www.colleencler.com

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), models, teens (up to 19)/young adults for commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, print advertising, theatre, TV.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/ résumés by mail only.



Coast To Coast Talent Group, Inc. (ATA-AFTRA-EQUITY-WGA)

3350 Barham Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90068

(323) 845-9200

Actors/actresses, athletes, children (5-12), comedians, ethnic/foreign types, performers with disabilities, infants/babies, seniors (mature), teens (13-19)/young adults for animated series/features, CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, music videos, print advertising, soaps, TV, theatre/musical theatre and voice-over work (children only).

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Don't visit. Attends showcases.



Coralie Jr. Theatrical Agency (SAG-AFTRA-EQUITY-WGA-AFM)

4789 Vineland Ave., Ste. 100

North Hollywood, CA 91602

(818) 766-9501

Designated Agents: Coralie, Jr. (S-A-E), Stuart Edward (S-A-E).

Represents actors/actresses, athletes, cabaret acts, children (5-12), comedians, dance performers, ethnic/foreign types, language specialists, teens (13-19)/young adults, seniors (mature), literary dept., models, musicians, narrators, performers w/ disabilities, singers (actors & actresses), spokespersons, circus acts and little people for animated series/features, commercials, industrials, films, music videos, print advertising, soaps, theatre, TV, sound recordings and voice-overs.

Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Accepts tapes (audio/video). Tapes will not be returned. Don't visit.



Cunningham-Escott-Slevin-Doherty (CESD)/Los Angeles (ATA-AFTRA-EQUITY)

10635 Santa Monica Blvd., #130

Los Angeles, CA 90025

Commercials: (310) 475-2111

Children's Division: (310) 475-3336

Print Division: (310) 475-7573

www.cesdtalent.com

Designated Agents: T.J. Escott (Chairman/Partner), Paul Doherty (Secretary-Treasurer/Partner). Voice-Overs: Peter Varano (Commercials), Jerry Ryba (Commercials), Cathey Lizzio (Animation/Voices), Pat Brady (Animation/Puppeteers), Ryan Hedlund (Promos/ Trailers/Narrations), Anthony Oh (Promos/Trailers/Narrations). On-Camera: Adrienne Berg, David Ziff, Linda Jenkins; Youth: Mitchell Gossett (Youth - Film/TV), Margot Klar (Youth-TV/Film & Adult-Hosting), Carol Lynn Sher (Youth - Print & On Camera), Dedra Galiher (On-Camera) Melissa Berger (Youth - Commercials & Voice-Overs); Print & Fashion: Carol Scott; Print: Alex Fox, Leslie Cascales.

Actors/actresses, athletes, broadcasters, celebrities, children (5-12), comedians, dance performers, ethnic/foreign types, performers with disabilities, hand/body parts, infants/babies, language specialists, seniors (mature), models, musicians, narrators, recording artists, singers (actors & actresses), spokespersons, teens (13-19)/young adults for all areas.

Accepts photos & résumés. Voice-Over demos on CD accepted by mail. CED would prefer to receive voice demos via your website, an FTP site or an MP3 file. Just email the link or the file to us at LAVoices@cesdtalent.com. Do not send WAV files. No drop-ins. Do not phone/fax or visit. Attends showcases.



5 Star Talent Agency (ATA-AFTRA)

2312 Janet Lee Dr.

La Crescenta, CA 91212

(818) 249-4241

www.5startalent.net

Designated Agent: Margaret Harrow (S) (Owner).

Represents children and teens (both union and non-union) (4-14) and adults (Union only) with a résumé that reflects relevant industry experience, for commercials, films, and TV.

See website at www.5startalent.net. Written submission accepted only. Don't phone/fax.



GFTA Gwyn Foxx Talent Agency (ATA-AFTRA)

3800 West Olive Ave., Ste. 300

Burbank, CA 91505

(818) 973-2732

Email: gftalentagency@hotmail.com

Designated Agent: Gwyn Foxx. All types for all areas. Currently looking for singers.

Photos/résumés and audio/videotapes are accepted by mail only. Interviews by appointment only. Please don't phone/fax or visit. Attends showcases and accepts showcase invitations.

Dale Garrick International Agency (ATA-AFTRA-WGA)

1017 N. La Cienega Blvd., Ste. 109

West Hollywood, CA 90069

(310) 657-2661

Designated Agents: Dale Garrick (Owner); Theatrical: Alexander S. Dale, Tony Tennecelli, Tonia Renee Lee; Commercials: Cynthia Lynn, Ingrid Dale; Children: Zee Valdan, James Wyckoff, Jon Bundy.

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), ethnic/foreign types, seniors (mature), teens (13-19)/young adults for animated series/features, commercials, films, soaps, TV.

Don't phone/fax or visit. Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only.



Hervey-Grimes Talent Agency (SAG-AFTRA)

10561 Missouri Ave., #2

Los Angeles, CA 90025

(310) 475-2010

(818) 340-8402

Fax: (310) 475-5851

Designated Agents: Marsha Hervey, Pam Grimes.

Will consider nonunion actors 18 and under. Over 18 must be SAG. Actors, comedians, ethnic/foreign types, spokespersons, seniors and children (from infants/babies to teens/young adults) for films, TV, commercials, voice-overs; also CD-ROMs/ interactive, industrials, infomercials, music videos, promotional announcements, and theatre.

Interviews by appointment only. Attend showcases. Headshot/résumé accepted by mail only. No drop-offs; no unsolicited tapes.



Hollander Talent Group, Inc. (SAG-AFTRA)

14011 Ventura Blvd., Ste. 202

Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

(818) 382-9800

Designated Agents: Vivian Hollander (Owner); Stefane Wetherholt.

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), ethnic/foreign types, seniors, infants/babies, teens (13-19)/young adults and seniors for animated series/features, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, music videos, print advertising, soaps, sound recordings & promotional announcements, TV, voice-overs.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos by mail only.



The House of Representatives (ATA-AFTRA-EQUITY)

400 S. Beverly Dr., #101

Beverly Hills, CA 90212

(310) 772-0772

Email: houseofreps3@netscape.net

Designated Agents: Ginger Lawrence, Pam Braverman and Denny Sevier.

Actors/actresses, children age 5 and up, spokespersons, teens (13-19)/young adults for television/features, CD-ROMs & interactive, films, soaps, theatre.

Interviews are by appointment only. The agents set up interviews. Do not phone in to set up an appointment. Accepts one photo/résumé submission by mail only. Do not send separate submissions to each agent. Include contact information. Do not phone/fax or visit. Attends showcases.



Howard Talent West (ATA-AFTRA-EQUITY-DGA)

10657 Riverside Dr.

Toluca Lake, CA 91602

(818) 766-5300

Designated Agents: Bonnie Howard (Owner/Agent), Lynn Eriks (Commercial Dept.), Rebecca Arneson (Executive Assistant).

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), comedians, ethnic/foreign types, infants/babies, seniors (mature), teens (13-19)/young adults for CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, print advertising, soaps, theatre, TV. Also has a hosting department. Theatrical Department is only open to guest star, lead or series regular credits. Commercial Department is limited to national commercial credits only.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Don't phone/fax or visit. Attends showcases.



Identity Talent Agency (ATA)

7080 Hollywood Blvd., Ste. 1009

Hollywood, CA 90028

(323) 469-1100

Fax: (323) 469-1169

Email: submissions@idtalent.com

www.idtalent.com

Designated Agents: Erik DeSando (S) (President); Robert D'Avola (Theatrical), Fran Tolstonog (theatrical), Janet Heng (Theatrical Associate); Peggy Rudman (Commercial - Children); Damu Bobb (Host/Broad-cast Department Agent); Jimmy Villarreal (Celebrity Endorsements & Appearances); ,Chris Morales (Product Integration/Placement division).

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Attends showcases/ accepts showcase invitations. All ages.



Impact Talent Group (SAG-AFTRA-EQUITY)

4401 Wilshire Blvd., #250

Los Angeles, CA 90010

(323) 933-8709

Designated Agents: Sheba L. Williams (Agent), Sheila Morrow (Youth), William Michael Carpenter (Commericals) and Aston P. Wallis (Agent Assistant).

Full service agency specializes in urban and experienced actors with credits. Seeking experienced actors/actresses, semi to pro athletes, performers with specialized skills i.e. BMX bikers, skateboarders, musicians, comedians, dancers, ethnic/foreign types who can speak their native language, as well as youths (5-19) young adults (18 to play younger). Not looking for theatrical talent right now, mainly commercial.

Don't phone/fax or visit. Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Attends showcases.



International Creative Management Inc. (ICM)

(ATA-AFTRA-EQUITY-WGA-DGA-AFM)

8942 Wilshire Blvd.

Beverly Hills, CA 90211

(310) 550-4000

Actors/actresses, writers, directors, producers, authors, below-the-line, DVD developers, new media, videogame developers, broadcasters, show hosts, personal appearance performers, musicians, comedians, narrators, lecturers, recording artists, singers for motion picture, radio, and television, including commercials, films, sound recordings, promotional announcements, voice-overs, theatre and publishing.

Industry referral only. Don't phone, fax or visit.



JS Represents (SAG)

6815 Willoughby Ave., Ste. 102

Los Angeles, CA 90038

(323) 462-3246

Designated Agents: Jon Strotheide (Owner/President), Joe Nichols (Agent).

Actors/actresses, adults of all ages and types and children/young adults (ages 8-17) for commercials.

Interviews by appointment only. Don't phone, fax, or visit.

Kazarian-Spencer & Associates, Inc. (ATA-AFTRA-EQUITY)

11969 Ventura Blvd., 3rd fl., Box 7409

Studio City, CA 91604

(818) 769-9111

Main: (818) 769-9840

www.ksawest.com

Designated Agents: Cynthia Kazarian (President); Pammela Spencer (Exec. Vice-President); Riley Day (VP/Theatrical); Alicia Ruskin (VP/On-Camera), Brooke Sheppner (On-Camera); Jody Alexander & Bonnie Ventis (Co-Directors - Young People), Philip Marcus (Young People); Greg Marrero (Director, Sports/Stunts); Mara Santino, Ryan Daly, Leslie Stokoe, Lee Haspel (Theatrical); Victoria Morris (Director-Equity); Steven Glandini (Equity); Michael Place (Dance/Choreography), Jenny Vavra (Adult Print); Fred Westbrock (Host/Variety).

Actors/actresses, athletes, broadcasters, children (3-12), comedians, ethnic/foreign types, game show hosts, performers with disabilities, hosts, infants/babies, models, narrators, seniors, singers (actors & actresses), spokespersons, stuntmen/stuntwomen, teens (13-18)/young adults for animated series/features, CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, music videos, print advertising, soaps, dance, choreography, theatre, TV.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Don't phone/fax or visit.



Sharon Kemp (SAG)

447 S. Robertson Blvd., #204

Beverly Hills, CA 90211

(310) 858-7200

Designated Agent: Sharon Kemp

Actors/actresses and children (5-12) for TV, films and soaps. Looking for kids (preferably with credits) and adults with TV guest star billing. Now accepting submissions for Kemp Kommercials, the recently opened commercial department.

Don't phone/fax/visit. Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos résumés by mail only. Do not seal envelopes. Attends showcases. Accepts showcase invitations.



L.A. Talent (ATA-AFTRA-EQUITY)

7700 W. Sunset Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90046

(323) 436-7777

Email: assistant@latalent.com

Designated Agents: Patsy Beattie, Mike Casey, Pam Loar (adults) and Tracy Dwyer (children).

Actors/actresses, athletes, children (5-12), ethnic/foreign types, infants/babies, seniors (mature), models, spokespersons, teens (13-19)/young adults for CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, soaps, TV.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Audio/video tapes will not be returned. Attends showcases.

The Levin Agency (SAG-AFTRA)

8484 Wilshire Blvd., #750

Beverly Hills, CA 90211

(323) 653-7073

Designated Agents: Sid Levin (Owner) and Patricia Levin.

Actors/actresses, athletes, broadcasters, cabaret acts, children (5-12), comedians, dance performers, ethnic/foreign types, performers with disabilities, seniors (mature), models, narrators, spokespersons, teens (13-19)/young adults for animated series/features, CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, music videos, print advertising, soaps, theatre, TV, voice-overs. Currently looking for children and young adults.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Don't phone/fax or visit.



Jana Luker Agency (SAG-AFTRA-EQUITY-WGA)

1923 Westwood Blvd., #3

Los Angeles, CA 90025

(310) 441-2822

Designated Agents: Jana Luker (Owner); Kathy Keeley, Gigi Schell.

Actors/actresses, children (4-12), teens (13-19)/young adults, adults, seniors (mature), comedians, ethnic/foreign types for CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, music videos, theatre, TV.

Literary dept. industry referral only. Accepts photos by mail only. Do not seal envelopes. Accepts audio/video tapes on request only. Tapes will not be returned. Attends showcases.



MGA/Mary Grady Agency (SAG-EQUITY)

4400 Coldwater Canyon Ave., Ste. 135

Studio City, CA 91604

(818) 763-8400

Fax: (818) 763-8404

Robert Pafundi (Owner/Agent), Caleigh Vancata (Agent), Piper Dellums.

This 44-year-old agency represents children ages 4-17, SAG adults ages 18-28 and Star Name Actors of all ages for film, television and commercials.

Would like to see reel but will only return submission packages that have a self-addressed stamped return envelope.



Media Artists Group (SAG-AFTRA-WGA)

6300 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 1470

Los Angeles, CA 90048

(323) 658-5050

Literary: (323) 658-7434

Designated Agents: Theatrical: Raphael Berko (CEO), Michael Thompson, Kyle Lawrence. Literary: Barbara Alexander, David Stinnett. Childrens Agent: Jordan Taylor.

Represents all types for all areas.

Don't phone/fax or visit. Industry referral preferred.



Miramar Talent (SAG)

7400 Beverly Blvd., Ste. 220

Los Angeles, CA 90036

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), models, adults (18-30) for commercials, films, print advertising, TV. All ethnicities are encouraged to submit.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/ résumés by mail only. Accepts tapes (audio/video). Don't phone/fax or visit. Attends showcases.



The Morgan Agency (SAG-AFTRA-EQUITY-ATA)

7080 Hollywood Blvd., Ste. 1009

Los Angeles, CA 90028

(323) 469-7100

www.themorganagency.com

Designated Agents: Keith Lewis (President), Robin Voss (Vice President), Julie Wolff (Theatrical), Patricia Dawson and Pierre Gatling (Adult Commercial), Milton Perea (Youth Director, Youth Theatrical, Youth Commercial), Jimmy Villareal (Celebrity Endorse-ments & Appearances), Damu Bobb (Hosting),Rich Smith and David Schember (Print).

Represents children (4 and over), adults and seniors.

Open to submissions from union and nonunion talent. Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/ résumés by mail only. Accepts tapes (audio/video). Don't phone, fax or visit. Attends showcases.



William Morris Agency (ATA-AFTRA-EQUITY-WGA-DGA)

151 El Camino Dr.

Beverly Hills, CA 90212

(310) 859-4000

Actors/actresses, athletes, broadcasters, cabaret acts, children (5-12), comedians, dance performers, ethnic/foreign types, infants/babies, language specialists, literary dept., models, musicians, narrators, performers with disabilities, recording artists, seniors, singers (actors & actresses), spokespersons, teens (13-19)/young adults for commercials, films, TV.

Don't phone/fax or visit.



Susan Nathe & Assoc./CPC (ATA-AFTRA)

8281 Melrose Ave., Ste. 200

Los Angeles, CA 90046

(323) 653-7573

Fax: (323) 653-1179

Email: snathe@packbell.net

Designated Agents: Susan Nathe. Liz Quintero.

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), teens/young adults, infants/babies, seniors (mature), comedians, ethnic/foreign types, models (female & male), spokespersons for films, TV, commercials, industrials, infomercials, animated series/features, soaps, print advertising.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Accepts tapes (audio/video) by mail only. Attends showcases and accepts showcase invitations.



Osbrink Talent Agency (ATA-AFTRA)

4343 Lankershim Blvd., Ste. 100

Universal City, CA 91602

(818) 760-2488

Cindy Osbrink (Partner) heads this prestigious "Full Service" agency as well as the Children's MP/TV Division while Emily Urbani is a Junior Agent under Ms. Osbrink. Scott Wine (Partner) directs the Adult MP/TV Division. Sarah Shyn (Formerly of CAA) is an Adult Theatrical Agent along with Robert Hass (Formerly WMA). Laura Soo Hoo heads the On-Camera Adult's Commercial Division. Angela Strange heads the On-Camera Children's Commercial Division and Alexis Horowitz is a Junior Agent in that department as well. Dawn Osbrink heads the Youth Modeling Division and Bob Dixon (Formerly at Wilhelmina Models) handles the Teen/Adult Fashion Division. Fountain Yount is an agent in the Creative Division for photographers and stylists. The company also has a Voiceover Department headed up by Micaela Stepanovich and an In-House Publicity Department that handles all publicity for the agencies clients which is handled by Allison Henderson. The Osbrink Agency is a busy, mid-sized agency, known for its signature style of warmth and nurturing.

Looking for children with great, outgoing personalities. For children, simple snapshots can be submitted. Teens and Young Adults up to 25 can also submit for all divisions. Also now accepting submissions from seniors and comedic talent in the Commercial Division. Also, Female and Male Models 14-25 for the Print Division.

To submit your headshot for consideration, please go to www.osbrinkagency.com for details. Mail submissions only, pictures nonreturnable.



PTI Talent Agency (SAG-ATA)

14724 Ventura Blvd., Penthouse Ste.

Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

(818) 386-1310 Fax: (818) 386-1311

Designated Agents: Danie Wulff (Commercials).

Young adults & adults of all types for commercials, TV & film, industrials & music videos, print advertising, soaps & theatre.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Accepts tapes (audio/video). Attends showcases.



Paradigm (ATA-AFTRA-EQUITY-WGA)

360 N. Crescent Dr., North Bldg.

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(310) 288-8000

Represents all types for films, theatre, TV, literary.

Don't phone/fax or visit.



Privilege Model & Talent Agency (SAG-AFTRA)

14542 Ventura Blvd., #209

Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

(818) 386-2377

Designated Agent: Carol Oleesky.

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), comedians, literary dept., models, seniors, teens (13-19)/young adults for commercials, films, industrials, music videos, print advertising, soaps, TV.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Accepts tapes (audio/video). Don't visit.



Qualita Dell'Arte: Artists & Writers Di Qualita (SAG-AFTRA-EQUITY-WGA-DGA)

5353 Topanga Canyon Rd., Ste. 220

Woodland Hills, CA 91364

(818) 598-8073

Artistic Director Pulci Nella (agency's CEO) welcomes new and established talent who: Enjoy being spoiled in a nurturing environment with strong guidance; crave to work hard toward quality, not quantity; desire to develop a Strategic Marketing Plan; will grow, and slowly unfold like a rose, in quality time. Your Antipasto: Loyalty - Commitment - Growth - Substance - Old Fashioned.



Cindy Romano Modeling & Talent Agency (SAG)

P.O. Box 1951

Palm Springs, CA 92263

(760) 323-3333

www.crtalent.com

Actors/actresses, athletes, broadcasters, children (5-12), comedians, dance performers, ethnic/foreign types, extras, hand/body parts, language specialists, literary dept., models, musicians, performers with disabilities, recording artists, seniors (mature), singers (actors & actresses), spokespersons, teens (13-19)/young adults for all areas, location scouting.

Don't phone/fax or visit. Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Accepts tapes (audio/video). Attends showcases.



The Savage Agency (ATA-AFTRA-EQUITY)

6212 Banner Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90038

(323) 461-8316

Designated Agents: Judy Savage (Owner and Theatrical Agent, Voice-over Agent); Jennifer Mahland (Commercial Agent). Mark Savage (voice-over), Barbara Divisek (Adult Commercial). Assistants: Jason Baria, commercial; Stella Alex, theatrical.

Theatrical, commercial and voice-over departments that handle child, teen (3 years old to 18 years old) and young adult actors (18 years old to 25 years old). Signs talent across-the-board only, in other words, for all departments. Currently looking for talent of all ethnicities and all types. Now in its 25th year.

For voice-over talent, please see VoiceBank.net. For the young adult department: submissions from talent with established résumés only. Accepts submissions by mail only. Please do not drop off or fax pictures and résumés. Attends showcases.



Screen Artists Agency (SAG-AFTRA)

4361 Tujunga Ave., Ste. A

Studio City, CA 91604

(818) 487-8880

Fax: (818) 487-8883

Designated Agents: Cyndee Burditt (Agent)-Owner, Erica Hunton-Agent.

Represents for commercials and theatrical.

Interviews by appointment only. Mailed submissions only. No phone calls.



SWB Theatrical & Children's Commercial

190 N. Canon Dr., Ste. 302

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(310) 278-5123

Designated Agents: Nora Zilz, Paul Williams (Children - Commercials & Theatrical).

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), teens (13-19)/young adults for animated series/features, CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, print ads, soaps, TV, voice-overs.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés. Don't phone/fax or visit. Attends showcases.



Scott Stander & Associates, Inc. (SAG-AFTRA-EQUITY)

13701 Riverside Dr., Ste. 201

Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

(818) 905-7000

www.scottstander.com

Designated Agents: Scott Stander and Jackie Stander. Handles celebrities and up-and-comers.

Actors/actresses, athletes, cabaret acts, children (5-12), comedians, dance performers, ethnic/foreign types, language specialists, musicians, models (female & male), recording artists, seniors (mature), singers (actors & actresses), spokespersons, teens (13-17)/young adults for Film, TV, Commercials, Theatre and touring Variety Acts.

Don't phone/fax or visit. Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Accepts tapes (audio/video). Attends showcases.



Starcraft Talent Agency (SAG-AFTRA)

1516 N. Formosa

Los Angeles, CA 90046

(323) 845-4784

Email: star78744@aol.com

Designated Agent: Dianne Hooper.

Full service agency specializing in MP/TV and commercials. actors/actresses, children (4-12), infants/babies, comedians, ethnic/foreign types, models, narrators, seniors (mature), singers (actors & actresses), teens (13-19)/young adults for all areas except theatre, runway and voice-overs.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés and tapes (audio/video) by mail only. Attends showcases/accepts showcase invitations. Also has office in Texas.



Starwill Productions Talent Agency (SAG-WGA)

433 N. Camden Dr., 4th fl.

Beverly Hills, CA 90210

(323) 874-1239

Designated Agent: Gwen Reed.

Actors/actresses, athletes, children (5-12) comedians, ethnic/foreign types, literary dept., seniors (mature), models, musicians, recording artists, singers (actors & actresses), spokespersons, teens (13-19)/young adults for animated series/features, CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, music videos, soaps, sound recordings & promotional announcements, theatre, TV.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only.



Arlene Thornton & Associates (SAG-AFTRA)

12711 Ventura Blvd., #490

Studio City, CA 91604

(818) 760-6688

Designated Agents: Arlene Thornton (Owner); Tracy Mapes (On-camera); John Lohr and Larry Reiss (Booth Directors).

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), narrators, spokespersons, teens (13-19)/young adults for animated series/features, CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, industrials, infomercials, voice-overs.

Interviews by appointment only.



Ann Waugh Talent Agency (SAG-AFTRA-EQUITY)

4741 Laurel Canyon Blvd., #200

North Hollywood, CA 91607

(818) 980-0141

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), ethnic/foreign types, teens (13-19)/young adults for animated features, CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, music videos, soaps, theatre, TV.

Interviews by appointment only. Theatrical submissions by referral only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only. Don't phone/fax or visit.



Shirley Wilson & Associates, Inc. (SAG-AFTRA-EQUITY-WGA)

5410 Wilshire Blvd., #510

Los Angeles, CA 90036

(323) 857-6977

Designated Agents: Shirley Wilson (Owner); Harold Gray (Sub-Agent) (Theatre & Commercials).

Actors/actresses, children (5-12), models, teens (13-19)/young adults for commercials, films, industrials, TV.

Interviews by appointment only. Accepts photos/résumés by mail only.



Zanuck, Passon and Pace Inc. (SAG-AFTRA-EQUITY)

4717 Van Nuys Blvd., #102

Sherman Oaks, CA 91403

(818) 783-4890

Email: agentpace@aol.com

Designated Agents: Michael Zanuck and Jerry Pace (Theatrical, Film & TV Division, adults), Melissa Cohen (Commercial Division, kids 6-17). Marcia Lynn and Elizabeth Farley assist in the commercial dept.

Seeking all types of actors/actresses (all ages), including ethnic/foreign types, seniors (mature), singers, spokespersons, teens (13-19)/young adults for television, CD-ROMs & interactive, commercials, films, industrials, infomercials, music videos, print advertising, soaps, & promotional announcements, theatre.

Don't phone/fax. Accepts photos/résumés by mail and by email at the above address. Submissions must include return mail addresses and email addresses. We call people in by mailed in submissions regularly.

Luxury Life: Music Artists Are In Fashion

The roster of names on designer labels reads like the Billboard charts as a growing number of music celebrities become fashion entrepreneurs.

At retail and on the runway, several fashion lines launched by music stars have made an impact. But which have been hits and which have been misses?

Since almost all of these businesses are privately owned, their financial figures are not readily available. However, according to various sources, Jennifer Lopez has scored the biggest success with the meteoric rise of her J.Lo line.

Since J.Lo's launch in 2001, the brand's revenue has skyrocketed, from $130 million in 2002 to $250 million in 2003 and $375 million in 2004, according to published reports.

Also at the top of the hit list of music-celebrity clothing lines are two brands that started in 1999: Sean John (from Sean "P. Diddy" Combs) and Rocawear, co-founded by Jay-Z and Damon Dash. According to published reports, Sean John and Rocawear each had an estimated $300 million in revenue in 2003.

As the fashion industry gathers Feb. 4-11 in New York's Bryant Park for Olympus Fashion Week, music celebrities are certain to be among the high-profile attendees.

Music celebrity clothing lines trying to catch up to the industry's leaders include Shady (from Eminem), Fetish (Eve), Vokal and Apple Bottoms (Nelly), Screamline (Scott Stapp), L.A.M.B. (Gwen Stefani) and Shago (Bow Wow).

The roster of music celebrity brands rolls on with the likes of No Limit (Master P), Rock Star Baby (Tico Torres of Bon Jovi), Bushi (Busta Rhymes), Wu Wear (Wu-Tang Clan), Love Kylie (Kylie Minogue), I Am (Will.I.Am of Black Eyed Peas), Dragonfly (Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe), Boomer 129 (DMX) and eponymous fashion lines from Snoop Dogg, OutKast and Patti LaBelle.

Phat Farm, launched in 1992 by Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons, is a pioneer brand in the business of mixing music and fashion.

In 2004, Phat Fashions—which includes the brands Phat Farm, Baby Phat and Phat—was sold to apparel company Kellwood for an estimated $140 million and a portion of future earnings.

Simmons remains Phat Farm CEO, while his wife, Kimora Lee Simmons, remains Baby Phat creative director.

According to Kellwood, Phat Fashions had an estimated revenue of $80 million-$90 million in 2004.

Eve's Fetish line, which launched in 2003, had about $50 million in revenue last year, according to published reports.

Meanwhile, the G-Unit fashion line, a partnership between 50 Cent and Marc Ecko Enterprises' Ecko Unlimited, launched in 2004 and had wholesale revenue of $55 million in its first year, according to Ecko.

But established brands are facing increased competition from newer product lines started by music celebrities.

In 2004, those who launched their own fashion lines of clothing and/or accessories included Missy Elliott, Ronald Isley of the Isley Brothers, Lil' Kim, Hilary Duff, LL Cool J, Mandy Moore, Ice-T, Ludacris, Foxy Brown, Paula Abdul, Lil' Romeo, Boy George, Kelly Osbourne, Queen Latifah, Reba McEntire and Pharrell Williams.

Artists who will launch their own fashion lines this year include Christina Aguilera, Beyoncé, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz, Jessica Simpson, Darryl McDaniels of Run-D.M.C. and André 3000 of OutKast.

A SWEET DEAL

In April 2001, Lopez partnered with Andy Hilfiger to form Sweetface Fashion, which owns the J.Lo brand for fashion and beauty products.

"It takes time to really develop a lifestyle brand," Lopez tells Billboard. "We have definitely gone through our share of growing pains, but there are a lot of girls and women out there who can identify with the lifestyle our brand embodies."

Sweetface co-founder/director Hilfiger adds, "You need the right infrastructure, and you've got to get in business with the right people."

Eve, whose Fetish line is relaunching this fall under a new deal with Marc Ecko Enterprises, agrees.

"It takes a lot of money to launch a fashion line," Eve says, "and a lot of people who are in this business don't know what [artists] are about. As an artist, you really need to pay attention to all the decisions that are made, even when you're tired and stressed out. You have to be a hands-on decision-maker."

Nelly's Vokal and Apple Bottoms clothing brands have had their ups and downs, including deals that went sour and changing distributors. Vokal, which launched in 1997 and is distributed by Check Group, resulted from Nelly's past experience as a fashion entrepreneur, before he had a record deal.

Ian Kelly, COO/managing partner of Vokal/Apple Bottoms, says, "We learned from our mistakes. Unlike the music business, where a lot of artists have short careers, the garment industry is about being in it long term."

Hilfiger believes that the most successful fashion brands started by music celebrities are those that sell not only the image of the artists but also an entire lifestyle.

Kelly agrees. "Not everyone is a fan of P. Diddy's music, but people buy Sean Jean clothes because they like the collection."

Vibe fashion director John Moore adds, "J.Lo and Sean John are so successful because Jennifer Lopez and P. Diddy have such high-profile personalities, they have the drive and they know how to market themselves."

Image consistency, quality and having a great understanding of the target consumers are also major factors to a fashion line's success.

"Whether we're adding fragrances or footwear to the brand," Hilfiger adds, "they've all got to be cohesive with everything else that's a part of the brand."

Radue Watson, who heads Rocawear's operations, says, "Quality and fit are everything. We have a look that's so distinctive that you don't even need to see the logo. These have to be clothes that people know Jay-Z would wear."

Watson adds, "The biggest mistakes that fashion companies make is when they don't know their core consumers. You can't let retail executives dictate your business. There are so many new clothing lines coming out, but these new businesses don't necessarily understand the consumers as well as you do. We're still in tune with our urban demographic, which is mostly high school and college-age kids. They want Rocawear to be trend leaders, not trend followers."

THE CELEBRITY CONNECTION

Those involved in clothing lines from music stars agree that the artist's fame has been the key to opening many doors in launching these ventures.

Watson says, "In the beginning, we probably wouldn't have gotten off the ground without the celebrity involvement."

Stefani's L.A.M.B. line of handbags are selling "better than the average new handbag line," reports Mari Garcia, manager of LeSportsac's Madison Avenue location in New York. "People come in specifically asking for the Gwen Stefani bags," she says. "If the quality is there and the price is right, then people will still keep buying."

But a celebrity name can take the business only so far.

Lopez says a big mistake that artists can make is thinking that "success in other areas of their careers can carry them through the success of a fashion company."

Yomi Marti, president/managing partner of Vokal/Apple Bottoms, adds, "We had to prove that Nelly could sell clothes. You need to be more design-oriented than artist-oriented. The artists should be a complement to the line, not a substitute."

For that reason, although the artists often initially appear in advertising to launch their own clothing line, they do not want their personal image to overpower the line. Eventually, other people appear in the ads.

Because fashion is a fickle and trend-oriented industry, presenting the same images and spokespeople for a marketing campaign year after year would be considered detrimental to a brand.

Martin explains, "Nelly is very involved in the design process. But the clothing line isn't just about his favorite colors. It's about the hot colors in the market right now."

Artists often do their best promotion for their clothing lines by wearing them in music videos, at public events or other instances in which they are in the media spotlight.

Hilfiger believes product placement and advertising are equally important and neither should be sacrificed in favor of the other.

Designer Marc Ecko adds, "With G-Unit, we try to bring the marriage between fashion and music full circle, creating ads that have the same dark and moody feel as one of 50 Cent's videos or album covers."

Sometimes an ad campaign can get extra mileage when it generates a lot of media attention.

Apple Bottoms, which its founders say is for "women with curves," had a provocative ad campaign with Nelly posing with a topless model. There was also a well-publicized Apple Bottoms contest in which women competed to be the new model for the clothing line.

MUSIC MANIA

So why is there such a high concentration of music stars starting their own clothing lines, more so than other entertainers?

Vibe's Moore believes it is because unlike actors, who play different characters, music celebrities' art is usually a reflection of their personalities, and their fashion choices are extensions of that.

"These celebrities are constantly marketing themselves," Moore says. "The fashion industry is a little oversaturated with artists' clothing lines, but I don't think traditional designers feel threatened. But celebrities should be aware that overexposure could lead to the clearance rack."

For many of these brands, the business trends for 2005 and beyond are to offer more upscale clothing, extend the brand names and increase alliances with successful partners.

Hilfiger says Sweetface wants to start a venture with a major record label. The company is also planning a music-and-fashion event for later this year in which Lopez is expected to be involved.

Rocawear has acquired licensing rights to the Pro-Keds brand and has teamed with Kanye West for his upcoming Pastel line. Vokal is in discussions with rapper E-40 to start his own fashion wear.

Ecko concludes, "Whether we admit it or not, a lot of success in fashion is directly tied to music, if not in the lines themselves than through the use of artists in marketing campaigns. The bottom line is that when done right, the stuff sells. When done wrong, it doesn't."

The Good Spa Guide: Luxury

The Good Spa Guide: Luxury
For blow-the-budget pampering in opulent surrounds, we've reviewed the world's best luxury spas and reduced the details into a concise report. Add your own comments by using the form at the bottom of each article
LONDON


May Fair Hotel

Beautifully refurbished Asian-inspired spa

The Berkeley Hotel, Knightsbridge

An urban retreat that's at your holistic service

The Mandarin Oriental, Knightsbridge

This exclusive spa is the epitome of restrained style

The Spa Studio, Lanesborough hotel, Knightsbridge

Food and service are second-to-none, plus great Hyde Park views


Le Kalon Spa, South Kensington

A private ambience with gilded hamam and fruity facials

Spa at Renaissance Chancery Court hotel, Bloomsbury

An oriental vibe and acres of fluffy white towels - pure indulgence

Royal Automobile Club, Pall Mall

The Rolls-Royce of gents spas, which only admits women on Tuesdays


BRITAIN


Utopia Spa at Alexander House Hotel, West Sussex

Smart destination spa with 25 treatment rooms close to Gatwick

Spreadeagle Hotel, Midhurst, West Sussex

Small but charming spa in historic site linked to market town

Nutfield Priory Hotel, Surrey

Luxury Gothic country house with functional spa attached

Body Experience, Surrey

Has a teen girls programme, but also popular with their mothers

Grayshott Spa, Surrey

Good facilities and therapists at this revamped modern spa

SenSpa, the New Forest, Hampshire

Extensive menu of water therapies and good Thai food

Chewton Glen hotel, spa and country club, Hampshire

Elegant country house spa that indluges and pampers

The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury, Berkshire

Wine and truffle treatments at this spa with a Michelin-starred restaurant

The Stoke Park Club, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire

Thai massage at venue popular with weddings set in vast grounds


Sequoia Spa at The Grove, Hertfordshire

Unstuffy but sophisticated trendy country house hotel

Aquarius, Whatley Manor, Wiltshire

1920s country house with great food and luxurious treatments

The Bath House Spa, Somerset

Quality time for mum and daughter in a "warm chic womb"

The Cowshed, Babington House, Somerset

Quirky and fun spa at this popular countryside retreat

Monty's, Charlton House hotel, Somerset

Sexy Moroccan ambience with an emphasis on organics

St David's Hotel and Spa, Cardiff, Wales

A fun pool with water jets and a good range of treatments

Waterfall Spa, Leeds

All-female boutique day spa with an Eastern accent

Serenity Spa, Seaham Hall, County Durham

Beach views and serenity with healthy Thai food

Gleneagles, Perthshire, Scotland

A bit of pampering in stunning surroundings for long-suffering golf widows

Slieve Donard resort and spa, County Down

A gothic and golfing paradise overlooking the Irish Sea

Culloden Estate and Spa, Belfast

Sheer indulgence that's not short on Irish charm


IRELAND

The Killarney Park Hotel, Co Kerry

Enjoy the sounds of silence at this luxury spa

The Heritage at Killenard, Co Laois

Wallow in whale music, mud and golf in rural Ireland

Sámas spa, Park Hotel Kenmare, Co Kerry

Soothing views and private indulgence deep in the countryside

Espa at g hotel, Galway

Sheer indulgence in minimalist West coast spa


Beautique at Hayfield Manor, Cork

Get a taste for chandeliers, pearls and girls at a new spa in Ireland


EUROPE

St Moritz Spa, Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains, Geneva, Switzerland

Summer high life and Alpine treatments at sensible prices

La Reserve, Geneva, Switzerland

Playboy-style pampering in stylish hotel overlooking lake

Le Mas Candille, Mougins, Provence

A Riviera retreat with harmonious spa and charming gourmet food

Les Deux Abbesses, Auvergne

A back massage in a rustic chateau rounds off a French holiday

Guerlain Institut de Beaute, Paris

A grand day out at a super chic spa in the French capital

Bulgari hotel, Milan

Small but perfectly formed spa in centre of fashion capital

Fonteverde Natural Spa Resort, Tuscany

Thermal springs and teabag baths Italian style

Espace Vitalité at L'Albereta, Lombardy

Dine or detox at spa with medical staff and Michelin star

InterContinental Resort, Berchtesgaden, Germany

Panorama and aboriginal treatments at historic Alpine retreat

Buhlerhohe Schlosshotel, Baden-Baden, Germany

Raising the wunderbar in the Black Forest


Brenner's Park Hotel, Baden-Baden, Germany

Designer daydreams for footballers' wives


Atira Spa, Mardavall Hotel, Majorca

Eclectic treatment menu and healthy food in elegant cliff-top hotel


MEDITERRANEAN

Les Thermes Marins de Monte Carlo, Monaco

Roomy with a view: a jet-set spa on the French Riviera

Hotel Fortina Spa Resort, Sliema, Malta

An epic resort with therapeutic spa bedrooms

Le Meridien Limassol Spa & Resort, Cyprus

Pampered in mud and seawater at island paradise

The Thalassa Hotel, Cyprus

Massage-and-butler bliss with perfect sunsets

The Columbia Beach Resort, Cyprus

Surprises galore at elegant island retreat

L'Albergo della Regina Isabella, Ischia

The healing powers of glorious five-star mud

Kempinski Giardino di Costanza, Sicily

Lemon, olive oil and salt rubs at this secluded Arabian style spa

MIDDLE EAST

Kempinski Ishtar Dead Sea, Jordan

Holy mud baths at this serene five-star hotel


AFRICA

In:spa, Marrakesh, Morocco

My group is a mixed bag of fitness, fatness and gestation

The Sahl Hasheesh, Red Sea, Egypt

An excellent hair cut followed by the most delicious pregnancy rub

Hippo Point, Lake Naivasha, Kenya

Surely the only spa where the hippos eat the garden


AMERICAS AND CARIBBEAN.


The Silver Rain Spa, Ritz Carlton, Grand Cayman, Caribbean

Genius treatments at this palace of pampering

LeSport, St Lucia, Caribbean

A feast of yoga and fresh food

Bali Leha Spa, Necker Island, Caribbean

Only one guest at a time uses the spa

Sandy Lane, Barbados

I watch the sky and wait to be brought fresh fruit kebabs

Boca Raton Resort and Club, Florida

Past clients have included George Dubya Bush. Enough said?


ASIA

The Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong

A sought-after foot specialist and a groom with a spectacular view

The Kanuhura Veyoge spa, Maldives

Star sign linked pampering on paradise island

The Peninsula Spa by Espa, Hong Kong

Chic idyll with pampering pre-treatment area in the heart of the frenetic city

Banyan Tree Spa Bangkok, Thailand

Lomi Lomi massage and different scents in the air every day

Chiva-Som, Hua Hin, Thailand

Thailand’s most fashionable spa resort

Six Senses Spa, Evason Hideaway at Hua Hin, Thailand

It took four Thai youths 50 minutes to prepare my massage space

LUXURY LIFE SPECIAL FROM COUNTRY LIFE

Country Life – the quintessential English magazine – is celebrating the life of luxury with a special section entitled Luxury Life.

The 25-page one-off section will be dedicated to the very best premium brands and will be introduced by a glossy cover within the pages of Country Life's November 17 issue.

Featuring the luxury goods needed to enjoy a truly lavish lifestyle, the section will include top spas, elegant high-tech gadgets for the home, Russian style, traditional toys, the best Swiss watchmakers, cars with priceless pedigree and splendidly luxurious yachts to charter.

To celebrate Luxury Life's inclusion in the November 17 issue, Country Life editor Clive Aslet and manager of London's Dorchester Hotel, Christopher Cowdray, have invited advertisers and celebrity guests to an exclusive dinner on November 16, held at the Dorchester Grill, Park Lane.

Clive says: “In a stressful world, luxury is not an extravagance – it's a necessity. Nobody knows that more than Country Life, which typifies the very best in British life. With our worship of quality and tradition, we aim to share the true pleasures of life with our readers. This week's issue contributes to that noble goal.”

The section includes eight pages of advertising from premium brands including Coutts Bank, Adler Jewellers, watchmakers Omega, pearl specialist Mikimoto, and Hardy Amies Couture.

Luxury Life is the latest in a series of additional sections now produced by Country Life. Others planned for 2005 include a 40-page travel section in the December 22nd and 29th issues.

Road to the driverless car

It knows what it's doing
Even the simplest car today can be filled with electronic sensors that monitor everything the car does from one fraction of a second to the next. Some monitors check how far the wheels are moving when you turn while others see what the car itself is doing when the wheels turn - if there's a mismatch, that's a problem.
Sensors in the brakes time each spin of each of the car's wheels. If you hit the brakes and a wheel slows down more quickly than it should, that's a sign your brakes are locking up and the sensors trigger the anti-lock brakes to start pumping to regain traction.

Other sensors will lay dormant for years, probably the entire life of your car, waiting for an impact that may never come. But if that impact ever does come, they'll trigger the airbags.

There are monitors watching your behavior as well. They watch how far and how hard you press the gas and how far you're turning the wheel.

$10M 'General Lee' auction spins out

Bidder misses payment deadline, leaving proposed sale of 1969 Charger owned by actor John Schneider in doubt. Car may go back on the auction block.
POSTED: 2144 GMT (0544 HKT), May 10, 2007

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- After commanding a winning bid last week of nearly $10 million, the online auction of a 1969 Charger, owned by one of the stars of the "Dukes of Hazzard" television show, has blown a gasket.

The winning bidder, William Fisher, maintained that someone else placed the bids in his name after gaining access to his eBay account.

"Of course I have no plans to pay, because I didn't place the bid," an individual claiming to be Fisher wrote Thursday in an e-mail to CNNMoney.com. "I just want this to all blow over, which I'm sure it will."

John Schneider, who played Bo Duke in the series and owns the car - called the General Lee on the show - told CNNMoney.com he had been in contact with Fisher and was aware of his claims.

When informed of Fisher's claims by CNNMoney.com, an EBay spokeswoman said she was unaware of Fisher's account being hacked. She said eBay would investigate the matter further.

During the course of the auction last week, eBay officials disqualified several bids and went so far as to contact several of the top bidders to verify their offers, an eBay spokeswoman had said earlier.

A winning bid on eBay constitutes a legally binding contract, according to a company spokesperson, although company policy allows Schneider to approach the second-highest bidder about purchasing the vehicle.

Schneider told CNNMoney.com Thursday afternoon he is considering putting his car back up for sale on eBay, but said this time bidders would be pre-qualified before the bidding started.

The vehicle is a modified Charger that appeared as the General Lee in the TV show, a role that was only slightly less central than that of the car.

The car has been further modified since and now has a 725 horsepower Hemi motor, Dodge Viper brakes and a roll cage, all of which allow it to race at more than 200 miles per hour.

Recently, the vehicle had a central role in a limited-release film produced by, directed by, distributed by and starring Schneider. The actor decided to auction the car in order to finance a production of a sequel to that film.

"Guess I'll have to have a bake sale to fund the movie now!" Schneider said in an e-mail after initially learning that the auction was in jeopardy.

During filming, the show typically went through several cars per episode during its 6-year production run in the early 1980s.

Ordinarily, a production-used General Lee would be worth about $150,000 to $200,000, said McKeel Hagerty, president of Hagerty Insurance, a collector car insurance company. About 20 of those are known to exist in reasonably good condition. The opportunity to buy the car from "Bo Duke" himself would add some value, he said. But not millions of dollars.

10 cars worth waiting for

Mid-sized sedan
Chevrolet Malibu
Expected release: Fall 2007
The new Chevrolet Malibu, introduced in January at the Detroit Auto Show, has nothing to do with any Chevrolet Malibu you may have rented in the past. If you're looking at a mid-sized car and you don't have to move now, you'd do well to hang on and check out the Malibu when it becomes available.
This car is bigger, much nicer looking inside and out, and it will drive much better, too. (We know this because we've driven the Saturn Aura, which shares its engineering.)

Outside, the new Malibu looks substantial and attractive. The interior features a sweeping twin-cockpit design inspired by 1950s Corvettes.

General Motors has finally realized that, while people will happily buy boring sedans from Toyota, they will not buy them from GM. So GM has worked hard to improve the quality as well as the emotional appeal of its cars and trucks. The improved designs give you a reason to look and improved quality gives you no reason to turn away.

Available engines will be a 3.6-liter V-6 and a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder. Optional features will include a panoramic sunroof that stretches over both front and back seats.

Audi's first true sports car: Grrrr8!

Star struck
"Just look at this!" exclaimed Seal, gesturing at the new Audi R8's carbon-fiber midsection stripe. "It gives the car a unique identity, it highlights that it's a mid-engine sports car, and it separates the passenger and mechanical sections of the car. No other car has such a visual device."

Although the Ferrari-owning pop artist (and Mr. Heidi Klum) may have attended the Audi launch as spokesman, his passion was nonetheless real - and well placed.

Cars: Ultimate Safety

Acura RDX
Base prices: $33,000 to $37,000
Fuel economy: 21 mpg est. overall

The Acura RDX shares some of its basic engineering with the Honda CR-V, which was also awarded a Top Safety Pick award by the Insurance Institute. As with all Honda SUVs, electronic stability control, which helps prevent vehicles from going out of control or flipping over in emergency maneuvers, comes as standard equipment on the RDX.

Acura's "super handling" all-wheel drive system continuously shifts power from side to side, not just front-to-back, as the RDX goes through turns. Combined with the RDX's turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, that helps make the RDX something truly rare: an SUV that's genuinely fun to drive.

Suffolk man wants to be a 'Millionaire'

For Glenn and Mindy Stearns, “life is about sharing.”

The California millionaire and his wife are sharing their good fortune with the 350 members of the Enterprise High School Class of 2007, whose wish is to graduate in Bates Memorial Stadium on May 31 as legions of EHS alumni have done before them. They are also sharing with the Wildcat athletes and cheerleaders, band members and fans who hope to return to Bates Memorial Stadium this fall for classic gridiron action in a 50-year-old setting that is as time-honored as the game itself.

The Stearns are helping to fund a significant portion of the estimated $500,000 cost to restore the wind-damaged Bates Memorial Stadium to a safe and suitable location for graduation, football and other activities for the next few years while another high school and stadium are under construction.

“Life is about sharing,” Mindy Stearns said last week in a telephone interview with The Southeast Sun. “We feel like whatever we’ve got is just borrowed anyway. It’s God’s gift and we’re just spreading it around.”

Megan Parks, president of the EHS Student Government Association, said the gift is one that the Class of 2007 seniors have been hoping for since a March 1 tornado destroyed their high school and severely damaged the stadium where they were to celebrate a traditional Wildcat graduation.

“I can’t put into words how much it means to us,” said Megan, one of the seniors planning to graduate in the stadium in four weeks. “They are contributing to great memories that are going to be made and a wish by the senior class that will be fulfilled.”

A grateful Megan said she and her schoolmates at EHS have been humbled by the generosity from the Stearns, and so many others like them who have come to the aid of strangers.

“They didn’t know about Enterprise before this,” said EHS Principal Rick Rainer, who described the generosity of the Stearns, and all who have helped the school system and the city in the wake of the tragedy, as overwhelming.

Rainer said someone told the Stearns about the students’ wish to restore the stadium for graduation and fall activities.

“They came up with the idea to try to give the kids their stadium back,” Rainer said. “They just took the ball and ran with it.”

Indeed, the Stearns said last week that they are enjoying their hands-on approach to the stadium restoration project, which is already under way.

“We’ve got a great scoreboard coming,” said Glenn in a telephone interview last week, just days after he and Mindy filmed an upcoming segment of The Rachael Ray Show.

The Stearns joined Dr. Bob Phares, assistant superintendent of Enterprise Schools, football coach Kevin Collins, several students and parent Lisa Eichhorn in taping a sequel to the April 30 show about the Enterprise prom. The show is expected to air May 8 at 3 p.m. on WTVY-TV 4.

Stearns, the owner of 20 companies, including one of the largest mortgage companies in Southern California, and his wife were in Enterprise April 5 for the EHS senior prom, where they presented a giant mock check to the senior class, pledging their contribution to be good for “one stadium.”

“We’re going to do the best we can to make sure this happens for Enterprise,” said Mindy, praising the school leaders, school board, architects and others who are working on the clean-up, restoration and reconstruction projects.

“We’re doing what we can with our phone calls and our time and money, but the real heroes are the people right there in the thick of it who are making decisions every day, pulling together and moving on,” she said. “They’re the inspiration really. We’re just a small piece of the puzzle in a very grand picture.”

Nevertheless, the Stearns said they feel a connection to Enterprise and are excited about the project. An upbeat Glenn said the scoreboard is going to be capable of digital programming.

The couple has also been helping to plan for lighting, a press box and concession stand and other facilities that were destroyed at the stadium when the tornado tore through the school campus.

They understand the importance of a hometown stadium.

“Both of us being from small towns (he from Maryland and her from Oregon), we know that the football program and the football stadium is an intricate part of the community,” Stearns said. “We wanted to do something to make a difference ... so we said, let’s see if we can help them get that stadium back so that the tornado didn’t take that away from the town.”

Bates Memorial is steeped in tradition. Its construction was completed in 1956, along with the original EHS building consisting of 16 classrooms, a vocational agriculture classroom, an auditorium, shop, lunchroom, gym and library.
The stadium was built in an area that once was the city dump. The project, according to local historians, was made possible by the city’s Lions Club and other civic-minded individuals who saw it through.

It was first called Enterprise Municipal Stadium, but was changed in 1957 to honor R.L. Bates, who served as EHS principal from 1933 until his death April 19, 1957, just under 50 years before the tornado struck the respected community landmark. Largely because of the Stearns’ assistance, the 2007 class are expected to be able to graduate in the stadium 50 years after the first EHS class that graduated there in 1957, after the EHS campus moved from the old Coffee County High School on College Street.

The Stearns said they hope that restoring the stadium will help give the students and community some sense of normalcy and familiarity.

“In the midst of the chaos, we can keep tradition strong,” said Mindy.

She and her husband hope to be at the first Wildcat football game this fall to see the fruits of their generosity.

The Stearns first heard about the Enterprise tornado on the news reports immediately following the tragedy. Later, through friends in the entertainment business, they learned more about the tragedy and the efforts of celebrity cook Rachael Ray to help host a special prom for the teens.

Through the Stearns Family Foundation, the Stearns provide resources and funds primarily to children’s charities and abuse prevention programs. Stearns said the couple travels around the country for philanthropic projects so they were eager to help in Enterprise.

Though they don’t take credit for being role models, they do want to bring a message of hope to Enterprise High School students and all affected by the tragedy.

“You really have to believe that there’s something greater beyond today,” Mindy said. “I just believe that, in every tragedy, every adversity, if we can see the gift in it, we will always come out on top.”

For students still learning to cope with the tornado’s wrath, she encouraged them to honor their schoolmates whose lives were lost by moving on and living good lives.

“The saddest thing would be to waste the lives that were given, the lives that were spared,” she said. “What greater contribution could you make than to ask, ‘what can I do now to give back to the world?’”

She said both she and Glenn have “faced dark days” in their past. Though young and energetic, and considered one of California’s most beautiful couples, the Stearns said they didn’t always enjoy the kind of success that has given them the opportunity to share with others.
She said her husband particularly knows what it’s like to face adversity.

“I failed the fourth grade. I thought I’d ruined my life,” he remembered. “Then at 14, I became a father, and I thought I’d ruined my life.”

Growing up in a neighborhood where shootings and drug-dealing was common, Glenn said life wasn’t always easy, but he didn’t give up.

“We struggled, and now we’re so fortunate to have opportunities and things I never dreamed of having in my life. Now I have the greatest life,” said Glenn.

In addition to owning companies that make $2 billion in transactions each year, Glenn and his wife, a successful entertainment reporter and actress, won the 2005 reality show “The Real Gilligan’s Island.” They played The Millionaire and His Wife, and gave the $250,000 cash prize to charity.

“Because we’ve been so fortunate, it’s almost an obligation to give back and make a difference,” Glenn said, adding, that the joy of giving has made he and Mindy very happy through the years.
Since their visit to Enterprise, they have been wearing the now-trademark bracelets circulated after the tornado that declare the anthem, “Recover, Remember, Rebuild.”

The Stearns have returned to California and are going about their busy lives, with the daughter Glenn had at 14 by his side, helping to run one of his businesses. Glenn also proudly talks about his new granddaughter, Tjaden, and the rest of the family. He has two sons by a previous marriage, and he and Mindy have an 18-month-old daughter.

“We’re trying to have another baby... and we’re still going to be doing charity work and other things - just trying to leave the world a better place than we found it,” Mindy said, adding that even though she and Glenn are thousands of miles away, they feel a connection to Enterprise.

“We still wearing our bracelets; we have them on now,” Mindy said. “Our hearts are invested in this.”

She said the couple has met many “wonderful people” in the local area who have been welcoming and exuding traditional southern hospitality. She said the determination and self-motivation of the students and people of the Enterprise area is inspiring.

She and Glenn hope that their relationship with Enterprise will be a long one.

“By the grace of God, that community was brought to us,’ she said. “However, we found each other, we are really pleased that it has happened. We hope we can give back as much to Enterprise as Enterprise has brought to us.”

DO YOU SPEAK-A-DA FASHION LINGO?

THIS WAS SENT TO ME FROM A DEAR KIWI FRIEND - STRAIGHT OFF THE PAGES OF THE MOST EXCELLENT NEW ZEALAND HERALD. IF YOU ARE ONE WHO MAKES CONSTANT FASHION FAUX PAS, YOU NEED TO READ ON..........

If you don't want to make a faux pas in front of the in-crowd, then we can help you become one of them.

If a friend told you she was wearing covert couture with fashion-forward pickle-stabbers and she felt this was a fierce look, but you didn't have a clue what she was ranting about, then you will want to read on.

For here's the Viva lexicon of fashion phrases. Some we stole, others we made up. All will be useful if you find yourself trapped in a circle of well-dressed men and women carrying It bags. Tear this out and take it with you. Then if someone loudly asks: "Do you speak-a da fashion?" you can reply with style and grace.

Aspirational

This is what high fashion is supposed to be. No, you're not supposed to wear the clothes you see in the glossy Italian magazines - at least, not with butterfly wings on while climbing a tree in high-heeled boots. You're just supposed to be inspired by, or aspire to, them. It's fashion as fantasy. This is also the best excuse ever invented by the fashion industry for the politically incorrect things they do. Use it: We don't want 14-year-old girls to develop anorexia. Surely they can tell the difference between reality and fantasy. This is high fashion. It's aspirational.

Bespoke

Something that's made especially for you. Note that there are big differences between bespoke and other similar terms. Bespoke is where it's made for you from scratch. Made-to-measure is when an existing garment or pattern is adjusted for you. A one-off describes garments of which only one exists. A limited edition describes a garment of which there are more than one but not so many the girl next door will also have one.

Use it: He wears a lovely made-to-measure suit. But his boss, who earns a lot more, wears a bespoke suit.

Black

As in "the new black". A lot of fashion-industry types wear black all the time because it's slimming, it's attractive and it's a hell of a lot easier to wear than most of the clothes they see on the runway. So when something becomes so widespread it rivals the popularity of the colour black, it is referred to as the new black.

Use it: Eco-consciousness is the new black.

Covert couture

The sorts of clothes that cost a lot of money but don't look like they once did. Only the smug owner knows the value and quality of such items.

Use it: Cashmere socks for $200. Mmmm, now that's truly covert couture.

Cutensils

Household objects or utensils that are designed to look cute. Italian design company Alessi are a particularly good example because they give many of their products personalities.

Use it: My bottle opener with the smiling face is such a cutensil.

Edgy

See fashion forward.

Fashion forward

Mildly irritating phrase used to describe something or someone at the forefront of a fashion trend. Usually they're doing something edgy or unexpected. Not to be confused with "on trend".

Use it: She's gone very fashion forward this season, hasn't she?

Fierce

A compliment, meaning you look aggressively attractive, sexy and cool, which has become popular after almost constant use by Tyra Banks on America's Next Top Model to describe the contestants she thinks have done well. Often used sarcastically backstage at fashion weeks.

Use it: Honey, that mini-dress looks fierce. So does your giant up-do.

Glamazon

Combination of the words glamour and Amazon that is now considered old-fashioned terminology for long-legged, well-paid supermodels who strode the 80s' runways.

Use it: Those high-cut togs make you look like such a glamazon.

Glamourista

A substitute for the much overused word "fashionista". A glamourista is someone who really knows their way around fashion and glamour.

Use it: Oh dear, look at her. With her Chanel bag and her Dior sunglasses she thinks she's such a glamourista.

Makeunder

Similar to a makeover, except rather than dolling oneself up, one opts for a simple, no-makeup, no-fuss look. This can be a positive or negative.

Use it: My mother used this pudding bowl and scissors to give my hair a makeunder.

On trend

Another irritating phrase meaning that the person, label or item is doing exactly what you expected in terms of fashion trends. So if lace dresses are popular, they are making or wearing lace dresses. You may wonder why we keep using such phrases if we realise some of them are so annoying. Well, you try coming up with 20 synonyms for fashionable and you'll understand.

Use it: There were some weird bits, but mostly her whole collection was so on trend.

Personalisation

A big trend a couple of years ago when people who couldn't sew, knit or draw, took to embroidering, knitting and drawing on their own clothes. This was to set themselves apart from the fashion crowd. Personalisation is still a trendy thing but now it tends to be left to the professionals.

Use it: Hand me the glue-gun and those little blue beads. I'm going to personalise my T-shirt.

Pickle-stabber

An extremely pointy high heel that is, in fact, so pointy you could stab a pickle with it, if you so desired. Despite the awesome name, these have been replaced by wedges and platform soles as the shoe of the moment.

Use it: Pickle-stabbers and pointy toes are so 20th century.

Retro-futurism

A trend with a lot of currency right now. It means that something has a sort of futuristic look, but it's the kind of future that was imagined in the 50s and 60s, as in The Jetsons.

Use it: That shiny, silver bag is so retro. But, oh, it's kind of futuristic and space-age as well. Wow, that must be the retro-futurism I've been hearing all about.

Sex

As in "better than". An item of clothing or an accessory that makes the bearer so ecstatic that they describe said item as better than sex. Also known as a hero purchase.

Use it: These $2000 Balenciaga boots I just paid off are better than sex.

T-shirtable

Describes any sort of situation, logo or slogan that would look good on a T-shirt.

Use it: Green is the new black. Get me my pen. That's T-shirtable.

Trashic

Combination of the words tragic and trashy. A description that's so bad that its almost a compliment.

Use it: Oh Britney, shaving your hair off like that was so trashic.

Trickle-up trend

When a fashion trend starts in an area other than fashion, usually at street level - that is, art students and musicians are wearing or doing something and then the fashion industry catches on and presents the look on the runway, for sale.

Use it: New rave is going to trickle up just like garage rock did.

Up-do

Another way of saying your hair has been put up.

Use it: See fierce.

Vanity sizing

You know how with some brands a size 12 fits you perfectly, but in other brands you've suddenly become a size 14? This is not the result of rapid weight gain - it's actually vanity sizing, a clever marketing idea that works on the theory that if you feel thinner because you fit into a smaller size then you're more likely to buy.

Use it: You haven't lost weight, dear, that's just vanity sizing.

Vintage

You may think that you know what this means but if you've been listing the Esprit jumper you bought last winter on an internet auction as "vintage" then you do not. Last season's clothes are "used clothes". Vintage implies some kind of pedigree.

Use it: This exquisite 60s shift dress is vintage. That blue Esprit jumper you bought three months ago is not.

You

As in "that's so". Ambiguous phrase depending on how you feel about the person. Telling someone whose style you like, "It's so you" is a compliment. If you don't like their outfit, it means, "I wouldn't wear that if you paid me." If this is too obvious an insult, you could say "unclassifiable" or "unique".

Use it: Those three-quarter-length pants worn with green Crocs are just so you/unique.

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NEED MORE?

Negatives

So done, so over, so last season, so last century, so common, matchy-matchy, passe, faux pas, very (insert dreary designer name), boring, seen-before.

Positives

Now, fresh, chic, love it, to die for, raising the bar, important, must-have, very (insert fabulous designer name), fabulous,

5 Wealth Lessons From 20 Percent of a Millionaire (repost)

In early 2006 I got serious about the goal of becoming a millionaire, and in this article I’ll share with you five key lessons I learned that may help you increase your financial abundance.

While I’ve long dreamed of becoming a millionaire (who hasn’t?), it was only last year that I began taking it seriously. What motivated me wasn’t the thought of buying lots of stuff or quitting my job (what job?!?) and retiring. Instead I got inspired by the idea that if I could figure out how to earn a million dollars, I could share what I learned and hopefully help a great number of people.

After a solid year of working at it, it’s a bit unclear whether or not I’m a millionaire yet. If I add up my cash, cash equivalents, and tangible assets, my net worth is roughly $200K, so I’m at least 20% of the way there. However, Erin and I own several online assets that are likely worth much more than that. It’s entirely possible that StevePavlina.com could receive a paper valuation of over $1 million due to its income (about $40K/month), its continued growth potential, and its extremely low operating costs. One blog valuation tool estimates this site as being worth over $1.6 million. I have no intention of selling this business though, so I don’t see that figure as particularly meaningful. Consequently, I’ll stick with the 20% of a millionaire tag for now.

I suggest we leave the labeling issues to those who enjoy obsessing over such matters, and I’ll proceed to share the wealth-building lessons I’ve found most valuable. Then you can make up your own mind about how helpful they are to you:

1. It’s damned hard to earn a million dollars from scratch.

This is just common sense, but I have to say it to counter the scammers who preach that you can earn a million dollars via their fast, easy, foolproof methods for only 3 easy payments of $19.95.

Perhaps you can earn a million dollars by using emotional manipulation to sell people useless, overpriced information products, but assuming you’re not a scam artist, you’re going to have to earn the money by providing a million dollars worth of real value. For most people, including me, that’s a huge challenge.

Respecting the magnitude of this challenge actually helps though. If you take this goal seriously, you’ll realize you must make a massive commitment to have a real chance of getting there.

People who say they want to become a millionaire but are unwilling to back it up with hard work are only fooling themselves. It’s not going to happen by itself. If hard work is a dirty word to you, don’t bother.

However, the great thing about this goal is that it’s achievable. People in far worse positions than you have already done it. It’s hard but definitely not impossible. If you accept this, it becomes something of a game. You don’t have to fear failure because you’re expected to fail, and that makes success all the more exciting.

2. Self-interest is insufficient motivation.

Given the magnitude of this challenge, tremendous motivation is required to lay in the course and persevere through the inevitable obstacles.

I found that wanting to become a millionaire for the benefit of myself or my family just didn’t cut it. I just don’t need more money or stuff badly enough to justify the effort. On a scale of 1-10, my level of materialism is about a 3. Even my friends could agree on that during a recent game of Therapy. Give me a fast PC and a high-speed Internet connection, and I’m good to go. I’m sure some people can get excited about earning a million dollars for all the cool stuff they can buy… or maybe for the status and recognition, but those aspects don’t do it for me. I’d rather play disc golf.

Unfortunately, this goal requires a lot more than mediocre motivation. You need to be seriously driven. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably about to pitch you on 3 easy payments of $19.95. But where is that drive going to come from?

After some serious soul searching, I gave up on the idea of becoming a millionaire for myself. I just didn’t want it badly enough. If I did I’d have done it years ago with my computer games business, which I believe was entirely capable of getting there. I felt like a dolt for dropping this goal, but I also felt a sense of relief about the whole thing. It freed me up to focus on more important priorities like service and contribution.

Ironically it was the decision to put contribution ahead of wealth that led me full circle. Eventually I realized that becoming a millionaire could dramatically enhance my ability to help others.

By sharing what I’m learning along the way (as I’m doing right now), I can potentially inspire others to generate income by providing value instead of thinking they need to scam or trick people to get ahead. If even a small fraction of this website’s 1.5 million monthly visitors increase the value they provide to others as a result of the info I share, something truly wonderful will have occurred.

I also started thinking about what I could do with a million dollars. One idea I find very inspiring is to found a non-profit personal development organization, which would ultimately have thousands of individual groups all around the world. In structure I imagine it being similar to Toastmasters International, which has 200,000 members and 10,000 clubs worldwide. You could find a local group near you filled with people dedicated to helping and supporting each other grow, very similar to a mastermind group. In fact, the Local Groups forum on this site is a very basic first step towards the realization of that long-term vision. Forum members are already having local meet-ups in cities around the world. I’m so excited to see this happening. Best of all it’s 100% free for everyone.

Considering the contribution aspects helped shift the millionaire goal from my head to my heart. I finally got enough leverage on myself to seriously commit to it. I realized this goal was potentially something much bigger than just me and my family, and taken in that light, I felt like I’d have to be a real schlub not to give it my all.

Even though it seems like earning a million dollars is a totally selfish goal, I’ve found that it’s just the opposite. Contribution is a far more powerful motivator than enlightened self-interest.

3. Focus on providing value to others, and the money will follow.

I figured that earning a million dollars should be pretty easy if I could determine how to provide at least a million dollars worth of value to others. Unfortunately I don’t know how to provide a million dollars in value to a single person (and get paid for it), so I figured I’d have to make it up in volume… maybe by providing $1 of value to a million people. I know I can create something that’s worth at least $1 to someone – one good article should do it — so the key is figuring out how to get that value into the hands of as many people as possible.

I think the best way to provide $1 of value (or thereabouts) to as many people as possible is to give it away for free. Who isn’t going to accept a free dollar? While you’d go bankrupt doing this with a tangible product, this can be done sanely with digital content. And thanks to the Internet, it’s possible to reach a large audience at extremely low cost. As for the details of how to create valuable online content, check out How to Build a High Traffic Web Site.

Once you can generate value and get it into people’s hands, the income part is relatively easy by comparison. It’s not automatic, mind you. You still have to set up systems to do it right, but that can be achieved via trial and error if necessary.

Consider this analogy: Suppose you own an empty warehouse, and you have thousands of people passing through it each day. Could you generate some income from those visits? Of course you could. You could sell lemonade, sell sponsored billboard ads on the walls, sell car insurance, solicit donations, etc. Some methods will bomb, but some will prove very effective. Given enough trial and error, testing, and refinement, you’ll eventually establish a reasonable income stream. Generating that foot traffic is the hard part, but in the online world it’s a lot easier because you can offer something valuable for free that doesn’t cost you anything to give away. OK, it does cost you a little because you have to pay for web hosting and bandwidth, but for me that expense is about 1/100 of a cent per monthly visitor. Going back to the empty warehouse analogy, you could do just about anything and earn more than a penny for every 100 visitors.

This site only earns about 3 cents per visitor per month on average, so I can say without conceit that it’s giving a lot more than it receives. I have to believe the 500+ articles here are worth more than 3 cents to virtually anyone who can read. Have you gotten your 3 cents worth from this site yet? What do you estimate it’s actually worth to you?

The upside is that this value imbalance generates massive referrals. It’s the main reason this site has blown past the web traffic levels of every famous pro speaker or author in the field of personal development, even though I’ve never spent a dime on marketing. While others firewall their value behind those 3 easy payments, this site’s content is free. It’s hard to compete with free.

To generate a million dollars in this situation, I can either find a way to provide even more value, or I can get better at monetizing the existing value. My plan is to actually do a little of both by making some changes to the business model this year. Rest assured the articles will remain free. Check back at the end of 2007, and we’ll see how well it worked.

I’m sharing this info with you, so you can understand the underlying strategy of generating income by providing genuine value. Forget about trying to get a million dollars, and focus your energies on providing a million dollars worth of value. If you can do that, the money will come.

For more on generating income by providing value, read Making Money Consciously.

4. Becoming a millionaire requires a significant identity shift.

If you haven’t listened to Podcast #18 - Faster Goal Achievement (18 minutes), you’ll probably find it very helpful. The podcast is about how achieving a big goal requires an identity shift to get there. To become a millionaire, you must become comfortable thinking and acting like a millionaire. If you can’t get there in your mind first, you won’t get there in your reality.

As I explained in the podcast, I realized that if I became a millionaire, I’d have to be comfortable managing larger sums of money. At the time I started on this path, $10,000 was a lot of money to me. But to a millionaire, it’s a relatively puny sum, only 1% or less of their net worth. So I began imagining that $10,000 was just a small amount of money and thinking about what that would feel like. Eventually I began to really believe it.

Secondly, I realized that if I were a millionaire, I’d carry more cash in my wallet. At the time I was comfortable having $50-70 in my wallet. $100 felt like a lot. So I went to the ATM and took out $200 and put it in my wallet. It felt uncomfortable to carry that much cash, but I got used to it after a few weeks. Over time I gradually raised my baseline until it felt normal having $300-500 in my wallet. Now when I have only $200 in my wallet, I sense a desire to go to the ATM.

Thirdly, I realized that to a millionaire, any sum below $100 or so is essentially irrelevant. If you’re already a millionaire, a few dollars here and there just don’t matter. Worrying about those kinds of sums is like fussing over pennies. I started telling myself that there’s no financial difference whatsoever between a $20 dinner and a $50 dinner. Going to a $9 movie is nearly identical to seeing a $90 show on the Las Vegas Strip. Those amounts are just pennies anyway.

As I gradually integrated these internal shifts, my income began to soar. Over a period of 12 months, StevePavlina.com’s monthly revenue went from $2K to $40K. As I made small changes to pretend like I was already a millionaire (in a safe and low-risk manner), I began attracting opportunities to earn more money.

Let’s be clear that I didn’t suddenly adopt foolhardy spending habits, even on low amounts, because a millionaire wouldn’t spend money foolishly. I kept my expenses reasonable, but I learned to stop fussing over amounts that really didn’t matter, like whether or not I should order a drink (non-alcoholic of course) with dinner. I’m never going to miss the $2 whether I become a millionaire or not.

Today any expense below $100 is effectively meaningless to me. $100 isn’t even 10% of a day’s earnings. This makes many purchasing decisions easier, since if the price difference between two items is less than $100 (such as the difference between two iPod models), I don’t even worry about it — I just buy the better model. The price difference is only pennies anyway.

It’s fascinating to me that I adopted this mindset first, and then the income manifested to fit the mindset. I suppose the next step is to start thinking of even larger sums as essentially irrelevant. It might seem counterintuitive that this method works, but it just does. If you want to be wealthier, start thinking like you’re already there.

5. Financial trolls must be shown no mercy.

In the terminology of online forums, a troll is someone who “intentionally tries to cause disruption, often in the form of posting messages that are inflammatory, insulting, or off-topic, with the intent of provoking a reaction from others.” (source: Wikipedia)

After launching the forums on this site over two months ago, the moderators and I gradually developed our troll-squashing shoes. At first we opted to be fairly lenient, giving polite warnings and reminding trolls to follow the posted etiquette guidelines. That never worked. All it did was embolden the trolls to keep on trolling. Every troll ended up getting himself banned eventually, but only after wasting a lot of people’s time. Eventually we learned the best approach was to banish trolls immediately on sight. It seems obvious in retrospect, since the kind of person who’d resort to trolling in the first place isn’t someone who’d genuinely care about personal development, but it was an important lesson nonetheless.

A financial troll is a close cousin to the forum troll, except that financial trolls strive to sabotage your financial pursuits. These trolls can be internal or external. They’re the people who make comments like, “Wealthy people are so greedy. They only care about themselves and will take advantage of anyone to make money.” Financial trolls are also the internal voices that say, “If you make too much money, people will judge you harshly for it. They’ll assume that’s all you care about.”

It’s tempting to listen to financial trolls because their statements are crafted to bait you into pointless arguments. Whenever you take the bait, you lose no matter what because trolls don’t care about arguing logically. If you agree with a troll, you lose. If you disagree with a troll, you lose. You’ll never convince a troll of anything no matter how hard you try. A troll’s agenda is to boost his own ego by making you wrong and by wasting your time. The more time you invest in dealing with the troll, the more you lose.

The only effective way to deal with trolls is to delete them from your life, no questions asked. Just nuke the sucker and move on. With face-to-face trolls, simply leave the room. If you really need a parting shot, consider the way Debra on Everybody Loves Raymond glares at Ray and then delivers the line, “Idiot!” If that isn’t your style, a simple eye roll works pretty well too.

Every once in a while someone sends me an email like, “Oh come now. It’s obvious you’re just in this for the money. Don’t even pretend you care about helping others. That’s just a load of self-serving B.S. You’re such a phony.” My external response is to simply hit the delete key. But my internal response is to recall a line from the movie Ruthless People: “This could very well be the stupidest person on the face of the earth.”

There’s a huge difference between constructive criticism and trolling. The former can be genuinely helpful. The latter never is. By all means listen to constructive criticism, but when you know the other person doesn’t actually have your best interest at heart, hang up on them and get back to work.

Show no mercy to financial trolls, whether they be internal or external. Once you recognize you’ve got a troll on your hands, hit the delete key and be done with it. Invest your time in making a contribution instead of becoming mired in a troll’s trap. When it comes to dealing with trolls, even when you think you’ve won, you’ve lost.

There are more lessons than these, which I’ll probably share in a future article, but the five above should get you off to a good start in generating greater financial abundance. For the most part these items are common sense, but in practice they’re fairly uncommon.

How often do you ignore your common sense and succumb to traps like wishful thinking, with its promise of fast and easy results; trolling, with its lure of intelligent debate; and penny pinching, with its prideful certainty that saving five dollars is better than earning five hundred? If the financial advice you’ve been getting hasn’t proven itself effective, then toss it out and rebuild your financial beliefs from ground zero. If you want to become a millionaire in 10 years or less, you can’t subscribe to the 40-year skimp-and-save approach. Sure you can save your way to a million in 40 years, but you can earn your way there a lot faster.

How To Double Your Brain Power!

This is a very exciting topic for me to talk about. What I’m about to share may seem strange to some but for others will make perfect sense. I will tell you how to get answers to any question and how to get access to the ideas that will further your goals. I will also relate personal experience of tapping into this infinite power!

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Creative Genius

For starters, I believe that we are all born with high levels of creativity, but it’s our willingness to believe in it and use it that determines whether or not we actually become creative people. Studies have shown that 95% of children aged 2-4 test as ‘highly creative’ but by the age of 7 only 4% remain at this level. Why would this be so? Children are often discouraged from ‘going wild’ with their imaginations and encouraged to conform by well-meaning parents and teachers. I believe this can oftentimes result in the ‘dumbing down’ of their creativity.

Highly creative people throughout history have claimed to work in alliance with or simply acted as a channel through which a higher intelligence flowed. Did you know Mozart wrote his music note-perfect first time, as did Beethoven who was deaf from the age of 35. They could hear the whole piece in their head, every instrument, before they put pen to paper. Thomas Edison, the great inventor also made this remarkable claim when speaking about his creative abilities.

The Subconscious and Superconscious Mind

So, what use is this to us? Can we tap into this source of intelligence? Yes we can, but this power lies seemingly dormant to a lot of people. The way I understand it is like this; you must first program a question into the subconscious mind e.g. how can I pay my mortgage off in 2 years? (If this is your goal) You might need to repeat this question a few times over the period of a few days for it to effectively reach the subconscious. An important distinction here is that you must phrase the question positively i.e. in a way that shows that not only is an answer possible but also that you expect an answer. Once programmed, the subconscious part of your mind communicates with a superconscious mind or infinite intelligence as Napoleon Hill refers to it in Think and Grow Rich! This field of intelligence will answer any question, any time and will even bring back to you related thoughts from other people. This means that people that are on the ’same wavelength’ are in communication with each other all around the world.

So How Do We Receive An Answer?

The answer(s) will be passed to the conscious mind as a flash of inspiration, an ‘aha!’ moment. In my own life, I have had great experiences of this. Firstly, this website was once a flash of inspiration in my conscious mind. The question I had been asking was, “How can I make a living doing what I love? (which is speaking about all matters relating to personal development) I was sitting at work one day about a week after first pondering this and was thinking about something totally unrelated when whoosh, came the idea of having a personal development website. At the time I didn’t even know what a blog was and had zero experience of setting up websites. I didn’t know what HTML, CSS, RSS, trackback, MySQL - any of terms meant but I just got on with teaching myself as I trusted the answer I had been given.

I also decided to invest in real estate as a result of asking, “How can I pay my mortgage off within a couple of years?” Now I can easily accomplish this once “impossible” task in the coming months. I have also recently started a mastermind group with another equally purpose driven person. I really wanted someone equally passionate about success but also with greater technical abilities than myself. He showed up a few days later, technical skills and all!

The Best Way To Instruct The Subconscious

The subconscious cannot work with vague dreams or generalisations. Instructions must be given in specific terms. Goals must be quantifiable and time-specific. You cannot say ‘I’d like to have no mortgage’, rather you must say something to the effect of, “By Jan. 2009 I will have my mortgage paid off” or “How can I pay mortgage off in fill by 1st Jan 2009?” So…

Be Specific

You, of course, must phrase the instruction in the positive. You cannot say, “Please stop me being so fat” as your subconscious and superconscious will only hear “FAT”. You would say, “How can I be 130 lbs by June 2007″. So…

Be Positive

Another method I recommend is to affirm yourself that the desired outcome has already taken place. For example, “I’m a millionaire, I’m a millionaire, I’m a millionaire” repeated over and over is a great way of instructing the subconscious to search for ways to make this an actuality. You will get answers so…

Affirm that it has already taken place

Be Calm and Relaxed

Answers come fastest to the relaxed mind. Don’t stress yourself when answers don’t come on your schedule, they will come. Sometimes they come in a few seconds, sometimes a few days, but whatever the case may be, stay calm and confident that an unseen ally is on the job. Jesus said,

“Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you have received them, and you will receive them.” - Mark 11:24

You will repel answers if you are anxious and worried so drop this behaviour without delay!

The ability to tap into the superconscious mind is like using a muscle; you use it or you lose it. The more you use it, the better your results will be so experiment with it today whether you feel you’re ready or not. Ask and you shall receive! I have no doubt about this whatsoever and I believe you will be left in no doubt either once you start seeing the extraordinary results for yourself.

How I Found a Needle in a Haystack

Who has heard of the law of attraction? Who hasn’t. Who really knows the power of their subconscious mind? Maybe not as many. How many people know of the link between the two? Ever since reading Think and Grow Rich! for the first time, almost 2 years ago, I have been fascinated with the power of my subconscious mind to create my life as I would like. I know this is possible and I’m living it every day. The actual mechanisms for success in this area will be detailed in an upcoming series at this blog (articles and podcasts).

The Experience

On an Easter break to the west coast of Ireland recently, I used this power for something a lot more instantaneous. Even someone like myself, who conditions his subconscious mind every day, couldn’t help but be blown away. The subconscious (and superconscious) are more powerful than you know and are available for use at ALL times, if you can just trust it.

I have used my subconscious mind for investment ideas, for working out, for better relationships, for my health, all with great results. I had never, however, used it to locate a missing item. To be honest, I wouldn’t have even have thought of it until I saw this video on youtube. This guy, Momo, was able to find his beloved ring that he had lost. He said that he then simply asked his mind to guide him to where it was. I used a very similar process to locate €50 that I had lost on Sunday, April 8th 2007. This was 1 x €20 note, and 3 x €10 notes - 4 notes in total. Here’s the story….

How I Found a Needle in a Haystack

Tracy is a lover of all things equestrian. I, on the other hand, couldn’t ride a horse to save my life. Prior to going on our break I said I would go horse-riding with her. To cut a long story short, I chickened out at the last minute and asked if it be okay if she went by herself and I head back to our room (the pic shows the actual horses in question). She said it was fine and so I slipped the €50, to pay for the ride, into the front pocket of her hooded top and said bye. It turns out later the she neither heard me nor felt my hand go into her pocket (she was too excited about getting her equipment ready I think ).

About an hour and a half later Tracy comes back into the room, and after telling me all about how great it was, says, “Do you still have the money there?” to which I replied, “Is this a joke?” It soon dawned on us that there had been a misunderstanding. She checked her pockets and sure enough, the money was gone.

My attitude to it was that it was no-one’s fault and it’s too late now anyway. Tracy was adamant that we should at least have a look for it. I must admit that even being well-versed in the Law of Attraction didn’t make me feel very optimistic about finding it. I said, “It doesn’t matter, forget about it. Maybe someone who needs it more than we do will find it and put it to good use.”

The Search

Well after a few minutes I remembered this video and I thought, “Hey, infinite intelligence/the field (whatever you want to call it) knows where it is. I’ll just ask it for directions”. So we set off walking. Seriously, if anyone had have known what we were doing they would have laughed in hysterics. The size of the area that they had been riding on covered around 30 acres (and that’s a conservative estimate). That’s 30 acres of long grass, bushes, sandy beach, water and tarmac roads. Add to this that it was a very windy day, remember this is the west coast of Ireland. It would be easy to understand why anyone would find it very hard to believe that 4 paper notes could be found in these conditions.

Even so, I started to repeat the following in my mind. “My subconscious mind knows where the €50 is and is guiding me to it”. I said this over and over again with feeling until it was believable to me. We walked around for almost an hour and split up to increase our chances of finding it. We ploughed our way through fields, roads and a beach. Even though the enormity of the area in question was daunting, I kept telling myself that my mind knew where it was and that if it was for the highest good, we would surely find it.

We then started to make our way back up through a field that would start the journey back to the house. I was still repeating the affirmation when Tracy, now standing 1 meter to my right exclaimed, “Oh my God!”, I turned around and there were the 3 x €10 notes together and the €20 note about 30cm to the right. They were just sitting on the grass at Tracy’s feet. I felt really happy, not about the money, but the fact that this seemingly impossible task was nothing of the sort. We were both ecstatic. Tracy later said that it was only when walking through this last field that she ‘let go’ of the money. Up until then she had been consciously trying to find the money herself, and feeling a little bad about losing it. It was only when she emotionally ‘let go’ as I had already done, that the money was found, and with ease!

The Field of Infinite Intelligence

A field of infinite intelligence does exist. It is what all the spiritual teachers throughout the ages have told us. It can be tapped into by anyone, I also talk about it in ‘How to Double Your Brain Power.‘ The critical point though is that it only works to the extent to which you believe in it and trust it. I know that this story won’t have as much impact on you as it did me, but I do hope that it is yet another incentive for you to start believing and to then start seeing. Remember that the, “I’ll believe it when I see it” attitude is backwards, in truth, “You’ll see it when you believe it”.

How To Create your Dream Life (Part 1)

There is a power that will work towards achieving your goals all day and all night with no effort on your part! All you have to do is program it and forget about it. No folks it’s not a Robotic Tony Robbins, (although that would be nice ) it’s your subconscious mind.

Here it is. The first instalment in the, “How To Create your Dream Life with your Subconscious Mind” series. This article will give you an introduction into the vast power of your subconscious mind. You have limitless potential and I want to help you realise that potential! By the end of this series you will be able to improve your life in any way you wish.

Opportunities will abound where once you saw none. The greatest gift though is that you will learn to trust this power to help and guide you through life. You will have a greater certainty about your future and you will know that any goal you long to accomplish, is yours for the taking.

In the five or so years that I have been interested in personal development I have noticed that the gurus like Tony Robbins, Napoleon Hill, Brian Tracy, W. Clement Stone and Dr. Joseph Murphy know this important fact:

Any Lasting change must take place at the level of the subconscious mind

This principle is also the golden thread that runs through books like Think and Grow Rich!, The Science of Getting Rich, and The Secret. Bob Proctor, who appears on ‘The Secret’, said at the opening of the ‘Larry King’ episode he appeared on, that we are attracting what we think about at a subconscious level. For me this was a ‘Wow’ moment as up until this point I hadn’t heard any of these ‘teachers’ make this important distinction. I feel that this is what was missing from ‘The Secret’.

If you are someone who believes that your fleeting conscious thoughts are creating reality, try it out. Tell yourself that the next car you see will be a blue Jaguar. If you’re beside a window, have a look out. Well? Wasn’t a blue Jaguar was it? I didn’t think so, it doesn’t work for me either!

I believe that it is your beliefs about reality that are creating (filtering) your reality. Obviously, then, it would be a good idea to change your beliefs so that you can create what it is you want, rather than what you don’t want.

The Master and Servant Relationship

See your conscious mind as the master and the subconscious as the servant. This will aid you in understanding that the subconscious will process any request made to it. It will obey you, no questions asked, no arguments.

If you are someone that is constantly saying, “Why does this always happen to me”, you are instructing the subconscious to make sure conditions stay the same. However, if you can say, “I feel great today”, your subconscious will find reasons for you to feel great that day. Isn’t it obvious that positive things follow positive people and evil follows evil people?

The Subconscious is MASSIVE!

Most people just don’t grasp the sheer enormity of their subconscious mind. Let me ask you this. In the past few minutes that you have been reading this article have you been aware that you have been blinking, and breathing, your heart has been pumping too? I doubt very much that you have. The reason is that you don’t have to be aware of this, your subconscious is taking care of it all for you. Why not use this same power to take care of your goals too!

I like to think of mind as an iceberg. I see the conscious mind as the tip of the iceberg and the subconscious as that enormous part below the surface. Also, this subconscious part is surrounded by a sea of infinite intelligence. In conjunction with infinite intelligence, your subconscious can bring you the answer to any difficulty or challenge you may have in your life. Folks, you would be extremely foolish not to take advantage of this.

The Word Becomes Flesh

A suggestion will be accepted by the subconscious mind at the moment that it is believed. “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”, where is the heart of the mind? It is the subconscious or unconscious mind. Dr. Joseph Murphy tells us that this is something that is actually located around the solar plexus. At the moment that you believe a conscious statement, it is passed to the subconscious and your word is made flesh! That means that what you have created in your mind must be projected onto the screen of your life. It is possible to thwart the process though, but you would have to take absolutely no action and where’s the fun in that?

It is comforting to know that your steps in realising your dream will also be guided. Job 22:28 says,

“You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you; And light will shine on your ways”

Consider something decreed when it has been stated and believed by you. Light will shine upon your ways as opportunities open up and your mind is flooded with ideas of how to achieve your goals.

Napoleon Hill says in Think and Grow Rich!

All thoughts which have been emotionalised (given feeling) and mixed with faith will immediately begin to transmute themselves into their physical equivalent.

This means that your creations are going from something which is real on a spiritual/mental level to something which is real on the physical plane.

I personally do something every day to program my mind for positivity and success. I have used this principle for my health; I used to have ‘acid reflux disease’ which is now completely gone! This is basically heartburn on steroids! It would burn my throat every few minutes all day, every day. I had it for about 7 years and took pills to ease it. Of course I don’t need anything any more, it’s just gone!

I have used it for my physical body. I trained my mind to accept that I was the type of person that already had this type of body. The ways and means and motivation to follow through soon followed suit.

You can use this for anything! I have come to know that there are no limits, that anything is possible. It comes from a trusting relationship with your own mind. It only takes a few small successes to build momentum and begin to realise that your only limits in life were the ones you were placing on yourself.

The next article in this series deals with the specific methods of how to program yor subconscious mind.

Mark McManus

How to Create Your Dream Life (Part 2)

How do you get everything you want in life? Are some people just destined for success while others are doomed to failure? Why does it seem so easy and effortless for some people? “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he”, “In order to do something, you must be something”. These are the two quotes I finished the first part of this series with. These play a critical role in understanding the sequence by which you can bring about anything in your life.

Let me break it down. You’re over weight, you’d like to have a great body, here’s what you do:

Decide what it is you want and write it out specifically
Aquire the mindset of those who already have what it is you want
You will then move and attract what you need automatically.
You must become what it is you want. How do you become another type of person? Remember in the last article I stated that you are the content of your subconscious mind. Therefore you must change the content of the subconscious by reprogramming it, you will then see results follow. See, it’s not about will-power or sacrifice, people think, feel and act based upon who they are. If you see reaching your ideal weight as a huge struggle, if you see attaining wealth as too risky or immoral, you are not ready. You aren’t the right person for the job

People that do achieve their desires in life have a mind free (or almost free) from doubt and worry. That means that they are not planting nasty counter-suggestions in their subconscious minutes after affirming that they will be successful. BELIEF IS THE KEY! Remember the following statement

“It is not the thing believed in, but belief itself that brings success”

You can say that God (by any name), Angels, spirit guides, destiny, the over-soul ensures your success. It doesn’t matter, it’s only important that you believe that your outcome is assured. I can think of 2 healing stories in the New testament where Jesus clearly tells the healee (is that a word?) that it was his faith that made him well. He also asks first, “Do you believe I can heal you?” I’m sure that if the answer had been ‘No’, no healing would have taken place. Imprint it onto your mind, write it where you can see it,

“It is not the thing believed in, but belief itself that brings success”

How to Program yourself for success

So let’s get down to business. How do we program our mind for absolute belief and confidence? How do we become that which we want to be?

Step1

Affirmations. You’ve heard it a million times before but do you use them? Use them every single day of your life. Affirm what it is you desire. Affirmations should be said with intensity and engage your physiology. Of course you should state the affirmations in the present tense and with belief in what you are saying. I have found that if an affirmation is stated and not believed in, you will actually be affirming the opposite. I have devised a simple test to put this right though. Introducing the..

Twinge test

If you want to become a millionaire, you are likely to affirm over and over again, “I am a millionaire”, right? Well, you might be programming the opposite into your mind. Once you say, “I am a millionaire”, notice how it feels. Do you get a little twinge in your heart, a little shot of adrenalin? If so, this is your subconscious mind telling you that you’re a liar!

There is a way to get around this though. You need to simply state the essence of what it is you want. In this case, it would be “Millionaire”. Just repeat the word ‘millionaire’ over and over again and it will start to have a powerful effect on the subconscious. In time, you will be able to say, “I am a millionaire” without the ‘liar twinge’. When this time comes you’re in a fantastic place for achieving your goals.

Step 2

Be Around Positive Material Constantly

If you want to build the body of your dreams, be around that imagery all the time. If you want a certain car, be around that imagery a lot. If it’s wealth you want, get around wealthy people. The more you immerse yourself in what you want, the more your subconscious gets accustomed to the idea and will begin to work to bring it about. Judge Thomas Troward, one of the early fathers of ‘New Thought’ said:

“…therefore the way to use this process for the application of the power is to contemplate ourselves as surrounded by the conditions which we want to produce.”

If you don’t already believe that your subconscious can guide you to success once you command it to, then get around material like this article.

I can highly recommend one of the best books on the subject which is ‘Think and Grow Rich!‘ by Napoleon Hill. If you haven’t read it, READ IT! If you have but do not now have an abundant mindset, READ IT AGAIN and for God’s sake, APPLY WHAT YOU LEARNT!

Step 3

Create a Vision Statement

Vision Statements for me are such an excellent way of programming the subconscious. If you are someone who complains that they can’t visualise very well, you need to do this. I was so impressed by this that I wrote an article about it here. Read that article and make yours as soon as possible.

Basically, a vision statement is a little movie of exactly how you would like your life to be. Images and affirmations are flashing on screen and at the same time your favourite motivational music is pumping - talk about re-wiring your brain! Watch this once in the morning and once in the evening. Why then? It’s actually best to be a little drowsy when making suggestions to the subconscious. This is because your conscious mind will be quieter and more open to suggestion. By the way, if you have a Video iPod, watch your Vision Statement last thing at night in bed, and first thing in the morning when you wake up.

Step 4

Write a ‘Who Are You?

A ‘Who are You?’ is a little summary of the person you would like to be. I came up with this little idea when researching ways to program the subconscious. It’s important that it is not too long, 100 words is good. Also, you write this as if it is another person speaking about you.

So if you have a self-sabotage pattern in your subconscious, it would be a good idea to say, “NAME, you deserve the absolute best that life has to offer”, or, “NAME, You accomplish everything that it is your desire to do so as you know it is your destiny to be great”. If you lack confidence, you might say something like, “You are a confident warrior”, or any phrase that inspires you and causes you to actually feel that way.

Step 5

Use Audio Mind Programming

I don’t mean those programs that make noise in your ears and claim to be altering your mind to be more positive. I mean suggestions being read out by a Certified NLP Practitioner or hypnotist. Personally, Paul McKenna fits the bill. I have used, and continue to use, his programs. Paul is both a hypnotist and an NLP practitioner.

Basically, you get comfortable, allow the conscious mind to relax and empowering suggestions will be offered to the unconscious mind. Again, as stated in step 3, this drowsy state quietens the chatter in your head, leaving your mind malleable. You can pick a program for any area of your life. Wealth, health, confidence, happiness etc. I really like these programs as they are one area of personal development that truly requires no effort on your part. You will start to see great results in a few days and you can expect your new character trait to become permanent after about 30 days of constant use.

Step 6

Write out your Goals Daily

If you don’t already have some written goals for your life, get some! I’m going to assume that 99% of the readership here has written goals, but do you write them out daily? I learnt this from Brian Tracy and it might just be the best tip of all. If you have more than 5 goals in your life, can you rhyme them off the top of your head right now? If not, guess what, they’re not programmed and you’re not letting your subconscious do a lot of the work for you.

For each of your goals, resolve to write them out daily in the present tense. Yes, you write them as if they were already achieved, as if you are now living your dream. For example it could be, “I overflow with confidence” or “I have a 30 inch waist”. Try me on this, write your goals out in the present tense every day (more than once a day if you can) for 30 days and see if you are not further along the way to accomplishing them than ever before.

Step 7

Stay Away from Negative Counter-Suggestions

That means stay away from losers who say it can’t be done. You’ll find these guys everywhere so be careful. if you’re in work and someone’s moaning, edge away slowly towards the door and hope they don’t notice.

Switch off the radio. I’m serious, do you hear the crap you’re singing along to sometimes? “I’m gonna kill you” or, “I’m heartbroken” or, “He cheated on me” or some other gibberish. The worst thing is that you can often be in an alpha state when listening to music so these suggestions that you are repeating aloud are easily being believed by the subconscious. Add to this that the vibration of music carries with it emotion, whether it be positive or negative, you’re being programmed!

Switch of the TV. If I see another argument on a soap I’m going to……Just kidding but this junk is a waste of a life. Soaps basically tell you everything that can go wrong in life. People are in constant envy of each other, having affairs or having arguments. Your brain is in an alpha state most of time while watching this and again friends, you are being programmed. If you watch this tripe and wonder why your life’s crap, hopefully this article will serve as a good wake-up call.

Say “It’s on its way”. This is a little tip I picked up from Wayne Dyer. When you get that little voice of doubt in your own head, counter it with saying, “It’s on its way.” Simple yet effective.

one more little tip for ya…….

If you still find some suggestions hard to believe qualify them with this statement:

“In its own perfect time and for the highest good of all…[INSERT YOUR GOAL]”

This is great as you don’t feel like you are trying to force something. It’s much easier to believe that what you want to occur, will occur. Please remember, like I said at the beginning of this article:

“It is not the thing believed in, but belief itself that brings success”

A typical Day of Programming Yourself for Success

I also wanted to give you a little preview of what your day will look like when (not if please) you start to use these techniques. Here goes:

6am - Watch Vision Statement

6.15am - Write out your Goals in the Present Tense

8am - Say your affirmations in the car on the way to work

Read your ‘Who Are You’ at various times throughout your working day. Use ‘Toilet Time ‘ if you have to

6pm - Read a positive blog, book or something that inspires you. Something to do with your goals in life.

9pm - Listen to a mind programming mp3


10.30pm - Watch Vision Statement again

Try this, or your own version, for 30 days and some big changes are in store for you. Take back control, program your mind to your own design.

Mark McManus

How To Create your Dream Life (Part 3 - Getting Rich)

How can we use our minds to get rich? That’s basically what I’m going to cover in this article. Most of us, no matter where we are in life, would like more money. It’s because of this that I am devoting this part of this series to specifically creating wealth. You can create wealth with the power of your subconscious mind, in fact, it’s the only way wealth has ever been created! Please take the time to read parts 1 and 2 of this series to understand the basics of creating your dream life with your subconscious mind.

Who am I to Teach you about Wealth

Well I’m not an expert but I’m doing okay. In May of 2005 I had a net worth of around $9983 or £5000. Not great. Today in May of 2007 (aged 26) my net worth is $440,000 or £220,000. I’m almost a half a millionaire or a quarter of a millionaire depending on which currency you want to use. So how did I do this in less than 2 years? Well my vehicle is real estate. It hasn’t all been down to skill but amazing market conditions and, of course, ‘luck’. Isn’t that what the law of attraction is all about though? Things just go right for you and others say “He got lucky”. I’m not sure there is such a thing as luck.

Getting the Sequence Right

In the last 2 articles of this series I spoke of this and I’ll do it again since repetition will help program it into your subconscious. This is how you get anything you want:

Decide what you want
Acquire the mindset of someone who already has what you want
You will then both act an attract automatically what you need for its accomplishment
Creating Wealth

Of course wealth isn’t just money but this article is about just that, the green stuff. I firmly believe that the single biggest cause of financial failure or lack is a negative association people have about having money in abundance. If you believe that in order for you to be financially abundant, you have to take it from someone else, you will never be rich. See the desire to be rich is conflicting with a subconscious belief that it is wrong to have riches. You must uproot this belief.

Being Rich is Good for Everyone

So long as you are not a hoarder of money, everyone benefits from you getting rich. Imagine you had $1,000,000. Imagine that you thought that in order to keep this money safe, you should keep it in the bank. This takes $1,000,000 out of circulation and is greedy. It’s also pointless because you might as well have nothing. That $1,000,000 isn’t worth anything anyway. It has potential worth but as it is, it’s absolutely worthless.

On the other hand, you could go crazy and spend it all on things you like. Well, eventually it will all be gone and what you have bought will soon be ‘out of fashion’ - nice move there champ.

Rich people know that they must put there money to work. If you invest your money then it is out there benefiting not only you, but everyone. If you buy stocks you are helping a company design and deliver products that people like and make their life easier or more enjoyable. If you start your own business, you will provide employment, give people a service they want, keep manufacturers in business, keep the wholesalers in business, and the list goes on. The manufactures, wholesalers etc. also keep people in employment, pay electricity bills, gas and oil bills, taxes and so you see money just keeps circulating around. This is why rich people don’t have this nonsensical belief that they are making others poor by being rich.

I could speak at length about this issue but simply put, money is dynamic, it is constantly flowing around each of us. To take a larger portion of it doesn’t mean to steal it away from everyone else, it means to allow a larger portion to flow through you - both in AND out.

I hope this has helped dislodge the ‘money is evil’ belief from your brain forever!

The Steps

In article 2 I outlined 7 steps to programming anything into your subconscious mind. In short they are:

Affirmations
Be around your goal constantly
Watch your Vision Statement
Write a ‘Who are you?’
Use Audio Mind Programming
Write out your Goals Daily
Stay away from Negative Counter Suggestions
Let’s take each of these in turn and apply it to creating wealth.

Affirmations of a Rich Guy

How do the rich talk to themselves? For a start they think and feel prosperous. They don’t acknowledge failure, they see it as a valuable learning exercise. Here are some affirmations I believe will help you attain the mindset of the rich.

I live in avalanches of abundance
Everything I touch turns to gold.
Infinite intelligence prospers my every move
I deserve the best that life has to offer
I am a millionaire/Multi-millionaire/billionaire (you choose)
I live a luxurious, free life
Infinite intelligence guides my every investment
Take these and add to them or amend them in any way you wish. After a few days of constant use you will start to believe them and once you do, there’ll be no stopping you!

Be around Wealth

There are several ways you can get around wealth. You can:

Join or form a wealth building mastermind group

Be around the material things you desire e.g. test drive the car or get a viewing of the type of house you’d like

Make a fake bank statement. This is cool, just take a screen shot of your statement and photoshop it. You can add this to your vision statement.

Read books by wealthy authors e.g. Rich Dad, Poor Dad or one of Donald Trump’s books.

Wear the type of clothes rich people wear. This will definitely change your state

Learn the lingo. Use a rich person’s vocabulary and this too will give the feeling of already being there. In NLP, they’ll tell you that your words will give you more options, that’s true!

Create a Wealth Vision Statement

Pretty self-explanatory. Get images of wealth that appeal to you from the internet. Use them to create a visual mind-programming mini-movie of your future. Have pictures of wealthy people and wads of cash interspersed with pictures of you smiling.

Include a section on Wealth in your ‘Who are you?’

A ‘Who Are You?’ (WAY) is a little paragraph, written in the second person, detailing who you would like to be. You also write in the present tense so you want to say things like, “INSERT NAME, you are an inspiring success story. You are very wealthy and you bless everyone around you with that wealth. You live a free life, free to do as you please because of your success. Everything you touch turns to gold.” Read this every day.

Use Wealth Audio Mind Programming

Fairly straight forward. These are audio programs designed to program your subconscious to be a money attracting machine. I have used and continue to use Paul McKenna’s programs for this but you can use what you wish.

Write your Goals out Daily

As I said in the previous article, this could be one of the simplest yet most powerful tips of all. Write all your financial goals out every single day in the present tense. If you have a goal to be a millionaire in 5 years, thn simply write ‘I am a millionaire‘ over and over again. There is something about writing things down that embeds the statement firmly into the subconscious.

Stay away from Negative People

It’s going to prove quite difficult to travel on this journey without meeting a negative nincompoop. They’re all over the freakin’ place . Look, I’ve come across them and you will too. They might say you’ll never make it or mistake your confidence for cockiness, or just laugh at you - SO WHAT! I don’t give a rat’s behind what ‘they‘ think. The truth is, you and ‘they’ don’t share the same type of consciousness. Once upon a time you were a ‘lack consciousness‘ type of person too just like them. Of course they won’t see the same world full of opportunity as you do. When they look at the world they see a whole different place, a place that you won’t want to return to. If they start telling you to be ‘realistic‘ (I just hate that word), tell them that it was people being ‘unrealistic’ that gave us the great technologies and the knowledge we have today. People like Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein.

As I have said at the beginning of this article, these tips will help you acquire the correct mindset so that you feel like that which you want to be, only now! From here you will notice all sorts of opportunities for acquiring wealth and you will feel compelled to act. I have an article on how anyone can get rich with stock market investing. My particular preference is for real estate but, hey, we’re all different. In the future I will discuss real estate investment in more depth and hopefully inspire you to take the steps to creating your own prosperous reality.

Mark McManus

YouTube Shares The Wealth, Viacom Watches, Revver Trembles

This week YouTube begins their revenue sharing program for popular video bloggers like Lonelygirl15, and LisaNova. The YouTube blog states:

“Participating user-partners will be treated as other content partners and will have the ability to control the monetization of the videos they create. Once they’ve selected a video to be monetized, we’ll place advertising adjacent to their content so participating user-partners can reap the rewards from their work.”

This raises some interesting issues…

1. Google/YouTube must be feeling pretty confident about their chances with the Viacom lawsuit to start launching such services before the suit is settled. Imagine if one of the revenue sharing video bloggers inadvertently uploads a video featuring a Viacom product logo (they own about a thousand) in the background? Or a piece of music or video? This is a ticking time bomb of ammo for Viacom’s lawsuit.

2. What about Revver? Revenue sharing for indie-video creators is their bedrock gimmick. With YouTube—the most popular video sharing site online by far—entering this space, how long can Revver survive such a major shift. Any indie-video creator looking to make the most money via revenue sharing is going to the king—YouTube.

As I said before, Revver needs to quickly find a Revver “star” or evangelist to get the word out before YouTube completely shuts them out.

Wealth managers rate China over India in survey

Wealth managers see greater potential in China than in India and are ready to recommend alternative investments like hedge funds to boost investor returns, according to a survey.
China has the rosiest prospects of any wealth market in Asia, said the poll of 73 wealth managers in Europe, Asia and the United States that oversee more than five trillion dollars.

Some 80 percent of those canvassed in the survey by British investment bank Barclays Capital forecast at least 16 percent annual growth in the assets run by wealth managers in China.

But fewer of the respondents were as upbeat about India, with 60 percent expecting assets managed by its wealth experts to increase at least 16 percent annually.

"The overall outlook for wealth generation in Asia is strong while confidence in China is higher than ever," said Peter Hu, a top investment manager at Barclays Capital.

"They are still bullish on India but less so than on China," he said in a telephone interview from London.

Barclays Capital forecast economic growth in Asia, excluding Japan, of 8.2 percent for 2007.

China reported 11.1 percent economic growth in the first three months of the year, and India is expected to grow by around 8.5 percent in the year to March 2008, down from an estimated 9.2 percent the previous year.

Asian investors are becoming increasingly "happy to take on non-traditional investments" such as hedge funds, private equity and property, Hu added.

Hu said many so-called traditional asset classes, like the stockmarket or bonds, were near all-time highs.

"They're not compensating investors as much as they have before so they're looking for other kinds of investments ... to sustain their return profile."

The trend toward alternative investments reflects a rising "level of sophistication among investors in the region" and a higher "level of younger money being made by entrepreneurs," Hu said.

"They understand risk" and are ready to "look at new ways to gain returns," he said.

"It's a positive for the region, helping to increase diversification and absorb liquidity," he added, forecasting that alternative investments will become "mainstream products over the next two years."

Right now, equity-linked products, or equity derivatives, are the most popular alternative portfolio investments, with foreign exchange-linked products second, the survey found.

"With increased liquidity and transparency, the derivatives market is set to grow," Hu said.

Until a few years ago, it was hard for private Asian investors to buy such products, but investment banks have begun marketing them to retail investors.

The survey found 88 percent of respondents expect the hiring and retention of staff to be their biggest challenge over the next two years in an increasingly cut-throat market for qualified staff as Asia's wealth management industry grows.

Asia has at least 2.4 million "high net worth" individuals -- those with over one million dollars in assets excluding their homes -- according to industry figures.

That compares with 2.9 million people in North America and 2.8 million in Europe.

"Wealth management is an ever growing market in Asia," said Hu.

The Lure of Great Wealth

One of the most popular articles on The New York Times website late last year was "The Gilded Cage: Lure of Great Wealth Affects Career Choices."

I think I can guess the theme of the article, as well as why it was so widely read and shared. It promises at once to offer an answer to the question of "How do I get rich?" -- the second most popular question in the history of man, closing in rapidly on the longtime favorite, "What's for dinner?" -- and it offers solace for those not in the "great wealth" category.

Many who are successfully pursuing wealth are indeed living in a gilded cage -- they're trapped in at least a partially unfulfilling life because they've traded doing what they would really like to do for a bigger paycheck.

Get rich easier
And that's too bad for them, because truly significant wealth is achievable for virtually all in our society who have but three traits:

Employment in a job they truly like and can develop in
Sufficient discipline with their savings
A sound investment plan
I don't know what constitutes great wealth in the mind of most people, but I guess eight figures -- $10 million -- would qualify for some. How do you get there with a savings and investing plan, and with the job you love, from a standing start of $0?

Do you have to take great risks with your savings? Attempting to figure out whether XM Satellite Radio (Nasdaq: XMSR) will turn losses into huge profits and when? Or whether $3 stocks like Sanmina-SCI (Nasdaq: SANM) or (pre-reverse split) JDSU (Nasdaq: JDSU) can turn around years of miscues and return to past glories, despite steep competition in a fast-moving landscape?

You don't need to do any of that.

The market's best returns
Although large-cap growth companies with volatile stocks and uncertain futures get all the press in the world, they are not the ones that history shows will best help individual investors earn great wealth. Compare the historical returns of large-cap growth stocks -- which includes the results of long-term monsters such as Genentech (NYSE: DNA), Gilead Sciences (Nasdaq: GILD), Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN), and First Data (NYSE: FDC) -- with those of the total stock market and of small-cap value stocks from 1927 to 2005:

Large-cap growth
9.5%

Total stock market
10.0%

Small-cap value
15.4%



What does 15.4% compound out to, over a lifetime spent working in a job you love? If you were simply to maximize your IRA contributions (currently $4,000 a year) and 401(k) contributions (currently $15,000) over a 40-year working life span, from a standing start of $0, you'd have $37 million at the end. Does that qualify as great wealth?

The Foolish final word
Figures like that really should be luring you to change your behaviors. What shouldn't be luring you is trading in doing what you love for 10, 12, or 14 hours a day of gilded-cage riches and no time for your friends and family.

Instead, consider learning more about small-cap value stocks. Our newsletter, Motley Fool Hidden Gems, follows small-cap companies and actually has produced returns far in excess of even the historical small-cap value returns -- 21% average annualized returns over the past three and a half years. Compound that rate out for 40 years, putting aside $19,000 a year, and you wind up with $185 million to enjoy your retirement -- and look back on a life well spent.

Take a free 30-day guest pass to Hidden Gems to learn about how we choose the more than 40 currently recommended companies that have produced an early start to great wealth.

And keep the job you love for life.

Edwards: Wealth Doesn't Hurt Credibility

DES MOINES, Iowa - Presidential candidate John Edwards said Monday it's silly to suggest that his wealth and expensive tastes have hurt his credibility as an advocate for the poor.

"Would it have been better if I had done well and didn't care?" Edwards asked.

Edwards noted that some of the most acclaimed anti-poverty advocates came from privileged backgrounds, including Franklin Roosevelt and Bobby Kennedy.

"You could see and feel the empathy they had," said Edwards, speaking from his home in North Carolina during an interview on Iowa Public Radio.

Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, has made poverty a central issue of his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination and recently released a book on the subject, "Ending Poverty in America." He also has formed a center for the study of poverty issues at the University of North Carolina.

His credibility on the issue has been challenged by critics who point to his 28,000-square-foot home in North Carolina and his $400 haircuts. He rejected the criticism, saying a look at history shows that personal wealth doesn't disqualify people from advocating for the poor.

"It feels a little silly to me," Edwards said. "This is an issue I care deeply about."

Edwards is the son of a mill worker who achieved wealth as a trial lawyer.

The mission of his campaign is to ensure that all Americans have a chance for such success, he said.

"It's just where my heart and my passion are," said Edwards, adding that his emphasis on poverty issues resonates with activists, because few other candidates focus on the issue.

"The reality of poverty is a very complex thing," said Edwards. "One problem compounds the next problem."

CHICAGO (AP) _ Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has a message for rival Barack Obama: I'll fight you for Illinois.

"We are competing across the country and I wanted to be sure that I had a chance to come here to let the people in this city and state know that I don't consider Chicago or Illinois off limits to me," the New York senator told reporters on Monday.

Clinton, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs, met with black ministers in Obama's home state. She also spoke at a luncheon to a group that provides residential care for young people and had breakfast with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, who already has endorsed Obama, the Illinois senator.

"I appreciate the political decision he made," Clinton said of Daley, professing herself to be a "great fan" of his.

It's typical for presidential candidates to try to poach support from each other's home states and Obama regularly steps out on Clinton's turf in New York, aggressively fundraising and courting voters.

Clinton will be back in Chicago next week for a fundraiser. The event was postponed because of Senate business.

Associated Press Writer Deanna Bellandi in Chicago contributed to this report.

Embrace the Wealth Gap

In a recent op-ed, economist Robert Samuelson said "there is something unsettling about extremes of wealth and poverty." He obviously meant it pejoratively, but in truth, extremes of wealth and poverty are the very source of the economic advances and creativity that we regularly witness around the world. As Canadian economist Reuven Brenner wrote in his 1983 book, History: The Human Gamble, "it is the perception of inequality that induces people to take risks."

USA Today founder Al Neuharth recently wrote about the career paths of himself and CNN's Larry King. Neuharth observed: "[King] was a poor Jewish kid from Brooklyn whose father died when Larry was in grade school. I was a poor German-Russian kid from South Dakota. My dad died when I was two. Larry and I both knew we'd have to take some big risks if we wanted to make it big time. He gambled on a late-night radio talk show that he got syndicated nationally in 1978. It ultimately developed into CNN's Larry King Live. I gambled on USA Today in 1982. It became 'The Nation's Newspaper."

At one point, British author J.K. Rowling spent time on the "dole" in England. Her gamble was the Harry Potter series of books that have sold 377 million copies worldwide, and which have made her the second richest female entertainer in the world behind Oprah Winfrey. The latter was born to an unmarried teenage couple, and experienced an early life of molestation by a cousin, family friend, and uncle. Winfrey's ambition took her to mostly smaller media markets around the country until 1983 when she gambled on a low-rated talk show called AM Chicago. Within months, the show went from last place in the ratings to besting the talk-show juggernaut Donahue, and today she's arguably the most influential woman in the world.

Near suicide due to mounting debts, a broken family, alcoholism, and a drug arrest, Dominic Dunne fled Beverly Hills in the '70s in shame and rented out a room lacking television and telephone at the Twin View Resorts in rural Oregon. Finished as a Hollywood movie producer, Dunne was in his fifties when he gambled on a career as a writer. Though his first script was roundly criticized, and his first book (The Winners) was a flop, Dunne wrote in his journal, "I have never believed in myself more than when I was writing my script. I was never happier with myself." With a burning desire to succeed while in possession of very few options, Dunne persisted and today is one of the best-known writers of criminal fiction in the world.

At the age of 35, Bernie Brillstein wrote in his autobiography (Where Did I Go Right?), "I owed money, and I'd begun to believe that I might not make it in life." Constantly burdened by the success of others in the entertainment industry, and his own relative failure, Bernstein gambled on what became his eponymous talent management company; one that ultimately morphed into Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, the most prominent firm of its kind in the entertainment industry. Brillstein's firm had a hand in everything from Saturday Night Live to The Muppet Show to Ghostbusters, along with more recent blockbusters such as The Sopranos. Inequality fueled his creative fire.

Patillo Higgins was a one-armed mechanic utterly convinced that there was oil beneath a hill in Beaumont, Texas. Even though numerous geologists ridiculed his ideas, he bought a book on geology, read it passionately, but couldn't find anyone who shared his belief that a big oil find was in their midst. Desperate, he placed an ad in a magazine and found an Austro-Hungarian engineer named Anthony Lucas who began drilling in 1899. Despite near-universal ridicule, neither Patillo nor Lucas had anything to lose. Their gamble was Spindletop, the greatest oil find of its time, and the catalyst for the Texas oil boom of the early 20th century.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was fired by Salomon Brothers in 1981. Driven by burning ambition and an ego to match, he chose not to sit on his $10 million severance package, and instead gambled on the idea that investors and traders desired access to market information that up to that time had been very diffuse. Bloomberg LP was his creation, and its terminals line trading floors around the world.

Michael Milken was hired by Drexel Harriman Ripley out of Wharton in 1969. With his firm mostly a bit player relative to the "white shoe" investment banks who led the rush to conglomeration by established U.S. 鈥揵ased companies in the '60s and '70s, Milken gambled on "junk bonds." The latter were in truth sources of finance for ventures that establishment banks would not go near in terms of financing. Milken's innovation funded the gambles of other entrepreneurs, including Ted Turner's challenging the big-three networks with CNN, and Steve Wynn's shake-up of Las Vegas with the creation of the Mirage.

Milken's financing innovations led to an efficiency-enhancing buyout boom, and the formation of other spectacularly successful firms, including the Blackstone Group. Pete Peterson and Stephen Schwarzman founded the latter after losing a power struggle with Lew Glucksman at Lehman Brothers in the mid-80s. Their gamble is about to go public, and most accounts suggest what began as a small venture will command a market capitalization of $40 billion once the shares are floated.

Importantly, none of the people described here started out rich. Indeed, while the fortunes of many are presently the source of unease about wealth gaps, there was a time when all were on the outside looking in. If income equality were the norm in the world, it's arguable that some would not have taken the risks that are at the root of our economic vibrancy today. As such, fears of income inequality are misplaced. The latter is the driver of economic and human creativity, so rather then bemoan it, we should embrace it.

Edwards: Wealth Hasn't Changed Advocacy

DES MOINES, Iowa - Presidential candidate John Edwards said Monday it's silly to suggest that his wealth and expensive tastes have hurt his credibility as an advocate for the poor.

"Would it have been better if I had done well and didn't care?" Edwards asked.

Edwards noted that some of the most acclaimed anti-poverty advocates came from privileged backgrounds, including Franklin Roosevelt and Bobby Kennedy.

"You could see and feel the empathy they had," said Edwards, speaking from his home in North Carolina during an interview on Iowa Public Radio.

Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, has made poverty a central issue of his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination and recently released a book on the subject, "Ending Poverty in America." He also has formed a center for the study of poverty issues at the University of North Carolina.

His credibility on the issue has been challenged by critics who point to his 28,000-square-foot home in North Carolina and his $400 haircuts. He rejected the criticism, saying a look at history shows that personal wealth doesn't disqualify people from advocating for the poor.

"It feels a little silly to me," Edwards said. "This is an issue I care deeply about."

Edwards is the son of a mill worker who achieved wealth as a trial lawyer.

The mission of his campaign is to ensure that all Americans have a chance for such success, he said.

"It's just where my heart and my passion are," said Edwards, adding that his emphasis on poverty issues resonates with activists, because few other candidates focus on the issue.

"The reality of poverty is a very complex thing," said Edwards. "One problem compounds the next problem."

CHICAGO (AP) _ Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton has a message for rival Barack Obama: I'll fight you for Illinois.

"We are competing across the country and I wanted to be sure that I had a chance to come here to let the people in this city and state know that I don't consider Chicago or Illinois off limits to me," the New York senator told reporters on Monday.

Clinton, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs, met with black ministers in Obama's home state. She also spoke at a luncheon to a group that provides residential care for young people and had breakfast with Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, who already has endorsed Obama, the Illinois senator.

"I appreciate the political decision he made," Clinton said of Daley, professing herself to be a "great fan" of his.

It's typical for presidential candidates to try to poach support from each other's home states and Obama regularly steps out on Clinton's turf in New York, aggressively fundraising and courting voters.

Clinton will be back in Chicago next week for a fundraiser. The event was postponed because of Senate business.

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Republican presidential hopeful Rudy Giuliani's campaign message _ fiscal restraint and a strong defense _ was tailor made for the audience before him Monday.

The former New York City mayor spoke to a few hundred donors to the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, during a dinner at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center. In a well-received speech lasting under an hour, Giuliani touched on familiar themes of lower taxes, smaller government and a larger military.

He did not address social issues that have started to dog him on the campaign trail, including his support for abortion rights and gay rights.

Making light of his own performance in last week's GOP debate, Giuliani opened his remarks with a quip: "I have this very long description of the difference between Sunni and Shiite." He had stumbled briefly when asked to explain the difference between the two groups in Iraq.

He also praised conservative Nicolas Sarkozy's resounding presidential election win over Segolene Royal in France. He said Sarkozy's victory "represents a step forward for the center right philosophy of governing" and he praised Sarkozy's "strong stand on security issues" and what he called his commitment to strengthening France's alliance with the U.S.

Then, he held up a copy of a story about Sarkozy in The New York Post bearing the headline "A French Rudy." "I like that one," Giuliani said. "I thought it was a good omen!"

"I understand tomorrow ... they're going to have 'A French Hillary,'" he said to laughs. "It just might contrast our differing views on health care, for example."

NEW YORK (AP) _ When it comes to abortion, Mitt Romney has conceded a change of heart while trying to minimize criticism by noting that some of his rivals have also flip-flopped on issues.

On Monday night, Romney offered another defense, saying he is being unduly criticized for shifting from supporting abortion rights to opposing them.

The Republican presidential contender said he wouldn't endure such questions had he went the other way, from opposing abortion rights to favoring them.

"What I find interesting is, had I been pro-life and then changed to pro-choice, no one would ask the question," the former Massachusetts governor said on Fox News Channel's "Hannity and Colmes." "But if you go the other direction, as I have and as Ronald Reagan did and (former Illinois Rep.) Henry Hyde and (former President) George Herbert Walker Bush, it's like the media can't get enough of it: `Oh, well, why did you change?'"

During the interview, which came on a fundraising trip to New York, Romney was asked which president he would emulate should he be elected in 2008.

"Probably my dad. I loved my dad. And he's my hero," Romney said.

His wife, Ann, who was sitting beside him, interrupted and said, "Isn't he asking you to pick a president?"

Romney corrected himself and then went on to rattle off the characteristics of a number of presidents, including Theodore Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman.

Associated Press writers Deanna Bellandi in Chicago, Liz Sidoti in Washington and Glen Johnson in Boston contributed to this report.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)

Celebrating with the rich and famous over a 1993 Dom Perignon

Strip away the context, and the list could pass as some sort of blue-sky social experiment: How would Donald Trump and Henry Kissinger get along? How about fashion luminary Oscar de la Renta and billionaire New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg?

If you were one of the 86 people invited to Barbara Amiel's 60th birthday bash in December of 2000, you may have had a chance to find out. The party's guest list was presented as evidence in a Chicago court yesterday:

Table 1: New York Mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg is at the table. Leading fashion designer Oscar de la Renta is also listed.

Table 2: Author and founder of National Review magazine William F. Buckley, Jr., is seated alongside conservative political adviser Richard Perle. Billionaire magazine publisher and native Canadian Mort Zuckerman is also seated at the table.


Table 3: Right-wing journalist Taki Theodoracopulos -- who once spent four months in a British prison for cocaine possession -- is seated alongside Slovenian model and Donald Trump's wife, Melania Knauss. The table also features a CEO, a politician and the head of a multibillion-dollar fund management firm.

Table 4/5: At what could be described as the "better times" table, Hollinger insider and former CEO of London's Telegraph newspapers Dan Colson is seated, as is onetime Black friend turned plea-bargain witness David Radler.

Table 6: Pulitzer prize-winning historian Arthur Schlesinger was seated alongside former Time magazine head and U.S. ambassador to Austria Henry Grunwald. Another noted journalist, former Sunday Times editor Sir Harold Evans, joins them.

Table 7: Former Hollinger executive Peter Atkinson was at the table; he now stands accused alongside Conrad Black.

Table 8: The hostess, Barbara Amiel, had a billionaire real-estate tycoon and a Nobel prize winner for company. Donald Trump and Henry Kissinger are seated at Table 8, as is former ABC World News Tonight anchor Peter Jennings.

Table 9: Conrad Black's table is an eccentric mix. He is seated alongside "Dame Edna" comedian Barry Humphries and American diplomat Richard Holbrooke. Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue and the inspiration for the movie The Devil Wears Prada, is also at the table.

*****

Dinner details

Cocktails will be served at 8:00 p.m. and dinner will follow at 9:00 p.m.

Cocktails:

Amuse bouches

Céviche de Homard au Concombre

Carpaccio de Boeuf au Raifort

Caviar Beluga sur Gaufrettes

"Gougères" aux Deux Fromages

Will be served with Moët et

Chandon Dom Perignon 1993.

Dinner

Your dinner menu selection is as follows:

Raviolis de Homard et Crabe au Basilic

Chassagne Montrachet

"Les Cheneyottes" Prosper

Maufoux 1998 (#54)

Le Carre de Veau Enrobé aux Fine Herbes et Gnocchis Caramélisés

au Jus

Clos Vougeot Prosper

Maufoux 1993 (#322)

Le Coppelia au Chocolat; Petits Fours; Café; Truffes au Chocolat

*****

La Grenouille details

The tables will be numbered from 1-10 and there will be three menus on each table written in fine calligraphy.

The birthday cake will have six candles with "Happy Birthday Barbara" written on top and will be presented in the dining room on a tray.

A pianist and singer will perform during the evening.

An upright piano with matching bench has been ordered for the evening.

*****

Anatomy of a party

Just before David Radler took the witness stand in the Conrad Black trial yesterday, jurors heard details about a 60th birthday party Lord Black hosted for his wife Barbara Amiel Black on Dec. 4, 2000, at La Grenouille in New York City. The information came from Janice Akerhielm, Lord Black's former assistant.

-Ms. Akerhielm testified that Lord Black wanted her to keep the arrangements confidential because he wanted to surprise his wife. "I kept it secret from everybody in the office," she said.

-$17,000.00 worth of food

-$14,000.00 worth of wine...

-...for a total restaurant bill of $54,000.00

-...plus $569 for calligraphy.

-In the end, Hollinger picked up $42,000 of the tab.

-Lord Black covered the remainder, plus $569 for calligraphy.

Prosecutors allege Lord Black should have paid the full cost for the party.

-Ms. Akerhielm said that the total cost was around $62,000 and that Lord Black sent her a note that said: "Let's call it 1/3 personal and 2/3 corporate".

Billionaire Plans Europe Version of Council on Foreign Relations

Billionaire investor George Soros plans to start a foreign-affairs research institute in Europe similar to the Council on Foreign Relations.

" Europe has to be interested in recreating what used to be called the West, based on the principles of international cooperation," Mr. Soros said yesterday at a conference in Oxford, England. "Out of this idea came the idea of founding a European Council on Foreign Relations."

Mr. Soros, who spent $27.5 million trying to defeat President Bush in the 2004 election, said America can't deal with global affairs on its own. If a leading Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Obama, wins the post in 2008, the U.S. may regain some of "the high ground," he said.

Mr. Soros declined to say how much money he is spending on the project. It may start by the end of this year, he said.

"Our resources are similar to the United States, but we punch pathetically below our weight," Timothy Garton Ash, a professor of European Studies at Oxford University who is helping Mr. Soros with the plans, said in an interview. "The idea is to contribute a European voice. It's still in the making."

Trafford man wins $100,000 on 'Millionaire'

Brian Kaminski says he learned his ABCs from the "Wheel of Fortune" and other game shows he enjoyed as child.
A lifetime of trivia games and game-show watching paid off for Kaminski, 23, of Trafford. He won $100,000 as a contestant on Monday's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" show broadcast on NBC. Kaminski answered 11 questions correctly before bowing out on the $250,000 question and opting to keep a sure $100,000.

His appearance began Friday when he correctly answered five questions to get to the $2,000 mark. The show airs at 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays with Meredith Vieira as host.

Kaminski's $250,000 question was: "With a population of about 4,500, what Alaska town is the northernmost community in the United States? A) Deadhorse, B) Coldfoot, C) Barrow, D) Nome."

Out of lifelines and unsure of the answer, Kaminski decided to not take a guess and walked away with the guaranteed $100,000. The correct answer was Barrow.

Kaminski taped the show in December, but signed a confidentiality agreement not to divulge his results until the show aired. He'll receive his check within 30 days. Kaminski, a freelance sportswriter for the Valley News Dispatch, says he plans to invest his winnings and may consider using some for a down payment on a starter home. He also donated 10 percent of his winnings to a scholarship fund for Penn-Trafford wrestlers.

Kaminski is a 2005 graduate of Waynesburg College and a 2003 graduate of Penn-Trafford High School.

Wanted: Investment genius to run billionaire's firm

Warren Buffett talks about his successor and the company's future at annual shareholders' meeting.

OMAHA, Neb. - Billionaire Warren Buffett doesn't want to give up the throne at his holding company anytime soon, but the 76-year-old is preparing for that day.

Many details remain secret, but the question of who might become Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s chief investment officer is getting a lot of attention because Buffett said in March he plans to hire one or more candidates for that position soon on a trial basis.

When he returned to the office Monday, Buffett already had 600 to 700 applications waiting, and the mail likely will bring more.

Wrapping up this weekend's activities surrounding Berkshire Hathaway's shareholders meeting, Buffett said whoever he hires as chief investment officer should expect to be paid based on how well their investments perform.

"I would give them a small salary, and then pay them a percentage based on how they outperformed the S&P on a five-year average," Buffett said at a news conference Sunday.

Vice Chairman Charlie Munger said that fits with the company's overall compensation plan.

"Generally, we want people's compensation tied to what they can control," Munger said. So he said Berkshire's new investment managers won't be paid based on Berkshire's overall value.

Buffett said the investment managers he hires won't necessarily be expected to live in Omaha where he and the company's 19-person headquarters are based.

"My notion would be to let them live wherever they feel best about life," Buffett said. "Wherever you can think best, the information is readily available."

Of the three or four investment managers Buffett plans to hire, he has said one, or maybe two, would eventually become Berkshire's chief investment officer.

That's one of the three jobs Buffett is dividing his duties into as part of his succession plan.

The only part that has been spelled out is the job of chairman. Buffett has said that when he dies, his son will take over the job to ensure Berkshire's culture is preserved. Howard Buffett already serves on the board.

Buffett said he and the board have picked three managers of companies Berkshire Hathaway Inc. owns who could succeed him as chief executive tomorrow, if the need arose.

"All three of them would be, in many respects, better at it than I am," Buffett said. "But they don't own 30 percent of the stock, so they'll have to wait."

On other topics, Buffett elaborated on Berkshire's surprise move this year to become the biggest shareholder in Burlington Northern Sante Fe Corp. and his company's purchase of stakes in two unnamed North American railroads.

Buffett and Munger said they got over their prejudices against railroads and realize the industry has a better competitive position today.

Buffett also may have hinted at the identity of one of the two unnamed railroads when answering a question about Canadian businesses he likes.

"The guy at Canadian National has done the best job of anybody in the railroad industry," Buffett said.

Both Buffett and Munger said the newspaper industry faces serious challenges because the economics of the business are eroding, which could jeopardize the quality of the news.

"Now that they're a more threatened enterprise, it will be harder to maintain that integrity," Munger said.

Buffett said he believes newspaper ownership may shift from public companies interested in profits to owners driven by motives like public service or ego. But whoever runs newspapers will face long-term challenges, he said.

Berkshire draws nearly half of its revenue from insurance and reinsurance businesses, and in 2006 the company benefited from a quiet hurricane season. But Buffett said Berkshire's exposure to hurricanes in 2007 is about half what it was last year because premium prices fell below what Berkshire would accept.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Why Buffett matters

There's good reason for all the attention over Buffett's replacement.

Buffett is widely considered the greatest stock market investor of all time and has been a director of Berkshire Hathaway since 1965.

Berkshire owns more than 60 companies including insurance, clothing, furniture, jewelry and candy companies, restaurants, natural gas and corporate jet firms and has major investments in such companies as Coca-Cola Co., Anheuser-Busch Cos. and Wells Fargo & Co.

Berskshire Hathaway stock is the most valued on the New York Stock Exchange. Shares on Monday were trading at more than $106,000.

wisdom from Buffett and Munger

The top two executives at Berkshire Hathaway Inc., Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, spent the weekend answering questions.

On investments for amateurs:

Buffett recommends stock index funds as one of the best investments because they will match the growth of the stock market without charging high fees for a fund manager.

"Index funds are going to beat the results of most investors," Buffett said.

On divesting from companies that take questionable actions:

Berkshire shareholders rejected a proposal Saturday that would have required the company to sell its stake in PetroChina because the oil conglomerate's parent company does business in Sudan.

Buffett said he doesn't think selling stock in a company would change that company's behavior. He said the only time he's been able to change a company's behavior is when Berkshire owns it.

"I think divestment is kind of silly," Buffett said. "I think the opponents feel awful about what's happening and want to do something about it."

On technology companies:

Berkshire investors shouldn't consider the addition of Yahoo Inc.'s chief financial officer, Susan Decker, to Berkshire's board as a sign the company is interested in technology businesses. Microsoft Corp.'s Bill Gates already serves on Berkshire's board.

Buffett said it's too hard to predict which technology companies will succeed.

"If you ask me the future of a Snickers bar, I can tell you," Buffett said. "That doesn't mean that candy is a better business to be in. It just means I can tell you who the winner is."

On the challenges of finding investments:

"The cash is coming faster than the ideas," Buffett said.

Buffett and Munger said they'd like to add more international assets to the company. That's why Buffett told international shareholders Saturday to let him know about companies in their own countries that might appeal to Berkshire.

"They're all longshots, but we believe in throwing a lot of hooks in the water," Buffett said Sunday. "If we can pull one in, we hope it's a whale."