Emily’s brother, Dan Petersen, immediately worried about his sister and how he could help her. He organized the Nutty Putty Cycling Team, originally planning to raise money and support for his sister. Emily felt she’d been so blessed by family and friends, she asked the cyclers to raise money for those who are less fortunate. The trip quickly became a nationwide fundraiser for widows and widowers.

On October 4, 2010, the Nutty Putty Cyclers set forth on a charity bike trek, traveling from Virginia to California, to raise money for the Liz Logelin Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting widows and widowers across the US.

Dan Petersen of Salem, VA, Jonathan Miller of Crestwood, KY, Eric Maughan of Salem VA, and Oliver Thompson of Salem, VAplan to complete their journey December 10, 2010 in San Diego, CA. The four cyclists carry sleeping accommodations and food, but are extremely grateful to those who have offered them last minute room and board. “We’ve surprisingly needed very little because people are so nice and offer us a place to stay,” said Miller.

Donations can be made to the Liz Logelin Foundation atthelizlogelinfoundation.org or can be sent to P.O. Box 26366, St. Louis Park, MN 55426. Those who donate $75 or more will receive an official Nutty Putty Bike Trip t-shirt. The cyclers ask all those who are able, to contribute to this worthy cause.

To view the cyclists travel schedule, and learn more about the cause, visit nuttyputtycyclers.com. If you or someone you know is able to contribute to the Liz Logelin Foundation, or provide support to the traveling cyclers, please do so. If you find this to be a worthy cause, please copy and past this post in your own personal blog. We can all do something to make a difference.

Thank you,

Jacob S Paulsen

NOTE: Code for embedding the video on your blog:

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With the new year come the resolutions. How about deciding to read some good books? I am listing my favorite 10 personal development books. Not listed in any specific order these books will help you grow in various aspects of your life.

1. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership – John C Maxwell
2. If Harry Potter Ran General Electric – Tom Morris
3. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind – T. Harv Eker
4. Speed of Trust – Stephen M. R. Covey
5. Think and Grow Rich – Napolean Hill
6. The Greatest Salesman in the World – Og Mandino
7. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen R. Covey
8. Personal Power II – Anthony Robbins
9. How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie
10. The Power of Full Engagement – Jim Loehr

1. Carrier Exclusivity. I can’t think of a single reason why Apple would only market their iPhone on AT&T’s wireless network, expect that AT&T must be paying them A LOT of money. Recent surveys confirm that AT&T has the lowest satisfaction among consumers in 17 of the 24 cities surveyed so Apple should be smart enough to realize that they stand to make a lot more money by opening up their product to as many different carriers as possible but no…. they are still stuck on the network with the least 3G coverage in the nation and while the phone can be unlocked, it remains a GSM device that could only be used on T-Mobile.
2. Manufacturer Exclusivity. Apple is the only company making iPhones. Your initial reaction… DUH, but stop and think about it. How many different manufactures make Windows Mobile devices or Android Devices? THEY ALL DO! HTC, Samsung, Motorola, etc. Microsoft & Google (the makers of Windows Mobile and Android) are smart enough to know that the more manufactures making devices that utilize their software platform the better. It means for higher competition which will improve the quality of the hardware and lower the end cost to the consumer.
3. Closed Source. Apple may open their developer’s API up to the public so that anyone can design iPhone apps but there is still no way to modify the actual platform. This is the same difference between Mozilla’s Firefox and Microsoft’s Internet Explorer that makes Firefox such a winner in the browser competition. Open Source platforms allow for billions of geeks around the globe to improve upon the basic ideas. This not only makes for a better end product for all consumers but it also means less time and expense on the end of the original designer in improving their product. So why doesn’t Apple open their iPhone platform? Control… fear of not having control which leads me to my next point.
4. Upgrade Driven. The most recent iPhone release here in the USA now allows for video recording. So, might I ask what additional hardware they had to include to make this possible? NONE! It would be as easy as releasing a software update to allow all the previous iPhones to also record video. If you can take still pictures than you already have all the hardware necessary. They don’t release the update because it would mean less sales of the newest iPhone. This strategy is at place in everything that they do with all Apple products. They are more concerned with milking you for every conceivable dime than they are with delivering the highest quality product they can and supporting it as technology changes. Don’t believe me yet… just take a look at all the versions of iPods and put them on a timeline with when they were released.
5. No Keyboard. Ok, so you are all saying that the virtual (on screen) keyboard is great and it just takes a little getting used to. I believe you but why not give users the choice? Both Android and Windows Mobile have devices available with both virtual and physical slide out keyboards. I’ve been in enough texting competitions to promise you that the physical keyboard will always be faster and more accurate. I do like having a virtual keyboard but please Apple… just give people the choice.
6. No Widgets. What are widgets? Widgets are on screen changing applications that you can “stick” to your home screen on other smartphone platforms. For example a widget may display the current weather info for your current location, a news feed, analytics data, sports scores, music playlists, task lists, and schedules. The iPhone will display the number of unread emails or sms messages but that is about as far as widget options go.
7. No Multi-Tasking. The iPhone is not capable of running several applications at once or running a program “in the background” with the exception of receiving emails, sms messages, and phone calls. Other smartphone platforms would allow you to be logged in to your favorite instant messaging program while at the same time browse a site online while checking your sports scores and weather data automatically every 30 minutes. With the iPhone when you exit an application it closes it. I admit that this keeps the iPhone running quickly without fear of freezing up but I just assume have the option to do many things at once.
8. Mobile Me. Most iPhone users think I’m crazy when I mention this as a huge drawback for me. Yes, Mobile Me is great. It always syncs/backs up all your contacts, calendar, documents, etc but here is the main problem… it costs money. Android phones do all of that for free with Google’s already proven and free services: Google Calendar, Google Contacts, Gmail, and Google Documents. Why pay for a service that should be included with an already over priced phone?
9. No Expandable Memory. Depending on the iPhone you purchase you may have a variety of different memory capacities and I admit that for normal users the included memory should be plenty enough however… you don’t have a choice. Any other smartphone platform that I am aware of would allow you to input expandable memory in the form of mini or micro SD cards but with the iPhone what you get is what you have.
10. No Spare or Replacement Battery. There is no way to open the iPhone and replace or swap out the battery. Because modern cell phones are capable of so much with the thousands of third party apps and fast internet browsing speeds the battery life tends to be low. This is no fault of the iPhone or any other smartphone platform. Rechargable battery technology simply hasn’t caught up with smartphone technology and that means phones don’t last all day anymore. That isn’t a problem if you have any phone in the world other than the iPhone. The iPhone will not allow you to swap out a spare battery or even replace your battery if it gets old and stops holding a full charge. Of course that probably won’t be a concern since you won’t have the phone for more than a year before Apple releases a new version that has features that you will want thus forcing you to buy the new model anyway.

Robert Kiyosaki

Twitter: @theRealKiyosaki

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/600.Robert_T_Kiyosaki

Facebook Profile

Facebook Page

John C Maxwell

Twitter: @johncmaxwell

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/68.John_C_Maxwell

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/JohnCMaxwell

Blog: http://johnmaxwellonleadership.com/

Tom V Morris

Twitter: @tomvmorris

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/11478.Tom_Morris

Blog: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=tom-morris

Author of: “If Harry Potter Ran General Electric” & “If Aristotle Ran General Motors”

Robert G. Allen

Twitter: @bestsellerbob

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25187.Robert_G_Allen

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Robert-G-Allen/128014057753

Site: http://www.robertgallen.com/

Stephen R Covey

Twitter: @StephenRCovey

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1538.Stephen_R_Covey

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stephen-R-Covey/15653234806

Site: https://www.stephencovey.com/

Marcus Buckingham

Twitter: http://twitter.com/mwbuckingham

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/18731.Marcus_Buckingham

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Marcus-Buckingham/27029436532

Site: http://www.tmbc.com/

Ed Viesturs

Twitter: @EViesturs

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/67681.Ed_Viesturs

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ed-Viesturs/75109555243

Site: http://www.edviesturs.com/

Tim Ferriss

Twitter: @tferriss

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/210456.Timothy_Ferriss

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/timferriss

Blog: http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/

Anthony Robbins

Twitter: @tonyrobbins

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5627.Anthony_Robbins

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2217217024

Blog: http://tonyrobbinstraining.com/

J.K. Rowling

Twitter: @jk_rowling

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1077326.J_K_Rowling

Site: http://www.jkrowling.com/

If you haven’t already received your copy of my ebook “Fast Start: MLM Lessons Without Any Name Calling” just fill out your name and email below and I will send you the link! If you like the content come back and retweet and digg this post.

Thanks in advance,

Jacob S. Paulsen

This E-Book contains valuable lessons about analyzing the industry and preparing for success. Learn about the most common mistakes that people make when getting started and how to gain momentum in the first few weeks.

1. I’m looking to expand my influence online and would like to do this by exposing more people to my website and twitter profile
2. I truly believe that if everyone had this ebook our industry would not suffer such a poor reputation.

What do you have to do to get the E-book for free?

Step 1: retweet this EXACT message on Twitter. Simply copy and paste the text below and post it to your Twitter account. If you don‘t have a Twitter account, you‘ll need to get one for free here: http://www.twitter.com

RT @jacobspaulsen is giving away FREE copies of his MLM Lessons ebook, go here to learn how to get a free copy: http://www.budurl.com/jspmlm

Step 2: Follow me on Twitter. You can follow me by visiting the link below and clicking on the “follow”

button below my picture: http://www.twitter.com/jacobspaulsen

That‘s it! As soon as you complete both of these steps, we will automatically send you your free “Fast Start, MLM Lessons Without Any Name Calling” eBook via a Twitter direct message, so please check your “direct messages” inbox on Twitter for the download link, after you‘ve followed the 2 easy steps above.

Need better instructions? Watch this video

Quickly, I want to talk about some of the upcoming MegaTrends of 2009. If there is a way for you to get involved in a business that will benefit from these trends, do it!

Social Media VS (books, newspapers, news, tv)

By the end of 2009, we will find people walking away from Books, Newspapers, TV, Radio, etc. Even TV will be pushed aside.  People are becoming so involved with the computer because it is the new media. News, movies, tv shows, music, books, and every other type of media is being duplicated or replaced online. The internet delivers the information in a faster, more convenient way.

Even human interaction has become digital. This isn’t all bad. While many things still need to be done face to face; social networks, photo streaming sites, blogs, and more have brought friends and businesses closer together than phone calls or letters ever could.

This may be hard to believe, but just remember ; your grandparents probably scoffed at the man who once predicted that every home would have a TV.

Mobile Internet

People are so connected to the internet that we will begin to see a huge movement toward mobile internet. Though not a new concept, Apple’s Iphone showed the world how easy it is to go mobile. Now Google/Android has produced the T-mobile G1. Copy cats are already on their way and 2009 won’t be over before the vast majority of people have internet on their cell phone.

Home Based Business

The recent economic crisis has shown our society there is no security in working for a big company. The only security you have is the security you create for yourself. People understand the need for multiple streams of income and in 2009, there will be a huge movement toward Home Based Businesses. The internet has once again made it easier to conduct business from wherever there is a computer.

Value for money (Dollars Follow Value)

The age of waking up in the morning and asking yourself, “How can I make more money today?” is ending. Finally, we are beginning to understand eternal business principles. This year, people will begin to understand, that income (or any other means of wealth) comes by creating value for someone else. People will begin waking up and thinking “How can I create more value for more people today?”  For too long we have been taught in our

society the principles of entitlement and victimhood. This year, you will notice the trend toward accountability and self responsibility. Attitudes of scarcity are being replaced with those of abundance.

Video Marketing

Until now, the internet marketing world has been primarily text driven. Blogs, articles, social media, capture sites, etc have primarily focused on the written word to drive traffic, and sell product. This year, video will begin to take over. Large retailers will begin posting product videos in place of written descriptions. Blogs will become Vlogs and YouTube will no longer just be a bunch of funny videos.

Online Conferencing

The World Wide Web has done it again in bringing businesses closer to each other. In 2009, businesses and organizations will book a lot less hotel rooms and conference rooms for meetings. Online Conferencing has brought the board room home. This technology, which allows people anywhere in the world to login to an online webroom to discuss, present, or train any material or

media, is eliminating the need for face-to-face, expensive, meeting rooms. For an example of Online Conferencing Technology, visit

http://www.webcastrooms.com

Nutrition & Wellness

This is a megatrend that has been up-and-coming for the last 2-3 years. In 2009, it will explode like never before. People are more concerned than ever about being healthy and in shape. Exercise equipment, gyms, nutritional products, and work-out DVDs will be hot sellers. The baby boomers still control almost 70% of our economy, and for the next 15 years, this massive

generation of people will be turning 60. More than ever, this generation will be concerned with health and wellness.

Get with the trends of 2009! What do you think will be the next one?

UPDATE: This information is now outdated and the author makes no guarantee as to its accuracy.

Those who are (for all tax purposes) self-employed, fall into two categories: those who work for a marketing or sales organization (MLM, Real Estate, Insurance, Sales) as 10-99 contractors; and those who run a small business out of their home without any business license or business entity protection.

There is nothing illegal about these scenarios. The IRS is quite happy to allow people to operate a “business” without setting up a legal business entity. This is because the IRS will make more in taxes on that business income.

10-99 contractors have a great opportunity to pay less in taxes than any other group of people in society, but 85% pay more than 4 times what is necessary. Companies are finding it increasingly more convenient to hire 10-99 contractors in place of employees. It saves companies both money and hassle.

The government tries to collect approximately 15% in taxes from everyone. This covers Social Security, Medicare, and Federal Income Taxes. In addition to these taxes, 10-99 contractors and other self-employed business owners are charged a 15.3% SELF-EMPLOYMENT tax. That makes for a total of over 30% in taxes. That is far too much to spend. What can we do about this?

Creating a business entity such as an LLC or S-Corporation will eliminate that self-employment tax and create a situation to maximize deductions available to businesses only. 10-99 contractors have nothing to lose and everything to gain by setting up a business to pass their taxes through. It doesn’t take much time, energy, or effort. Most CPAs, accountants, and attorneys charge between $500 and $800 for the initial setup cost. JP Squared Consulting offers businesses residing in Utah this service for only $100.

Contact JP Squared Consulting at www.jpsquaredinc.com and click on the link for New Entities.

Jacob S. Paulsen

Recent Reads

In the last month I have been able to read (actually listen) several new books that I have enjoyed. I wanted to take this post to talk a little about each of these recent reads.

“His Excelency George Washington” really blew me away. I always knew George Washington had to be a powerful and unique person but this really got me pumped. I learned a lot about this amazing man and it inspired me to memorize all the U.S. presidents and eventually I would like to read a biography about all the US presidents. George was a unique and powerful hero. He was the very first person to put his life on the line of American Independence and he knew it. His general lack of military experience and general failure in warfare during the war go to prove that his success was due to the principles he lived by and “providence itself.”
“The 5 Lessons A Millionaire Taught Me” had great, but unoriginal content. I was dissapointed in how obviously copy-cat the material is. I realize that there is only so much content to be taught in reference to wealth principles but Richard Paul Evans even goes so far to quote George Clason’s “Richest Man in Babylon” in almost every chapter it seems. I’m super glad I read it just the same because we all need on going reminders of what we need to be doing and how true wealth is
created. Richard Paul Evans is a great author and it show in this work. It was very easy to read and he is a great teacher.

I have always been a fan of Robert Allen as a person but his book Nothing Down turned me away a little because it was just hard for me to get through. I enjoy real estate but I’m not super passionate and toward the end I just wanted to be done. This book on the other hand really held my attention. Both Authors do a good job of teaching principles of business, investing, and wealth. They laid it out in two different formats which helps different types of people who learn
differently and that is something I really liked.

If you want to see my other book reviews please visit my profile on goodreads.com

Jacob Paulsen