Our new Joint Venture

(Brian Olson and Ann Baldwin)


It's an exciting time for us here at Conversation Starters as we announce our new joint venture partner, Baldwin Media Marketing of Hartford, CT. Owner Ann Baldwin and I have been friends since we started our our careers in broadcast journalism at KGWN-TV in Cheyenne, WY in the 1980's. Both of us moved on to bigger markets and a significant level of experience in broadcast journalism.

Our careers shifted to communications about the same time when Ann started her company and I joined Echostar Communications.

For our new and existing clients the new venture allows both of us to raise the level of service we can offer in traditional and social media, media training and strategic planning. A level of experience and service measured in decades.

We've been working on this project since earlier this year, and are now ready to take both our companies but more importantly our clients, to the next level.

It's going to be a fun ride!

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"

Free! Really.

We've all seen the ads on TV. Try it free! Then they ask for your credit card number. Another hook is doubling the offer at no extra charge, just pay separate shipping and handling which can often cost more than the product itself.

Some of these products actually work as advertised, ultimately it's up to you to judge the value.

But all of the above made me appreciate two truly free offers, and indicative of the way some great companies are drumming up business in this economy.

SportClips opened up a new store where I live and sent out coupons for a free haircut. There were no strings attached to the coupon, and none when I went and got, yes, a free haircut. The whole idea of course is to get me back into the store as a paying customer in the future. Based on the experience, mission accomplished.

While I was about to leave, a representative from Chick-fil-A came in with free Hot and Spicy Sandwiches for the staff. The goal was to get the folks working at SportsClips to visit their restaurant for lunch breaks or maybe after work in the future. Customers in the store got a free sandwich too.

Both SportClips and Chick-fil-A believe enough in their product and customer service that they took the risk to truly offer it for free, betting that the experience will build future business.

No credit cards or shipping and handling charges required.

There's free, then there not-exactly. Kudos to two companies, SportsClips and Chick-fil-A, for believing enough in themselves, that I could believe enough in them in the future.

Have a grand weekend everyone.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversations about you"

Crisis Management

This morning a friend and colleague had to cancel a morning meeting. He had a good excuse. A client needed his skills and expertise to deal with not the best of news.

A couple of weeks ago, another colleague had to drop everything to deal with a simply horrific event impacting her client.

It's called "Crisis Management." You can't anticipate a crisis, they arrive on their own schedule. But you can prepare. When I was a field producer for an affiliate group of 126 television stations, I had to be ready to leave on a story on a moments notice, head to the airport and wait for a call to let me know where I was going and on what flight. When I got to the scene, we started to ask the "Who, what, where, when and why" questions. Sometimes there was a person to answer those questions. Often times not. When there was, in too many cases the people we were talking to were unprepared.

Bad things happen to good people and organizations. That you can't control. What you can control is how you deal with them.

How you react can impact you positively, or in too many cases negatively. The latter happens when you're not prepared.

Crisis management is just one of the things we do at Conversation Starters. Take a cue from the Boy Scouts and "Be prepared." Better to have a plan and not need it, then need a plan and not have it.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"

Alaska Air Crash

It was very sad to hear of the plane crash that took the life of former Senator Ted Stevens and others aboard the aircraft. What hit home is that we were just in Alaska and had flown a Piper Navajo from Fairbanks to Coldfoot, AK north of the Arctic Circle. The particular aircraft that went down was a De Havilland "Otter." It's one of the backbones of Alaska Aviation.

Planes are like taxis in Alaska. one in 70 Alaskans have a pilot's license. You can't drive to Alaska's Capitol city of Juneau. You have to get there by boat or plane.

We saw one neighborhood outside of Anchorage that had a plane in the backyard of every home!

It will take awhile to determine the cause of a crash, but weather could have been a factor. Both times we've been to Alaska you could always count on at least some foggy/rainy weather. Mountains and oceans make for rapidly changing weather, despite the best forecasts.

When I flew with the Civil Air Patrol in Wyoming and Texas, but especially Wyoming, we learned that mountainous areas create their own weather. According to reports the plane Stevens was aboard was flying VFR or Visual Flight Rules although it's very likely the pilot was instrument rated which is required to fly in bad weather. Maybe the cause was mechanical. We just don't know.

My flight instructor taught me early on he wasn't teaching me how to fly, but how not to crash. When you're flying over rough terrain your options for a safe landing are slim should you have problems with your aircraft. You train to do it, but mountains and heavily wooded areas make lousy landing fields.

With the CAP I also learned that a crashed aircraft looks anything like a plane. It's a crumpled pile of metal, usually hidden deep beneath huge trees and very difficult to spot. Then there's the challenge of getting rescue crews to the crash site which was the case in Alaska.

Despite this crash, there will be thousands of takeoffs and landings every day in Alaska because that's how you get from "here to there" in the 49th state. Whether in the Lower 48 or in Alaska, the most dangerous part of your trip is the trip to the airport. Given a choice between flying by plane or driving down the road, I'll take the plane any day.

While in Alaska, I took video of various planes whenever I could, so here's a video montage of an important, make that a critical part of transportation in Alaska.




Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversations about you"

Empower yourself. Ditch the Cell Phone.

Just read the August 9-15 edition of my favorite magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek. In the "Etc" section Joel Stein writes about major moguls who conduct life sans cell phone. Warren Buffett doesn't use one. Neither does Mikhail Prokhorov, the Russian billionaire who just bought the New Jersey Nets. He says "Nyet" to cell phones.

We're a nation of 280 million mobile subscribers and according to Joel, we even interrupt sex to take a call. Say what?

So what's with not having a cell phone? Joel thinks it's all about control, a power move. Want to deal with Warren Buffett? By not having a cell phone, Buffet can make you wait until he's ready to deal. He controls the schedule. With his enormous success, it's hard to argue.

Granted, all these mega-successful people have staff around them, who do have cell phones. My guess is folks like Buffett have borrowed them from time to time. But on their time. Don't call me because you can't. I'll call you when I'm ready and maybe you're not. Power move.

All this got me to thinking if cell phones have really improved our lives. Walk down the street and you see people yakking on their phones. Ditto for coffee shops, and the guy in the seat behind you on the airplane before they close the door. And for some strange reason, people seem to think they need to talk loudly while on a cell phone so we can all share in the conversation.

A digital tower of babble for all of us to share, even though we don't want to. There's a time and a place for cell phones and it seems it's all the time and every place.

I doubt I'll get rid of my cell phone. I've been using one since 1987. Bad habits are hard to break.

Maybe Warren could stage an intervention for me. I just got to figure out how to get a hold of him.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversations about you"

Got time? Want to make a difference?

Time.

It seems we never have enough of it. Perhaps it's more about managing the time we have because we all get 24 hours a day. Time is the ultimate equalizer.

A lot of people spend at least some of their time volunteering in the community. My two favorites are The Jeffco Action Center and Wings over the Rockies Air and Space Museum. The former because of the huge and growing need, the latter because I love aviation.

I'm privileged to serve on the board of directors of the Jeffco Action Center. Many committee meeting start at 7:30am. While the doors of the center open at 9am, it always touches me to see people already lined up for help when I arrive.

These are good people. At Jeffco many people who used to donate, are now clients. If you wonder why, just look at the economic news, not the least of which is an unemployment rate that hovers around 10%.

When the money runs out, they turn to Jeffco. The Jeffco Action Center is just one of many such fine volunteer supported agencies around the country. So my plea to you this Friday is to take a look at your schedule, think about how you could spend even an hour a week making a difference, then finding an organization where you can make a difference in your community.

People are already lined up for help as you read this. Please think about helping them. You can make a difference. If you want to. You do have the time.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"

Welcome Chemo101

We're pleased to announce the signing of Chemo101 as our newest client at Conversation Starters. Chemo101 is targeted towards cancer patients and their caregivers who face chemotherapy. We have personal experience with all the uncertainties, the fear and impact of chemo in our family. It's one of the reasons we're happy to help promote this terrific group.

There's much work to be done and you'll be able to help us achieve our goals. We'll be sharing all this with you in future blogs, along with news and information on Facebook and Twitter.

So stay tuned as we join Chemo101 in filling an important need.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"

Going negative on negative

I don't know about where you live but several months out from the November election, the negative political ads here in Colorado are hard to avoid and harder to stomach.

Based on an internal poll comprised of myself, if everything said in these ads are true, every candidate is a no-good lowlife crook. With the primary a few days a way, both the Democrats and the Republicans have perfected the concept of the circular firing squad. Ready, shoot, aim.

The general campaign promises to be worse. Before proceeding, here's one definition of "Negative" that I found today.

"Damaging; or intended to discredit, especially without positive or helpful suggestions."

Along with the negative advertising come the perfunctatory news stories about whether negative advertising works, which includes the perfunctatory sound bytes from Political Science Professors saying that indeed, going negative is a positive.

Class dismissed.

That may have been true in the past, buy not anymore. I won't pretend to speak for anyone but myself but I'm sick of it and believe you are too.

I've attended several candidate forums sponsored by the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce, at the most recent of which a candidate came out in support of private sector job creation. Talk about taking a bold position. Later that day I saw one of that candidate's ads blasting an opponent. In neither forum did the candidate actually say what they'd do to solve some of our current problems.

Bad mouthing and platitudes are so much easier. I'm not buying it, and in fact demand a refund.

I'll support any candidate who will actually say what their goals are, and what they'll at least try and do to achieve them. One problem. I can't find any candidate willing to do this.

But I'll keep my eyes open.

But this is the year that going negative is going to backfire on a lot of politicians. It's about time.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"

EXCLUSIVE!

ABC News touted an "Exclusive" on my Twitter feed this morning. It had US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner telling George Stephanopoulis that unemployment could actually rise as the recovery continues. I'll let you draw your own personal conclusions as to how the administration is handling the economy but does this statement come as any surprise? To anyone? But apparently it's "Exclusive" because that's what it says on ABC's Website.

While I'm singling this example from ABC News, (I used to sit on their Affiliate Advisory Board) everyone is promoting "Exclusive" so much that it really has no meaning.

OK, it's a competitive news environment these days but it seems that the promotion departments are driving news rather than the other way around. Today's story was about the same as saying the sun rises in the east.

There were lots of breathless "Exclusives" in past months talking about....oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. All of which left me completely whelmed.

Good journalists work hard for exclusives. Bad promotion departments promote exclusives when they really aren't. A perfect example is this morning's "Exclusive" when a morning news anchor talks with a government official putting their spin on what condition our condition is in.

It's not exclusive, it may not even be news because news is what's new. Political spin is just that. Spin. But please, don't call it exclusive and don't call it news.

Brian Olson
This Exclusive Blog brought to you by:
Conversation Starters LLC
"We get the conversation started about you"

Red Ribbons better than Red Tape

I had the opportunity to attend a South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting (actually sawing!) for the new Ace Hardware store at 15600 E. Briarwood at Cornerstar in Aurora.

Ted Schenderlein is the GM and Partner in the enterprise. What I hadn't realized is ACE Hardware stores, while having the power of a national brand and marketing, are individually owned. It's a great way to do business.

In these economic times, it's refreshing to see someone starting up a big enterprise. Ted's approach is to make his store a "Neighborhood" type of store, with focus on customer service and individual approaches to customer needs. He's a nice guy and I wish him well.

It's also important that entrepreneurs like Ted can focus more energy on operating his business and less time on bureaucratic red tape. Red Ribbon cutting is far more effective than dealing with Red Tape. Free enterprise creates jobs. So let's free-up, free enterprise!

Here's the video we produced of the event.



Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We get the conversation started about you"

Alaska Aviation

There are a few ways to get around Alaska. Cars, in the rare instances there are roads from here to there, which is rare. Trains are great but planes are the definitive way to get around this incredibly huge state, that yes, is even bigger than Texas. Alaska has been pissin' off Texas since 1959 with no small amount of enthusiasm.

During a "Trains, Planes and Automobiles" tour of Alaska last week I had the opportunity to grab a few clips that capture the variety of aircraft used in Alaska. One in 70 Alaskans have pilot's licenses and chances are where you see a home with two cars in the garage, there's a bush plane in the backyard, ie. "Airport"

I'll let the video tell the rest of the story. Have a grand weekend everyone.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"

Tonight's Line-Up

I can forecast with reasonable certainty that these stories will be covered on the traditional network shows tonight.

1. Arizona Immigration Law.
2. Oil spill in the Gulf.
3. President Obama on "The View"
4. Afghanistan. At least a good chance of coverage.

Missing from the list is what our military continues to do in Haiti. I talked with my daughter this morning. She's on a mission trip in Haiti at an orphanage. She shared with me that our Air Force, Navy, Army and Marines are all involved involved in humanitarian efforts. She said helicopters are flying by where she's working all the time. Also on the scene are UN Troops from several South American Nations.

I had no idea.

Apparently the folks in New York don't know either, or worse, do know but don't want us to know. Heaven forbid we hear this sort of thing about our men and women making a difference.

But at least we'll see the President on The View. Should be a cute story.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversations about you"

Mad about Madmen

Finally got see the premier of the new season of Madmen last night via DVR. The show hasn't lost a step, in fact it's picked up it's pace.

Don Draper and associates still drink and smoke too much, ex-wife Betty is Mommy Dearest and women in the office are s-l-o-w-y starting to take their spots in the office hierarchy.

So much for the obvious. What remains fascinating is seeing business being conducted on dial phones, in the office or in phone booths, typewriters and watching Sky King on a black and white television set. In standard def for Pete's sake!

What remains the constant, and link between then and now, is that good marketing works and bad marketing doesn't. Say what you want about the Draper character (ably played by Jon Hamm) he knows advertising. Spoiler alert here, but he was absolutely right in his pitch to the conservative Jantzen swimsuit company. They wanted to market their product, not as a bikini but as a two-piece.

Don's pitch included just that, but with a little sass. No different than what you see in today's famous Old Spice spots. The overly stodgy Jantzen folks didn't like his idea so Don told them to get out. Immediately if not sooner. Good for Don. Never waste time on people who don't get it, even when you're doing exactly what they asked you to do.

His job is to tell people what his clients need to hear, not what they want to hear. It worked then and it works now.

One reason why I'm mad about Madmen.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"

Pipelines, Highways and the Internet

I just spend a great week in Alaska, the second such trip although this one was a "Trains, Planes and Automobiles" journey as opposed to a cruise. Much of the travel was via the Alaska Railroad, with a couple of side trips by plane and car.

One such trip was to Coldfoot and Wiseman, AK. Our plane departed Fairbanks at 7pm for a flight north of the Arctic Circle, landing at Coldfoot. The trip then continued via road to Wiseman, a settlement of 15 people who live a sustainable lifestyle. Along the way you travel along the Alaska Pipeline and the road itself is the one you see on "Ice Road Truckers."

Living in Wiseman is a full time job. Our host's home had both solar (good at least a couple of months a year but it works 24 hours a day in the summer) and electric generators. He traps, grows his own vegetable and hunts for food, usually caribou and moose. Temps range from as high as 80 in the summer to -65 in winter. Living is hard work in this community which traces its roots back to the first settlers that came to Alaska.

There was one connection with the outside world however. Satellite provided Internet. Another example that regardless of lifestyle, communication in this age remains important. Our host enjoys life away from civilization but at the same time doesn't want to lose touch with civilization. Or at least what claims to be civilization these days.

We were also surprised at the cell phone service availability just about every place we went including travel between our base city of Anchorage to Whittier, Fairbanks and Seward. Even Denali. The folks in Alaska remain justifiably proud of their frontier spirit despite the influx of tourists. They also like to be connected. Technology makes it possible. It wasn't that long ago that snail mail moved at a truly a glacier pace, especially "Way up North." Not anymore.

Brian Olson

Conversation Starters LLC

"We start the conversation about you"

A positive place for kids.

We just completed a new marketing video for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver, as fine an organization locally and nationally as there is. Once you've visited a club you're hooked because you see the fun, educational and athletic opportunities kids have. It's difficult for many potential supporters to visit a club, so this video takes the club to them. They see, that indeed, Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver are a positive place for kids.



The PR Blog is taking next week off as we journey from Anchorage to the Arctic Circle via trains, planes (yea!) and automobiles. Look for video when we return.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We get the conversation started about you"

Fred, Madge, Flo and the Old Spice Guy.

Remember Mr. Whipple? Your friendly neighborhood grocer, (remember those?) but he sure got cranky when you squeezed the Charmin. Then there was Madge the manicurist. She pitched Palmolive Dish Detergent. Heck, it was so gentle she soaked her clients' fingernails in the stuff.

Icons of the commercial world a generation ago. You watched, then talked about them and the products at the water cooler. (Remember those?)

Today it's Flo, she works in the Progressive Insurance Store with no walls. Just a white expanse of bargains and occasional flirting with fellow bikers. The spots have been running for quite some time so I guess they're successful.

But I think the star of commercial stars these days is the Old Spice Guy. He's played by Isaiah Mustafa and he's so good that NBC is already working a development deal for a prime time show around him. Looking AND smelling good Isiah! It takes skill to look good riding a horse backwards and bare chested.

The Old Spice Spots are successful however for more than just Isaiah. The concept, the writing and production values are outstanding. It takes a lot of talented people to produce a successful commercial and people who teach advertising will be showcasing these spots for years to come.

A generation later we're now talking about Flo and the Old Spice Guy in blogs, Twitter and Facebook. But regardless of whether it's the water cooler or online, we're talking. About them and their product.

Salesmanship is alive and well.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters, LLC
"We start the conversation about you"

What Merv Block said.

There's a growing brouhaha about GOP candidate for Colorado Governor Scott McInnis and charges of plagiarism. Read more about it in this Denver Post article and this one from 9NEWS. As for the political ramifications of this, that's up to the candidate and ultimately voters. This post is about plagiarism.

Plagiarism is nothing new in politics (Ask Joe Biden) or journalism. It's why someone invented the word plagiarism.

It's so easily avoided if you just follow a great rule taught to me by news writer extraordinaire Merv Block. I got to know, and more importantly learn from Merv during my 8 years on the board of directors of the Radio-Television-Digital News Association. (RTDNA) Merv used to write for Walter Cronkite and any friend of Uncle Walter is a friend of mine!

"Attribution before assertion," Merv taught me. In other words, before you say it or write it, attribute the source. If anything else, it lends credibility to what you do. It's good journalism.

To be fair, it's easy to plagiarize something and simply not realize it. Maybe a thought comes to mind from something you read or saw years ago. You remember a good point and simply include it without attribution because you honestly didn't think it was needed. Mistakes happen. Mistakes can be corrected. Stealing can't.

For the life of me, I've never understood why respected people make wholesale use of other people's work and claim it for their own. Attribution is easy, it's ethical and again simply lends credibility to what you do.

OK, all that said, it turns out McInnis was paid $300,000 for the articles in question by the Hasan Family Foundation. $300,000!

Nice work if you can get it. If you do, remember: "Attribution before assertion."

Thanks for the many good lessons you taught me Merv. Merv also taught me that good writing is re-writing. I'm still working on that part.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"

"Y?" Why not?

Ah, branding. The subject of much navel gazing in organizations large and small.

Yesterday an iconic brand, changed its brand. The YMCA (Gee...I hear music) is now simply the "Y."

In business for 160 years, this is the first brand change in 43 years. A group that obviously takes its time when it comes to their brand.

My parents first bought me a membership at the YMCA when I was a kid. I learned to swim there and spent a lot of lunch hours there when I attended school nearby. We all called it the "Y."

Ultimately a brand is only as good as the organization it represents. BP's logo for example is an award winner. Not so much for their deep water drilling and PR. Nice logo, not-so-nice company. At least that's the perception.

The logo don't mean a thing if the company don't have that swing.

By any measure, the "Y" rocks. Always has. The logo change comes long after everyone else made the change themselves.

Sadly, I doubt that we'll stop hearing ""Y-M-C-A" at wedding receptions anytime soon. The Village People's reaction in fact, was, "Y?" Again, I say, why not?

Ok, play it wedding DJ.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"

And now a word from the Greatest Generation

I was fortunate to hear a presentation this past Saturday morning by Lt. Col (ret) J.G. Hook. He was a Bombardier in WWII with the 2nd Bomb Group/15th Air Force based in Foggia, Italy. The unit flew B-17's which I hadn't realized flew out of Italy as well as England.

As Hook quipped, "8th Air Force (Based in England) had better PR than we did." He added it didn't hurt that the actor Clark Gable and the band leader Glenn Miller served with 8th Air Force.

At 85 years young, Hook is sharp as a tack and his stories were often humorous, and at the same time, sobering.

His unit didn't even have barracks. They slept in tents. With basic pay along with flight and hazard pay he made about 200 bucks a month. But it was his stories about the missions that told the story representative of the thousands who served, fought and often died.

The B-17's flew missions at about 30,000 feet. Temperatures were -30 to -40 degrees. Crews wore a flight suit, then electrically heated boots and outer gear over that. Then came the May West life preserver, a chest-mounted parachute followed by a flak jacket. A good 70 pounds (if not more) of flight gear.

On his first mission the aircraft was hit by flak, seriously wounding the navigator. Hook and another crew member knew only to put sulfa on the wound then a pressure bandage. The navigator survived, Hook won an the Air Medal for his efforts.

On his next mission, after completing their bomb run, one of the bombs was hung up in the bomb rack. The last thing you wanted to do was return to base with a bomb hanging in the bomb bay. So Hook made his way back to the bomb bay. There's a narrow cat walk between the bomb racks, maybe 6 inches wide on which he had to stand. Below him, looking through the open bomb bay doors, 30,000 feet of nothing. He was able to take a hammer and screw driver and work the bomb loose.

On another mission he got a few shots off at a German ME 262 jet. He missed but ended up burning out the gun barrel when the gun jammed. He was later billed 7 bucks for the barrel.

Another day at the office. Hook, at the time, was just 19 years old.

He made a key point about fighting the war. "It wasn't romantic," he said. It was scary and very dangerous. Over 46,000 B-17 aircrew were either killed or injured during the war. Hook made it through.

Being escorted to and from the target by the Tuskegee Airmen might have helped.

Hook later went on to teach school in the Denver area for 36 years before retiring. A life well-lived with much to come. His story is typical of all those of the Greatest Generation. A job needed to be done. They did it, then came home and helped build America.

Hook pointed out that WWII vets are passing away at a rate of over one-thousand a day. Let's never, ever forget what they did in the air, on the ground and at sea.

My father flew bombers in WWII. My father-in-law served aboard the USS Missouri. Both are gone, but not forgotten.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We start the conversation about you"

Excess excess.

LeBron James announces tonight where he'll play next year. Unlike Kevin Durant who announced his new deal with Oklahoma City via Twitter, James announces his decision in a live prime-prime time one hour special on ESPN.

Great Expectations Redux.

To his credit, all the advertising revenue from tonight's "event" goes to Boys & Girls Clubs of America. As I understand it, the announcement will be made at a Boys & Girls Club in Greenwich, CT. I begin shooting a marketing video for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver today. As BGCMD says, it's a positive place for kids. Here's to all the money raised tonight making a positive difference for great kids. That's a good thing.

But is a one-hour special to say "I'm going to play for (insert city here) and for (insert amount here) dollars" a bit excessive? It's all a matter of perception. If you're a fanatic NBA fan, not a bit. If you're not, yes it is. Remember what I've posted about "Perception is Reality" here earlier.

Then this paper chase tidbit from USA TODAY. It impacts small businesses like Conversation Starters and non-profit organizations including the ones I love to support including Boys & Girls Clubs and the Jefferson County Action Center.

Effective next year, we all have to file a 1099 with the IRS anytime we buy anything from a vendor in excess of $600. Nothing like making things easier for all of us struggling to get something off the ground or helping kids and the hungry.

What's really weird about this, is the new rules are part of the new Health Care Legislation! I guess that's why the bill called for the hiring of thousands of new IRS agents.

As Gomer Pyle would say..."Soo-prise...Soo-prise!"

A bit excessive I'd say. Actually I just did.

Excess excess. It gets in the way of success in so many ways.

Brian Olson
Conversation Starters LLC
"We get the conversation started about you"