1. Most people like surprises because it's a change of pace from their routine. Tell your prospects that they'll get a surprise free bonus for ordering.

2. Most people want life to be easier. Give your prospects easy ordering instructions, easy product instructions, etc.

3. Most people want to feel secure and safe. Tell your prospects that you have secure ordering and a privacy policy.

4. Most people want to receive compliments for their achievements. Give your prospects plenty of compliments for them considering your product.

5. Most people are curious about things that could affect their current lifestyle. You could use words like "Secret" or "Confidential" in your ad.

6. Most people want to invest in their future. Tell your prospects to "invest in your product" instead of "buy our product".

7. Most people want the latest and newest things in life. Use words and phrases in your ad copy like "New", "Just Released", etc.

8. Most people want to solve their problems. Tell your prospects what problems they have and how your product can solve them.

9. Most people want to make the people around them happy. Tell your prospects how happy their friends or family will be if they buy your product.

10. Most people want to get over obstacles so they can achieve their goals. Tell your prospects which goals they'll achieve by ordering your product.

Today is the first anniversary of the blog! Who would have thought it would have lasted this long. Thanks to all of you who drop by and read. Had a bit of a go of changing the theme and logo of the site. I thought this fellow, cut out from J.R. Herbert's famous picture of the Westminster Assembly, might be appropriate for various reasons: looks like he's deep in theological considerations, he's (probably) English and he's historical. Nice combination, (I wonder if he likes cricket?). Thanks to Reformation Art for the image, (hope it isn't against copyright!).

Having been blogging for a while, some of Augustine's thoughts still prove insightful:

I am the sort of man who writes because he has made progress, and who makes progress by writing. Augustine (354-430)

Hopefully I've been faithful to my original considerations and have been carefully thinking and writing here for God's glory (1 Corinthians 10:31), by being faithful to the Bible (2 Timothy 3:14-17) and centred on the cross of Christ (Galatians 6:14). I do hope that this site has also been edifying to the Church (Colossians 3:16) and a witness to the gospel (Acts 1:8).

Since starting blogging, I have written seven series on ...

1. Reformed Theology & the CofE
2. Reading Christian Books
3. Considerations: About this Blog
4. The Bible and the British Museum
5. Reformation Day 2007 Collection
6. Good Words, Well Arranged
7. Words we read so quickly...

… and four pages about:

1. Some books I’ve read (as well as some reviews)
2. A few Creeds and Confessions of the Church
3. Most importantly the Gospel
4. As well as some things I Believe…

I do hope some of you have found it helpful! Keep on searching the Scriptures to make sure it's Biblical (Acts 17:11)! Why not leave a comment below - it would be nice to say hello and find out where you're all from!

... consider the steadfast love of the LORD.
Psalm 107:43b, (ESV)

சந்திரகாசி(அ.தி.மு.க.): கடந்த ஆண்டு பட்ஜெட்டிலும் ரூ.100 கோடியில் நூலகம் என்று அறிவிக்கப்பட்டது. இந்த பட்ஜெட்டிலும் ரூ.100 கோடியில் நூலகம் என்று கூறப்பட்டுள்ளது. இது எந்த ஆண்டு நிதியில் இருந்து கட்டப்படுகிறது.

அமைச்சர் அன்பழகன்: வடை ஒரு அணா, காராபூந்தி ஒரு அணா என்றால் எந்த அணாவுக்கு வடை, எந்த அணாவுக்கு காராபூந்தி என்று கேட்பது போல உள்ளது. நிதி ஒதுக்கீடு ஒன்று தான்.

சட்டசபையில் பட்ஜெட் மீது நடந்த விவாதத்தில்

One of my favourite authors' is coming to Australia at the end of April/beginning of May to do a whole heap of book signings and author talks.

His Australian tour dates are listed here.

Anyone want to join me at Books Kinokuniya in Sydney on the 6th May at 6pm?

I woke up this morning to find a nice message in my in box from Dennis Palumbo, author of the excellent Writing from the Inside Out: Transforming Your Psychological Blocks to Release the Writer Within saying he stumbled across my blog and wanted to thank me after seeing I was saying positive things about the book.

Since I've only ever mentioned the book is passing, or in a very brief summery as part of my book review splurge I thought I would take the time out to just reiterate what a useful book this is.

Essentially it is a book written by a writer turned shrink who as part of his day job deals with professional writers who need therapy. It is based upon the column he wrote for the Writer's Guild magazine so he aint just some randomd guy, he knows his shit.

The book is about all the crap that writer's have to contend with in order to write; Procrastination, writer's block , not wanting to remove your favourite scene even though you know you need to, deadlines, finding inspiration, dealing with rejection, coming to terms with the loneliness of being a writer. It's all covered in here and more.

What makes the book so excellent is it never goes into psycho babble or intellectual mumbo jumbo, it always remains very much approachable, as if some guy was simply talking to you and giving you helpful advice. I don't think I would have enjoyed the book in the slightest if it wasn't so straight talking, so dont be put off the notional that it is going to be all touchy feely, it's not. Nor is it a cheesey self help book either.

What I especially like about the book is that each chapter is pretty short. In fact I don't know if you can call them chapters, they are more just little short pick me ups. Like if you are going to be pitching a project and you are nervous then go read the mini chapter on pitching stuff, got a deadline coming up that you are panicking over? Go read the deadline pages. Some of you may feel that you want huge sprawling chapters to feel that you are getting a deep understanding of everything, but the stuff in here is so helpful that even within the 3 or 4 pages spent on each topic you have learnt everything you need to know to get back to work.

I really like this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants to write because I think we all have to deal with this crap and sooner you can get past it the sooner you can get onto writing great stuff. There are so many insightful quotes and comments in here that you cant help but feel empowered by it all.

It gets two thumbs up from me.

You can read more about it on the guy's official website.

The 100 best last lines from novels.

My favorite is Catch-22.

(Via Books, Inq.)

On my currently reading bookshelf at the moment is "The 4-Hour Workweek" by Timothy Ferris. The thought of leaving work for the week at 1 pm on a Monday is a big incentive to speed through this book, and the speed-reading tips Tim offers makes it even easier.

In the early pages, Tim introduces the 80/20 principle, based on the work of economist Vilfredo Pareto, and suggests that 80% of our results at work come from only 20% of our efforts.

This reminds me of writing my thesis, where 20% of my time seemed to produce at least 80% of each chapter and too much time would be spend tidying up figures. Why not eliminate tasks that consume too much time and yield too little results? Tim also gives tips on how to beat Parkinson's law, where tasks always swell to take up the time given to fulfill them.

Tim keeps a blog with many tips for efficiency, aimed at giving you more time to travel and enjoy life. Ironically, he suggests going on an information fast for five days (no web surfing, no news, no tv), but I can't do that until I've read his intriguing posts on how to learn a language in one hour and get super fit in 4 weeks (with a total of only 4 hours gym time!).

Copenhagen-based poet and painter Grzegorz Wroblewski has posted a selection of his latest pictures at Saatchi Online.

The Doriot Library is hosting a two-week display on the following book

            Stewart BLACK and Hal GREGERSEN 

It starts with one: changing individuals changes organizations

Since most men believe more or less coherently in some ideal like justice, beauty, love, loyalty, something that does not serve the Darwinian notion of survival, Proust reasoned like this:

If there is no immortal soul, then (quote:)

"these notions which exist in our mind must be nothing either. We must perish, but we have as hostages these divine captives who will share our fate. And death in their company is somehow less bitter, less inglorious, perhaps even less probable. "

"Less probable" !
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This reflection is in "Swann's Love", a novella about Swann, a wealthy art collector who falls in love with a beautiful, evasive creature of the night that he chases and finances until he almost breaks down under the strain and finally discovers that he does not really like her. (He ends up marrying her, though not in that short novel, but later).

Here is a more complete quote. Swann tries to figure out the impression caused by a sonate. (Proust's translators are always a bit sleazy in their language.)

Proust explains the same thing elsewhere: a work of art makes one happy because it strongly relates the present moment (of contemplation) to a moment far away in the past. Thereby the soul feels it is where it truly belongs, outside of time, above time, not subject to time, enjoying its immortality.

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While looking for the novella online, I saw that it exists as a film, but that can't render its point. And the English text starts out poorly translated with a description of the circle of wealthy snobs where Swann met his love. He, who was the great aristocracy's admired darling Jew, sacrificed his prestige to just barely get accepted in that hustler's circle of platitudes.

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