Friday, December 12, 2014

Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap

Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap
I’m regular reader of Love and Olive Oil’s blog, but somehow I’ve missed the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap every year. No more! I’ll be following to check out this years results with rapt attention.
What I’m bringing you today is a round up of the last year’s cookie swap recipes! I love to shake things up and try something new in my Christmas baking every year. I picked two from here to try this year. I’m going make Chai Tea Shortbread Rounds and Slice-and-Bake Rosemary Butter Cookies. My sister fell in love with chai cookies a friend made me last year that I shared with her, so it will be a nice a Christmas treat for her. And one of my favorite store bought cookies is a rosemary butter cookie, so I’d like to try my hand at making them myself.
When you arrive at the site prepare for cookie overload! There are over 250 cookie recipes on this page. There’s a brief summary about the cookie swap and then you’re directly into the recipe gallery.
Just click the thumbnail to be whisked away to the blog that hosts that recipe. This was also a great way to discover new food blogs!
You’ll find lots of cookie variety too! Everything from butter cookies to thumbprints to homemade Oreos! Chocolate or fruity cookies too!
Go check out these amazing cookie recipes today!
~Amanda

Get Social With Ello

Get Social With Ello
Imagine a social network without intrusive ads, forced tracking or auto organization of your news feed. It’s not a dream anymore, it’s Ello. The new social network claims to be the anti-Facebook and the minimalist approach keeps the site clean with users’ posts remaining front and center. After a few minutes on the site, you’ll discover Ello seems like the result of Tumblr meshing with Twitter.
Ello’s Promise
The entire purpose of Ello is to provide a true social experience without constantly worrying about your every post, like, comment and profile data being sold to advertisers. The founders believe people aren’t products and shouldn’t be treated as such. While Google Analytics is used, you’re able to opt out. This is the only type of tracking you’ll find. There are no ads, no suggested products, no game invitations or any of the fluff you see on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and others. The site’s manifesto alone makes the site seem warm and inviting.
Features
Currently, Ello has a basic feature set. If you’re looking for innovative new features, you won’t find them here. If you just want a network with the essentials, you might just love having a simpler set of features. The site has a list of current, newly added and upcoming features. The current set includes features such as:
  • Email notifications
  • Simple commenting
  • Post editing
  • Enhanced user discovery
  • Emoji integration
  • Invitation system
  • Add and edit images
  • Profile privacy controls
In the future, Ello plans to add features such as:
  • Reposting (similar to Tumblr)
  • Mobile apps
  • Love bookmarking
  • Audio/video integration
  • Auto push to other social networks
While simple, the site really does have everything you need to connect with other users, post updates and comment on posts.
Joining
At the time of writing, Ello is an invitation only network. Every new member is allowed to invite 25 new members. The site is currently in beta with a small staff. They’re limiting how many people join at a time to ensure the site can handle the activity. However, getting an invitation isn’t that hard. Start by visiting Ello’s homepage. Enter your email address at the top of the screen and clickRequest Invitation.
Request Invitation Button
Wait for your confirmation email and confirm your email once you receive it. You’ll then be notified as soon as Ello has more invitations available.
Request Invitation
You can also ask for an invitation from your friends on social networks. It’s possible one of them may already..

Monday, August 11, 2014

Transform Your Life

Are Your Inner Demons Sabotaging Your Dreams?  It’s Time to Fight Back… with this “Secret Weapon” You Will Crush Your Inner Demons, Build Bulletproof Habits, Transform Your Life and Win My Money.


Dear Transformation Seeker,
Every day, there is a knock-down drag-em-out, take no prisoners brawl happening inside of you.
Two forces battle for control over your thoughts, your actions and ultimately, your entire life.
Everything you want to achieve in LIFE hinges on this battle.
You see, the battle is between good and evil, light and dark, good and bad, progress and regression, and even angels versus demons. That's right, everything you want to achieve in life depends on your inner angle defeating your inner demons.
To win this battle you need to pay close attention because you're about to discover a powerful lesson that will make transforming your life simple, easy, and fun.
I have no doubt that this short letter will change your life forever.
Let me explain -
We've all watched those Bugs Bunny cartoons where a little Angel pops up on one shoulder of Sylvester the Cat. And then poof, up pops a devil on the other side. And then bam, the devil knocks out the angel and Sylvester goes after Tweety Bird again.
Well, you have that same "Inner Demon" versus "Angel" battle going on inside of you everyday.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not talking about morality here, I'm talking about effectiveness. Not good or evil but good habits and bad habits.
The Inner Demon in your life is that voice that says...
  • Hit the snooze button again, you've earned it.
  • Go on, have that piece of cake, we'll start eating better tomorrow.
  • Just one more drink won't hurt. You'll be fine tomorrow.
  • Ah c'mon, take your shoes off and relax. Who wants to go to the gym at this time of day?
  • One more cigarette and then we'll quit. After all, it's been a stressful day.
  • Put the book down and turn on the TV. Just 10 minutes. You deserve it.
Sound familiar?
Pesky little fellow, that Inner Demon.
You see, your "demon" is your bad habits. And because they're so much fun - at first, your demon gets fed all the time. Thus, it's grown up big, strong and mean.
When it comes to getting what you want out of life, your Inner Demon will ruin you. He'll keep you running and running, chasing quick pleasures and empty meaning.
In fact, if you only listen to your demon, you won't live a good life. Why not? Because your demon doesn't plan for the future, doesn't set goals and (most importantly) doesn't think.
It tells you to eat, sleep and take advantage of all hedonistic pleasures that life offers. Nothing else matters...
I hope you're starting to get the idea why your demon is a terrible master. If you let your Inner Demon win - you'll never accomplish anything.
If your Inner Demon makes the decision, don't be afraid. You're not alone. It's also not your fault. Millions of people lose this battle several times a day. Because this Demon's strength is fed by many subtle evildoers.
Large corporations add cheap, unhealthy ingredients to make a few extra bucks. Your college buddies want you to live the old days. Billions of dollars are spent every day to shove advertisements you haven't asked to see down your throat.
Each has unrealistic models, clever humor and overstated promises. It's all to distract you. Feed your Inner Demon with more power. Turn these decision-making moments into subtle, unconscious "norms".
This way you get a clever tune in your head rather than thinking about the health facts when hitting up the drive thru.
This way you start your evening with the "news" and before you know it, bedtime hits.
This gives you the green light to hide behind the mask of your army of Facebook "friends" rather than developing and nurturing long-term relationships.
Those who push these on you know a solution exists. That's why they have the spend billions.
Because the solution is available. Many times it may be obvious. Your Angel tells
Your "angel" is drowned out by the noise.
Speaking of...let's take a moment to contrast this beast with the "angel" on your shoulder.
The puny twerp inside your head has a magic and power of his own. But like a glass-jawed boxer, he crumbles under even the slightest pressure.
You see... your angel part designs spaceships, builds sky-scrapers, creates beautiful art and discovers elegant theorems that explain nature. It's the part of us that is disciplined, focused and determined to improve ourselves.
It's the best of you.
Your angel part says - "I'll eat an apple instead of a donut." And "I'm going to the gym today." And "I'm going to turn off my internet and focus on solving this big problem at work."
In short, it's the stuff that gets things done. It's the attitude we all want to have. And it's what makes us different from animals.
Here's the catch...
...compared to the demon, our angel is timid and weak.
And it gets worse...
...they're always fighting. That's what I meant when I told you a moment ago that there is a hidden conflict happening inside you every single day of your life.
There is no way to escape it.
And every day - there is a winner and a loser.
Let me ask you a simple question. Take a moment and answer it honestly.

Who Won the Battle for Your Mind Yesterday?

I bet your demon won.
Why?
Because he's a killer. He's bigger, stronger, faster and meaner.
And it's tragic. Because every day your demon wins, you have wasted a day you could have spent pursuing your dreams. Every day the demon wins you squandered a day that could get your closer to your goals. Every day the demon wins it's another day you didn't give your unique gift to the world...
...and every day the demon wins is another day that you'll never get back.
Your demon lets you get away with taking the easy and convenient path. It wants you to meander thoughtlessly through life. But a good life and a lasting transformation require thoughtful and intentional action. And that's precisely what your demon despises.
The demon on your shoulder whispers sweet poison in your ear all the time.
And you can't kill him. He's much too tough for that. But you can lock him up and throw away the key. Actually - if you don't trap him - I guarantee he will ruin you...sooner or later.
I know what you're thinking:
"If my demon is so much stronger, how do I have any chance at winning?"
Frankly, if you plan on attacking the demon head on - you're doomed.
I shake my head when I hear the "willpower" guru's talking about attacking your demon head on. They sound like Calvary officers ordering you to charge a machine-gun nest...not somebody I'd risk my future with.
But there is another way you can beat the demon and conquer your bad habits.
How?
Let's think about it for a moment.
Your demon is strong, tough and dumb. Your angel part is weak, fragile and smart.
It's time to play to our strengths and outsmart the beast.
In fact, we're going to trick him.
...you will attack from an unusual angle. You can flank him, trap him and beat him every time.
You won't take on the demon directly.
Instead you'll take the oblique approach. You'll indirectly defeat your demon.
You see, it's all about making hard things easy by thinking outside the box. Don't get me wrong...transformation is difficult. Changing your life is no small matter. If it were easy, then everybody would be living the life of their dreams. But you and I know that just ain't so.
But once you understand this unusual, but simple system for transformation, it will make your goals much easier to accomplish. (And as a positive-side effect, you'll discover how to apply this blueprint to make ANY dramatic change you desire)

How Will My Transformation Blueprint
Help You Achieve Your Goals Faster and Easier?

To answer this question, I want you to think back to the last time you really wanted to accomplish something. Maybe you wanted to start exercising regularly. Perhaps you wanted to diet and lose stubborn belly-fat. Or you might have wanted to set a budget and build your retirement nest egg.
What you were trying to achieve isn't nearly as important as how you went about trying to achieve it. Because, as you'll see, there are certain principles which you must follow if you want to transform anything in your life
And my blueprint is based on those timeless, fundamental principles that people have been using to get what they want for thousands of years. They will work for anything you want to achieve.
In a moment, I'll tell you more about these principles but first let's go back to your story.
When you set out to accomplish your goals, I bet you started with energy and excitement. You were motivated, hungry and bright-eyed during that first week. You told your family and friends about your goal and your plan.
Then...
...little-by-little you started skipping days at the gym. Or you started sneaking "just one 'small' piece of cake." Or you blew a month of savings on a big-screen TV you didn't need.
Day-by-day you lost focus. Your thoughts wandered. Instead of waking up each morning excited about your goal - you sometimes went an entire day without thinking about it. Soon enough, you only thought about your goal once a week, usually during a quiet weekend moment.
And during those quiet moments, you promised yourself that you would get better next week.
But you didn't.
Then, a few months later, you can't even remember what you were working to change.
If that sounds like a familiar story - I want to let you in on a little secret...
...it's not your fault.
Nobody ever told you the principles that guarantee transformation. It's not something you were taught in school. You didn't understand the Four Pillars of Transformation. You sent your angel side into battle against your demon without any tools or weapons.
It's no surprise that the demon gobbled you up.
That won't happen again.
In fact, I'm going to share two stories with you that illustrate the difference the four pillars of transformation make. Without them, transformation is almost impossible. With them, transformation is nearly guaranteed.

A Tale of Two Transformations

Once upon a time, in the late 1970's, a four-year old boy sat in the front row of his family's giant "boat-sized" sedan. His short legs didn't even reach the ground and he could barely see over the dashboard and through the windshield to glimpse the road ahead.
Normally this boy gazed intently at the landscape speeding by. The trees, the farms, the small towns and the other people. But today - he couldn't tear his eyes away from his mother.
As he watched her drive the car, the boy knew something was wrong. Perhaps it was the way she clutched the battered steering wheel. Or it was the angry way she set her jaw. Maybe it was her damp eyes.
Despite his youth and innocence, the boy knew something was wrong.
So he asked her, "What's wrong?"
It turns out his mother was driving them both home after a weight watchers meeting. And she was disappointed. Another week had passed and the scale didn't budge. She hadn't lost any weight. The lack of results in her transformation left her feeling sad, angry and confused.
And it broke the little boy's heart.
That car ride happened more than 33 years ago...and it changed the course of my life.
Yes, that little boy was me. I remember sitting in that car, feeling so helpless and angry that I couldn't help my mom get what she wanted. That powerless feeling left an impression on me as strong and permanent as any red-hot brand we used on our farm.
I spent the next 20 years on a tireless journey to learn how to help men and women who were sad and frustrated with their health, fitness and weight-loss programs.
Then, in 2006, I received a personal lesson on transformation.
Back then, I'd wake up every morning at 4:30am to work on my business before I dashed off to train my first client at 6am. After a packed morning, I'd grab lunch on the run and do a quick personal workout. Then I'd head back and train clients until 8pm.
Those were hectic days.
But after my last client left at 8, I headed downtown to party with friends until the wee hours of the morning. I was young and slightly foolish in a big city. I wasn't burning the candle at both ends - I took a flamethrower to the candle.
Then, one morning I woke up and couldn't breathe. I gasped for air. My hands tingled. My heart pounded. I took a walk to get fresh air and it didn't help. I meditated and tried breathing deeply but it didn't work. It felt like I was having a heart attack and the feeling didn't go away. For weeks and weeks I couldn't calm down.
Then I hit the lowest point in my life. I was training one of my clients, an overweight man in his 50's. It was early Monday morning. In a few short moments, one of us was going to end up in hospital. The smart money would have picked him. They would have been wrong.
Halfway through his workout my heart started beating faster and faster. Anxiety swept over me and I felt trapped in the tiny exercise room. I told him to stop working out because I needed him to drive me to the hospital. I couldn't handle it anymore and I needed help.
Within a few hours I was home and over the next few days - with the help of these four pillars of transformation - I fixed my problem and transformed my life forever. Everything changed.
Out of necessity, I took everything I knew about transformation and sketched out a rough blueprint for changing my life. Then, I applied it and the theory became real to me. My blueprint saved me.
How did I do it? Here's how, in the 33 years since my fateful car-ride with my mother, I discovered what she was missing in her transformation quest. And after I learned it and applied it to my own problem - I realized how different things would be if she had known these secrets all those years ago.
You see, the four pillars are the principles underneath every successful Transformation. They are: Accountability, Social Support, a Deadline and an Incentive. They are your secret weapon against your demon side.
My mother faced down her demon without 3 of the 4 pillars backing her up. She only had the accountability from the weekly weigh in. Unfortunately, she had no social support at home from my father. She also didn't have a goal. And finally, she didn't give herself an incentive for success.
As a result, she didn't have a plan. With no plan, no support and no incentive - there was nothing to help her back up when she fell down.
My poor mother was destined to fail before she even began. She started a pointless journey.
That's why all her efforts failed and left her in despair. That's the feeling I sensed all those years ago and that's the reason why I've spent my life devoted to studying how people transform their lives.
And as a result of my intense investigations into personal transformation, I've determined that the four pillars are absolutely required. Without them, there is no chance for success. It doesn't matter if you're trying to lose weight, get out of debt, quit smoking, make more money, fix your health or repair the relationships in your life.
Over the past five years, I've run 16 Transformation Contests for Health and Wealth. The results were stunning. Every single champion relied on the four pillars of transformation. No one made a dramatic change without using all four. There were no exceptions.
Contestants have used the four pillars to lose 33 pounds, to make enough of a secondary income to quit their full-time job, to take control of their diet and to transform their lives.
Not only that, but I host small business transformation contests where owners work to increase their profits over a fixed period of time. And the funny thing is...
...these business owners used the exact same four pillars to transform their business as the other used to transform their personal lives.
At its fundamental level - transformation follows the same general principles. No matter the goal - the process to get there is the same.
It reminds me of my favorite quote by 10-time NCAA Champion Basketball Coach John Wooden. When he retired, he said:
Coach John Wooden
"When people ask me now if I miss coaching UCLA basketball games, the national championships, the attention, the trophies, and everything that goes with them, I tell them this: I miss the practices."
That goes to show you that the great champions invest in the process. They don't care about the media attention, the trophies and the big games. All they care about are the processes and habits that make victory inevitable.
In fact, most of our contestants come to the same conclusion:
"I joined to win the money, but after a few weeks I realized how much my family and I gained from the contest. It's not about the money anymore. Building new habits made me more productive and restored my zest for life." - Jakob
That's why my blueprint is devoted to developing the right habits so you can take total advantage of the four pillars of transformation.
I've seen enough transformation journeys (success and failures) to know exactly what steps you need to take to get where you want to go. After hosting 16 transformation Contests, I've distilled all the wisdom, knowledge and best practices that guarantee successful change into this blueprint.
It's the only field-tested guide to changing your life. Most importantly, it's not the dross peddled by academics who conduct unrealistic theoretical studies about willpower and motivation.
This blueprint isn't theoretical at all. It's based only on the strategies and mindsets that have enabled people like you to make dramatic transformations in their lives.

The Blueprint for Your Transformation

I don't want you to go down the same false paths that my mother and countless others have gone down. So I've gathered and distilled all the power-info and best practices from my previous transformation contest winners for you.
Then...
...I combined that knowledge with everything I know about personal transformations. With all this valuable information in mind, I created a 3-part blue-print just for you.
It's the ultimate practical guide to changing your life. There is no frills, no fluff and (most of all) no silly theoretical knowledge that's useless in the trenches.
At the center of this blueprint is a video coaching session with me. I should warn you - my coaching sessions are very intense.
And if you think I'm just going to blather with answers to your problems - then you'll be disappointed. Here's the thing - great coaches don't just look at you and tell you the answer. That's the easy way. And it's also the least effective way - because real solutions only come from within you.
Does that make sense?
This "interview" is the best diagnostic for changing your life. Why? Because nobody else understands how to treat causes...they only can treat symptoms. You see, most of the advice you got in the past just treated the surface problems. That's not my style. After an hour with me, we're going to drill down deep into the key actions you need to take in order to transform your life.
After our time together, your next step will be very obvious and clear. You'll know what to do.
You'll feel calm determination and you'll have total clarity about what you must do.
Here's what I'm getting at...
...I can't walk the path for you. This is your journey. It's personal, intense and will be so rewarding when you've finished it. But it is yours. I'm not the hero taking the plunge, facing difficulty and coming out on the other side a changed man. You are.
My role is different. I'm your guide, muse and mentor. That's exactly what you need. You don't need another hero talking about how great he is - you're great already. And there is only room for one hero in your story. What you do need is some guidance.
Wisdom from somebody who's been there and done it. And wisdom from somebody who's helped thousands of people just like you transform their lives.
That's why, during our coaching session, I'm going to ask you A LOT of questions. And there is a good reason for the questioning. If you're like most people, after school ended, you never had another coach or mentor. For some strange reason, when you graduate - it's like you suddenly became "all-knowing" and wise.
And yet some people spend their entire lives never knowing the right questions to ask...let alone the answers. This is so terribly important. The hardest part of solving any problem is figure out what the problem is. If you can define the problem you can solve it.
So...I'm going to ask you a lot of difficult questions. But those difficult questions will define the problem for you. Then, I'm going to ask another series of questions that are going to show you the solution to your problem. Then...you're going to act on the advice, transform your life and win my money. Sound good?
I bet it does.
Some of you are struggling, I know that. In fact, I was the same way until I hired my first coach in 2006. Then my business, my net-worth and my happiness shot way up. With his help and my hard work - I transformed.
Here's what you'll discover in your coaching session with me:
  • How to set your priorities that will propel you like a "bullet-train" towards your perfect transformation vision.
  • Your "action-plan" for conquering all of your 2013 goals.
  • The "bottleneck" secret - learn this one strategy and you'll dodge all the stuff that tries to strangle your motivation and kill your transformation.
  • How to build a simple time and energy management system that works better than a Swiss watch.
  • The key to identifying ALL the resources you'll need to accomplish your transformation. (Plus: a great way to "fill-up" your motivation tank)
  • How to have monk-like clarity about your life and where you're going.
  • Quick tips for doubling your satisfaction and happiness at the end of each day.
  • Your time and energy assessment - this simple diagnostic will change your productivity habits forever.
  • How to build the perfect creative and productive environment to maximize your transformation goals.
  • The danger of multi-tasking (and how you can slay all your digital distractions and get more done with less stress)
  • How to uncover your unique ability. (This is what separates "world-class" operators from the rest)
  • How you can precisely pinpoint your most effective and profitable daily activities.
  • "No." - How you can say "no" to busy-work and time-wasters without offending anyone.
  • How to build a legacy that you and your family can be proud of...
  • And much more that that...
And you know what -
I paid a lot of money for my coaching. Nowadays, with my transformation knowledge and skills, executives and entrepreneurs pay $2,500 for a coaching sessions with me. $2,500 for just one session. But you're not going to pay anywhere near that. I'll tell you more in a moment.
At the end of your coaching session, you're going to understand your problems, choke-points and personal strengths better than you ever did before. But you aren't done yet.
The next thing you'll need to do is set your goals.
This sounds simple but I swear that 99 out of 100 people mess this part up. And if you get this wrong, your odds of successfully changing your life go down the drain. At the end of the day, setting goals and having a vision for your life makes everything easier.
It's your roadmap, your GPS and your motivation all wrapped up in one tidy package.
So the second part of your blueprint is a special presentation on goal-setting and creating a vision for your life.
In this exclusive transformation contest presentation, you'll discover:
  • The 4-Life Goals and how this simple framework will help you get everything you desire out of life without turning into a workaholic or worse.
  • How to rapidly build the "overwhelming desire" that almost guarantees that you'll accomplish all of your goals.
  • The HACAR approach to goal-setting (this unusual method will dramatically increase the potency and power of your goal-setting)
  • The "power of paper" and what it means for your goals.
  • How to "get the ball rolling" and build goal-crushing momentum. (This single strategy will get you started right and it is the best way to break through stubborn low-points during the contest)
  • Your goal-setting contract. (This single sheet of paper increases your chances of success by at least 90%)
  • TWIST! Why the way most 'experts' talk about goal-setting is wrong and what you can do about it.
  • A step-by-step guide to creating your "vision board" for your most audacious goals.
  • What you really need to know about The Secret.
  • How to create a crystal-clear life vision that will dictate your success for years to come.
  • How to steal "magic-time" every single day. (This one tactic will increase your creativity, productivity and personal power by leaps and bounds)
  • The key habits of past Transformation Contest Winners
  • How the "back to the future" strategy will help you create the perfect goals that drive you towards your transformation.
  • The 3 Questions you must ask if you want to have any hope of transforming your life.
  • How you can quickly discover the people you'll need to meet so they can help you accomplish your goals.
  • How to easily define your "endgame" so you know exactly how to move forward.
  • The BONUS BIG QUESTION about making 2013 your Breakthrough Year.
  • How to draft your personal rules and life philosophy (Just watch how this exercise gives you more clarity and peace of mind than you've ever felt before).
  • And far more...
So after you've been through the first two modules of the Blueprint, we come to the most actionable and powerful part yet...

Your 30-day Fast Start Bonus Manual and Video

This presentation and workbook will be jet-fuel for your transformation goals.
It's a 30-day, DONE FOR YOU guide to starting your transformation off on the right foot. In this step-by-step guide, you'll have a discrete, measurable and concrete action to take every day. Complete all of these steps and you'll be well on your way to achieving your transformation goal.
Why did I put this special bonus together for you?
For one reason only...
In my experience most people quit my transformation contests in the first month. I don't want that to happen to you.
When you have a day-by-day blueprint that takes you by the hand and shows you exactly what needs to be done, you'll be way more likely to make dramatic changes rapidly. In fact, this bonus video answers the most important question in Transformation Contests:

What Should I Do Right Now?

This isn't a guide for the tomorrows that never come but a clear guide to what you must do now.
This bonus guide is brass-tacks only. No pie-in-the-sky theory here. Just the steps you need to take immediately to put you on the fast track to transforming your life.

After you finish using this guide, you'll have built powerful habits to get you through the final steps.

In this bonus guide you'll discover:
  • How to recruit key support and accountability partners. (Day 2)
  • The fastest way to fix a negative mindset. (on Day 6 you'll discover this mental "hack" that will let you take action with joy).
  • How habits drive behavior and behavior drives Transformation (you'll learn the power of a "process habit" on Day 14)
  • The BEST way to start each day to ensure success in the contest. (Day 18)
  • How to review your "healthy" behaviors to determine if they're stopping your transformation. (And if they are - you'll discover the solution on Day 25).
  • And much more over the 30-days...
And much more that will rapidly propel you towards your goals.

With the Information in this Blueprint,
Your Demon Doesn't Stand a Chance

In fact, when you've discovered all the powerful strategies, tactics and mental-models in the 3 modules - your "human" brain will be armed to teeth and ready to do battle with your demon.
You'll conquer that beast. Once you do, you'll find transforming your life becomes far easier. And simpler too.
The three modules represent the only field-tested approach to defeating your animal impulses and transforming your life. It doesn't matter if you want to transform your health, your wealth or your happiness - this blueprint will show you how.
Best of all, it's not going to cost you a fortune.
First, your coaching session... executives and entrepreneurs normally pay $2,500 for a coaching session with me. But there is no way you'll pay that. In fact, you're going to get this value for far less than the $2,500 price tag. These savvy operators gladly pay me these fees because they know I bring unique knowledge and skills to the table. No one knows more about making a transformation than I do.
But you're going to get access to this coaching for far less. In fact, you'll get access with a 90%+ discount. More on that in a moment.
I could go on and on about how valuable it is to learn how to set goals and create a vision for yourself. But I'd rather just show you instead. If you purchase the blueprint, I'll only charge you for the coaching session. You'll get the goal-setting and vision-creating video and workbook for FREE.
Okay, but what about the 30-day Fast-start guide? Same deal. With it, you'll build unstoppable momentum and speed rapidly towards your goals. This guide will bust through inertia and will show you how to blast through difficulties in the early days of your transformation journey.
With it, you'll build powerful habits and self-discipline over the first 30 days so you're set up to finish strong. It's impossible to put a price tag on it. So, because I want you to transform your life so badly - I'll throw it in as a bonus if you pick up your coaching sessions.
Fine Craig, but how much will all three cost me?
Not $2,500.
Not $500.
Not $100.
Not $50.
But only $27. That's 92% off the price of a single coaching session with me. And you're getting far more than that. If I counted the value of the two bonuses you get, the total discount would be almost 99% off.
You're literally only going to pay 8% of the value for this blueprint.


Only $27, 50% off the regular price

Let's put it another way...
...we have $100,000 worth of cash prizes ready to give to you during this transformation contest.
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Saturday, August 9, 2014

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Monday, July 28, 2014

Heaven Is For Real

I didn't start out planning to stay up until 2 am, I was ready to go to bed 2 hours ago.  Even shut down the computer and everything.  Went out to the living room and Mary had TBN on...Clifton Davis was interviewing the family that the movie Heaven Is For Real was about.  I had heard about it but hadn't seen the movie nor read the book, but it was a fascinating interview. 

And then he interviewed the Director of the movie, Randall Wallace.  Randall Wallace comes with some credibility, Randall Wallace (born July 28, 1949) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and songwriter who came to prominence by writing the screenplay for the 1995 film Braveheart. His work on the film earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay and a Writers Guild of America award for Best Screenplay Adapted Directly for the Screen. He directed The Man in the Iron Mask, We Were Soldiers, and Secretariat.  And he is a Christian, and what an interview he gave.

And then he interviewed a man I hadn't heard of before but who worked at producing the movie for MGM Devon Franklin,  DeVon Franklin is an American author, film executive, preacher and motivational speaker. He is also the Senior Vice President of Production at Columbia Pictures. He was formerly a studio executive at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.And man was that an interview. 

So here I am at 2:10 am wide awake.  And now I have to see this movie and read the book.

Monday, July 14, 2014


Notable Figures
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100 Years, 100 Legacies > 2/100

Hitler

by Marcus Walker
Hitler biographer Ian Kershaw explains how WWI made Hitler possible–how it gave him a purpose, an aim, a commitment and subsequently a mission.
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World War I gave a meaning and direction to the life of a drifter from Austria, who two decades later plunged Europe into an even greater slaughter.
Adolf Hitler was a nobody before the war, and would have stayed one without it. Rejected by art school, he sank into homelessness, then eked out a living painting watercolors.
“Without the experience of war, the humiliation of defeat, and the upheaval of revolution the failed artist and social dropout would not have discovered what to do with his life by entering politics and finding his métier as a propagandist and beerhall demagogue,” writes Hitler’s biographer Ian Kershaw.
The lost war radicalized German politics, creating a market for chauvinist hate-mongering. In the turmoil after Germany’s defeat, Hitler discovered he excelled at it. In particular, his rage against Jews for supposedly causing the Reich’s defeat and collapse tapped the growing anti-Semitism of German nationalists looking for scapegoats.
The times and his talent for agitation—including also against the Versailles peace treaty—were enough to make him the dominant figure on Germany’s extreme right by the mid-1920s. But the Nazis would have remained a fringe movement if Germany’s economy and democracy had continued to stabilize. The party won only 2.6% of the vote in Germany’s 1928 elections.
The Great Depression turned the Nazis into a major force. The Weimar Republic, born of defeat and still bearing the stigma, lacked support from its own elites. They handed Hitler the opportunity to destroy it.
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Ian Kershaw, “Hitler,” (2009).
Thumbnail image: Topical Press Agency/Getty Images.

How To Accept a Compliment With Class

How to Accept a Compliment With Class

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You hand someone a gift and they eagerly tear off the wrapping paper and lift the lid on the box. But as they pick up and examine the present tucked inside, their smile quickly fades. “You know, this watch really isn’t right for me. Here, you can have it back.”
Ouch. Such behavior is so uncommon you may (thankfully) never have witnessed it or done it yourself. Yet the majority of us regularly do something very similar when it comes to accepting another kind of “gift”: compliments.
Even though we should all be offering more compliments, many of us struggle to do so. And yet graciously accepting compliments can be a challenge as well. We’re eager to get them and so pleased when we do, but then we utterly fumble their receipt. Instead of accepting compliments with pleasure and appreciation, we look for ways to downgrade, reject, and deflect their significance and value.
Learning how to best take a compliment is pretty easy (even if changing an ingrained behavior takes some practice). You simply have to understand 1) how you dismiss compliments, 2) why you have trouble accepting them outright, and 3) why and how you can graciously acknowledge and accept the praise of others.

10 Ways Compliments Are Dismissed

Sociolinguists place compliment responses into 3 main categories: Accept, Deflect, and Reject. These categories represent a spectrum, and most people aren’t uncomfortable at either extreme; outright denial seems rude but full acceptance feels conceited. Thus, most people seek what seems like a safe middle ground, choosing a deflecting response that dilutes and mitigates the compliment. They see compliments as hot potatoes that need to be tossed on as soon as they land in their hands.
In The Assertiveness Workbook, Randy Paterson lists some of the different ways we reject and deflect compliments, to which I’ve added a few I’ve observed myself.
1. Ignore
The recipient ignores the compliment, either because he didn’t hear it, or because he doesn’t recognize that he’s being complimented.
Compliment: “You played crazy good today – you were all over the court.”
Response: “Yeah, I’m really thirsty. Let’s stop for some Gatorade on the way home.”
2. Denial
The recipient denies the compliment outright.
Compliment: “You guys sounded so good tonight.”
Response: “Yeah right. We sounded like total crap.” 
3. Arguing
The recipient of the compliment argues against his deserving the given praise.
Compliment: “That was a really profound insight you brought up in class.”
Response: “Not really. Anyone who had read the previous cases would have come to the same conclusion.”
4. Self-Insult
The receiver downplays the praise by offering self-deprecating remarks.
Compliment: “That’s a really spiffy hat.”
Response: “Well I need something to draw attention from my ugly mug!”
5. Questioning
The receiver questions the giver’s judgment, taste, etc. in offering the compliment.
Compliment: “Your photography is definitely the best exhibit here.”
Response: “Are you kidding? You must not have gone to very many art shows in your life.”
6. Narrowing
The receiver whittles down a broader compliment into a smaller one.
Compliment: “You’re looking really dashing tonight.”
Response: “This tie can make any suit look good.”
7. Boomerang
In response to a compliment, the receiver fires one back.
Compliment: “That is one sweet ‘stache!”
Response: “Well that’s a heck of a manly beard you’ve got there!”
8. Reassurance
The receiver has trouble accepting the compliment and seeks confirmation.
Compliment: “Your speech was incredibly convincing.”
Response: “Do you really think so? I felt like I was floundering out there.”
9. De-Value
The recipient suggests that the thing being complimented isn’t as great as the complimenter is suggesting.
Compliment: “That’s a really handsome sweater.”
Response: “It’s so old. I’ve had it since high school.”
10. Credit Transfer
The recipient transfers the praise to others.
Compliment: “I think that was the best dance we’ve ever had.”
Response: “It was really Jill who did all the work and made it happen.”

Why We Deflect Compliments

Paterson gives the following reasons for why people struggle to fully accept a compliment, to which I’ve again added a couple reasons I also think bear mentioning.
Fear of being seen as conceited. This is by far the most common reason people deflect a compliment. They worry that by agreeing with someone else’s praise of them, they are essentially praising themselves and thus being smug.
The need to restore “balance.” Since a compliment is a positive act, you may feel a psychological need to balance things out by either negating the praise through deflection, or by quickly returning the compliment.
The desire to avoid “indebtedness.” This is the worry that if someone does something nice for you like offering a compliment, you will then “owe” them something nice in return and will thus be indebted to them in some way.
Having low self-esteem. If someone says something nice about you that you don’t believe about yourself, your immediate reaction will be to deny or disbelieve it. You can’t integrate the complimenter’s positive view of you into your own negative one, so you look for ways to find their assessment faulty – i.e., they missed the mistakes you made or they don’t have good judgment.
Inability to be assertive. Guys who struggle with being assertive often find accepting compliments to be a struggle. They have a hard time taking ownership of their positive qualities and feel like acknowledging praise isn’t something a “nice guy” would do.
Suspicion of motives. You may reject someone’s compliments if you’re suspicious that they’re just trying to flatter you and butter you up for some reason. This suspicion may be legitimate or it may come from an overly cynical worldview and be rooted in trust issues.
Desire to look even better. People will sometimes use false modesty as a way of trying to make themselves look even better. For example, Bob compliments Jake on giving a top-notch presentation, and Jake, who actually spent a few dozen hours preparing it, says, “Oh, it was just something I threw together.” Now Bob is thinking, “Wow, if he just threw that together, imagine what he could do if he spent a lot of time on something!” Alternatively, someone may seek to add modesty to the other qualities they’re being complimented on. So Mike tells Andy, “I really appreciate how thorough you made this report.” To which Andy responds, “It was nothing. Just doing my job.” Andy may want Mike to think, “He’s not only a diligent employee, but so humble to boot!”

Why You Should Graciously and Fully Accept Compliments

Sociolinguists have found that Americans respond to compliments with a deflecting response a whopping two-thirds of the time. While this kind of response may be popular, it’s not very smart or even polite. This is an area where you should definitely try to break the mold of the mainstream. Here’s why.
Denial and deflection insults the giver. When someone offers you a compliment, they’re saying that they’ve observed and assessed a praiseworthy quality in you. When you deflect or deny that praise, you’re basically contradicting them; you’re saying that they don’t have good judgment, discernment, or taste, or that they’re insincere – that they don’t know what they’re talking about. You’re returning their kind words with an insult.
Denial and deflection make the giver feel uncomfortable. When we dismiss a compliment because it makes us uncomfortable, we simply transfer that discomfort to the giver. Not only do you insult them, but as Paterson puts it, rejecting a compliment often makes the giver feel “awkward, uncomfortable, stupid, or frustrated.” Where do they go from there? They’re now stuck with the tiresome task of offering reassurance of their sincerity…”No I really do think so…”
Be a man and eat the discomfort yourself instead of tossing it back like a hot potato.
Denial and deflection decrease the likelihood of someone complimenting you again. When you always wave off people’s compliments, eventually they won’t bother to offer them at all anymore.
Denial and deflection diminishes your value. A compliment shows that someone sees value in you. When you dismiss those compliments you’re telling them that either you do not have the qualities they thought you did, or that you’re so insecure you can’t even recognize and/or acknowledge that you do. Either way, it diminishes your value in their eyes. This makes you unattractive to the ladies who like a man to be confident. It also isn’t impressive to your employer. If you’re always telling your boss that so-and-so is really the one who deserves all the credit for the success on a project, why should they give you a raise or even keep you around?
You lose out on the good feeling that comes with a compliment. Getting a nice compliment can make you feel great. But when you deflect and devalue the compliment instead of absorbing it, you also deflect the positive boost it could have given your self-esteem.
Boomerang compliments aren’t usually sincere. You may think that always responding to a compliment with one of your own is polite, but it’s not. A boomerang compliment signals that instead of listening to and absorbing someone’s praise, you were busy formulating your own compliment. And because people know it’s a knee-jerk behavior that’s designed to mitigate your own discomfort, that it’s more about you than it is about them, it doesn’t register as sincere. It’s far better to offer your own compliment at another, appropriate time, so that it comes off as spontaneous and authentic, rather than coerced. There are exceptions to this rule, of course (see below).

How to Accept a Compliment

The first step in quitting the faux modesty of the compliment deflection routine is to realize that fully accepting compliments does not make you conceited. You didn’t come up with the praise yourself, someone else did! You’re just confirming another person’s assessment, and again, it’s more polite to accept and appreciate their judgment rather than to contradict it.
Second, it’s okay to let yourself feel proud of something you did well. A little pride need not involve an inflated sense of your accomplishments or worthy qualities – just an honest assessment of what you did. It’s quite possible to be modest, while still being grateful and gracious.
So what’s the best response to a compliment? Get ready for it…”Thank you.” That’s it. There’s never a situation where a simple, unadorned thank you won’t work.
That being said, sometimes it’s more comfortable and quite appropriate to offer a follow-up to your “thank you,” or an amplifier that shows just how much the compliment meant to you.
Appropriate follow-ups to “Thank you”:
  • “I really enjoyed it.” “I’m glad it worked out so well.” If you feel uncomfortable just leaving it at “thank you,” try a neutral follow-up statement.
  • “It couldn’t have happened without Jason’s help.” Now, giving a knee-jerk response in which you deny all credit to yourself and transfer it to others is faux modesty. But, when other people really do deserve some credit for the things you’re being praised for, it’s appropriate to mention those folks, after accepting credit for your own role.
  • “I am happy I could help.” This is a good alternative to the “Just doing my job” deflection. Maybe you were just doing your job, but don’t rebuff and deny someone’s desire to show their appreciation for you. Instead, offer a “thank you” and tell them you’re happy you could be of assistance.
  • “You know, you also played great tonight; nice job!” The boomerang compliment can be appropriate when it’s truly sincere — praise you would have given anyway — and especially when you won’t see the person again (this is often the case in competition situations). Just be sure to offer your compliment after you’ve fully accepted the one you’ve been given.
If a compliment is particularly heartwarming or special to you, there’s nothing wrong with following up your “thank you” with an amplifier that tells the giver what the compliment means to you, how it makes you feel, or why you value it:
  • “That really means a lot.”
  • “I really appreciate you noticing that. No one ever has before.”
  • “I was feeling really down and this is just the encouragement I need to keep going.”
Now go forward and offer many more compliments to others and acknowledge and accept the ones that come your way with class!

Sunday, July 13, 2014

School: We have a right to ban God

School: We have a right to ban God

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    Brooks Hamby speaking at his high school graduation
A California school district says it will not apologize to a teenager who defied its orders and mentioned God in his graduation speech.
Attorneys representing the Brawley Union High School District have written a 10-page letter defending the school’s right not only to censor graduation speeches, but also to ban any speech that references God or Jesus.
“It is well established in the Ninth Circuit and California that a public school salutatorian has no constitutional right to lead a prayer or include sectarian or proselytizing content in his/her graduation speech,” reads a letter from the San Diego law firm of Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud and Romo.
Brooks Hamby was a victim of anti-Christian bigotry, and I hope Liberty Institute teaches the Brawley Union High School District a lesson it won’t forget.
Last month, 18-year-old Brooks Hamby made national headlines when he committed an act of civil disobedience by thanking Jesus in his salutatorian address. School administrators had redacted references to Jesus and the Christian faith in three previous versions of Hamby’s speech.
One administrator went so far as to redact every religious reference with a black marker – as if it were some sort of top-secret government document.
Liberty Institute, the law firm representing Hamby, has demanded that the school apologize for censoring the boy’s speech and that it guarantee future graduation speakers will not face censorship.
The school district, in the certified letter its attorneys sent to Liberty Institute, says that’s not going to happen. There will be no apology.
“The district was legally obligated to ensure prayers and other sectarian, proseltyzing content were omitted from Mr. Hamby’s speech,” the school’s attorneys wrote. “Censorship of the speech was necessary to avoid an Establishment Clause violation.”
In other words, the high-dollar attorneys are telling us the school district violated one constitutional amendment to avoid violating another.
The school district’s attorneys also said the California Constitution prohibits public school districts from endorsing religious speech at their graduation ceremonies.
“Mr. Hamby was not permitted to use his salutatory speech to lead his classmates in a sectarian prayer,” the attorneys wrote.
Instead, he was supposed to stand in front of his graduating class as a “representative example of the success of the school’s own educational mission,” the attorneys wrote, referencing a previous court case.
Are they trying to tell us the reason the district took offense was because Brooks Hamby thanks God for his success instead of the school district?
I spoke by telephone Thursday night with Hamby and his attorney, Jeremy Dys. Both were shocked by the tone, tenor and length of the school district’s retort.
“The school does not want to put this issue behind them,” Dys told me. “All options are on the table. Based on the amount of money it cost those attorneys to write that letter, I’d say the school district has a $10-20,000 down payment for a lawsuit.”
And Dys said if the school district is hankering for a legal fight – “we may be willing to oblige them.”
Hamby remains saddened and perplexed by how the school district treated him.
“I was really surprised the school would deny my speech not once, twice, but three times,” he told me. “I just wanted to say a few nice words and allow people to see the good news – which is the Gospel.”
After the district rejected those versions, Hamby wrote a fourth – just hours before the graduation ceremony. In that speech, he refused to water down his faith in Christ. He never received a reply from the district – so he decided to deliver that version.
“May the God of the Bible bless each and every one of you every day in the rest of your lives,” he told his fellow graduates.
That’s what led to the legal firestorm. That’s what led the school district to hire a high-powered law firm to bully this Christian teenager.
If you believe the school district’s version, Hamby turned his speech into a Billy Graham Crusade where he invited his fellow graduates to walk the aisle and convert to Christianity.
But that’s not what happened at all. This young man simply talked about the values that shaped and flavored his life – the values that carried him through the difficult days of high school.
According to the school district, Brooks Hamby broke the law.
“Mr. Hamby’s salutatorian speech was a sectarian invocation, which is not legally permitted in California or the Ninth Circuit,” the district’s attorneys wrote.
I’m surprised the principal didn’t take out a warrant and throw the kid in jail.
Hamby is not the first graduation speaker to have his Christian voice silenced – and I predict he won’t be the last. In my new book, “God Less America,” I write about other teenage Christians whose speeches were deemed inappropriate by government representatives.
Brooks Hamby was a victim of anti-Christian bigotry, and I hope Liberty Institute teaches the Brawley Union High School District a lesson it won’t forget.
Hamby is Stanford bound this fall. But I suspect the lessons he’s learned will flavor the rest of his life.
“I’m not an attorney, so I can’t speak on behalf of the law, but I think it should never be acceptable to silence students who mention the word God or Jesus,” he told me. “I know in my heart that kind of thing is not OK.”
Indeed, it is not.
Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations. Sign up for his American Dispatch newsletter, be sure to join his Facebook page, and follow him on Twitter. His latest book is "God Less America”.

Never-Before-Seen WWII Document Offers An Inside Account Of An Elite Nazi Combat Unit's Collapse

 

Never-Before-Seen WWII Document Offers An Inside Account Of An Elite Nazi Combat Unit's Collapse

Business Insider
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nazi soldier World War II
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
A Nazi soldier on the western front in 1944.
American G.I. John Frankemolle was guarding a group of captured German soldiers in Europe during World War II when an intelligence officer handed him an interrogation of prisoner of war (IPW) report. The officer told Frankemolle to keep the papers to himself and give it back to him after reading it — but that was the last time the two ever saw each other.
Seventy years later, 90-year-old Frankemolle still has that report, which he stored in his Long Island home alongside photos and mementos from his period of service with the U.S. Navy Armed Guard. The two-page Special IPW Report, titled The Odyssey of Goetz Von Berlightngen, is an English translation of a first-hand account written by an unnamed Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS) staff officer in the presence of his American interrogators.
Frankemolle believes he may have one of the last copies of that forgotten document, which his family agreed to share with Business Insider.
Nazi SS combat troops were Hitler's most diehard and elite soldiers, still notorious for their wartime atrocities. But this officer's account reveals that he and his comrades fought hard — but suffered from waning morale in the months following the Allies' successful D-Day invasion of the European mainland on June 6, 1944. 
You can find the full document at the bottom. But here are the highlights of a jarringly intimate glimpse into the enemy camp during World War II.
Heading to the front
The officer's unit, the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division — named after a spelling variation of the medieval German knight  Götz von Berlichingen —  headed from Thouars, France, to Normandy to fight the Allied forces landing there.  "Everyone was in a good mood and eager to see action again — happy that the preinvasion spell of uncertainty and waiting had snapped at last," the German SS officer wrote.
As the motorized column traveled along French roads, it was ambushed from the air by an enemy it had never encountered before.
"Something happened that left us in a daze," the officer wrote. "Spouts of fire flicked along the column and splashes of dust staccatoed the road. Everyone was piling out of the vehicles and scuttling for the neighboring fields. Several vehicles already were in flames."
The startled soldiers only continued their march after 15 minutes of strafing and bombing. "The men started drifting back to the column again, pale and shaky and wondering that they had survived this fiery rain of bullets. Had that been a sign of things to come? This had been our first experience with the 'Jabos' (Fighter bombers)."
An hour later a second and more effective air attack left the French road strewn with destroyed vehicles and equipment. The officer had this to say:
It dawned on us that this opponent that had come to the beach of Normandy was of somewhat different form. The march was called off, and all vehicles that were left were hidden in the dense bushes or in barns. No one dared show himself out in the open anymore. Now the men started looking at each other. The first words passed. This was different from what we thought it would be like. If things like this happened here, what would it be like up there at the front? No, this did not look like a feint attack upon our continent. It had been our first experience with our new foe — the American.
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D-Day Omaha Beach
John Frankemolle
John Frankemolle is seen here aboard a landing craft on his way to Omaha Beach.
Declining Morale
The division now traveled only in darkness and on secondary roads. When the soldiers reached their assigned sector near the French town of Periers, they began wondering why the German air force, known as the Luftwaffe, hadn't appeared, according to the officer's account:
But now the "Jabo" plague became even more serious. No hour passed during the daytime without that nerve-frazzling thunder of the strafing fighters overhead. And whenever we cared to look we could see that smoke billow from some vehicle, fuel depot or ammunition dump mushrooming into the sky. The common soldier began to think. What would all this lead to, and what was being done about it? Where was the Luftwaffe, and why had it not been committed during the past few days?  

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captured German soldiers in World War II
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
Captured German soldiers in 1944.
Officers lied to lower-ranking soldiers that the German planes were operating in adjacent sectors where they were needed even more.
Complaints arose that the division's fighting capabilities were deteriorating while the enemy's was strengthening.
"The hope of driving the Americans back into the [English] Channel had already given way to a hoping of being able to hold our own against the invaders," the officer wrote.
Defeat
An American ground advance near Coutances, France, forced the unit to pull back.
The decisive blow came on July 26, when 2,000 heavy bombers annihilated several German sectors and the 17th SS Panzer Grenadier Division ceased to exist in anything more than name.
Here is the officer's amazing description of the chaotic retreat:
No human account ever could describe the hardship, the sacrifice, the misery the men of this division alone experienced. No one who finished this retreat still alive will ever forget this Gathsename [place of suffering], because each village, each road, even each bush seared into his brain the memories of terrible hours, insufferable misery, of cowardice, despair and destruction.
The German officer found a regrouping area away from the destruction. There, he rounded up stragglers and deserters from other units and forced them to join the ranks of the beleaguered SS division as replacements for all those lost.
"And that is the history of the 17 SS Pz Gren Div GOETZ VON BERLIGHINGEN up to my capture (1 Nov 44)," concludes the unnamed German officer's account.
Frankemolle himself landed on Omaha Beach shortly after the initial invasion waves to deliver ammunition to the advancing troops. However, he spent most of his service in Europe as a gunner aboard a supply ship.
He believes the German SS officer who wrote this account was among the group of prisoners he guarded for one night, although he was not involved in his capture.
Read the original document with much more detail below.

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world war II interrogation report
John Frankemolle

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world war II interrogation report
John Frankemolle

 
 

Friday, July 11, 2014