To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | BOOKS May 11, 2023 B19 Most business books are limited by their subject matter in terms of the group of readers for whom they will bring benefits. Not so with this one: “The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World’s Greatest Salesman” by well known communications expert Carmine Gallo. “Communication” is a skill which everyone needs, uses and should have to survive and succeed in life. This book is filled with tons of value, not just communication “secrets,” but awareness builders which help us to get from A to B all the way to Z with more efficiency and better results. And who better to study in this regard than the “World’s Richest Man,” who created one of the most creative, respected and successful companies … ever. The author Gallo is a much-in-demand expert, speaker and consultant in communications and corporate leadership. It is only fitting that he would focus on the man who broke the existing rules in these areas to create Amazon, changed corporate culture forever, and continues to innovate, energize and motivate at the highest level. How did he do that? He started with new ways to communicate his ideas to his colleagues and workers. The author spoon-feeds us with those new and better ways to communicate, and as well, gives us a great picture of Bezos the man, Bezos the innovator, Bezos the disruptor, Bezos the uber-successful corporate titan, but mainly, Bezos the master communicator. Working at a financial firm in the early 1990s, Bezos was tasked with analyzing the emerging Internet. One fact he discovered from his work knocked him over: that the Internet was growing at the exponential rate of about 2,400 percent ... per year! He quit his job, relocated from New York City to Seattle, and started an online book seller. The rest is history. He soon branched out to other items – millions of other items. Today, Amazon has over 1.5 million employees, and offers over 12 million different products. Amazon Prime has over 200 million members. Bezos changed almost every existing corporate paradigm from day one. As a point of fact, Bezos decreed that “every day is DAY 1.” What happens on the first day of a start-up: the energy is at its highest, effort must match, 100 percent is the minimum, etc. Every day is DAY 1 at Amazon, or at least as much as possible. It’s a slogan and philosophy that has worked well. Bezos and Amazon are obsessed with the “customer experience.” It needs to be easy and without friction, and as such, they work backwards from that point: What needs to be done to make it totally successful? Anyone who uses Amazon knows that they have more than succeeded. The takeaway: It’s easier when you know the exact result you want to achieve. Does that principle not apply to most areas of real life? This working backwards concept is deployed in several other areas of Amazon. For instance, whenever a new product or service is proposed, the press release is the first thing written. How will the item be presented to the public/ consumer? Then they work backwards to create that product or service (which is quite similar to what Steve Jobs did at Apple – not the press release part, but he told the designers exactly what he wanted to see). Bezos continuously streamlined communication at Amazon so that it was more effective. Ideas needed to be well thought out way before being presented. Any idea was required to be summarized in one sentence, i.e., the ultimate pitch – if one couldn’t synthesize it down to one sentence, it was not well thought out. This was called the “top line.” Also, any idea, proposal, etc., must be fully analyzed on one sheet of paper. In order to create this level of in-depth thinking, Bezos eliminated all PowerPoint presentations because they fragmented presentations and did not give a good, in depth, over-arching picture of the subject. All presentations were to be done only on paper, with well-thought-out words, sentences and paragraphs. Nothing extra, just lean and to the point. The author even gives us tips and principles to do this better: noun, verb, object; action verbs, no passive verbs; don’t use adverbs, etc. Making communication simpler and more direct – more efficient – is not “dumbing down,” but rather, is just another aspect of customer obsession. In the meetings at Amazon, all participants received the written presentation at the start of the meeting; there would be silence while everyone digested the material. One thing stressed over and over in the book: “leaders are readers.” In Bezos’ case, he arrived at work each day having read three newspapers. Amazon directors and managers are also good readers … or else they didn’t make it there. One interesting thing Bezos required of his senior directors was to shift them from a primary reliance on financial charts and the usual MBA analysis for every new product/ service, to the “customer experience flow chart.” What does it look like from the customer’s perspective … literally look like? Customer obsession in action. If they came with only numbers, Bezos sent them back to do the flow chart. The author spends a chunk of the book talking about the concept of “story” as it manifests at Amazon. Usually told in terms of “beginning-middle-end,” the author gives us how the concept of story was adapted and perfected by Bezos at Amazon. The story unravels in three acts: Act 1 is the “set-up”; Act 2 is the “challenge”; and Act 3 is the “resolution.” Every new service and product at Amazon went through that story arc, and moreover, almost all of Bezos’ speeches and shareholder letters also followed that story arc. Note: resolution, not end. This is an extremely well written book which can be inspiring to all of us readers for different reasons. If we communicate better and more efficiently in life, we can be more successful – the book gives us a lot to work on there. But it’s also extremely interesting to see how a genius, highly creative business titan changed corporate culture, created one of the largest and most powerful companies in history, and satisfied the needs and wants of millions of people around the world, by expressing himself and his ideas with more clarity, more efficiency, and more inspiration. Well worth the read. Larry David Allman is a resident of PGA Village Verano. His new book, “TACTICAL YOGA: A Guide to the Strategic Use of Posture, Breath and Meditation,” and his prior books are available on Amazon. He is a former lawyer and Broker Associate with Branca Realty Professionals. He can be reached at allman.larry@ gmail.com. BOOK REVIEW BY LARRY DAVID ALLMAN Erik J. Ugi Call Erik, your LOCAL AGENT TODAY AUTO HOME LIFE cell 561-714-5588 Complimentary Insurance Review Protect what YOU VALUE most! [email protected]
B20 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | GAMES www.stlucievoice.com The Telegraph How to do Sudoku: Fill in the grid so the numbers one through nine appear just once in every column, row and three-by-three square. The Telegraph SOLUTIONS TO PREVIOUS ISSUE (MAY 4) ON PAGE B15 ACROSS 1. Praise (4) 3. Snout (4) 9. Long bar (5) 10. Stew (9) 11. Chomp (5) 12. Excessive rush (9) 15. Unexpected (6) 17. Canadian capital (6) 19. Advantage (4,5) 21. Greek philosopher (5) 23. Miser (9) 24. Heraldic blue (5) 25. Obligation (4) 26. Smile (4) DOWN 1. Team sport (8) 2. Erratic (8) 4. Woodwind player (6) 5. Factor (7) 6. Cooker (4) 7. Leading (4) 8. Network (4) 13. Nautical (8) 14. Handyman (8) 16. Defenceless (7) 18. Attractively old-fashioned (6) 20. Pant (4) 21. Fruit (4) 22. Adjoin (4) PREVIOUS EDITION’S SOLUTIONS, SEE PAGE B14 Practice areas Main Headquarters: 2940 S. 25th Street, Fort Pierce, FL 34981 The Estate, Trust & Elder Law Firm,PL_SPEC 4_PR561 COMPLIMENTARY 1 Hour Nursing Home Consult* *Provided that our firm is a good fit for your goals Do you have a loved one in a nursing home? Are you a family caregiver? Do you have a loved one paying out of pocket for in-home, assisted living, or skilled nursing home expenses? Does your spouses income go to the nursing home? “ETELF got my husband’s nursing home bill paid!” Kathy Graham, Wife of actual client Prospective clients may not obtain same or similar results Don’t wait until your family is out of money and options! Your family has questions and we have over 60 years of experience combined. Visit www.ETELF.com WesLey r. Harvin ii, j.d., LL.m. micHaeL d. FoWLer, j.d., LL.m., b.c.s Board Certified Elder Law Attorney Of-Counsel • Long-Term Care Medicaid • Estate and Trust Planning • Senior Exploitation • Probate & Trust Administration RSVP to An Upcoming Seminar (772) 828-2588 Additional Offices In Port St. Lucie And Stuart
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | GAMES May 11, 2023 B21 ACROSS 1 Reach its highest level 6 Women in uniform, once 10 “One planet, one people” adherent 15 Open a bit 19 Series that featured Arnie Becker 20 Pain 21 About-face of a sort 22 After the bell 23 Aviator Balbo 24 Stanch 25 Hawaiian veranda 26 Grass of the Andes 27 TV bounty hunter 29 Pfizer bestseller 31 Don’ts 33 Nurse’s remark, continuing at 61 Across 36 Table clearer 39 Makes the sound of 40 Virginia battle site, Fair ___ 41 “... wish upon ___” 42 Supply-cabinet items 43 People fall into them 46 The Audubon, e.g.: abbr. 49 Role for Olivier 50 Ans. ant. 51 Manly 52 Zip 53 Work unit 54 Diamond stats 55 Green fodder 56 Actress Berger 57 Name in Chinese history 59 Watcher over sailors 60 Actor Sutherland 61 See 33 Across 65 Canine’s coat? 66 Bireme crews 67 Montana or Rice, e.g. 68 Pitchers? 69 Fictional Emma 70 Flag flingers 71 World financial org. 74 Very, in 58 Down 75 Frankie and Johnny, e.g. 76 Old Italian dough 77 Autocrat 78 Man or sir preceder 79 Most ignoble 80 1909 S-VDB item 81 “It’s done” 82 The Green Hornet’s houseboy 83 Gen. McAuliffe’s legendary reply 84 Baby’s bed 85 Physician’s response to the nurse 92 Add up 93 Order mallets? 94 Holly’s Raising Arizona co-star 98 Niagara Falls feature 99 Combine 101 Often 103 Tricky rascal 104 Brit. queen 105 Greg Louganis, for example 106 Dimension 107 Spice (up) 108 Reject 109 Work hard 110 Short railroad track 111 Precise DOWN 1 Do a nail job 2 Pro ___ 3 Airline that doesn’t fly on the Sabbath 4 Buffet feature 5 Car type 6 ___ looking (missed it) 7 Get on the stick 8 V-shaped insignias 9 Arabs and Jews 10 Swelling 11 Electronic game name 12 Chinese province of spicy-food fame 13 Notre Dame first name 14 Start 15 Keys to freedom, sometimes 16 Dickens’s Marley 17 First name in South African theatre 18 Recycle 28 Uncordial 30 Satisfied sounds 32 Says “When ...” 34 Curved moldings 35 Curtain fabric 36 Farmer’s bundle 37 One who logs on 38 Some actors assume them 42 Add 43 Barack foe in 2008 44 Musketeer or cologne 45 One with slurred speech? 46 Preshrunk, in a way 47 Bone fragment? 48 Amulet 50 Small game bird 51 TV audience 52 Name on a tractor 54 Ram-turned-actor 55 Oscar-winner who flew missions over Germany in WWII 56 Indications 58 French city of denim fame 59 Pushes 60 Whittler’s need 61 Substantial 62 Cinema dinnermate 63 Treasure-___ 64 Beyond lazy 69 “Sleep in Abraham’s ___” (Richard III) 70 Soapless wash 72 Clay-sand mixture 73 Out of the joint 75 Leeway 76 Reveals accidentally 77 French skiing center 79 Way, in Wiesbaden 80 Curving sword 81 Slow flow 82 All thumbs 83 Walking dir. 84 Greek letter 85 Knocked the wild out of? 86 Author Zola 87 Tom Cruise-Shelley Long film, ___ It 88 “Uncle!” 89 Supply the food for 90 Turn away 91 Type in 95 Hot stuff 96 “___ plaisir” 97 Faxed 100 Cancel 102 Japanese director Yasujiro The Telegraph The Washington Post SIGHT GAG By Merl Reagle
B22 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | GAMES www.stlucievoice.com The points point the way By Phillip Alder - Bridge Columnist Edward Hodnett, who wrote “The Art of Problem Solving: How to Improve Your Methods,” pointed out that “if you don’t ask the right questions, you don’t get the right answers. A question asked in the right way often points to its own answer. Asking questions is the ABC of diagnosis. Only the inquiring mind solves problems.” That applies in spades for a bridge player! This deal highlights one of the key questions to be asked if you wish to declare or defend well. How should South play in four spades? West leads the club king and immediately switches to the diamond king. After West opened one no-trump, showing 15-17 points, and East made a transfer bid, South’s four-spade bid was not for the faint of heart. It could easily have cost 500 or 800. But South bought an excellent dummy. South had two club losers, so she had to restrict her major-suit losers to one. But how should she have attempted to do that? The key was to track the high-card points. West had already advertised 12: the club ace-king and diamond king-queen. So, he had to have one of the major-suit kings, but not both. Declarer won the second trick with the diamond ace and immediately ran the heart queen. When it lost to the king, East was marked with the spade king, and it had to be a singleton or a doubleton because of West’s opening bid. South won West’s heart return on the board and led the spade five to her queen. Plus 420 was a cold top. Dealer: West; Vulnerable: Neither NORTH J 5 Q J A 10 5 3 2 Q J 10 3 WEST 6 3 K 3 K Q J 8 A K 7 6 2 SOUTH A Q 9 8 7 4 2 A 9 4 4 5 4 EAST K 10 10 8 7 6 5 2 9 7 6 9 8 The Bidding: OPENING LEAD: K Clubs SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST 1NT Pass 2 Diamonds 4 Spades Pass Pass Pass SCAN TO REGISTER 2 0 2 3 Y O U T H G O L F C A M P S PGA Golf Club’s Youth Golf Camps are designed for young golfers to learn how to play the game of golf with their peers in a fun and friendly environment. 4 Day Sessions start Monday June 5th through August 4th! Monday - Thursday June 5th - August 4th 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM 1916 Perfect Drive Port St. Lucie, FL 34986 $280.00 Per Session
Very often you will hear a TV commentator describe the golf swing of a great player during a broadcast. The commentator will describe many different parts of the body and how they work and move, but very rarely will he or she ever mention how beautifully these great players swing their arms. I don’t believe these fine players are given enough credit for how beautifully and effortlessly they swing their arms. Their arms – and their ability to swing, move and extend them – help create rhythm and free motion. The arm swing, I am afraid, is grossly under-emphasized by the golf instruction world. The arm swing is responsible for – or, at the very least, is a major contributor to – the length and width of the swing arc. The arm swing also aids and enhances the shifting and turning of other parts of the body, by providing a swinging and whirling action. The arm swing will also help the player achieve the proper level of tension, by helping him or her stay more relaxed and feel a sense of power and speed, which allows the player to place the hands and wrists in a more reactive state. Let me give you some thoughts and “Kures” to help you get your arms swinging and moving: 1. Walk to the putting green. Notice To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | SPORTS May 11, 2023 B23 Youth rugby gets into gear here GET YOUR ARMS AROUND THIS KEY FACTOR IN THE GOLF SWING KEVIN’S KURES By Kevin Perkins PGA Golf Club in St. Lucie West was the site of three more recent holes-in-one. Clockwise from above left: Joyce Troy aced the Dye course’s sixth hole with a pitching wedge from 85 yards; Bob Holzman made a hole-in-one on the Wanamaker course’s sixth hole, using a pitching wedge from 120 yards; and Philip Posner aced the Ryder course’s 10th hole, dunking a 7-iron from 151 yards. Congrats Joyce, Bob and Philip! THREE CHEERS FOR THIS HOLE-IN-ONE TRIO how freely your arms hang from your shoulders and how the movement of your legs prompts your arms to swing back and forth freely, as a result of your natural walking motion. This will help give you an insight on how the arms feel when they swing. Notice how heavy your arms are. They represent approximately 15 percent of your body weight. Also, sense how gravity pulls your arms down and away from you and how rhythmically and beautifully they swing under the control of gravity. 2. Putting green. The putting green is a great place to appreciate the arm swing. Assume your putting posture, with a good amount of bend from your hips. Feel the arms hanging straight down. Add a slight amount of bend in both elbows. Apply an equal amount of pressure with your left hand against your right. Simply begin to swing your arms back and forth, simulating an arm swing for a 30-foot putt. Again, feel gravity pulling the arms down, creating enough structure so the left hand pressures equally against the right. Sense how the arms swinging freely will prompt a slight turning of your shoulders. 3. Two-arm swinging drill. This is another great drill to feel how the arm swing will help prompt a turn and movement in the shoulders. Simply hold your golf club with both palms facing down. Split your hands apart, leaving approximately 2 1/2 feet of distance between your hands. Assume a golf posture and begin swinging your arms. The drill will allow you to feel how the movement of your arms causes your shoulders and chest to move slightly laterally and then begin to turn and rotate nicely. Again, a great example of how the arm swing prompts movement in other parts of the body. 4. Feet-together drill. Strike balls with your feet together, ensuring both your toes and heels touch one another. This is another great drill to prompt a healthy amount of arm swing, and encourage an easy, graceful shifting and turning of the body. While doing this drill, please remember that the arms swing back, around and up. Don’t hesitate to create a much longer arm swing than normal. In conclusion, swing your arms freely; remembering the old adage, “True control comes in golf when the player surrenders to the swinging action.” Joyce Troy. Bob Holzman. Philip Posner and friends. Jaxen Stewart and Sebastian Lenz of the Treasure Coast Junior Armata Rugby team converge on their opponents during a recent match at Whispering Pines Park in Port St. Lucie. PHOTO: LINDA KLOORFAIN