Wednesdays with Jimmy

A little late this week.  Just back from the East coast.  On a delayed and diverted for weather flight.  Ahhh travel...it's so glamorous.

Anyway, here's a clip from Jimmy's benefit concert on the Gulf Coast after the BP oil spill.   Makes me hungry!

A Reminder

We live our lives.  The hustle and bustle of all the little things add up day upon day and it can sometimes be a grind.  We worry over seemingly big things that annoy us, aggravate us, or cause us to be frustrated.  We (most of us) take the bad with the good and try to keep things in perspective.  Perspective...an interesting word.

I was on a flight from San Diego to Washington Dulles today.  I do this flight fairly regularly and it has become rather routine.  While I was in the waiting area I noticed a Marine Gunnery Sergeant in Dress Blues.  I figured that could only mean one thing.  Sure enough, when we were getting settled the pilot came on and announced that we were on an "angel flight" taking a fallen Marine home to his final resting place.  He said he is a retired Navy pilot and it was an honor to be a part of it.  Me too.  When we landed the escort and the family left first while everyone remained in their seats.  We all watched as the Marine honor guard approached the plane and gently lifted the casket into the awaiting herse.  It was pretty moving.  And there wasn't a lot of conversation leaving the plane.

Which gets me back to perspective.  Two things struck me.  First, we are doing this less and less, which is a good thing.  Second, when the trappings of everyday life can get to be a drag, it's worthwhile to think of the heroes and their families who put it all on the line for us.  And then those day to day burdens can seem trivial.

Motivation Monday

Clever

I always did like cows...

Cool Pic

I know this could be photo-shopped...but it's still a cool pic...

Friday Funnies

Here's another one I'll probably get in trouble for...but hey, it's funny!

Wednesdays With Jimmy

Apocolypso!

Second Chances

I'm all for second chances.  Redemption.  Try and try again.  Remaking yourself.  But...that Weiner (and I mean come on...is that a perfect name or what?) is now running for Mayor of New York after his disgrace is bad enough.  But now it comes out that there are further lewd photos on the Internet.  And he wants a "second chance".  Huh?  I think this is a third chance.  And his wife is standing by his side!!  She forgives him.  I guess I could understand forgiving the disgusting, lewd behavior, but forgiving the stupidity is a bit much.  Ive got to think that she is as opportunistic as him.  After all, she is a Hillary acolyte. She probably sees a great opportunity to be First Lady of NYC and thinks, "what the hell, he's a dirtbag, but I can live with that".  You can see all the sordid details here.  I am continually amazed at how stupid people can be.  Maybe I'm naive...but will the people of New York really elect this scumbag as their Mayor?

Could This Be True?

Filner's Follies

I've resisted putting up any posts about our Scumbag Mayor, Bob Filner but it's just too juicy to pass up.  Check out this video.  Captures the idiocy pretty well...

Quit Complaining About Your Job

Motivation Monday

Sometimes things are simple...but also complicated!

Leeches

The big story in the news (because it sells papers and attracts viewers, not because it's particularly newsworthy) is the Zimmerman trial.  I've resisted putting up a post about this story because so much has been written, so many emotions are involved, so much misinformation has been put out there.  This story has polarized so many of us.  It has accentuated the divide.  That's just a fact.  So there's not much I can say.  But I ran across an article that describes pretty well the "Race-Industry Leeches".  These guys are the lowest of the low.  You know who I'm talking about...Sharpton, Jackson, and all the fat cats who prey on the vulnerabilities and hopes of their own race.  There's another guy who fits in that category and he lives in a big white house in Washington, DC.  They should be ashamed!  You can read it here if you're interested.  Many won't agree with it.  Many will think it's inflammatory.  Those people generally have their head in the sand.

Useful Info!

Here's a little chart you might find useful, especially if you do any international travel.  Not something you think about until it's too late...

Cool Quotes

Stumbled on this list of quotes.  They are all pretty good.  It's interesting how the quotes seem to be pervasive on the net.  I guess it's easier to find and catalog using the net.  Whatever...these are pretty good.

1. Some people die at 25 and aren’t buried until 75. —Benjamin Franklin

2. Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else’s opinions. Their lives a mimicry. Their passions a quotation. — Oscar Wilde

3. Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying. —Arthur C. Clark

4.  Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. — Albert Einstein

5. Of all sad words of mouth or pen, the saddest are these: it might have been. — John Greenleaf Whittier

6. I fear not the man who has practised 10,000 kicks, but I do fear the man who has practised one kick 10,000 times. Bruce Lee

7. And when you gaze long enough into the abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. — Friedrich Nietzsche

8. Don’t let schooling interfere with your education-Mark Twain

9. A man may die, nations may rise and fall, but an idea lives on. — John F. Kennedy

10. It is no measure of health to be well—adjusted to a profoundly sick society. — Jiddu Krisnamurti

11. Every man dies, but not every man truly lives. — William Wallace

12. Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. — Plato

13. Some cause happiness wherever they go, others whenever they go. ― Oscar Wilde

14. Have I not destroyed my enemy when I have made him into my friend? — Abraham Lincoln

15. To love is to recognize yourself in another. – Eckhart Tolle

16. Prejudices are rarely overcome by argument; not being founded in reason they cannot be destroyed by logic. — Tryon Edwards

17.  If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. —Antoine de Saint—Exupery

18. They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. — Benjamin Franklin

19. Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realize we cannot eat money. — Indian Proverb

20. And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. –Kahlil Gibran

21. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell and when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough. – William Saroyan

22. When I was 5 years old, my mother always told me that happiness was the key to life. When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down ‘happy’. They told me I didn’t understand the assignment, and I told them they didn’t understand life. ― John Lennon

23. Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. ― Albert Einstein

24. As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves. ― Mahatma Gandhi

25. The best people possess a feeling for beauty, the courage to take risks, the discipline to tell the truth, the capacity for sacrifice. Ironically, their virtues make them vulnerable; they are often wounded, sometimes destroyed. — Ernest Hemingway

26. In a closed society where everybody’s guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity. ― Hunter S. Thompson

27. Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. ― Dwight D. Eisenhower

28. Do the difficult things while they are easy and do the great things while they are small. A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step. – Lao Tzu

29. Dalai Llama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, said: “ Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

30. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don’t need. We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact. And we’re very, very pissed off ― Chuck Palahniuk

31.  The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost invariably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable, and so, if he is romantic, he tries to change it. And if he is not romantic personally, he is apt to spread discontent among those who are. ― HL Mencken

    
    

Friday Funnies

George Carlin was a funny dude.  And he usually made a particular point.  This could apply to the current situation with our Mayor in San Diego.

A Logical But Dangerous Question!

Science Is Cool

Stumbled on this very interesting group of scientific factoids.  You can see them here.  I like them all but for some reason this struck me as being pretty cool.  BTW, I think I could make it longer than 45 minutes in the quiet room.

20 Years

20 years seems like a long time.  But in the scheme of things it's a blink of an eye.  We think of the things we use in everyday life as always being there.  But the reality is that the advancements in technology over the last 20 years is nothing short of amazing.  Maybe that's always been the case, but I don't think so.

Wednesdays With Jimmy

Coconut telegraph is a powerful medium!

Motivation Monday

Cool Pic

Wild ride.  Looks pretty real.

Weird Similarity

I was going to save this but it's pretty timely.  If you've watched the Zimmerman trial, you know who this is...

Courage

Just when I'm feeling all cynical and pessimistic, something comes along that renews my belief in the human spirit.  Something that makes my heart swell and, frankly, my eyes leak.  This girl...this 16 year old girl has endured unspeakable abuse.  She was attacked for going to school!   Not only attacked, but her death was the ultimate goal of the low life Taliban scum.  But she has persevered.  She has recovered and come back stronger.  She is, quite simply, the epitome of courage and should be an inspiration to all of us.  This is long...but you should watch it.  You will be hearing more from her!

And mark my words...several years from now there will be similar stories of abuse from that part of the world and there will be a hue and cry, from many who today say get out, that we should "do something".  There was a plan.  A credible plan.  That plan was abandoned by the current CINC.  It's on him.  No one else.  Mark my words...

Friday Funnies

Business travel...it generally sucks!  Big time!  Some (on the outside looking in) think it would be great.  Travel to various places, see the sites, enjoy different places and cultures.  But it's generally just airports, hotels, and office buildings.  Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.  So here's my little tribute using one of the best communication vehicles I know...Dilbert

Frustration

I think a lot of people are frustrated with the American press.  I know I am.  I'm a big 1st Amendment guy.  I strongly believe a free press is one of the most important pillars of our freedom.  So those whose lives are dedicated to the profession of journalism have a big responsibility.  They have to be the guardians of the truth.  We place a great deal of stock in the protection of sources that the press may use to gain information.  It's almost like a confessional booth.  I've written previously about my increasing disappointment and disenchantment with today's press.  I see two big problems.  The first is that most seem to have an agenda.  They have and express opinions.  Or they spin a story to fit their beliefs.  Secondly, they routinely give bad behavior a pass.  They focus on sensational stories that sell papers or bring in viewers/listeners.  Don't get me wrong.  I'm not talking about one outlet over the other.  I'm talking about all of them.  Whether you listen to Fox, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, etc, etc, etc., it doesn't matter.  They all have an agenda.  And it comes through loud and clear.  Many (not all) seem to have abandoned journalistic principles and focus on ratings.  I wrote in an early post on this blog about how we get our news.  You can read it here.  As time goes on and the news sources become ever more agendized and focused on what sells, it's even more important to search out what is truth.

The article below came to me over the Internet.   Now don't think that I'm trying to be some apologist for Paula Deen.  She screwed up.  Simple as that.  But as Charlie says, "let he who is without sin cast the first stone".  Similarly, we are bombarded by the Zimmerman trial.  The attention is beyond belief.  This poor bastard has been convicted by the media and they have forever branded him as a racist killer. It really doesn't matter that the prosecution hasn't remotely proven the case beyond a reasonable doubt.  And here's the sad thing.  Last weekend in Chicago there were about 30 murders.  Most were black on black.  Most were committed with unregistered and uncontrolled handguns.  And it gets no attention.

There can be no other conclusion than the press is grossly irresponsible and not fulfilling their responsibilities as the defenders of truth in America.  This conclusion, beyond any other temporary political shenanigans, is the scariest thing of all.

The Press and Paula Deen

By Charlie Daniels

I think that if anything exemplifies the overt prejudice and determination of the American media to report only the news that suits their social and political interests and concept of what does and does not fit their agenda, it's the totally overblown coverage of something Paula Deen said 20 years ago, and some party she planned that she wanted to resemble a plantation scene featuring black male waiters in period dress.

If Hollywood plans a movie featuring black waiters in a plantation scene or portrays women as prostitutes or cast minorities in caricature roles does the media get upset and start calling the movie moguls racists?

Is there any grown person who could truthfully declare under oath that they have never uttered something that someone might find personally offensive?

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."

Do the twenty-year-old words of a lady with a television cooking show trump the lie an Attorney General told Congress, or officials at the IRS usurping the rights of the American public and pleading the fifth amendment when confronted about it or the hiding of the facts surrounding the murder of four Americans at a Consulate in Libya or the incredibly shabby image of a president taking a one hundred million dollar vacation in this economy while closing down tours of the White House or the NSA invasion on the privacy of millions of unsuspecting citizens?

I think not, and yet these and other stories of the utmost importance were either ignored or given a back seat to the Paula Deen story which, when taken in context with the high level scandals, Putin's snubbing of an American president, the potentially explosive situations in so much of the world the story was certainly not newsworthy enough to be featured five nights in a row on network news.

Wouldn't a week-long investigation into the life of Lois Lerner, the things she's done and the reason she's pleading the fifth be more meaningful to the American people?

What about what's going on in Israel? The media has been strangely quiet on that front lately; is there nothing worth reporting in that volatile part of the world?

How about the coming catastrophic tidal wave the effect of Obamacare is going to have on America, is there nothing worth questioning in the over 30,000 pages of regulations?

How about the fact that due to federal over regulation it's nearly impossible to live in the U.S. without breaking some law?

How about the Christian pastor who is being held in one of the worst hell hole prisons in the world in Iran for nothing more than sharing his faith?

How about a whole way of life that's being destroyed in West Virginia by the president's war on coal?

I think you get the picture.

No wonder the mainstream media has fallen so far in the trust of the American people.

Why is the Paula Deen story worth so much airtime if not to take attention off the truly important issues, the life-changing things that really affect the lives of Americans?

The news is not about news anymore. It's about protecting some people, destroying others and shoving a socialist agenda down the collective throats of America.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America

Charlie Daniels

Wednesdays With Jimmy

Let's go all the way back to the beginning...

Cool Website

Looking for data?  Interesting in demographics?  Check out this website.  It's pretty cool and could prove to be useful.

Motivation Monday

This just might be my favorite MM yet...

Food For Thought

Ten Rules for Being Human 

by Cherie Carter-Scott

1.	You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's yours to keep for the entire period.
2.	You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, "life."
3.	There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work."
4.	Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
5.	Learning lessons does not end. There's no part of life that doesn't contain its lessons. If you're alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.
6.	"There" is no better a place than "here." When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."
7.	Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8.	What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9.	Your answers lie within you. The answers to life's questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
10.	You will forget all this.

Fun Game

Check the web site GeoGuesser.  It's sort of a waste of time...but also fun!

5 Minute Management Course

Lesson 1:

A man is getting into the shower just as his wife is finishing up her shower, when the doorbell rings. The wife quickly wraps herself in a towel and runs downstairs. When she opens the door, there stands Bob, the next-door neighbor.
Before she says a word, Bob says, "I'll give you $800 to drop that towel."
After thinking for a moment, the woman drops her towel and stands naked in front of Bob.
After a few seconds, Bob hands her $800 and leaves.
The woman wraps back up in the towel and goes back upstairs. When she gets to the bathroom, her husband asks, "Who was that?" "It was Bob the next door neighbor," she replies.
"Great!" the husband says, "did he say anything about the $800 he owes me?"

Moral of the story:
If you share critical information pertaining to credit and risk with your shareholders in time, you may be in a position to prevent avoidable exposure.

Lesson 2:

A priest offered a Nun a lift. She got in and crossed her legs, forcing her gown to reveal a leg. The priest nearly had an accident. After controlling the car, he stealthily slid his hand up her leg.
The nun said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?"
The priest removed his hand. But, changing gears, he let his hand slide up her leg again. The nun once again said, "Father, remember Psalm 129?" The priest apologized "Sorry sister but the flesh is weak."
Arriving at the convent, the nun sighed heavily and went on her way.
On his arrival at the church, the priest rushed to look up Psalm 129. It said, "Go forth and seek, further up, you will find glory."

Moral of the story:
If you are not well informed in your job, opportunities for advancement will pass right by you.

Lesson 3:

A sales rep, an administration clerk, and the manager are walking to lunch when they find an antique oil lamp. They rub it and a Genie comes out. The Genie says, "I'll give each of you just one wish."
"Me first! Me first!" says the admin clerk. "I want to be in the Bahamas, driving a speedboat, without a care in the world." Puff! She's gone.
"Me next! Me next!" says the sales rep. "I want to be in Hawaii , relaxing on the beach with my personal masseuse, an endless supply of Pina Coladas and the love of my life." Puff! He's gone.
"OK, you're up," the Genie says to the manager. The manager says, "I want those two back in the office after lunch."

Moral of the story:
Always let your boss have the first say.

Lesson 4:

An eagle was sitting on a tree resting, doing nothing. A small rabbit saw the eagle and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing?"
The eagle answered: "Sure , why not."
So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the eagle and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Moral of the story:
To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

Lesson 5:

A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy."
"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull. They're packed with nutrients."
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung, and found it actually gave him enough strength to reach the lowest branch of the tree. The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.
Finally after a fourth night, the turkey was proudly perched at the top of the tree. He was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot him out of the tree.

Moral of the story:
Bull shit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

Lesson 6:

A little bird was flying south for the Winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and shit on him.
As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.
A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of the story:
(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

THIS CONCLUDES THE 5-MINUTE MANAGEMENT COURSE