Motivation Monday

An English Lesson

Cool Pic

And it proves that old adage about more ice being below the surface than above!

School is Back in Session

Those were the days!  Fond memories or worst nightmare...you make the call.

Not politically correct...but a lot of truth!

A Keeper!

Yep

We all know someone who fits this category.  In fact...see previous post!

Role Models

The Emmy Award show the other night reminded me that the music and show business crowd really like to award themselves for singing and acting.  It's really sorta gross.  And stupid.

Abbreviations

Sometimes they don't work...

Strategy

By now most have heard our President admit to not having a strategy to deal with ISIS.  The spin doctors are working hard to explain what he really meant.  Some are even blaming the military.  Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, it does.  There are many words that come to mind...dangerous, dumb, embarrassing, you name it.  There is a really good article about the sad state of affairs here.  There is even a bust a gut joke.  I guess ya gotta laugh.  Unfortunately, we won't be laughing long.

But in the spirit of humor, I guess even big business has their problems developing a strategy.  I went to countless strategy meetings in my time in industry, many were eerily close to these...

 

Friday Funnies

Ted Tuesday

One of the things that perplex many people in the West and also many Christians is the silence of the Muslim world in condemning the violence that occurs every day in the name of Islam.  If you've wondered about that, this talk may help...

Motivation Monday

Renew

For about 10 years I went up to Bishop Creek up in the Sierra Nevada for one weekend every summer to go fishing.  The group varied a bit but there was a core group of 4 of us.  We would stay in a very basic cabin at the Bishop Creek Lodge and spend a few days at various lakes in the area.  We would hike, catch fish, tell sea stories, solve world problems, drink too much beer, gaze at stars, and generally enjoy each other's company.  This ritual weekend lasted until about 2005 when life seemed to catch up with us.  We all had different jobs, had drifted apart a bit, and other priorities overcame the fishing trip.

Then a few months ago while two of us were having dinner we decided to try and renew the fishing trip.  We picked the date, made the reservation and invited our two other friends.  Unfortunately one of the guys didn't respond to our queries but the third of our group was able to make it.  And so I found myself once again at Bishop Creek this weekend enjoying a wonderful weekend in the mountains with some friends.

It was a great and fun weekend.   We caught some fish, solved world problems, drank too much beer, and had a great time.  Observations.  Hanging out with friends has value.  And if they are true friends, you pick up where you left off.  Having no connectivity in the mountains was nice.  No checking email, no surfing the net, no connectivity.  The bear who visits the cabins every night is pretty scary!  The water levels in the reservoirs was shockingly low.  Catching fish on a fishing trip is good, but not necessary.  All the other things are more important.

Friday Funnies

Bad Headwork!

Funny now but this dude will regret putting this on the Internet...

Cool Pic

Ted Tuesday

I'm sure you've heard of Gen McCrystal.  He suffered some embarrassing gaffs a few years ago and wound up losing his job.  I'm also sure you've only heard the bits and pieces that the media decides to tell.  My view is that this guy is the real deal.  By all accounts I've read a caring, inspiring, smart leader.  Did he make some mistakes?  Yes.  Is he human?  Yes.  Would I like to work for him?  Absolutely!

Motivation Monday

This seems appropriate given the untimely death of Robin Williams last week.

Daddies

I've thought about this subject several times over the last few years as our culture seems to be fraying.

First a few caveats.  I'm an old guy...a baby boomer.  So that means I've been around a long time and have developed certain views.  The corollary of that is that I pride myself on keeping up with current trends, technology, evolving standards in society, etc.  So I'm not an old fuddy-duddy, but I do have some ideas that I believe have been developed over time that make sense.  Clearly I come from the generation that in the '60s had the mantra, "if it feels good, do it".  But that was then, this is now.  Second, as I start to face my mortality and think about the future for my Grandchildren, I care about the direction that society is headed.  Nothing lasts forever.  And if we're not careful we could lose this wonderful place we live in.  Third,  I'm a Dad.  I've tried to set an example, to be there for my kids, to at least articulate standards of behavior and expectations.  I've not always been successful, but I'm proud of my family and I think I've had an impact on the people that my kids have become.

I saw an article today titled, "Yes, Katy Perry, Babies Need Daddies".  You can read it here.  The key pull quote for me is:

While adoption by singles is certainly better than having a child drift from one foster home to another—and there are many heroic single men and women who have adopted children domestically as well as from other countries—the flippant disregard expressed by Perry and others who would rather go to the sperm bank than build a solid marriage with a man (and then raise children on that strong foundation) is quite a different matter. It reveals failure to grasp not only the value of family but what actually constitutes a viable family. This isn’t to say that single moms or dads or homosexual couples can’t “make it work” (whatever that means), but if we want to build a strong, stable, good society, we have to be developing strong, stable, good individuals—and fathers are essential to that.

 The thing that has been nagging at me is that as we all argue endlessly about a woman's right to choose, the acceptability of homosexuality, the plight of the downtrodden and homeless, the ongoing supposed discrimination against minorities, and on and on and on, what get's lost is the need for stability.  I believe we've got to strive to give our kids guardrails and stability.  Limits have to be set.  Examples have to be shown.  As the quote says, many can "make it work".  And sometimes that's all that is available.  But to me, the message is that men must make more of an effort to make smart choices, to not give up on their families, to think through what it means to be a Father, and to strive continually to be present, persistent, and patient.  They have to be the role models and set the standards, in collaboration with their wives.  It's got to be a team effort.  And the key to raising kids is effort.

And here's another thing.  I've said this before.  Beyond all the incompetence and political shenanigans, my biggest disappointment in Obama is his failure to call out and demand better from black men.  It's no secret that the lack of Fathers in the black community is a huge problem.  He had a chance to make a difference.  He failed.

Friday Funnies

A Mess

SecDef Hagel is quoted yesterday saying "The world is exploding all over".  Well...duh!  Unless you're living under a rock you've seen all the news.  Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Argentina, China...pick one.  And there are many more.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, our President has no clue what he's doing regarding foreign policy.  And he's surrounded by sycophants and political hacks.  I think he's very deliberate regarding domestic policy and we've seen the damage he's done to the economy.  The simple truth is that the last 6 years have been a disaster.  A really good summation of all the disasters is detailed here.

Things are so bad that Hillary publicly berates Obama for his failures.  Most people won't read the article in The Atlantic, so here is a version you can read for yourself.   Pretty amazing.  But now she's trying to walk it back.  She had a chance to put a stake in the ground regarding what she believes.  But no.  She is proving to be the conniving, slimy, opportunistic politician that we all know she is.

Animals Are Clever!

So True!

Pissed!

This is pretty brutal...but sorta funny at the same time.

Opinions

Boy is is true.  Been there, done that.  And why I have this blog.  If you don't like my opinion, that's okay.  If you want to debate or discuss, that's okay.  But I won't argue about it.

Talent

This guy has it!!

The Glamour of Travel

At least it used to be.  Now...not so much.  Note this is economy class!

Cool Pic

Cabin Fever

Looks like a cool place!  Not sure about the steps though...

What Is Out There?

There is so much we don't know or are not aware of...

Clever

Wonder how the response was?

Creepy Factor = 10!

This Will End Badly!!

I Hate Clowns

Always have, always will...

Cool Pic

Really a beautiful view...

Ted Tuesday

This is a bit long but worth your time.  It's applicable in so many situations.

Motivation Monday

Something a bit different this week.  Read the article you'll find here.  If you need the link, here it is: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/2014/08/ask_andrew_wk_right_wing_dad.php

This isn't about right or left or differing opinions.  It's about treating people with respect.  The world needs a lot more of that.

"Have the strength to doubt and question what you believe as easily as you're so quick to doubt his beliefs. Live with a truly open mind -- the kind of open mind that even questions the idea of an open mind. Don't feel the need to always pick a side. And if you do pick a side, pick the side of love. It remains our only real hope for survival and has more power to save us than any other belief we could ever cling to."

We've got to find people to put in leadership positions who will seek to bring us together and find common ground.  There seems to be very little of that these days.  Think about that the next time you vote.

Friday Funnies

Nice House!

I could live here...

Cool Pic

Loyalty

Lots of talk these days about how bad it is for companies to complete a so-called "inversion".  That is a technique whereby a U.S. company merges with a foreign company to move the corporate headquarters off shore and in effect becoming a foreign company.  They do this to avoid paying the exorbitant corporate taxes that the U.S. charges.  Our corporate taxes are the highest in the developed world.  This is a perfectly legitimate business decision that makes sense.  But now many in the regime are decrying this business tactic as being somehow in-American.  This is absurd!  What is in-American is the current corporate tax structure that is prohibitive and kills innovation and entrepreneurialism.   The government bureaucrats are floating various schemes to punish these companies.  One of the most outrageous is described here.  This really rings of 1934 Germany or 1954 USSR.  I think a better and simpler solution would be to roll back corporate tax rates.  But the current regime will never do that...because business is the enemy!

Ted Tuesday

Since I started this feature a few weeks ago I've had several people tell me that it stimulated them to go to Ted.com and view some of the videos.  That's pretty cool.  My daughter told me about this one which focuses on education.  It's really good.

http://www.ted.com/talks/sir_ken_robinson_bring_on_the_revolution

Motivation Monday

Friday Funnies...Vacation Delayed