Saturday, December 31, 2011
Irrevocably controlled.............
"Opportunity has spread its wares before you. Step up to the front, select what you want, create your plan, put the plan into action, and follow through with persistence. 'Capitalistic' America will do the rest. You can depend on this much - capitalistic America insures every person the opportunity to render useful service, and to collect riches in proportion to the value of the service.
"The 'system' denies no one this right, but it does not and cannot promise something for nothing, because the system, itself, is irrevocably controlled by the law of economics which neither recognizes not tolerates for long, getting without giving."
-Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich
"The 'system' denies no one this right, but it does not and cannot promise something for nothing, because the system, itself, is irrevocably controlled by the law of economics which neither recognizes not tolerates for long, getting without giving."
-Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich
On excess baggage.............
"It is much easier in America to earn a lot of money than
it is to accumulate wealth. Why is this the case? Because
we are a consumption-oriented society."
".......many status oriented artifacts can be a burden, if not
an impediment, to becoming financially independent. Life
has its own burdens. Why add excess baggage?"
-Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko,
The Millionaire Next Door
it is to accumulate wealth. Why is this the case? Because
we are a consumption-oriented society."
".......many status oriented artifacts can be a burden, if not
an impediment, to becoming financially independent. Life
has its own burdens. Why add excess baggage?"
-Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko,
The Millionaire Next Door
.....as vintage wine......
Frank Sinatra.................................It Was A Very Good Year
Thanks Kurt
Thanks Kurt
Coruscate................
This word for the day is brought to you by Mr. Webster
and the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
coruscate v. to give off flashes of light; glitter; sparkle
as in:
The ice covered branches coruscated as the sun peeked
through the cloud cover.
and the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
coruscate v. to give off flashes of light; glitter; sparkle
as in:
The ice covered branches coruscated as the sun peeked
through the cloud cover.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Megan McArdle talks real estate............
A day after admonishing us folks to save more, she offers up
some suggestions on where to invest those saved dollars. One of
her suggestions is rental residential real estate. Full essay is here.
Given her advice about real estate, one would think she has had
some experience. It is advice worth pondering. A few samples:
However, real estate can be a great way to diversify your
portfolio if you are careful about it. The stock market may
be down, but your tenants will still be paying you some
rent every month.
a. Don't flip. I shouldn't really need to explain this now,
should I? Buy for rental income, not capital gains.
d. Budget for repairs.
e. Budget for empty months.
f. Do regular inspections No matter how lovely your tenant is,
they may be destroying your house without even knowing it--
not changing air filters, attracting pests, letting leaks grow.
h. Expect to manage it. A solid real estate investment can
earn you ten percent a year--but you have to work harder
at it than you do leaving the money in the market.
j. Check potential tenants thoroughly.........Lazy landlords
get hurt.
m. Know how many properties you can manage. First of all,
know your limits. There are benefits to scale (you can have
a handyman on retainer if you have enough apartments, and
he'll probably give you a discount). But there are also
drawbacks--each apartment takes time.
o. Landlording is a business............ Do not buy because you
like a property; buy because it will offer you a reasonable
return after expenses.
It's a simple portfolio, and it won't make you rich without
working. On the other hand, we should all be pretty sick
of get-rich-quick schemes by now.
some suggestions on where to invest those saved dollars. One of
her suggestions is rental residential real estate. Full essay is here.
Given her advice about real estate, one would think she has had
some experience. It is advice worth pondering. A few samples:
However, real estate can be a great way to diversify your
portfolio if you are careful about it. The stock market may
be down, but your tenants will still be paying you some
rent every month.
a. Don't flip. I shouldn't really need to explain this now,
should I? Buy for rental income, not capital gains.
d. Budget for repairs.
e. Budget for empty months.
f. Do regular inspections No matter how lovely your tenant is,
they may be destroying your house without even knowing it--
not changing air filters, attracting pests, letting leaks grow.
h. Expect to manage it. A solid real estate investment can
earn you ten percent a year--but you have to work harder
at it than you do leaving the money in the market.
j. Check potential tenants thoroughly.........Lazy landlords
get hurt.
m. Know how many properties you can manage. First of all,
know your limits. There are benefits to scale (you can have
a handyman on retainer if you have enough apartments, and
he'll probably give you a discount). But there are also
drawbacks--each apartment takes time.
o. Landlording is a business............ Do not buy because you
like a property; buy because it will offer you a reasonable
return after expenses.
It's a simple portfolio, and it won't make you rich without
working. On the other hand, we should all be pretty sick
of get-rich-quick schemes by now.
On knowing what we don't know.............
An excerpt from Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture:
Shatner stayed for three hours and asked tons of questions. A colleague later said to me: "He just kept asking and asking. He doesn't seem to get it."
But I was hugely impressed. Kirk, I mean, Shatner, was the ultimate example of a man who knew what he didn't know, was perfectly willing to admit it, and didn't want to leave until he understood it. I wish every grad student had that attitude.
During my cancer treatment, when I was told that only 4% of pancreatic cancer patients live five years, a line from the Star Trek movie The Wrath of Khan came into my mind. In the film, Starfleet cadets are faced with a simulated training scenario where, no matter what they do, their entire crew is killed. The film explains that when Kirk was a cadet, he reprogrammed the simulation because "he didn't believe in the no-win scenario."
Over the years, some of my sophisticated academic colleagues have turned up their noses at my Star Trek infatuation. But from the start, it has never failed to stand me in good stead.
After Shatner learned of my diagnosis, he sent me a photo of himself as Kirk. On it he wrote: "I don't believe in the no-win scenario."
Shatner stayed for three hours and asked tons of questions. A colleague later said to me: "He just kept asking and asking. He doesn't seem to get it."
But I was hugely impressed. Kirk, I mean, Shatner, was the ultimate example of a man who knew what he didn't know, was perfectly willing to admit it, and didn't want to leave until he understood it. I wish every grad student had that attitude.
During my cancer treatment, when I was told that only 4% of pancreatic cancer patients live five years, a line from the Star Trek movie The Wrath of Khan came into my mind. In the film, Starfleet cadets are faced with a simulated training scenario where, no matter what they do, their entire crew is killed. The film explains that when Kirk was a cadet, he reprogrammed the simulation because "he didn't believe in the no-win scenario."
Over the years, some of my sophisticated academic colleagues have turned up their noses at my Star Trek infatuation. But from the start, it has never failed to stand me in good stead.
After Shatner learned of my diagnosis, he sent me a photo of himself as Kirk. On it he wrote: "I don't believe in the no-win scenario."
About those resolutions...............
Mathew Ferrara suggests we think about the ground work
needed to make them real before we commit to them - again.
Full post here. Excerpt here:
"First, the best resolutions build upon our existing strengths. They might involve trying something new or pushing our limits, but they must build upon a solid foundation. Think about something you know how to do, enjoy doing, then decide to turn up the volume. Do more of it. Do it better, or faster, or more consistently. If you can send a rocket around the world, aiming it for another planet isn’t that much harder. Set yourself up for success by leveraging your existing knowledge, skills and motivations."
needed to make them real before we commit to them - again.
Full post here. Excerpt here:
"First, the best resolutions build upon our existing strengths. They might involve trying something new or pushing our limits, but they must build upon a solid foundation. Think about something you know how to do, enjoy doing, then decide to turn up the volume. Do more of it. Do it better, or faster, or more consistently. If you can send a rocket around the world, aiming it for another planet isn’t that much harder. Set yourself up for success by leveraging your existing knowledge, skills and motivations."
The Bulls and Bears weigh in on residential real estate.........
Some bulls:
Hedge funds run by Caxton Associates LP, SAC Capital Advisors LP, Avenue Capital and Blackstone Group LP have been buying housing-related investments, betting on a rebound. And formerly bearish research firm Zelman & Associates now predicts a housing pickup, as does Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
A bear:
"The smartest money in the world has been carried out on stretchers betting on a true recovery for housing," says Mark Hanson
The above quotes were channeled by the Calculated Risk blog
from a WSJ article. Faithful readers will remember that we
believe the market recovery for new construction of single family
housing is still a year away. We are heartened, however, by
this chart from CR. This is good news!
Hedge funds run by Caxton Associates LP, SAC Capital Advisors LP, Avenue Capital and Blackstone Group LP have been buying housing-related investments, betting on a rebound. And formerly bearish research firm Zelman & Associates now predicts a housing pickup, as does Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
A bear:
"The smartest money in the world has been carried out on stretchers betting on a true recovery for housing," says Mark Hanson
The above quotes were channeled by the Calculated Risk blog
from a WSJ article. Faithful readers will remember that we
believe the market recovery for new construction of single family
housing is still a year away. We are heartened, however, by
this chart from CR. This is good news!
The word for the day....................
This word for the day is brought to you by Mr. Webster
and the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
velitation n. a hostile encounter; skirmish or dispute
as in:
The velitation in Washington over government spending
shows no sign of abating.
and the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
velitation n. a hostile encounter; skirmish or dispute
as in:
The velitation in Washington over government spending
shows no sign of abating.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Quotes worth pondering...................
"Gauguin complained that “thought does not exist” in
Impressionism. It doesn’t, but the Impressionists had no goal
except to open people’s eyes; and they opened enough of
them to reinvent art altogether."
"As my eyes lose their focusing strength, I can appreciate
the vision of impressionistic painters. There’s a softening
of not just what we see, but what we are, when we enjoy
the later years."
-Mme. Schezro, adding the second paragraph to this post
"A man standing in the broken shards of his life doesn't have any use for people picking up each piece and wondering aloud if this bit wasn't so bad. They never understand that the whole thing was worth something once but the pieces are nothing and you can never reassemble them again into anything."
-Greg Sullivan, dba Sippican Cottage, excerpted from here.
"The wise fool can be cryptic. He'll say the best way to see something is with your ears. Initially, this may seem weird, but after you've thought about it, you might agree that listening to a story conjures up more images than watching television."
-Roger von Oech, as excerpted from here
"Of course, this is the problem with most New Year's resolutions – that the only thing between us and our goals is self-discipline."
-Penelope Trunk, from this blog post
Impressionism. It doesn’t, but the Impressionists had no goal
except to open people’s eyes; and they opened enough of
them to reinvent art altogether."
"As my eyes lose their focusing strength, I can appreciate
the vision of impressionistic painters. There’s a softening
of not just what we see, but what we are, when we enjoy
the later years."
-Mme. Schezro, adding the second paragraph to this post
"A man standing in the broken shards of his life doesn't have any use for people picking up each piece and wondering aloud if this bit wasn't so bad. They never understand that the whole thing was worth something once but the pieces are nothing and you can never reassemble them again into anything."
-Greg Sullivan, dba Sippican Cottage, excerpted from here.
"The wise fool can be cryptic. He'll say the best way to see something is with your ears. Initially, this may seem weird, but after you've thought about it, you might agree that listening to a story conjures up more images than watching television."
-Roger von Oech, as excerpted from here
"Of course, this is the problem with most New Year's resolutions – that the only thing between us and our goals is self-discipline."
-Penelope Trunk, from this blog post
Captured by your style..............
Atlanta Rhythm Section.................................. So Into You
The word for the day................
This word for the day is brought to you by Mr. Webster
and the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
tutelary adj. 1. that watches over or protects
2. of or serving as a guardian
as in:
He thanked the tutelary spirit that helped him navigate safely
for six hours though the heavy traffic on the turnpike.
and the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
tutelary adj. 1. that watches over or protects
2. of or serving as a guardian
as in:
He thanked the tutelary spirit that helped him navigate safely
for six hours though the heavy traffic on the turnpike.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Opening paragraphs..............
"From my first breath in this world, all I wanted was a good
set of lungs and the air to fill them with - given circumstances,
you might presume, for an American baby of the twentieth
century. Think about your own first gasp: a shocking wind
roweling so easily down your throat, and you still slipping
around in the doctor's hands. How you yowled! Not a thing
on your mind by breakfast, and that was on the way."
-Leif Enger, Peace Like A River
set of lungs and the air to fill them with - given circumstances,
you might presume, for an American baby of the twentieth
century. Think about your own first gasp: a shocking wind
roweling so easily down your throat, and you still slipping
around in the doctor's hands. How you yowled! Not a thing
on your mind by breakfast, and that was on the way."
-Leif Enger, Peace Like A River
The gift......................
"...knowledge of our own mortality is the greatest gift God
ever gives us.
"It is so easy to waste our lives: our days, our hours, our minutes. It is so easy to take for granted the pale new growth on an evergreen, the sheen of the limestone on Fifth Avenue, the color of our kids' eyes, the way the melody in a symphonyrises and falls and disappears and rises again. It is so easy to exist instead of live. Unless you know there is a clock ticking. So many of us changed our lives when we heard the biological clock and decided to have kids. But that sound is a murmur compared to the tolling of mortality."
-Anna Quindlen, A Short Guide to a Happy Life
photo courtesy of
I hope you are willing..........................
Orleans.....................................................Dance With Me
The word for the day
This word for the day is brought to you by Mr. Webster
and the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
croque-monsieur n. a sandwich filled with ham and cheese,
either dipped in egg batter or buttered
on the outside, and toasted or grilled.
as in:
After shoveling snow for an hour in the freezing cold, he
was delighted to find that his sweetie had fixed him a
croque-monsieur for lunch.
and the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
croque-monsieur n. a sandwich filled with ham and cheese,
either dipped in egg batter or buttered
on the outside, and toasted or grilled.
as in:
After shoveling snow for an hour in the freezing cold, he
was delighted to find that his sweetie had fixed him a
croque-monsieur for lunch.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Opening paragraphs..............
"On May 18,1860, the day when the Republican Party would nominate its candidate for president, Abraham Lincoln was up early. As he climbed the stairs to his plainly furnished law office on the west side of the public square in Springfield, Illinois, breakfast was being served at the 130-room Chenery House on Fourth Street. Fresh butter, flour, lard, and eggs were being put out for sale at the City Grocery Store on North Sixth Street. And in the morning newspaper, the proprietors at Smith, Wikersham & Company had announced the arrival of a large stock of silks, calicos, ginghams, and linens, along with a new supply of the latest styles of hosiery and gloves."
-Doris Kerns Goodwin, Team of Rivals
On leaving children behind.................
WRM suggests its time to rethink the Bush era leave no child behind law. I have always thought that as a society, and as parents, we have asked schools to do things that they are simply not capable of doing. Oh, and by the way, don't you dare discipline my little angel. And then we wonder at the results. Full post here. Excerpt here:
"We need to be a little bit more honest with ourselves. Schools didn’t cause America’s biggest social problems, and schools can’t cure them. A public school doesn’t take in sow’s ears and put out silk purses; a school inevitably reflects the strong and weak points of the society and culture around it.
"A neighborhood of weak families will rarely have strong schools. School reform is important and we have a long way to go, but until America finds ways to address its broken homes, we will not be able to fix our broken schools."
"We need to be a little bit more honest with ourselves. Schools didn’t cause America’s biggest social problems, and schools can’t cure them. A public school doesn’t take in sow’s ears and put out silk purses; a school inevitably reflects the strong and weak points of the society and culture around it.
"A neighborhood of weak families will rarely have strong schools. School reform is important and we have a long way to go, but until America finds ways to address its broken homes, we will not be able to fix our broken schools."
On bringing your own dignity.......
"Politicians are fond of telling us that work gives people
dignity. I agree. Having work to do and the means to make
a living for oneself and one's family is important. But it is
only half the equation. What we haven't been told nearly
enough is that people give work dignity. There are no
unimportant jobs, just people who feel unimportant doing
their jobs. That's probably why B. C. Forbes, the legendary
founder of Forbes magazine said, 'There is more credit
and satisfaction in being a first-rate truck driver than in
a tenth-rate executive.'"
-Mark Sanborn, The Fred Factor
dignity. I agree. Having work to do and the means to make
a living for oneself and one's family is important. But it is
only half the equation. What we haven't been told nearly
enough is that people give work dignity. There are no
unimportant jobs, just people who feel unimportant doing
their jobs. That's probably why B. C. Forbes, the legendary
founder of Forbes magazine said, 'There is more credit
and satisfaction in being a first-rate truck driver than in
a tenth-rate executive.'"
-Mark Sanborn, The Fred Factor
And it will be all right....................
Firefall.............................................Just Remember I Love You
The word for the day...................
This word for the day is brought to you by Mr. Webster
and the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
abecedarian n. 1. a person learning the alphabet; beginning
student. 2. any beginner or novice.
as in:
The teacher repeated A....B....C....D...., and soon the
abecedarian caught on and learned all of the letters of the
alphabet.
Editor's comment: Surely you jest. This is a word? Good grief.
and the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
abecedarian n. 1. a person learning the alphabet; beginning
student. 2. any beginner or novice.
as in:
The teacher repeated A....B....C....D...., and soon the
abecedarian caught on and learned all of the letters of the
alphabet.
Editor's comment: Surely you jest. This is a word? Good grief.
Monday, December 26, 2011
THINK.................
The really smart people at IBM have been thinking again. Here
is the first of five "futuristic imaginings" that they believe we will
see in five years. Not so sure about this first one, though.
Sounds like a perpetual motion machine................
is the first of five "futuristic imaginings" that they believe we will
see in five years. Not so sure about this first one, though.
Sounds like a perpetual motion machine................
Opening paragraphs.............
"It is dark. He does not know where he is. And then he sees
pale light from the street soaking in above the drawn drapes.
It is not a light to see by, but only makes the darkness visible.
He has slept, to his surprise, but has wakened in the same
unease that kept him sleepless long after he went to bed
and that remained with him in the dream."
-Wendell Berry, Remembering
pale light from the street soaking in above the drawn drapes.
It is not a light to see by, but only makes the darkness visible.
He has slept, to his surprise, but has wakened in the same
unease that kept him sleepless long after he went to bed
and that remained with him in the dream."
-Wendell Berry, Remembering
He's got a lot to answer for................
Born this day in 1791, Charles Babbage was a mathematician
who didn't like mistakes. "Computers" of his day were people
who did computing, i.e. adding, subtracting, multiplying and
dividing. Babbage noticed a high error rate in the creation of
numerical tables and logarithms by such human computers.
Being mechanically oriented and adept, Babbage proposed,
designed, and attempted to build machines that would do such
computing correctly. He called his first such machine "a
difference engine." He later attempted to construct an "analytic
engine." For his efforts he is considered a "father of the
computer."
Babbage was also an inventor (the cow-catcher attachment for
the front of locomotives, and an ophthalmoscope), a
cryptographer, a writer, and a philosopher. His contemporaries
must have been impressed by his smarts, as halves of his brain
are still on display at two London museums.
 |
| "Difference Engine No. 2", constructed in1989–91, using Babbage's plans and 19th century manufacturing tolerances. |
 |
| Part of Babbage's difference engine, assembled after his death by Babbage's son, using parts found in his laboratory |
images courtesy of wikipedia
Swim the deepest seas.........................
Grass Roots.........................................I'd Wait a Million Years
Monday's Poem..........
Looking For a Sunset Bird in Winter
The west was getting out of gold,
The breath of air had died of cold,
When shoeing home across the white,
I thought I saw a bird alight.
In summer when I passed the place
I had to stop and lift my face;
A bird with an angelic gift
Was singing in it sweet and swift.
No bird was singing in it now.
A single leaf was on a bough,
And that was all there was to see
In going twice around the tree.
From my advantage on a hill
I judged that such a crystal chill
Was only adding frost to snow
As gilt to gold that wouldn't show.
A brush had left a crooked stroke
Of what was either cloud or smoke
From north to south across the blue;
A piercing little star was through.
-Robert Frost
photo courtesy of
The word for the day..........
This word for the day is brought to you by Mr. Webster
and the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
divagate v. 1. to wander about 2. to stray from the
subject; digress
as in:
His focus blurred by one too many egg nogs, Santa began
divagating when Mrs. Claus asked him where he had been
all night.
and the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
divagate v. 1. to wander about 2. to stray from the
subject; digress
as in:
His focus blurred by one too many egg nogs, Santa began
divagating when Mrs. Claus asked him where he had been
all night.
Sunday, December 25, 2011
Wonders of His love.......................
Mannheim Steamroller..................................Joy To The World
Michael Bolton.........................................Joy To The World
Chris Tomlin...........................................Joy To The World
Michael Bolton.........................................Joy To The World
Chris Tomlin...........................................Joy To The World
The Christmas Verse
1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a
decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be
taxed.
2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was
governor of Syria.)
3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of
Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is
called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage
of David:)
5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great
with child.
6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were
accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him
in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because
there was no room for them in the inn.
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in
the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and
the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they
were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I
bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of
the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good
will toward men.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from
them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us
now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is
come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph,
and the babe lying in a manger.
17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad
the saying which was told them concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things
which were told them by the shepherds.
Luke 2:1-18
King James Version
The Holy Bible
Bringing peace to all the world..........
The Royal Gaurdsmen.................Snoopy vs The Red Baron
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Holy Night......................
Oliva Newton John.............................................Silent Night
The Temptations.....................................................Silent Night
The Temptations.....................................................Silent Night
Quotes worth pondering............
"If voters refuse to make sensible choices, sooner or later
they will lose the power to choose."
-Walter Russell Mead, from this essay on politics in Hungary
"Study yourself. It will be a life-long course."
-Michael Wade, from this blog post.
"The success factors seem to follow this rough outline:
Prepare. (Underscore prepare.) Know your material.
Practice. (Underscore practice.) Keep it interesting – tell
human interest stories. Be authentic – have a conversation.
Stay within your allotted time line."
-David Kanigan, from this post about public speaking
"It was frustrating, frightening, and times revealing. Or as
I recently read, you don’t know what being strong is until
being strong is your only option."
-Jeff Kopito, from this post about being a cancer survivor.
If that experience is part of your world, do go visit this blog.
they will lose the power to choose."
-Walter Russell Mead, from this essay on politics in Hungary
"Study yourself. It will be a life-long course."
-Michael Wade, from this blog post.
"The success factors seem to follow this rough outline:
Prepare. (Underscore prepare.) Know your material.
Practice. (Underscore practice.) Keep it interesting – tell
human interest stories. Be authentic – have a conversation.
Stay within your allotted time line."
-David Kanigan, from this post about public speaking
"It was frustrating, frightening, and times revealing. Or as
I recently read, you don’t know what being strong is until
being strong is your only option."
-Jeff Kopito, from this post about being a cancer survivor.
If that experience is part of your world, do go visit this blog.
Why are you being so difficult about this....
Gift wrapping presents has always been a challenge. It's
an acquired talent that continues to elude me. So it was with
great anticipation that I sought a training video. If Aunt Chippy
can't teach you anything, she probably can make you laugh.
Thanks Jonco
an acquired talent that continues to elude me. So it was with
great anticipation that I sought a training video. If Aunt Chippy
can't teach you anything, she probably can make you laugh.
Thanks Jonco
It's here again..................
The Beatles.................................................Christmas Time
Sounds of the season................
The word for the day..................
This word for the day is brought to you by Mr. Webster and the
third edition of his New College Dictionary:
mystagogue n. A person who interprets religious mysteries,
or initiates others into them.
as in:
"Mystagogues are handy people to have around, especially
at Christmas and Easter."
third edition of his New College Dictionary:
mystagogue n. A person who interprets religious mysteries,
or initiates others into them.
as in:
"Mystagogues are handy people to have around, especially
at Christmas and Easter."
Friday, December 23, 2011
O hear the angels' voices......................
Celine Dion........................................................O Holy Night
Josh Groban......................................................O Holy Night
Josh Groban......................................................O Holy Night
It would be nice if this continued.............
Architects have to design buildings before they can be built. It is
just one those things. Sort of like the "canary in the coal mine,"
architectural billings provide a hint of things to come for the
commercial real estate world. One would believe that the trend
shown by this chart is good news:
“This is a heartening development for the design and
construction industry that only a few years ago accounted
for nearly ten percent of overall GDP but has fallen to
slightly less than six percent,” said AIA Chief Economist,
Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA.
thanks as always, Bill
just one those things. Sort of like the "canary in the coal mine,"
architectural billings provide a hint of things to come for the
commercial real estate world. One would believe that the trend
shown by this chart is good news:
“This is a heartening development for the design and
construction industry that only a few years ago accounted
for nearly ten percent of overall GDP but has fallen to
slightly less than six percent,” said AIA Chief Economist,
Kermit Baker, PhD, Hon. AIA.
thanks as always, Bill
This is what faith in "the market" looks like....
"In the same way that market pricing eliminates shortages
of hotel rooms, food, clothing, and gasoline in Manhattan,
market-based pricing for rental housing would just as
effectively eliminate the shortage of housing."
So says Mark Perry, commenting on the Supreme Court's
willingness to hear a case on the constitutionality of the rent
control laws in NYC. Full post is here.
of hotel rooms, food, clothing, and gasoline in Manhattan,
market-based pricing for rental housing would just as
effectively eliminate the shortage of housing."
So says Mark Perry, commenting on the Supreme Court's
willingness to hear a case on the constitutionality of the rent
control laws in NYC. Full post is here.
for kids from 1 to 92....................
Nat King Cole................................................ Christmas Song
The word for the day....................
This word for the day is brought to you by Mr. Webster and
the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
ochlocracy n. government by the mob; mob rule
as in:
"The good people at OWS wouldn't recognize an ochlocracy
if they saw one."
the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
ochlocracy n. government by the mob; mob rule
as in:
"The good people at OWS wouldn't recognize an ochlocracy
if they saw one."
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Reconciled..........................
Volume up.......................
Charlotte Church.......................Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Mormon Tabernacle Choir...........Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Charlotte Church.......................Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Mormon Tabernacle Choir...........Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
"Holy Statistics, Batman!".............
Us history majors tended to avoid things remotely associated
with mathematics, including the concepts of "mean", "mode",
and "median". On the average, these concepts confuse us.
So, it was with great delight that I followed the blogosphere's
comments about a recent Charles Blow NYT essay on income
inequality. A good starting point is here. Excerpt here:
"So it seems the crux of the AP article can be accurately
shortened to: Half of all households have an income
below the median average!"
Hate that when that happens.
Thanks Maggie's
with mathematics, including the concepts of "mean", "mode",
and "median". On the average, these concepts confuse us.
So, it was with great delight that I followed the blogosphere's
comments about a recent Charles Blow NYT essay on income
inequality. A good starting point is here. Excerpt here:
"So it seems the crux of the AP article can be accurately
shortened to: Half of all households have an income
below the median average!"
Hate that when that happens.
Thanks Maggie's
Covetousness..................
"The benefits of Consumer Capitalism- the dominant ideology
of our age- are pretty self evident: Lots of people having
stuff, lots of things being invented, lots of livelihoods being
attained, plus the greatest measure of them all- life
expectancy- being increased. But there is a cost, mostly
psychological. Consumer capitalism makes us more covetous.
And covetous makes us more stressed out and less happy.
There's no answer to it really, other than greater self-
awareness..."
-Hugh MacLeod
Hurry down the chimney............
Eartha Kitt............................................................Santa Baby
The word for the day...............
This word for the day is brought to you by Mr. Webster and
the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
pluviose adj. characterized by much rain; rainy
as in:
"We are having such pluviose weather that all I can do is
be thankful that our roof doesn't leak."
the third edition of his New College Dictionary:
pluviose adj. characterized by much rain; rainy
as in:
"We are having such pluviose weather that all I can do is
be thankful that our roof doesn't leak."
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Sing in exultation..................
Celtic Women....................................O Come All Ye Faithful
Trans Siberian Orchestra.......................O Come All Ye Faithful
Trans Siberian Orchestra.......................O Come All Ye Faithful
On thinking and writing.............
If you have ever been stumped, panicked, frozen, or otherwise
made helpless by the question, "What are you thinking about?",
you might enjoy this brief essay from Justin Wehr. An excerpt:
"The truth is that it is almost impossible for me to do any kind of profound thinking within the confines of my skull. I can do it just fine in writing, but that almost doesn’t count because I never know what’s going to come out of my writing. Writing is not, as we so often misbelieve, reproducing thoughts on paper. Writing (for me) is starting with a tiny blip of inspiration and then building on it with reactions, and reactions to those reactions, and so forth. And then of course there is the crucial step of polishing, deleting, and re-arranging to get something like coherence. The end result is probably more surprising to me than it is to you."
made helpless by the question, "What are you thinking about?",
you might enjoy this brief essay from Justin Wehr. An excerpt:
"The truth is that it is almost impossible for me to do any kind of profound thinking within the confines of my skull. I can do it just fine in writing, but that almost doesn’t count because I never know what’s going to come out of my writing. Writing is not, as we so often misbelieve, reproducing thoughts on paper. Writing (for me) is starting with a tiny blip of inspiration and then building on it with reactions, and reactions to those reactions, and so forth. And then of course there is the crucial step of polishing, deleting, and re-arranging to get something like coherence. The end result is probably more surprising to me than it is to you."
All along the watchtower......the motley mixture
48. Plato has a fine saying, that he who would discourse of man should survey, as from some high watchtower, the things of earth; its assemblies for peace or war, its husbandry, matings, and partings, births and deaths, noisy law courts, lonely wastes, alien peoples of every kind, feasting, mourning, bargaining - observing all the motley mixture, and the harmonious order that is wrought out of contrariety.
Marcus Aurelius
Meditations, Book Seven
A blue Christmas....................
Freddie King....................................................Christmas Tears
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The hopes and fears................
Elvis Presley.................................O Little Town of Bethlehem
Sarah McLachlan.............................O Little Town of Bethlehem
Sarah McLachlan.............................O Little Town of Bethlehem
Learned something new....................
The USPS delivered a history lesson the other day. Actually
they delivered a 2012 pocket date book, a gift from a long time
business associate. However, on the envelope doing the
delivering was an $.84 Oveta Culp Hobby stamp. Not having
collected stamps since I was about eleven, the fact that there
even was an $.84 stamp eluded me. But, the larger questions -
who is this Oveta Culp Hobby person, why is she a
"stateswoman", and what is with that hat?
Curiosity aroused, Wikipedia was consulted:
"During World War II she headed the War Department's Women's Interest Section for a short time and then became the Director of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (later the Women's Army Corps), which was created to fill gaps left by a shortage of men. The members of the WAC were the first women other than nurses to be in Army uniform. Hobby achieved the rank of colonel and received the Distinguished Service Medal for efforts during the war. She was the first woman in the Army to receive this award."
and
"President Dwight D. Eisenhower named her head of the Federal Security Agency, a non-cabinet post, and she was invited to sit in on cabinet meetings. Soon, on April 11, 1953, she became the first secretary, and first female secretary, of the new Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, which later became the Department of Health and Human Services. This was her second time organizing a new government agency. Among other decisions and actions at HEW, she made the decision to approve Jonas Salk's polio vaccine."
I'd say she deserves the stamp, if only for that decision.
The Wiki employed the word "autodidact" in describing Hobby.
I am not embarrassed to report that Webster's was also
consulted: Autodidact {n. a person who is self educated}.
Oh, and about the hat:
"The stamp art, by illustrator and painter Sterling Hundley of Richmond, Virginia, is based on an undated black-and-white photograph of Hobby in her WAC uniform, with its legendary service cap, the 'Hobby hat.'"
Opening paragraphs...................
"Going back to South Chicago has always felt to me like
a return to death. The people I loved most, those fierce first
attachments of childhood, had all died in this abandoned
neighborhood on the City's southeast edge. It's true my
mother's body, my father's ashes, lie elsewhere, but I had
tended both through painful illnesses down here. My cousin
Boom-Boom, close as a brother - closer than a brother - had
been murdered here fifteen years ago. In my nightmares,
yellow smoke from the steel mills still clouds my eyes, but
the giant smokestacks that towered over my childhood
landscape are now only ghosts themselves."
Sara Paretsky, Fire Sale
a return to death. The people I loved most, those fierce first
attachments of childhood, had all died in this abandoned
neighborhood on the City's southeast edge. It's true my
mother's body, my father's ashes, lie elsewhere, but I had
tended both through painful illnesses down here. My cousin
Boom-Boom, close as a brother - closer than a brother - had
been murdered here fifteen years ago. In my nightmares,
yellow smoke from the steel mills still clouds my eyes, but
the giant smokestacks that towered over my childhood
landscape are now only ghosts themselves."
Sara Paretsky, Fire Sale
Story telling time......................
What if..............? What if the Great Recession ate your lunch?
What if you hadn't made any glaringly silly mistakes and it still
ate your lunch? What is one to do? Walt Sutton has an answer:
"This is the “in-between” time. It is between one great adventure and another. It’s when you have a chance to make sense out of all that you learned during the great overheating, the crash, the firefighting, the saving of the enterprise, and the righting of the new normal business. This is a time to identify all of those lessons learned, all of those mistakes you made, all of those really smart things you all did. How do you do this? One way is to tell stories about the crash and what you learned, and to encourage others to do the same."
thanks Steve
What if you hadn't made any glaringly silly mistakes and it still
ate your lunch? What is one to do? Walt Sutton has an answer:
"This is the “in-between” time. It is between one great adventure and another. It’s when you have a chance to make sense out of all that you learned during the great overheating, the crash, the firefighting, the saving of the enterprise, and the righting of the new normal business. This is a time to identify all of those lessons learned, all of those mistakes you made, all of those really smart things you all did. How do you do this? One way is to tell stories about the crash and what you learned, and to encourage others to do the same."
thanks Steve
No more sorrows............................
Charles Brown......................Please Come Home for Christmas
Monday, December 19, 2011
Do you know what I know?
Carrie Underwood...........................Do You Hear What I Hear?
Vanessa Williams...........................Do You Hear What I Hear?
Vanessa Williams...........................Do You Hear What I Hear?
At least we found the bottom..........
Housing starts are mired in the 500,000 per year range, well
below the historical average. All other things being equal (like
that will ever happen), we expect the recovery in housing starts
to begin in 2013. In the meanwhile, if you want to be a trend
setter and get a jump on the rest of the market, we have some
wonderfully nice building lots available. Do call.
as always, these fabulous charts are found at Calculated Risk
below the historical average. All other things being equal (like
that will ever happen), we expect the recovery in housing starts
to begin in 2013. In the meanwhile, if you want to be a trend
setter and get a jump on the rest of the market, we have some
wonderfully nice building lots available. Do call.
as always, these fabulous charts are found at Calculated Risk
Maybe you'll get lucky.......................
The Furniture Guy, who strings words together in a fascinating
and most satisfying way - a way that requires careful attention,
takes on Television, Advertising, Gift Giving (and receiving), and
Gender Roles. All in one blog post. Do go visit.
"Never mind all that. If I took an interest in other people's
lunacy, I'd have precious little time for my own."
On Selling.........More and less.........
As excerpted from Nicholas Bate's Instant MBA:
"What's the problem here? Well, essentially the problem is
that too many people are not willing to get their hands dirty,
to do some real selling.....Everybody loves the intellectual
nature of strategic planning, the glamour of marketing, but
selling? Where's the skill in that?
"That's the thing, actually. When you are selling, you soon
find out whether your strategies are worth the paper they
are written on because you get your results immediately:
sale or no sale. No hiding behind long-term market
penetration plans or behind things like 'awaiting the output
of the product focus group'. This is where the rubber hits
the road."
"Forget the myths about obscure techniques and closing,
here's what you actually need to do.
- More ask, less tell.
-More reasons, fewer bullets.
-More conversation, less PowerPoint.
-More them, less you.
-More decisions, less meetings.
-More concerns, less avoiding realities.
-More lock in, less generic.
-More urgency, less 'any time.'"
"What's the problem here? Well, essentially the problem is
that too many people are not willing to get their hands dirty,
to do some real selling.....Everybody loves the intellectual
nature of strategic planning, the glamour of marketing, but
selling? Where's the skill in that?
"That's the thing, actually. When you are selling, you soon
find out whether your strategies are worth the paper they
are written on because you get your results immediately:
sale or no sale. No hiding behind long-term market
penetration plans or behind things like 'awaiting the output
of the product focus group'. This is where the rubber hits
the road."
"Forget the myths about obscure techniques and closing,
here's what you actually need to do.
- More ask, less tell.
-More reasons, fewer bullets.
-More conversation, less PowerPoint.
-More them, less you.
-More decisions, less meetings.
-More concerns, less avoiding realities.
-More lock in, less generic.
-More urgency, less 'any time.'"
A poem for the Monday before Christmas......
Christmas Trees
The city had withdrawn into itself
And left at last the country to the country;
When between whirls of snow not come to lie
And whirls of foliage not yet laid, there drove
A stranger to our yard, who looked the city,
Yet did in country fashion in that there
He sat and waited till he drew us out
A-buttoning coats to ask him who he was.
He proved to be the city come again
To look for something it had left behind
And could not do without and keep its Christmas.
He asked if I would sell my Christmas trees;
My woods—the young fir balsams like a place
Where houses all are churches and have spires.
I hadn’t thought of them as Christmas Trees.
I doubt if I was tempted for a moment
To sell them off their feet to go in cars
And leave the slope behind the house all bare,
Where the sun shines now no warmer than the moon.
I’d hate to have them know it if I was.
Yet more I’d hate to hold my trees except
As others hold theirs or refuse for them,
Beyond the time of profitable growth,
The trial by market everything must come to.
I dallied so much with the thought of selling.
Then whether from mistaken courtesy
And fear of seeming short of speech, or whether
From hope of hearing good of what was mine, I said,
“There aren’t enough to be worth while.”
“I could soon tell how many they would cut,
You let me look them over.”
“You could look.
But don’t expect I’m going to let you have them.”
Pasture they spring in, some in clumps too close
That lop each other of boughs, but not a few
Quite solitary and having equal boughs
All round and round. The latter he nodded “Yes” to,
Or paused to say beneath some lovelier one,
With a buyer’s moderation, “That would do.”
I thought so too, but wasn’t there to say so.
We climbed the pasture on the south, crossed over,
And came down on the north. He said, “A thousand.”
“A thousand Christmas trees!—at what apiece?”
He felt some need of softening that to me:
“A thousand trees would come to thirty dollars.”
Then I was certain I had never meant
To let him have them. Never show surprise!
But thirty dollars seemed so small beside
The extent of pasture I should strip, three cents
(For that was all they figured out apiece),
Three cents so small beside the dollar friends
I should be writing to within the hour
Would pay in cities for good trees like those,
Regular vestry-trees whole Sunday Schools
Could hang enough on to pick off enough.
A thousand Christmas trees I didn’t know I had!
Worth three cents more to give away than sell,
As may be shown by a simple calculation.
Too bad I couldn’t lay one in a letter.
I can’t help wishing I could send you one,
In wishing you herewith a Merry Christmas.
-Robert Frost (1920)
Opening paragraphs............
The cold Alaskan water pulled at the fishing boats that
lined the dock, the boats straining against their moorings to
run free with the tide, The water here in the small harbor at
Angoon, a fishing village on the western shore of Admiralty
Island off southeast Alaska, was steel-black beneath the
clouds and dimpled by the rain, but was clear even with that,
a window beneath the weathered pilings to a world of sun-
burst starfish as wide as garbage cans jellyfish the size of
basketballs, and barnacles as heavy as a longshoreman's
fist. Alaska was like that, so vigorous with life that it could
fill a man and lift him and maybe even bring him back from
the dead."
Robert Crais, The Last Detective
lined the dock, the boats straining against their moorings to
run free with the tide, The water here in the small harbor at
Angoon, a fishing village on the western shore of Admiralty
Island off southeast Alaska, was steel-black beneath the
clouds and dimpled by the rain, but was clear even with that,
a window beneath the weathered pilings to a world of sun-
burst starfish as wide as garbage cans jellyfish the size of
basketballs, and barnacles as heavy as a longshoreman's
fist. Alaska was like that, so vigorous with life that it could
fill a man and lift him and maybe even bring him back from
the dead."
Robert Crais, The Last Detective
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Where the love light gleams................
Frank Sinatra....................................I'll Be Home For Christmas
Johnny Mathis...................................I'll Be Home For Christmas
Johnny Mathis...................................I'll Be Home For Christmas
Meeting the most amazing people.................
.............without actually meeting them. That, for me, has been
the one most unexpected, yet valuable, return on my blogging
investment.
Jeff Kopito publishes the View From the Ledge blog. I have
been a faithful follower since first being led there eighteen months
ago. Jeff is a cancer survivor. That experience, of which he has
shared bits hand pieces in various posts, has colored his world.
Jeff starts his latest post, "It’s time I came clean." He has
been volunteering:
"As part of their support program, they match me up with newly diagnosed cancer patients who have had the same clinical diagnosis and similar treatment plan as I did. These patients or caregivers can then begin contact so we can walk thru the process of treatment and recovery together. There I can provide support and guidance in this frightening landscape in real-time, with a real voice."
The notion of supporting cancer patients has become his vision
and his mission. Naturally, he has created a second blog,
GettingCancer {get (v.) - to acquire, understand, confront}
Cancer is a very personal and intimate disease. And most likely the most devastating diagnosis you will ever receive. I hope to relieve that burden. And provide for you what I can.
I am proud of you Jeff. Thanks for being there.
Worship...............
"A just thinker will allow full swing to his scepticism. I dip
my in the blackest ink, because I am not afraid to fall into
my ink pot."
"Men as naturally make a state, or a church, as caterpillars
a web."
"We are born believing. A man bears belief, as a tree bears
apples."
"God builds his temple in the heart on ruins of churches and
religions."
"In all ages, souls out of time, extraordinary, prophetic, are
born, who are rather related to the system of the world, than
to their particular age and locality. These announce absolute
truths, which, with whatever reverence received, are speedily
dragged down into savage interpretation."
"The fatal trait is the divorce between religion and morality."
"Heaven deals with us on no representative system. Souls
are not saved in bundles. The Spirit saith to the man, 'How
is it with thee? thee personally? is it well? is it ill?"
"The cure for false theology is motherwit. Forget your books
and traditions, and obey your moral perceptions at this hour."
"Every man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him.
But a day comes when he begins to care that he do not cheat
is neighbor."
"The superiority that has no superior; the redeemer and
instructor of souls, as it is their primal essence, is love."
-all quotes are excerpted from Ralph Waldo Emerson's
essay Worship.
Sunday's Verse.........
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the
angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,
a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are
highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered
what kind of greeting this might be.
30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you
have found favor with God.
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are
to call him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most
High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father
David,
33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever;
his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I
am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on
you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in
her old age, and she who was said to be unable to
conceive is in her sixth month.
37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your
word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
-The Holy Bible, New International Version
Luke 1:26-38
angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph,
a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are
highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered
what kind of greeting this might be.
30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you
have found favor with God.
31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are
to call him Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most
High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father
David,
33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever;
his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I
am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on
you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in
her old age, and she who was said to be unable to
conceive is in her sixth month.
37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your
word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
-The Holy Bible, New International Version
Luke 1:26-38
Our real problems...............
"The day is not far off when the economic problem will take
the back seat where it belongs, and the arena of the heart
and the head will be occupied or reoccupied, by our real
problems — the problems of life and of human relations and
of creation and behavior"
-John Maynard Keynes (1945)
thanks Steve
the back seat where it belongs, and the arena of the heart
and the head will be occupied or reoccupied, by our real
problems — the problems of life and of human relations and
of creation and behavior"
-John Maynard Keynes (1945)
thanks Steve
Man's own natural duty.........
"Now you shall hear how a man may become perfect, if he
devotes himself to the work which is natural to him. A man
will reach perfection if he does his duty as an act of worship
to the Lord, who is the source of the universe, prompting all
action, everywhere present.
"A man's own natural duty, even if it seems imperfectly
done, is better than work not naturally his own even if it is
well performed. When a man acts according to the law of
his nature, he cannot be sinning. Therefore, no one should
give up his natural work, even though he does it imperfectly.
For all action is involved in imperfection, like fire in smoke.
"When a man has achieved non-attachment, self-
mastery and freedom from desire through renunciation, he
reaches union with Brahman, who is beyond all actions."
-from Chapter XVIII
The Song of God: Bhagavad-Gita
devotes himself to the work which is natural to him. A man
will reach perfection if he does his duty as an act of worship
to the Lord, who is the source of the universe, prompting all
action, everywhere present.
"A man's own natural duty, even if it seems imperfectly
done, is better than work not naturally his own even if it is
well performed. When a man acts according to the law of
his nature, he cannot be sinning. Therefore, no one should
give up his natural work, even though he does it imperfectly.
For all action is involved in imperfection, like fire in smoke.
"When a man has achieved non-attachment, self-
mastery and freedom from desire through renunciation, he
reaches union with Brahman, who is beyond all actions."
-from Chapter XVIII
The Song of God: Bhagavad-Gita
On wretched excess...................
“Wretched excess is an unfortunate human trait that turns a
perfectly good idea such as Christmas into a frenzy of last-
minute shopping - or attaches the name of St. Patrick to the
day of the year that bartenders fear most.”
-Jon Anderson
perfectly good idea such as Christmas into a frenzy of last-
minute shopping - or attaches the name of St. Patrick to the
day of the year that bartenders fear most.”
-Jon Anderson
Having fun with the Fab Four..................
The Beatles............................................Roll Over Beethoven
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Sing along.......................
James Taylor..................................................Deck the Halls
Nat King Cole................................................Deck the Halls
Nat King Cole................................................Deck the Halls
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