James Taylor..................................................Deck the Halls
Nat King Cole................................................Deck the Halls
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Friday, December 16, 2011
As we dream by the fire......................
Jason Mraz.............................Walking In A Winter Wonderland
Dean Martin...........................Walking In A Winter Wonderland
Dean Martin...........................Walking In A Winter Wonderland
Turning big rocks into tiny rocks.........
Rick Platt, perhaps the most persistent and optimistic cheerleader
for manufacturing in Ohio, is using his blog to highlight some of
the great makers-of-things in Licking County. Do check him out.
He posts today about Screen Machine, but neglects to link to their
demonstration videos. That oversight is hereby corrected:
for manufacturing in Ohio, is using his blog to highlight some of
the great makers-of-things in Licking County. Do check him out.
He posts today about Screen Machine, but neglects to link to their
demonstration videos. That oversight is hereby corrected:
OK, Coach.....................
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that
10-1 is not a losing season."
"The odds are always against you no matter what your
previous history is. You have to overcome the tendency to
relax."
"Fans used to think Oklahoma was the enemy. They actually
made us better."
"We didn't do anything fancy.....we did use some mis-direction
......That did help to some degree."
"I celebrate a victory when I start walking off the field. By
the time I get to the locker room, I'm done."
"You can tell by looking at me that I've got more miles
behind me than I've got in front of me. When you reach that
point, if you've got some good years left, you make sure you
use them."
Uh-oh...................
"The Greek historian Thucydides shrewdly wrote that when a
nation makes too great a distinction between its scholars and
its warriors it winds up with having its thinking done by
cowards and its fighting done by fools."
-Terry McDonell, as excerpted from his very interesting essay
"In My Tribe" published in the 11/28/11 Sports Illustrated
nation makes too great a distinction between its scholars and
its warriors it winds up with having its thinking done by
cowards and its fighting done by fools."
-Terry McDonell, as excerpted from his very interesting essay
"In My Tribe" published in the 11/28/11 Sports Illustrated
GIGO..........
"We're capturing some new home data that should have been
filtered out and we also discovered that some properties were
being listed in more than one list."
The National Association of Realtors overstates the number of
houses sold since 2007? Imagine my surprise. Story here
My favorite National Association gets schooled on the art of
presenting accurate statistics. You'd think they were bloggers
or something.
filtered out and we also discovered that some properties were
being listed in more than one list."
The National Association of Realtors overstates the number of
houses sold since 2007? Imagine my surprise. Story here
My favorite National Association gets schooled on the art of
presenting accurate statistics. You'd think they were bloggers
or something.
Opening paragraphs................
"It was the end of an era, one that I suspect historians may look upon as the last decade of American innocence. It was a time we remember in terms of images and sdounds rather than historical events - pink Cadillacs, drive-in movies, stylized street hoods, rock'n'roll, Hank and Lefty on the jukebox, the dirty bop, daylight baseball, chopped-down '32 Fords with Merc engines drag-racing in a roar of thunder past drive-in restaurants, all of it backdropped by palm trees, a curling surf, and a purple sky that had obviously been created as a cinematic tribute to our youth."
-James Lee Burke, Crusader's Cross
-James Lee Burke, Crusader's Cross
About Risk....................
"All significant accomplishments require taking risks: the risk of failure in invention, exploration, or in love. We live in a society that is risk-adverse. Enormous time and energy is devoted to promoting "safety" in all we do. We are taught to buckle our seat belts, lock our doors, refrain from smoking, get an annual physical, and consult our doctors before exercise. We worry about weather, obsess about our children's security, live in houses with alarm systems, and arm ourselves against intruders,
"The risks that previous generations took for granted: childhood mortality, infectious disease, environmental catastrophe, are not things that now preoccupy most people."
-Gordon Livingston, Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart
"The risks that previous generations took for granted: childhood mortality, infectious disease, environmental catastrophe, are not things that now preoccupy most people."
-Gordon Livingston, Too Soon Old, Too Late Smart
Any old way you choose........................
The Beatles.............................................Rock and Roll Music
(Editors Note: Video quality high, audio quality not so high.
For higher quality audio version, go here)
(Editors Note: Video quality high, audio quality not so high.
For higher quality audio version, go here)
WRM points to an optimistic............................
..............Howard Dean? Full post here. Excerpt here:
“I think there’s plenty of innovation still going on…The
entrepreneurial spirit in America is very much alive
especially among young people,” said Dean. “I know a ton
of kids who got a couple of jobs, lost them in succession,
then started their own Internet companies. And most of them
failed. And they make a little money for a while, they learn a
lot, and then they turn around and do something else. That’s
a very important process. The failure of this country is in the
political class, the financial class and the media,” said Dean,
“but there’s still enormous dynamism in America, and
I absolutely believe that dynamism is going to overcome
everything else.”
“I think there’s plenty of innovation still going on…The
entrepreneurial spirit in America is very much alive
especially among young people,” said Dean. “I know a ton
of kids who got a couple of jobs, lost them in succession,
then started their own Internet companies. And most of them
failed. And they make a little money for a while, they learn a
lot, and then they turn around and do something else. That’s
a very important process. The failure of this country is in the
political class, the financial class and the media,” said Dean,
“but there’s still enormous dynamism in America, and
I absolutely believe that dynamism is going to overcome
everything else.”
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Looking out the office window.............
One of the things that makes Newark a special place to live......
Thanks John
Thanks John
On every street corner....................
Jim Reeves.........................................................Silver Bells
Bob Hope and "The Lemon Drop Kid".....................Silver Bells
Bob Hope and "The Lemon Drop Kid".....................Silver Bells
OK, Coach.................
“All I know is I have a job here as long as I win.”
"If the day ever comes when I can swallow defeat, I'll quit."
"We went with experience, and experience won ... It was a
decision we had to make. "
"Predictions are for gypsies."
"We see things not as they are, but as we are."
(attributed)
-Toe Blake
On abundance..................
"Abundance will never be a factor of how much money one
has. Rather, it is always a factor of how one feels about
what money one does have."
-Stuart Wilde, The Trick to Money is Having Some
has. Rather, it is always a factor of how one feels about
what money one does have."
-Stuart Wilde, The Trick to Money is Having Some
Any old time you use it....................
Chuck Berry.............................................Rock and Roll Music
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
I'm dreaming........................
Bing Crosby..................................................White Christmas
For the 3:08 version of Bing singing, go here
Martina McBride.............................................White Christmas
For the 3:08 version of Bing singing, go here
Martina McBride.............................................White Christmas
OK, Coach.......................
"If you fail the first time that's just a chance to start
over again."
"Show people how to have success and then you can push
their expectations up."
" If you can't go through it, find a way around it. Don't
spend all your time banging your head."
“The most important quality I look for in a player is
accountability. You’ve got to be accountable for who you
are. It’s too easy to blame things on someone else.”
"I worry about the things I can affect, and the things I
have no control over I move by."
"If you want it, you've got to give it."
"The American dream, to me, means having the opportunity
to achieve, because I don't think you should be guaranteed
anything other than opportunity."
-Lenny Wilkens
On being careful about what you wish for.........
P. J. O'Rourke talks about the importance of baking a bigger pie
and issues a caution about "fairness".........
"The good things in life are remarkably expandable, but it's ordinary people who expand them. Look at China, look at India. Yes, it's upsetting that some people have so much while other people have so little. It isn't fair. But I accept this unfairness. Indeed, I treasure it. That's because I have a 13-year-old daughter And that's all I hear, "That's not fair," she says. "That's not fair! That's not fair!" And one day I snapped, and I said, "Honey, you're cute, that's not fair. Your family is pretty well off, that's not fair. You were born in America, that's not fair. Darling, you had better get down on your knees and pray that things don't start getting fair for you."
and issues a caution about "fairness".........
"The good things in life are remarkably expandable, but it's ordinary people who expand them. Look at China, look at India. Yes, it's upsetting that some people have so much while other people have so little. It isn't fair. But I accept this unfairness. Indeed, I treasure it. That's because I have a 13-year-old daughter And that's all I hear, "That's not fair," she says. "That's not fair! That's not fair!" And one day I snapped, and I said, "Honey, you're cute, that's not fair. Your family is pretty well off, that's not fair. You were born in America, that's not fair. Darling, you had better get down on your knees and pray that things don't start getting fair for you."
On getting from "Point A" to "Point B"......
"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is
the journey that matters in the end."
-Ursula Le Guin
the journey that matters in the end."
-Ursula Le Guin
Sing the song, fellows......................
The Beatles............................You've Really Got a Hold On Me
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Echoing their joyous strain...................
Andrea Bocelli.........................Angels We Have Heard on High
Mormon Tabernacle Choir..........Angels We Have Heard on High
Mormon Tabernacle Choir..........Angels We Have Heard on High
OK, Coach....................
“Losing streaks are funny. If you lose at the beginning, you get off to a bad start. If you lose in the middle of the season, you’re in a slump. If you lose at the end, you’re choking.”
“There should be a new way to record standings in this league; one column for wins, one for losses and one for gifts.”
"I have an amazing ability to forget."
"I'm not the manager because I'm always right, but I'm always right because I'm the manager."
"I want everybody to feel he has a chance to get into a game when he comes to the ballpark. I play guys when I want to so they'll be ready when I have to. I don't consider myself a motivator of players. I think it's an insult to a ballplayer to have to be motivated."
"Most one run games are lost, not won."
"The worst thing is the day you realize you want to win more than the players do."
"You can't lead anyone else further than you have gone yourself."
-Gene Mauch
1964.....................
1964. Baby boomers who grew up in Philadelphia eventually
have to come to grips with 1964. It is late, late, late summer.
The Phillies have a six and a half game lead with twelve games
remaining in the season. Jim Bunning and Chris Short are two
of the best pitchers in the league. Gene Mauch, one of the
great young managers, is pulling the strings. What could
possibly go wrong?
September 24, 1964 and I am listening to the ballgame on my
little GE Quartz Radio. The Reds and the Phils are tied 0-0.
Art Mahaffey is on the mound. It is the 6th inning, with two outs.
Chico Ruiz is on third, the great Frank Robinson is at the plate
with two strikes. And.................Chico Ruiz steals home. WTF?
The Phillies lose the game 1-0. Then proceed to lose the next
nine in a row. In one of the all time collapses, they came in
fourth in their division. Our collective City psyche was scared
and countless hearts were broken the fall, mine included. The
healing would not come until 1980, but that is a story for
another day.
After posting the few quotes by Mauch, memories surged and
this tale just needed to be told - one more time. I feel better
now. Thanks for asking.
have to come to grips with 1964. It is late, late, late summer.
The Phillies have a six and a half game lead with twelve games
remaining in the season. Jim Bunning and Chris Short are two
of the best pitchers in the league. Gene Mauch, one of the
great young managers, is pulling the strings. What could
possibly go wrong?
September 24, 1964 and I am listening to the ballgame on my
little GE Quartz Radio. The Reds and the Phils are tied 0-0.
Art Mahaffey is on the mound. It is the 6th inning, with two outs.
Chico Ruiz is on third, the great Frank Robinson is at the plate
with two strikes. And.................Chico Ruiz steals home. WTF?
The Phillies lose the game 1-0. Then proceed to lose the next
nine in a row. In one of the all time collapses, they came in
fourth in their division. Our collective City psyche was scared
and countless hearts were broken the fall, mine included. The
healing would not come until 1980, but that is a story for
another day.
After posting the few quotes by Mauch, memories surged and
this tale just needed to be told - one more time. I feel better
now. Thanks for asking.
Behavior, Part 2................Manners
"There is always a best way of doing everything, if it be to
boil an egg. Manners are the happy way of doing things;
each once a stroke of genius or of love, - now repeated
and hardened into usage."
"Manners are very communicable: men catch them from
each other."
"Your manners are always under examination, and by
committees little suspected, - a police in citizens' clothes, -
but are awarding or denying you very high prizes when
you least think of it."
"...- I have seen men who neigh like a horse when you
contradict them, or say something they do not understand:"
"When the eyes say one thing, and the tongue another, a
practiced man relies on the language of the first."
"Manners have been somewhat cynically defined to be a
contrivance of wise men to keep fools at a distance."
"Manners require time, as nothing is more vulgar than
haste. Friendship should be surrounded with ceremonies
and respect, and not crushed into corners."
"Manners impress as they indicate real power."
"Nature forever puts a premium on reality. What is done for
effect, is seen to be done for effect; what is done for love is
felt to be done for love."
-all quotes excerpted from Ralph Waldo Emerson's
essay, Behavior.
Nothing happens.........................
..............................until somebody sells something.
Mathew Ferrara takes all of us sales types who don't consider
ourselves, first and foremost, "salespeople" to the woodshed. He
exhorts us to quit pretending that we are "pseudo-attorneys,
proto-financial advisors and neo-consultants.... Advisor.
Consultant. Solution provider. He says its is high time we
step up to the plate and embrace reality: we are salespeople,
and that is OK. Full post is here. Excerpted, Mathew says:
"Great salespeople understand that selling means fulfilling people’s wants and needs. When they sell their product or service, they do so with full, ethical confidence that their offering is the best choice to fill the customer’s needs. Why? It’s totally self centered: All salespeople live and die by referrals. No customer who feels they were tricked will refer them to their friends or family."
and
"Some of our greatest contributors and leaders have been natural salespeople. President Roosevelt or Reagan were salespeople who sold their vision of the future and were elected and re-elected with landslide support."
Mathew Ferrara takes all of us sales types who don't consider
ourselves, first and foremost, "salespeople" to the woodshed. He
exhorts us to quit pretending that we are "pseudo-attorneys,
proto-financial advisors and neo-consultants.... Advisor.
Consultant. Solution provider. He says its is high time we
step up to the plate and embrace reality: we are salespeople,
and that is OK. Full post is here. Excerpted, Mathew says:
"Great salespeople understand that selling means fulfilling people’s wants and needs. When they sell their product or service, they do so with full, ethical confidence that their offering is the best choice to fill the customer’s needs. Why? It’s totally self centered: All salespeople live and die by referrals. No customer who feels they were tricked will refer them to their friends or family."
and
"Some of our greatest contributors and leaders have been natural salespeople. President Roosevelt or Reagan were salespeople who sold their vision of the future and were elected and re-elected with landslide support."
On worry..................
"The worst thing we can do when a problem arises is to worry.
In doing this, we get stuck and trap ourselves, and we end up
attracting more of precisely what we don't want. We are like
magnets: Tell me what you think and I will tell you who you
are. It is of vital importance to live in the NOW. We spend
our existence living in the past with our memories and
experiences or in the future with our worries."
-Mabel Katz, The Easiest Way
How to shop for the man who has everything....
Go visit Cultural Offering. Kurt has it covered nicely.
If you want to surprise him, how about this "Personalizable Beer
Holster", handy while grilling, for $29.95. Can't hardly go wrong.
If you want to surprise him, how about this "Personalizable Beer
Holster", handy while grilling, for $29.95. Can't hardly go wrong.
Monday, December 12, 2011
From now on.................................
The Carpenters................Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Frank Sinatra..................Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Frank Sinatra..................Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
OK, Coach..........................
"When a team takes ownership, good things happen."
"She taught me that it is ok to let down your guard and
allow your players to get to know you. They don't care how
much you know until they know how much you care."
"You can't win a basketball game in the first half, but
"You can't win a basketball game in the first half, but
you certainly can lose one."
About letting book learning get in the way of your education.......
The Live Your Own Legend blog advocates "The Birth of Self-
Guided Education (the only real option left)."
Full post here. Excerpt here
"The thing is, by the time we launched our fund, I had
remembered precisely zero applicable skills from my
studies."
I suspect his notion is that while a fancy degree may provide
a useful credential, it should not be mistaken for expertise. You
get that the old-fashioned way, you earn it.
I remember back in the early 1980's blessing the creators of
Trivial Pursuit.. Their game provided the first place I could
skillfully apply the book learning that came with my B.A. in
History.
Anyway, Scott gets a coveted "atta boy" from this blog for
this comment:
And you can never, absolutely never, drop out of learning.
Learn everything of interest you can get your hands on.
Become expert enough to reach goals, to help people, to
make a living doing what you love........No one is going to
do this for you. No school system, no book, no teacher –
It’s on you. You have more tools than you’ve ever had and
the potential for putting them to use grows daily.
I research a lot............
"Basic research is what I am doing when I don't
know what I am doing."
-Werner von Braun
I'm wondering why the City of Newark hasn't taken action on this.....
From the Municpal Code of Chicago comes this dandy piece of
legislation.
1-16-010 Definitions.
For the purposes of this ordinance, the following definitions
shall apply:
(a) “Person” means a natural person, as well as a
corporation, institution or other entity, but shall not include
the federal government or any agency thereof.
(b) “Nuclear weapon” means any device, the purpose of
which is use as a weapon, a weapon prototype or a weapon
test device, the intended detonation of which results from the
energy released by fission and/or fusion reactions involving
atomic nuclei. For the purpose of this ordinance, “nuclear
weapon” includes the weapon’s guidance and propulsion
system and triggering mechanism, i.e., the means of
transporting, guiding, propelling, triggering or detonating
the weapon, provided that such means is destroyed or
rendered useless in the normal transporting, guiding,
propelling, triggering or detonation of the weapon.
(c) “Component of a nuclear weapon” means any device,
radioactive or nonradioactive, specifically designed to be
installed in and contribute to the operation of a nuclear
weapon.
(d) “Direct activities of the federal government” means
actions of the federal government or any agency thereof
created by statute, but shall exclude actions of independent
contractors.
(Prior code § 202-1; Added Coun. J. 3-12-86, p. 28521;
Corrected. 2-3-87, p. 39355)
1-16-020 Nuclear weapons work – Unlawful activities –
Exceptions.
(a) Phase-out of present activities. No person shall knowingly,
within the City of Chicago, design, produce, deploy, launch,
maintain, or store nuclear weapons or components of nuclear
weapons. This prohibition shall take effect two years after the
adoption and publication of this ordinance.
(b) Prohibition of commencement of nuclear weapons work.
No person who is not, as of the effective date of this
ordinance, engaged in the design, production, deployment,
launching, maintenance or storage of nuclear weapons or
components of nuclear weapons, shall, within the City of
Chicago, commence any such activities after the effective
date of this ordinance.
I feel safer already. Well, I did until I scrolled down to see
the penalty for violating 1-16-020 a) and b). No, I'm not
telling. Do your own fact checking- go here. Amazing.
Thanks for the pointer Eric
On rereading....................
"Reading books is good, rereading good books is better."
-Lawrence Clark Powell
"If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again,
there is no use in reading at all."
-Oscar Wilde
"One cannot read a book: one can only reread it. A good
reader, a major reader, an active and creative reader is
a rereader."
-Vladimir Nabokov
-Lawrence Clark Powell
"If one cannot enjoy reading a book over and over again,
there is no use in reading at all."
-Oscar Wilde
"One cannot read a book: one can only reread it. A good
reader, a major reader, an active and creative reader is
a rereader."
-Vladimir Nabokov
A Poem for a Monday before Christmas
Today's poem comes from the Jade Page Press blog. Do go visit.
the shopping trip
I genuflect
before the steep December precipice
and pray for calm and joy and discipline,
lest I fall over the edge into the greed and frenzy
of holiday shopping.
I keep to my mission
searching for that single gift -
that birch-bark box from the Indian store
because I have more than just an inkling
that it will be perfection.
and I hustle past the diamond-encrusted watch
and sterling silver trivet
and the candle with its subtle vanilla, amorous fragrance
past the shoppers laden with bags and frowns
and credit card bills
-- into the great beyond of satisfaction
Copyright © 2011 Nan P used by permission
the shopping trip
I genuflect
before the steep December precipice
and pray for calm and joy and discipline,
lest I fall over the edge into the greed and frenzy
of holiday shopping.
I keep to my mission
searching for that single gift -
that birch-bark box from the Indian store
because I have more than just an inkling
that it will be perfection.
and I hustle past the diamond-encrusted watch
and sterling silver trivet
and the candle with its subtle vanilla, amorous fragrance
past the shoppers laden with bags and frowns
and credit card bills
-- into the great beyond of satisfaction
Copyright © 2011 Nan P used by permission
There was music......................
The Beatles..........................................Till There Was You
Lest we forget. For the classic Music Man with Shirley Jones
singing Till There Was You, go here, because some silly person
has disabled the embedding.
Lest we forget. For the classic Music Man with Shirley Jones
singing Till There Was You, go here, because some silly person
has disabled the embedding.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
For goodness's sake.........................
Bruce Springsteen.......................Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Michael Buble.......................Santa Claus is Coming To Town
Michael Buble.......................Santa Claus is Coming To Town
The new scarcity.................
Tom Asacker suggests that scarce resources tend to be the most
valued.....and that in today's economic environment, business
leaders not obsessed with control are scarce, and thus valuable.
Full post here. Excerpt here:
"Let your anxious mind go. Feel and understand with your heart and gut. Don’t be quietly cynical or apathetic. Don’t push or persuade. Be open and optimistic, compassionate and kind. Give up control. Give up trying to be the best in the world and instead focus on what matters most: being the best for the world."
valued.....and that in today's economic environment, business
leaders not obsessed with control are scarce, and thus valuable.
Full post here. Excerpt here:
"Let your anxious mind go. Feel and understand with your heart and gut. Don’t be quietly cynical or apathetic. Don’t push or persuade. Be open and optimistic, compassionate and kind. Give up control. Give up trying to be the best in the world and instead focus on what matters most: being the best for the world."
Sunday's Verse...............
1 Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and
hear my prayer.
2 How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
3 Know that the LORD has set apart his faithful servant
for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.
4 Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in
the LORD.
6 Many, LORD, are asking, “Who will bring us
prosperity?” Let the light of your face shine on us.
7 Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new
wine abound.
8 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone,
LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4
The Holy Bible, New International Version
Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and
hear my prayer.
2 How long will you people turn my glory into shame?
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods?
3 Know that the LORD has set apart his faithful servant
for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.
4 Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds,
search your hearts and be silent.
5 Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in
the LORD.
6 Many, LORD, are asking, “Who will bring us
prosperity?” Let the light of your face shine on us.
7 Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new
wine abound.
8 In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone,
LORD, make me dwell in safety.
Psalm 4
The Holy Bible, New International Version
There was love....................
Ray Charles.................................................Till There Was You
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