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An Object In Motion....

[Your Name Here] — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 12:17:55 +0000

Trajectory is defined as the path that a moving object follows through space. Several variables dictate the trajectory of an object such as point of origin, destination, thrust, external forces, etc. Trajectory provides us a metaphor than can be applied to life and career. Consider the following...

God Help Us

[Your Name Here] — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 13:00:46 +0000

Perhaps you've already seen the example below, but I think it should be reviewed as it makes a profound statement about a few things:

First, government is really bad at economics. Really, really, really, really, really bad. Even the most irresponsible of us woud not, and probably could not, make such ridiculous financial decisions.

Second, the rest of us must be, in direct corelation to our own government, really really really really really stupid to keep allowing this to happen. Or worse yet, and probably more realistic, we're just apathetic. We don't give a crap anymore. We are becoming everything we should fear: A society dependent upon, and controlled by, a central power....one that's really bad at basic math.

Third, even this little example doesn't really give an accurate picture. The government didn't really make any actual spending cuts, they simply just cut the rate of increase in spending. Imagine being this far in personal debt and the only financial decision you make is how much less you'll increase your credit card usage next year?

Enjoy!

Why The U.S. Credit Rating Was Downgraded:

• U.S. Annual Tax revenue: $2,170,000,000,000

• Fed budget: $3,820,000,000,000

• New debt: $ 1,650,000,000,000

• National debt: $14,271,000,000,000

• Recent budget cut: $ 38,500,000,000

Remove 8 Zero's and add some perspective:

• Annual family income: $21,700.

• Money the family spent: $38,200.

• New debt on the credit card: $16,500.

• Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710.

• Total budget cuts: $385.

Gene Simmons and Jesus

[Your Name Here] — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:17:50 +0000

I have recently become very fond of the A&E show Gene Simmons Family Jewels. I found it entertaining a few years ago when it first came out because I was fascinated by how this guy with a huge tongue and makeup was actually a brilliant entrepreneur. But then I lost interest until I was flipping through channels a few weeks ago and got sucked into the latest saga in his life. It’s hard to tell how much is scripted, but I’m inclined to believe that what I was watching was indeed reality. I guess I just don’t believe that all four members of the family are that good of actors. If so, they should own Hollywood because there’s not an actor alive who could pull this off...

Essay: Sharks and Free Markets

[Your Name Here] — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 12:22:44 +0000

I like sharks. By far the most exciting thing I’ve ever done in my life was to feed sharks in the Bahamas. It’s an amazing experience but it only takes a matter of seconds under water with them to realize you’re not the top of the food chain anymore. Also shark related, I like the TV show Shark Tank, perhaps for the same reason: in the shark tank, you’re not the top of the food chain. And when you’re not on top of the food chain, you’d better be paying attention to the rules...

Ironic

[Your Name Here] — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 11:59:39 +0000

"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our government's reckless fiscal policies.… Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that 'the buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better."

- Senator Barack Obama, March 2006

Fixing a Mass Identity Crisis

[Your Name Here] — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 23:55:41 +0000

There is a story, perhaps a legend, about a Jewish Scholar from the 1st century BC named Choni (pronounced Honi). The story goes like this: A Roman centurion approached him one day and questions him: “Who are you and why are you here?”...

The Telephone Game of Life

[Your Name Here] — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:41:05 +0000

Remember playing the telephone game with a group of people? It starts with one person whispering something in another person’s ear and then they have to say what they heard to the next person and so on down the line. By the time it gets to the last person what they say is usually not even close to what the first person said. A simple phrase like “I like popcorn” becomes “let’s go ice fishing” or something ridiculous like that. I wondered the other day if this is perhaps a really accurate metaphor that describes how we have arrived in our current cultural condition...

Dreams Come True

[Your Name Here] — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 11:37:24 +0000

I was a guest panelist last week for an event hosted by the Grand Rapids Area Professional for Excellence (GRAPE). The topic for the event was how to attract and keep talent in Michigan. This is obviously a hot topic in the state right now as our economy has been in a downward spiral for many years. As I met the other two panelists, I quickly realized that they were far more educated and qualified to speak on this topic. But I did my best to bring something of value...

For Grandma

[Your Name Here] — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:38:29 +0000

We laid Grandma to rest this week. 88 years of joys and pain, adventures and struggles. She was a fun lady, full of life into her mid 80’s before the realities of old age started to take their tole. She was a kid of the depression who raised five kids, survived the loss of her little brother as a child and the death of her eldest son. But in spite of it all that the lady had a smile that could light up a room! She will be missed by many...

Screen Doors

[Your Name Here] — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:02:37 +0000

I found myself working on my laptop the other day while my son was in the other room. He walked into my office holding his Gameboy, engulfed in the action on the little screen. Like father like son. It was an eye opening experience to say the least, both of us staring at our respective screens, our doors to the world...