I am posting the Declaration of Independence. You might think I am trite and uncreative. Go ahead. The document gives you the right. You might think I am opinionated and overzelous in my patriotism. It's ok. The document gives you the right. As you read my previous posts, you might think I am over critical of the media. That's ok, the document gives me the right. I could go on but I think you get the point.
The Declaration of Independence gives us the right to be humans. Free to be who we are and who we were meant to be. It gives us the right to write, to speak, to have voice in the government of our country. It gives us the right to work, to be educated, to marry who we choose, to live where we want, to create wealth, to keep our wealth, to bear arms, to worship our God, and to be happy. It gives us these rights as long as we don't trample on the rights of others.
The Declaration of Independence is a remarkable document the we don't read often enough. The men who crafted it and had the courage to sign it, risked everything they had to do so. Many suffered great loss because of their defense of this document.
It's way too easy for us to forget why we celebrate various holidays. In the hustle and bustle of each we get focused on the celebration and not the cause of the celebration.
It is fourth of July weekend. Before you eat your hot dogs and drink too much beer, take a moment and read the Declaration. Be sure to read the names of each man who signed it. Reflect upon their gift to you. Give thanks for those who died to preserve it, and pray for those who are still fighting to defend it.
The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies
In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. —Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
The signers of the Declaration represented the new states as follows:
New Hampshire
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts
John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark
Pennsylvania
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton
Georgia
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Saturday, June 18, 2005
Friday, June 17, 2005
Pomp and Circumstance
It's graduation season. We know alot of people who are graduating from high school and college. In their honor, I am posting these words from Bill Gates...I couldn't have said it better myself;
11 rules for living:
Rule 1: life is not fair – get used to it!
Rule 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be vice-president with a car until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait ‘till you meet your boss.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for flipping burgers – they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault. So don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way by paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your bedroom.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: TV is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are, you’ll end up working for one.
11 rules for living:
Rule 1: life is not fair – get used to it!
Rule 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.
Rule 3: You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. You won’t be vice-president with a car until you earn both.
Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait ‘till you meet your boss.
Rule 5: Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for flipping burgers – they called it opportunity.
Rule 6: If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault. So don’t whine about your mistakes, learn from them.
Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way by paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you thought you were. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your bedroom.
Rule 8: Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they’ll give you as MANY TIMES as you want to get the right answer. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.
Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.
Rule 10: TV is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.
Rule 11: Be nice to nerds. Chances are, you’ll end up working for one.
Monday, May 30, 2005
Memorial Day
A day off work to picnic, party, swim, boat and celebrate summer…
I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s. It wasn’t a time to be patriotic. Our nation was involved in an “armed conflict” of questionable merit. It wasn’t like WWI or WWII. Even our troops weren’t sure why they were in Nam. I spent most of my teen years worried that my big brother would have to go over there. Then I spent my late teens worrying that I would have to go there. I was in the last draft lottery. I pulled a 27. If the draft hadn’t ended I would have been on my way.
Now that I am older and wiser, I am sometimes remorseful that I didn’t go. Even though the cause was unclear, I know now that it is important to serve and protect the interests of this great country. I have taken to reading about the civil war and WWII. It’s kind of weird to realize that the Civil War was really not that long ago. The last veteran of that war died within my lifetime (1958). WWII vets are still all around us, but their ranks are thinning. Now I watch The History Channel and see Vietnam Vets interviewed and they look old.
I think about my dad and my uncles serving in WWII. I think about friends of mine who served in Nam. I think about the kids of my friends who have served or are serving in the Mid-east. I remember the day I visited “The Wall”. I sat on the ground and cried. I cried out of grief for the 58,000 who died in Nam. I cried for the 600,000 who died on our own soil so that all could be free in this country. I cried for the WWI & II vets who never came back from places like Normandy, and Sarabachi. I cried for the Korean vets. I cried for those who did come home, but left part of their souls in those dark and dangerous places. After a time, I felt a sense of calm and peace. I realized I wasn’t alone. I was surrounded by veterans and non-veterans all feeling the same wave of emotions. The calm and peace I felt was the souls of those departed telling me that they were alright, and that their sacrifice was not in vain. I gave thanks for their patriotism, commitment, bravery, and sacrifice.
I lowered my flag to half-staff this morning…I prayed that God would continue to bless this land, that God would protect this great country, and that God would comfort the families of those lost in battle to preserve our freedom, and that God would make his presence known to those who live with the haunting memories of war, and that God would grant eternal peace to those who died in service so that we might picnin, party, swim, boat and celebrate summer.
I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s. It wasn’t a time to be patriotic. Our nation was involved in an “armed conflict” of questionable merit. It wasn’t like WWI or WWII. Even our troops weren’t sure why they were in Nam. I spent most of my teen years worried that my big brother would have to go over there. Then I spent my late teens worrying that I would have to go there. I was in the last draft lottery. I pulled a 27. If the draft hadn’t ended I would have been on my way.
Now that I am older and wiser, I am sometimes remorseful that I didn’t go. Even though the cause was unclear, I know now that it is important to serve and protect the interests of this great country. I have taken to reading about the civil war and WWII. It’s kind of weird to realize that the Civil War was really not that long ago. The last veteran of that war died within my lifetime (1958). WWII vets are still all around us, but their ranks are thinning. Now I watch The History Channel and see Vietnam Vets interviewed and they look old.
I think about my dad and my uncles serving in WWII. I think about friends of mine who served in Nam. I think about the kids of my friends who have served or are serving in the Mid-east. I remember the day I visited “The Wall”. I sat on the ground and cried. I cried out of grief for the 58,000 who died in Nam. I cried for the 600,000 who died on our own soil so that all could be free in this country. I cried for the WWI & II vets who never came back from places like Normandy, and Sarabachi. I cried for the Korean vets. I cried for those who did come home, but left part of their souls in those dark and dangerous places. After a time, I felt a sense of calm and peace. I realized I wasn’t alone. I was surrounded by veterans and non-veterans all feeling the same wave of emotions. The calm and peace I felt was the souls of those departed telling me that they were alright, and that their sacrifice was not in vain. I gave thanks for their patriotism, commitment, bravery, and sacrifice.
I lowered my flag to half-staff this morning…I prayed that God would continue to bless this land, that God would protect this great country, and that God would comfort the families of those lost in battle to preserve our freedom, and that God would make his presence known to those who live with the haunting memories of war, and that God would grant eternal peace to those who died in service so that we might picnin, party, swim, boat and celebrate summer.
Saturday, May 21, 2005
Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles....
The wierdest thing happened yesterday...
I bought a new Ford Truck. I negotiated the whole deal online and over the phone. What was wierd was that when I went to pick it up, the deal didn't change. The dealer was not only helpful and honest but get this... they found me a better interest rate and the price/payment came down...not only that, they added in windshield breakage coverage and wheel/tire damage insurance AND gap insurance.
I have purchased a lot of cars in my life, I think this is the first time I have been treated with so much respect and honesty...
Congratulations Mullinax Ford in Amherst and specifically Pete Tobias ( internet sales guy ).
I bought a new Ford Truck. I negotiated the whole deal online and over the phone. What was wierd was that when I went to pick it up, the deal didn't change. The dealer was not only helpful and honest but get this... they found me a better interest rate and the price/payment came down...not only that, they added in windshield breakage coverage and wheel/tire damage insurance AND gap insurance.
I have purchased a lot of cars in my life, I think this is the first time I have been treated with so much respect and honesty...
Congratulations Mullinax Ford in Amherst and specifically Pete Tobias ( internet sales guy ).
Friday, May 20, 2005
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
A little help from your friends
Dear Wendy:
I am so sorry to hear about all the problems you are having ever since that nasty woman in California accused you of putting fingers in your salads. I know that you have lost a lot of sales because of this. I am so glad she was caught and I hope she is punished appropriately.
I am writing today in order to offer some assistance in rebuilding the Wendy’s business and reputation.
Since I do have a background in marketing and advertising I try to offer my services whenever possible to organizations like yours that are in the midst of a crisis. To that end, I have developed a creative promotional campaign that I believe will not only put you back on top of the salad dispensing world, but will allow you to turn this unfortunate incident into something that will get you free, positive media exposure…
Picture this… a simple ad campaign titled… “Wendy is giving you the finger”, or “I got the finger at Wendy’s”. Either one will work.
Now, here is the premise of the promotion. Since the finger was planted, and there never was a slip up on your part, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You should take advantage of the whole finger in the salad thing, by running a nationwide promotion in which you encourage people to buy a salad in the hopes of discovering a finger in their salad. (The finger would of course be plastic ). Any one finding a finger in their salad would automatically win a prize matched to the “finger print” on the finger. Since all the fingers would have to have a different print, you could encourage people to collect all the fingers of the same print. When they get an entire hand, they would get a free trip to Palm Springs! Of course for anyone to get a full hand you will have to throw in a thumb once in awhile. You could call this the “thumbs up winner! Perhaps just getting a thumb could get the recipient a one night stay on some roadside motel somewhere along Route 66. Other prizes could include free manicures and acrylic nails, “Isotoner” gloves, “Palm Pilots”, free chicken fingers at your restaurants…etc.
I can see people really getting excited about the whole thing. Wendy... you could end up on Letterman!
I would be happy to coordinate this effort with your existing ad agency. (Quite frankly, I am rather disappointed and surprised that they have not already thought of this. You might consider a new agency.) You may contact me through the email address listed below.
Finally, I recommend that you get going on this before Kohl’s Frozen Custard in North Carolina steals the idea. It has already been reported that a customer found a finger in his custard…It is only a matter of time. Damn, nobody has original thoughts anymore.
Your friend,
Jim
I am so sorry to hear about all the problems you are having ever since that nasty woman in California accused you of putting fingers in your salads. I know that you have lost a lot of sales because of this. I am so glad she was caught and I hope she is punished appropriately.
I am writing today in order to offer some assistance in rebuilding the Wendy’s business and reputation.
Since I do have a background in marketing and advertising I try to offer my services whenever possible to organizations like yours that are in the midst of a crisis. To that end, I have developed a creative promotional campaign that I believe will not only put you back on top of the salad dispensing world, but will allow you to turn this unfortunate incident into something that will get you free, positive media exposure…
Picture this… a simple ad campaign titled… “Wendy is giving you the finger”, or “I got the finger at Wendy’s”. Either one will work.
Now, here is the premise of the promotion. Since the finger was planted, and there never was a slip up on your part, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You should take advantage of the whole finger in the salad thing, by running a nationwide promotion in which you encourage people to buy a salad in the hopes of discovering a finger in their salad. (The finger would of course be plastic ). Any one finding a finger in their salad would automatically win a prize matched to the “finger print” on the finger. Since all the fingers would have to have a different print, you could encourage people to collect all the fingers of the same print. When they get an entire hand, they would get a free trip to Palm Springs! Of course for anyone to get a full hand you will have to throw in a thumb once in awhile. You could call this the “thumbs up winner! Perhaps just getting a thumb could get the recipient a one night stay on some roadside motel somewhere along Route 66. Other prizes could include free manicures and acrylic nails, “Isotoner” gloves, “Palm Pilots”, free chicken fingers at your restaurants…etc.
I can see people really getting excited about the whole thing. Wendy... you could end up on Letterman!
I would be happy to coordinate this effort with your existing ad agency. (Quite frankly, I am rather disappointed and surprised that they have not already thought of this. You might consider a new agency.) You may contact me through the email address listed below.
Finally, I recommend that you get going on this before Kohl’s Frozen Custard in North Carolina steals the idea. It has already been reported that a customer found a finger in his custard…It is only a matter of time. Damn, nobody has original thoughts anymore.
Your friend,
Jim
Monday, May 02, 2005
Big Fish
One of my favorite recent movies is “Big Fish”. If you aren’t familiar with it, it is about a young man’s perception of his father’s “fish stories”. I am especially fond of the movie because my kids never believe the stories I tell them about the things I have done and people I have met.
In a nutshell…A friend of mine and I saved Hal Holbrook from getting hit by a New York Taxi. I met privately with Bernadette Peters in her dressing room. I once drove Della Reese to an eastside Cleveland drug store at 2:00 in the morning. I partied with Martin Mull. I was on stage once with Bruce Springsteen (see my post from Dec. 15, ’04). I pushed jazz great; Woody Herman around in his wheelchair after his car accident. I helped create the original marketing plan for the soft-drink “Mello Yellow”. (That one really gets them going) I got into an argument with magician Harry Blackstone. I once told Liza Minelli’s manager to “shove-it” and got yelled at by Mickey Rooney and Jerry Lewis.
I won’t even get into how I may have saved President Bush…
Someday, when Variety Magazine reports: "J Zak Drps Ded", the kids will know, that I didn’t make this stuff up!
In a nutshell…A friend of mine and I saved Hal Holbrook from getting hit by a New York Taxi. I met privately with Bernadette Peters in her dressing room. I once drove Della Reese to an eastside Cleveland drug store at 2:00 in the morning. I partied with Martin Mull. I was on stage once with Bruce Springsteen (see my post from Dec. 15, ’04). I pushed jazz great; Woody Herman around in his wheelchair after his car accident. I helped create the original marketing plan for the soft-drink “Mello Yellow”. (That one really gets them going) I got into an argument with magician Harry Blackstone. I once told Liza Minelli’s manager to “shove-it” and got yelled at by Mickey Rooney and Jerry Lewis.
I won’t even get into how I may have saved President Bush…
Someday, when Variety Magazine reports: "J Zak Drps Ded", the kids will know, that I didn’t make this stuff up!
Thursday, April 28, 2005
Nothing happens without first, a dream
My wife and I ran into a friend of mine from my days with the Cleveland Opera. It was a chance meeting in the Orlando airport. The last time I saw Laura was about three years ago while I was escorting six Radio City Rockettes to a TV interview at a local station in Cleveland. Laura was the featured guest on the evening “soft” news hour. She had become an international opera star.
When we saw her at the airport she was on her way back to Cleveland from spending time with her vocal coach. It was great to spend time with her and learn about her career and the success she has had. We exchanged contact information and have already communicated by email.
What I found interesting is that when I first contacted her by email, I expressed my excitement and happiness at her success. When she responded, she thanked me and said that it was nice to have someone be genuinely happy for what she had accomplished. She went on to explain that not everyone was happy for her. I found that distressing. Distressing because she pointed out something about society that is really troubling…
In general, humans (especially in the U.S ) are negative about the success of others. The average person views the success of others as somehow taking away from their own opportunities. How sad. I wrote back to Laura and told her that I view the success of others as an indication that all is right with the world and that anyone/everyone can succeed in whatever endeavors, as long as they believe in themselves and are willing to work. Further, the average person stops dreaming about their own potential somewhere around 24 years of age. Just about the time that they get into the full-time work force. I believe the correlation is bad management and poor treatment of the workforce. I guess that is why entrepreneurs make more money than employees. If you don’t believe me, take a walk around the Bahia Mar Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale and do what I did…ask the yacht owners what they do for a living. You will never hear the words; “ I work for…” You will instead hear the words “ I own…”
In a sense, my friend Laura is in business for herself. She owns and operates a one-person operation focused on providing exceptional soprano vocal services to the opera industry. She dreamed it could happen. She believed in herself. She surrounded herself with people who believed in her. She did not accept a world where the boss could make or break her. Today, she gets paid for doing something she truly loves; singing.
I am really proud to know Laura, and am really happy to have re-acquainted with her. She reminded me to dream.
When we saw her at the airport she was on her way back to Cleveland from spending time with her vocal coach. It was great to spend time with her and learn about her career and the success she has had. We exchanged contact information and have already communicated by email.
What I found interesting is that when I first contacted her by email, I expressed my excitement and happiness at her success. When she responded, she thanked me and said that it was nice to have someone be genuinely happy for what she had accomplished. She went on to explain that not everyone was happy for her. I found that distressing. Distressing because she pointed out something about society that is really troubling…
In general, humans (especially in the U.S ) are negative about the success of others. The average person views the success of others as somehow taking away from their own opportunities. How sad. I wrote back to Laura and told her that I view the success of others as an indication that all is right with the world and that anyone/everyone can succeed in whatever endeavors, as long as they believe in themselves and are willing to work. Further, the average person stops dreaming about their own potential somewhere around 24 years of age. Just about the time that they get into the full-time work force. I believe the correlation is bad management and poor treatment of the workforce. I guess that is why entrepreneurs make more money than employees. If you don’t believe me, take a walk around the Bahia Mar Yacht Club in Fort Lauderdale and do what I did…ask the yacht owners what they do for a living. You will never hear the words; “ I work for…” You will instead hear the words “ I own…”
In a sense, my friend Laura is in business for herself. She owns and operates a one-person operation focused on providing exceptional soprano vocal services to the opera industry. She dreamed it could happen. She believed in herself. She surrounded herself with people who believed in her. She did not accept a world where the boss could make or break her. Today, she gets paid for doing something she truly loves; singing.
I am really proud to know Laura, and am really happy to have re-acquainted with her. She reminded me to dream.
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
We're back...
The bad news is that Letterman did not call. The good news is that we missed all the snow that fell in Cleveland this past weekend...
Spent Sunday at Epcot visiting the UK, Germany, Norway, Mexico, China, Japan, France, and Mars.
Spent Sunday at Epcot visiting the UK, Germany, Norway, Mexico, China, Japan, France, and Mars.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
I'm going to Disney World
Now that the new Pope has been chosen and it wasnt' me...Now that my taxes are filed...I have checked my email, my voice-mail, my snail mail, and the missed call directory on my cell phone, I am fairly certain that I have once again NOT received an invitation to dinner with the President... Now that "NYPD Blue" is off the air, I am certain that I am not getting that guest appearance...Now that "24" is finished taping for the season...I can safely take some time away from the computer, the phone, and the mail box.
I'm going to Disney World. I am only taking calls from David Letterman.
I'm going to Disney World. I am only taking calls from David Letterman.
Monday, April 18, 2005
End of round one...
Well, it is official. The first day of the conclave is over, and the smoke is black. Evidently, I have not yet been elected as the new Pope.
Saturday, April 02, 2005
St. Peter look out!
...Terry Schiavo, Pope John Paul II, and Frank Perdue all arrive at the pearly gates together... I hate to say this, but there are going to be some jokes about this...
Thursday, March 24, 2005
The worm turns
There was an article in today's paper reporting that mountain lions are migrating east. It is predicted that soon, they may be populating states like Ohio.
I can't wait for the day when mountain lions are roaming around our back yards. I will be especially interested in how the animal rights people who are currently protesting the culling of deer in Solon, will react.
I can't wait for the day when mountain lions are roaming around our back yards. I will be especially interested in how the animal rights people who are currently protesting the culling of deer in Solon, will react.
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