Yesterday, David Halberstam was killed in a car crash south of San Francisco while en-route to interview Y.A. Title for a book he was writing about the 1959 New York Giants. He was among our generations most talented and prolific writers. Here is what New York Times reporter, Clyde Haberman, wrote in today’s Times.
As a young journalism student in the mid-late 70’s I read Halberstam frequently. His mind was clear. His writing was captivating - enthralling, even. Most “J” students of our day were somewhat taken with war reporting and Halberstam did it well during the Viet Nam war. A journalism student from U.C. Berkeley was driving the car involved in the fatal crash. I don’t know the circumstances of the crash. I don’t know who was at fault, or if anybody was at fault. I do know that student’s life is impacted severely. I’d suspect he, like most of us who studied the craft, was an enormous fan of his passenger.
His writing covered many subjects other than war. From sports to politics, Halberstam seemed quite comfortable being our observer and reporter. Part of the value of being a writer/reporter is that your work will survive your death. You should pick up one of his books and read it. He published more than 20, among them the Pulitzer Prize winning, “The Best and The Brightest.” You’ll be better for it.
It really boils down to the difference between spending and investing. Most of us are spenders because most of us want to do what we want. And usually, we want it now. Problems come riding into our lives like surfers catching a great wave. The quest for chasing what we want - rather than what we need - takes a heavy toll. The bigger problem is our strong desire to be satisfied now. Today’s satisfaction frequently ruins tomorrow’s happiness.
Spend your time chasing fun. Or invest your time learning a new skill or fine tuning an existing one.
Spend your time watching TV. Or invest your time reading something that can spur your life toward fulfilling your goals.
Spend your money on a new car. Or invest your money in something that will bring you double digit returns so you can secure a better future.
Spend, or invest. Daily we’re faced with both choices. Perhaps the difference between the more successful among us is that they’ve learned how to be better investors. Time spent investing results in greater resources (wealth) for greater spending.
Many of us think more of hammering the piggy bank than we do putting money into the piggy bank. We live for the day of spending, not the day of investing. That’s backwards thinking - and it can kill our success.
I’m reminded of a old wise saying, “You’ve got to think about earning it before you can think about spending it.”
I am at ease in the arms of a woman.
Although now,
most of my days i spend alone.
A thousand miles,
from the place i was born.
But when she wakes me,
she takes me back home.
Now, most days,
i spend like a child.
Who’s afraid of ghosts in my mind.
I know, there aint nothing out there.
I’m still afraid to turn on the lights.
I am at ease in the arms of a woman.
Although now,
most of my days a i spend alone.
A thousand miles,
the place i was born.
When she wakes me,
she takes me back home.
A thousand miles,
the place i was born.
When she wakes me,
she takes me back home.
I am at ease in the arms of a woman.
Although now,
most of my days i spend alone.
A thousand miles,
from the place i was born.
When she wakes me,
she takes me..
Ya, when she wakes me,
she takes me back home.
When she wakes me,
she takes me back home.
Today as I read the paper I was reminded of this song. A young husband and father went out for his 31st birthday. His wife and some friends were along for the fun. They were in an area of Dallas crowded with restaurants and bars. The couple has a 5-month old daughter. This was their first night out since her birth.
Around midnight the group decided they wanted to go grab a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant. The husband and father went to an ATM while the group waited for him just a short distance away. After he got back to the group a man in a bandana approached him demanding his money. The victim may have been struggling to understand what was being demanded - or he may have been so shocked by the attack that he just didn’t know what to do.
The armed robber yanked two silver necklaces from around the man’s neck. The victim put his hand up to protect himself and the robber shot him in the head.
The man died in his wife’s arms.
And so I began to think of death and my wife’s embrace. The arms of a woman.
The man died in his wife’s arms - the arms of the woman he loved. Good for him. Pitiful for her. Such a violent end of a life - and the destruction of a young family. She said she would never meet anybody as wonderful as him.
Police have not captured the suspects. They disappeared into the night.
Did the poor man know what had happened to him? Was he conscious enough to know that his wife’s arms were around him as he lay dying? Was he at ease in her arms?
Wisdump is now for sale. I must admit that since Whitespace became Wisdump - I bailed out. I do still visit 9 Rules with great regularity though. It will be interesting to see what offers are made to purchase Wisdump.
Some are asking the obvious question, “What’s a blog worth?” The answer is, “It depends on the blog.”
Some blogs have tremendous advertising revenue because they have large numbers of unique visitors every day. In every case, the content determines how many people visit any site. That content determines if visitors go the site daily, hourly, weekly, monthly or sporadically.
If the originator of a blog sells the blog - will it remain as good as it was? If it gained popularity - enough to warrant a legitimate buy/sell - then will it advance in the future at the hands of some new owner? Again, the answer is, “It depends.”
The web is an ever changing landscape. Things don’t remain the same. Sites alter their design. They may alter their purpose. They may alter their content. Some sites are abandoned. I’ve still got a number of sites in my bookmarks that haven’t been updated for months and months. How many dead sites do you still have bookmarked?
Something caused me to bookmark it. Perhaps it was a great design. Perhaps it was one entry that caught my eye. Now, it’s just taking up space. Wisdump certainly doesn’t want to end up like that. I hope a successful sale can happen, but I honestly don’t care. I’m sorry for that, but compelling content is tough to come by these days.
My blogging serves only two purposes, neither of them very high brow:
a) To learn more about websites, blogging and CMS - not to mention SEO, web standards, CSS and the like
b) To write a bit about things I find of interest - and mostly things that spur on my own quest for wisdom (I’m not foolish enough to think anybody else cares about what I write; I do it only for myself)
Wisdump and others have a business angle that I don’t have. So, if they tire of it - they should sell it. Any business owner who grows tired will attempt to sell the enterprise. If there are no takers, then he’ll likely liquidate. I wonder what the blogger without a buyer will do. What’s there to liquidate? Sell the content to somebody else? Sell the domain name? Sell the site’s design?
I’ll be watching Wisdump’s efforts to sell more than I ever watched the site before. And that’s not a slap against Wisdump. It’s just that in the hectic surfing world I now find myself - Wisdump doesn’t grab me as Whitespace once did. I’m sure Wisdump’s traffic is on the increase. Everybody leers at traffic accidents, bloodshed and blogs for sale.
Update: Police report that Cho Seung-Hui, a 23 year old senior from South Korea, was the shooter of today’s tragic events. He invented his own future. Sadly, he also destroyed the future of 32 others and more than 20 injured - and all the families concerned. Police report he committed suicide - bringing the number of dead to 33.
What makes a person think that murdering people is a solution for anything?
How can rage grow so large? What freakish thoughts went on inside his head and how long did he foster those thoughts?
Too many questions. Not enough answers. Too many lives taken. Too many other lives altered forever. Too many futures invented unwillingly - and others futures taken completely away.
N2A stands for No Two Alike. They’re an unconventional car company - a coach company, if you please. They customize or rebuild cars. The 789, shown above, is currently their most talked about product. It’s named after the three Chevy model years from which it draws inspiration: 1957, 1958 and 1959. I’m told it’s built from the ground up onto a Corvette platform. You can drive away in your very own 789 for about $135,000. I think its a brilliant idea.
Update 4-13-2007: This Honky is now unemployed. Here’s an excellent article that appeared in today’s New York Times. However, Jason Whitlock has written the article that hits the proverbial nail on the head.
Don Imus is a loud-mouthed, trash-talking, sarcastic, speak-his-mind radio personality who has been an on air presence in New York since 1971. He first went on the air in California in 1968. That’s almost 40 years of being “on the air.”
I’m only a casual listener of Imus, but I’ve been around enough to know his mode of operation - his shtick. He has built his entire career being brash and harsh. It’s what he does.
And now there is an uproar over what he said about the Rutger’s women’s basketball team. I think he’s making it far worse by attempting to apologize for it. He’d have been better off sticking to his guns and telling everybody to deal with it. That’s what Imus, the personality, would have done. It would have worked, too.
Rap music and stand up comedy are full of vulgar talking people who say things much more harmful to women, no matter their color.
Was Imus right?
I don’t know if he was right. I’m not defending him. Frankly, I thought he was obnoxious before this incident. Even so, I don’t think what he said warrants all this fuss. You’d think he had threatened to murder somebody live on the air.
The man makes his living with words. Inciting emotions, pushing buttons is what Imus does. He’s good at it. This situation evidences that.
The Rutgers team can now whine about their abuse instead of whining about being beaten in the championship game. They’ve gotten more press than the winning Tennessee team. I think Pat Summit should start getting worked up for her team - they’ve being overshadowed because Imus didn’t insult them. Her team, and university, should start a big to do about why Imus didn’t slam them. That’d create a firestorm sure to confuse the masses.
Who cares? Who cares what Imus said? Al Sharpton? Jesse Jackson?
Was Imus stupid? Frankly, I think he’s behaved foolishly most of his life. His self-confessed drug problems prove that.
I don’t have a real appreciation for him. That’s my choice. My taste. I’m not going to lobby that he be fired. I’m not going to raise a stink that he should formally apologize. I don’t care what he does, or what he says. I don’t think the Rutgers team should care either. Since when do they need approval from Don Imus?
Those poor college girls. They’ll never recover from this. Will they?
Poor Al Sharpton. How can he possibly recover unless Don Imus is off the air and out of work?
Poor Jesse Jackson. How can he possibly tolerate Imus apologizing to Sharpton? Insufferable. Inexcusable.
Imus was wrong for offering the apology, but I suspect management forced that move. That was stupid. Had Imus just stuck to his guns and said, “Yep, I said it. Humor is what we do. If you didn’t find it funny, turn the dial” - that would have likely ended it. But, he didn’t. And it’s growing. The firestorm has begun and it is sure to continue until he’s suffered more than a 2-week suspension.
Do I care?
No. I didn’t care before. I don’t care now. Don Imus just doesn’t matter that much to me. And for the life of me, I can’t figure out why he matters that much to women, African-American women or the Rutger’s women’s basketball team.
Besides, in 1998 Imus recorded an album where he clearly admits, “This Honky’s Nuts!”
My favorite radio station in Dallas is KTCK, 1310 AM (otherwise known as “The Ticket”). This week they are in the compound together. It’s a bit they began last year. During one entire week (they report in on Sunday night and are not allowed to leave until Friday evening), all the hosts (there are now 10 of them) live together in one house. They’re not allowed to leave. It makes for riveting radio, and webcasting.
They’re living in a big house with a full blown media room featuring an HD projector and a 102″ screen. They’ve got a game room where a custom made poker table is set up. They’ve got an outdoor basketball goal. They’ve got a tether-ball set up in the backyard. They have a workout room. They’ve got high speed wireless Internet. They’ve got every TV channel known to man. They’ve got food that they ordered - each person gave the station a list of the foods they wanted for the week. And each evening they have a catered dinner.
Today is day 2 and some of them are reporting that they’re already stir crazy. I’m envious.
They call it the compound. And I’m really jealous. One week where you’re hostage to your work and co-workers. No, I’m NOT jealous of that part of the deal. I’m jealous of the down time. They have lots of downtime, much like that reality TV show, Big Brother.
Suppose you were locked in your house for a week. You could go outside into the yard, but you couldn’t leave the premises. Otherwise, your time is your own. Do what you want. Watch TV. Surf the net. Sleep. Eat. Do crossword puzzles. Play board games. What would you do? How productive would you be?
#1 on my list - READING
Reading would most certainly dominate my downtime. Right now I have about 15 books sitting on the floor by my bedside. I have many more stacked over against the wall. Sounds like I live like a pig, huh? Not really. A little cluttered sometimes, but not piggish.
At any given time I’ve got about 10 or more books “in progress.” It’s a habit that has cursed me for many years. Rarely do I begin a book and read it straight through without occassionally picking up another tome of some sort. I have no explanation of why. So many books, so little time. So many bad books, but you never know until you invest time.
Reading would definitely be a top priority for me if I were locked down for a week. I’d conquer my current reading list, or much of it.
#2 on my list - WRITING
Note-taking is another big player in my life. In conjunction with my reading, I’d take plenty of notes.
I’d record all my brilliant (very few) and not so brilliant (a plethora) ideas. Many would be business related. Many would be productivity related. Others would be random thoughts of nothingness.
#3 on my list - THINKING
This isn’t quite fair because this would be an ongoing constant while engaged in these other activities. It makes me sound cerebral and I’m most certainly not. However, I do have an active mind. If only activity translated into productivity. But, alas - it does not. Sad.
#4 on my list - TV
Television has been the background music of my life. I was the kid who always did homework with the TV on. I may not have watched it much, but it was on. The connectivity to the outside world is the lure. The Net does the same thing. While I rather enjoy being alone, TV and the Net provide a connectivity that makes one feel in touch with the world. I’d certainly have the TV on - while reading or surfing the net or writing.
#5 on my list - SLEEPING
I don’t much like to go to bed - I’ve always been a night owl. But once in bed, I enjoy sleep. And I hate to get up. I’d sleep at least 8 hours each day and sometimes I’d get 10 hours…if I were house bound.
#6 on my list - WORKING OUT
There’s little doubt I’d do more grazing in the kitchen so I’d have to work out more. My usual hour a day would likely go higher. I might make it 90 minutes a day. Or, I might workout one hour in the morning and another hour later in the day - IF I were house bound.
#7 on my list - EATING
A year ago I would have put eating up higher on the list. Boredom would have resulted in a higher caloric intake. Not so today. My rapid skid into middle age prompted, for some unknown reason, provoked a new discipline to get fit and stay fit. I still love food, but I love feeling better - better!
#8 on my list - MUSIC
This isn’t really fair because music is involved in many of the other activities I’ve already listed. I love the iPOD. I still love CD’s, but I know that’s a lost cause. I love satellite radio. Music is still a big player for me, but it’s not the focus it was when I was in high school and college. I’m still very up on the current music and I add to my collection constantly. So what has changed? When I was young music was the thing. I could simply listen to music and do nothing else. That’s rare these days - although if I could set up my 2-channel stereo system as I’d like I’d do it more. No room. No place to call my own. So the killer 2-channel system is boxed and sitting in the garage powerless.
What would you do if you were under house arrest for a week? How would you prevent insanity? Would you emerge having accomplished something? Or, would you have simply killed time?
I was always fond of the drawings of B.C. I confess I wasn’t an enormous fan of the writing, but the art was alway stellar.
I’m almost always sad when a cartoonist dies. The universe is slightly damaged. His wife said Johnny died of a stroke on Saturday while sitting at his story board. Fitting.
Brad Duke won the Powerball lottery in 2005. The prize was $220 million. Brad took the lump sum of $85 million. Before he came forward to collect his prize he spent a month researching past lottery winners and assembling a financial team. He discovered that within 10 years most lottery winners have squandered their good fortune. Not Brad.
Duke had a goal. Grow that $85 million into $1 billion within 15 years. So far, he says his team (that would be his financial team) has him on pace to accomplish it within 12 years. In the past year and a half he’s grown that $85 million into about $128 million.
That’s how you handle wealth - especially sudden wealth. Read more about Brad’s wealth handling ability.
William Post won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania lottery in 1988. Today, he lives on Social Security. His monthly income is $450, plus food stamps. He says winning the lottery was the worst thing to ever happen to him.
In 1993 Suzanne Mullins won $4.2 million in the Virginia lottery. Today, she has no assets. Such stories are common among lottery winners and others who come into sudden wealth.
Perhaps the most notorious story of lottery disaster is the story of Andrew “Jack” Whitaker, the West Virgina man who won $314.9 million in the Powerball jackpot of 2002. He took the lump sum payment of $113.9 million.
Whitaker, who owned and operated a successful pipeline company in West Virginia, says that winning the lottery was the worst thing to ever happen to him. He’s had to defend himself against over 400 lawsuits. His wife is divorcing him. His granddaughter became a spoiled drug addict - and was found dead. Her boyfriend had overdosed and died before she did. Whitaker was clearly unable to handle the sudden wealth - but he’s in very good company - at least among lottery winners.
I have some theories about lottery winners - namely, lottery players may tend to be those who have the least amount of spare money. They play the lottery because they’re driven by hope. Dreaming of winning fuels their desire. And as most lottery advertisements will tell you, “You can’t win if you don’t play.” So the winners come from those people who may be the least capable of handling wealth, sudden or otherwise.
Brad Duke ran five Gold’s Gyms. He obviously had some sense about sudden wealth. Financial planners who deal with lottery winners say most have a list of things they want to do with the money. Buying a house is number 1 on the list. Investing is number 11. Not so with Mr. Duke. He paid off his mortgage on his small house. He also bought a “used” car - a VW Jetta. What? Is he stupid? No, he’s quite wise. He’s handling his sudden wealth as smartly - more so - as he might handle not-so-sudden wealth.
There is a difference between sudden wealth and not-so-sudden wealth. Sudden wealth - inherited, won by gambling, or some other sudden circumstance - dazzles people putting them into a foolish stupor. People seem to think it will go further than it really will, last longer than is financially possible and alter their lives in a positive way that will never end.
Two things seem to be critical:
1) have a plan
2) get professional, trustworthy help
Few sudden wealth recipients have any plan. Unlike Duke, they don’t think about what they really want to do with their new found wealth. They just want to live high - and not work anymore.
Sudden wealth can poison people who have it and those who know them. Whitaker bought his granddaughter 4 cars. She was 17. Requests from other relatives, and even people he didn’t know, came pouring in by the hundreds. Everybody had their hand out. Whitaker wasn’t prepared for it. And when he did say no, many grew angry and resentful. The money ruled his life. He had no control on his wealth or his life.
No matter how much money (wealth) we possess - we all need a plan, some strategy for what we want to accomplish with it. Wealth, or money, cannot define us. It doesn’t define us, even though it may ruin us. What do you want to accomplish with your wealth? Do you want to retire and never have to work again? If so, you need a solid plan with a designed time-line to make that happen. What if it’s not going to be possible given the wealth you’ve got and the projected wealth you’ll gain? Then, you’d better adjust your strategy. Plans must be fluid, adjustable and realistic.
The savviest people need professional help in managing their affairs sometimes - especially if their wealth is growing beyond their own ability to manage it properly. Knowing that you need help isn’t always easy for people though. It’s sometimes hard to know we’re over our head. And then, there’s the challenge of knowing how to find the right help.
Who do you know? Find valuable advisers based on the best referrals you can find among people you do know and trust. Ask friends, businesspeople and others for recommendations.
People with substantial wealth need professional tax advice. They may also need legal advice for setting up a family trust or a foundation. They may also need legal advice for establishing a corporation.
It’s vital to know the limitations of your ability and knowledge. Whitaker may have known how to run a pipeline construction company with annual revenues under $15 million, but he clearly lacked the skills necessary to manage over $100 million in cash. He failed to recognize the limits of his skills.
Accept responsibility. Even with professional help, it’s crucial for people to take responsibility for their own affairs. It’s foolish to simply rely on professional help without being very involved. It’s important that people protect their wealth and their advisers. You must keep honest people honest by holding the professionals in your life accountable for performance. Make changes if you don’t like what’s happening. Hire slowly, but fire quickly.
Don’t spoil those you love. Don’t deprive them of the opportunity to build their own lives with their own accomplishments. Many intelligent wealthy people have granted money to their kids in equal amounts to whatever their kids have earned for themselves. Not a bad idea. Whatever parents, or grandparents do - it should be done to help family members not rely on undeserved wealth, but rather to help them learn their own responsibility to build their life in the most positive way possible.
Money won’t buy happiness, but it can sure bring great sadness. People clamor for it. They yearn for it. They hope for it. More people should plan for it and use it to enhance their life - not make or break their life.
One final thought - You must think about earning the money before you can think about spending it. Good luck. And may “The Force” be with you.
It really boils down to the difference between spending and investing. Most of us are spenders because most of us want to do what we want. And usually, we want it now. Problems come riding into our lives like surfers catching a great wave. The quest for chasing what we want - rather than what we need - takes a heavy toll. The bigger problem is our strong desire to be satisfied now. Today’s satisfaction frequently ruins tomorrow’s happiness.
don imus
Brad Duke won the Powerball lottery in 2005. The prize was $220 million. Brad took the lump sum of $85 million. Before he came forward to collect his prize he spent a month researching past lottery winners and assembling a financial team. He discovered that within 10 years most lottery winners have squandered their good fortune. Not Brad.
