Or, you might just have a very, very small penis. I see lots of guys with large bellies. Most couldn’t even see their penis while standing in front of a mirror. Sad. Pathetic even. Gross.
Now I don’t particularly care if a fellow can see his tallywacker. It’s of no real consequence to me. But it’s indicative of a larger concern - health. Obesity hinders good health. Only a moron would argue to the contrary. Debates, however, do rage about the impact obesity has on the health of both sexes.
For years BMI (body mass index) has been used by insurance companies, health care professionals and researchers as a barometer of good health, at least as it relates to obesity. BMI is a correlation between weight and height. However, BMI doesn’t not fully take into account frame size or muscle mass. My BMI is too high. It’s currently about 31. Go here to check yours. My ideal, for my body type (a purely amateur guess on my part), would likely be about 27-29, even though anything over 25 is considered overweight. So unless I experience a growth spurt and gain a few inches in height - I need to lean down a bit.
BMI is believed less reliable than first thought because it doesn’t account for muscle mass. Elderly people have lower muscle mass, therefore lower weight. They may show to have a healthy BMI. Body builders will have a high BMI - my problem - because they have enlarged muscles, therefore their weight is heavier. In both cases, the BMI can reveal contradictory values. We may incorrectly assume the senior person is healthy merely because they have a good (or low) BMI. And we may also incorrectly assume the body builder is unhealthy because his BMI is too high. We might be wrong on both counts.
More and more researchers are now believing that a better barometer of true health is a measurement that divides the circumference of your waist by your hips. Heart attacks and other related health concerns seem to be impacted by weight we carry around our mid-section.
For women, the waist-to-hip ratio should come out as no more than 0.8. For men, a healthy waist-to-hip ratio is 0.95.
Experts now tell us if your belly has ballooned out enough to equal the size of your hips (or larger), you should start worrying about your heart. And the disappearance of your penis - and feet.
Abdominal fat is more likely to lead to changes in hormone levels and cause inflammation. Those problems lead to clogged arteries. The fat on a woman’s hips don’t seem to increase the risk like a man’s beer belly does. I know a few men who have enormous “beer” bellies, but they don’t drink beer. They just eat a side of beef every week.
Most doctors now know that fat stored in the belly area poses the greatest threat to good health. That’s because the fat stored there is the worst kind of fat. I’m not a fat expert so I can’t fully explain, or understand all the differences in fat. Experts tell us some fat is worse than other fat. I grew up thinking all fat was bad. I was evidently misinformed. Some fat is even good fat - vital to good health.
The value of the waist measurement standard - especially compared to the circumference of your hips - is that it prevents you from being misled by a favorable BMI number. It’s possible to be thin and still be unhealthy. It’s also possible to be thin and still have belly fat that can side-track your health. Studies of Asian men found that they appeared thin, but some had unhealthy belly fat which increased their risk of heart problems and other obesity related consequences.
The bottom line is: measure your waist and improve your health. Many people now suggest that you forgo weighing yourself and instead measure your waist. Daily. I confess that it’s been a long time since I’ve measured my waist or anything else (no, I’ve not measured THAT). I’m convinced by all the things I’ve read - and how often I’ve read the same advice and warnings - that measuring my waist daily would likely be a better indicator of my health/fitness improvement than weighing or calculating BMI.
You’ve got to always keep your penis in sight if you want to live longer. So guys - lean down those bellies - or get a penis enlargement.
Launches are exciting. Almost all launches are. Educational. Social. Financial. Every day untold numbers launch. Well, some just jump. Not all launches end well. Sometimes the concrete hits our forehead with a ferocity to show us our head is not as hard as we first thought.
The photograph below appeared in Life magazine. I don’t know the year, but I remember seeing it when I was a child. It moved me. It still does. The young lady has been called Julia Hanson. Some said it wasn’t a simple suicide. There were a number of witnesses to Julia’s launch. It was tragic. Fatal. I’m sure the journey was fearful. The ending was predictable.
Suicide isn’t a launch worth taking. Ever. The most tragic launches are those from which there is no recovery. Suicide fits the bill perfectly. You don’t recover. So the decision should always be, “Do not launch!”
Most ships that launch do so successfully. Most enjoy years of reliable service and numerous voyages.
The picture above is taken of the White Star liner Celtic at Queen’s Island, Belfast, on April 4th, 1901. On delivery in July 1901, Celtic was the largest ship in the world at 20,904 tons. She would soon be surpassed by another Belfast launch - of the Titanic.
Harland & Wolff were the shipbuilders commissioned by the White Star Line to build Titanic. Thomas Andrews was the chief designer of Titanic. He died aboard the great ship.
This is the drawing office of Harland & Wolff in 1912. The plans for Titanic were prepared here. The plans were approved by White Star in 1908, the year building began. The engineering that went into the Titanic is still a marvel a full century later. The launch succeeded, but the voyage was an historical failure.
Neil Armstrong took one giant leap for mankind while taking one small step as a man. Imagine being the first human to ever walk on another planet. Mr. Armstrong did it in 1969 on Apollo 11. The rocket successfully launched, journeyed to the moon and returned home safely. It was an engineering feat that may still be unrivaled.
All endeavors begin with a launch. A first step. An initial idea. Some action taken to begin. That launch, however inauspicious or flamboyant, is not the journey. Quite often the launch has little to do with the journey. Success is not guaranteed, nor necessarily hampered by a lackluster launch. Apple and Microsoft were both launched with less than spectacular fanfare. Titanic was launched with magnificent applause and world-wide attention. So was the Hindenburg.
Some endings are even more spectacular than their beginnings. Some journeys do not end well.
The goal of every launch - assuming the action or enterprise is designed to serve the well-being of those so engaged - is to propel us on a good journey with an even better ending. The person who dreams to starting a new company hopes to create a company that will provide positive qualities they don’t feel are available otherwise. The hope of making millions and being one’s own boss (or whatever else drives people to leave jobs and chase a rainbow of their own) drive people to launch forth. Not all launches go so well. For every Apple and Microsoft are millions, perhaps billions of smaller scale Titanics and Hindenburgs.
Launches are exciting. The thought and planning that go into a launch can be exhilerating. That’s why some entrepreneurs are considered to be serial entrepreneurs. Like serial killers, they can’t quit. They need the rush of the launch. Not much else drives them. They’re less interested in building and growth. For them, the launch is the journey - but they’re the odd man out. Most view the launch as a means to an end.
Life and all the activities of our life are simultaneously part launch, part journey and part end. Birth, life and death. It’s a 3-part cycle of almost everything. Birth is exciting. Launches are almost always emotionally invigorating. We dream of how grand the journey will be. We wave goodbye to those on board Titanic wishing we could be them. It all seems terrific, hopeful and prestine at the beginning.
Life is the journey. It can be equally thrilling, especially if the destinations along the way excite us. If not, there’s always a port further along that draws us. The future always beckons us to hope. Tomorrow will surely be better than today.
Seldom do we consider the destination except on short journeys that make up life. The entrepreneur working out of his garage dreams of the day when the company headquarters will occupy a 10 story building. He doesn’t think of how the company will look in 30 years though. For him, the culmination of the journey may end in an IPO where his millions afford him the opportunity to walk away. Or start again.
The destination is the real rub. I love engineering the launch as much as the next guy, maybe more. I love to plan, make notes, discuss and edit a good launch. Perhaps I love that more than the launch itself. That could explain why I have engineered more launches than have never happened. I’m not so good at the journey part. That’s the part that often alludes me. I work constantly on the daily journey - enjoying it more. Looking at the view from here, knowing it won’t be quite like this ever again. That’s the hard part for me. But keeping the end in mind is ever before me. Death and whatever you believe follow are the destination.
What will matter then? In the scripture a question is asked by James, “What is your life?” He compares life like a vapor that appears, then is gone. Life is short. If you believe the Bible (I do), then following life is death, then the judgment.
Destinations can be glorious. Icy, blue, clear and inviting. Unfortunately, they’re often nicer to look at and ponder than to experience. The picture is beautiful, but I don’t want to swim for my life in that water.
Titanic’s final destination wasn’t planned. Or intentional. But the big-headed notion of human power and engineering being infallible proved too much. We’re not as skilled as often think we are. Like the tower of Babel, men came to realize their own fragility. The icebergs that fell the Titanic can happen to any of us. So we should plan, launch and journey with great care. More attention should be given to the planning of our destination.
The launch and journey are not vain. Without them, there is no ending. No destination is ever achieved without a successful - even if it’s lackluster - launch and journey. Few launches and journeys go as planned, and without incident. Even fewer destinations will be reached without full and complete intention.
Saturday evening I spotted a baby owl on the ground at the foot of a tree on the other side of our driveway. At first, I had little idea what kind of creature this was. Eventually I’d see the mother of this baby critter up in a branch with very watchful eyes. She was obviously an owl of some sort, which meant the fuzzy little ball on the ground was also an owl of some sort.
He wasn’t able to fly much, except to flap his wings and propel himself forward a bit. Worried about cats in the area I was hopeful he’d be able to return to his perch, or wherever he’d fallen from. It didn’t seem likely though.
About an hour passed - with me checking on him periodically - and he ended up back in a tree about 3 feet up in the crook of a tree. He appeared to be climbing and I felt relief that he’d be safe. Mom flew from her prior perch in another tree to the tree he was now climbing. I went to bed feeling all would be well with him.
Thoughts of a parent’s care and watchful eye ran through my mind most of the rest of the evening. She was concerned for her offspring. I’ve never encountered an owl, but I strongly suspected that any movement toward her youngster would likely result in my head being bloodied. I dared not approach him. She knew what was best for him. I had no idea. I barely had a clue about my own offspring so I knew I was no match for the wisdom of an owl.
Sunday afternoon I noticed him on the ground again. He appeared no different than the day before. Again, there was mom perched above watching. Staring at me. At him. Surveying the possible threat. As he hopped and flapped toward another tree I got the impression that he knew what she wanted him to do. I left him alone. Later, I came back and saw him no where. I assumed she had taken care of him somehow. I wasn’t worried.
I couldn’t help but think of her and him - and wondering how a bird falls from his perch, and how likely it is that something bad, like a neighborhood cat, will happen to them. I’ve attempted to rescue a number of fallen baby birds in my life. I confess I’ve never succeeded. They have all died. And I’ve always been sad. For days afterward. And thought of all the fallen sparrows and other birds that God has seen. I’ve wondered how vast the count may be of fallen birds since creation. Odd, I know. But who can tell why a mind thinks what it does. Mine especially.
Yesterday, Memorial Day Monday, I saw the baby owl back on the ground in the same general area. His movements were not as pronounced as before. I figured he was being overly cautious. Mom was again in the same perch - on the exact same branch, in the same location as before. She didn’t take her eyes off of me. It was daylight and not nearing dusk, as it had been on the two prior days. Knowing owls are night creatures I figured vision might be tough for both mom and baby. Perhaps that explained his lack of movement. He was simply standing there looking toward me with his eyes closed. Mom’s eyes weren’t visible, but her head was clearly aimed directly at me. I didn’t approach the baby and left to hit the gym for a workout.
About 90 minutes later I returned in the early afternoon. The baby owl had made it across the driveway to my house and hopped onto the front porch, which is ground level. Others at my house noticed him and had attempted to give him some water. He simply stood there refusing. We got a cardboard box, carefully placed him inside and I got a clean eye dropper attempting to drop some water around his beak to see if he’d take any. He didn’t. But he seems okay.
Clueless about what to do with him and worried that this was happening on a national holiday, we Googled for somebody to call. I called a local zoo who gave me a phone number of a wildlife rescue organization. No answer due to the holiday. We then found the name of a man in the area who rescues birds. I called him - it was his home number. He was very nice and asked me to look at the bird’s chest. “Are there horizontal bars?” he asked. I looked and sure enough, there were. “He’s a baby screech owl. Keep him in the box. Put a towel int he box so he can grab it, otherwise he’ll slide around. Keep him in a warm, dark place and in the morning take him to the Southlake Animal Hospital. They’re near you, much closer than I am, and they rescue birds, too. Don’t be surprised if you check on him in the morning and he’s dead. He may be sick.”
I did exactly as I was instructed and hoped we’d all make it through the night. I carried the box out to the back deck under the covered patio. I turned the ceiling fan on very low - it was about 95 degrees. I closed the three of the four flaps on the box to keep it dark.
I kept watching him because I was now worried about his chances. I knew my odds of success with fallen birds was 100% - failure. Something told me this poor screech owl had fallen into the wrong hands - mine.
Within 15 minutes he was gone. He simply laid over and was gone. Upright one second. Over on his side the next. Sadness swept over me as though I had lost a longtime pet. I never wanted him for my own. I never wanted him in a box or a cage. I wanted him back in the tree with his watchful mother. From the time I noticed him on my porch until now, I had not seen her. I felt badly for her, and her baby. It was an awful feeling of helplessness. And sadness. Even grief.
For the better part of 3 days this baby had been on the ground and managed to avoid cats and other dangers. But in my hands, death had come. No, I don’t feel like I killed him, but I was sad that it had to happen on my watch. I let him down. I let his mother down. I couldn’t stop it. No phone calls or other advice would enable me to prevent his demise.
We buried him in our backyard, wrapped in the towel that occupied the box with his last moments, the one he was laying on when he died. Life is precious. Even baby screech owls deserve better. I don’t know how old he was. I don’t even know how old adult screech owls live. I read that they mate for life and will only seek another mate if their mate is lost. Pairs often revisit past nests. They don’t build nests. They use tree cavities and are open to using nesting boxes.
Today, I purchased a screech owl house from Coveside Bird House. It cost me about fifty bucks. It’s supposed to be mounted under a branch about 10-30 feet off the ground, facing north. I don’t know if I’ll ever see another screech owl, but I’m hoping to attract the baby screech owl’s mom and dad. And I hope any future offspring they may have will be much safer inside this owl house than in the cavity of a tree where they’re likely to fall.
My telephone adviser told me, “They don’t like to go to ground.” They know the risk of leaving the home too soon. My children are grown and married, but I still worry about them. It’s a different worry than when they were young. But I know well the dangers of leaving the nest or home too soon. I wanted my youngsters prepared for the adult world. Thankfully, they’ve made it successfully so far. I wish this little owl had been given a better chance to grow up.
The fragility of life consumed me for a few hours after he died. Thoughts of his mother and her vigilant watch stayed with me, until now. I know as humans we tend to confer our emotions and thoughts onto creatures. Animals don’t have the emotions of people. I suppose not. I hope not. For their sake. Whether she’s sad today or not, I don’t know. I only know I’m still sad enough for both of us. And hopeful that her next home will be my owl house. My small way of telling her how sorry I am that I wasn’t able to save her baby.
This is what her baby might have looked like as an adult.
Last night during NBC’s marathon of “The Office” one episode featured Michael working at the call-center, his night-time job. During one phone solicitation he asked the person if they’d be interested in a diet pill that would enable them to lose 50 pounds in 5 minutes.
Ridiculous diet promises abound. Sadly, not everybody laughs at them. Some people buy into false notions that they can get fit or lose weight without having to work very hard. New flash: IT CANNOT BE DONE.
Losing weight and getting fit are not synonymous. The runway model who starves herself may lose weight, but jeopardize her health. Getting fit might involve losing some weight, but weight loss is a by product of getting fit.
Almost 3 years ago I made a lifestyle change. No, I didn’t become gay. I decided that fitness deserved to be a bigger priority. There were some specific things that motivated me to get fit.
1. I don’t want to become an old guy with ill health.
After seeing many elderly men in ill health causing tremendous stress on their wives, I decided I wanted a more healthy future for myself - and my wife. I figured I needed to make the investment now before I grow older. I began to pay the price to get fit in July, 2005. The real reason is better stated this way, I love my wife and I don’t want to force her to become a nurse to me - should we be fortunate enough to grow old together.
2. I don’t want to end up in an operating room or a nursing home.
Genetics can sabotage anybody, but I’m convinced that good habits geared toward fitness can outmaneuver poor genes. At least, to some degree. It requires greater resolve and effort perhaps, but the rewards are worthwhile. Having heart surgery or ending up in a nursing home are terrible options. So the gym and better eating habits are the price we pay today to avoid such fates.
3. I don’t want to be medicated.
High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other health issues are commonly handled with modern medicine. Ask any person over 70 how many medications they take and my guess is they’ll tell you they take pills for at least two different maladies.
These indicators of poor health can be drastically altered with proper diet and exercise. All medications have some side affect (some great, some small). The hard work of proper diet and exercise seemed like a much better alternative to me. Cheaper, too.
4. I want to feel better.
Who doesn’t want that? Better sleep. Better everything results from better fitness. I stopped snoring. Completely. I stopped huffing and puffing. I lost a few inches and that helped my self-esteem grow, too. Feeling better was physical and emotional. The soreness created in the gym became a good feeling. I relish making my muscles a little sore. Personal trainers often say, “Soreness is the pain you suffer when you’re working the weaknesses out of your body.” It’s a pretty nice feeling.
5. I want to have a great quality of life for my family’s sake.
Yes, my number 1 and number 5 are almost the same. But different. Number 1 focuses on me. Number 5 focuses on those important to me. And I admit that this is the REAL reason I started the lifestyle change. I want to be in the best health possible, for as long as possible so my family won’t have to pay the enormous price of taking care of me as I grow older. Poor health is a burden to many families. Sometimes it’s unavoidable. I want to make sure if it happens to me, and my family, that it’s because it was unavoidable.
Most of us know what to do. We’ve read enough books or magazine articles to know what’s healthy and what’s not. The problem isn’t lack of knowledge. The real problem if being inspired enough to do something about it. And the bigger problem is finding the strength and resolve to continue to do something about it. Many of us start out strong, but then we peter out.
I’m always stunned at news of somebody who is told by their doctor, “Lose weight, get fit or you’re going to die.” The news is stunning enough. The bigger stun comes from their reaction to the news. Many people ignore it - and continue to do what they’ve always done. I’ve known people who were told to stop smoking after they were diagnosed with lung cancer. They keep smoking. I don’t get it. You’d think the threat of death would inspire anybody to make a positive change. It’s not always so.
Find your own reasons. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. That change of will is the hard part. By finding the proper inspiration my will changed, almost instantly. Rather than searching for the latest diet, or struggling to try yet another regime that’s likely to fail - I think people would be better served by figuring out why they need to improve their fitness. By finding the reasons to do it, it’s easier to start and keep after it.
I rarely have a day where I just don’t want to go to the gym, or eat sanely. I just think of the old men I know who sit in nursing homes and I’m thankful I can go to the gym. I just think of the old men who are wheelchair bound and I’m thankful I can do some cardio or lifting. And every day I think of the woman I married - and tell myself, “I can’t do that to her.” And it drives me to keep going. Love is the biggest motivation I know.
Dallas is down 3 games to nothing in the best of a seven game series. The winner of the series goes to the NHL championship finals - to play for the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, the Detroit Redwings are hosing down the Dallas Stars who appear completely outmatched. Dallas now must muster up the courage, determination and tenacity necessary to keep moving forward - and they must fight the temptation to quit, give up and call it a season.
Why not go down swinging? Embrace the moment, enjoy the challenge and fight your way through the darkness of defeating thoughts. Enduring that challenge can pay off big. If not this season, then next.
Some argue, “Why fight when there is no hope of victory?” Winners have to resist the temptation of such logic. Competitive people ignore the odds and the logic of the challenge. They press forward without regard and struggle for the sake of struggling. Sometimes, we need to fight simply for the sake of fighting. Giving up isn’t a habit desired by any competitive person.
In game 4 the Dallas Stars will continue to battle. Here are just a few reasons why the Stars will be saying, “Why not?”
1. Pride. This team is too proud to just hand Detroit an easy victory.
2. Hope. The hope that momentum will change and a single game can be won (at home) can drive most of us, but it really can inspire competitive professional athletes. One game. That’s the hope right now.
3. Making your opponent pay. Competitive people - in every area of life - relish making their opponent pay the price. If Detroit wins, they’ll earn it. If Dallas wins, they’ll earn it.
4. If it must end, end it on your own terms. Dallas may well lose game 4 and be swept by Detroit. And if they do the Dallas Stars will fight to the bitter end knowing that how they finish this season can carry over into the early fall when the next season begins.
Dallas now has nothing to lose so they can go for broke. Detroit won’t force Dallas to surrender. Detroit will have to battle the Stars until there’s no time left on the clock.
It’s not over, but it feels like it. That feeling is what must be fought - the feeling of “what’s-the-use?”
There is still one game worth fighting for. The young players are gaining priceless playoff experience. The entire roster is learning (some of them, again) how much work - both mentally and physically - is required to keep advancing in the playoffs. The Dallas Stars will be a much better team next season because of this year’s playoff run.
I’m proud fan of this team. They’ve played better than any of us expected. They’ve gone further than any of us thought possible. They’ve simply met a team that has superior skill and talent. Detroit is vastly better than this year. Detroit is better than anybody in the league this season - and that includes Sid and the Penguins, Detroit’s likely opponent in the finals.
If it ends Wednesday night in game 4 - it’ll end with Dallas battling to the buzzer - even though giving up would be far easier!
“I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall.”
–Eleanor Roosevelt
Here’s what the White House website says about one of America’s most quotable first ladies:
A shy, awkward child, starved for recognition and love, Eleanor Roosevelt grew into a woman with great sensitivity to the underprivileged of all creeds, races, and nations. Her constant work to improve their lot made her one of the most loved–and for some years one of the most revered–women of her generation.
She was born in New York City on October 11, 1884, daughter of lovely Anna Hall and Elliott Roosevelt, younger brother of Theodore. When her mother died in 1892, the children went to live with Grandmother Hall; her adored father died only two years later. Attending a distinguished school in England gave her, at 15, her first chance to develop self-confidence among other girls.
Tall, slender, graceful of figure but apprehensive at the thought of being a wallflower, she returned for a debut that she dreaded. In her circle of friends was a distant cousin, handsome young Franklin Delano Roosevelt. They became engaged in 1903 and were married in 1905, with her uncle the President giving the bride away. Within eleven years Eleanor bore six children; one son died in infancy. “I suppose I was fitting pretty well into the pattern of a fairly conventional, quiet, young society matron,” she wrote later in her autobiography.
In Albany, where Franklin served in the state Senate from 1910 to 1913, Eleanor started her long career as political helpmate. She gained a knowledge of Washington and its ways while he served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy. When he was stricken with poliomyelitis in 1921, she tended him devotedly. She became active in the women’s division of the State Democratic Committee to keep his interest in politics alive. From his successful campaign for governor in 1928 to the day of his death, she dedicated her life to his purposes. She became eyes and ears for him, a trusted and tireless reporter.
When Mrs. Roosevelt came to the White House in 1933, she understood social conditions better than any of her predecessors and she transformed the role of First Lady accordingly. She never shirked official entertaining; she greeted thousands with charming friendliness. She also broke precedent to hold press conferences, travel to all parts of the country, give lectures and radio broadcasts, and express her opinions candidly in a daily syndicated newspaper column, “My Day.”
This made her a tempting target for political enemies but her integrity, her graciousness, and her sincerity of purpose endeared her personally to many–from heads of state to servicemen she visited abroad during World War II. As she had written wistfully at 14: “…no matter how plain a woman may be if truth & loyalty are stamped upon her face all will be attracted to her….”
After the President’s death in 1945 she returned to a cottage at his Hyde Park estate; she told reporters: “the story is over.” Within a year, however, she began her service as American spokesman in the United Nations. She continued a vigorous career until her strength began to wane in 1962. She died in New York City that November, and was buried at Hyde Park beside her husband.
Among her more notable quotes are these…
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder.”
“Campaign behavior for wives: Always be on time. Do as little talking as humanly possible. Lean back in the parade car so everybody can see the president.”
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.”
“Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product.”
“I think that somehow, we learn who we really are and then live with that decision.”
“I used to tell my husband that, if he could make me ‘understand’ something, it would be clear to all the other people in the country.”
“If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor.”
“In all our contacts it is probably the sense of being really needed and wanted which gives us the greatest satisfaction and creates the most lasting bond.”
“It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.”
“It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself.”
“Never allow a person to tell you no who doesn’t have the power to say yes.”
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
“Probably the happiest period in life most frequently is in middle age, when the eager passions of youth are cooled, and the infirmities of age not yet begun; as we see that the shadows, which are at morning and evening so large, almost entirely disappear at midday.”
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
Homely. Determined. Wise. I love reading about her and would have greatly enjoyed talking with her.
I often wonder how some historical figures - like Eleanor - would have blogged. I suspect her posts would garner many comments and much attention.
Go big or go home! I guess that goes for lying, too. Just ask Carrollton, Texas Mayor Becky Miller. She’s doing an excellent job of lying big. And why not. If you’re gonna lie - you might as well make it compelling. She has done that.
Here are just three of the doosies she’s telling. She lost a brother in the Vietnam War. Her father says that’s not true. She sang backup for Jackson Browne and Linda Ronstadt. Both deny knowing her. She was engaged to Eagles member, Don Henley. He denies even knowing her.
She’s a politician. It’s difficult for any of us to understand these lies given her occupation.
Who needs or wants the truth when we can make it up as we go along - making life so much more exciting? I’m just thrilled at the thought of such an exciting past culminating into a political office in a Dallas suburb. Just just never know what greatness lurks among us.
Mike Babcock coaches the Detroit Red Wings - the opponent of the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals of the NHL, remarked about what it will take to win this series: “We’ll be prepared, but in the end it’s going to be will and determination and being relentless.”
Is that always the case?
No. But when you get down to the final 4 teams it may be true. Talented players make the difference. Barry Switzer always said that better players win games, not coaches. Arrogant coaches will tell you different, but having coached a bit at the amateur level - I can tell you Barry has it right. Good talent can be poorly coached, and the talent can win (I’m proof). Good talent with average coaching will beat average talent with good coaching most of the time.
Babcock is right I think. Four teams are left in the NHL playoffs: Pittsburg Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Detroit Red Wings and Dallas Stars. Any one of them can win the Stanley Cup. Each of them are at the half-way point of the journey having defeated two teams each. Sixteen teams started the quest. Four remain. It almost always boils down to a test of wills. Grit, determination, tenacity and relentless pursuit will all play a major role in whoever hoists the Cup.
Living in Dallas - I’m hoping the tenacity of the Stars runs deep.
“Capitalism without failure is like Christianity without hell,” said Warren Buffett at yesterday’s annual press conference with partner Charlie Munger. This news conference took place one day after the annual report for Berkshire Hathaway was released. Buffett was referring to his belief that not all financial institutions are worth saving. Some deserve failure based on their past and current practices.
At 77 Buffett is as quotable, and blunt, as ever. I suspect he’ll become even more so given his age, and the current state of Wall Street.
Speaking of the sub-prime fiasco - and other idiotic acts of the banking industry - Mr. Buffett said, “You’ve got a lot of leeway in running a bank to not tell the truth for quite a while.”
Among the more humorous interchanges are this one, as reported by The Financial Post. The topic was the succession plan at Berkshire Hathaway.
Charlie Munger, Mr. Buffett’s business partner who is seven years his elder, humourously added to the applause of the audience: “We still have a rising young man here named Warren Buffett, and I think we must encourage this rising young man to reach his full potential.”
Mr. Buffett joked that because he and Mr. Munger average 80 years of age (Buffett is currently 77 and Munger is 84), they are getting only 1.25% older per year, while a 50-year old executive is getting 2% older each year. That means Berkshire’s top executives are ageing more slowly than the top executives at nearly every other company.
Neil Armstrong took one giant leap for mankind while taking one small step as a man. Imagine being the first human to ever walk on another planet. Mr. Armstrong did it in 1969 on Apollo 11. The rocket successfully launched, journeyed to the moon and returned home safely. It was an engineering feat that may still be unrivaled.
Saturday evening I spotted a baby owl on the ground at the foot of a tree on the other side of our driveway. At first, I had little idea what kind of creature this was. Eventually I’d see the mother of this baby critter up in a branch with very watchful eyes. She was obviously an owl of some sort, which meant the fuzzy little ball on the ground was also an owl of some sort.
Today, I purchased a screech owl house from 
Last night during NBC’s marathon of “The Office” one episode featured Michael working at the call-center, his night-time job. During one phone solicitation he asked the person if they’d be interested in a diet pill that would enable them to lose 50 pounds in 5 minutes.
Almost 3 years ago I made a lifestyle change. No, I didn’t become gay. I decided that fitness deserved to be a bigger priority. There were some specific things that motivated me to get fit.
“I once had a rose named after me and I was very flattered. But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed, but fine up against a wall.”
Mike Babcock coaches the Detroit Red Wings - the opponent of the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Finals of the NHL, remarked about what it will take to win this series: “We’ll be prepared, but in the end it’s going to be will and determination and being relentless.”
