Sensu Lato

Are Farmers Markets a Good Deal?

2010-08-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that prior to joining academia I worked for 25 years in agriculture...a great career and personally and professionally rewarding...but wow there is a lot of work that makes you feel old quickly!... However, before I ever thought of starting my own company...my wife and I worked for three summers at Farmer’s Markets in Fresno...going out each Thursday or Friday and load up my van with fruit from my in-laws farm...and on Saturday morning arrive with my young bride at the Vineyard Farmers Market ...and we would sell hundreds of pounds of farm fresh peaches, nectarines and plums...great tasting fruit full of aroma and juice and color...usually at .59 or .69 a pound...and make the astronomical sum of $150-$200 per week...hard to believe that one week of selling peaches could just about pay our rent in 1981!...

...These sales kept us “in groceries” for the first three years of our marriage, until I began to work full-time in the growing and wholesale fruit industry. It was a great experience of dealing face-to-face with consumers, watching them enjoy our fruit and get a good deal in the process...But over the years, I noticed a significant change in Farmers Markets as I visited them in many towns...were they really what they purported to be?

...After a recent experience with two San Diego Farmers Markets, I have concluded that much of the time they are not a good deal for consumers...the quality of produce sold in proportion to the price charged is grossly unbalanced...and often I find the quality...particularly in fruit more so than vegetables...marginal at best and often actually cull fruit... leading me to conclude after several years of observing these markets...that often I believe that products are not in reality what are being portrayed to the consumer...not a good thing...

...An example of this is tree fruit that I see sold at Farmers Markets portrayed as being local grown. For those of us in the industry, we know that peach trees have a nearly impossible time to grow and produce fruit in southern California. (How many of you have seen these scrawny little trees around San Diego with peaches the size of cherries?) The reality is that we are in a tropical climate and most decidious trees need at least 800 hours each winter of sub 40(F) degrees to be able to produce, and we just don’t typically get that much cold weather here...

But in several conversations with “Growers” at these Farmers Markets, they tell me as they dump boxes of fruit out of boxes originating in Central California how they are simply recycling cardboard from the San Joaquin Valley and hauling empty boxes hundreds of miles to the south. Laying aside the economics of hauling empty cardboard, even if it is free, when empty cardboard boxes worth .50-.75 each are just as easily available in the immediate area it just doesn’t make sense.

...From my experience much of what I have seen is actually cull fruit that is legally packed by legitimate growers 300 miles north of San Diego, sold to someone for the going rate of about $5-$6 per 25# box...and then dumped into a box or basket here and sold as “local grown” for $2.50 a pound typically...that is a profit of over $55 on each box made upon the hard work, risk and labor of the actual grower...like my buddy Vernon Peterson pictured below...one of the best men I have ever had the pleasure of knowing...and if you want to talk real organic...truly from tree to table...contact Vernon at http://www.abundantharvestorganics.com/...

...I also have grave doubts about much of what is presented as organic fresh fruit...To an experienced eye, organic peaches are fairly easily able to discern...but I think I am seeing “organic” fruit being dumped out of non-organic boxes, which is to my understanding a violation of the organic certification laws...and when I have engaged in conversations about their growing practices (not revealing my own experience) with these peach “growers” I am usually underwhelmed by their lack of knowledge of the products they sell...I do not believe that all of them are being deceptive, but a significant number of them appear to be something they are not to the consumer...and I think it is worse in fresh fruit than in vegetables...organic vegetables are much easier to grow than organic peaches, plums or nectarines...

...This was not the Farmers Markets of 30 years ago, nor was it in the spirit and intention of those brave growers who sought alternative markets for their produce. There was a very close connection between the growers, vendors and products...But as with most things that grow popular, abuse usually follows...and I fear that has happened to many Farmers Markets...regretably...

What to do? Ruth and I have tried in vain over the past month to buy good quality watermelons and corn at local markets, but to no avail...day in and day out the best produce for the money in this area is...Henry's...and with the going rate for fresh summer corn is 3 ears for $2 at the Farmers Markets... at least two local stores have been selling it in the range of 4-5 ears for $1, way under the Farmers Markets...The quality? Outstanding!... And if it advertised as organic, with much regret, I have concluded that I have much more confidence in the store being truthful than I do someone who scrawls “organic peaches” on a piece of cardboard, stands back, and watches the consumers line up.

Boom Deeyah!

2010-08-08T07:31:00.000-07:00

So I guess that I don't have enough going on in my life...but a couple of months ago my wife and I started Portuguese lessons...now that is something easy to do at my age!...and I have much more respect for people who try something very new later in life...no, no getting a puppy...but you know, like having triplets...skydiving...traveling worldwide...chainsaw juggling...because it is really hard!

...now I don't really have a good track record in this area...because there is not much I remember from a couple of years of high school French...as the only sentence I can remember is..."Do you want to play basketball?"...pretty good, huh?!?...your tax dollars at work...my apologies to all of my Clovis High instructors...for me it was kind of like coaching T-Ball...you just keep putting the ball on the stand for the kid...hoping they will eventually hit it...closest I ever got was hitting the rubber stand...wait!...they didn't have T-Ball when I was a kid...not invented yet...anyway...

...so what I have learned so far?...that it is better to do such things like language studies as a kid...like playing T-Ball...but if you do attempt this later in life..it is important for you to recognize how you learn...for me language studies is similar to doing a puzzle...trying to connect words and thoughts and images in my head...and it is very gratifying when you complete something...like a sentence saying...ummm..."Do you want to play basketball?"...well, in Portugal it would be soccer...but you know what I mean...

...but I think the point holds for all of us in business, education, parenthood, etc...figure out your learning style...for my bride it is much different...she wants to construct words and sentences like she is building a Mercedes-Benz...precise, perfect, well-crafted, beautiful...

...but for me it is more like building a Corvair...quick, less pain, less precise...and having a tendency to blow up and catch fire once in a while...

...so today...get up off your little hiney and get out there and do something!...think of a way of improving your company tomorrow..making someone's life a bit better...cooking a new dish...water skiiing...selling Avon...or learning Portuguese!

USPIGS?

2010-08-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

I just returned from several weeks in Portugal, which is my sixth trip in the past five years. These trips have allowed me the opportunity to visit many towns and regions outside of the two dominant cities of Lisbon and Porto, and spend time with a variety of Portuguese citizens. It is an ancient country, from its Roman ruins to splendid palaces, cathedrals and castles, and it should make any American realize how short our own history is.

Today, as a peripheral country of the European Union and broader global economy, Portugal is at a crossroads. Kenneth Wattret, the chief euro region economist at BNP Paribas in London stated in April 2010 that ”The reason we’re concerned about Portugal is not because its public sector debt ratios are excessively high; it’s more that the Portuguese economy doesn’t really grow.” This small seafaring country which once controlled much of the world, dominating the trade routes to Japan, India, Africa and South America, is now the fodder of economic and political pundits, being labeled one of Europe’s “PIGS” (Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain), a poster child of European government mismanagement, bloated public sector and pension systems run amok.

Last week, over lunch (fresh sardines!) in Lisbon with a Harvard classmate who is a prominent entrepreneur in Portugal, we talked about our respective countries. He shared with me that while Portugal has made much progress since the long oppressive reign of António de Oliveira Salazar (1932-68), often simply referred to by Portuguese as “the Dictator,” he took special note of the lack of capacity and willingness of Portuguese to take risks of any sort in any business. While there are other factors (colonialism, wars, etc.), the contemporary view is that Salazar and his government machinery created in the Portuguese a mindset that the government would take care of everything if the populace just gave them their votes and acquiesced to its policies. It is frequently said that what Salazar did was to keep the country occupied with “Football, Fado and Fatima” (Portuguese sports, music and religion, respectively). What Salazar actually did was disembowel the inherent Portuguese entrepreneurial spirit, leading to a population ill prepared for the global world.

As Americans, what do we draw from this? While we must be careful to not attempt to overreach in the analogy, it seems clear that when people lose their inherent skepticism towards its government, regardless of its particular form, that with time the people inevitably are harmed. The rulers invariably win over the ruled. I am reminded of Alexis de Tocqueville, the French political thinker who over 160 years ago said “I cannot help fearing that men may reach a point where they look on every new theory as a danger, every innovation as a toilsome trouble, every social advance as a first step toward revolution, and that they may absolutely refuse to move at all.” (Tocqueville also said “Socialism is a new form of slavery” but that is a topic for another day.) Tocqueville accurately predicted the Portugal of 2010.

I am convinced that the future of Portugal rests not in the hands of its political leaders but its ordinary people, who get up early and stay up late trying to secure a better future economically, socially and culturally for their family and communities. In many instances these are the entrepreneurs, those strange and restless personalities who undertake opportunities where they find it. They will likely not create the next multi-national company, but they can create something better than they have at the moment. And in Portugal, and perhaps here in the U.S., we need to encourage those who do this, in all their variant forms and contexts.

If not, and we choke off these restless spirits, we may find that the painful acronym has grown to “USPIGS.”

Hope Still Exists...

2010-05-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

Those of you that know me well have some idea of my complicated views of the government...I am a "puzzled patriot"...and know that the idealization of the USA as the noble and always in the right "good guys" that I received in my youth was somewhat shattered by the Vietnam War...
...my own spiritual journey no doubt shaped this as well...coming into contact soon after my discharge from the Navy in 1980...and enjoying some splendid years with those who had a different view of the government...and our history and symbols than I did...but no doubt some of this was just the product of the post Jimmy Carter era...(note to self: next time we want to elect a good natured peanut farmer to the White House lets bypass that step and send him straight to building houses for the poor...a much better use of a person)...but anyway...

...so as I watch the headlines of these present days...and think deeply about a world where more than 50% of the citizens of a country retire at 50 years old (France)...where angry citizens fire bomb a bank and kill three people because they don't want their outrageous pensions slowed (Greece)....and the thrifty and wise people get hosed (Germany)...and everything seems so complicated and confusing...

...In light of all of this it was a good diversion for me...after another long week...to go out on a Friday evening to a school presentation from Literacy First Charter School in El Cajon...where my daughter Rachel is a 1st grade teacher...there she is below with some of her students from Friday...

...this is the second assembly I have attended...can't believe its been another year...sheesh time flies!...and so we drove out to a packed church where the end of the year assembly was held...and watched the American experiment once more...

...so for the next hour or so I sat near the back of the room...while my bride took pictures (of course)...and observed a very diverse group of fairly new Americans...from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds and countries of origin...I watched them stand up spontaneously and applaud and saw sincere and authentic patriotism...not the John Wayne or idiotic politician type...but real appreciation based upon their own experiences...as to how their lives were so much better in America...

...and I must admit it was pretty emotional for me...because it was real and heartfelt...watching 1st and 2nd generation immigrants stand and robustly recite the pledge of allegiance...or sing a patriotic song...with expressions of joy as they watched their young children...respectful and responsive...sing and present as well...with Mom and Dad and siblings and extended family all filming and photographing...and when they asked all military veterans to stand to be recognized...it was a nice moment...one that made me recall that prior to moving to San Diego few in 25 years had ever said anything about my 4 years on the USS Bainbridge...so long ago...

...so instead of bailing out after my daughter's class presented at the beginning of the event...we stayed for the entire time...and enjoyed it immensely...and I realized that the American experiment is still alive and well...in some places...and that the best place to see this is in the face of young Mexicans, Chaldeans, Africans, Asians and others who still come here seeking a better life...and the reality is that regardless of what we think many of them do indeed find this better life...not a street paved with gold but a far better reality than they had...

...so to all of the teachers, staff and students and families of Literacy First this old veteran...and American...is very grateful....thank-you so very much for reminding me that hope still exists...

Where did Hank go?

2010-05-03T06:48:00.000-07:00

Where is Hank? Well kids, he is leaving town...and it is not just Henry it is his sister Henrietta...and they have been replaced by their European cousin...Henri...so honey, hide the silverware!...

...First coined a few years ago, Henry represents those individuals that worked hard, usually by starting a business or obtaining a professional certification (doctor, lawyer, etc.)...who it just turns out are the kind of people that create most of the good jobs in the good old US of A...Henry stood for High Earners Not Rich Yet...and formed the basis of most of the payments into our tax system...

...but now...due to Obamanomics...Henry is being replaced by Henri...or the High Earners Not Rich Indefinitely...who have seen their incomes dramatically reduced...and stand to get hosed by the tax code...at the worst possible time...populism prevails once again over reason...because heaven knows these mean awful rich people that build these businesses should now be punished...along with those tyrants who studied for years and amassed huge student loan debts...time to put those bad people in their place...

...Honey, has the mail come yet?...I am waiting for my check...wow, I love this country!...

...I have another new acronym...how about simply HE?...which stands for Hosed Entrepreneurs...now I know that many people are legitimately hurting...and these are tough times for our country...but there are way too many just hanging out...and we have created a system that penalizes those who work the hardest...think about it...and read the article at

http://money.cnn.com/2010/05/03/news/economy/henrys_struggle.fortune/index.htm

Writing, thinking, teaching...

2010-04-30T13:59:00.000-07:00

Last night completed my MBA class in entrepreneurship...another adventure with 19 young (well, relatively young) students...a very good class and semester...and I was generally pleased with the class and how it went..it reminded me again how important it is to continue to read and write and talk with people in the field...because things are happening so fast for entrepreneurs...

...I have come to realize that this is not always true for academics...and we continue to teach things that we are comfortable with...our own interpretations...desires...biases...opinions...and I guess that is OK on one level...but where it really bugs me is in fields that change quickly...which I suppose is mainly in the professional schools...but certainly the sciences as well...and while it is a great deal of work to continue to update my teaching material the gain outweighs the toil...as evidenced by the student reactions this semester...

...and some have been asking me why don't I blog more?...well I guess it comes and goes...and for the past months...well about 8 or 9 months actually... I have been doing a great deal of research and writing...and that has gone well and I do enjoy it...but it does take a lot of work and time....as I toil over the ancient wooden desk...by candlelight...well, not really, but it is a nice image...

...I have just posted in the research column on this blog a couple of those articles that will be published this summer...in several journals...and each provides a critique...in very different spaces...that some new thinking is required for those of us in the Schools of Businesses...and in other programs...so you can find them to the right listed in my research...and I try to explain to theologians and pastors that they pretty much don't have a &#?!+(*ing clue when it comes to understanding business...entrepreneurship...and the field and careers that so many of us are involved in...and have committed our lives to..many times to help people...with our own time, money and effort...and they seem to have only expertise in our field when it comes to how much a business person should give or tithe...

...so as the semester comes to an end I have several boat trips scheduled with my students...and look forward to that a great deal...and the wonderful meals that my bonita espousa prepares for the classes as we celebrate the completion of the semester...

...above are a couple of my homies from the MBA program...Pablo and Freddie...nice guys and great colleagues...as we enjoyed a boat ride late last summer on a spectacular day in San Diego...so for now I better go clean the boat and get ready for my MBA students!

Obi-Wan redux

2010-03-01T06:46:00.000-08:00

In 1977 me and about five Navy buddies went to see Star Wars...somewhere near where Fashion Valley in San Diego now sits...and it was quite an event...I remember that there was almost a party-like atmosphere as we waited outside...and when we left the theatre there was another huge line outside waiting to get in...with excitement and energy in the air...the only other film that had done something similar was The Exorcist in 1974...which I saw in Carmel Village with some high school firends and my cousin...with people fainting and screaming...seriously...

...but unlike the Exorcist Star Wars turns out a bit better in the end...and there was no hurling vomit either...always an advantage when jumbo popcorns are involved...

...anyway I had a similar experience yesterday...with the movie Avatar...and while I am not one to swooooonn over movies...this one was really unusual...and in the same way as long ago at Star Wars...this was an experience...and one that isn't content with running a 5 yard play but throws the ball way down the field...and everyone else is running around and trying to catch up...

...from an entrepreneur point of view it is remarkable...huge risks and new technology all at once...and the risk/reward analysis is unclear due to the bad history of 3D in movies...ask anyone older than 40 and they will tell you...

...so my recommendation is to go see it...and even though I could have done without the rip-offs from Dances with Wolves...I mean the voice of Wes Studi for the Na'vi leader...c'mon...and the walk through the waterfall was straight out of Last of the Mohicans...another Wes Studi film...I kind of expected someone to say "tatanka" at some point..

...so get a discount coupon and make sure to do the 3D thing...and see what the future of movies is all about!

Choices, Choices, Choices...

2010-02-27T06:52:00.000-08:00

.....hmmmm.....what to do...on a rainy day in San Diego...can't go to the beach...so I guess I should do some writing...but about what?...the Dems and GOP lovefest in front of the cameras?...Nancy Pelosi's comment of the Health Care Bill creating 4 million new jobs?...some sobering trends for the global economy?...Carly Simon finally revealing who is "so vain" in her 1973 megahit?.... the Chargers sending LT packing....the athleticism of Olympic curling?....
...well this is a slippery slope but I am going to attempt to offer some advice for my friends at UC San Diego in the midst of all of the tension due to some racial incidents...and in case you haven't heard of these events go to http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/feb/26/noose-protest-ucsd/ or any one of hundreds of other sites to read more...

...now I guess as an educator what disturbs me the most is that there could be future leaders of society at such a fine research University where some frat boys could sit around a room...or perhaps use Twitter or texting...and not one of them could have the critical thinking skills to say...hmmmmm....maybe we shouldn't have a "Compton Cookout" dressed in blackface...maybe this could cause some trouble for us?...but no luck...and the results were very predictable...

...so now we have a full blown crisis...made worse by a young woman admitting to placing a rope noose in the library on Friday...sheesh?...can it get worse?...wonder what field of study she was engaged in...and now she has been expelled from UCSD...screwing her life up...the Vice-Chancellor of UCSD said that the young woman and two others "didn't think leaving a noose was a big deal"...front page of Saturday's SD U-T...what?...&$?!X**^!!...arghh!....not a big deal?...so much for hope in the future....

...so here we are in the midst of more crises than we can count...real crises like Haiti...an 8.8 earthquake in Chile overnight...California is melting down from its budget woes...the resignation of Obama's social secretary...global warming...and the sale of Carl's Jr...I mean...the insanity of it all...and we are spending enormous time and energy and effort on the stupidy of these students?...I just don't think that it is quite the 'dastardly crime" that UCSD Chancellor Fox referred to it as...stupid, insensitive, demeaning and more...absolutely...but a "dastardly crime?"...for a misdeameanor?...c'mon...we have bigger issues (and "crimes") to focus on...

...so what should UCSD do before this thing really spirals out of control?...well...I guess it already has done that...but you know what I mean...

...I think that we need to start with the assumption that we can find idiots in pretty much any group...including students...adults...professors....7-11 clerks...Congress...I mean look at the late Captain Phil of Deadliest Catch!...the dummy couldn't give up the smokes and Red Bull and we all knew what was going to happen...when we see him pass a blood clot the size of a quarter through his heart and he keeps on inhaling!....

...so we must start with the proposition that there are foolish people everywhere...and even smart people can be foolish...it is in our DNA...and lapses of judgment in a few shouldn't lead us to assume that the entire organization, group, firm, society or association is at fault or unresponsive...including UCSD or any other school...but let's get on with it!...and not take over offices like it is the Vietnam War or something similar...deal with the young fools...root it out...

...but move on with the processes and formidable task of education...because we have crises everywhere to tend to...like making higher education accessible and affordable to more people...and at the end of the day we need all of these incredible young people to take their leadership place in the workplace and society as a whole...and not just on this one issue...

...and while Dr. King and others did indeed protest...they also wrote, preached and spoke forcefully and passionately...and persuaded other individuals and institutions to change...so I would propose that instead of taking over offices and ordering pizzas and sandwiches... why cannot this energy be focused into reasoned discourse?...or a student led proposal for change and not just criticizing the administration...perhaps you could start with a code of conduct for fraternities?...or shutting them down if they cannot abide by an existing code of conduct?...

...so rather than shutting down the campus which already has enough problems...let's figure out some solutions rather than screaming at each other...I would love to see students show to the faculty and administration their capacity to point the way out of this...

..There are lots and lots of questions being raised right now through this sordid mess...too many...and raising the questions or concerns or criticisms is the easy part...finding solutions is the art of wisdom...

The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want." -Ben Stein

Just another day...

2010-02-16T04:54:00.001-08:00

...So wow! It has been really cold across the nation...even snowing in Florida and Alabama and 49 of the 50 states...amazing...we were thinking that maybe it was even going to snow here in San Diego...

...so I woke up on Monday and pulled on my parka and was going to fire up the snow blower...I mean after all, it was snowing just about everywhere according to the news...but there was no snow to be found!....Darn!...so I had to find something else to do...

......what? Al Gore is wrong? Nahhhhhh...that can't be!...What? Forget about global warming?...heart be still...oh how cool...get your theory wrong and then claim that it really isn't global warming...it is climate change...I like this kind of reasoning!...be wrong...really wrong...and then figure out a way to make that validate your argument in the first place...cool!...

...but anyway what to do on a holiday since I can't clean up the snow in the front yard...and it would annoy the South American parrots that just returned...so...

...let's take the boat out and look for some wildlife!...no, not that kind of wildlife!...but you know...seals...dolphins...and whales, oh my!...so we saddled up the Iron Horse with the girls and some other friends and headed out on a spectacular Monday morning...and went out about 5 miles off of Point Loma...and ran smack dab into the middle of a gray whale superhighway!...how fun!

...the first thing you see is the "blow" with the gray whales...and then they breach the surface and take a couple of breaths...but the really fun part is seeing their tails...and we saw quite a few of them...along with several other boats...and the picture below with the water running off the tail...was just really beautiful...

...so as this short week begins I have fond memories of a wonderful day with family and friends and God's incredible creation...so toss another log on the fire...if you aren't in Southern California...and have a great week!

...

Captain America or Maury the Nerd?

2010-02-04T06:45:00.000-08:00

...So I was privileged to attend a luncheon at the San Diego Convention Center featuring the best and the brightest in military communication, command and control....with Vice Admiral Jack Dorsett, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations...and I heard the vision of the US Navy for the coming years....and the Admiral outlined something that they are calling "Information Dominance"...and let me tell you I was pretty impressed...

...it is real clear to me that the military is way ahead of the rest of us by decades...and ahead of Universities by probably a couple of centuries...but that is another story...and what they are going to do is merge the best and brightest skills, tools and techniques from the Geeks into the command and control mechanisms of the Navy...and it is going to rock the world...

...what are they up to and why should we care? ...because historically out of the military and space programs have we as regular 'Schmoes' later been the recipients of what they create...and for us in business let me just prophesy that what we are seeing is the end of the strategic plan as we know it...

...they are engaged in a new way of thinking and planning that the rest of us need to catch up to...and quick...and the demand for accurate and widely dispersed information is what is driving this...they see that the path ahead is dangerous and unknown and how they will navigate cannot be achieved by vast centralized top down strategic planning....

...what the Navy wants is that all platforms in the organization are "sensors" and each sensor has its own "roadmap" which are flexible and nimble and dynamic...these maps are then linked to all other stakeholders...and each sensor continually manages and maintains the information link throughout the organization...and that the sensors are allowed to be different from other sensors depending on context and opportunity and need...

...I have seen elements of this in the past in the business world known as "Strategy Maps" and "Balanced Scorecards" but this really is the best working model I have seen of a forward thinking planning structure that gets rids of much of what we have known as strategic planning for the past 25 years...

...I will be writing about this more in the future but let me just say that I was very impressed with the sense of purpose, clarity of thought and forward thinking that I see in the Navy...and we need to study and learn from them...

...this isn't your grandparent's Navy!

YEE-HAH!

2010-01-27T06:15:00.000-08:00

...SO ARE WE ALL ENJOYING THE RIDE? WHAT? YOU WANNA GO FASTER? SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!!!!!!!!!...I have been watching things for a while and reading in some different areas....and while I want to poke fun at politicians and leaders...I have to say that there is some really serious $#^*?!@X+)! going on here!.....and it is really really really really really starting to concern me!....Really!!!!....

...Try wrapping your mind around this one...according to today's New York Times...that darn conservative rag and domain of the vast right wing conspiracy...said this (and I quote)..."But the long term budget outlook, according to the (Congressional Budget) office, is persistent high deficits that will accumulate to drive the debt ever upward, to the point that it could nearly equal the value of the nation's entire economic output by 2020"....

...If someone had tried to tell me that in 10 years our entire output would be matched by our debt I would have told them they were insane...really...that is how bizarre that statement would seem to me...but bizarre has become reality...and the Dems are poised to be thrown out of office faster than any party in history...the only way that they could have topped the GOP's incompetence was to spend us into oblivion....and to do it so fast that everyone would pay attention...I mean for heaven's sake they could have at least pretended to be prudent...but nope, just about every lobbying group, union, association and politically deft Senator or Congressman has been greased so Obama can hand Nancy her health care plan...

...a figure I read the other day said that with the typical Money Market rates right now....that our savings in those funds will take over 1,000 years to double...does that concern you?....and so how does our economic leadership respond?...by chiding the Bank CEO's...and threatening them with huge taxes....so what happens?...the markets tank and everyone loses another five percent in 72 hours...yeah, real smooth move...a fifth grader could have seen that one coming...

...what is happening is that our political leadership...OK the Dems leading the way but only because it is their turn to drive the convertible...and the GOP's have been just as bad so don't light up on me that I am some parrot for the right...is working overtime to turn us into a yellow or red part of the map...that is the brutal reality...would you like another image to consider?...try this one...

...yepper...that be good old Nero and Rome...if you think I am kidding I would just say you don't read history...

....So what to do?...just read blogs about it?...well I would observe that our forefathers had a revolution for a lot less...and that maybe you are just fine with destroying 200 + years of a grand history...but for me I am going to start pushing harder for clearer thinking minds from any possible political persuasion...and not get hung up on single items or issues...who can lead and not be bribed and not be gladhandlers...and I think that there is going to be a major political upheavel in 2010...across the country...unprecedented...

So here is my crystal ball advice I will offer to anyone who cares...

...I would counsel....NO I WOULD URGE!...

1) that if you have a job don't even think about leaving it now...

2) don't have over 35% exposure to US equities in your investments....

3) don't trust mutual funds and their advisors...

4) don't think that inflation is right around the corner...deflation is...

5) assume home prices are not going up anytime soon...

6)pay off any debt now that has interest over 7%....

7)have at least 1 year and preferably 2 years of liquidity...

8)any new expenditures you may want only do if you can pay cash...

9) develop a financial plan from a risk analyst and not just a broker...

10) consider additional quality education...formal, executive or program...

and finally...

I got a Kindle! I got a Kindle!

2009-12-27T08:47:00.000-08:00

You know as a young pup I always wanted a special gift...watching it on the RCA on Saturday morning during Jonny Quest...was almost too much to bear as I dreamed of this plastic spring loaded very loud manifestation of American industrial might...
...There was a lot to like about Jonny Quest...heck Jonny had a cool dog...I mean, who wouldn't want to have a dog named "Bandit"...and a buddy named "Hadji"...shaping our little Ovaltine laced brains to look ahead to multi-culturalism...and his dad was a silver haired scientist Dr. Benton Quest with a personal bodyguard...WOW!...named Race Bannon...seriously...I still knew all of their names nearly 45 years later...although I can't remember what I had for dinner last night...

...anyway...so I asked Santa for a Kindle this year....since I didn't get it for my birthday...sniffle...but hidden in a big box with a couple of bricks and a ton of newspaper...sneaky ole Santa!....was a small brown cardboard box with this key to the knowledge of the world...or at least Amazon's version of the world...holding a Kindle!....how cool...

...for the sixteen of you in the world who have not heard of the Kindle...it is Amazon's E-Book...what's Amazon?...if I need to explain that you should probably stop reading now and return to your Guideposts and Readers Digest...anyway...the Kindle is an electronic book that downloads automatically books, mazagines, newspapers and other reading material to a very slender and lightweight device about the size of a small journal...

...now speaking as an aspiring bibliophile I initially was pretty skeptical of products such as the Kindle...as there really is nothing like the feel of a well worn leather bound volume in your hands...and I have frequently said that only two things tend to look better with age...leather and wood...and a vintage text is just beautiful and historic and exciting all at one moment...so you have to understand I tread towards the Kindle somewhat lightly...

...but a few months ago at my cousin Linda's house I picked up her Kindle sitting on the living room table...thinking it was some sort of a small logbook or journal...and was pleasantly surprised by its feel and possibilities...

...so I promptly downloaded several items and got cracking on this newfangled form of reading...the early verdict?...here are some observations...

*The wireless connection is amazing...easier to use than any cellphone or laptop...

*Trying out products for 2 weeks free or getting extended samples of book is brilliant...and a great marketing technique...

*Not being distracted by ads when reading a newspaper is wonderful...I had never thought about this until experiencing it...

*It is very simple to use and easy to read...even with old man eyes...and an old man brain...

*Navigating through the newspaper section is easier than I would have supposed...with a section guide that lays it out with the number of articles in a section...

*Reading in bed is as easy as reading a book...I would have thought there was a built in light but when I tried it a soft reading lamp worked just find...and when I fall asleep and it hits me in the face it doesn't hurt nearly as much as a book...

...so at this point I have to give it 4 stars...well done Amazon!...

....and what was the special gift of my youth?...that I never got?...

...maybe next year!

A Christmas Memory

2009-12-25T11:23:00.000-08:00

OK it was 30 years ago today...exactly...December 25, 1979...and I was a long way from home...at the mouth of the Persian Gulf and not too far from Oman...

...it was dawn having stood another mid-watch...I try to now imagine working 8 hours on and hours off for 24/7 for a 7 month stretch again and it seems pretty impossible...but that is what we did...and I was tired as a dog and the radio traffic had fallen to near nothing because of the stateside holiday...while a small task force turned in a circle known as "Gonzo Station" for 92 days at sea...the USS Midway, USS San Jose, USS Jouett and USS Bainbridge as a I recall...I aboard the latter...you can probably figure out what I was doing there...

...what troubles me a bit is that few people seem to realize that a standing combat presence in the Mideast started in 1979...long before we ever heard of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney... but Idigress for that is not the Christmas tale...

...the mail service had long since fallen through with maybe 2 or more weeks since the blessed words "mail call" had rang throughout the steel home we had lived aboard for so long...and I was fairly bummed as the task force was scheduled to be in port the Phillipines long before Christmas...I and a bunch of my shipmates had booked flights stateside...as I recall the flight from Manila to Los Angeles was about $175 round trip...a princely sum...

...I had missed every Thanksgiving in my four years in the service...but had made Christmas several times...and was looking forward to the close of 1979 since it meant that I had but 7 months until discharge and my civilian life could resume...with plans to attend either UCSB or Fresno State...wasn't really sure at the time which but had applied to both...but Iran interrupted my holiday plans...never got my $175 bucks back either...

...after it sunk into us in early December that there was no way that another task force could be assembled to relive us for some months...and that all of the sugarplums that had been dancing in our heads had turned to powdered eggs and bug juice...morale was kind of low...and as I recall it was more of a result of not having any clue when we would ever come stateside again...more so than the fact of being stuck overseas...it was lack of leadership and indecision at the highest levels that bummed us out the most...

....so it was dawn over the Gulf...and I leaned against the bulkhead amidships...and for just a moment each morning the desert heat would break and you could feel a touch of cool...and so I recall that I had positioned myself near a vent that was blowing warm air from somewhere deep within the bowels of the ship...and with my fatigue from the night my body ached for rest...the caffeine from the tea I had drank a few hours before long since passing from my system...

...no other ships were in sight...or at least from my vantage...the Midway was probably just over the horizon ten or more miles out...and it was then that a solo helicopter flew nearby...in some kind of exercise or training...and I hope those guys weren't as tired as I was....but I thought it kind of peculiar this stray helo and no flight ops had been called....well go figure...the guys up in CIC knew what was going on...

...and then across the 1MC...throughout the ship...the order was shouted out to prepare to receive a helicopter...which for us was not really to land a helo but rather to be able to exchange supplies or passengers...which I had done multiple times to visit other ships to repair equipment for them...dangling over the sea at 25 knots...oh the things when we are young...a shot of adrenaline hit my heart and I returned to the radio shack to see what was going on...and what idiot called for a transfer on Christmas morning...

...I discovered that what was occuring was bundles of mail...boxes stuffed in canvas bags...letters long overdue from parents, spouses and sweethearts...await us...and the chopper dropped a large cargo net of mail on our aft flight deck...and soon cleared the ship and sped away back to the Midway...

...and in an hour or so shouts were erupting around the ship...from men in their khaki shorts and skivies in various states of dress...most not shaven just yet...the rules being somewhat relaxed in the tropics and gulf back then....

...and a sack of mail was delivered to the shack and a box awaited me...from my girlfriend of four years...a young lady at Westmont named Ruth...

...as far as trees go it was not much...a small plastic tree with some simple ornaments...and a "Care Package" to boot....and me and my buddies set it up atop a small table near the desk...and it cheered our hearts as we read letters, enjoyed some cookies and pretended even for a few moments that all was good in the world...

....now I know in the whole scheme of things that this is not a particularly profound moment...in the league of the prodigal son, a miraculous healing or appearance of an angel on Christmas day...but for me it was pretty special that the folks back home really did care...and that the unknown mail clerks and storekeepers and pilots had worked hard to make our ship a bit more cheery that day...before we returned to another 60 days at sea...before finally seeing land again...

...but I vowed then to not take Christmas for granted...and I have tried not to...and enjoy the family and friends that have been built up over the years...

...so I ask today that you appreciate those near you and give thanks for them...and to ask that you say a prayer for those in harms way...men and women we will never know but who sacrifice so we can have this time together...

...and my Christmas wish is that we appreciate one another...and pray and ask for peace in the world...life is not perfect but it is the only one we have.

Merry Christmas

here is the ship song that sent us on our way many a time...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvqB_go0ZIk

Reflections and a Prayer

2009-12-20T09:28:00.000-08:00

A cold day today...having traveled north away from San Diego for the holidays...and of course the meetings that go with a complicated life...but actually left early to attend a funeral yesterday...

...What can one say when you attend a memorial service for a beautiful, bright, witty and outstanding young woman?...words seem to fail us in such moments...although her brother, a young man I have known and admired for many years...spoke with a poignant embrace of his sister and spark of hope in the midst of tears...leaving me at one moment in tears and the next with a smile...may all people have a sibling, friend or colleague who shares in such a way of their own passing some day...

....It brought back many memories...too many actually...because I think that I have attended 16 funerals of family members since my high school years...including my brother, father, all of my uncles, cousins, and of course my grandparents...and those who know me and my past recall Bill and Dave as well...brothers in arms...and while I cannot call them I can recall them...still...and miss them...reflections...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iE9TNG8IQNI

...For me one of the most difficult parts of staying while others go is forgetting their voice, smell, laugh and tone...I cannot now recall my brother's and father's voice...I try but can't...it has passed me and is now lost...nor do I even think I would recognize it if I heard a recording of it...and perhaps to do so would rob me of something...teasing me of what cannot be and the replaying would be a disappointment....

...I recall my grandfather's peculiar smell...of woodworking...Prince Albert tobacco...a well worn shirt kept too long from soap...whiskers...the unusual and unique combination of things that are in some sense as much of one's being as their DNA...and when I cleaned out his woodshop 20 some years ago I sat alone and wondered of his life...and had regret that while he had lived a long life that there was so much I did not know...of him and his own hopes and dreams and aspirations...of the victories and the losses...and some years later when I went to the grave in Hayward of his young daughter...the sister of my father...who had died so long ago...I wondered how he had felt that day...and how long the pain stayed...and when the smell of young Lucille too faded...away and lost forever...

...so I suppose that just a few days before Christmas I am struck with the loss of this young woman all the more...trying to make sense of non-sense...and I know that somehow I must make peace with this event...between God and I and all the rest...as I have had to do too many times before...and wonder if I am and have been a good husband, father, person and friend...and know that I have not...

...and I simply wish that I could somehow develop an appreciation and awareness that I lack....and yearn for but know that this side of eternity it will elude me...

...yet still I have hope...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zvKXaOVASs

Spending Green to Go Green to Bleed Red

2009-12-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

Now I really have nothing against Elmo...although my youth preceded the rise of Sesame Street...I was kind of more of a Superman and Prince Valiant kind of a kid...although later I did think Veronica was hot when Archie hit the 1960's...yikes...but that is not the point of my attempt at generally speaking today...I want to talk about the Point Loma Nazarene University "Grass Vote"......No! Not that kind of grass!...silly people...no, the kind of grass you sit on...spread a picnic...relax...take a nap...enjoy its smell and the ambience and cool it provides...and that at my esteemed campus there is a debate and vote to remove more than thirty areas of lawn...replace it with "native" landscaping...kind of like "Phoenix at the Point"...

...You think I make this stuff up? Check out http://www.pointloma.edu/PhysicalPlant/Sustainability/The_Grass_Vote.htm

...To be fair the advocates of removing the lawns at PLNU may not necessarily be thinking such luscious alternatives such as cactus...yucca...and puncture vines...but "native" certainly doesn't mean the standard of beauty that we have become accustomed to in modern landscaping...which has taken over 100 years at PLNU to develop... I but for your reference I have placed the picture above and below as examples of San Diego area native landscape...

...."But the earth is dying and the penguins are drowning and we have no water and the farmers have pillaged the land and Uncle Albert has got it right and who will save Willy and I must do something and we have to save the earth and...and...and...and..."

News flash! Willy died!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElJFYwRtrH4

...Hold on while I wash my face after getting ill...

...So anyway... this got me thinking as I studied the Grass Vote at PLNU...and trying to examine the considerations of this issue...you know...that little process we used to call "analysis" of any particular topic...which has now been superceded by passionate cries of..."WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!!!!!!"...and shrill voices that have grabbed the microphones...or websites... are persuading our everyone...including our college students...that nearly everything is worth "kicking to the curb" in the name of sustainability, natural and renewable...something CS Lewis called "chronological snobbery"...worth the read if you are interested...

...but so sorry I have this little problem...I am afflicted with something called "common sense"...and also a desire for analysis before making important decisions...so I wrote a note to the person in charge of the "Grass Vote" at PLNU for clarification...so I will post below the questions I raised...

1) What, if any, is the potential impact on recruiting and admissions? As a parent prior to coming to PLNU as a faculty member, I know that the visual appearance of PLNU is a significant factor for many applicants. While some applicants may find dry-scape/native preferable, I would think a majority would prefer the campus as is.

2) What is the economic value in water savings to the campus? Was this quantified in any way or only that it will “save water?”

3) Is there any potential impact on our staff members in grounds keeping? If we reduce maintenance of lawn areas does this mean we are reducing staff? Have they been consulted? It seems to me that we have at least the potential to remove some of the hardest working and lowest paid staff members at PLNU.

4) What is the potential impact on student employment? I know that some students work at PLNU in grounds keeping over the summer to earn tuition. Has this been considered?

5) Are there other alternatives to native? For instance, I am currently considering new forms of artificial turf. This has been used extensively at military installations in the Point Loma area and new versions of this product are far superior to older versions. Certainly in some areas (shaded, rooted, marginal drainage, etc.) alternative turf may be superior to what we have.

6) What is the current effort at PLNU to reclaim water? Could water reclamation be a potential solution?

7) Is there any capacity at PLNU in the current budget situation to even consider alterations to the landscape? When faculty and staff wages are frozen is there potential backlash to such initiatives?

..So I guess my point is that I am asking for people to think before you tear up lawn...remove sprinkler systems...lay off workers...change PLNU forever...just think before you jump off a cliff, OK? ...Let's at least talk through all the issues before action...

...And the cool thing is that I have received a response on my questions! Tune in for coming posts!

...THINK!

It's a Dogs Life....

2009-11-28T10:37:00.000-08:00

...So here I am eating the turkey and gravy and all of the trappings of Thanksgiving...discussing the merits of being an American in this day and age...including being able to buy 10 pounds of potatoes for .69 cents...crazycheapspuds!..and my lovely bride tells us about the lady in the Ralph's right behind her...with an opinion on everything...she must have a blog also...but anyway...old Ethyl starts to talk to the little lady...when she notices what does her new friend have in her shopping cart?...well besides 3 pounds of Velveeta, Del Monte fruit cocktail...some coffeemate and three jars of medicated Tucks...

She sees the old bow-wow in the cart! Isn't that just cute...no downright precious...ahhhhh....cute little poochy-poochy....smile...and warm fuzzies go up and down Ruthie's cute little spine...how thoughtful of her new friend to bring her little companion into the grocery store!...ahhhhhhh....how nice... anchors aweigh little buddy!

...Now before you go sending me a note about not loving dogs...make no mistake but I do indeed love the little fellas enormously...always have and I have a very tender spot for dogs...but dogs in a grocery store? Are you freakin kidding me!!!!..... dogs are dogs people! Not people, people! Persons peoples! arrghhhh!

...As someone who worked in food production for many years and has had to make significant changes in our company and handling practices for food safety, does anyone in their right mind think that bringing animals into the grocery store is a good idea? Can little muffy possibly survive in the big nasty car for twenty minutes when mommy poo needs to buy-buy some good foody for the wittle puppy? Can you say fecal matter and e-coli?

Can we all let our dogs be dogs? You know those things that protect us from bad people, chase cars, catch rabbits, lay on the porch and lick...well, you know...dog stuff....anyway let's let our dogs do the whole companion thing! But in being a companion do they have to become like us? Wearing silly clothes and taking trips with us? Have we taken this whole thing way too far with pets?

...The picture just above is from a site that explains why sometimes dogs bite people...I would have done more than bite my master if I was such a pooch...and again, I just love dogs...but they are not humans...

...This leads me to think that people are now using dogs to replace children...I know this is true in some urban areas...and I am all for that...provided that dogs can start paying Social Security...because that is likely the only way I will ever see anything that the government has taken from me...so maybe we can kill two birds with one stone...

...Let's train little poochie to pick up his...errr...well...you know....his...ummm....errrr....uhhhh...his...poopie!...and then he can have some earnings and pay Social Security and all the other taxes...then we have cleaners streets and a bigger tax base!...so I called Madam Speaker and she thought it was a great idea!...and as someone who can generate a whole bunch of stuff herself that needs to get placed in plastic bags with your nose held...she immediately saw the value and took a great photo with Leonard Nimoy!...

God Bless America!

Remembering Law School

2009-11-26T10:32:00.000-08:00

...Hard to believe but it was 23 years ago today that I learned that I had passed the 1986 California Bar Examination...memorialized in the picture of me receiving the telegram from the Bar above...that shocked look on my face...and that is really how it happened...a simple little note from the State that said something like "We can't believe it but you actually passed the hardest bar exam in the country. We tried to stop you but somehow you got through. Good luck and don't screw up too soon."...

...I had actually gone up to the family cabin at Hartland...don't ask where that is because it isn't on very many maps...just somewhere up in the Sierras...and our family was celebrating Thanksgiving...well actually the day after Thanksgiving...and my dear sister in law Janet had decided to go by our home and check our mail...and she opened the envelope and read it! I am still shocked by that as much as actually passing!...

...so this was in the era before the internet and email so Janet saddled up and rode up to the top of the hill to let me know...that is her above in the photo with the bowler hat and dark mustache...well actually what she did was call the camp near where we were staying at let the staff know who then walked to our cabin...as we had no phone...seriously...and so a guy shows up and knocks on the door and asks for me...and tells me I need to call my sister in law Janet...which I did...on a payphone down the hill...

...and so it turns out that everyone in my study group passed the first time!...in a year when only about 1/3 of first time takers did so...here we are at our bar swearing in ceremony... that's me with the dumb look on my face...

...so all these years later what do I think of it? Well, besides that they made a clerical error and they actually meant to notify some other guy with a similar name...and that any day I will receive a latter saying "Hey, just kidding! We just found your exam and it really stunk it up! Cut the shingle up on your wall--now!"...well, besides that I mean...here are some thoughts about getting through something as tough as the bar exam...

*Study with your friends. I am eternally grateful for HP, DE, RL and KG and their help.

*Reduce complex subjects down to their essence, then build up from there. If you don't know the basics of something all the rest is nonsense.

*Stay calm. Everyone else is as nervous and scared as you are.

*Study out loud. Read your notes out loud. When your ear hears your own voice without interruption it sticks in your brain.

*Get away for a bit. Several times in my life on huge projects I got away for several days by myself. It helped.

*Have a supportive family and friend group. I tell students this all the time about grad school---don't tackle it alone. Make sure your support team is behind you.

...so I guess that's just about all I am going to say about that!...for now its off to Turkey Day...and time with family...and may you have a wonderful and blessed day!

Confusing Times for Schools...

2009-11-23T06:35:00.000-08:00

"So here's to you, Mrs. Robinson...but only if she is a recruiter for a company that actually is looking for an employee...or two...well, maybe just one...the answer isn't so simple any longer...unless the advice to get into plastic is about using your charge cards to live on...so I have been thinking and reading about this issue a great deal...since I am a bidnez perfeser and all of that...

...so where has my inquisitive mind taken me? Straight to the venerable School of Business...the bastion of excellence and honor and scholarship and...well you get the point...ant there are plenty of critics and pundits and observers who have a plan...often it comes down to just blowing the whole thing up...

...I for one don't necessarily think that blowing everything up is the answer...but for the folks outside of Californye-yeah...perhaps you have missed what is going on with our famed public education system...with students at UC Berkeley below showing their "support" for the huge increase in tuition... (can you say over 30% increases in a single year? Sounds like a third world country)...but I actually think it is more about a collapse of government and leadership than anything else...

...So I have been researching about the University system for the past 18 monhts and now am writing about the Schools of Business for the past month...and almost done with a paper...but if you want to read about things from Harhvahd's point of view check out...http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6053.html for a discussion of the future of the MBA...and while I think HBS is getting some things correct they are missing the point on some others...

...and that is the purpose of the paper I am writing...and hope to finish soon...because as strange as it may sound...I think part of the answer to what is ailing our Universities generally...and the School of Business specifically...can be answered by listening to...can't believe it...hard to say...errrr...ummm....listening to...lawyers! ...Yes, I think that if the Schools of Bidnez can incorporate a few things from law schools that things would improve...

...and I am going to start with the suggestion that we can start wearing the really cool berber rugs that Her Majesty's advocates get to don...and the great napkin around their necks...far more prestigious than our simple black robes...well, just kidding...but there are some things we could learn and apply from other professional schools...

...so in the coming days I hope to finish the article and post a blog copy sometime in the near future...which I am sure will lead to its publication in Harvard Business Review...or Mad Magazine...one or the other is just fine with me! Have a wonderful day!

My. How Things Have Changed...

2009-11-16T06:34:00.000-08:00

...So I am driving down Rosecrans heading towards the Goodwill store...delivering bags of clothing...darn pants keep shrinking in the wash...can't quite figure that out...must be something in the new-fangled detergents...and I see the sign flashing over the corner drug store...and it got me thinking about the "good ole days"...

...No, silly, it wasn't for the pink strip club advertising "Join Us For A Gala Nude-In"...but rather the Walgreens at the corner of Midway and Rosecrans...actually a decent looking store which I have frequented on occasion...convenient...well lit...and if you can serpentine in and around the gathering of homeless folks on the corner...I nearly hit a Home Depot shopping cart full of plastic bags...overflowing like a black poly volcano....but anyway...

...Flashing prominently on the store sign on the corner...besided 1 gallon of milk for $1.99...a good deal so I had Ruth run in and get two of them while I idled at the light...then it flashed the message that triggered the old metallic tapes in the gray matter...reversing and spinning for a few moments while it searched...and a different era came to mind...when I saw the message OPEN THANKSGIVING DAY 24 HOURS...

...you see back about 35 years I was a stock clerk at the Payless Drug Stores at the corner of Kings Canyon and Clovis in Fresno...well, actually not a stock clerk because I actually worked at the "Back Wall" and kept the dog food and paper products and household cleansers and the....ummm...errr....the...well, I will just say it...the feminine hygiene products as well...a wonderful job for a 17 year old guy...and I can assure you that my dear fellow employees and cashiers never messed with me on that one..."Mr. Ataide. Price check on Maxi-Pads, 24 pack, checkstand 3!"...trust me it did no lasting harm...well, other than 2 1/2 years of counseling while in the US Navy...but I digress...
...you see as the youngest employee at Payless I frequently would be the person locked in to the store over the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Holidays...after all it paid double-time...and knocking down $4 per hour was really something...but to be inside of a huge store...for Payless was the size of a large grocery store or Target more so than a Walgreens or Longs Drugs...and I would have the run of the place for 8 hours...lliterally locked in with all the lights on...on a holiday...kind of a strange experience...

...what does one do in a locked in store? Well...start with turning on all of the stereos in the electronics department on the same radio station...I think it was K-FIG...the real rock station in Fresno in the 70's...getting a bicyle or two out for riding up and down the aisles while snacking on pork rinds or 5th Avenue candy bars...and I would do a little bit of work...stock a few shelves...sample a few beverages...eat a bit more...

...but what really sticks with me all these years later is playing pinball up at the front of the store...hearing the bells and buzzers sharper and clearer than one could do when the store was actually open...it seems so surreal and strange..and then people coming up to the glass front doors and seeing me and pounding on them telling me to let them in ...panicked no doubt because the "Operation" game they bought for little Chuckie needed batteries...or it was New Years and they forgot the champagne...Charles Krug...about .99 cents a bottle as I recall...and almost worth every cent...but they could never quite figure out why the store lights were on and here was this young guy with long hair playing pinball on a holiday...

...so I think we kind of have lost something with everything open 24 hours...not entirely sure what it is we have lost but perhaps it has something to do with the special nature of the holiday...time with family and friends...the town basically shut down...and I guess at times even after all of these years I am somewhat nostaglic for that era...and think that I too have pushed too hard and run the race too fast...I left for the US Navy from this job at Payless and never looked back...maybe I should have a bit more...

...so Payless is long gone...sucked up into the Rite-Aid leveraged buyouts of the 90's...and the old store and shopping center in Fresno is kind of unrecognizable...so this holiday season I would ask that maybe you not frequent the stores that are all open...perhaps with time stores will begin to close again on holidays...or if you do need to visit a store or restaurant on a holiday that you show a special bit of grace and consideration to the people who are working...

...because odds are they are not having nearly as much fun as I did when I work holidays all those years ago...

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today...and it had nothing to do with Sgt. Pepper!

2009-11-09T08:41:00.000-08:00

Well I know that I have been ruminating in a somewhat light-hearted way the past few posts...although I am never certain that readers can discern the nuances of my strange mind...but today I want to remind everyone of the transformational events of 20 years ago...with the falling of the Berlin Wall and the end of the world...or at least the world that all of us born from the 1930s-1960's had known...

...It truly remains hard to believe how rapid the collapse came...and there are many well-written pieces (here is one that brings together the old and new pretty well: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/08/world/europe/08germany.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1 ) ...but it really was a transformational event in our history...

..For those of us who served in the military through the 1950s-1980's the power of the Soviet Union was the reality that we faced every day...it drafted my father into the US Army during Korea and 25 years later I would volunteer for the US Navy...and the efforts and energies of many countries poised against each other...nuclear weapons at the ready...was something we simply could not shake from our minds....even well into the 1980's our young men and women stood at the ready against "the godless red hordes of the east"...(just ask my buddy Mike Gallagher)...if any of you are interested in the USS Bainbridge CGN-25, my steel and nucelar powered home during those years...check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEFT0wPQo0Y for some old film of the "Gray Ghost of the Orient"...almost two football fields long she was something in her day...

...it is somewhat crazy to believe that the ship I served aboard for four years from 1976-1980 possessed more fire power aboard than all of the weapons fired by all sides in WWII...amazing...and sad...and reminds me of the huge debt we owe to Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, Pope John Paul II, Lech Walesa and many others known and unknown who brought this awful and wasteful stalemate to an end...even Gorbachev deserves some credit...at least he didn't line every one up against the wall like previous Soviet leaders...

...so on the plane home from Europe I watch a movie that gets **** from me...an excellent watch...well acted and in many ways prophetic...of not only the rise of the Wall but also its collapse and a warning for contemporary citizens of this global village...Brendand Gleeson gives a stunning performance of Winston Churchill...oh, WWII is so boring, you say?...well listen carefully kiddies to the dialogue in this film...for it speaks to us well...stirring my heart, my soul and desires for a better tomorrow...rent a copy of Into the Storm http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0992993/ ...and prepare to be impressed with the strength of those who we can hold no candle to.

I for one am quite grateful this date for not only Ronnie and the rest of the leaders of the 1980's but also the one and only Sir Winston Churchill. Hats off to all of them!

Que no mundo é isto?

2009-11-08T15:10:00.000-08:00

So I think I am a pretty smart guy...right?...well I mean I have a online degree from the Cleveland Institute of Electronics and Television Repair...a certificate from Dalena's College of Beauty...and I also read National Geographic...well, at least I look at the pictures...but, anyway...as I was saying...I consider myself a real conneeesurrr of fine living, cultural sophistication and international stuff...so these questions should not perplix...purplix...plerpexx...I mean these things shouldn't be beyond my capabilities in figuring out!

...So I be skirting on down the highway in old Paree...heading on out of town with my confidence in and awareness of the Europe...with my Maurice Chevalier 8 track playing...and the little lady begins to inquire about some of the ummm....errrrr....uhhhh....well, you know...."the facilities" in France that we had experienced...especially one at a roadstop somewhere near Caen...and boy howdy, they were really eco-friendly with this particular sanitation portal...which we later discovered was known as a "Turkish Toilet"... and how wonderful this device was since it used no water...or at least in the version we used...so it must have been a very new model...kind of like the Falcon urinals I see around PLNU...water free...but I am thinking that there are some things that really do require the use of water... I also discovered that they also called these "squatters toilets"...must be something for the homeless chaps I guess...

...anyway I was talking about the facilities...which by and large are quite nice in Europe...well, except for the U.K....but that led us to a conversation about that other piece of porcelain that we kept on seeing wherever we went...and since we had never seen such a thing in either my National Geo or Popular Mechanics magazines...it led us to using our powers of deductive reasoning to get to the....ummm....bottom of things....

..So we set out to use the porcelain thingy in various settings to see what conclusions we could make....Was it:

*A Mini-Washer for the weary traveler? (travel light/travel right!)

*A convenient espresso maker? (one must not stray far from the coffee!)

*A footwashing basin? (for all the pilgrimages you could make in Europe!)

...So I must say we didn't come to any firm conclusion on any of our three possible solutions...except the only way I could see it being a footwashing basin is if no-one has size 10.5XXX feet like mine...I got my baby toe on my left foot stuck on the lip and nearly tore it off...So let me know what is your favorite or offer a new solution to this vexing question...

...But I don't want you to think that all of your confidence in me is lost...I mean after all this is now my third trip to France and fifth to Portugal in the last 4 years or so...so on the way back from Normandy I stopped by a little bistro and picked up some genuine French "chocolat" for a little "snackee"...which Ruth was so pleased with my selection that she snapped the photo below...

...boy were they good! Vive Le France!

Somehere on the road in Portugal...reflections on Twain-isms vs. Joe-isms

2009-11-06T03:58:00.001-08:00

The venerable Mark Twain

"All generalisms are false, including this one."

"Don't let schooling interfere with your education."

"If you hold a cat by the tail, you learn things you cannot in any other way."

"It's no wonder that truth is stranger than fiction. Fiction has to make sense."

The indubitable Joe Arrais

"He who steps off the blanket gets his feet wet." (A caution to Americans.)

"The further you drive, the closer you get." (Helpful advice as to the length of any journey.)

"The rain will be ending soon." (As the rain begins, with gray skies everywhere and no sign of sun.)

"If you step on the wrong rock, you will get a radical feeling." (In other words, "watch where you step.")

"Always stop at the stop sign." (Reflecting upon the importance of traffic safety.)

"Next time you are in Argentina and you see a stop sign, you need to stop." (An observation after a minor auto accident with some Argentinian surfers.)

"It's just a little bit of humidity." (During a rain storm while waiting for the traffic police.)

...So here we are...at the end of Europe...literally...outside of Sagres at the far southwestern corner of Europe where Prince Henry the Navigator (allegedly) trained seamen from throughout the regions...and I am thinking to myself "How would it be to have Mark Twain riding in our rental VW van for a few days"...and then I realized that he was indeed here...just in a Portuguese version...you know, louder, more passionate, articulate, louder...well, you understand...

...So in addition to the wit and wisdom of Joe, he also is quite a driver...and in Portugal that is a big statement...since cab drivers here make NYC drivers look like driver's training school...on a first day lesson...and I have enjoyed Arrais and his driving in the past...getting to Porto from Lisbon faster than a bullet train a few years ago...but you know I am really tired after having driven about 400+ kilometers, so I figure, why not have Joe drive a little bit...right?...and the symbolism is astonishing since in the photo below (with Joe's lovely wife Paula, daughter Debora and our friend Marjorie Ekk)...we are admiring the kilometer zero marker of the famous "cycle across Europe" start that leads one all the way to Russia)....

...I mean, what kind of trouble could we possibly have?...

...so five minutes and one kilometer later here we are in a traffic accident with four young Argentinians who decided it was smart to pull out into traffic...now don't get me wrong...this collision was not Joe's fault...but I just found it somewhat ironic that it would happen to him just after taking the wheel deep in the Algarve...and fortunately everyone was OK...except for the tie rod and left wheel and tire of the young man's car...no injuries...but I just loved to watch the special language that Joe brought to the scene...

...when we got out of the car Joe greeted the young travelers with a hearty greeting...affirming in them that in no way did he think less of them for their driving problems...and after we all embraced one another and shared pleasantries our young South American folks thought it was a good time to change their tire...move the car...and I am sure they were just going to head to the nearest police station to report their error and damage...which at that point was developing...

...but fortunately just at that moment as they were getting in their car and wishing us all 'bon voyage"...the policia appeared and saved them the effort of seeking them out...wow, those Argentinians were so pleased to see them as well!...they said some special things in Spanish that I am certain were a particular form of being especially pleased to see the policia.

...so long story short...the rain was pouring...and pouring...and we worked it all out...and our hapless young friends had to wait for a tow truck (Portuguese law, I understand)...and the important thing is no one was hurt...and I took the keys back from Joe so that he could reflect on his long journey behind the wheel...and share with us those special tender thoughts he had towards our young amigos from down south...

...and it just made me grateful once again for the wonderful surprises that await us around the bend...and how even little accidents can seem funny...and moments to learn from...especially when you are with wonderful friends like Joe and Paula and Debora and Otto and Marjorie...and of course my bride Ruthie!

Eu achei o Miguel! Ele e bem!

2009-11-03T23:34:00.000-08:00

So on a national road in the vicinity of Montsaraz in the Alentejo region of southern Portugal...who did I run into? Well, not literally run into because our VW van (courtesy of Avis)...would have received the short end of the deal...since Miguel and his familia are very very big...and very very thick...hmmm...kind of like some of my Portuguese relatives...but anyway....Miguel is obrigado muito bem...

...So we stopped and I gave Miguel a little sugar...and he...or could have Miguel been a she? (o Jesus!)...and I am pleased to report that Miguel...sans his outer layer of bark...is doing very well, thank-you!

...Why is Miguel so red? That is a good question...and is an indication that the cork was just harvested...or at least in the last 6 months...and they paint a number for the year (my Miguel had the number 9 on its huge trunk)...and so for another 9 years Miguel will have the time to regrow a new layer of cork (.75-2" thick)...and be ready for another harvest...very cool stuff...

...On a beautiful day we have entered Southern Portugal...the Alentejo and then further south to the Algarve...where we are now closer to Morocco than to Lisbon...and enjoyed our time at a walled city...where Christians and Muslims slugged it out over several centuries...and then arriving later at the Algarve in Praia do Carvoeiro for the night...

All is well...and I am seeing the manifestations of faith and business and life and entrepreneurs all over the region...and it renews in me the strength of the ordinary people...prevailing against the odds..taking chances and working hard...either in a small business or a fishing boat or a restaurant....whether in New York or a small rural village in Portugal...and it confirms in me once again that our destinies lie in our own hands and not the government...and rulers and politicians...

It is up to us! So have a wonderful day and smile as you pass into it

Ciao!

Save Miguel! Save Miguel?

2009-11-01T07:31:00.000-08:00

Well, Portugal has entered the modern era...it is perhaps an inconvenient truth...and yet something that must come to light...in this lovely old nation of merely 10 million citizens...about 1/4 the size of California...or the San Joaquin Valley come harvest time...but anyway, in addition to modern highways (yes, far better than most of the roads in the US), vino verde, nice grocery stores, shopping centers and malls, great cell reception, vino verde...ummm...well yes, all of that, Portugal has found its environmental voice...

Yes...the home of Cabrillo, Enrique the Navigator and Rosa Ramos Ataide has its own passionate environmental cause...and it is a doozy!...while other nations and their environmental activists shoot paint balls at whaling ships...chain themselves to nuclear reactors...and refuse to use deodorant....my ancestral home has found the right balance...and it is about saving Miguel!

Who is Miguel? Well the link below will explain it all...and in all seriousness saving Miguel is a beautiful thing...for it is truly a cultural and historical tradition worth saving...and Miguel provides a habitat...a Portuguese garden of Eden...in its own unique way...

So sit back and enjoy a little trip to Lisbon and then to the South...where I am actually traveling to in a few days....and help save Miguel! Viva Lisboa! Viva Miguel!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_gecqWJPx8

c'est la vie

2009-10-31T04:17:00.000-07:00

Well, yippee kai yay little doggies! I just had the good fortune of spending five days in France (mostly in Paris but 36 hours in Normandy as well)...and once again had a wonderful time...Paris is all at once wonderful and horrific...the food, landscape and setting is the former and the traffic, signage and expense the latter...but I for one want to go on record and give you my view of our dear French friends...

...I really don't know where the French and the American relationship went astray...because it really has been my experience in a few visits to France that we have more common interests than differences...and that we have many reasons to want to get along...OK now don't go getting your coullotes in a bunch...because I know there are some legitimate points of disagreement...but all in all I actually enjoy the French a great deal...and here are just a few reasons why:

1) They are really really smart. I have had the opportunity to speak to some French and let me just say that they are well educated, articulate, thoughtful and earnest. And I really enjoy being around smart people.

2) They enjoy a high quality of life. From their roads (sans litter!) to their cuisine to their bike share program to their monuments and common areas, they really have got it going on. Now, I know what is paying for all of this, but let me observe that the results are c'est magnifique.)

3) They know their history. I didn't say it was all worth knowing, but there is really an appreciation for the past in France, and how it has meaning (good and bad) for the present and the future. We could really use more of this attitude in the states.

4) They appreciate respect, civility and courtesy. There are times in France that I am really struck with how it reminds me of my grandparents treated conversations and discussions (albeit from Portugal and not France). But there was a level of honest inquiry, the process having value and not only the answers, a willingness to listen and to argue points fairly, and do this with a sense of dignity that I don't often see in America.

Now before you go getting all worried about me packing it in and moving to "gay Paree" there really are too many obstacles in life (way too many) to get me to ever consider such an action...but my trip there has once again left me with a deep personal impression that there is much we need to learn in the States...and yes, we do a great many things well but some things certainly need improvement...and it has been a good reminder to me of some quality of life issues I need to think deeply upon...it has been a good trip so far...and I look forward to a return in the next year or so...and a desire to travel to the country more beyond Paris...

...So what was I doing in Paris?...well, I was asked by some dear friends who have lived there for many years if I would come and speak on entrepreneurship...and they have formed a wonderful new association called Coherence...see http://coherenceparis.com/... so let me impress you now with the title of my remarks:

L’entrepreneur aujourd’hui :évolution, défis et opportunités

So I will be posting my lectures for you on this site...if you want to read more...but for now I will simply say au revoir!

We Won! We Won! He Won! He Won!

2009-10-10T11:09:00.000-07:00

So there I sat watching CNBC talking about how the price of gold took a big ol' jump...tickling $1050 bucks an ounce...and I am thinking about those gold crowns the little lady is wearing...and...ummm....well not really...and so what pops up on the internet?...that the Prez wins the Nobel Peace Prize! Wow!...so once I realize that I haven't gotten up too early and that this isn't really Mad TV and Stuart in his jockey shorts in trouble again...and I realize it has really happened...I cannot tell you the full sense of my joy in this award to a sitting American President!

And with full respect to our President the Nobel folks say that he had no knowledge of the nomination and that actually didn't call him from Sweden (or was it Turkmenistan?)...and wake him up...because we know he needs and deserves a full night of shut-eye...and they soon announce that he is humbled by the award...and will donate the proceeds to charity...what a giver this guy is!

...I don't know about you but the Nobel Prizes and the Olympic Gold Prizes are just about the top of everything...holding kind of a mystique like JFK and World War II...but they really outdid theirselves this time! Wow!

...So I am thinking that they must have made a bit of a mistake...cause President Clinton and Hillary have been traipsing around the world for nearly 20 years campaigning for a "legacy"...and I would have thought all of those trips and summits would have counted for something...so maybe they were really awarding it to the Clintons...kind of viewing him all of them collectively...you know like the old Three Dog Night song "Black and White"...what? you don't remember it? Here you go...

The ink is black

The page is white

Together we learn to read and write

The child is black The child is white

The whole world looks upon the sight

The beautiful sight

And now a child can understand

That this is the law of all the land

All the land

Or full the full version you can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOr4O66WZW0

...but let me warn you that this version is the spiffed up one...because when they really did this song in the 1970's it was under the influence of pretty much everything they could find....and consume...

...but I guess that kind of makes my point that everything gets kind of spiffed up when it comes to Mr. Prez...because no one really wants to talk too much about Chicago politics...from whence he came...

...but anyway...once I realized that the Nobel Prize has kind of fallen a bit in status in the last day or two...because under the terms of the nomination they officially closed 12 days after Mr. Prez took office...and we all know that in those 12 days he had accomplished a lot...like...ummm...he boldly...talked...and spoke...and had some photos...and....well...ummmm...

...So now I think the mystique...the prestige...the brand power... of the Nobel is in my mind right there with...say...

...I want you to know that I hold that little fellow in the highest of regard!...and the picture of the medal above? You don't recognize it?...well it actually is the Nobel Peace Prize...but it is the backside of the prize...seriously...and so I close with that thought...the three people hugging each other...embracing the world...and all us getting the backside...

....I am so proud to be an American!

TGIF!

2009-10-02T15:32:00.000-07:00

...Sunny Day Sweepin' the clouds away On my way to where the air is sweet!...boy oh boy oh boy have I had a couple of great days...no, not flying with our dear Prez. to Europe to pitch Chicago as the next Olympic venue...nope, didn't get a Nobel Prize nomination...and missed the lottery again..but I couldn't eat for 36 hours and I got a colonoscopy! Yipee!!...and when you hear from the dear ol' doc that you have a "perfect colon" it really makes it all worthwhile...makes me just want to run out and rear up and click my heels....but if I did so you better not stand too close...

...Boy is there a lot going on in the world!...and I had the opportunity to travel to Oxford University, which was quite nice...there is an awful lot to like about the Brits...first there is the public transportation system...reliable and inexpensive...and then there are the lovely towns and buildings...walking around ChristChurch College in Oxford was just incredible in the fall with the flowers still in bloom and the lawns perfectly striped...and then there is...ummm...there is....ummm....ehhh....oh yeah....they have the Beatles...well I guess not really...they only have Paul and Ringo...and I think Ringo lives in El Lay to avoid taxes....but as I was saying...everytime I travel to England it helps me understand how the whole Colonial thing got going here a couple of hundred years ago...I mean, they still cannot make a salad!...toilets?...they use 8 gallons to flush and make more noise than a Oster blender grinding on ball bearings...so much for going green...

...But I did enjoy myself and attended a conference at the Said School of Business and met some fine people...and walked a great deal...and hope to go again...but next time I will bring my own salad dressing....

...Wow! What a great couple of months for the stock market! Happy days are here again!...Let's pass a trillion dollar health bill!...Yippee!!...

...Well maybe not...sorry...but I have to tell you I am really concerned about just a couple of things...well, maybe a couple of hundred things in this economy...let's start with the lack of small business capital access and a looming tax increase that will crush thousands of entrepreneurs...the exact thing our Prez and Congress need to be helping right now...but the only stimulus package that appears to be heading down the pike is similar to the one I have just experienced at the doctor this morning....ouch!...and that employment remains tepid at the best...consumer confidence stinks......and what of the GE dumping NBC?...what does that tell you about their view of the future of mainstream entertainment for the next five years?...does GE need cash that bad to sell one of their jewels at this time when deals are so depressed?...makes one think that GE may be wanting to build more cash than they were thinking a year or so ago...and they already have lots of cash....

....and we have idiots in Iran and North Korea that appear to be smarter than us in foreign policy...should I continue? It just feels to me like business is so hunkered down right now that the stock market gains of the past few months are just the calm ahead of the storm...and I really fear it is going to be another big storm...especially if the commercial real estate meltdown occurs...but good thing we flew Air Force 1 across the pond to pitch the Olympics to Chicago..... I wonder what other sports they could introduce if they IOOC would have placed it in Chicago...maybe gang wars...knife fights....political corruption...perhaps Acorn could have been the organizing Committee as they have done so well in other areas....

...which I think is the real wild card in this whole economy...and while so far the banks, REIT's, developers and government have been content to "kick the can down the road" there is only so much road to walk down before you hit a river, wall or pile of...ummm....manure....and while commercial real estate doesn't touch the homeowner's and ordinary consumer in quite the same way as residential real estate...it still is a much bigger thing than most of us think...and makes me glad that I am not over-invested in the stock market at this point...no more than 20% of my liquidity are in stocks...and I am sleeping better because of it...

...so with that I say to all of you nighty-night!

Two Lefft Feet

2009-07-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

So here we are going out for pizza...after a fun day...and so we are walking down to the car...and Kathleen Atchley looks down at me as we exit the elevator...and notices something peculiar...illustrated above...so what does she see?

...She sees a dufus who has put on two different flip-flops to go out on the town...a very proud moment of my life...and not just two different flip-flops but both were the left one...of course our dear friends and my lovely bride have promised to never mock me over this faux pas...but then again they also said they would never mention my other major doofus moment...involving our small group friends in Morro Bay long ago...

...So I figured it would be better to just get it out there...admit I was a knucklehead...and then turn it into a witty story about being an entrepreneur...and that there was some great lesson I will extract and share with each of you...of making mistakes and bouncing back through it...or turning a "sows ear into a silk purse"...or something else...but really I just needed to say that I was a knucklehead...and sometimes that is really all you can say...and not much else...

But on the plane back stateside I had the opportunity to listen to a book summary that was really great...very useful and much that I agreed with...which is high praise for most books on entrepreneurship and small business management that I come across...

Never Bet The Farm was a great "read"...and I will soon read it in its entirety...and if any of you have been through it let me know your thoughts...but I put it right up there "Small Giants" and you all know how I feel about that great little book..

...So anyway, time to sign off...but what was that other great doofus moment...I mentioned earlier it was in Morro Bay...about ten years ago...and let's just say it involved the picture below...and that despite what some say...the price of good friends can sometimes be too much!...especially when you miscalculate the price of crab legs...boy I hope Albertsons found that bundle of legs in the poultry section...where I left it...

Are Christians Social Entrepreneurs?

2009-07-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

Well as promised I am posting my recently completed research article on religious and social entrepreneurship. This is a topic that I have been thinking about since I attended the Skoll World Forum at the Said Business School in Oxford in 2007.

Go to this link and you should be able to access it.

http://www.scribd.com/share/upload/13426022/w5e3fy04m9p33sfgcyz

And if you are wondering about the picture...of those handsome and youthful men approaching the lovely young ladies...this is a cover from a magazine I read...a long long time ago...titled The Door...originally known as The Wittenberg Door...edited by (the late) Mike Yaconelli...probably the funniest Christian ever...who diligently labored to create the very small field known as Christian Satire...which few people ever understood...and Mike and The Door had a wit and wisdom that was inspiring to those of us who feel way too many people (aka Christians) have their undies cinched down too much...Yaconelli was prophetic in his own way...and I would highly recommend some of his books to you...

I hope some of you enjoy the article...and feel free to dialogue with me on your opinion!

Breaking all the Rules!

2009-07-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

So I have taken a few days off after a long school year and traveled to Kauai...and once again been exposed to that unique delicacy known as "shave ice"...now before you go get your panties in a bunch that shave ice is in many other locales please understand that is not the point of this post...only that it does seem to be very popular here in the islands and that I never really think about it back home...and really I am not as impressed as everyone else seems to be about it...I mean it is very good but not earth shattering...like Silva brand linguica or Summeripe peaches are...but anyway...

Everyone here raves about shave ice and there are fans of various locations and lines everywhere...so I decided to make some observations about three separate vendors in two different towns...two of which I have visited and enjoyed their products...and they all seem to break the entrepreneur rules that I teach...

...the first is in Hanalei as is known as the "Wishing Well"...and the picture below really does more justice to the location than it deserves...shall we say it has a certain rustic ambience...earthy...with a hint of palm trees...and syrup and ice cream...and yet all day long people line up for this particular delicacy...but the most interesting thing is that the owner...a lovely elderly lady...serves customers in a unique way...somewhere between Attila the Hun and the soup Nazi from Seinfeld days...so don't you dare hesitate when you stand in line and finally get to the window to order...do it quick and precise and know what you want...or you are going to get yelled at...all for the privlege of some shave ice...perhaps part of the enjoyment is to watch how she talks to everyone in line...but the produce really is very good..

...And in seat #2 of the entrepreneurial puzzle we have Jo-Jo's Shave Ice in Waimea...and one can certainly not criticize it for inadequate signage...and they are on the main road...so all should be going well...right?...well my dear daughter Rachel desires the Jo-Jo's product...having heard so much about it...and so we stop and what do we find?...that they are all out of the Haupio sweet cream that they pour over the top...right after lunch time...on a weekday...in summer...so go figure...I guess the 60 flavors they advertise must not include the famous topping that makes it unique...

...but to make it really interesting Jo-Jo's is not really Jo-Jo's since Jo-Jo actually sold her Jo-Jo's shave ice shop a few years ago and the new owner kept the name Jo-Jo's since Jo-Jo the person had retired and Jo-Jo's had quite a following...got it?...but guess what happened when Jo-Jo didn't like the way the new owner's were running Jo-Jo's?...so Jo-Jo decided to open another shave ice store...not just in the same town but no more than 50 yards away...and Jo-Jo decided to name it Jo-Jo's Anuenue Shaved Ice...

...so now we have two Jo-Jo's almost next to each other...each with the same products...competing for the same customers...at the same price...how does that make any sense?...thus all the rules are being broken...and especially very slow lines, poor customer service, waiting in the sun, out of products, etc. etc. etc...

Does this make sense?

Not to me it does...at least at first glance...because I always teach that regardless of the business you must always treat customers well, provide for their comfort, have adequate products in stock, clean restrooms, etc....and none of these businesses have that...in fact they have just the opposite...So how do they survive? Why do people line up?

Just to tantalize you, here is a review from a website of one of the sites (does it really matter which one?)...

"The reviews of this place MADE me wait for an hour, in the sun and then in the hell hole that it is.... waited while ONE guy...ONE...waited on about 35 people, at once. Here's the story....you wait...give your order to this moron...he takes about 15 orders at a time...writes them down on post it notes...then...when his notepad is full, he walks over to the otherside of the 100+ degree shop and makes your shave ice treat. He makes about 20....and hands them out to the melted, crancky people...and then goes back to take more orders. Guess what? After practically dying of heat stroke....ANYTHING cold would have gotten 4 stars. This is really over rated, over hyped and extremely poorly run. The shaved ice is simply that. Shave ice with the same old syrup poured over the top. Nothing spectacular...nothing to rave about except that by the time you get it, condensation would have been great. I rate it a negative 5."

...So I must admit I am a bit perplexed about the who Shave Ice thing...a good product delivered in a poor way...and have concluded that these places break all the entrepreneurial rules...and therefore they fascinate me...and require further thought...and comment...over a #3 with mac nut on the bottom...and of course the Haupio Sweet Cream on it...if they are not out of it..Aloha!

Asleep at the wheel...

2009-06-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

Portugal? My last entry was Portugal? Arrghh...Ok well after a long absence (was it writer's block or mere laziness?) I return to the foray of blogging...actually having received several comments from people as to why I had grown silent...They didn't actually say that they missed my posts but I am going to hope for the best...

WOW! So much has happened these past months! We have lost Michael Jackson...Farrah Fawcett...ummm...Ed McMahon...and just now I read that Billy Mays died in his sleep...

...now you have to love a world where a guy like Billy Mays can become a celebrity with his own Discovery channel show...countless infomercials...contracts...he really makes me proud to be involved in teaching entrepreneurship...and I really am not mocking here because it is an inspirational story...born to a modest background he was a college dropout from Pittsburg and worked for his father's hazardous waste company...moving to New Jersey (wow, there is a rich vein of material I could work with there knowing a few dear folks from NJ)...and learned how to sell from the rough cut old timers at the boardwalk on Atlantic City...all of this is true...

...What you have to love about the field of entrepreneurship and small business is that it is the authentic equal opportunity venue without the government intrusion...it matters little if you are a PHD or barely made it through grade school...male or female...black or white...in fact the two most identifiable characteristics of entrepreneurs is that it clearly runs in the family, meaning that if your parents or relatives were entrepreneurs it is likely that you will be as well (didn't really work in my own case, but you know, I was always exceptional...a very special bus came to pick me up each day to go to school...the other kids called it "the short bus"...but I liked the seats and the seat belts...kind of felt like Disneyland)...

Well the other key factor of being an entrepreneur is being from a rural area...yepper...none of that "Siliconvalleyangelinvestorhightechturbomaster5000harvardstanfordbluebloodinghighfallutingstuff" for the entrepreneur...if you don't believe me read the book "The Illusions of Entrepreneurship"by Scott Shane to prove my point...

...I guess the impression that entrepreneurs come from or gravitate towards Silicon Valley is pretty much the media's fault...because it is much more interesting to talk about the guy who invented the latest nanotechnology item than Jose and Maria who just opened their fourteenth dry cleaning shop, cleaning the clock of everyone in the region by providng great service at good prices...operationally excellent, intimate with their customers, and leading in products (sounds like a Harvahhd B School article)...Silicon Valley is much sexier than the San Joaquin Valley...but all that does is give Jose and Maria a bigger head start...but I digress once again...

So where have I been hiding these past months? Well the short answer (from the guy from the short bus) is that I have been very very very busy...and focused on some other issues of reading and writing...I have successfully finished a journal article that I just submitted to that venerable academic publications "Camping World" and "Highlights" for their consideration...let's think happy thoughts here...and after I receive the rejection letter from them in the coming months I will send it around to som.e other avenues...so that took time away from blogging...as well as teaching responsibilities and some extended research into international entrepreneurship which is a lot of work but very enjoyable as well...so I am very sorry about the delay...

...and if anyone would like to see the recently completed paper on social entrepreneurship just let me know...Billy Mays was going to pitch it for me but I am back to square one now...

...I promise to return soon and regale the masses with more insight on the business world,politics, observations and of course, some gracious commentary on the loss of Michael Jackson...so stay tuned...

Portugal Update #2

2009-01-26T10:20:00.000-08:00

A Pacific Boy Bumps Into the Atlantic

...So here I am born and bred West Coast USA...spent four years aboard a cruiser in the Indian and Pacific Oceans and many seas...and always kind of viewed the Atlantic as a large lake...well except for that pesky iceberg thingy that Leo and Kate bumped into...and those notorious 25 foot seas...but go with me anyway OK...so today over a delicious fish luncheon I watched the crashing Atlantic from about 50 yards away...and let's just say that I have a newfound respect for the "pond" which makes me somewhat glad I was stationed out of San Diego and not Norfolk...

...so at Ericiera Portugal west of Mafra about 45 minutes from Lisbon...my dear friends Joe and Paula (and young Deborah as well!) and Otto and I drove a well-worn Opel...400,000+KM on the odometer...and visited a new restaurant for a traditional Portuguese luncheon...with linguica...bread...shrimp...octopus...and lovely white fish with vegetables...and more bread...and laughter...talking matters of life common to all of us...thank-you friends for the lunch!...

...It was quite an international day with some new Australian friends over pancakes and fruit...now living in Loures Portugal...

...most gracious people are Matt and Kiri and family...and they confirm in me the wonderful nature and friendship of our friends down under...and their talented pet 'roo Abner...quite lovely...check them out at http://www.vanders.org.au/...

...I read the news today, oh boy!...did you see the new Time Magazine cover?...hmmm quite interesting...a special report on the world economy with a cover picture of...(select correct answer below):

A. Vice-President Joe Biden

B. US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke

C. Karl Marx, Father of Communist Economic Theory

...So with the running banner beneath saying..."The Return of Poverty"..."The Need for New Ideas"..."Citi's Troubled History"...the answer is (drum roll!)...

(hint: His picture is not only on this week's Time Cover but also on Sgt. Pepper)

...Karl Marx...yeahhh!!!!!...whoooooooo!!!!....boy howddddeeeee!!!!...we need some new ideas!!!..

...So Time encourages us in their special report "What Would Marx Think?"... to ponder some important questions...such as..(actual quotations here)...

"Rethinking Marx: As we work out how to save capitalism, it's worth studying the system's greatest critic"...or how about this one..."If you leave aside the prescriptive parts of Marx's writings, there's a trenchant diagnosis of the problems that are even relevant today"...so you see I had to go look up that tricky word 'trenchant' cause I can't say I have used it in the blog recently...and discovered it synonyms...

incisive
keen
penetrating
perceptive
sensitive

WELL THANK-YOU VERY MUCH TIME MAGAZINE! I AM ALL OVER THIS ONE!

Excuse me now...I need to go change out of my clothes...as I think I must have spilled a warm drink on my trousers!...but no fear...the government shall purchase me a new pair!...it gives a whole new meaning to "bail out!"

Greetings from Lisbon!

2009-01-24T07:34:00.000-08:00

Where's Waldo? Or Randy?

Bon dia from the long-lost blogger...who has fallen off the face of the earth for the past month...well, not really, but maybe just plain lazy when it comes to blogging...but he has returned with a greeting from Lisboa/Lisbon Portugal...ancestral home of my grandparents...well, at least on the Portuguese side since it would be rather difficult for the maternal Irish side to come from the home of linguica and vinho verde...not that Iwould really know what the latter is...

...but nonetheless I find myself overlooking the town of Loures about 10 minutes north of Lisbon this rainy Saturday...hanging with my dear friend Otto Ekk and enjoying their beautiful home with a great view of an old convent (now a museum) and a new shopping center and surrounding apartment buildings interspersed among ancient agricultural plots...having traveled here on Wednesday...well really Thursday by the time we arrived at 4pm Portugal time on Thursday with a moderate case of jet lag...this now being my fourth trip here in the past five years it is good to reconnect with old friends and to see what the churches and groups are up to these days...and to study and think about new models of community and ideas that are developing in Western Europe...

...yet the big big big news here is that Americans are back on the "A-List" of Europeans these days...all thanks to Mr. President Barack Obama...whom these folks just cannot seem to get enough of...

...This guy is some sort of crazy superhero-messiah-handsome-charming-Euro-magnificent-man...and I thought he was only a President!...Sheesh!!!...silly dumb American that I am...and all the way here and in the airports and on shirts and television and newspapers and billboards and...well, you get the point...BARACK ROCKS!!!...and according to the German newspaper I spied MICHELLE ROCKS!!!...but not only that she is very very sexy...oolala!!!...

...but it is really fun to be back in the good graces of our European friends and brothers and sisters again...and I am comforted to know that he is the answer to all the world's problems now...and it does give me some insight to the view people hold of politicians sometimes...well at least politicians other than your own country's....and how much we really want our leaders to lead...and how people discern leadership and hope and change and more hope and more change and how we are really hopeful about hope and just hoping beyond hope that hopefully hope leaves us now hopeful and...well, you get the idea of what is up in Europe...

...so all we can say is that we need to hope for the best...

...but as for me and my view from Portugal...specifically above a picture of the lovely Tagus River flowing through my family's home town of Porto...and surrounding area...it is a short and sweet trip...and always good to come back...just wishing I had the language skills to converse although fortunately many people here speak English...but it does help me understand better why I am (and my family members as well) are the way we are...because really I was running out of explanations...yet there is a rhythm and poetry to Portugal that is at once confusing and reassuring...that some things really do never change and yet they are always changing...and a life of both sadness and joy wrapped up into one...that is hard to explain but wonderful to experience and consider...so I enjoy Portugal a great deal especially with so many nice people to share a coffee and pastry with...or whom open their homes for a meal with us...very nice...obrigado...

WHAT TO MAKE OF WALL STREET?!? YOWZZA!

...Just when you think it is safe to go back in the water...comes the big ol' great white shark to tear your limbs off...time to put it all...or whatever is left of all...in a suitcase and bury it in the yard or stuff it under the bed...so I am about out of advice dispensing on this one...but what puzzles me is that while the numbers (you know--the numbers, whatever they are) look bad they don't seem to be nearly as bad as we all feel...and it just seems like all confidence is gone in buying, building or spending on anything...and it is global and not just back in the USA...especially for the Brits (GOD SAVE THE QUEEN 'CAUSE THE POUND SURE AIN'T GOING TO DO IT!)...so where does this leave us?

...for the moment I am just going to have to place my trust in God...and wait a few quarters...glad that I am not retiring soon...because if I did I would be practicing my little speech from the only two companies that are doing anything right these days...since we know that GE, Pfizer, Microsoft, Disney, and all the rest are just worthless anymore...so...hang on...let me clear my throat...mmmm....ahhhhhh...OK how does this sound?

"GOOD MORNING--WELCOME TO WAL-MART!" or "WOULD YOU LIKE FRIES WITH THAT?"

...the problem for me is that them darn little paper hats...supposedly 'one size fits all'...just don't sit well on my huge head...so I need to find something else to do...

BUT WAIT! I KNOW THE ANSWER!

GO OBAMA! GO OBAMA! GO OBAMA! NEXT STOP PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD!

Forrest or Benjamin?

2008-12-29T06:25:00.000-08:00

Life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you are going to get...and I really didn't expect to gather as much insight and pleasure from the new film "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" as I did...and whle I don't necessarily swoon over Brad Pitt (unlike someone else in the little household)...he was rather striking at points in this movie...perhaps his best yet....worth the $7 I paid (I know, I know, but it was a small town coastal theater with small town prices)...

...but anyway...while the plot of Mr. Button's Opus is generally well known...umm...see...it is about what happens when you are born old and die young....no, not like James Dean!...but in a physical sense...rather curious indeed...

and I would assume that everyone except for the lost tribes of Israel has seen Gump multiple times...I don't want to spoil anything for anyone but here is your "SPOILER ALERT" (did you hear the "whoop-whoop" of the spoiler siren?)...but I was really struck by the similarities between Forrest Gump and The Curious Case...

(Yes it is Brad Pitt...and this is just one of the lesser transformations he makes in the film)

So here is my list of similarities between the two movies...

*Both feature actors at middle age at the top of their game with the names of their characters in the titles.

*Both feature an unfolding of events throughout the world where the lead actors find themselves in wholly unexpected circumstances of history.

*Both films are narrated by the actors who record and recall these world events.

*Both are raised by single mothers who struggle to "level the playing field" for their sons.

*Both have unique physical attributes that are slowly revealed that both serve and hamper them.

*Both are stories of wandering throughout life but never forgetting home.

*Both are set in the deep South of the U.S.

*Both use a large house as a returning point for the characters throughout their lives.

*Both involve tragic service in wartime with most of their fellow combantants killed or wounded.

*Both involve a boat of approximately similar size and use where each of the actors seems to mature and develop as men.

*Both have the lead actors serving under a gruff, abrasive and yet sympathetic military leader over them who did not fulfill their true destiny in life.

*Both have them finding, losing, finding and again losing a woman throughout their entire lives, whom they met as young boys.

*Both of them are encouraged and inspired by the women at a young age, and these early incidents shape their lives.

*Both of the women they love develop a career in the performing arts but fail to achieve the level of success that they aspired to.

*Both have promiment supporting roles provided by black actors and actresses, all of whom show exceptional insight to life even in difficult situations.

*Both involve having a child and the greatest fear is that the child will have the same physical and emotional problems as the father.

*Both have a reconciliation scene with the child that the child is unaware that they are in the presence of their father.

*Both involve a recurring image and metaphor of a bird and both films close with this image.

...there are more but I think you get the picture...feel free to suggest any that you see (or disagree with me, but be nice please!)...

Anyway there is certainly more to life than just seeing and thinking about a new movie but then again, maybe there isn't...

...I guess I could write about incoming President Obama...but it seems that everyone else kind of beats me to it...he has been named Man of the Year, Captain of the World, America's Gift to Europe, The Fittest President Ever, The African-American Marlboro Man, The Messiah, etc.,..and all I can really say is he hasn't served a day yet! WHAT AM I MISSING?

I want Pres. Obama to succeed, to truly be a great President and leader...but I just cannot figure out the swooning over his "accomplishments" yet...when there just aren't any yet!...

So I wish him (and us) well for 2009...a year I am looking forward to...and hope to recover some of my market losses...and want to close by thanking all of my great students who have inspired me to teach and to write...all of you are great and a huge blessing to me...thanks!

Si Minor Plus Est Ergo Nihil Sunt Omnia

2008-11-30T08:42:00.000-08:00

"If less is more then nothing is everything"

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I have always liked the picture above...because it reminds me of the simple things of life...like just sitting down somewhere (alone is actually OK)...or with a friend...nothing much going on....not much of a "going concern" so to speak...but just being together...a nice thought for this Sunday morning...and of course the Latin thoroughly impresses the casual reader...

...so Thanksgiving has passed and the turkeys that survived have a few weeks to go before Christimas arrives...but ham is more of the desired carne of the holiday...and it was a nice break with a couple of the kibbies...and off to work tomorrow for the final push before the semester ends...

...so looking ahead I notice GM and the other "big three" automakers return to Congress this week...and make their case for getting on the dole...as if that would help their prospects...with a bad business model and impossible economic burdens of retirees...so let's see what prevails with a Democratic Congress and new Prez coming our way...but it could be an interesting stock market play...ahead of the hearings...hmmmmm....darn....should have bought some Citibank a week ago!...

...but with the loonies attacking in Mumbai this past week, watching that tragedy unfold just reinforces to me how wacked out people can be...what is the point of blowing up totally innocent people?...how does one make a point other than you have no legitimate cause or political position worth considering?...I just don't get it...even in desperation...very frustrating...and sad....

....but it certainly does point to the danger in the world today...which has probably always been there but just not beamed 24/7 on 500 channels...

...and I was reminded of something I hear from many passionate Dems that America is not respected in the world and that is why we needed to vote for Barak...but I have to tell you that if anyone cares to study history there has rarely been a time (a few but not the norm)...when America has been regarded in such a way by a majority of people in the world...and I experienced this first hand thirty years ago in my travels with the US Navy...protests...etc...so it just is not as simple as hanging it all on George Bush...people will still hate us, protest us, kill our citizens and friends...regardless of who is in the office at the time....

...But to each of you I hope you had a great holiday and send my holiday cheer!

An Unexpected Surprise!

2008-11-24T20:43:00.000-08:00

So, we are getting ready to go to the old multi-plex, get a senior discount, and check out the current version of Bond--James Bond--but the little lady says something about a movie set in India...and slums...and orphans...who end up on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire!"...and so I think I would rather have a root canal...or an enema...or both...and what happens? An Unexpected Surprise!

Slumdog Millionaire is not your typical movie...well, really it is completely out of the ordinary...and while I will still lay down a few buckaronies to check out Mr. Bond...I would urge you to visit a Landmark Theatre...or other independent venue...and enjoy this special little treasure...and after I vented a few months ago I am glad to report there remains hope for the big screen...

...So what is Prezelect Barack up to?...change?...sure looks like Clinton III with the appointments made...and one of them big dawgs he lined up on the stage caught my eye...good ole Robert Rubin...so everyone says...who cares? Meesterprezelect is the man! RubinSchmubin! Who cares? Well I do!...

...Well, Mr. Rubin has pocketed some chump change over the past 10 years or so as a major player in Goldman Sachs and most recently as Chairman of Citigroup...yes, Citigroup...who just pocketed another 20 billion or so to add to its previous 25 billion from each of our pockets...so that he can help stabilize Citibank...right before he joins Obama's administration, with Larry Summers and some other Ivy League big dogs...the same group of guys from our finest Universities who got us into a bunch of htis mess in the first place...so much for change...

...but I guess it could be worse...Mister Prezelect could be appointing socialists...and actually he is being beat up in some left circles for not being radical enough...ouch!

...Why not some common folks? You know, non-Ivy League, non-Investment Banking, non-$50,000+ plus per speech kind of people? I guess they aren't capable of dealing with the formidable problems that face our country...but wait, isn't it the same previously mentioned "whiz kids" who got us into this mess in this first place? With deriviatives, credit-swaps, leveraging and ultra-sophisticated financing schemes?

I think Mister Prezelect should create an alternative advising group composed of 20 or so people from across all walks of life--women and men of all political and economic stripes who could look across the table at Mr. Rubin et al and simply say "that dog don't hunt back in Boise" (or Fresno, Provo, Butte, Des Moines...well, you get my point!)

But hey, it could be worse! The stock market could be tanking prior to Mister Prezelect killing me with his tax proposals...well, err....wait a minute! The stock market is tanking! Well, the Chargers are winning!...um, no they aren't...um...hey...oh...well, when all else fails just show a stupid picture of someone! And they don't get much stupider (or uglier) than this one! Happy Thanksgiving! Toodle-doo!

Have we lost our minds?

2008-11-19T05:45:00.000-08:00

OK, I may have a better idea than a wholesale move to socialism...why would we possibly want to provide federal funding to the "Big Three" when they are poorly run companies? You want to beat AIG knuckleheads up for $400,000 parties after they get billions in federal funds? Why don't you take a look at the US automobile industries financials? SHEESH! ARRGHH! Maybe I am the only one who is distressed about us bankrupting our children and grandchildren, becauses it certainly doesn't look like the US Congress and incoming Administration gives a &%!@ about them!....

...the reality of the auto industry is that over the past twenty years or so Detroit made contractual concessions to the UAW which slowed hourly wages in return for benefit concessions...well, slowing is relative when we are speaking about hourly wages in the range of $65-$75 per hour for line workers....and guaranteed pension and health benefits for auto workers and retirees...which have fundamentally destroyed the companies...

...and so now we have GM trading below $3...and running out of cash...and holding out their hand to the Feds/each of us....to cover these outrageous management decisions....the reality is that now the US auto industry are health care and retirement companies (seriously here!) that happen to make cars...plain and simple...and if you think that a cash infusion is going to save them we are kidding ourselves...because they will be back for more in 2009...don't believe me?...two words to remember....British Leyland....check out this link http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/18/business/economy/18car.html from Tuesday's NY Times...for a sobering view of what happens in government bailouts for auto makers who fail to fundamentally address the underlying economic problems....and try to cover over it with dire warnings of a loss of jobs....did I mention this story is from the New York Times?...I found that very interesting....

...So my great idea is if we are going to bail out every industry (with political power, that is)...why don't we simply pay off every mortgage in the US...which will immediately restore the housing market....build wealth...restore confidence....and then we would likely go refinance our homes, take the money, by hot-tubs, jewelry and take a vacation to relieve the stress of the past months and the hit to our 401(k)'s....and begin the cycle again....

....hmmm....maybe my idea won't work in the long run....

Gas Bubbles

2008-11-02T08:01:00.001-08:00

"In parallel with this lack of flexibility Venezuela is facing a decline in its international monetary reserves since Chavez keeps raiding them. These monetary reserves only represent some six to seven months of imports at the current level since Venezuela is now importing close to $40 billion per year, mostly in food. Therefore, an interruption of oil income derived from the cut off of oil supplies to the United States would most probably cause the Chavez’s regime to collapse in less than a year as the result of internal protests, no outside intervention required. "

(Source: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23222 )

So we have greatly lower gas prices! Happy days! Let's load up the Bel-Air wagon with the kids and hit the road! God Bless America!

Well, before you pack the picnic basket and go burn that extra tank of gas for a Sunday drive, maybe we should think just a bit deeper on this issue...

Can we think about using this reprieve in gas prices a bit more strategically? Bottom line is we have a couple of real idiots out there who just love sticking it to us...no, not Obama and McCain silly!...I am talking about Hugo Chavez of Venezula and Iranian President Moomad OhMan...err...umm..Mahmoud Amenpunjab...umm....darn....OK....the nutjob who is the President of Iran who gave "loco Gordo Hugo" the highly acclaimed and widely regarded "Islamic Republic Medal" for Hugo's brave support of Iran in its effort to violate the Interntaional Atomic Energy Agencies and the U.N.'s guidelines on nuclear profileration...(and for my Mennonite and Quaker friends, thanks so much for hosting good old Mahmoud for morning coffee...nice move...and I hope that it doesn't portend President Obama's foreign policy strategy...see http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/36622 for details on the dinner....I wonder if they had scones?)...

Anyway...here is my theory...cutting across all political lines for the common good of the world...

NOW IS THE TIME TO 'DOUBLE DOWN' IN THIS OIL ADDICTION POKER GAME!

I think now is the time for us to think beyond the immediate sense of gratification of having lower prices at the pump...which is nice in and of itself...but we should really get after conserving now through carpooling, solar investment, personal conservation, development of our own energy resources (across the board including nuclear)...and help push these oil despots into the drink...because they are held in power by the ability to subsidize their economies through high oil prices...or better yet, how about if we as a country (read, political will and leadership which is in short supply), simply refuse to import any more Venezulan oil? We just say "gracias Hugo, no mas negro oro"...and put an end to it?

Maybe this is just wishful thinking as I hear all of us celebrate the plunge of about a buck a gallon in the last 5 weeks...oh, and by the way, gas is already below $2 a gallon in quite a few places!...well, in Kansas and Oklahoma, at least...I know, I know....Kansas and Oklahoma, but you see my point, right?....

One last thing before I go....for my brothers and sisters in Mennonite Central Committee, the Quakers and others...whom I do indeed love...towards the point that we need to enter into "constructive dialogues with our enemies" so we can "move towards peace"...it just seems to me that even if I could possibly support this altruistic notion of dialogue regardlesss of its practical effect to create change and the tendency to be manipulated both here and abroad by propagandists....laying all of that aside for the moment...

...During the dialogue with Mahmoud when he answered your question about why he challenged the Holocaust...he gave the answer "more historical research needs to be done"...MCC and the others should have called him on it...because if such groups are willing to be unceasing critics of US policies and practices...many of which need to be questioned...you need to be the same with others especially when it comes to issues such as the Holocaust...we must have no arguments or "constructive dialgoues" because on certain topics we must draw the line...to not do so is to be cast as being duped...and not wise...and it is not enough after the event to meekly say "some of his responses were less than satisfying" (true statement)...that last one actually nasueates me..

For more on this "constructive dialogue" see http://mcc.org/news/news/2006/2006-09-22_sponsorsmeeting.html

(glad I finally got that one of my chest--it had been bugging me for a while!)

BUT NOW, WITH THE ELECTION ALREADY OVER (regardless of us pulling the lever on Tuesday), I WANT ALL OF US TO THINK HAPPY THOUGHTS!

A Horse and His Boys

2008-10-26T08:28:00.000-07:00

Well, it really isn't about a horse...but there are horses...a couple of really nice chestnuts with prominent blazes...only about 13 hands but nice little ponies...what? You didn't know I was a horseman from the old days? I hung out at all of the tracks from Del Mar to Santa Rosa, including the small town fair circuit...where they broke from a rope...anyway...secrets from my youth...

Appaloosa starring Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen supported by Rene Zellweger and Jeremy Irons is a splendid little movie...with Ms. Zellweger constantly creating confounding conundrums (not bad, eh?)...that are neatly weaved through the movie and ultimately bring the characters to a point of painful resolution...both physically, emotionally and professionally...and while one could figure things out as it went if you think hard enough on it...these characters make it the best Western I have seen in a long time...and one of the better movies I have seen in a year or so...

worth the watch...I give it four peaches!

So...anything else we should talk about? Hmmmm....

Who is this old guy? Uncle Earl? No, just a dull old economist and philosopher...name of John Maynard Keynes who came up with this little nugget...

"The market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent."

...so as we go into this wacky week there are some big questions about the fundamentals of the market which lead us to a couple of serious questions:

*If Keynes is correct it is really pucker up time as we are toast. All of us.

*If Keynes is not correct it is really double down time. Sell the car and the poodle and buy some quality stocks. Very soon.

*Maybe Keynes is half right #1. The market is irrational. But not for long.

*Maybe Keynes is half right #2. We cannot stay solvent. And it has nothing to do with the length of the market crash.

At the moment (a Sunday morning, only one cup of coffee down, so it might change after cup two)...I am leaning towards some combination of options #3 and #4...that he is half right...

...so I think the market will recover...quicker than many suppose...but not quick enough for most...I am thinking that 12-18 months from now we will recover 1/2 of this loss...and then the remaining amount will take another 3 years to get the rest back...which in historical terms will be a "mild depression" and will not be an ordinary economic cycle...

But the solvency thing really gnaws at me...and my point is it is not the stock market that will bring on mass insolvency but rather the unrealistic standard of living most Americans (and other countries as well, namely Europe but even the MidEast oil kingdoms) have created...we have tapped out our homes and saved pennies on the dollar and are awash in debt...and with the housing market we are in a similar situation to oil prices and cars...

What do I mean?

My point is this. When gas prices drop people are going to return to their driving habits of the past...and not learn anything from the pain of $4 rising to $5 and beyond gas prices...and the same will be true of housing prices...

...thus, if housing prices begin to stabilize (which may be happening in some markets) and then slowly recover...people will just put whatever possible advances in equity they make back into silly purchases once again...and we will have learned nothing from this disaster.

I hope I am very wrong on this and that things have changed. We will have to wait and see...

...but in the meantime...go and see a good movie! A BARGAIN MATINEE AND SKIP THE POPCORN!

The Great Repression

2008-10-18T06:52:00.000-07:00

Is it the "Great Depression II" or the "Great Repression I?"

Yepper, now that my retirement savings is down to about $6.04 I am having to make some difficult choices...so it is time for some drastic action...I mean everything is on the table...even moving to western Kansas and simply buying a small piece of land for a few thousand bucks...say two or three thousand acres...and sitting on a porch and be angry at the world...but calmer heads have prevailed...and Starbucks is off the list as well...unless I can catch them at a later hour when they are out of decaf and I order that drink and I get it free because they have to brew it...and also get a free coupon for another drink at another trip...

but other than that I am tightening my belt...

And...so now that I have decided to stay put what do I think about this mess?

First off, I heard several smart folks recently (meaning they moved to an all cash position in March)...say that we are in the "Great Repression" meaning that government is not allowing us to get to the actual bottom of this thing like Grandma Esther and Uncle Andy did in the 30's...so that is a fairly interesting and provocative statement...and is therefore obscuring what is really going on...

Here are some comments I heard at a conference from some pretty smart folks.

First, the good, courtesy of Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric:
*“I am pretty optimistic. If I put my head on the pillow and am beat up I have to get up the next morning, look in the mirror and say ‘Hello Handsome!’ ”

* “We will have 2 ¼’s negative growth & then grow.”

*“Some of what has happened is good.”

Now, the bad, from Meg Whitman, former EBay CEO & current McCain Advisor:

*“We are in a severe crisis of leadership.”

*““Our past recessions we saw the consumer continue to spend—that is not going to happen in this one.”

And of course, the ugly, kudos to James Wolfensohn, famed investor & Citigroup advisor:

* “The great unknown is the real value of all of these assets. And are they capable of restoring value? No-one knows.”

*“Technology and innovation will save us. We don’t have the wealth any more. China has 1.7 trillion USD foreign reserves; India 400 billion; the USA 70 Billion.”

*“We could previously assume we were competitive. This is no longer a given.”

OUCH! And if we are not really getting to the bottom of the trouble doesn't it follow that we are not at the bottom of the stock market? That we really don't know what assets are worth? Which leads back to the "Great Repression I" metaphor.

The reality is none of us know where this thing is going to really end...and while I don't really agree with Jeffrey Immelt of a fairly quick end to the recession I do think we are in for some very difficult times...

So old Jim Cramer says in an interview the other day that "We are going to have to begin to live like our parents did. We cannot sustain the standard of living we have had."

Ouch again!

Here is what I think I am going to do:

1) Kansas is off the table. Cheap land and cost of living but way too windy.

2) Double down on my retirement plan. I might as well. It is the only chance I have of recovering what has been lost over the past few months. The financial system is actually much safer than it was 30 days ago. Really.

3) Get used to enormous volatility in the markets. It goes up 500 points? No big deal. Down 500 points? No big deal. Especially when it happens all in 20 minutes.

3) Not buy anything. Anything. It is time to be frugal. Conservative. Cheap.

4) Read history more. We have been here before. We could learn a lot from the "Great Panic of 1908." (See the article at: https://mail.pointloma.edu/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.newsday.com/news/opinion/ny-opbru5851076sep21,0,5813124.story )

5) Stay focused on the long term. We have to think 5-10 years here kids.

Hang in there. Confidence will eventually return. The market will go up. Things will stabilize.

And as an entrepreneur, I will tell you that I fully believe we are now entering the "Era of the entrepreneur." More to come on that topic.

But here is something else Meg Whitman had to say this past week:

“Business Schools need to focus their grads away from

Wall Street and look to Main Street.”

This or That?

2008-09-23T21:43:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm....this..........

OR....

PETA Urges Ben & Jerry's To Use Human Milk
POSTED: 1:48 pm EDT September 23, 2008
UPDATED: 11:51 pm EDT September 23, 2008

WATERBURY, Vt. -- People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sent a letter to Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, cofounders of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., urging them to replace cow's milk they use in their ice cream products with human breast milk, according to a statement recently released by a PETA spokeswoman.
"PETA's request comes in the wake of news reports that a Swiss restaurant owner will begin purchasing breast milk from nursing mothers and substituting breast milk for 75 percent of the cow's milk in the food he serves," the statement says.
PETA officials say a move to human breast milk would lessen the suffering of dairy cows and their babies on factory farms and benefit human health.
"The fact that human adults consume huge quantities of dairy products made from milk that was meant for a baby cow just doesn't make sense," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Everyone knows that 'the breast is best,' so Ben & Jerry's could do consumers and cows a big favor by making the switch to breast milk."
"We applaud PETA's novel approach to bringing attention to an issue, but we believe a mother's milk is best used for her child," said a spokesperson for Ben and Jerry's.

For the complete letter from PETA see http://www.wptz.com/news/17539127/detail.html

Honest! I am not making this up! Viva leche!

I Miss Silver

2008-09-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

"Turn on the TV, shut out the lights, for Roy Rogers is riding tonight..."

Black and White (Under age 40? You won't understand.) You could hardly see for all the snow, Spread the rabbit ears as far as they go. Pull a chair up to the TV set, 'Good Night, David. Good Night, Chet.'

My mom used to cut chicken, chop eggs and spread mayo on the same cutting board
with the same knife and no bleach, but we didn't seem to get food poisoning. My mom used to defrost hamburger on the counter AND I used to eat it raw sometimes, too.

Our school sandwiches were wrapped in wax paper in a brown paper bag, not in ice-pack coolers, but I can't remember getting e.coli. Almost all of us would have rather gone swimming in the lake instead of a pristine pool (talk about boring)-- no beach closures then. The term cell phone would have conjured up a phone in a jail cell, and a pager was the school PA
system. We all took gym, not PE, and risked permanent injury with a pair of high top Ked's (only worn in gym) instead of having cross-training athletic shoes with air cushion soles and built in light reflectors. I can't recall any injuries, but they must have happened because they tell us how
much safer we are now. Flunking gym was not an option, even for stupid kids! I guess PE must be much harder than gym.

Speaking of school, we all said prayers and sang the national anthem, and staying in detention after school caught all sorts of negative attention. We must have had horribly damaged psyches. What an archaic health system we had then. Remember school nurses? Ours wore a hat and everything. I thought that I was supposed to accomplish something before I was allowed to be proud of myself. I just can't recall how bored we were without computers, Play Station, Nintendo, X-box or 270 digital TV cable stations.

Oh yeah ... and where was the Benadryl and sterilization kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed! We played 'king of the hill' on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48-cent bottle of Mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked. Now it's a trip to the emergency room, followed by a 10-day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat.

We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either because if we did, we got our butt spanked there and then we got butt spanked again when we got home. I recall Donny Reynolds from next door coming over and doing his tricks on the front step, just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house. Instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck.

To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that we needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes? We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac!

(anonymous...sorry I didn't write it!)

How did we ever survive?

.....A song for all of us over 40....ummm...even 50+.....a wistful look back....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJurH2LG1XI

So Sue Me!

2008-09-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

So sue me! It's been since last month to jump on and regale the web with my earnest wisdom...just a few things have been occupying my time...really...but with school starting and a big event that happened this past Friday..... and grading papers... and trying to keep my entrepreneur students awake after they eat lunch at the PLNU caf...it has been a busy few weeks...but there is much to talk about!

Yepper depper we had about 425 good folks for our Dealmakers of the Year Business Breakast last Friday at the Kona Kai on Shelter Island...and the morning sun was beautiful coming up over the city of San Diego and the boats in the marina looked great...and we spent a few hours honoring value creators in the community...good finalists and winners all...but I am very proud of the many students engaging and taking care of business...they looked great and presented the school very well...so nicely done to all of you...you can read more at...

http://www.sandiegometro.com/2008/sep/dealmakers.php and http://www.navycompass.com/content/view/809/321/ and http://www.pointloma.edu/News/Headlines/2008__DEALMAKERS_OF_YEAR__ANNOUNCED.htm

but onto other things...

SUCH AS WHAT IN THE &$?!#@ HAS HAPPENED TO MY RETIREMENT FUNDS! Arghhh!

I mean just the other day I was worth almost enough to get my 1975 AMC Pacer repainted...but now this is going to have to wait for another day...well...decade...until my accounts begin to recover...so what happened?

...it really is rather simple...we just spend too much...me included...and this country is up to its ears in debt...how much you ask?...try this on for size...

U.S. Financial Sector owes............................$16 TRILLION!

U.S. Households owe.....................................$14 TRILLION!

U.S. Non-financial business sectors owe......$11 TRILLION!

U.S. Federal Debt...........................................$5.3 TRILLION!

U.S. State and Local Governments Debt.......$2.2 TRILLION!

(reference SD Union Tribune, p. A1, 9/21/08)

We are approaching 50 TRILLION IN DEBT! And we are arguing about silly trivial things in our government...all the while other countries hostile to the U.S. are buying our debt up and...someday....someway....somehow...can act as a bully landlord to us...

....so at the end of the day we need to start blaming ourselves...for this awful mess...and yes there is plenty of blame to go around from inept SEC regulators who emphasize academic solutions over practical realities...and corrupt financial service firms and their leaders who bulked up on debt like heroin addicts...and greedy homeowners who watched "Flip This House" too many times...

WHAT TO DO?

...I really think we need to start rethinking this...and because I am a teacher I think that our colleges and universities have been failing our students miserably in this area...we are proficient at having them learn management principles and 18th century poets and attending chapel and articles of the constitution...

...but very few that I meet in college can balance a checkbook or have any idea what debt is doing to them...and why they need to wait until they have cash to buy the next thing they think they need (if we cannot persuade them that they don't really need it)...and we do nothing to emphasize the value of investing and saving and legacy creation over buying the latest X Box update...

...but we have to do this in creative ways...and I think business profs and entrepreneurs and small business owners and banks and financial institutions need to rethink this whole topic together...and develop better tools and approaches to explaing the value of delayed gratification to our youth...

...and parents need to pull their heads out of....errr...ummm....the sand...and stop modeling terrible financial habits to their families...

SO THUS ENDS THE RANT OF THE DAY!

I have posted a small article (400 words...sheesh! Tough to do!) that the PLNU newspaper asked me to write on the global crisis...I hope it helps in some small way...

We will talk later...I am going to stand by my mailbox and wait for my Schwab statements...probably postage due!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

All of us—not just those involved in business either as students, academics or in practice—need to be deeply concerned about what is going on in the financial markets. What is occurring is the destruction of over 100 years of the financial system of the United States. This is no mere academic exercise, as I have heard the phrase used by several commentators this past week that we are “on the verge of a Depression.” Couple this market turmoil with the protracted California state budget deadlock and the issue is driven home even further, for grants, reimbursements and government services are drying up.
What caused this? While there are many nuances to the crisis there are several prime culprits including greed (not just on Wall Street but among all of us in accumulating entirely too much debt for homes, cars, vacations, etc.); lack of governmental oversight and leadership through the Securities and Exchange Commission especially as relates to trading abuses; woefully inadequate lending standards for home purchases through much of this decade with little concern for the ability of the borrower to pay the loan back; and the lack of fiscal transparency by some investment banking firms. All of this had led to a “perfect storm” of economic woes. None of us are even beginning to think about the slowing European economy and housing deflation and their own mounting woes. It is an escalating global crisis.
When the economy is in crisis this manifests itself in uncertainty among all of us. We will see this crisis play itself out on many fronts including a rapidly slowing job market, lack of loans retirement and investment accounts. There will be a rebound, perhaps sooner rather than later, but it is too soon to determine if we are at a solid bottom.
For the typical student, faculty or staff member of the PLNU community, what can we do in this time of turmoil? Here are some practical suggestions:
· Cut back on excess spending. Brew your own coffee. Use coupons. Car pool.
· If you are a junior or senior get busy now to prepare for graduation. Network. Attend events. Take advantage of career resources. Get an internship. Volunteer.
· If you have a job now, re-assert your interest and value in your position and the company. Stand out from the crowd. Excel. This will provide security.
· Vote for leadership. We are in an election year. Look for leadership and not pithy statements from candidates. Demand political accountability from all parties.
· Remain grateful and faithful. We are people who have a deeper calling. We must look beyond this moment and keep fixed on eternal things.

2008-08-31T07:47:00.000-07:00

OK I am getting my blog face! A bad one! I have copied below in its entirety (no alterations) something I received from my dear Uncle Wilfred from MoveOn.org about McCain's "dangerous choice" of Sarah Palin...and I am watching the Sunday morning newshows and listening to Bob Schieffer et al...

And all can say about my dear friends on any side of the aisle who want to unload about Palin's lack of experience...is...are you kidding me? You want to criticize Palin for VP? What about Barak for President? Why is it that an governor with even modest executive experience for the second role is a "dangerous choice" because she is only a heartbeat away from the Oval Office but we can put someone with even less experience in the Office and anoint him as the Messiah?

...So let me get this straight...the Dems can scream from the rooftops about "change" for 20 months and then the Reps come up with a "change" VP candidate who has more decision-making common-sense experience than Obama (and just happens to be a woman) and the Dems criticize this? And the Presidential candidate of "hope and change" selects one of the most senior white males in American politics (Teddy is sick, so he was off the list, I suppose), and then criticizes the opposing candidate's lack of experience? And that is not hypocritcal? Or "dangerous" because it subverts the "message of change" and "audacity of hope?" One of the guys at the heart of three decades of Washington stupidity from both political parties is now on the "A Team" and this is OK and not incrongruent with what the Dems are demanding? What?

The bottom line on all of this is that the Dems are upset that they got blown off the 'A' list of media on Friday morning and all weekend has now been talking about the choice of Palin and also the possibility of a hurricane hitting the Gulf again...and Barak got displaced off the pulpit for the moment...

Look, I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed...in fact I am not...but I have done OK for myself in this world...starting from just about nothing after my time in the military...and let me tell you that I have much more regard for the sensibilities of the person running the corner store or teaching the class or the single mom raising her kids or the guy running the railroad or painting the house than the vast majority of politicians of any stripe with "experience" or an Ivy league resume...

Ok...take a breath...and I am not convinced that Hillary should not have been selected as Veep for the Dems...they would have had a "slam dunk" and Barak appears to be certainly smart enough to have figured out a way to keep Bill on a leash...and at one moment he could have had a candidate of experience and remained true to his message of "hope and change"...and it just seems very hypocritical to have appeared to sold out to conventional political wisdom rather than remain true to what he says he is...and shattered the door saying "white dudes only" on the Oval Office once and for all...

Enjoy the MoveOn.org info below!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Subject: McCain's dangerous choice
Dear MoveOn member,
Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people.
Huh?
Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:
She was elected Alaska 's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.1
Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.2
She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000. 3
Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.4
She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.5
She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.6
How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.7
This is information the American people need to see. Please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family.
We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here's a sample:
She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. —Rose M., Fairbanks, AK
She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She's a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. —Christine B., Denali Park, AK
As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. —Karen L., Anchorage, AK
Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position.—Sherry C., Anchorage, AK
She's vehemently anti-choice and doesn't care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. —Marina L., Juneau, AK
I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A Woman" in that position.—Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK
So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil. And she's dramatically inexperienced.
In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.
In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.
Thanks for all you do.
–Ilyse, Noah, Justin, Karin and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Sarah Palin," Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin
2. "McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate," NARAL Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17515&id=13661-3133338-6ImjiSx&t=1
3. "Sarah Palin, Buchananite," The Nation, August 29, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17736&id=13661-3133338-6ImjiSx&t=2
4. "'Creation science' enters the race," Anchorage Daily News, October 27, 2006 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17737&id=13661-3133338-6ImjiSx&t=3
5. "Palin buys climate denial PR spin—ignores science," Huffington Post, August 29, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17517&id=13661-3133338-6ImjiSx&t=4
6. "McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra Club, August 29, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518&id=13661-3133338-6ImjiSx&t=5
"Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past," League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id=13661-3133338-6ImjiSx&t=6
"Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor," The Times of London, May 23, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id=13661-3133338-6ImjiSx&t=7
7 "McCain met Palin once before yesterday," MSNBC, August 29, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=21119&id=13661-3133338-6ImjiSx&t=8
Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 3.2 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.

A Complaint About Movies

2008-08-30T11:37:00.000-07:00

I have a complaint...about movies...and it has nothing to do with the price...but has anyone seen a good movie lately? I mean one that isn't preceded by 20 minutes of mind-poounding head-thumping music videos of car crashes in the previews? I don't recall when the last time was I saw a movie with an actual plot, dialogue and story--and no car crashes and explosions!

Now except for Heath Ledger...I felt that Batman Dark Night was really too loud...and impersonal for me...can anyone make a subtle point in a movie any more? Am I really going to be reduced to watching my DVD of Band of Brothers again and again? Some help here!

...and don't throw the indie movies at me as being the answer...because I just watched about 12 of them for the San Diego Film Festival...and while they throttle back on the car crashes and volume...three out of four of them are entirely too long...downright tedious....and while I kind of am enamored with "Punkin Chuckin" (seriously---hurling pumpkins up to a 1/2 mile through massive cannons, rubber bands and various doo-hickees)...do we really need 2 hours and 15 minutes of pumkin tossing?

So I am all ears here sports fans...I would love to have a recommendation of a good movie I can go to with friends and family!

Obama Bin Biden vs. Sarah Palin and Tall McCain

2008-08-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

Well kids...what a week! Just when we thought Obama had it in the bag...he does the unthinkable! He trades in Billary and their 18,000,000+ votes and goes for the jugular with Joe Biden-- the aging policy wonk from the major state of Delaware...with its three electoral votes...the same as North Dakota...but he salvages all of this potential disaster with an incredible coronation speech at Denver...and properly pursues the strategeeree of hanging Dubya around McCain's neck...

...but I tried to make sense of the Biden pick...he really is a smart guy, a good family story, kept his nose clean in the Senate ('Cept for that itty bitty problem of plagarism from his school daze--but hey, who hasn't outright ripped off other's materials and made it your own? C'mon now!) and I really didn't think Obama would pick a Biden over other choices he had...OK, I am really trying to keep an open mind here! So let me get this straight...

*The multi-national forty-something African-American Chicago street fighter community organizer radical takes for his running mate the highly predictable elderly white dude Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from just about the tiniest (area) state in the union...

While in the other corner...

*The elderly (very!) Caucasian P.O.W. "maverick" (with eight houses) takes for his running mate a gun-packing moose-burger eating forty-something mother of five (do you think I am making this up?) from just about the tiniest (population) state in union?!?

What is he thinking?

Look, McCain is not the greatest guy the GOP has come up with to run for the White House, but I have to give it to him...I cannot think of a better way of knocking Obama off the air on Friday morning than coming up with a highly unpredictable selection for Veep

This election may actually be interesting and close ! Thanks Obama for keeping hope alive!

Oh, and one or two other things that I am thinking about following this week's turn of events...besides the goiter thingy growing on Johnny Mac's neck (yes, I know it is probably left over from his cancer treatment) and the purple lips that Barak gets (what is up with that? eewwww!)...

Now, which woman in an orange pant suit did you think was going to be on the White House ticket this year? Hmmmm?

The Eyes Have It...

2008-08-09T15:42:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 9, 2008

So that is what I look like...I put on my "blogger face"...according to my dear bride...when I come across things in the ordinary course of business that really bug me...and it happened to me just a few days ago at a local establishment...

...but of course I want to keep the name of this firm anonymous...it really doesn't add anything to the discussion...and I really do like the company and its products, and it has a great reputation...but it really drives me crazy when the most fundamental tasks at business cannot be accomplished well! arggh!

So here is the set-up to the situation I experienced...we went to this retail store prepared to spend some money...and most of the time my credit card charges are approved...provided they don't exceed $239.84...or the Chase Credit Card guys promptly call me to make sure that someone hasn't snagged my card and attempted to buy a new gizmo at Wal-Mart or something...and they are relentless when one of their "security alerts" is triggered...(note to self: I wish they could have been that vigilant when they do some other things, like, say...hand out mortgages to frauds, give zillion dollar bonuses to some doofus [sp?], etc.)...but I digress...again...darn!

...So at this lovely establishment, wood floors, nice music, bright windows and great displays, Ruthie and about 30 other people are rummaging around, feeling stylish and ready to spend...and we have some items and are feeling good...I mean, after all, the economy is in recession...but don't tell that to the 28 other shoppers that were all from Europe (seriously!)...they had to bring out an American cashier just to speak to us since everyone else was tied up with Euro-flush Continentals...and we saunter on up to the cashier...card and items in hand...maybe $200 worth...and we proceed to...wait...and wait...and wait...and five then ten minutes pass...and we have not moved...now mind you we are only 3 people from the two cashiers running...but in this ten minutes we have not moved and now Svetlana and Igor, Chas and Thelma and my other Nato friends have joined in the line...and it is looking like a bunch of Mennonites at a dance...all dressed up and no movement...nothing happening...

So patient fellow that I am...I stepped out of the line and went to observe what was going on in the rest of the store...since the Continentals weren't going anywhere since while they were in line the Euro went up another 2.5% vs. the dollar...they were content to be there all day...but I had places to go and people to see...so I notice three other employees in the immediate vicinity...all three are folding and straightening out items...but none are making a move to a cash register...and there are three empty stands within 15 feet of the employees...so I ask the young man...let's call him Ralph..."why don't you go open a register and take these people's money? It is, after all, the best part of being in business?" (I could have said the aforementioned encouragement to my young friend with sarcasm but really tried to refrain)...and he said "I have to maintain this table" and that was that...

So I went to another young person, turns out it is the shift manager...and let's call her Lauren...and I get the same answer...and she adds that the other two workers on the floor at the moment "are not qualified to cashier" and that she had "three ringers miss work today"...something about them attending a polo match...and she seemed very satisifed that this was a good enough answer...but noooooo...not for me...and while I told her that I understood the difficulties of managing employees that to make customers stand in line to pay you...a longgggggggggg (and lengthening) line...was just not good business, especially with the type of clientele that Ralph, Lauren and the rest of the gang at the store were wanting to attract...

Interestingly enough she actually had a possible solution in an aside she made to me...when she commented that she would "love to put up a sign at the cashier area that apologizes for the three employees being gone for the day" and maybe that would not have been too bad of an idea...explaining to the employees what had happened and why the cash registers were sitting gathering dust...rather than just letting customers come up with their own stories...

But at the end of the day management must find ways to take their customers money...easily...quickly...and properly...regardless if employees call in sick or have to have a pedicure or anything else...you just cannot do these kinds of things to customers...or they will no longer be your customers...because...

By my count there were at least ten other stores that were direct competitors of the fine establishment that I visited on Thursday...but a gentle suggestion to Ralph, Lauren, and the rest of the folks attending the polo match that day...don't ever make excuses when it comes to taking money when someone is trying to hand it to you...it is after all what is keeping you in business!

Like a Virgin!

2008-08-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

Tuesday August 5, 2008

Well kids, I have seen the light! Let me describe a situation and see if you can figure out where I was:

*A comfortable and clean leather cushion for my tush.

*Smiling people and happy and courteous employees.

*Fusion jazz in the bathroom.

*Video games, music, TV for free.

*Fresh flowers at the desk.

*Soft lighting and ambiance.

*Room to spread out.

So where was I? Was it...

*The Proctologist's office.

*The Lazy-Boy Showroom

*My office

*Phil's Barbeque

*A US Airline

Alex, the answer is Virgin American airline, which I flew the other day...and my thoughts are that if I have to pay a 25% premium over any other carrier I will fly Virgin.

Check them out at http://www.virginamerica.com/va/vaDifference.do ...as they say come to "the coolest living room in the sky" and I was very impressed...and left scratching my head...Why does flying have to be as horrible as it is? Why can't people be treated decent? Why can't they act human and understand that the small things really do matter? Why not charge enough to do it right?

For some reason it is taking a good old Brit Sir Richard Branson to bring somethind good back to the US domestic airline business...You really have to try it to understand how nice it is to be 6'2" and actually be able to stand up in the bathroom...and more or less be able to "hit the target" (so to speak)...and not have some young "attendant" tell me I have to shut off my Bose headphones because "the electrical interference can cause disruption to the pilot"...yepper depper one AAA battery really throws the juice out! Thanks for being concerned for my safety! (actually happened a month or so ago on American)...and interestingly enough on Virgin the personal entertainment centers (really...they truly are centers)...are live when you get on the plane and you can use them the whole time both on the ground and in the air...go figure...

Was it perfect? Of course not...their computer crashed and they had to write our tickets by hand...and you are allowed only one bag (bad news) but the single bag is given 75 lbs. and not the usual 50 lbs (good news)...oh, and they only had the current catalog of Bruce Springsteen and omitted Darkness on the Edge of Town and Born to Run...the nerve!...but other than these troubles it was really a great way to fly...so I give them

So do you like my suit? Stylin!

2008-07-27T06:11:00.000-07:00

Sunday July 27, 2008

Am I a lucky guy or what?!?! If the election were held today Barack Obama would be my President! He holds a commanding lead in the race...to be the Prime Minister of England or Germany...and something significant in France...not quite sure what it is but it is probably le gross legume...so I guess that the good news because things aren't quite settled yet here in the U.S....because we all know that our European brethren have done such a splendid job in politics the past thousand years or so...therefore it behooves us to consider carefully their counsel of political leadership...knowing that they are always 'spot on' in politics....

...Anyway, there are other more important things to discuss...most notably the economy...which is clearly not a strength for either of the Presidential candidates...but there are three things that continue to concern me...really distress me is more accurate...that just don't seem to get the proper amount of attention for a healthy and vibrant economy...including the ongoing credit market tightening which is a result of the mortgage mess...because for five years banks and lending institutions were throwing money at anyone...hmmmm....let's see...Do you have a pulse? Dheck! Do you have a job? Check! Not sure how much you make? Check! Bad credit history? Check! Too large of a loan for you? Check! OK here is your loan! Enjoy! And make sure to go to Home Depot and spend some more money...

...But now the opposite is happening in the restriction of credit...I sat in on a "Business Rountable" recently of construction and real estate leaders of San Diego and I have to tell you that it was pretty dire in the lack of construction and development funding....the pipeline is really running dry and we are not going to feel the effects of this for a while...the banks have clamped down so hard that only the very wealthiest can get loans for projects, homes, businesses...and this is going to really bite us hard in the future...

...And the dull work of infrastructure continues to be neglected...I mean why build bridges when we have the important work of banning transfats from California restaurants to tackle...(man, I have been losing sleep over that one! Thanks Arnold for protecting me!)...but all the while our roads and bridges and highways are neglected....and at the end of the day these are really the unpaid bills of the future generations because infrastructure is really dull stuff but has a huge impact on everything that we do in society...and the politicians and most of us just don't get it...

...All right, since I have forgotten what the third thing is in the economy that really concerns me...but the whole banning of transfats in California really chafes me...couldn't we have tackled this problem in a bit more comprehensive way? Like actually getting school children away from their text messaging and video "grab fanny" and instead have them moving around the playground during recess? Like having them throw a baseball or play tag or have fun on a swing set? Oh wait a minute...most of those things are now illegal because they caused an injury somewhere somehow...so let's ban those items...but wasn't there some sort of a benefit to those old "Presidential Fitness Tests" we did every year at Temperance-Kutner Elementary in Clovis?...those darned pull-ups I absolutely hated... (thanks to the Ataide side of the family bequeathing us bad hearts and thin arms...not exactly the stuff of longevity or physical strength)...but the other stuff I could do OK...well, at least not the worst in Mrs. Locke's class...dear old lady that she was...

...Did I tell you about my confrontation with a little old lady in a parking lot in San Diego? Seems like she didn't like the fact that I drive an SUV...

...So my freshly minted son in law Dustin and his dad are getting into my 2004 well worn Yukon at Liberty Station...and they make a comment that it is really tight getting into the space and opening the door...which it was...and Agnes Frankenberry is walking behind my car as I am opening my door...and she says as she passes in a fairly loud voice "Well maybe you should get a smaller car"...so I immediately went up and thanked her for the great advice as I had never considered such a thing...she was like a walking Suzi Orman, Dear Abby and Judge Judy all wrapped up into one cute little package...well, maybe not...

...what I actually said to her as she was walking away was "This was a great car to help raise our family and haul everyone around to school and work events"...and she made a sound that actually was like a "harumph" and kept walking...and I have to say it really bugged me that she would hurt my Yukon's feelings like that!...but the funny thing is that it really makes no sense for me to sell old "Yukie" for the following reasons:

*She is paid for (a rarity these days)

*She is fully depreciated

*She really does get pretty good mileage (17-18 city/20-22 highway)

*I drive very little in the Yukon (after all, we do have a Volvo)

*Friends and family love to borrow the Yukon to haul things

*The SUV resale market is terrible (big surprise!)

...but the most important reason is...that I should be free to decide what I want to drive...

...So please if I am a bit slow to jump on the Prius bandwagon...cut me a bit of slack on this topic Agnes! Yukon owners have feelings too!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

...One last thing...

Just in case you missed it check out Will Ferrell's accepting the ESPY Award for Tiger Woods...

http://youtube.com/watch?v=NX74uQUIPLo

Sensu Lato

2008-07-17T22:04:00.001-07:00

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2008-07-13T07:32:00.000-07:00

"Stop Worrying and Learn to Love the Bear!"

...So goes the headline in the Saturday Journal (7/12/08, p B1) from an article with the tickler of "Take it from Graham and Buffett, These Miserable Markets Are a Gift from the Financial Gods." What? Are you insane? All of our 401(k) plans and IRA's and stock picks have tanked at least 20% and this is time to love the bear?...We should hate the bear...right?

...Well, not really, according to the WSJ...and common sense as well...if one can think clearly through the headlines...yes, it is tough times right now, especially if one bought a home in escalating markets with little down payment and a variable rate loan...or you have lost your job...or commute long distances....but if you have a job and can make your rent or house payment OK each month...it is time to put the peddle down on your retirement and savings right now...because what the bear market does is to make stocks inexpensive (read cheap)...and none other than Warren Buffett has said "If a stock (I own) goes down 50%, I'd look forward to it. In fact, I would offer you a significant sum of money if you could give me the opportunity for all of my stocks to go down 50% over the next month."...Why does Buffet think this way? Because he can buy even more shares cheaply before the bounce back in the market...which nearly always comes if you have bought good companies...

Look, people are still going to buy groceries and razors and tires...they may slow down on those purchases but they are still needed....which means if your stock in Kroger or Gillette or Costco has gone down and they are off 10% or 20% or even more from their highs...it follows it is not time to sell but consider buying more of these depressed high quality stocks...Gillette still makes good razors and my beard is still growing (white at times...darn!) and I will need to replace my disposable razors in a few weeks as they wear out...so "the people who so far this year have yanked $39 billion out of US stock funds and $6 billion out of exchange traded stock funds, do not understand this. But if you are in your saving and investing years, a bear market is a gift from the financial gods--and the longer it lasts, the better off you will be. Instead of running from the bear, you should embrace him. (WSJ, ibid.) **(caveat--I am not talking about your food and rent money here but disposable income or investment income! I don't want anyone taking food off the table to buy stocks right now!)

...So if you have a "rumbly in your tumbly" over this market...I would ask you (especially you youngsters in your 40's or even younger...) to stay calm and think about the counter-intuitive nature of investing....and that this presents opportunities for you...to be a wise and prudent long-term investor. After all, Warren Buffett is not too shabby of an advice giver on this topic!

Wow! Real Graham Crackers!

2008-07-11T06:39:00.000-07:00

Well, put this one in the "I am so reassured" file...but I was making some coffee and there on the kitchen counter was a store bought pie crust...and smack dab in the middle of the plastic cover was an announcement that it had "REAL graham crackers!"...(emphasis not added by blogger)...and I thought we have really over-used slogans and phrases when we have to be assured that we are not eating fake graham crackers...and if such things exist I don't think I want to know what they are composed of...

All Natural, Fresh, Real, Organic and especially GREEN...need to take a time out from our world for a bit...I am so sick of seeing meaningless stickers and reminders and notes touting "green" that I really might start a recovery or protest group...businesses are creating entire departments of green...when it seems to me that much of what is posing as "green" is in the first place the common sense our grandparents had (don't waste food, consume less, re-use, grow your own, sew your clothers, can some fruit, find non-toxic substitutes like vinegar as a cleaner, etc.)...but it is starting to feel to me like Big Brother is watching me with this whole green thing...

One last thought from the grocery store...right next to the "clean up on aisle 7"...my lovely bride Ruth told me last night over dinner that she was at our local grocer and was looking at the tomatoes...and there was a produce man stocking fresh veggies...and so she mentioned that the focus was shifting away from tomatoes to jalapenos, cilantro and some other possible culprits in the salmonella contamination nationwide...funny thing is Mr. Green Grocer had not heard of such a change in the FDA focus...but he re-assured Ruth that "He was certain that their peppers were good because they would never sell anything with salmonella"...and once again I am most reassured...

...but do find it amazing coming from the production and wholesale side of food production how poor the chain of communication often is in companies...and we see here the damage that is done to products and companies once bad information is out and about...the proverbial "you can't put toothpaste back in the tube" kind of scenario...and once again the farmers and shippers take it in the shorts.....

....anyway, was I the only kid who got creeped out by the "Jolly Green Giant?"...he appeared on Sunday evening show's when I was a young pup...on the big RCA in the living room on Temperance Ave. in Clovis...a bowl of popcorn in front of me and my brothers as we waited for Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Disney to start...and I always stopped chewing for a minute to stare at this huge green dude standing over our food supply...in some idyllic valley...and I just wonder if he could be the source of the salmonella!

There--You--Go!

2008-07-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

Just so no one gets their undies in a bunch...I want to underscore that the "Bitch Factor" is a widely used term in attempting to understand the bias towards women, in particular in business and politics...and for a little reading (and a pretty good definition I might say) I would point you to http://www.capitolhillblue.com/cont/node/4653 ...which has a definition from the Urban Dictionary...

So continuing on this topic for a bit longer, I would want to try to offer some positive examples...and I immediately think of the CEO of PepsiCo Indra Nooyi who is generally doing a great job...and created a new motto for the firm..."Performance With Purpose" and says "If all you want is to screw this company down tight and get double-digit earnings growth and nothing else, then I'm the wrong person"...pretty refreshing stuff in the nutty world of corporate earnings and growth that is screwing up a whole bunch of firms (I would recommend you read Small Giants by Bo Burlingham as a good primer on this topic)....and for more on Ms. Nooyi check out the March 3, 2008 copy of Fortune...

Which I guess leads to my point...which is that Ms. Nooyi is just a single example of women having a positive influence and are gaining increasing status in business positions of great power...and that more and more firms are recognizing the sense of balance that women (especially leaders) can bring...and in creating a sense of community both inside and outside the firm...so I would want to point us to the positive rather than the negative on this topic...and you could take a look at Meg Whitman at EBay or even even someone like Rebecca Pollock of Nielsen Construction whom I have had the privilege of getting to know in recent months...see http://www.sdbj.com/industry_article.asp?aID=45461171.9473233.1643954.5934972.293098.717&aID2=126449 and http://www.bizsandiego.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=537&Itemid=2 ...for my San Diego students generally and female in particular Rebecca is a wonderful example of a woman in business that I believe is a role model for all...unfortunately I have not seen the same thing in politics but perhaps that is due to the "shrill" nature of the political arena...but I want to think on it a bit more...

At the end of the day it is unfortunate that we even have to have such conversations...but I believe it is getting better...and there are some great firms out there that are partnerships between spouses...and what is true of partnerships generally is very true of spousal partnerships, specifically, the need to carve out each spouse's own particular area of expertise...and let them each lead and work in that area...for the overlap is where confusion and conflict comes...in my experience and observations...

2008-07-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

I just love election years and all of the idiocy that it brings...and the positions and pundits and poop that emerges...and I find myself more and more cynical with each passing election. I wish it wasn't this way--that someone or something would come along that would inspire me and make me feel proud to vote--but that has been a while...I think Roosevelt...Teddy, that is...since I felt inspired...well, maybe Reagan.

Anyway, this leads to a whole series of important questions as to where we are heading as a country...and our place in the world...but since the dollar is now worth about 1/5 of a Euro and is being considered to be linked to the Mexican peso for currency stability... our place in the world is looking to be more and more of a bargain for the Europeans and the oil sheiks to simply buy us up...and then we will go to work for them...as cast members at Disneyland and baristas at Starbucks...well, now that I heard the 'Bucks is closing 600 stores maybe it will be at Mickey D's instead...

But once again I digress and avoid saying anything substantive about the election...but on the face of it this really shouldn't be any contest as to who should be elected...but since Bozo has left the building we need to choose between Messrs. McCain and Obama...and it seems to boil down to experience/age vs. inspiration/change...and a lot can still happen in the coming months but I would predict that Obama is going to become more conservative (which always happens with Democratic nominees since the McGovern thumping of the 70's)...and McCain is going to try to become more contemporary...hip if you will...and that is going to be the more formidable task since there is so little one can do with his white and thinning hair...but I don't know if you had heard this, but it was really rather disturbing...that Obama only had 143 days of US Senatorial experience prior to forming his Presidential exploratory committee...does that bother anyone other than me? Wow! Don't misunderstand me...I understand that a large part of being the President is inspiration and perception...but even JFK had WWII experience and much more time in the Senate...and while Reagan was an actor he had been a fairly effective California governor...but what has Obama done besides attending Harvard (sheesh, like that is any big deal!), a lawyer (ditto) and worked in Chicago politics for a bit. This one is really tough to figure out...but if friends of Obama like Wesley Clark opens his mouth up one more time on Obama's behalf McCain may actually have a shot...

But what about the women in this campaign? No, no, no...not Cindy or Michelle...I mean Hillary! A reader of this blog has asked me about the "bitch" factor for women in business and politics and leadership generally...and Hillary provides perhaps the most recent example of this issue...so, was HIllary penalized unfairly because she portrays character that in men would be construed as leadership or guts or strength but in women we view this as being "bitchy?" A great question...and I would say that in my experience that this is a fair criticism...and I really don't know how to change it...or at least change it within a period of years because it really is a generational tendency...that is only very slowly changing...and I think we must be fair that we recognize that it is not only in a woman's demeanor and style but it involves dress, emotions, crying in public, humor and a myriad of other issues...and it really is unfair to women and likely hampers their ability to lead...and I have commented in the past in Sunday School classes that I have taught that much of what I read in the New Testament shows that women had a formidable if not essential role in the birth and stability of the early Christian church...and since that time I don't know that we men in leadership in the Church have done such a great job (can anyone say Inquisitions, Crusades, Apocalyptic proclamations, polygamy, war, etc.)...

So I think the answer for equality for women lies elsewhere...and I will comment on that in my next post...as I need to get after the day here and earn my keep...blessings to each and every one of you today!

2008-07-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

SO IT AIN'T THE TOMATOES?

WELL THEN WHAT THE HECK IS IT?

Oxygen? Cilantro? Jalapenos?

Why is it that I have to go to the Wall Street Journal to get clarity on this disaster about tomatoes and salmonella? The WSJ? This morning's SD Union-Tribune continues to report that the FDA "suspects" tomatoes but is now looking at other potential sources of this outbreak that has sickened nearly 1000 people (reported) over the past 2 months. Other sources now include cilantro and jalapenos...two items commonly used in salsa and guacamole. Why not avocados? Well, they are not a carrier or transmitter of the pathogen (well, according to the FDA, which should make all of us feel better, right?)...but we might as well throw oxygen in the mix while we are searching for answers since we are no closer to solving this now than when it started...and in the process we have just about destroyed the US and Mexican tomato industries...this is the fear of everyone who produces food and fiber for our country...that the government, media, environmental groups or other "public advocates" will ruin us in the process of their desire to "protect us"...the old-timers out there recall the ALAR scare of some years ago...and check this link out to see how it continues to destroy apple growers long after the false headlines goes away (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE7DB163BF93AA35754C0A967958260)

Do you find it odd that you haven't heard anything about major restaurant chains (McD's, In N Out, Olive Garden, Applebees, etc.) not being involved in this mess? Why is that? Well, the WSJ says (unbeknownst to me prior to reading it in yesterday's front page edition) that this outbreak of salmonella is limited to small restaurants (read "Mom and Pop's) and for those of us in or with a produce background we know that the sources of fresh produce many (not all) of these small outlets use can have marginal quality, handling practices and sanitation in the way in which they handle fresh produce, meat, etc. It is a tough job to manage all the issues in the chain of custody of our food and these small shops, which may have great food and try their best but purchase food in very small quantities from terminal markets or other secondary sources...can have some quality concerns that larger stores and restaurants don't...(and the flip-side is that the small stores can sometimes get specialty and local produce and items that the large ones cannot)...but there is a risk...

So what to do...well since we can't stop breathing (remember, oxygen is on our list of sources for the moment, as should be cotton candy, radishes, ginzu knifes, and bubble gum), we should for the moment be very careful about having freshly made salsa at small restaurants...since the WSJ confirms that jalapenos are an easier potential source of the e-coli pathogen than tomatoes...and keep your eye out for overall sanitary conditions at the places you eat (check out the bathrooms...if a place cannot keep its bathrooms clean, do you think the kitchen would be any different?)...and wash and refrigerate your food well (water works just fine)...and write a letter to the FDA or your political reps to tell them to stop pointing the fingers at specific crops unless they have better evidence because they are putting people out of business...oh, and start buying and eating fresh grown and well washed tomatoes again!

LATE BREAKING NEWS HEADLINES***LATE BREAKING NEWS HEADLINES***LATE BREAKING NEWS HEADLINES***

We lost a great one today kids! Larry Harmon AKA Bozo the Clown left us at the young age of 83!
The world mourns (especially Mike Gallagher.) We will miss you Bozo but your spirit will live on in all of the various ways in which we can use your beloved name..."What a bozo!" or "Don't be a bozo!" (True story...I knew a car salesman in Reedley by the name of Bozo...he was actually a legendary salesman...so don't go whining if you are stuck with a name you don't like! If guys named Bozo can succeed just think you can do!)

2008-07-04T10:37:00.000-07:00

Well, Happy 4th to everyone and I hope you have a great holiday! And I would ask that in the midst of all of the celebrations that you say a prayer for the men and women on station throughout the world, regardless of the branch of service or where deployed...for this all-volunteer force is a remarkable experience in democracy...and is far better than conscription...but let us always pray and work for peace!

Returning to a topic I raised at the bottom of my Tuesday June 24 entry about high gas prices having a "silver lining" I would observe that we can probably all see the changes that are happening...painful but positive...as we go through this grinding of our pocketbooks and patience oh high gas prices...but there are increasing reports that are confirming my suspicions of what will shake out through this pain...and here are a few of the positives that I think will develop:

**Businesses that produce products that are relatively low in value but have high shipping costs can return to the US. Examples would be furniture, produce, milled lumber, and toys (largely off-sourced to China, South and Central America and elsewhere in the past decade) Not only will this create jobs but it will help the environment due to reduced shipping costs and burn of fossil fuels, as well as reinforce the value of "US Made" or "California Grown."

**We will begin to see renewed interest in conservation...and production...of new fuel sources. Look, I think it is just immoral that we can, on the one hand, argue for environmental and human rights and make it nearly impossible to explore, produce, refine or distribute petroleum products in the US but that we can pay $145+ dollars per barrel to countries that we have little or no control over in their own production. And I don't give a rip if you drive a Prius or a Yukon on this! We are all buying and using this oil...and it is not just if our cars get 20 or 30 or 40 miles a gallon! What of all of the fuel it takes to move our products via truck, rail and ship? All of us eat, buy toilet paper, fly to our vacations...so it is not as simple as all of us driving a hybrid. (Speaking of hybrids...are we talking at all about the source of the electricity to recharge the cute little Prius that tootles along in the express lane? Or where all those batteries will go? Or if it diverts us from the real problem...that too many of us drive long distances by ourselves? Check out http://blogs.drive.com.au/2008/05/the_electric_car_pollution_pro.html for a little diversion on this topic)

But I digress...as I mentioned earlier we need to reconsider nuclear, drilling, shale extraction, wind, solar and other areas...and we are seeing the economic analysis turn towards it working in our favor...which means additional producers and innovations will come...which will then in turn bring the price of transportation back down again...and for an example of this see what one of my past students Troy Hinds of SPG Solar is up to (see http://www.pointloma.edu/Fermanian/News_and_Notes.htm) with their plan to develop a huge solar system at PLNU...nice stuff, makes economic sense and environmental sense...but I still cannot figure out why we cannot drill up at ANWR...especially in light of the aging and eventual depletion of our existing Alaskan Pipeline and fields...

**Young entrepreneurs will seek new solutions to old problems...which us "old dogs" cannot get around to solving. Trust me, I have seen the future with these ""kids" (at my age anyone under 30 is a kid!), and they are remarkable. They have a balance of pragmatism, thoughtfullness, audacity, clarity of thought and innovation that my generation did not have--we were too fixed on earning money and getting ahead. These young entrepreneurs (not just business students but from all fields, interests and areas of study, both for profit and non profit) are thinking about things differently and have a global perspective that we did not have...and I am impressed. I would suggest that all of us old veterans find ways to pour ourselves into this next generation in any one of a number of ways (mentoring, internships, coaching, even a cup of coffee once in a while) and help them along. They have the answers to these questions and we need to start giving them more "rein."

But for now slam down a couple of hot dogs, drink some iced tea (c'mon, I am teaching at a Nazarene University!), light a sparkler or two, and say a prayer for our armed forces and for peace in the world...and enjoy the day!

Oh and PS...anyone interested in Rachel and Dustin's wedding can see a few pictures at http://tunnelphotography.com/# and go to the blog section, scroll down to the June 29, 2008 entry and enjoy! It was a great evening with family and friends!

2008-06-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Fresno State does what? Isn't that the "raisin capital of the world?"

Well, actually, no. Fresno is NOT the raisin capital of the world. Any hoser knows that title belongs to the sweet town of Selma, right off the old Highway 99 just south of Fresno!

But Fresno State, CSU Fresno, Fresno State University, FSU or whatever you want to call it did pull off the unimaginable on Wednesday night, thumping University of Georgia for its first ever national championship in a men's Division 1 sport. (They follow the women's softball team who won the title in 1998.)

Now I would be disingenius...err..umm...disambigous...uhh...I would be not telling the truth if I told you that I had been following Fresno State's baseball team all year, because I had not. I just picked up watching them after defeating Arizona State in a regional (which was a pretty big deal in Fresno--right up there where the time Carol Burnett filmed a movie downtown--a spoof actually--with the original title "Fresno"...I am sure all of us saw it...)and everyone back home was pretty happy about that win and advancing to the College World Series. Nice stuff. But who really cares about this stuff...any connection to business or life of anything else?

Well my young Jedi knights...may I offer a quote from ESPN?

"It goes to show you don't need that first-round draft pick on your team to win that national championship," left fielder Steve Susdorf said. "You need 25 guys. We were all committed to the team. No one was about himself."

Pretty nice stuff there from young Mr. Susdorf...and something overlooked by most managers and business leaders. Forget the Donald Trump nonsense where it all focuses upon an icon or powerful leader...the best firms, companies, organizations in any sector or space or those who have a "deep bench" and that bench is not full of "All-Stars" who are full of themselves and need all the attention shone upon them. Look for people to hire (or if you are looking for an employer or company, who is more concerned about excellence than who gets the credit) and hang out with them.

So who are the guys in the picture above? It doesn't matteer. Just a bunch of San Joaquin Valley kids who worked hard and succeeded, listening to a coach who was more concerned about hard work than accolades. This is a good reminder for us in business and education.

So I am going to go off into this day feeling pretty good about that little sheet of paper on my wall (well, it is kind of aged now, looking like the Declaration of Independence or the sales contract on an Edsel, turning brown with time) from Fresno State, especially after all the messes the men's basketball team and suits in the athletic department have created in the recent past.

And did I mention 48 hours from now I walk my little girl Rachel down the aisle? Yepper-Depper, that is correct, as she starts her life with a fine young man from Visalia/San Diego.

So I may need a couple of days off on writing (as if that is something new!) and will return as soon as I can. Have a great day!

2008-06-24T12:28:00.000-07:00

"I think Google is doomed"
or...
"Google and Microsoft will flip market capitalization values in the next five years."

Well which is it? I don't really know but I do know it was a fascinating discussion between Mark Mahaney, Director of Internet Research for Citigroup, and Karsten Weide, Program Director for Digital and Media Entertainment, IDC...both really smart guys. Weide thinks that Google is toast and Mahaney thinks Google is the next Microsoft (well, actually more than MS in his opinion of future value)...

So here is the prognosis:

Google is going up because 1)They learned from AOL and Yahoo mistakes; 2) They have good leadership; 3) They will maintain their core markets; 4) They have lots and lots of cash (did I say lots?)

Google is going down because 1) They are not diversified enough; 2) Their singular profit center is too narrow; 3) They have nothing to show for their attempts at diversification to date (can you say You Tube?)

Well then, again, which is it?

I am leaning towards the view that Google has some significant problems and will not be the darling of Wall Street in the future. Are they going to run out of gas? It may take a while but I am fascinated by the battle going on between "Cloud Computing" (content) vs. "Search Computing" (well, um, err, that would be search), and who does better at which? Mr. Weide (OK, he is a European but he seemed prettty cool anyway, and he actually didn't crack any George Bush jokes, so I was impressed), says that YAHOO actually is pretty well positioned in the area of content...and that Yahoo will look better in the future than it does right now. Wow! A pretty gutsy comment in light of everything that is going on in the world of Yahoo these days.

One final comment about this whole discussion...Weide made a forceful comment that our whole fixation on engineers at the helm of the internet has about run its course (see above comments on content vs. search), and that while engineers overly dominate both Yahoo and Google these days, that the internet is becoming a media and entertainment industry, driven by consumers (that would be you), and that the powers that be better start making this adjustment soon in their companies...or they will become the next Chrysler of the internet.

Interesting stuff!

NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH! NEWS FLASH!

HIGH U.S. GASOLINE PRICES WILL LEAD TO "NEW JOBS" IN "OLD INDUSTRIES." What could possibly be good about these high prices to fill up the old AMC Pacer? Well missy, let's just say that shipping is a major cost of business these days, and that low shipping costs and the low value of the dollar have made importing goods a primary reason why we have "off-shored" various businesses over the past decade...so could it be turning back our way? Hmmmmm....you must learn to think differently about the headlines that you read. I will fill you in soon!

2008-06-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

So is Google dying? Yep, I heard that very thing yesterday at a tech conference...and I will give you the exact quotes and sources very soon...but for today let me comment a bit about getting a job in this environment with the Dow tanking, mortgages being foreclosed upon, gas prices through the roof, global warming, chocolate prices up, and other incredibly serious problems...so I was asked about this recently and thought I would offer an opine.

Think of the job market like a fruit tree and all of the 'low hanging fruit' has been picked...so now you have a problem. Many people would look at this tree and sit down and want to wait for months if not years to pass by, seasons to change, others to come along and prune and fertilize and care for the tree until the low fruit appears again much later...fair enough...and if this is you I would recommend you go to http://www.usajobs.gov/ and get yourself a government job, and prepare to wait your life for others to determine your future...if not taking action and getting things done is your cup of tea you really need to think about working for the government (and they are hiring big time!) and pursue that route...

But there are others who would not want to wait for others to "grow the fruit"...and these ones would go find a ladder or a stool or some extension of your arm to get to the fruit...notice the fruit is still there but it just takes different tools and skills and resourcefullness to get to it...Is it easy? Is it the same? Nope, and I would recommend we just get over it...but note the fruit is still there! For instance, last year I sat in a faculty committee meeting for education at PLNU and all I heard from my coslleagues was (literally said) "there are no jobs for teachers in San Diego." (Heard it multiple times actually!) So I got to thinking...did I miss that headline that every teacher in San Diego was staying in their position, that there were no retirements, moves, transfers or openings of any kind? Of course not. What my dear colleagues were actually saying was "there are fewer jobs than in past years for teachers in San Diego" (or at least I hope that is what they were saying) and they left the conversation at that, nodding in some sort of a forlorn way, tsk-tsking the poor young teachers trying to get a job in this dismal market...So I kept silent in the midst of this woeful gathering who were content to wait for another "season" or two to pass...and went home and talked to my daughter Rachel about the great opportunity that existed because others were convinced there were no teaching jobs...and this attitude creates opportunities for those willing to go get a ladder and pick the fruit! So Rachel does all the things that we have told other students to do---a great resume, strong letters of recommendation, business dress, positive and enthusiastic attitude, tenacity, networking through friends, faculty and connections, etc.---and ends up with two significant teaching opportunities by the end of the summer. Was it easy, stress free, and not without its mishaps along the way? Of course not! But the point is despite the headlines companies are still looking for talent, drive, iniative and a positive attitude regardless of the current economic state...smart companies are always on the prowl for good employees...

So my point here is to choose between crying about the low hanging fruit or about getting your future going...I know many of you who are corresponding with me about your futures and I have full confidence in your abilities...go for it!

An interesting current article about some hot jobs exists at http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-10_hot_jobs_that_start_at_50k-418

And there may even be some of you who want to go "build your own ladders" (e.g. entrepreneurs)...and you know how I feel about that!

Have a great weekend all of you and be looking for the info on the future of technology and the internet soon...it was interesting stuff....

and by the way the good news is I filled up my car for $3.60 a gallon on Wednesday...and I had multiple stations to choose from...seriously...but I guess the bad news was I was in western Kansas about 2 hours from Wichita....ouch!

2008-06-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

SORRY SORRY SORRY about nothing new in the past 10 days as I hit the ground running on my return and some other items needed my attention...no real excuse in light of everything that has been going on in the world in business, politics, natural disasters, and the Chuck Norris trilogy on AMC. What a great actor that guy is--I just don't see where critics accuse him of being "wooden." I think he really knows his craft, in the finest tradition of Olivier, Brando and Emelio Estevez.

So it looks like Obama and McCain...such great fun! Do you think she wants to be VP? Do you think Obama will ask her? Do you think Bill would agree? Really, for those who think this is the "Dream Ticket" for Democrats I just don't know how you could be the current President and have Bill Clinton as the spouse of your VP...Obama would have very little ability to control Bill...and Bill has shown himself to stumble into a few problems in the past...and I just think it is going to be very difficult for Obama to pull off...

$5 a gas is coming soon and it may not stop there based upon the spike in crude oil this past Friday...and I say bring it on! Why? Because we are so screwed up in our priorities, starting with our willingness to bankrupt our own country to give some of most oppressive and brutal regimes in the world an oil bonanza at our expense (where are the Feminists that are not speaking to this issue? Oh, wait a minute...they are pounding on the Christians! Makes sense to me!) Where is the morality in this? Where is the justice?) Some things to think about as you are having your signature notarized at the gas pump in filling your Daewoo...

*We are converting our food sources (corn) to gasoline (ethanol) using massive government subsidies to farmers which is causing global disasters in food prices. (I think some day historians will have a field day ruminating on what happens to civilizations when they give up their food just so they can take a drive to the Starbucks to get a organic soy low fat extra hot decaf extra shot Venti Caramel Latte, and then study the pithy quotation on global warming on the sleeve and feel good about contributing to a better world).

*High prices will (may) eventually drive us to reconsider our laziness and casual attitudes towards energy and life and all of its blessings...nothing else will, and anyone who has ever driven in heavy traffic in California knows how many of us are driving by ourselves. Look, the realities of modern life--the ability to eat, travel, consume, poop, and everything else--requires tools and systems and abilities that we usually don't think about and when we do we denigrate their worth...anyone who studies this at all knows that it is the plumbers and truckers and produce clerks and electricians and farm workers that keep this whole sucker we know as the world running...and as we have denigrated them and instead hold up Angelina and Brad and whomever else is on People that week we are paying a huge price that will come home to our kids and grandkids in a big way.

*We are propping up corrupt and brutal political structures (can anyone say Saudi Arabia, Venezuala?) with our bizarre decisions to buy their oil with no control or comment on the environmental damage they may be causing while not pumping our own oil which we can do using strict environmental controls and technology? Are you willing to bankrupt your country and your own bank account to not touch the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge sites (the equivalent in acreage of a postage stamp size of land on a dining table size piece of property), or our off-shore sites, our are oil shale or wind or solar or nuclear?

*We should reconsider nuclear power just like those environmental firebrands the French (which generates about 80% of its domestic power through nuclear power.) But oh no, we haven't built a new plant in nearly 30 years and instead have fueled the rise of state-funded terrorism.

At this moment I don't really care who wins the Presidency but I do care that one of them starts to think like some of the great leaders of the past...and it would be great if the winner could think in a new way and propose a "New Deal for Energy." (OK, don't get your undies in a bunch...I am not unaware that FDR made a bunch of bad decisions as well) but could you imagine if our President would propose legislation (heck, an Executive Order could do it!) that would have us reduce our foreign oil imports by 5% per year? This would have us out of this stupid cycle of oil addiction in one generation! But instead these morons talk about "oil windfall taxes" on the US oil companies! (Who are already paying most of their profits in taxes anyway...really...check it out before you argue with me about this point on taxation).

We have to stop this addiction to foreign oil and if it takes $10 a gallon gas in the long run it will be better for us. (And don't look elsewhere for global support for our high gasoline prices. It is $8-$11 per gallon right now in most parts of Europe and Asia--we have it cheap.)

Can we at least think and talk about this issue in a new way? Instead of blaming oil companies? Or farmers? Or all the other cheap shots? Can we start thinking about what we are doing?

I encourage you to read up on this issue and start talking to your friends and exerting influence on this oil addiction and see where it takes us. Something has got to be better than what we are doing now.

2008-05-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

Aloha! Greetings from Kauai where Ruth and I have taken some days to recharge after a couple of semesters of teaching and many activities. We are hearing from all points across California that the weather turned lousy last week and has remained so....bummer!

So who do we bump into? Well it turns out the Bruce and Linda Schooling scheduled their vacation here at the same time so we have enjoyed some fun together...and also a group of freshly minted Fermanian School of Business grads happen to be here also, including the newly crowned CBS College Games Boarding Champion Chris Neubauer (you rock!) who smoked some guys from SDSU to win the event about a week ago. Watching the event on CBS TV on Sunday morning was great fun and then we took Craig, Mark, Chris H., Colin and the new champ to Duke's Beach Club for a celebratory lunch yesterday. Congratulations Chris and we will be posting some pictures and links on the FBC website soon.

So Hillary Clinton said what? Wow, that was liike watching Steve Carrel on The Office! There is a good lesson here...sometimes you can be technically correct but still really wrong...yes, she has every right to stay in the nomination race until the very end (John McCain would agree) and yes, she is correct that historically the nomination has often not been settled until June...but, wow, her comment about that Bobby Kennedy was shot in June and it really changed the race was a really bad one (can anyone say "turd in a punchbowl?") And falling on the heels of Ted Kennedy's brain tumor announcement? Sheeesh! But hang on folks...the fact that Oboma initially criticized the comment but within 24 hours let her off the hook tells us what? Hmmmm? Any takers on what may be afoot?

But on Memorial Day 2008 let's divert from the Clintons for a moment (it would take me far too long to recount Bill's combat record here...well, and Dick Cheney's as well...) and I would just ask that you find some time in the near future to thank a veteran for his or her service. I am not asking you to agree or disagree with any particular war or time of service...just to thank someone for interrupting their life to serve (voluntary or drafted). So to my buds Mike Gallagher (USA), Sean Borchardt (USMC), John Sadler (USN) (as well as all of my old USS Bainbridge buddies), I send you my best regards and appreciation and God's blessings on each of you.

Mahalo!

2008-05-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

Ouch! I am watching CNBC and see that the Dow Jones Industrial Average is down 220 points for the day. (OK, I know that the S&P is really the barometer to watch, but if I said that is was down 15 points would it be nearly as dramatic?) What to do now? Run for the hills screaming the world is at an end? Put our few dollars left (after we filled the Yukon up on the way to Pizza Nova) in a mattress? Go to work for the US government? (currently the biggest source of new jobs--yippee!)

A few months ago I wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times but it was rejected and the venerable Point Weekly picked it up... and here is what I wrote:

It is a bit of “good news” and “bad news” when one has lived long enough to recall major global events spanning decades, including economic, political and social cycles. But when we are able to take a longer view of such cycles are we able to realize that things are not always what they seem. This is especially true in an election year. Consider:
· For the period from 1854-2001, the U.S economy has experienced 32 distinct economic expansion and contraction cycles. The duration of the contractions has averaged 17 months while the expansion have average 38 months; however since 1945-2001 the contractions have averaged 10 months and the expansions lasted 57 months.
· In 1983, fixed home mortgage rates averaged 13.5%; 25 years later the fixed average is 6.05% and actually heading down. The simple reality is that US home ownership rates are at a historical high of about 70%.
· As to unemployment, the 2007 average rate was 4.6% of the working population; as recent as 1982 the same rate was 9.7%.

For those of us seeking employment when we graduated from college in the early 1980’s, these three facts made it a formidable challenge to find suitable work; it made owning a home nearly impossible.

This is not to say that at any particular moment individuals are not experiencing pain, disappointment and frustration due to the current economic cycles. Modern recessions are lasting approximately 9 months, hardly the stuff our grandparents of the Great Depression.

So what to do? I went to Home Depot yesterday in San Diego and I have to tell you I was really surprised how many people were there spending significant amounts of money. I would also surmise that the den of inquity also known as "Fashion Valley Mall" was similarly situated this past weekend (I refuse to go there anymore to see the asinine spending of our youth on their credit cards burning holes in their pockets--it depresses me too much). But I think for the prudent investor or entrepreneur there is significant opportunity in the market in the investments that really matter--real estate, stocks, and other "hard assets." For those willing to put time and sweat equity into a distressed asset, you have significant potential upside.

But if I see any of you going out to buy a new car or something with a high depreciation factor I will track you down and kick your butt...with love and affection of course but it will still be stomped...don't get suckered into these purchases because it will enslave you to long term debt with zero possibility of appreciation. If you have any specific questions or opportunities you would want me to think about I will try my best to give you counsel. Do you think gas prices are high now? I think we are on our way to $200 per barrel oil and gas prices over $5 per gallon. (I would love to be wrong on this one!) And you know what? $5+ gas may end up being a good thing for us! I will address this topic in the near future. For now, don't get your undies in too big of a bunch.

But for now I am off to Hawaii with Ruth for a few days of R and R...but will blogging as we vacation...Aloha!

2008-05-18T15:15:00.000-07:00

"If English was good enough for Jesus Christ, it's good enough for me."
(A U.S. Congressman to Dr. David Edwards, head of the Joint National Committee on Language, about the necessity of a modern commercial nation to be multi-lingual. Really. I am not making this up. It is just too good to make up.)

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Wow, this whole "balance" thing hit a nerve...and I could write quite a bit more but for the moment just add a few comments. Honestly, when I started in business almost 30 years ago I didn't think about it much. Being broke and starting out can do that for you because you have nowhere to go but up. Balance? It just wasn't a topic of concern for me or nearly everyone else I knew. Troy Hinds, another of those inagural Bus. 382 Entrepreneur stars, pressed me some more on this topic. Troy is now doing some killer work a SPG Solar, and check out just one example of the international press PLNU garnered in working with Troy and SPG at

http://www.forbes.com/businesswire/feeds/businesswire/2008/04/16/businesswire20080416006465r1.html

So what do I think years later? Now that I have "pushed the boulder up the mountain?" (I actually think that one might be an original line--I will have to check the files.) I think the following (at least on a Sunday morning before I have had any coffee):

*Find a specific day or event or moment of the week just for you. This was always Friday night for me. Dinner with friends, out with Ruth, no studies, no books, no business, just getting Chinese food or a movie or a book or a walk. Even now, years later, Friday nights are still the "sanctuary time."

*Take vacations. This is one of the things we should learn from our European friends (well, maybe bread, nice shoes and a few other things as well). I found I had to physically extract myself from the geography and business for a week or so as it just didn't work trying to sit at home and work in my woodshop. People would find me. I would find them. I had to get away and see something else with the family.

*Invest in your friends. A dear friend (wow, another one who died too early, Dave Bartel) once said "to have friends you have to be a friend." Don't know exactly who he was quoting but it is solid counsel. Are you lonely? Make a friend. Don't wait for them to knock on the door like vagrant J.W.'s or Cutco Knife salespeople.

*Money isn't it. Money does not find balance for you. it probably has the opposite effect for you. It does for me. The antidote is not being in poverty. I think you have to work to give much of it away. Sure, provide for yourself and your family but seek anonymous ways to give it away. (Don't get me started on how we honor donors these days. Live dangerously. Next time you write a check for some cause or ministry insist they keep in anonymous. Try it. You will like it.)

I hope this helps to the several of you who are asking me about this topic. Funny thing is my MBA class at PLNU just brought this same topic up a few weeks ago and we discussed it over dinner at our house (Thanks Ruth for the wisdom to the students as well!)

Hugs and kisses

RMA

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So it's fruit time in Dinuba as Ruth and I have made a quick trip north this morning to take care of some family and business items, returning to San Diego on Sunday. It is 102 degrees today and the fruit harvest has begun. Do I miss it? Not today. I will elaborate another time.

But for the moment can I say something about the nonsense of organic produce? Now don't get me wrong--you or anyone else is free to buy organic anything, as it is indeed a free country. (at least until this November) Knock yourself out--spend five bucks a portion for Belgian Endive, or for your peaches or potatoes. But organic pet food? Organic beef? Organic health care products? Organic cat litter? Really? Is this what we have become?

We seem to fixated upon issues of risk without conception of balancing other interests. (Can you say "optional childhood immunizations?") I just don't see the value of hauling produce 3,000 miles from South America where it is "certified organic" and bypassing regionally grown produce that is conventional. What is the carbon footprint on such transactions? Do you have any idea what the growing practices really are in other countries? Do you have any idea of organic practices anywhere? Do you know what causes the vast majority of food illnesses?

Oh, so the answer is buying at farmers markets like at Ocean Beach, right? Let me tell you my experience with farmers markets. Ruth and I survived the first three years of our marriage selling peaches and nectarines at the local market in Fresno with an old "green" pioneer by the name of Richard Erganian, who knew and knows more about fresh produce and people and community than most. So I know a bit about the topic from the "old days" to now. And my opinion is at least half of what I have seen at the farmer's markets these days is not organic. It is conventionally grown fruit purchased from commercial producers of various sizes and then the so-called "grower" (usually with long hair, overalls, smile and a generally rural look) hand writes a cardboard sign saying "organic peaches." And so I then watch the consumers, so eager to feel a part of being "green" that they line up and rave how great the organic life is. Just paying triple what the grocery store is selling the same thing for, just without the handwritten sign. (Note to self: talk to my marketing colleagues about dropping the in-store DVD's and sampling and give them crayons and cardboard instead.)

I have seen my own fruit grown packaged in my own box then re-packaged as "organic fruit" by farmers markets. My fruit is good stuff but it is not organic. I went up and asked the "grower" (holding my own Summertime Fresh box from Reedley) where he "grew" his fruit. Without missing a beat, he told me "about an hour north of here" and I just smiled as he filled up another bag of fruit for a few college students in line. Hmmmm....I have grown fruit for over twenty years and I know that nearly every variety requires the cold winters that only the San Joaquin Valley can produce---the Southern California area is simply too tropical to get adequate "chill hours." Ruth told me to "shoosh" and withdraw from the field. My face flushed as I wanted to shout out down Newport Avenue in OB that "Bongo Billy" was a fraud.

Should I have made a scene and called "Mr. Greenjeans" a liar? Stay tuned. I will revisit this topic.
But at the end of the day my understanding of community, and the responsibility to produce food for our world, and the economic abilities of people to pay for wholesome fresh food vs. fast and processed food, makes this entire discussion for the average consumer rather silly. Most food safety problems have absolutely nothing to do with pesticides, herbicides and production practices, but rather with e-coli contamination and poor handling practices at the consumption site. There is a lot more to talk about here but I need to take my blood pressure medicine or walk down to People's Grocery and get a deep-fried Chimichanga. That will show the organic crowd!
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