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The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-- George Bernard Shaw
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These videos of school kids singing/chanting songs in praise of Barack Obama... my god. We don't teach kids songs about other presidents or politicians. That's loony as hell. The teachers who endorsed this ought to be fired for extreme lack of judgment. These videos are the best possible ads for homeschooling I've ever seen. |
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Regarding the case of Roman Polanski, it's pretty clear: he was in his 40's and she was 13. He drugged her and liquored her up. I don't know of anyone who would defend such a cretin for this crime. But of course, the Hollywood folks are coming to his aid, arguing that it was consensual. Because his art, you see, is just that important. In Somerset Maugham's novel, a dying character near the end of the book says this: I have always moved in the best society in Europe, and I have no doubt that I shall move in the best society in heaven. This was said while being alone, dying. No one came to see him. These words are spoken to help assuage the loneliness of an ignored and neglected man, one no longer convenient. His "friends" were paper maché.That totally describes Hollywood. And Polanski. They all fancy themselves important and deserving. Maugham's character, Elliott Templeton, had himself buried in religious robes, and likewise, Polanski's defenders wrap themselves in self-righteousness, unable to actually say that he is innocent. Karma can be a bitch. I'll trust that those who defend this will find their proper reward. |
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247 is now out in the world, working its way through demos and discussions. No less than 4 people now have stepped forward in request to sell it on a pure commission basis. That has to say something about its viability in the market. (Or maybe it says something about the current market...) But either way, it's moving ahead. Tomorrow, an extremely well-known politician in Iowa is getting a demo. I'm not involved in the demo, but this morning, I gave some deeper training to the person giving the demo. We'll see what happens. The guy who's running against Leonard Boswell is now using it within his campaign. Think about this: politicians come up with fundraising targets, but not organizational targets. 247 can help them do just that. After all, it's about the people brought to the voting booth, not about the ads you buy. The ads can help persuade or dissuade people to go to the voting booth, but ultimately, it's about your network. In my mind, the size of your network matters. That's 247's arena - it's about how you engage your network. I met with a guy this morning who is a super-connector here in Des Moines. He'll be using it to better manage his network - which is easily hundreds of people. Based on that conversation, I'm adding an enhancement. Small tweak, but significant in terms of usefulness. His portal for it will be up next week, as will two other politicians here in Iowa. Two business accelerators here in Iowa are using it. More might come on board. We'll see. I'll know more in a week or so. And then an important presentation tomorrow to a major corporation here in Iowa. It could really help their efforts, so I'm hoping that the product and the price are right for them. As these presentations and discussions take place, I learn more about the need in the market. Listening... it's the great differentiator in business, I think. It's great if you can move mountains and persist in execution, but it doesn't matter at all if you're headed in the wrong direction. Gotta hear clearly what people want or it's all time wasted. That's what I'm about to find out :) |
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What's the best lesson you can teach children? In my opinion, it's whatever you can teach them that will help them achieve their goals in life. Since our goals that we pursue are accomplished by us and not handed to us, teaching children the value of a solid work ethic is the most important lesson. It's what will sustain them throughout life. Work ethic applies to learning, earning and maintaining, caring for your family, achieving and advancing through life... it covers so many aspects. I see real danger in this statistic: The unemployment rate for young Americans has exploded to 52.2 percent - a post-World War II high, according to the Labor Dept. - meaning millions of Americans are staring at the likelihood that their lifetime earning potential will be diminished and, combined with the predicted slow economic recovery, their transition into productive members of society could be put on hold for an extended period of time. And worse, without a clear economic recovery plan aimed at creating entry-level jobs, the odds of many of these young adults - aged 16 to 24, excluding students - getting a job and moving out of their parents' houses are long. Young workers have been among the hardest hit during the current recession - in which a total of 9.5 million jobs have been lost. And this comes at a time when Obama proposes lengthening the time that kids spend in school."Our school calendar is based upon the agrarian economy and not too many of our kids are working the fields today," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a recent interview with The Associated Press. Jobs? Unimportant. More school? Why, we'll change society for that.It's tempting to suggest that more school leads to better jobs. But it's a canard, for two reasons: - Work ethic leads to better study habits, and not the other way around.
- How many people actually work in the field of their college major or feel that Anthropology 201 helps them achieve their goals in life?
For me personally, English and Speech classes were my most beneficial classes in college.School only helps you achieve your goals if you take classes that will be applied later in life. The best of all worlds is that you learn work ethic and educate yourself. But not in Barry's world. Jobs? Working? That's for chumps. Today's kids are going to have one hell of a time working to support all the beneficiaries of Obama's proposed policies. It will fall on their shoulders, this debt he wants to add. He's either a complete idiot, or he doesn't care one whit about anybody else.  |
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In the latter part of July, I wrote a post entitled "Plummet." I said: I'd say that he's about in the middle of that dive, mostly because people are figuring out that he really doesn't understand the economy. Wait till the foreclosure data begins anew. I'll write a post called "Tank" at that time. It's coming...High U.S. unemployment keeps pushing up the rate of mortgage delinquencies, which could in turn drive personal bankruptcies and home foreclosures, monthly data from the Equifax Inc credit bureau showed on Monday.Among U.S. homeowners with mortgages, a record 7.58 percent were at least 30 days late on payments in August, up from 7.32 percent in July, according to the data obtained exclusively by Reuters. August marked the fourth consecutive monthly increase in delinquencies, and the report showed an accelerating pace. Government incentives often have unforeseen effects because they falsely stimulate the market in unsustainable ways. Take the Cash for Clunkers program, which has now exhausted the market. It happened like a sugar rush, with all of this trumped-up activity spurred by government giveaways (aka your tax dollars), and now that it's over, fatigue.Super Genius. |
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It's a good thing I don't require a lot of sleep. A few weeks back, at one of the Sunday brainstorming meetings, we were discussing a solution and while we were articulating the way in which it would work, I registered two domains. (Pictures from that meeting are on the web site here at beatcanvas and the idea itself, though in a different form, is well-presented here on the site.) My thoughts sparked the actions of one of the attendees at the meeting. I didn't really know that at the time, but he came back to me a little over a week ago and told me of the work he had done to move the idea forward. I'm not going to mention the names of the famous people with whom he's connected or the work he has done, but people anywhere in the country would recognize these names. I'm also not sure yet how iron-clad these relationships are, but I'm sure that they are tentative and it all depends on the development work to be done and getting it ready within two months for an initial roll-out. Fortunately for me, I'm not chiefly responsible for the development. I've engaged a friend of mine - a strong libertarian - who believes in the concept and is willing to invest himself in it. The three of us will meet weekly and see how it comes along. We have a hard deadline in November for the roll-out. Brainstorming - it's not just an exercise in "what if" for the fun of it. Done right, it synergistically blends the passions of others to bring it all to the fore and - together -things move ahead. Everybody ought to think forward and take action. Amazing things might just happen... Remember: it's not the fancy words that are important - it's the execution. |
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Not That It's a Shocker... |
Back in early June, I said: "I'm convinced that [Obama] is using the office of the presidency to run for world leader." When sparring, everyone loves a weaker opponent.ETC: Egotistical shocker of the day: For those who question the character and cause of my nation, I ask you to look at the concrete actions we have taken in just nine months. Good lord... he believes that his breathless power grabs show the exceptional character of America.And concrete?? The only thing "concrete" he's offered America is a pair of shoes for our economy. |
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I Might Get to Paint Again Soon |
 Momentum is... beautiful. |
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This is #14 on the list: I left my Dentures in your Silverado last night. I gave you my number but did not get yours. Please call me asap. I need my teeth. We met in the parking lot of Margarita Jones. Get back to me asap please. Thank you. The ads might be free, but they are truly priceless. |
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247Toolset has a salesperson now, a role this person has never done. Will they make it? Beats me. We'll find out. It's 100% commission. Better find motivation fast, eh? In browsing around to help with orientation, I ran across this: Over the past few years, as I sought success as a Sales Professional and Sales Leader, I've been obsessed with reading every book I could find on sales, leadership, success, and spirituality. I believed that I was placed on earth to be successful and that I deserved to achieve my goals and dreams. After reading, listening to audio programs, and observing the action of the top salespeople and leaders in my company, I found that Super Successful people, from every walk of life, share 9 habits that have contributed most to their extraordinary achievements! Take a look at the words in that paragraph:- obssessed
- believed
- deserved
- reading, listening, and observing
It screams motivation. It's chock full of self-improvement. You can feel the hunger.Business and success happen when people find the fire in the belly and they drive ahead full speed. That typically doesn't happen when you're not worried. They drive because they have to. To survive. Now here's where it gets interesting. This person had to leave their last position, where they had health insurance. But they no longer work there. The only way to have health insurance is through COBRA, but it requires that they pay for their insurance fully, which in this case is $420 per month. In bringing them on, I covered them for this month. Next month, I'll only cover $300. And so it will go, until four months from now. Opportunity, in a difficult economy. If this person decides to engage, like the person who wrote that article, the next few years will be amazing and fulfilling and profitable. It all starts with a decision, which become habits, which becomes lifestyle. Stay tuned. |
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