Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
and now...A Parrot Joke
Shlomo Halberstam: “Three Jewish sons left home, went out on their own and prospered. Getting back together, they discussed the gifts that they were able to give to their elderly mother. The first said, ‘I built a big house for our mother.’ The second said, ‘I sent her a Mercedes with a driver.’ The third said, ‘I’ve got you both beat. You know how Mom enjoys reading the Torah and you know she can't see very well? I sent her a large brown parrot that can recite the entire Torah. It took twenty rabbis 12 years to teach him. I had to pledge to contribute $1,000,000 a year for twenty years but it was worth it. Mom just has to name the chapter and verse and the parrot will recite it.’ Soon thereafter, Mom sent out her letters of thanks. She wrote to the first son, ‘Milton, the house you built is so huge. I live in only one room, but I have to clean the whole house.’ She wrote to the second son, ‘Marvin, I am too old to travel. I stay home all the time, so I never use the Mercedes and the driver is SO rude.’ She wrote to the third son, ‘Dearest Melvin, you were the only son to have the good sense to know what your mother likes. The chicken was delicious.’ ”
Founder of CNN - Ted Turner
Notable & Quotable April 9, 2008;
Ted Turner in an April 1 interview with Charlie Rose
TURNER: We have to mobilize the same way we did when we entered World War II in 1941. We have to fully mobilize everything we have and put it into changing the energy system over, and not just here in the United States, but all over the world. . . not doing it will be catastrophic.
We'll be eight degrees hotter in 30 or 40 years and basically none of the crops will grow. Most of the people will have died, and the rest of us will be cannibals. Civilization will have broken down. The few people left will be living in a failed state like Somalia or Sudan, and living conditions will be intolerable. The droughts will be so bad, there will be no more corn growing. . . . we've got to stabilize the population.
We're too many people. That's why we have global warming. We have global warming because too many people are using too much stuff. If there were less people, they'd be using less stuff. . . . we've got to stabilize population. On a voluntary basis, everybody in the world has got to pledge to themselves that one or two children is it.
Ted Turner in an April 1 interview with Charlie Rose
TURNER: We have to mobilize the same way we did when we entered World War II in 1941. We have to fully mobilize everything we have and put it into changing the energy system over, and not just here in the United States, but all over the world. . . not doing it will be catastrophic.
We'll be eight degrees hotter in 30 or 40 years and basically none of the crops will grow. Most of the people will have died, and the rest of us will be cannibals. Civilization will have broken down. The few people left will be living in a failed state like Somalia or Sudan, and living conditions will be intolerable. The droughts will be so bad, there will be no more corn growing. . . . we've got to stabilize the population.
We're too many people. That's why we have global warming. We have global warming because too many people are using too much stuff. If there were less people, they'd be using less stuff. . . . we've got to stabilize population. On a voluntary basis, everybody in the world has got to pledge to themselves that one or two children is it.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
Ben Stein - The Future Economy & Work Ethic
Now for a few words that may give you some guidance on life as it is.
Last week, my pal Mike Long and I had dinner at a Thai place in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Then we walked one long, steep block to Barnes & Noble so I could buy a few photo books of D.C. to send to my friends in California.
The store was almost empty, possibly because of a powerful rain that was falling. I found several lovely books and brought them to the sales counter, where two young salesclerks, a man and a woman, were lounging. I told them I wanted to buy the books and have them mailed or otherwise sent to three addresses in California.
Deer, Meet Headlights
The young clerks looked worried. "We don't know how to do that," one of them said.
"You don't ever send books?" I asked.
"Hey, we're students at George Washington University," the young woman said. "We don't know how to do much."
"But surely other customers have wanted to send books," I said. They shrugged.
"Can you call over a manager?" I asked. "Yes," the young woman said eagerly. "Yes." Soon, a pretty young woman with short hair appeared.
To make a long story short, she was indeed the manager, but she didn't know how to send the books, either. In fact, even after I'd carefully spelled out all of the addresses, they couldn't figure out how to send anything.
Worse yet, just the effort "froze" the checkout computer such that it couldn't even let me buy the books to mail myself. When I wanted to buy some note cards with photos by the great Fred Maroon, they could only take cash and not give me any change.
No one ever expressed any apologies.
The Nakedly Indifferent Civil Servant
Now, bear in mind, this is in a time when people are supposedly suffering financially and need jobs. As Mike and I walked back to my apartment, I said, "That was amazing. Those people didn't know how to do a basic transaction like mailing books."
"No," he corrected me, "they don't want to do it. They didn't even really try very hard. They're college students. That means they don't care at all. They're getting paid whether they send the books or not. They're like civil servants -- only civil servants have a good attitude, and these guys have a poor attitude."
"You're right," I said.
When I got home, I went online and in five minutes had ordered and shipped the books. No fuss, no muss. Not a good omen for Barnes & Noble.
Piecework Nation. After that, I called information to get the telephone number for a luxury hotel in Chicago. The operator couldn't find the number -- I got it online, too. Then I called the hotel. The clerk at the front desk couldn't find my reservation. I retrieved it online.
The next day in Chicago, I spoke to a gathering of physicians at a convention. After the speech, they told me that their No. 1 problem (after Medicare reimbursements) was finding workers who were actually willing to learn and work. "It's not a case of workers begging for jobs," said the man next to me at a post-speech lunch. "We're begging for qualified workers."
There's a point to be gleaned from this, and my friend Mike made it well after our debacle at Barnes & Noble: "I wish every worker in America had to be a freelancer at selling or writing or painting or carpentry or computer repair or law or something for two years. I wish Americans could have a period in their lives when they only got paid for what they sold and produced. It would do this country world of good."
Whistling Past the Graveyard
There's another point here. First, it's true that we may well be in a recession. I didn't think it would happen, but a combination of Wall Street idiocy and greed, Federal Reserve tardiness and caution, and a deluge of fear dumped on consumers by the media may have done it.
But even in a recession, there's always a shortage of talented, hardworking people in every field. Be one and, even if the recession gets really bad, you can whistle past the graveyard. You may have to move locations. You may have to learn new skills. But a willingness to work will get you everywhere you want to be.
And if you aren't willing to work, I don't see why those of us who are should bail you out.
Last week, my pal Mike Long and I had dinner at a Thai place in Georgetown, Washington, D.C. Then we walked one long, steep block to Barnes & Noble so I could buy a few photo books of D.C. to send to my friends in California.
The store was almost empty, possibly because of a powerful rain that was falling. I found several lovely books and brought them to the sales counter, where two young salesclerks, a man and a woman, were lounging. I told them I wanted to buy the books and have them mailed or otherwise sent to three addresses in California.
Deer, Meet Headlights
The young clerks looked worried. "We don't know how to do that," one of them said.
"You don't ever send books?" I asked.
"Hey, we're students at George Washington University," the young woman said. "We don't know how to do much."
"But surely other customers have wanted to send books," I said. They shrugged.
"Can you call over a manager?" I asked. "Yes," the young woman said eagerly. "Yes." Soon, a pretty young woman with short hair appeared.
To make a long story short, she was indeed the manager, but she didn't know how to send the books, either. In fact, even after I'd carefully spelled out all of the addresses, they couldn't figure out how to send anything.
Worse yet, just the effort "froze" the checkout computer such that it couldn't even let me buy the books to mail myself. When I wanted to buy some note cards with photos by the great Fred Maroon, they could only take cash and not give me any change.
No one ever expressed any apologies.
The Nakedly Indifferent Civil Servant
Now, bear in mind, this is in a time when people are supposedly suffering financially and need jobs. As Mike and I walked back to my apartment, I said, "That was amazing. Those people didn't know how to do a basic transaction like mailing books."
"No," he corrected me, "they don't want to do it. They didn't even really try very hard. They're college students. That means they don't care at all. They're getting paid whether they send the books or not. They're like civil servants -- only civil servants have a good attitude, and these guys have a poor attitude."
"You're right," I said.
When I got home, I went online and in five minutes had ordered and shipped the books. No fuss, no muss. Not a good omen for Barnes & Noble.
Piecework Nation. After that, I called information to get the telephone number for a luxury hotel in Chicago. The operator couldn't find the number -- I got it online, too. Then I called the hotel. The clerk at the front desk couldn't find my reservation. I retrieved it online.
The next day in Chicago, I spoke to a gathering of physicians at a convention. After the speech, they told me that their No. 1 problem (after Medicare reimbursements) was finding workers who were actually willing to learn and work. "It's not a case of workers begging for jobs," said the man next to me at a post-speech lunch. "We're begging for qualified workers."
There's a point to be gleaned from this, and my friend Mike made it well after our debacle at Barnes & Noble: "I wish every worker in America had to be a freelancer at selling or writing or painting or carpentry or computer repair or law or something for two years. I wish Americans could have a period in their lives when they only got paid for what they sold and produced. It would do this country world of good."
Whistling Past the Graveyard
There's another point here. First, it's true that we may well be in a recession. I didn't think it would happen, but a combination of Wall Street idiocy and greed, Federal Reserve tardiness and caution, and a deluge of fear dumped on consumers by the media may have done it.
But even in a recession, there's always a shortage of talented, hardworking people in every field. Be one and, even if the recession gets really bad, you can whistle past the graveyard. You may have to move locations. You may have to learn new skills. But a willingness to work will get you everywhere you want to be.
And if you aren't willing to work, I don't see why those of us who are should bail you out.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Our National Debt - We are in trouble!
Ron Paul tells Congress the reality of the problem...and McCain is not the answer!
Friday, April 04, 2008
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Ted Turner - Jesus Freaks?
Ted Turner, churches fight malaria
By RACHEL ZOLL
Ted Turner, who once called Christianity a "religion for losers," launched a $200 million partnership Tuesday with Lutherans and Methodists to fight malaria in Africa, apologizing for his past criticism of religion and calling faith a "bright spot" in the world.
Turner, 69, said he had only made a few disparaging comments a long time ago and that he is "always developing" his thinking as he grows older.
"I regret anything I said about religion that was negative," he told The Associated Press ahead of a news conference announcing the anti-malaria program.
In the 1980s, the CNN founder criticized Christianity, wrote his own version of the Ten Commandments and in 2001 asked employees who commemorated Ash Wednesday whether they were "Jesus freaks," saying they should work for Fox. He apologized at the time.
Turner now says he does not consider himself agnostic or atheist, as he had sometimes described himself previously. He prays for sick friends because "it doesn't hurt," he said, and maintains several churches on his properties for employees and others who live nearby.
"As I get older, you know, I get more, you know, more tolerant," Turner said at the news conference. He has attended the churches a few times, but isn't a regular.
On Tuesday, Turner's United Nations Foundation, which he started in 1997 with a $1 billion donation, launched the anti-malaria project with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the United Methodist Church. The Protestant groups have been working overseas to fight poverty and prevent disease for more than a century.
"Religion is one of the bright spots as far as I'm concerned, even though there are some areas, like everything else, where they've gone over the top a little, in my opinion," Turner said. "But I'm sure God, wherever he is, wants to see us get along with one another and love one another."
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also provided a $10 million grant that will help promote the campaign in churches. The Protestant groups together have more than 15 million U.S. members.
Turner's foundation had been working with many groups, including the Methodists, on the Nothing But Nets campaign, which provides insecticide-treated bed nets in needy communities. Lutheran World Relief also had been helping malaria-infected cities and villages.
But their new joint project has an even more ambitious goal: to stop deaths from malaria. The disease kills more than 1 million people a year - mostly women and children under the age of 5 in Africa.
The United Methodist Church will raise $100 million for the project. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, with their humanitarian arm Lutheran World Relief, will raise between $75 million and $100 million.
"This will be the largest campaign of its type ever for Lutherans," said the Rev. John Nunes, president and chief executive of Lutheran World Relief. Texas Bishop Janice Huie, president of the Methodist Council of Bishops, said the money will be raised over several years.
The two denominations were chosen because of their overseas experience and their ability to advocate for the project in the U.S., said Elizabeth Gore, the foundation's executive director for global alliances. The money will be used for prevention, treatment and improving health care in areas at risk for the disease through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Turner said he was familiar with Methodist and Lutheran churches, praising them for preaching "the brotherhood of man." He said he has read the Bible "cover to cover twice" even though some of it is "pretty tedious" and considered becoming a missionary as a boy. But he rejected religion after his younger sister died from a form of lupus when they were both young.
Turner still has not completely embraced religion. He said he continues to subscribe to his alternative commandments, which he called the "Ten Voluntary Initiatives." They include caring for people and the earth, promising not to have more than two children and contributing to the less fortunate.
By RACHEL ZOLL
Ted Turner, who once called Christianity a "religion for losers," launched a $200 million partnership Tuesday with Lutherans and Methodists to fight malaria in Africa, apologizing for his past criticism of religion and calling faith a "bright spot" in the world.
Turner, 69, said he had only made a few disparaging comments a long time ago and that he is "always developing" his thinking as he grows older.
"I regret anything I said about religion that was negative," he told The Associated Press ahead of a news conference announcing the anti-malaria program.
In the 1980s, the CNN founder criticized Christianity, wrote his own version of the Ten Commandments and in 2001 asked employees who commemorated Ash Wednesday whether they were "Jesus freaks," saying they should work for Fox. He apologized at the time.
Turner now says he does not consider himself agnostic or atheist, as he had sometimes described himself previously. He prays for sick friends because "it doesn't hurt," he said, and maintains several churches on his properties for employees and others who live nearby.
"As I get older, you know, I get more, you know, more tolerant," Turner said at the news conference. He has attended the churches a few times, but isn't a regular.
On Tuesday, Turner's United Nations Foundation, which he started in 1997 with a $1 billion donation, launched the anti-malaria project with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod and the United Methodist Church. The Protestant groups have been working overseas to fight poverty and prevent disease for more than a century.
"Religion is one of the bright spots as far as I'm concerned, even though there are some areas, like everything else, where they've gone over the top a little, in my opinion," Turner said. "But I'm sure God, wherever he is, wants to see us get along with one another and love one another."
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also provided a $10 million grant that will help promote the campaign in churches. The Protestant groups together have more than 15 million U.S. members.
Turner's foundation had been working with many groups, including the Methodists, on the Nothing But Nets campaign, which provides insecticide-treated bed nets in needy communities. Lutheran World Relief also had been helping malaria-infected cities and villages.
But their new joint project has an even more ambitious goal: to stop deaths from malaria. The disease kills more than 1 million people a year - mostly women and children under the age of 5 in Africa.
The United Methodist Church will raise $100 million for the project. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, with their humanitarian arm Lutheran World Relief, will raise between $75 million and $100 million.
"This will be the largest campaign of its type ever for Lutherans," said the Rev. John Nunes, president and chief executive of Lutheran World Relief. Texas Bishop Janice Huie, president of the Methodist Council of Bishops, said the money will be raised over several years.
The two denominations were chosen because of their overseas experience and their ability to advocate for the project in the U.S., said Elizabeth Gore, the foundation's executive director for global alliances. The money will be used for prevention, treatment and improving health care in areas at risk for the disease through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Turner said he was familiar with Methodist and Lutheran churches, praising them for preaching "the brotherhood of man." He said he has read the Bible "cover to cover twice" even though some of it is "pretty tedious" and considered becoming a missionary as a boy. But he rejected religion after his younger sister died from a form of lupus when they were both young.
Turner still has not completely embraced religion. He said he continues to subscribe to his alternative commandments, which he called the "Ten Voluntary Initiatives." They include caring for people and the earth, promising not to have more than two children and contributing to the less fortunate.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
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