The start of a New Year

I hope all had a great Christmas season and I wish you a joyus and prosperous 2009.

With that said, I find it interesting that we (society) go through this mental game that we think everything bad, crappy or otherwise will be changed in the upcoming year. Honestly I think that over 75% of the goals and good intentions are discarded by the end of January.

I have never paid much attention to New Years resolutions, I figure that you should set goals all the time and not because the odomoter on the calendar rolled another number over. So this year I thought I might give it a try.

I hope we all can carry something over into the new year and be better for ourselves, if not for ourselves then for those around us.

I have been told that I dont seem as happy - - and in retrospect, there's some truth to that. I guess I should work on that next year. I can honestly say that there was a time I wanted to make sure those around me benefited from our interaction. Latley I can see that my attitude in that area has changed to "I don't give a damn how I impact them".

I think my best bet is to find the good in others and not accept the dissapointment I see in society.

Looks like I will have a tough 2009 but hopefully I will be better for it in the end. Whatever monkey you have to train, I wish you luck as well.

Uncertain times & the holiday season

I don’t know about you but I am tired of all this talk about how crappy our economy is getting. I will admit its bad and will probably get worse before it gets better. The worst part about the economy tanking for me so far is the cancellation of some good TV shows. GRRRRR!

It seems they cancel them for any reason! – Seriously though, there are other economic issues that hit close to home for me.

I just hope that maybe for even a short time human kind can focus on the positive and be kind to others, be generous to those who are in need, and remember those who have done something kind for us in the past. We have it in us to be better and since we can’t seem to get it down the rest of the year; I hope that for one month we can mange it.

So with that said, Merry Christmas to all and, may you find happiness and kindness this holiday season.

ZOMBIES ARE REAL!!!!!!

Well I never thought I would admit it but it’s true ~ ZOMBIES are real.

Before you dismiss that statement hear me out. First here is the Webster’s definition of zombies:

· 1 a:usually zombi a: the supernatural power that according to voodoo belief may enter into and reanimate a dead body
· b: a will-less and speechless human in the West Indies capable only of automatic movement who is held to have died and been supernaturally reanimated
· 2 a: a person held to resemble the so-called walking dead ; especially : automaton
· b: a person markedly strange in appearance or behavior
· 3: a mixed drink made of several kinds of rum, liqueur, and fruit juice

Now for my explanation and reasoning on why I made my statement. My theory is based on definition 1b above. For some of you who have been following my blog, I am also incorporating my post about Sheeple as a basis as well.

You see, when Sheeple become so dependant on what others tell them to do they start to change and move into the ZOMBIE category. (Now I am not suggesting the start eating the brains of others- physically, it could be argued they contribute to the degradation and conversion of those with intellect into Sheeple though)

To me, Zombies are people who go about daily life as if they are dead. They contribute nothing to those around them and when you ask them a question or want an opinion all they do is grunt.

With mainstream media and the internet I can see more and more of these people walking around. My fear is that the majority will fall into this category more and more in the coming years. Individuality and personal thought is slipping away and we find it more interesting to know about what the movie stars are doing then how things will really impact us.

Unfortunately since they don’t eat others peoples brains it’s hard to clearly spot the Zombies from the Sheeple. There is no blood running down their chins or chunks of brain matter in their beards.

The best form of defense is protection, (not the gun kind), become involved, educate yourself on current issues and try to avoid non-essential information regurgitation. Because once you become a Zombie, it’s hard to go back.

Holiday gripe

Ok, I love the holiday season as much as Ebenezer Scrooge, but I try to let those around me enjoy their holiday spirit as much as I can tolerate. (I do like me some carol of the bells though) I have to vent about this B.S. holiday tradition brought on by nothing more then the corporate Ass Kissers.

When did it become the norm to give a Christmas gift to your boss? My impression of a Christmas gift is something given to those whom you care about in some fashion. A small token given to those who you sub-consciously classify as more important then those you don’t give gift to.

For those if us who normally wouldn’t give gifts to anyone other then blood, this practice makes work sort of feel hostile during the holidays. It’s not mandatory but you feel you are required to contribute to a group gift none the less. Granted, management may not know who contributed, but your co-workers will, and that gives them a political edge if that information were to be made known.

Also, this practice wouldn’t be so bad if it was reciprocal. For example, I contributed $20 last year for a manager’s gift, I got bubkis! This year, not only was I asked to contribute to that same manager, but also to an additional lower level manager as well.

My point is – if you like the manager and consider them a friend, fine give away, but if you are like me and really don’t give a rats ass in hell about your manager and they are nothing more then a tool in the workplace, (like a stapler), you shouldn’t have to be expected to give them anything but the 8 hours they pay you for.

End of Rant – Merry freaking Christmas!

Politics and Propaganda

Whoo Hoo! The Election is over and we can finally get back to the real news: dead or missing kids, shootouts and the ever growing financial debacle our wonderful Senators bought for us. Who knew that welfare would become mainstream and the new trend. It sounds like the government doesn’t believe in failure, so I guess instead of leaving our children trust funds; we are letting them fund the US Treasury instead.

Congrats kids! At least I left you something.

Now I usually don’t get wrapped up in all of this because I would rather read the comics then read the news. I am really glad it’s over and I can go back to the daunting task of making sure my house is in order and I can provide for my family no matter what rears its ugly head.

Some say it’s time to buy some guns and get ready for the fallout, but for now I think I will stock up on what makes me happy like good food and Dr. Pepper.

The propaganda of this post is just one question.

Do you really think the issues are as bad as they say or do we conjure them up ourselves based on the voice of others? – Something to think about, chicken little.

Pride and Poser-ness

This post has been in the works for a while. Well actually I only thought about posting it yesterday but the topic has eaten at me for some time.

I have a co-worker who claims he is Italian, his mother is Italian and anytime you mention anything Italy related he has something to say. Now I don’t mind having pride in your roots but only if those roots are 100% and not diluted.

It cracks me up about him because after talking with him in depth, I found out that his father is of no-part Italian descent, thus making my co worker 50% Italian – 50% something else. Talking with him further I find out that his Italian Mother also had a non-Italian father, thus making my co worker 25% Italian at best.

Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal but the way this guy’s family carries on about being Italian has gotten almost unreal. They act as authorities on all things Italian and have never been to the mother land at all.

I love Italy, and have been there several times and have found differences with what he states as fact vs. fiction about Italian things in America. I keep telling him he should go and experience Italy but doesn’t want to go just yet, for some reason or another.

The point I want to make is its ok to have pride in your heritage but as long as you are true to your entire heritage. If you are 100% something – great but if you are only 25% of something don’t assume it as 100%, or maybe you are ashamed of being mixed like the rest of us. Because when you claim to be something you are not you tend to look like a poser.

Enough Politics

I don’t know about you but I am tired of Decision 08 coverage. In the end we are going to be screwed either way, I just wish we would get some Vaseline at the voting polls or a nice steak dinner before an act of congress.

So enough about that, I though I would post about another issue that has been on my mind a lot recently.

I work in a large office building with many companies housed within that building. Now if you have been on one of these buildings you know that the bathrooms are shared on each floor. Usually each floor has one to three companies so I know this isn’t just our department.

So here goes, I have noticed that over 50% of the people using the can don’t wash their hands afterward. I mean really, you touch your dude or wipe your crack and you can’t wash the dingle bugs off your paws! I don’t want any of your junk cooties when I say hi or introduce myself to you. NO-thank you very much!

The experience has really made me leery about shaking hands in the professional environment. And for those of you wondering – I do wash after each time – thank you.

THE DRAFT

I was watching the last Presidential debate of this election (hopefully in 4 years we can still vote for our president, depending on who is elected), and a thought came to mind. Since the biggest problem we have is our politicians in Washington seem to be coated with a substance far more repellant then Teflon, we as Americans should do a clean sweep of ALL Congressional and Presidential positions.

How would we do this equally and efficiently? - - easy we use the Draft!

I know it sounds crazy at first, but hear me out. Instead of forcing people to hold one of those positions, we send out a registration notice for each state. The notice will indicate a week where those who fit certain qualifications, (based on the constitution) can register for a Government job lottery of sorts.

Once the selection process is completed the selected candidates will hold their positions for no more then 2 years. The salary, benefits and perks will be the same for all positions. If someone wants to continue past the 2 years they can register in their state again for the next selection process.

By selection our public servants in this manner we introduce a level playing field in our political system. No more friends, endorsements and those who say, “I can do better” will have the opportunity to step forward and put their money where their mouth is.

There will be no emphasis for gender, race, culture, religion or status. Now this may seem dangerous, and to a level it is. But since positions are now appointed we can remove the Electoral College system and use the public voting methods of today for approvals of laws. Once the law is up for vote, the states hold a public vote; those results are then forwarded to the State Representatives in congress and based on the state votes, the representative votes accordingly.

If the Representative doesn’t vote according to their states wishes they are promptly removed and another Representative is selected from that state pool. We need to get the decisions back into the hands of the people of this country, not with a small group of greedy people who want to line their pockets.

If the countries fate is to be run into the ground then let us do it ourselves, not leave it up to overeducated people with uneducated actions!

The Solution to our National Problems!

Luckily we lazy Americans have a way out of all this economic and political turmoil. Now we can get a cheeseburger and a prayer!

WHAT A RELIEF! - - oh and I am sure it only cost a small fee. 

INSANE !

Well, today is your lucky day stupid people of the world!

You can grow up to be senators and Representatives in our legislative branch of the government.

It's hard to believe that they didn't pass it the first time and after adding 300 more pages and junk in the bill it got passed at a higher dollar amount as well. What is it, - 850 Billion now?

I hope for the sake of our country that none of the Representatives or Senators that voted yes for this padded bill are elected again.

We need a COMPLETELY new turnover of Politicians in D.C.

Oh well, enjoy the beginning of the end. Soon we will be swimming across the river to get into Mexico. I guess turn about is fair play suckas!

The WALL STREET Lottery

Well unless you live under a rock, I am sure you have heard about the 700 BILLION dollar bail out of Wall Street. This is a move that I feel will undermine the core values America was founded on and only serve to further erode what we as a country should stand for. I am opposed to this because if it goes through it will make it ok for people to shirk their responsibilities and have no accountability.

To make it short, my point is, if you make a mistake, no matter how big or small, YOU should be the one to pay for it, not the rest of the country. This point should be pressed for those in Wall Street and Washington. They made the mistake, take the hit. My gut tells me that all they are doing is covering their retirement and investments with taxpayer money.

Shouldn’t they be held accountable for their choices like we have been for years? If I were to go out and charge up every card I can on needless spending and fail to pay my bill, government wouldn't come in and pay it off plus give me a bonus. They would start collections and eventually force me to take out bankruptcy. Shouldn’t Wall Street be held to the same accountability?

I understand that if the bailout doesn’t go through there will be rough times for all of us. Personally I am fine with that because I can live with the situation I am put in if that happens because I can take responsibility for the choices I have made.

I am not from this state but this senator has the right idea.

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

Neighbors, neighbors, neighbors -

You have to love working in cubes. Today was one of those days your cube neighbors make you hope something catastrophic would happen to take you out of your living hell at work. But alas, it doesn’t.

Aside from the Monday usual moronic morning conversation this is one of the things I heard over the wall.

A cube neighbor was talking about a friend they had in Houston who is still without power as a result of Hurricane Ike. She was commenting on how her friends had gas and water, so they were able shower and make some food, but had no light. She then made the comment about how if that were her she would go out to eat as opposed to making something at home if she didn’t have any power.

The last one boggled my mind! From the way she was talking she didn’t realize that if her friend didn’t have power it’s possible the restaurants wouldn’t have power either. Also the gas stations might not have power to pump the gas she would need to get to the restaurant. Or maybe, just maybe the restaurant owner lost his house in the storm and is more concerned about this family and his staff then making sure he or she was open for business.

Unbelievable

The squeaky wheel gets the grease

If you look at the difference between Hurricane Ike and Katrina hopefully you will see that there is not as much coverage on the effects of Hurricane Ike.

Now some will say the reason for that is the economic crap that is hitting the fan right now, and I would agree to some extent. I do however that the citizens of New Orleans whined much more then you see the citizens of Houston whining. From what I can tell, Houstonians are about getting it fixed and back to normal as opposed to who is to blame when Katrina hit.

I also noticed that when the buzz for Ike’s devastation was building it seemed that Katrina came up more and more. On one news report I actually heard the commentator say,

“The damage in Galveston was horrible, but New Orleans has also got flooding they are dealing with again.”

I admit the damage from Katrina was bad. The city was flooded and homes were lost, but for some reason, 3 years later, they are saying that most of the city is still in ruin. If you look at pictures it looks as if Galveston was almost wiped from the face of the earth. I bet 3 years from now Houston, Galveston and the surrounding areas will be rebuilt and you might not even see remnants of Ike.

This isn’t completely a slam on New Orleans but your 15 min of fame should be over. Quit your whining, build your damn city or learn to live under water without the use of levees. Katrina has become a broken record to most of us and hearing about it is getting old.

End of Rant

Another Issue with our society that boggles the mind

This past weekend I took my wife to her favorite cupcake store. (Yes a store the sells nothing but cupcakes) In that store the line to purchase these ($3.50 a piece) cupcakes wrapped around like a line to an amusement park ride. Now the thought of standing in line for a cupcake sounds insane but rest assured, once you taste one of these tasty morsels it’s a small sacrifice.

We waited the wait and the clerks waiting on us were pleasant and patient to each customer and despite the packed store the environment was friendly. It was such a good experience we bought 6 cupcakes (for the 2 of us) and I am sure we will frequent the store when we can.

Now since it was incredibly hot that day, I wanted sort of a blizzard from Baskin Robbins. Luckily, there was a Baskin Robbins right across the street. As we entered the store it was extremely empty, for such a hot day. I walked up to the counter and asked if they had something like a blizzard. The man behind the counter really didn’t talk too loud and you could tell he didn’t have the patience for many questions.

So I ordered my (what turned out to be a milkshake with chips of reeces pieces, and watched him make it. I got 4 scoops of French Vanilla Ice cream, 2 teaspoons of reeces pieces, (80 cent addition) and 1 cup of milk. Needless to say I was less then impressed about the amount of reeces pieces added to the mix. I could have bought a much larger bag from the freakin gas station. Once the blend was completed, I was asked if there was anything else, where I then asked for a glass of ice. Once I mentioned the glass of Ice, you would think I was asking him to harvest it off a glacier in Alaska.

Now the total to this milkshake was just under $7.00 and when I paid I had to ask for a copy of my receipt. Once again you would think I asked him to make the papyrus and write the copy in blood. Overall it was a horrible experience and guaranteed that I would not give any business to that Baskin Robbins again. (Since the counter clerk was the owner)

I share the two opposing experiences because in the first, I am gladly paying an insane amount for something that easily costs less then 50 cents to make because it’s what I wanted and the experience was wonderful. The second I paid far more then I should for something I didn’t exactly want and the experience was horrible.

Now you could take several things from this but the one thing I wanted to point out is that if you are in business and treat the customers crappy, please expect your sales to drop at some point. It seems to me that the best businesses out there are customer friendly and aren’t put out because they have to serve their customers. In recent years the decline in customer service has become more apparent and almost blatant. Is it the fact that our society is more self absorbed then we once were? Or does each one of us think we are better then the person standing next to us?

Whatever it is, it makes we wonder if we are really living in the best time. Maybe our parents had a better world to live in? Maybe even our grandparents had it better?

Now if you think times were better before the invention of cars –---well that’s preposterous!

Another political rant

So last night I decided to watch David Letterman since the Democrats nominee for President was a guest. As I was watching and listening, I came across another obvious realization that I suspected but for some reason didn’t click till the candidate spoke.

I think one of the biggest reasons we are in the current situation we are in as a country is because we have severely gotten away from the spirit in which this country was founded. From my understanding, our fore fathers started this country with the thought of freedom, and established a government that would collectively GOVERN the people by the people.

Today, government has become an entity that takes on more roles then just governs the people. Our government is expected to fill a role that we as individual Americans should fill ourselves. It seems that most Americans feel that the government should provide for us, make our decisions and hold all responsibility of our actions. That is just WRONG, we need to take care of ourselves and be responsible for the good and bad decisions we make.

We need to get back to the real roots of democracy and gain the spirit our founding fathers had. If we don’t I am afraid we will end up with a government like the Chinese government. They do what they want and if you oppose or want to say anything opposing you gets a year of “re-education through hard labor.” While this option is appealing to me for some people I know, it’s not the best choice of government for everyone.

Oh, to paraphrase, the candidate on David Letterman spoke about how the government needs to provide everything for the people basically. So they really didn’t support my point.

The real meaning of, “Dog eat Dog”?

We have dogs, and in watching them I have yet to see them eat each other. In corporate America and in some circles you hear “it’s a dog eat dog world out there”. But is it really?

Wikipedia states: "Dog eat dog" is an informal expression that means ruthless competition.

What raises my question is if you look in corporate culture, yes there is some ruthless competition, but more and more there seems to be a lot more butt sniffing or brown nosing.

So really is it a Dog eat Dog world? Or is it more of a “your crap smells good, I’ll hang with you,” type of world?

Something to think about.

Americans Today

So I come into work from the long weekend and overhear two other cube neighbors talking about McCain’s choice for Vice President. It was interesting to me to hear them make the same comment as the DJ on the radio made this morning.

Basically the point was made that the Vice President nominees Daughter was 17 and a senior in high school and pregnant. One cube neighbor said “well there goes McCain’s chances.”

Not that I condone pre-marital relations or children out of wedlock but COME ON people, how many of you can say that you don’t know one person who has had a child out of wedlock or at a very young age. I don’t think too many of you can say you do. And if this is the only issue with the VP nomination candidate, then good. In this situation I am sure she can relate to more everyday Americans then any democratic nominee.

Look at all the other politicians, drinking, alleged murder, and the infidelity abounding in politics and people jump on this like it’s the plague.

Maybe the bigger problem is that people think that political leaders should be perfect and that there are some perfect ones out there. The fact is WE ALL have skeletons in our closets and have family members that we don’t want to admit having.

Sorry, I just found it annoying that people bitch and nitpick about stupid stuff. Maybe I can’t understand what impact a pregnant daughter would or should have on a candidate’s capacity to serve in a public office. Maybe I can’t understand why people focus on the non-essential stuff and not the important stuff . . . . . . . end of rant

Disclaimer – I don’t support any political party and have not made a choice on the correct candidate for me.

Great Comic Strip

I love this comic strip: Pearls Before Swine . . by Stephan Pastis

Here’s a recent example that I thought was funny.

What really matters?

Unfortunately there has been a lot of change in society and the unfortunate part comes from the negative impacts of that change. If you look back to when our grandfathers were employed, promotions were achieved through hard work, determination and experience. Fast forward to our current time, most of the promotions I have seen are from who you know and how well you know them. Here is an illustration of my point.

Recently I heard a co-worker talk to another co-worker about a possible promotion in a corresponding department. What I found interesting about this conversation was the importance placed on certain information. One would assume that the perspective employee would want to know job duties and responsibilities, but alas that was not the case. The perspective employee was asking about the hiring managers interests. The employee who knew the hiring manager was coaching the perspective employee on how to correctly answer questions, and what to talk about to build on common interests.

Now all this information is good to have as a companion to the job information, but the conversation focused mainly on this and when the question was raised about experience and job function the employee giving advice brushed that request aside and encouraged the interviewee to focus on the interest questions and answers.

I was slightly shocked at the interaction and it made me think about where we (as a society) are placing the basis or foundation of our decisions. This was just one example of what I see at work and I really don’t think it’s isolated. It seems that we are choosing people for jobs or other important matters based on who we know and who make us feel good as a whole. What happened to making decisions based on merit? Based on performance and knowledge? Are we loosing that knowledge, and performance? I guess there is no separation of personal and business matters these days.

The biggest concern I have about this subject will happen this fall and basically every time we as Americans exercise our right to vote. Not that I am jumping on any band wagons at the moment and don’t want to turn into another political voice, but really when you vote this fall please remember that what makes you feel good may not be the best for you. Research the issues, look at the candidates. I think the reason our country is in this mess is because most of us voted to have something different, and bought in to what the candidates were saying and not what they stood for.

For me, this old adage goes a long way – “Actions speak louder then words.”

Unfortunately I fear this adage will go the way of the dodo soon. I fear it will be reversed if we continue down our path as a society.

So my encouragement to all reading this – research before voting, take that right seriously and in hiring for positions be open to the idea that there are others out there just as qualified if not more then your friends.

One question to ask in both is “Who will do the job the best?”

Tidbits of Truth

I found this on one of the Auto blogs I frequent and thought it was a great post, and held some truth. 

Enjoy - 

My parents told me about him early in my life and told me I would do well to call on him when making decisions. It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time passed by. Today I read his obituary. Please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance, for Common Sense had served us all so well for so many generations.

Obituary - Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a bandage to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home without the burglar being able to sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement. He never really recovered after that.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason.

He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few recognized his passing.

****

Mike in Kuwait

NOT ON MY HOT DOG!!

I am not sure about you but one thing I really loathe is Ketchup pee. You know when you grab the bottle out of the fridge and go to pour your ketchup and get a watery substance all over your hot dog. I know it’s not pee (its sweat) but why would it be there in the first place. Does ketchup have to workout to retain that thick consistency?......I don’t think so.

I know just shake the bottle before I open it up. Well ……silly that takes away the reason I buy the squeeze bottle, IM LAZY and don’t want to move much, and shaking constitutes movement.

Now this isn’t a big deal by any means but for some reason eating a hot dog that leaks like a sloppy Joe wasn’t fun last night.

Amazed

A little while ago while surfing the internet I came across a link that enables you to ask a question over the internet in real time to who knows. Being the skeptic I am at times I thought I would ask a difficult question to see what response I received. 

Now before I share the question and the answer I have to tell you that once you ask the question the program asks you if you would like to install it on your computer so you may ask questions to other random users in the world. So I don't know who or where the person who answered this question was but their answer made my day. 

My question was: 

Who is a true minority? 

The answer I received:

SMART PEOPLE

Can you hear me now?

How do we know when someone is truly listening to us? How do we know they understand or are just humoring us? Lately I have been trying to answer that question.

Upon that quest I have also noticed a way to tell how much if any respect a person has for those they are communicating with. Think about it, when you attend church, listen to the president, or hear a lecture, a majority of the time people are silent and seldom talk over the person speaking. Now look at your co-workers and those in your social circle. Why do we not talk over our pastors, Bishops and other speakers but yet there are some friends we talk over as if they are not even in the conversation.

Now some will say that it’s not “respect” but just a lack of manners when talking over others. But is it really? Doesn’t respect for others fall under the manners category? Isn’t it good manners to listen to what the person you are talking to has to say? To me, by talking over people you are immediately discounting what they have to say and asserting your opinion over theirs. In most cases by talking over someone you have caused further communication issues that would have never existed if you had listened in the first place. Another result of not listening is the absence of pertinent information that is retained. Maybe they appear to be listening to you but are actively planning out in their mind how to get that last glazed doughnut.

Try it out, talk to someone and see if you truly have felt a two way conversation there. If the person talks over you constantly then there’s a good possibility you are not high on their priority list or they just think that you have no idea of what you are talking about. Another test you can try out is, see if your friend has to have the information you shared repeated many times. The cause of that is probably a lack of focus on what you are saying, planning the next lunch break, or daydreaming about the upcoming weekend.

A new word to classify HUMANS soon and going forward.

SHEEPLE

More and more I am starting to realize the effect our enviornment has on us. Due to most technology we are all going to be SHEEPLE. The most recent example
I can list is GPS. What happened to figuring out your position based on landmarks or stars? Believe it or not it's good to get lost sometimes, you find hidden treasures that way. . . . . I am sure this subject will come up again so for now I am spent. My patience is taken up completley from a buisness event in progress.

GREAT READ

OK, it is long! But read 5 paragraphs, and you'll be hooked.Agree or not, but be honest enough with yourself to read it all!

This Texas lawyer, himself recipient of an Honorary Degree, is obviously opinionated, but to say what he does, in a commencement address a couple ofweeks ago, in front of a class of Texas A & M graduates, and especially thefaculty, is amazing. I would have loved to have been there just to see thefaculty reaction.

Commencement Address (Texas A&M).

This should be considered must reading for every adult in North America. It is extremely rare that anyone speaks the truth like this at any College or HighSchool Commencement Address.

Neal Boortz is a Texan, a lawyer, a Texas AGGIE (Texas A&M), and now anationally syndicated talk show host from Atlanta. His commencement address to the graduates of one of this year's A&M class is far different from what either the students or the faculty expected. His views are thought provoking:

2008 COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS: TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

"I am honored by the invitation to address you on this august occasion. It's about time. Be warned, however, that I am not here to impress you; you'll have enough smoke blown up your bloomers today. And you can bet your tassels I'm not here to impress the faculty and administration. You may like much of what I have to say, and that's fine. You will remember it though. Especially after about 10 years out there in the real world. This, it goes without saying, does not apply to those of you who will seek your careers and your fortunes as government employees.

This gowned gaggle behind me is your faculty. You've heard the old saying that those who can - do. Those who can't - teach. That sounds deliciously insensitive. But there is often raw truth in insensitivity, just as you often find feel-good falsehoods and lies in compassion. Say good-bye to your faculty because now you are getting ready to go out there and do.These folks behind me are going to stay right here and teach.

By the way, just because you are leaving this place with a diploma doesn't mean the learning is over. When an FAA flight examiner handed me my private pilot's license many years ago, he said, 'Here, this is your ticket to learn.' The same can be said for your diploma. Believe me, the learning has just begun.

Now, I realize that most of you consider yourselves Liberals. In fact, you are probably very proud of your liberal views. You care so much. You feel so much. You want to help so much. After all you're a compassionate and caring person, aren't you now? Well, isn't that just so extraordinarily special. Now, at this age, is as good a time as any to be a liberal; as good a time as any to know absolutely everything. You have plenty of time,starting tomorrow, for the truth to set in.

Over the next few years, as you begin to feel the cold breath of reality down your neck, things are going to start changing pretty fast... including your own assessment of just how much you really know.

So here are the first assignments for your initial class in reality: pay attention to the news, read newspapers, and listen to the words and phrases that proud Liberals use to promote their causes. Then, compare the words of the left to the words and phrases you hear from those evil, heartless, greedy conservatives. From the Left you will hear 'I feel.' From the Right you will hear 'I think.'From the Liberals you will hear references to groups -- The Blacks, the Poor,The Rich, The Disadvantaged, The Less Fortunate. From the Right you willhear references to individuals. On the Left you hear talk of group rights; on the Right, individual rights.

That about sums it up, really: Liberals feel. Liberals care. They are pack animals whose identity is tied up in group dynamics. Conservatives think -- and, setting aside the theocracy crowd, their identity is centered on the individual. Liberals feel that their favored groups have enforceable rights to the property and services of productive individuals. Conservatives, I among them I might add, think that individuals have the right to protect their lives and their property from the plunder of the masses.

In college you developed a group mentality, but if you look closely at your diplomas you will see that they have your individual names on them. Not the name of your school mascot, or of your fraternity or sorority, but your name. Your group identity is going away. Your recognition and appreciationof your individual identity starts now.

If, by the time you reach the age of 30, you do not consider yourself to be a conservative, rush right back here as quickly as you can and apply for a faculty position. These people will welcome you with open arms. They will welcome you, that is, so long as you haven't developed an individual identity. Once again you will have to be willing to sign on to the group mentality you embraced during the past four years.

Something is going to happen soon that is going to really open your eyes.You're going to actually get a full time job!

You're also going to get a lifelong work partner. This partner isn't going to help you do your job. This partner is just going to sit back and wait for payday. This partner doesn't want to share in your effort, but in your earnings.

Your new lifelong partner is actually an agent; an agent representing astrange and diverse group of people; an agent for every teenager with anillegitimate child; an agent for a research scientist who wanted to makesome cash answering the age-old question of why monkeys grind their teeth.An agent for some poor demented hippie who considers herself to be a meaningful and talented artist, but who just can't manage to sell any of her artwork on the open market.

Your new partner is an agent for every person with limited, if any, job skills, but who wanted a job at City Hall. An agent for tinhorn dictatorsin fancy military uniforms grasping for American foreign aid. An agent formulti-million- dollar companies who want someone else to pay for their overseas advertising. An agent for everybody who wants to use the unimaginable power of this agent's for their personal enrichment and benefit.

That agent is our wonderful, caring, compassionate, oppressive government. Believe me, you will be awed by the unimaginable power this agent has:power that you do not have; a power that no individual has, or will have.This agent has the legal power to use force, deadly force to accomplish its goals.

You have no choice here. Your new friend is just going to walk up to you,introduce itself rather gruffly, hand you a few forms to fill out, and move right on in. Say hello to your own personal one-ton gorilla. It will sleep anywhere it wants to.

Now, let me tell you, this agent is not cheap. As you become successful it will seize about 40% of everything you earn. And no, I'm sorry, there just isn't any way you can fire this agent of plunder, and you can't decrease its share of your income. That power rests with him, not you.

So, here I am saying negative things to you about government. Well, be clear on this: It is not wrong to distrust government. It is not wrong to fear government. In certain cases it is not even wrong to despise government for government is inherently evil. Yes ... a necessary evil,but dangerous nonetheless .... somewhat like a drug. Just as a drug that inthe proper dosage can save your life, an overdose of government can be fatal.

Now let's address a few things that have been crammed into your minds at this university. There are some ideas you need to expunge as soon aspossible. These ideas may work well in academic environment, but they fail miserably out there in the real world.

First is that favorite buzzword of the media and academia: Diversity! You have been taught that the real value of any group of people - be it a social group, an employee group, a management group, whatever - is based on diversity. This is a favored liberal ideal because diversity is based noton an individual's abilities or character, but on a person's identity and status as a member of a group. Yes, it's that liberal group identity thing again.

Within the great diversity movement group identification - be it racial, gender based, or some other minority status - means more than the individual's integrity, character or other qualifications.

Brace yourself. You are about to move from this academic atmosphere where diversity rules, to a workplace and a culture where individual achievementand excellence actually count. No matter what your professors have taught you over the last four years, you are about to learn that diversity is absolutely no replacement for excellence, ability, and individual hard work. From this day on every single time you hear the word 'diversity' you can rest assured that there is someone close by who is determined to rob you of every vestige of individuality you possess.

We also need to address this thing you seem to have about 'rights.' We have witnessed an obscene explosion of so-called 'rights' in the last few decades, usually emanating from college campuses.

You know the mantra: You have the right to a job. The right to a place to live. The right to a living wage. The right to health care. The right to an education. You probably even have your own pet right - the right to a Beemer for instance, or the right to have someone else provide for that child you plan on downloading in a year or so.

Forget it. Forget those rights! I'll tell you what your rights are! You have a right to live free, and to the results of 60% -75% of your labor. I'll also tell you have no right to any portion of the life or labor of another.

You may, for instance, think that you have a right to health care. After all, Hillary said so, didn't she? But you cannot receive healthcare unless some doctor or health practitioner surrenders some of his time - his life -to you. He may be willing to do this for compensation, but that's his choice. You have no 'right' to his time or property. You have no right to his or any other person's life or to any portion thereof.

You may also think you have some 'right' to a job; a job with a living wage,whatever that is. Do you mean to tell me that you have a right to force your services on another person, and then the right to demand that this person compensate you with their money? Sorry, forget it. I am sure you would scream if some urban outdoorsmen (that would be 'homeless person'for those of you who don't want to give these less fortunate people a romanticand adventurous title) came to you and demanded his job and your money.

The people who have been telling you about all the rights you have are simply exercising one of theirs - the right to be imbeciles. Their being imbeciles didn't cost anyone else either property or time. It's their right, and they exercise it brilliantly.

By the way, did you catch my use of the phrase 'less fortunate' a bit ago when I was talking about the urban outdoorsmen? That phrase is a favorite of the Left. Think about it, and you'll understand why.

To imply that one person is homeless, destitute, dirty, drunk, spaced out on drugs, unemployable, and generally miserable because he is 'less fortunate'is to imply that a successful person - one with a job, a home and a future is in that position because he or she was 'fortunate.' The dictionary says that fortunate means 'having derived good from an unexpected place.' There is nothing unexpected about deriving good from hard work. There is also nothing unexpected about deriving misery from choosing drugs, alcohol, and the street.

If the Liberal Left can create the common perception that success and failure are simple matters of 'fortune' or 'luck,' then it is easy to promote and justify their various income redistribution schemes. After all,we are just evening out the odds a little bit. This 'success equals luck' idea the liberals like to push is seen everywhere. Former Democratic presidential candidate Richard Gephardt refers to high-achievers as people who have won life's lottery.' He wants you to believe they are making the big bucks because they are lucky. It's not luck, my friends. It's choice.One of the greatest lessons I ever learned was in a book by Og Mandino,entitled 'The Greatest Secret in the World.' The lesson? Very simple: ‘Use wisely your power of choice.

'That bum sitting on a heating grate, smelling like a wharf rat? He's there by choice. He is there because of the sum total of the choices he has made in his life. This truism is absolutely the hardest thing for some people to accept, especially those who consider themselves to be victims of something or other - victims of discrimination, bad luck, the system, capitalism,whatever. After all, nobody really wants to accept the blame for his or her position in life. Not when it is so much easier to point and say, 'Look! He did this to me!' than it is to look into a mirror and say, 'You S.O.B.!You did this to me!

'The key to accepting responsibility for your life is to accept the fact that your choices, every one of them, are leading you inexorably to either success or failure, however you define those terms.

Some of the choices are obvious: Whether or not to stay in school. Whether or not to get pregnant. Whether or not to hit the bottle. Whether or not to keep this job you hate until you get another better-paying job. Whether or not to save some of your money, or saddle yourself with huge payments for that new car.

Some of the choices are seemingly insignificant: Whom to go to the movies with. Whose car to ride home in. Whether to watch the tube tonight, or read a book on investing. But, and you can be sure of this, each choice counts. Each choice is a building block - some large, some small. But each one is a part of the structure of your life. If you make the right choices,or if you make more right choices than wrong ones, something absolutely terrible may happen to you. Something unthinkable. You, my friend, could become one of the hated, the evil, the ugly, the feared, the filthy, the successful, the rich.

The rich basically serve two purposes in this country. First, they provide the investments, the investment capital, and the brains for the formation of new businesses. Businesses that hire people. Businesses that send millionsof paychecks home each week to the un-rich.

Second, the rich are a wonderful object of ridicule, distrust, and hatred. Few things are more valuable to a politician than the envy most Americans feel for the evil rich.

Envy is a powerful emotion. Even more powerful than the emotional minefield that surrounded Bill Clinton when he reviewed his last batch of White House interns. Politicians use envy to get votes and power. And they keep that power by promising the envious that the envied will be punished: 'The rich will pay their fair share of taxes if I have anything to do with it. The truth is that the top 10% of income earners in this country pays almost 50%of all income taxes collected. I shudder to think what these job producers would be paying if our tax system were any more 'fair.'

You have heard, no doubt, that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Interestingly enough, our government's own numbers show that many of the poor actually get richer, and that quite a few of the rich actually get poorer. But for the rich who do actually get richer and the poor who remain poor ... there's an explanation -- a reason. The rich, you see, keep Speaking of the poor, during your adult life you are going to hear an endless string of politicians bemoaning the plight of the poor So, you needto know that under our government's definition of 'poor' you can have a million net worth, a $300,000 home and a new $90,000 Mercedes, all completely paid for. You can also have a maid, cook, and valet, and a million in your checking account and you can still be officially defined by our government as 'living in poverty.' Now there's something you haven't seen on the evening news.

How does the government pull this one off? Very simple, really. To determine whether or not some poor soul is 'living in poverty,' the government measures one thing -- just one thing. Income. It doesn't matter one bit how much you have, how much you own, how many cars you drive or howbig they are, whether or not your pool is heated, whether you winter in Aspen and spend the summers in the Bahamas , or how much is in your savings account. It only matters how much income you claim in that particular year.This means that if you take a one-year leave of absence from your high-paying job and decide to live off the money in your savings and checking accounts while you write the next great American novel, the government says you are 'living in poverty.'

This isn't exactly what you had in mind when you heard these gloomy statistics, is it? Do you need more convincing? Try this. The governments own statistics show that people who are said to be 'living in poverty' spendmore than $1.50 for each dollar of income they claim. Something is a bit fishy here. Just remember all this the next time Charles Gibson tells you about some hideous new poverty statistics.

Why has the government concocted this phony poverty scam? Because the government needs an excuse to grow and to expand its social welfare programs, which translates into an expansion of its power. If the government can convince you, in all your compassion, that the number of'poor' is increasing, it will have all the excuse it needs to sway an electorate suffering from the advanced stages of Obsessive-Compulsive Compassion Disorder.

I'm about to be stoned by the faculty here. They've already changed their minds about that honorary degree I was going to get. That's OK, though. I still have my PhD in Insensitivity from the Neal Boortz Institute for Insensitivity Training. I learned that, in short, sensitivity sucks. It's a trap. Think about it - the truth knows no sensitivity. Life can be insensitive. Wallow too much in sensitivity and you'll be unable to deal with life, or the truth so, get over it.

Now, before the dean has me shackled and hauled off, I have a few random thoughts.

* You need to register to vote, unless you are on welfare. If you are living off the efforts of others, please do us the favor of sitting down and shutting up until you are on your own again.

* When you do vote, your votes for the House and the Senate are more important than your vote for president. The House controls the purse strings, so concentrate your awareness there.

* Liars cannot be trusted, even when the liar is the president of the country. If someone can't deal honestly with you, send them packing.

* Don't bow to the temptation to use the government as an instrument of plunder. If it is wrong for you to take money from someone else who earned it -- to take their money by force for your own needs -- then it is certainly just as wrong for you to demand that the government step forward and do this dirty work for you.

* Don't look in other people's pockets. You have no business there. What they earn is theirs. What you earn is yours. Keep it that way. Nobody owes you anything, except to respect your privacy and your rights, and leave you the hell alone.

* Speaking of earning, the revered 40-hour work week is for losers. Forty hours should be considered the minimum, not the maximum. You don't see highly successful people clocking out of the office every afternoon at five.The losers are the ones caught up in that afternoon rush hour. The winners drive home in the dark.

* Free speech is meant to protect unpopular speech. Popular speech, by definition, needs no protection.

* Finally (and aren't you glad to hear that word), as Og Mandino wrote,

1. Proclaim your rarity. Each of you is a rare and unique human being.

2. Use wisely your power of choice.

3. Go the extra mile... drive home in the dark.

Oh, and put off buying a television set as long as you can. Now, if you have any idea at all what's good for you, you will get the hell out of here and never come back."

FIRE!!

Today we had a fire drill in our building. I work in a 15 story building and I am on the 10th floor. It was interesting to me to see the reaction of some of the co-workers on my floor. I will get more into that in a minute; first let me give some background on the full situation.

Yesterday I received a call from the admin on our floor asking me if I would be a Fire Warden. (This was in response to an email sent to her from the building management about a fire drill going to take place on Tuesday) Now having been in a position in the past to coordinate an entire 43 floor building evacuation, I knew she wouldn’t get many volunteers to assist her so I accepted. She was surprised that I said yes and that she would bring me a vest. Later that afternoon I got the vest and minimal instruction on the duties.

Around 3:00 p.m. she sent out an email with the directions for the staff and the murmuring started. On the diagram indicating the meeting area there were two ways to locate the correct place to congregate. (A number and a dashed trail to follow) The murmuring was about how the map was hard to read and they didn’t know where to go. I didn’t find one person who could think past the number and just follow the dashed trail.

All of that was yesterday prior to me leaving the office, so this morning I figured I would print out maps and highlight the route to take if you were located on my floor. (For the common sense inept) I also made a personal list of who I was responsible for getting out. When the time came for the drill I can honestly say that most of the people left in ample time. I was disappointed when 2 of my co-workers wouldn’t leave. One wanted to complete an email and the other wanted to wait for the person that was completing the email. This has become such an issue that in our building the fire Marshalls are fining those employers whose employees are not participating.

I understand that Fire Drills seem to be mundane and un-important but look back that those who went un-prepared and remember how they fared. Another issue I have with people who wont participate is that if I am floor leader and you are dragging your feet, not only are you risking your life but you then place mine in danger if there were a real situation happening.

If you don’t like fire drills look at them as an opportunity to get away from your desk. Or treat them like you remove duct tape and do it quickly to get it over with. I will end my lengthy rant for now, just please remember that your actions in these situations effect others.

DRIVERS!!

Ok ...............so now for post number 2. My lovely wife an I recently took a trip through several mid-western states and I noticed more of what I call a growing epidemic in the country. From my title I am sure you can guess the subject of my frustration. Since this is obvious or should be I will try to make this post short. . . . . so here are a few items that in my opinion should be steadfast rules. 

1. The LEFT lane is for passing ONLY. (if you want to cruise use the frontage road or hang behind the pro already cruising the slowest in the right lane. 

2. Ladies, please put your makeup on at home if you are the driver on your commute. I understand you want to look your best but how good can you look swerving in  and out of lanes while you are applying mascara.  

3. For the love of all that is holy, people, the lines are painted on the road for a reason. If you cant color within the lines don't pick up the crayon. 

Now I could go on with more but I am skeptical that much good would come of it. I feel that the skill of driving will only continue to suffer with the many distractions we all have in our daily lives. Cell phones, Makeup, breakfast and other things we place priority over then the most important task at hand - DRIVING. 

Intro Post

So welcome to The Dead Horse. This will be a blog of rants and possibly some raves. I chose The Dead Horse as a title since I am sure we all have had the same thoughts and I am sure you have heard them somewhere but we seem to never get anywhere on the issues. So I figure whatever I say here will be just like beating a Dead Horse, it wont get up and go anywhere. If by chance my posts move you to action or maybe expand your box ….well at least something was accomplished.