Monthly Archives January 2015

If we truly want to help those less fortunate we must find the one group that truly has produced results on a regular basis and motivate them to take charge.  This group makes items that we only dreamed of and puts them on our shopping list. Of course I’m talking about the business community.   This community uses the profit motive to enable even the least among us to have the items such as the cell phone which were behind the reach of many less then a generation ago.  While charities and governmental programs appear to help when did you hear of a government agency or charity closing because they solved the program. These organizations provide needed Band-Aid’s to stop the bleeding but rarely find the cure.  The leaders of charities can themselves become the charity by being the largest benefactor of their good works by having extraordinary salaries and perks.  Therefore society must incentivize helping those less fortunate by those in the business community and we as a whole will move up the ladder together.

I thought it was incumbent on me to present some good news after the despicable attacks in Paris but then I thought it would be irresponsible not to include some new information on these attacks as well. Therefore I decided to section this weeks review in 4 section the good,bad, neutral, & ugly

GOOD

(1) The employment picture in the U.S continues to improve yet because wages haven’t increased much the Fed isn’t expected to raise interest rates till at least April

(2) Baby Bananas are coming to a supermarket near you or a friend. This way you don’t have to waste a whole banana when only a few slices will due.

(3)  A Nebraska court has tossed out an injunction against the Keystone Pipeline.

(4) A French Imam leader has strongly & publicly condemned the terrorist attacks in Paris.

(5) New Ebola Vaccines will be tested in areas most affected by this illness, in the near future.

(6) The new President of Sri Lanka has pledged to restore Democracy to this nation that has suffered from dictatorial abuse.

(7) The Smart Phone will make it easier for you to access your own medical data then ever before including EKB, Glucose Monitoring, constant heartbeat etc.

NEGATIVE

(1) The U.S. government failed to supply the French government with timely information about radical training in Yemen that could have prevented this devastating attack in Paris.

(2) The “Kouachi brothers” were under surveillance for years and were still able to formulate and execute their horrendous act against the people of France.

(3) Boko Haran has slaughtered many innocent people the town of Baba. Nigeria.

(4) French author of “Submission” a book concerning a Muslim President of France, is in hiding after the attack on the French Magazine “Charlie Hebdo”.

(5)  Fighting erupts in East Ukraine between government officials and Russian backed separatists.

(6) Failed Iraqi leader Ali Maliki is trying to make a political comeback.

(7) Coffee beans futures continue to rise.

IN-BETWEEN

(1) Romney is poised to run in 2016. I’m not sure if this helps the conservative wing of the party if two “moderates” split that vote or if the Republican primary will be too divisive and expensive to mount a strong campaign in the general election?

(2) Fifty three political prisoners are “expected” to be released from Cuban jails as part of President Obama’s outreach at the same time new political prisoners are being rounded up and sent to prison

(3) Governor Cuomo appears to be pushing for a fourth casino to be opened in New York. I’m not sure if this will become another boom and bust area.

(4) CBS crime shows are falling in the ratings. Will CBS try to put an original shows on or will it replace it with more “Reality T.V Series”?

UGLY

(1) There is an extreme shortage of tampons in Argentina. Now that’s a bloody mess.

I was minding my business in my high school senior year class when some junior stole my pen and tormented me with it throughout the class.   Rage and disgust filled my body as I  (a 135 lb weakling) chased him down this 200 lb strongman through hallway, picked him up and slammed him against the locker demanding that he return my pen back.   We would laugh at this incident as we reflected back on it as friends.

After this incident I have often tried to convert those that have shown hate toward me or others to becoming at least an acquaintance that I could tolerate. It has been a difficult path because you always have to try to put yourself in their shoes when their shoes are hidden under many mats and each mat is spiked with nails. Yet though the process can be long and painful the result can be grand as you have made at least an acquaintance that will bring some happiness instead of hate.