Thirty Years Ago

Three decades ago the Challenger space vehicle exploded soon after lift off. All aboard were killed. It was a breathtaking moment that informed mankind that space travel was not a slam dunk certainty. Risks were involved. Good people would die and many more would risk everything to learn about and live in space. It was a frontier we thought we had in the bag. Instead we learned we did not.

Orville and Wilbur Wright took similar risks and they were only feet from the ground. And their flight path was only yards. But it was the beginning of something they only imagined and hoped for. Routine flight followed and at a speed we then thought impossible.

Today we know technological change is often in a blink of an eye. Think where we were a few years ago with cell phones – the brick, bag phone and a lot of other clumsy models! – we now take this progress for granted. Same for computers, of course, and computer assisted technologies that we don’t see or feel but benefit from all the time. Automobiles have a host of computers on board today that help everything from ignition to engine performance to entertainment systems, control features, braking and so much more.

Home heating and air conditioning is another system that uses computer assist in its 24/7/365 operation. Garage door openers, kitchen stoves, dishwashers, microwave ovens and refrigerators. Products we live with each and every day have computers embedded in them we cannot see or know about. But they are there. Doing their job and making life better for us.

Thirty years ago I was sitting in my university office deep in work, meetings and program development. A vendor dropped in for a service update and mentioned the disappointment over the failed space shot. I said “Huh?” and then he told me. I turned on a small TV and got the news. thirty years ago we didn’t have internet on our office computers. We didn’t have I-phones with internet hook ups and emergency news capability. We had to turn on the radio or TV in order to plug into CNN or one of the primary news stations.

And there it was, over and over again, the walk of the astronauts approaching their space vehicle, entering, blasting off and – exploding in a million pieces like stars of the heavens.

Breathtaking. Disappointing. Reality setting in that not all was possible without pain and set back.

There it was. Failure in capital letters.

Today I do not recall how much of a delay in the space program transpired at that time before we returned to space. I remember it was over a year while scientists and engineers dissected all the possible causes of the tragedy. Eventually they thought they had it nailed down. But even then they could not be certain and the astronauts who ventured into space the next time did so with tremendous trepidation. They knew the risks before, but not in just real terms. Now they did. They still took those steps toward their spacecraft and entered it, strapped themselves in, and allowed countless systems and people blast them into space.

There were tragedies and close calls afterwards, of course, but success followed success and we now are on our way to Mars, the Moon again, and whatever else mankind needs to explore to prove to himself that he can.

Thirty years ago I remember the people, the moments and the place when I learned the Challenger was no more. Do you remember this event? Does it register on you how far we have traveled intellectually, socially, and culturally?

And yet here we are in 2016 arguing over religions. How can so much change and yet so much remain the same?

Conundrums do exist if for no other reason than to remind ourselves of what still remains on our to-do list.

January 29, 2016

Be Nice to Everyone

Ellen DeGeneres asks her audience to be nice to everyone each and every day at the close of her show. It is a simple statement. But it is a heavy dose of goodness asked of us each day by Ellen and she delivers the same with every broadcast. She helps people. People in trouble and people in deep grief and fear she helps. She also rewards people for good deeds and brings public knowledge to such good works.

She is pleasant. Most of us are, even when we don’t know it.

The opposite is true, too, alas. When we pilot our cars down the street we often get overly excited by the lack of respect and fairness other drivers implant on the rest of us. I am guilty of feeling this way and demonstrating my upsetness to others. Doesn’t do any good but it does relieve the inner pressure I’m feeling; kind of selfish, I know! But I do feel better venting at the time; later I feel bad that I lost control and wasn’t nice to that specific stranger as irritating as he or she was!

My father-in-law was fond of saying, “If you can’t be nice to your family members, you shouldn’t be nice to anyone.” Not a bad thought to emulate. Think before acting and try to be kind to everyone. That includes family members that goad you into panic attacks of anxiety! Yes, I have such in my family and I suspect we all do. So, take a deep breath, and move on.

You might try reading a book to find serenity. Perhaps some meditation or quiet time. A nap does wonders for me but then I’m retired and have the napportunity!

One major caution: do not turn on the news. These days you will encounter reports on the current presidential campaigns that are anything but presidential. They are in fact not nice. The characters running think they have to be rough, tumble, angry, pushing and obnoxious to their competitors. They hope such behavior will be viewed as strength in the eyes of voters.

They would be wrong if that is what they think. To voters they look like bullies and boobs. And if we see them that way what must the rest of the world community see them as?  I suspect they see a potential political and military target. You know, in America it is buy guns today, then shoot those you disagree with tomorrow. Shoot first and then ask questions. Or take over public lands and act like children wanting their own way.

Boobs need not apply for the job of President. It is not becoming to the body politic of America. So, Cruz, Trump, Rubio, Paul, Huckabee, et.al., stand down and give it up. No one wants you in the White House.

The others are like Clinton, Sanders, O’Malley and Jeb Bush are more to the mold of getting along with people. Talk first then determine behavior changing incentives. But understand what you are dealing with before making a fool of yourself and the American people.  Please?

Now that was a request, a nice one. I’m trying to be nice here. But Trump! Please drop out of the race and go back to your greedy hole you call business. We do not need your type attempting to improve the world community. Rather you drag it down to the lowest common denominator. And many of your friends and competitors, too.

It’s time to reward the nice people who feel ready to lead us.

It would help if we are ready to be led. Don’t ask the Bundy’s or the Trumps. They are not included in the willing to be led group. Far from it. And that’s precisely why we need to move on to better candidates.

I feel better already just saying all of that.

So, now I’m ready to be nice to everyone. Are you?

January 28, 2016

Federal Lands

The takeover by protesters of the Malheur Natural Wildlife Refuge is not about federal authority, private lands or a redress of grievances. Rather it is a disagreeable fight between an anti-government family against the rest of us.

I think I stated it succinctly and fairly.

The Bundy family has been an anti-authority clan for some time. They are a conspiracy favoring family as well. They don’t see a friendly face among any government authority be it local or federal. For them all government begins with them as private citizens. If they didn’t give their express authority for a program or policy decision, then it doesn’t exist in their mind.

If you think this is the absence of all authority – or anarchy – then I think you would be approaching the kind of thinking the Bundys embrace.

Government in America is pretty simple. As Abraham Lincoln said it, American government is of, for, and by the people. That’s it. Government, any government, gets its authority from the people in elections, constitutions of the nation and each of the individual states. An entire mechanism is created to hold true to these documents and authority. It is why public policy is so complicated at times. The health and well being of the public at large is not to be harmed. It is to be protected. Once protected the government is expressly granted the authority to perform the functions that the body politic cannot perform alone.

The Bundys are ranchers – people of the land. Generations ago they and fellow ranchers needed more grazing land. So they paid a small fee for grazing rights from land owned and protected from despoliation by the federal government. That land is owned by all the people of the nation. That is the ‘public face’ of the land’s ownership. You and I own that land.

Over time some ranchers could not afford to remain in business. To protect them and their interests the government bought them out. Money was paid for ownership of the property. The government is not in the ranching business, so they turned the land into preserves for ecological protection, wildlife refuges, research and repositories of history and culture – and the research of same. That is what the Malheur Refuge facility is and has been for some time.

The Bundys, however, feel somehow that the federal land belongs rightfully to ranchers and their forebears. Although they have grazing rights to some of that land and similar tracts, they have to pay for them. The act of payment to them is a ‘tax’ unfairly levied. But then I think the Bundys would feel all action of any government is unfairly levied. Theirs is an unreasonable extension of anti-government ideology.

The rest of us, however, respect the role of government as a necessary authority in our lives. It is a means by which we cooperate and collaborate to make life better and more orderly. In a clamoring bunch of 330 million people we need such order. Pretty simple in my book. But then the Bundys live in the wide open spaces and see open skies and vistas where the rest of us look out our windows at other houses, walls, streets and buildings. Crowded, eh?

The Malheur Refuge is ours to have, hold and maintain. It is not for the Bundys and their friends to steal, use or destroy. And that’s the truth.

Order, Mr. Bundy. Order in the House, and in the nation. I choose to allow federal authority to do some of the work I cannot do for myself or for you. We all give up something to gain something. And this is it, sir. Comity among hundreds of millions of people.

Get over it. And remove yourselves peacefully from our land.

Thank you very much!

January 27, 2016

State of the Media

I’m a fan of the news media normally. I grew up reading a newspaper nearly every day and when adulthood arrived I often read two or three newspapers daily. Sunday was a day devoted to church and newspaper enjoyment. I reveled in most sections of the paper – world, state and regional news; financial matters; weather and crosswords; and special reports of significance that delved into the roots of the issue and what that meant for future developments.

Today I do not read any paper. Instead I scan the internet for information that feeds my need to know and follow up on areas of personal interest. I do not dwell on celebrities, commercials, travel, automotive, sports or contemporary culture. I get updates on weather, health issues and technology as it becomes pertinent to my life.

Yesterday, January 25, 2016 I listed what my MSN home page carried as news of the day. Here it is:

MSN Web Site: 1/25/16

1. East Coast Blizzard aftermath                         WEATHER/REGIONAL
2. Super Bowl teams determined this weekend                  SPORTS
3. Cold Weather in Asia; Zika Virus to America; search for 3 escaped inmates         WORLD NEWS
4. Pentagon wants psychologists to end ban on interrogation role GOVERNMENT
5. Career corner: top industries for job seekers; body language for interviews; saying no to an offer                          CAREER
6. Latest safety recalls on cars                AUTOMOTIVE
7. Stars who were older than their teen roles       CELEBRITIES
8. Sale story on Xbox              COMMERCIAL 
9. Weight loss tips     PERSONAL HEALTH
10. Politics: Obama cabinet officials lining up behind Clinton; billionaire aiding Cruz; Iowa caucus roles to decide answers                             POLITICS
11. Daily education tips for self improvement                      EDUCATION/SELF HELP
12. Weekend videos: storm from space; panda winter weather enjoyment; trapped sloth                         VIDEO PUBLIC INTEREST
13. Hollywood Oscars Black issue          ENTERTAINMENT/CELEBS
14. Finding a restaurant for $10 meals or less                      CULTURAL
15. Entertainment news; celebs                               CELEBRITIES
16. Richest person in each state                              CELEBRITIES
17. fixes for annoying health problems                 PERSONAL HEALTH
18. Beautiful places worth visiting          TRAVEL
19. Valentines Day preparations                             COMMERCIAL
20. Gadget Geek President and limits in the oval office                     TECHNOLOGY/POLITICS

1. NEWS   1
2. CULTURAL   4
3. POLITICS   1
4. CELEBRITIES   4
5. TECHNOLOGY      1
6. COMMERCIAL   2
7. TRAVEL   1
8. SPORTS   1
9. WEATHER   1
10. AUTOMOTIVE     1
11. HEALTH   2
12. MISC PUBLIC INTEREST   1

Please note the array of items and ‘departmental’ sorting. The summary at the end shows the tale: 1 news story; 1 political summary. That’s it for the serious stuff.

Two items were devoted to actual commercials to sell or place a product or service. Four articles were devoted to celebrities. Cultural items were not much better.

If you must know (and you should!), most items were not written with depth sufficient to keep the reader informed. Some articles were only 75 to 100 words. I don’t mind recaps or summaries to speed the reader along, but there should still be material provided for the reader to digest if he wishes to.

I don’t expect a Sunday Newspaper edition every day. I still expect something like that once per week. But the daily paper should be more than a digest of the news like USA Today. That newspaper does a credible job as a hotel paper across the nation. The business traveler needs that sort of thing, but home residents need much more. Of course the internet provides ample follow up for the serious pursuer of the news. Those pursuits, however, are time consuming and require devotion and academic discipline to acquire.

The bottom line of today’s post is this:

1. The news media is pandering to the lowest common denominator among us to get readers, ratings and advertisers. It is a business in this format and the product suffers greatly.
2. News makers take their cues from what gets published or broadcast by the media. They fall in line and feed the monster.
3. Result: the nation is fed junk news most of the time. And we all suffer from that.

An uninformed public will not make decisions in daily life that make for a strong and intelligent nation. Also, elected officials, agency officials, and corporate executives will lose their ethical discipline and allow poor performance to evolve.

Life is not a popularity contest. It requires excellence of thought, study, work and ethics to keep a nation humming at world class levels.

What do we want from America? Selfish goals or national ones? If the latter we must find and elevate those who meet high standards, our standards. Accepting those with the lowest common denominator rankings cheapens us horribly.

Witness the current gaggle of political candidates for President. Shameful boobs mostly. Where are the serious candidates who edify our times with intelligence and discernment?

Please God we do better by Election Day. With or without help from the media, it is still our job as citizens and voters to do the right thing.

Maybe the media will get the message and make improvements?

January 26, 2016

Serenity in a Baby

The newborn baby was a picture of serenity. Here we were in the hospital with all the drama of the birth behind the principals! They had done their parts. Especially mom Eduenis! But I know dad John was stressed. Both were relieved it was over as far as the day’s routine! The real job lay ahead for the next 21 years. We know that; but I doubt they truly have a clear picture of that.

So, we were sitting in the same room as the baby. I dared not hold him for fear of dropping him! But the other elders in the room took charge and held him. He stirred a tiny bit with facial expressions, and a moue or three; but nothing more. He was quiet and at rest. He was serene.

Contemplating the world all around us his peacefulness was at odds with what we knew. The roadways clamored with traffic and weather woes. The nation was preparing for blizzards across the south and then along the east coast through the most populated areas of the country. Global issues beckoned attention as they always do. Even in quiet times one ponders what is next on the world’s stage. Such chaos among the nations!

Of course our own nation is in chaos with political upset and nonsense. It is a presidential election year so the outs are fighting to get in. And the ins are fighting to remain in. The only people who will exit are those in the White House. They will be replaced a year from now with a new crew. May they fare better than this beleaguered president. He is good. He is a thinker and academic. He is a superb policy master. And a feeling, caring person. He has the long view of the country and its people. He has done very well in trying times. With little or no help from the other branches of the federal government. That’s politics in America these days. Sad and shameful, but it is what it is.

But then the people are not long term oriented. No; they are short term and focused on their own immediate needs. Even those are not well thought out. What they want they think little of where it will come from. And the politicians know this. They broadcast fears for the future and make it personal for all to read and hear. They conjure messages that are designed to upset. And they are successful.

Good people are fighting one another in debates, arguments, newspapers and internet ‘discussions’. They are mostly fighting about what is not important. Much larger issues beg for attention but their meager attention span does not include room for those issues. No, they are the issues that require very deep work and thinking to address. Most people in politics look for the quick and easy. Too bad; we as a people are capable of so much more.

I think we are witnessing the result of pandering to the lowest common denominator. Our entertainment does this; our schools do also. Certainly the news media aims low; it’s where the ratings come from and advertisers want high ratings if they are going to pay high advertising rates. The media learned long ago their bread was buttered on the side of ratings and that has to pander to the lowest common denominator; that’s where the numbers reside.

For the rest of us we have the internet to journey through and find the meat and potatoes of our nation’s good side. It requires discernment to find the good stuff and know it is the right stuff. Just like public media the internet has junk and lowest common denominator material; but the good material is there as well. We must look for it and train ourselves to know what makes it good and worthy of our time.

I suggest starting with TED – Technology, Entertainment, Design – Sharing ideas that matter. Look it up on the internet and you will find over 10,000 short video presentations on a broad array of subject matter. It is worth knowing about. After all, these are ideas worth sharing and keeping.

Meanwhile, may we take the serenity of newborns seriously and work to make our nation a worthy partner for global concerns and human well-being. This is important stuff that all newborns will benefit from. In turn they will benefit the rest of us as they labor to deal effectively with the world around them for generations to come.

Peace and discernment to each and every one of you!

January 25, 2016

Making Generations

A new family member was welcomed to the fold January 21, 2016 at 6:53 pm CST. Born in Downers Grove’s Good Samaritan Hospital, is Jace W. Safford, son of Eduenis and John Safford of Downers Grove. Jace joins his older brother, Jax W. Safford, who will celebrate his second birthday on January 29.

Anxious to meet the new tyke are his cousins Kira and Lindsay, Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Dan, Grandparents Ann and Howard, Olga and Oscar and George and Rocky. There are many more aunts, uncles and cousins awaiting Jace’s debut family gathering.

Such excitement!

And so the generation I had a part in creating is expanding on its own steam. That’s the way it is. One generation begets another generation which begets yet another generation and so on. The begetting and begatting of the Bible continues on and on as it was meant to do. This is nature and order and passage of time.

And so it goes building life on earth as old life passes away. It is the tempo of things. It gives new hope for a better tomorrow. But that is not a given. Those results are a combination of effort and intention from each of us. That, too, is good. Fresh ideas are required from us and challenges help make happen. Even elder minds need refreshing and new relationships and young people make that easy and inevitable.

Guiding hands soften the entry of people toward new experiences and learning. This is the way of one generation nurturing the new generation. It has been thus for thousands of years. We can only hope it will continue for many more thousands of years and work to make that happen.

Meanwhile we await our first glimpse of Jace. That should be today!

January 22, 2016

Open Season – On Cops?

God I hate this headline.

When I was much younger I had an authority problem with policemen. It was the 1960’s in Chicago and policemen were big, beefy and swaggerish. Later I learned the swagger came from hefting so much equipment on their belts and they had to swing their bodies to walk with all that extra weight. Then came bullet proof vests and their torsos became even thicker, not from fat or muscle but from peacekeeping equipment.

I still had an authority problem with the police, however. Of course it didn’t help that much of my contemporaries were anti draft, anti Viet Nam War and anti authoritarians. I wasn’t anti authoritarian, but I came to distrust the police in their exercise of authority. I saw them crack heads, bloody onlookers at protests, and shove people to the sidewalk to subdue the larger crowd.

My attention was not on Viet Nam. I didn’t like that particular war, but my mind was focused on civil rights. Martin Luther King was the person of the day and he provided much to think about and to make white people uncomfortable. That alone was not a problem with me. We needed to focus on race relations if we were to understand what kind of people we are and were and would become. If we disrespected people of color – from whatever ethnic background, please! – we simply were not the good people we preferred to think of ourselves. Period.

So it was important to me to redress the wrongs of American history as it related to our fellow citizens of color. They were our brothers and sisters. But I saw them arrested beyond their share of the population. I saw them much poorer than was statistically appropriate. They were also under educated but bright. Why couldn’t we all see that and offer them the help they deserved and needed to improve their lives?

Why indeed. So I came to the public authority venue with a bias against cops.

The anti war protesters only added fuel to my bias. The country was out of control on major public issues and the younger generation’s fervor and research were being dismissed. Out of hand dismissed.

Then came the 1968 Democratic Presidential Party Convention and the police riot that ensued at the behest of the elder Mayor Daley to keep order during the convention on the streets of Chicago. At least that’s what he claimed. My take on this historical event was deep and disturbing. I saw my country sinking to the very depths we accused our enemies of doing in the well documented past!

Much later I entered minor public life as a city councilman in a small suburb of 14,000 people. I soon learned that the police department was the rubber of the city’s efforts to govern – you know, where the rubber meets the road?  We knew more about our town because of the experiences of the police. They interacted with more citizens than we did, try as hard as we might. So I came to meet with and know as professionals and friends, many members of the police department. And they began to know who I was as well. We waved to one another as our cars passed on the streets. We nodded in grocery stores and at public meetings. Through their eyes I came to understand the town much better.

And I also understood their humanity and our need to protect them as they pursued their duties to protect and serve the community.

Today I see a great welling up of anti police sentiment. I don’t like it. I distrust that feeling more than the reasons the anti’s say they are roiled up. Here’s how I view it:

Today’s police are required to enter highly dangerous areas of our cities and towns to keep order and to enforce the laws. It is inherently dangerous. With the proliferation of hand guns and assault rifles, violence has flared throughout the nation as a god given right. Instead of supporting police to combat this scourge, we accuse them of brutality.

Is there police brutality? Are there missteps by police in carrying out their duties. Yes, I suspect there are, but I don’t know it and refuse to jump to that conclusion without proof. There will always be people on the police force who overstep their bounds regardless of all the training to control such actions. There are also bad apples in the cop barrel just like there are in every walk of life – ministers, lawyers, judges, ambassadors, politicians, etc..

Rotten apples or sour grapes, such individuals distort the phenomenal good of the police forces throughout the land. They are good and effective and caring. They are people with spouses and kids at home. They are at risk of accident, terrorism, criminal actions against them, and deranged nut jobs wielding guns.

In large cities black gang members – and Hispanic gang members, too – kill each other and innocents as collateral damage. Police are required to enter these violent venues. Best they enter with guns drawn for immediate action. In such circumstances, though, accidents and bad judgment are likely to increase. As professional as the police are, they each are trained on different schedules, are of different health and age, and experience. They put their life on the line knowing in the final analysis they may have to kill or be killed.

If I were in their shoes I’d want to balance that playing field. I want guns out of the hands of bad people. I want my police to be safe as they protect us and serve us.

It is easy to complain and level condemnation against people we don’t know for reasons too complicated for us to understand. But to work hard to fix the problems, yes, even the problems we contribute too? I guess that’s too much trouble for some people. But I say:

If you are not part of the solution to our problems, then you are part of our problem. Either put up or shut up. And that goes for media, politicians and church people who simply don’t get it.

Please. Build peace. Be nice to one another and help find solutions. Don’t just sit there and complain. That’s so cheap!

January 21, 2016

Cold Spell

It’s Illinois and the wintry month of January. So it is cold outside. And bright sunshine, too. It works that way: severe cold usually comes with clear deep blue skies filled with ample sunshine. The earth’s heat rises into the stratosphere thus aiding the cooling action.

It is 2 degrees now and a high is forecast for 3. Low temperatures will be 4 below. Winds are steady at 17 miles per hour so wind chills are 17 degrees below zero. Brisk!

Errands will force us out of the home today but our car is in a heated garage and the car itself has electric heat which is instantly effective. Parking in a lot during a meeting or errand will still be OK because the car will operate in this weather quite nicely, and the heat will be readily available. So we are OK. We only need to be dressed to walk from car to building and back. With handicapped parking we are close to the front door. So again, we are good to go.

The cold air is not a distraction. Far from it, it aids clear thinking. Basics are easy to focus on when distractions are absent. That’s one reason libraries are quiet zones. So, too, studies and meditation rooms – quiet, no distractions, calm.

If life gets too noisy or cluttered with distractions we should seek shelter and quiet so the mind and inner spirit can work. If so magic happens. Behold what it does for you.

Better yet, don’t wait for a cold spell to make this happen.

January 20, 2016

Writing for the Fun of It

I heard a fellow on TV the other day. He was interviewed on something or other and he blurted out that he didn’t much care about that ‘something or other’. What he did care about was that he was a writer and enjoyed it very much. So he did it. Luckily he was earning a fair living by doing so.

I was in a discussion meeting the other day, one of those gatherings in which people meet and talk about their businesses and what problems they are encountering. The purpose of the meeting was for individuals to share their ideas on how each other could be helped so their businesses would succeed and prosper. In that group were three writers. Each was struggling to find a market for their services, their products. They were clearly making a living not by writing but by other means. They wanted, however, to make their living from writing.

I write and love doing it. I do not get paid for it, however. I wish I could earn a revenue stream. It needn’t be large, but just something that indicates it has value.

Of course there are those in my past career life that would say I did get paid for writing. After all my work was conceptual and required written documentation to help clients realize the ideas they needed to work with to succeed on the subject matter of my consulting. And thus the consulting report was written and consumed by clients; and regulators interested in understanding if the clients were abiding by the advice and counsel provided.

Such were written products of my work and thus I was paid for the work. The writing seemed incidental at the time but evidently it was the primary product. The deliverable.

Today I sort out opinions and ideas and write about that. I write about the journey of my life in modern times as an ever aging person. Much is present to write about. It is quite personal, of course, and thus not always interesting to others. But it is interesting to at least one person – me. And so I continue to write about it.

Please understand – those of you who are still reading this! – my writing this blog is a way to better understand me by myself. It is a self examination process. Doing this I learn a lot about myself, but I also learn a lot about human nature and see others in a new light. Life and its mysteries take on new meaning and dynamics. New ideas about existence come to light and I am able to use them in further examination.

My volunteer work follows from my career work. Analysis, research, human behavior, business processes, markets of products and services – all these things are part and parcel of my career. What ideas are missing and which are needed? What is working well and what is not working well? What can we use to fix what is broken? Or should we replace the broken with something new? If so, what would that be?

You see the dynamic. Always changing. Always fresh material to view and prod its unfolding. The process is fascinating. Like laboratory work. Experimenting and viewing the results. Wondering how it all works. Together or apart?

Whatever it is, it is the stuff to write about. I ponder this material, these words, and then let them come into being. That alone is satisfying. Whether it is of use to others seems to be of marginal interest. But one can hope.

Meanwhile the mind goes on in its ponderous manner wondering about things and seeing how things might become in the future. There’s another wonder to write about.

Do others spend so much time doing this sort of thing? I wonder if I’ll ever know the answer to that! Perhaps it is another avenue to write about?

January 19, 2016

Moving with the Punches

Lots of change in the markets. Up, down and every which away. Jobs rising mostly, falling in some markets. Same with salaries and wages – up and down and inside out depending on the market under study.

Products are new and improved while old ones are discontinued. Store sales have fallen in the main but internet sales have more than made up for those declines. International sales have boomed in recent years and margins are higher due to lower cost of goods sold. All in all it is a mixed bag for people in business. However, the news is not all bad.

Besides, what is bad news is temporary. So the price of oil is down; it will rise again. Same for butter, milk, beef and other food stuffs. Seasonal changes happen throughout the year on cycles. Changes occur with major obstacles encountered like weather, disease and natural disasters. Just imagine how things change in war torn areas? At least we don’t have bothers with that! Unless of course you count terrorism in the US.

Over time changes force us to adapt to the prevailing conditions. Always have. This is life and it is what it is. We don’t define it. We do adapt to it, however, or change defines us!

Where does that leave us? Looking for other things of value that will replace those that have lost luster? Also new products and services that will fill opportunity gaps as they appear? The closing of one door opens another. Same with windows; most open and close; experiment with them and develop your own opportunities. Not enough windows? Make more of them to capture the light and the view!

Did I say adapt? Yes, I did.

And that’s what is called for during any time of change. Matter of fact a lot of people provide the change before adaptation and vice versa. There are always currents of change in process. That’s what people do. Find a need and fill it. Did you notice something that doesn’t work very well and then improved upon it? Yes! And that’s what I’m talking about.

Thinking up the new thing is very big. However getting that thing noticed and brought into the mainstream is even bigger. We are not talking about promotion and selling here. We are talking marketing. Perhaps we should capitalize that? – MARKETING. There, I said it in big letters.

Marketing is a service, a professional one. It is very creative and requires people who understand human communication. Image. Words. Timing. Message formation and release. Communication networks to spread the message. Researching the receipt of the message and measuring results. Tweaking the message and delivery. Maintenance of the image and presence in the marketplace.

That’s what I’m talking about and the subject of marketing is the placement and selling of a product or service so it becomes successful and sustainable.

Most people do not know how to market. They also don’t want to pay for it. So effective marketing is rarely done. Thus new products and services die on the vine or in birth, never seeing the light of day. Well intentioned and well conceived as they are these bright new ideas don’t make it to market.

Sometimes a product or service becomes obsolete in the midst of success. They also become overpriced and fall out of favor as a result. Over-sized homes is one such albatross. So are oil/petroleum/fossil fuels. Their prices become so high that alternatives are developed. New fashion in housing is created – enter the Tiny Homes movement! Downsizing becomes stylish and important life-values replace things as a focus of quality of life.

It is expensive to re-tool a society to use a different energy source. Developing electric or hydrogen powered automobiles is a big expense and risk. Will people change to the new modality? Will they realize the benefits of doing so? Will the pricing become affordable to the masses quickly enough to save the new technology of transportation? Who knows? Unless we try we will never know. But the effort is made and it lives among us at the present. Let’s hope it succeeds.

Meanwhile the resources and treasures we have invested in one technology will shift to the new ones. And so it has happened in the past and will in the future. All it takes if faith in the new, and time. And pockets deep enough to remain in the game long enough to see the results.

And then market the hell out of it all. Nothing gets adopted that is not known by the public. The message has to be crafted, made and sent. The timing has to be right. Sometimes this is lightening quick. Sometimes it is slow and well-hidden. If it is right for the moment it will be viewed, considered and used or refused.

The good survive. All we have to do is try. And that’s what I mean by moving with the punches. Learn and adapt to the changes and the new. But first determine if it is better than the old. If yes, shed the old and move on.

What punches are you noticing these days? Are you getting out of their way? Are you adapting? Are you anticipating this interaction and engaged?

Good for you! Keep working it.

January 18, 2016

Being Vulnerable

I may have discussed this topic before but new interest keeps bubbling to the surface. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, ‘being vulnerable’ means intentionally living on the edge of our comfort in order to gain insight. That insight helps us to live more vitally. We see things clearly, perceive new ideas faster, build even newer ideas where before such was not possible.

We learn how to cooperate more – getting along with people we normally wouldn’t – and even gain skills on collaborating with others. Now collaboration, in my mind at least, is special. To truly collaborate with another person or group you have to trust deeply and share deeply. Together the group makes remarkable gains on invention, redesign, and repurpose. The process can be exhausting but the rewards are exciting and life-giving.

Collaborating with others requires us to give up ideas unshared before now. They are deeply held and private. Those ideas may be wrong, by the way; but collaboration will uncover that, AND rescue what is good and propel the idea toward marriage with other ideas that really work well together. New horizons come from this type of thinking and working together.

When a friend comes to us with a heartfelt problem, do we accept the role of confidante and truly help the person deal with their sorrow and angst? Or do we protect ourselves and buffer our way to safety? Where does that leave our friend? And what does this say about our own ability to deal with similar troubles in our own life? Do we go it alone or do we seek comfort and assistance from others we trust? Both sides of this relationship are engaged in each other if vulnerability is embraced. Both persons gain knowledge they can use well in other circumstances. To learn this and gain skills doing it requires us to be vulnerable. We can be easily hurt if someone turns the tables on us but the opposite is more likely as trust is committed to by both parties. Too much to give up if the opportunity is avoided, and much to gain if the transaction is completed.

Other than interpersonal issues, where can we employ vulnerability to advantage? Well, let’s consider a few opportunities.

First would be international relations and peace building. I suspect diplomats manage vulnerability if progress is made between nations. Of course the progress is slow; these are delicate matters and trust is often frayed or non-existent. Building trust between two nations, however, requires both to be vulnerable to one another and willing to share problems to gain comfort and mutual strength. Recycling these efforts many times builds a platform of trust upon which we can rely on help in trying times in the future.

Second would be academic research and breakthrough discoveries. Such results provide moments of advancement in medicine, pharmaceuticals, engineering, and science. Collaborative research among and between dissimilar academic disciplines have garnered huge breakthroughs in medicine and engineering. Huge breakthroughs. Being vulnerable allows trust to build which in turn allows collaboration.

Third would be governance and management of government programs. Governing nations, states, counties and municipalities requires the electorate to vote into office people they trust. Those same people work with others also elected to make decisions on shared goals and objectives. The people provide this to happen. Making something good from that partnership is mandated. But first they have to trust one another enough to work slowly forward through the issues. Not an easy task, especially in today’s environment of distrust – even hate – in which gridlock of governing bodies is common.

I heard a presidential candidate the other night bemoan mismanagement of the federal government. Rather than delivering that complaint at the feet of one politician, however, it really is a broadside critique of the entire governance structure. Congress has failed to manage its end of responsibility; so too the Judiciary; and the Executive while we are at it. But remember each branch of the federal government requires reliance on the other branches. If fundamental resources are withheld then the partnership falters and results fail. Congress must provide meaningful oversight, not control. Congress must also provide budgetary resources to pay reasonable costs to operate programs. Insufficient funding? Then program results will fail. Immigration management cannot possibly be done well with insufficient staff and agency reach? Education programs will never fully succeed if trust is lacking in the first place and programs are ill designed intentionally and funded poorly. These are ways of ‘vetoing’ what others have supported. More of that goes on in Congress than in the White House.

The real issue is examining the central issue of governance or minimal governance. They are not mutually exclusive but can be managed toward the same end.

I hope that if our elected officials are willing to be vulnerable we can work toward better results for the good of the people. If one group feels that government should be restricted to a minor role while another group feels the opposite, both should still be able to work together to do the work of the people. That never goes away. The work remains to be done. Those unwilling to do so should be replaced until cooperation is restored and governance proceeds. Big or little can be solved another day but in the meantime vital work still needs to be done.

Vulnerability requires us to faithfully explore what we can do together that we cannot do alone. When can we expect this new generation of leaders to appear on the scene?

January 15, 2016

Oil Prices/Energy Future

The oil industry has it wrong: They are in the energy business.

The days of the oil industry as it has been for a century or more are over. About 20 years ago it should have become the Energy Industry. But to oil people change comes slowly.

Have you ever known someone in the industry? I have. A lot of them. They were well heeled mostly. Big cars frequently changed; almost all large gas guzzlers. Their homes, too, were large and inefficient. I shudder at the thought of their utility bills! They also traveled widely and often, and spent money freely. There was no tomorrow; tomorrow was today! And they enjoyed it.

Those times are changing, however, as they must. Pollution alone is the bell weather that demands we alter our use of fossil fuels. Public health is another bell weather as much as we try to disguise it otherwise. So too are prices of oil in the past years, climbing higher and higher while leaving many in the dust.

Well, oil prices have changed most recently to lower levels unimaginable just a short time ago. And people in the oil industry are very nervous. There is talk of major oil company bankruptcies, turmoil in energy markets, bankrupt oil drilling towns and drilling equipment manufacturers. There are indications that the world oil markets are saturated with product and thus prices have collapsed. There are entire nations (Russia, Libya, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia) who are trembling with the specter of collapsed oil prices; their economies are declining and they fear collapse.

Well they should. They have built empires on oil. They have pyramided oil prices into panics of skyrocketing values. As breathtaking as that is, the drop in prices for them is even more breathtaking.

With outrageous product demand and prices came military conquests of the Middle East. And pipeline skirmishes in Asia, Europe and elsewhere. Remember that America discovered oil and its rich uses. As America created its own oil industry, it shared its technology with the world, beginning with Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East. That’s how that region of the world became so important.

With that importance came power – real and imagined – and power whether well understood and managed or not. Soon power brokers rose up and nations chose allies. With this came culture wars and religions continued their 1000-year jockeying for pre-eminence. And then the Holy Wars began again making the Crusades pale in comparison.

The Middle East became the hot spot of unrest and war and human suffering. All fighting over oil supplies. But not much longer.

The world community knows energy comes from other sources and is counting on developing those resources. This will diversify energy points of origin, ownership, and management. It will soften the long term cost of energy. It will democratize energy. And it will give most of the world’s nations local power over their own energy creation and consumption. There is a real opportunity to lessen international political tension as a result.

What a welcome relief that will be!

With that development the world economy will become more diversified and give nations opportunities to shine in their specialty fields. The world community will thus be strengthened. Once again we will be able to touch other cultures with awe and appreciation for their gifts to the well-being of the community.

I think we need more of that. We need less power brokering and political sword rattling. We need more peace making and collaboration. It is one planet, after all is said and done. And we will make of it what we will. Best if we go into this with open and just minds so all are included.

The world belongs to all of us. It would be helpful and healthy if we acted like it did.

Energy is a much larger issue with many diverse sources. And sciences. It is time we took responsibility for this reality and relegated oil to a minor role in our future.

Here! Here!

January 14, 2016

State of the Union

At his last State Of The Union address, President Obama nailed the opportunity to recap what the past seven years has been like. Focusing on the positive is refreshing. So much good was accomplished in the face of so much negative press. I guess the nature of the press is to report on what is wrong so citizens can attend to those problems. Well, reasonable people would assume that might be what they are doing. But they would be wrong, wouldn’t they?

Yes, the press reports on what’s going wrong in society, but they are also supposed to be pointing out what might be going well, too. Not only that, but they would do well to report on people who are doing good things so the society at large grows stronger and more resilient to whatever major changes come down our paths.

A teacher reaching out to a hungry student in her class; feeding the child unobtrusively so the kid feels cared for but not as a target of charity. Included and embraced is the feeling the teacher may be reaching for. That message alone is hopeful. That script is ever present in American life but because we don’t see it in print we don’t think it exists. Those who are involved in the lives of others know the opposite!

Teachers, social workers, community organizers, church staff who interact daily with the people of the church. These folks know what is going on in neighborhoods, cities and towns across the nation. It is not hidden from our view. It is quite present, but the press chooses not to focus attention on this part of our communal life. Too bad. Cynics rise up through the mists of ignorance quite easily. And the press helps make this happen.

So with our attention during news programs and quick scans of print press outlets, we get a warped view of what is going on.

Financial news is all about unemployment, collapsed housing markets, collapsed interest rate markets and falling stock prices.

Hmmmph! Let’s see, eight years ago the stock market was considerably less than half of where it is now. That’s right! The stock market was down and going lower. The great conservative push towards smaller government and growth of wealth for investors, collapsed the markets. Those with money were positioned to make lots of money, but only if the value of what everyone owned in the past was devalued. And that happened. Under republicans. Under conservatives.

Now, seven years later the stock market is at stunning levels. There is opportunity in many niches of our society. Sometimes it is staring us in our face. We don’t realize we are fighting a shadow of what we once thought and believed; that didn’t prove out. What we ought to be fighting is a misty, incomplete view of reality that we have assumed without knowing it. The world is dynamic and changing and exciting with new ideas. It is those ideas that will propel us into the next ten or twenty years.

Get off the oil standard of life! Stop thinking that oil is the only source of energy. It isn’t. Hasn’t been for some time now. Ford Motor Company finally gets it. They realize they are in the transportation industry; personalized transportation in the main, but still in the transportation industry. They move people from one location to another. Cars do this. Rented cars and owned cars. Shared cars. buses, trains, planes and boats also move people.

Gasoline engines power cars and trucks. But so do electric motors. So does nuclear energy in ships. Oil is a lubricant and chemical base for many other products. We ought not waste that utilitarian aspect of the product. Use it fully. Just don’t burn it! Besides, doing that pollutes the planet.

In its stead develop energy sources that are plentiful, readily available, and transportable.  Solar, wind, thermal and chemical power have much to offer when fully developed. So too the benefits of physics research in power sourcing and generation. We can do much more and all without oil. So let’s get on with it.

We cannot make rapid strides if we don’t try.

So, we rely on oil for the meanwhile, but firmly know we are replacing it with other energy resources. Ford understands this. Other companies don’t. Certainly Congress doesn’t.

We can make the oil industry irrelevant. Just think of the avoided pollution. Think also of the unrest and wars in the Middle East that focus on oil and spoils of oil. What a colossal waste of life, liberty, national treasure and time. Literally a waste of time. We should have been re-focusing our attention all these years. Think of where we would have arrived at by now if we hadn’t been wasting our time and treasure on the Middle East.

For one thing ISIS would not be an issue. Gaza would not be an issue. The Cradle of Civilization would still be a classroom and laboratory for archaeology and history and study of religions as it was before the great upset for power over oil markets.

The timelessness of man’s journey on the face of the globe teaches us one huge lesson: the more life changes the more it stays the same.

Do not fall for the short term, get quick rich scheme, or the instant power grab. The benefits are fleet and short lived. History takes time and declares winners and losers with the benefit of hindsight and foresight.

There are good things in our life. There are movements within our culture that are rich and powerful and easily shared among each of us. That is the state of our union. It is more positive than today’s politicians can possibly imagine. The clamorers of attention only delude the simple minded and themselves. They miss the point of what America is and can be. It is a broad shouldered nation we have. It is not as weak as the Trumps, Cruzs and Rubios claim it to be. And we are brighter and more intelligent than they give us credit to be.

Obama knows this, has known this. Thank God we had Obama through this difficult time. Simpler minds got us into the mess; strong minds got us out of it.

Now, who will we choose to continue our progress?

January 13, 2015

Stock Values and China?

Global markets, world communications, clashing cultures, politics and all the rest. An open, competitive global economy is raucous, wild and for now, quite unpredictable. You bet! And we are seeing the results in the melt down of China’s stock market.

Many investors shudder at China’s situation and feel, evidently, that it will affect all markets everywhere. And so America’s stock exchanges react with thrilling drops in value! Well, that’s one way to get the blood pumping in the new, cold year!

It need not be so. And calmer minds know this.

The fundamentals of the American economy are sound. Labor markets are returning to sustainable growth patterns. More importantly, newly skilled labor components are entering the market and supporting employers’ requirements for a smarter, skilled staff roster.

The financial recession of 2007-2012 was a doozy. Its remnants continue to live on; there are components of the economy that still have not returned to healthy status. But the cautious note taken from that? Past health is not a precursor to what will be health in the future.

Simply put: the future holds entirely new things, standards and expectations for us all. Yes we must have housing; but no, the old standards will not likely stand. We will seek new standards that are not only sustainable, but also supportive of quality of life development. Social interaction of the family will be the focus. Private space for individual thinking, study and meditation will be provided. Interaction between indoors and out-of-doors will be highlighted. Aesthetic design components will be included. Location and transportation issues will be much more accommodated than in the past, that is, adjacency to shopping, work and social obligations.

These are the critical elements in housing that will dictate how Americans will choose their housing accommodations. Until then old housing stock will be targeted for refitting, demolition and replacement. The new opportunities will use land more efficiently, redraw commuting maps and challenge both interior design efficiency as well as utility consumption efficiency. Walking distances will be more important; reduction of family auto fleets will occur.

Such fundamentals will dictate many other factoids of economic measurement. China is a manufacturer of consumer goods for the world. That is what they have done for the past generation. They have a future of more of this, but remember the risks: consumer patterns change; manufacturing investments have shorter thresholds of time going into the future.

Change and adaptability are the by-words for the future.

You may scratch your head and wonder if I’ve been taking too many naps! But no. Think on this: England has been around for well over 1000 years. It is landlocked. It is surrounded by oceans. It has had a global empire now reduced to modest size. Yet it is a world leader in music, art, academic research, and culture. English people are bright and productive. They value life without drenching themselves in the glitter of snobbishness and visible baubles of success. They are down to earth!

Can we honestly say that about our own countrymen? I don’t think so.

Quality of life is a complex of issues. It defines who we are as people – as humans. I’m not at all sure America has done a good job of projecting us as models of excellence in this or any other department of life. Oh, maybe garishness is a model! And selfishness and greed. And wearing stupidity as a badge of honor: gun ownership without safeguards from violence; anti abortion and anti child care mentality; and so many other examples of this.

Quality of life is about developing a person’s potential. It is about self-sustaining happiness, creativity, appreciation of art as expression and communication, and valuing human life in all of its forms.

Now back to stocks. Stock values. China.

How do these relate to quality of life? Exactly? Does a currency value on stocks one day or one week matter to a lifetime of accomplishment and adaptability to productive change? Whose value structure are we using these days?

Oh, for a nap listening to Mozart’s Requiem followed by a good read. Now there’s a value structure that interests me.

And you?

January 12, 2015

Data Trends

How fast do trends take shape? When do we know that a string of data is actually projecting a trend that is upward, down sloping or whatever? Well, mathematicians will tell you if you ask them. Be prepared, however, with a lot of hems and haws. Predicting future numbers is complicated and as empirical as it would seem it really isn't.

Take employment figures reported monthly by the federal government. They attempt to report how many jobs were created and filled during the previous month. Even then the reports are rushed and are often corrected a few weeks later with more accurate information. Then there are the sub reports of this very same data that tries to tell you how many jobs were in government, how many in manufacturing, sales and service industries, and so on. It gets complicated and not all data reported to the government is done with pin point accuracy. So, tread carefully here!

And then there is the whole idea of trend analysis, what math analysis allows for false starts of trends, or micro seasonal data patterns that need to be withdrawn from the larger data study.

For example, fall labor statistics usually show spikes in hiring for the holiday retail season that approaches. Retail outlets hire armies of temporary employees to be sales clerks in crazy busy department stores and shops. Or at least they hope they will be busy! Sometimes they get the numbers right, sometimes not. This past holiday retail season they got it wrong by a large margin. The reason? Well, this isn't science, but there was a continuing trend towards internet purchasing of holiday gifts. This was expected but no one could accurately predict how much this would depress retail store sales.

But they were negatively affected big time. And stores were overstaffed for sales volume that didn't happen. To the extent these stores operated good websites supporting internet sales, they did well, just not at their actual stores.

Another trend is the massive move towards gift cards. Busy people find it difficult to determine exactly what a favorite niece or nephew wants or needs, and so opt for a gift card so the recipients can get exactly what they want without the hassle of returning ill fitting goods or simply miss-matched presents. This trend eats into store sales significantly.

Another data set difficult to calculate in trend analysis: duration of cycles of change. When data reports a surge of new activity – an upward trend – the next question is 'how long will this last'? Micro trends dot sales histories for every product and industry. Only the fool plans on a short upward trend to last. Best to wait and see how this trend will play out. The same is true for micro trends that slope downward on the graph.

Some data move in annual cycles, like real estate residential sales of the past. Still other data move in many cycles throughout the year reacting to many changing elements. Weather is such a variable element that affects sales trends in the retail sector. Interest rates are another variable. International economic growth patterns in major trading partner nations is yet another. So too, currency exchange rates throughout the international economy. We do live in a global community, remember! It does affect us here at home and will continue to do so as the world moves vigorously toward a dynamic, ever-present global economic model. We cannot undo this trend, so best we adapt to it with our eyes and brains wide open!

There is another variable we know about but give little notice to except for minor adaptions and annoyance. That variable is reporting errors. Each of us is fallible. Government is staffed by human beings so fallibility remains a variable factor always. We just learned that the Federal Reserve calculations on real estate residential sales data was reported in error for some years. Years! And yes this had an effect on the industry, banking and interest rates. Decisions are made on all of this data whether good or bad (decisions) or correct or wrong (data).

It is what it is and we have to assume the risk of making decisions based on the data provided to us. It is not done intentionally. And the reports are made in an ocean of other data that we can pull meaning from. Just because one report says one thing doesn't mean we have to trust it. We have eyes, ears and brains capable of our own observations and analysis. We need to rely more on that and school ourselves in what is reasonable and accurate.

Is the world changing? Yes. Is America changing? Yes. Is our neighborhood changing, our industry, our culture? Yes to all of these. We sometimes don't notice the changes quickly because we are living with them up close and personal. But changing they are and trends will change because of the changes.

So, where does that leave us? Right where we always have been, reliant on our own wits and thinking skills. What is a trend? What is a strategy? Are tactics different from strategies? What do words mean, and when do they mean such? When not?

Lots of things to think about. Often we should ask ourselves these questions:

• What business am I really in?
• What business do I really want to be in?
• Do people really want what I have to offer?
• Why do those people want what I have to offer?

The rest will take care of itself if you honestly ask these questions and seek solid answers to them. Be careful! It is easy to pull the wool over our own eyes here! Practice truly seeing the world and its people the way they really are. Then live accordingly.

Not easy, but then you will be bucking trends and making them react to you!

January 11, 2016

Getting to Know You

Besides the old song, the phrase – ‘getting to know you’ – speaks of a process by which each of us lets bits and pieces of ourselves free into the atmosphere for others to capture, see, wonder about and understand us. I observe/hear/feel the bits and pieces let loose by another and that helps me build a ‘picture’ of the other person, a picture that helps me know who the other person really is inside them.

I’m hoping others receive my clues, too. This is a two way street.

At some point two people may choose to engage in conversation to expand their understanding of each other. Good friends do this in stages over the years. Sometimes the process is fast; other times it is very slow. At whatever pace the process does unveil who we are to each other.

We not only know what makes us friends, but we also realize the commitment we have to each other. We can rely on each other. Someone in your family – near and dear to you – dies and who is the first person you turn to for a hug, a tearful sharing of the grief, and calm recollection of memories of the deceased. That friend may actually help you through the process, cooking dinner, watching the kids as you go about the many legal steps now required of you. Compassion, caring, knowing. That’s what friends do for you and with you.

And of course it is naturally returned by you or me when the situation is reversed. We help them and it is so very natural. We don’t even think of the sacrifices involved, the changed schedules, added errands with the car, and house duties. It comes with the territory. It is an honor to do these things for our friend.

Later as we relax, we each know the reward of such friendship. It is deep. It echoes within our being, maybe even our soul. At times such as these we realize how important our life is when it is in relationship with other valued souls. We are not alone. We have support. We are invested in each other’s lives and that makes a house a home, a neighborhood a real community, and a community a treasured place we deeply identify with.

There are those who pooh-pooh this. I know, I know. Cynics abound; until it happens to them and they suddenly get it.

I was talking with a commercial real estate professional the other day. She is working closely with a worn out old city community; not huge, but still a regional power. It has history, and now, with tremendous ethnic diversity, it has importance in piecing together a new future for an important region outside a major US metropolitan area. She is working hard to rebuild excitement in the downtown blocks and bring back businesses long missing from the scene. Office space is what the buildings are now used for, for small and medium companies that have little or no retail role. So people don’t throng the sidewalks to window shop or even better – buy something. Parking is plentiful but it does require leaving the car a few blocks from primary destinations. That’s good. They will have to walk past many other stores and offices and observe the excellent goods and services now available in town.

The very action of parking and walking is an act of involvement with the community. It has social significance. It increases the foot traffic on the sidewalks, and others notice. More people join in and soon a sleepy, down at the heels block or two are revived. This is how communities revive themselves. They bring in small businesses and shops. They create excitement. They present a reason for being downtown. And to walk the streets and shop the shops, and of course, interact with each other.

The social fabric is being rewoven. And the results are palpable.

There are many old and shabby ‘central’ cities in our nation. Many are considered suburban, but that’s OK. It is valuable for such communities to discover their new identities in new commerce, new products, new services and entirely new personalities. The brave new world beckons. It takes nerve, guts and dedication to follow the dream. Besides this suburban location answers the needs of those who don't commute large distances for work, or for those who do commute into this regional hub instead of to the metro center. These commuters have needs as well and they may find them in the renewed downtown.

It is worth it when the community stands firmly on its own two feet, links hands with other supports, and breathes new life into old infrastructure. A community's soul is reverberating again. It tells us of new life in old places.

New life. New people. New traditions and a fresh chapter of history to build.

That is the face of opportunity. And it starts with getting to know you, and you, and you. The we comes naturally.

Now, all together in a rousing chorus – “Getting to Know You, getting to know all about you…..”

January 8, 2015

How Did We Get Here?

The New Year has begun with an unsettling array of issues that mankind simply can’t seem to get right. Here’s a small list of those issues:

• American ranchers in Oregon feel they are owed national lands for grazing by their herds; they are granted access but must pay a nominal fee to use the lands, else the land could be used by all and abused. So they took over a public land reserve with an armed militia and are demanding land ownership to be transferred to the ranchers. Or else. The rest of America’s citizens – all of whom own this land – are expected to do what?
• President Obama takes a stand over runaway gun violence; the majority of Americans support him and his moves to do this. His political enemies immediately state everything he said they would say in opposing his new executive orders. This is not about Obama, or political parties. It is about each of us living together and protecting the innocent from senseless gun violence. If you have a better idea how to manage this, where are your proposals?
• North Korea claims to have tested an H-bomb. They have signed international peace accords giving up testing of such weapons. No confirmation has been made scientifically whether the test actually took place. Still, this failed nation and its suffering peoples attempt to poke a stick in the eye of the world. For what purpose?
• China builds islands in sea lanes off their shore to extend their claim into international waters and then goads world powers to deny them this folly. Is this a badly disguised war cry with which they wish to challenge the world? Bah!
• Russia makes claims that the USA is its enemy and a security risk. America has extended its hand in peace continuously for decades. It is no enemy of Russia unless Russia wants that to be the case. How foolish is this?
• A black man sits in the White House. He is reviled by a large portion of his countrymen. Why? Is this a racial issue in spite of our claims to the contrary? What makes politics so vile and demeaning? Why do we treat public servants in this manner?
• Mental illness is a serious problem for most societies. The best educated societies understand this and have the resources to combat the problem. Yet they don’t; they medicate the patients and set them free to self manage their care and behavior; it results in loss of life and senseless violence. Yet no one steps forward to manage this very human problem.
• Education is the one public service that develops human potential and success for the long term future for the students and society. However, we allow bureaucracy and teacher unions to weigh heavily on the effectiveness of this critical service. Research tells us how to reorganize our efforts but politics steps in the way of meaningful change. Why?
• Sports teams want local municipalities to subsidize their stadiums at huge cost. Why is this even an issue? Public education would benefit enormously from these public dollars. Professional sports is not on par with public education. Fund the schools.
• Private corporations continually benefit from use of public infrastructure including an educated labor force yet they minimize their taxes via loopholes they lobbied for and even stash untold billions outside the borders of the nation claiming they cannot afford the taxes required to repatriate those dollars. Who exactly is seeking subsidies for their operations and why?
• The arts have always had a hard time remaining viable within educational programs. Why? Art and music education have shown to develop the brain and social skills of students in astounding ways. Why would we deny this important ingredient in our public schools?
• Non-profit organizations achieve results where no private dollars are risked. The nation benefits. People benefit. Yet donations to these non-profits are always included on the beggars’ list. Why?

We have much to do in this nation of free people and so called open minds. We celebrate our strengths without realizing our weaknesses. It would appear we need to take responsibility for what we believe and make good things happen.

Such is done by motivated people with strong minds and goodwill. When do we begin?

January 7, 2015

To-Do Lists

It’s 3 am and I lie awake. Moonlight is shining through the transom windows of the bedroom. No need for a night light here! I can make the nightly trek to the bathroom without a flashlight. And back, even after the blinding lights of the vanity. Even the dog raises her head from the bed to watch me safely return to bed. She doesn’t need a night light either.

What’s on the mind at 3 am now that the bladder call has been answered? What to do; what to do with this time at hand. To do? Ah yes, make a to-do list and try to remember it for later when I arise for the day and turn on the computer.

So, what’s on my to-do list today? Here are some:

• Call doctor’s office and arrange renewal of handicapped parking placard; maybe even attempt to apply for a permanent handicapped license plate?
• Call retirement benefits rep and determine once and for all if Rocky can be on my health insurance policy; how much would this cost him, and would it be cheaper than his coverage now? What hoops do we have to jump through to get this done?
• Contact my health insurance company and find out if Silver Sneakers program will work for me locally? [This is a free health club membership for basic elder exercise; paid for by the insurance company.]
• Transfer more working files from the old computer to the new one
• Figure out how Windows 10 works to use these transferred files!
• Figure out how to receive emails with attachments with Windows 10, and then how to save the attachment as working files so I can accomplish something with them!
• Check air pressure in tires of car. They seem a little squishy lately in the cold weather; then how to get more air without paying for it at the gas station? When did they start charging for this?
• Write another blog piece for tomorrow; try and keep at least one on hand so it is not a mad scramble from bed to posting each morning!
• Decide if I should visit the Chamber of Commerce office or not; they promised to help and so far have not lifted a finger to help develop business workshops for small firms in a partnership with SCORE
• Balance checkbook with monthly statement; easy enough to do; just not enough deposits!
• Read more of the book I pulled from the shelf the other day; it’s moving slowly but it is still a good read; don’t give up on it!
• Dust the apartment. It’s looking grody; maybe vacuum, too?
• Encourage Rocky to clean the kitchen; it’s looking more than grody and we are tracking into the other rooms now
• Take a nap when the spirit moves; just accomplish something first!
• Begin tomorrow’s to-do list 

That should work for now. The question is will I accomplish all the items or just a few? How many will be transferred to tomorrow’s list? Oh, this retirement business has its challenges.

I must remember: if things get tough, take a nap.

January 6, 2015