What attracts you? Not just for friends, fun, even a fling; what do find the most and least attractive things about another person? Now the hard one … what do you do when you are not attracted to a person that is showing obvious interests in you of a more romantic nature?
Now I have to laugh a bit because my mirror is working just fine and I know from appearance down to firsthand experience, the only attraction I have to offer is that six inches that is found between my ears. The hair is gone, the weight is too high, I limp because an old military injury, and I have a few habits that simply make me less appealing to the opposite sex. Oh sure, I have a few that are genuinely interested, but either I don’t share their interests or there is some other missing chemistry that just isn’t there … and I am way past the age of pretending or leading a person on for my own simple benefit.
I have friends, good friends that are well intentioned constantly trying to fix me up. I try to appease them but flatly refuse to be put in that awkward position of a blind date. I’ve seen too many feelings hurt, ego’s crushed, and a few other things to do that to myself and certainly not to do that to another person. In my part of the country there is no such thing as the old ice cream social or singles night out or any of those other events you could bump into people, share a nice conversation and if you hit it off, you had something to do together right then and there. The convenience without all that awkwardness.
But back to the real subject. How to you tell a person you think they are a nice person but unfortunately there just isn’t that attraction to cause you to want more? Personally, if I find nothing offensive I will probably go out with them a few times doing something fun, not awkward, being careful to make sure we are both comfortable and not feeling like there are any hidden signals or that sort of high school stuff. So … what do you say and how do you say it? I have always believed that honestly is the best policy but a good bit of discretion and politeness are absolutes, even mandatory. Nobody likes to be rejected or to have to be in the position to reject somebody that is very nice, but there simply isn’t that spark. Oh yeah, it’s tough, so tough and the possible fallout can be terrifying. Of course, the shoe is often on the other foot when I find somebody I’m attracted to and I can see in their eyes that they really feel “on the spot”. I make it a point of smiling at them and telling them “it’s OK, I can see it in your eyes and I’m not going to be a heal about it. Thanks for your time, I promise not to bother you further”. The look of relief says it all … even if it hurts me.
I have one friend that I’ve know for thirty years now. She is by far one of the nicest, most considerate people I know and if there was any romantic attraction I would marry her in a heartbeat. But it isn’t there and believe me I have search and searched my soul thinking I must be missing something., but that ‘spark’ just isn’t there and every time we chat on the phone it’s always fun but I can feel that she wants something more. We’ve talked about it at length and she knows that I think the world of her, but I just don’t think it’s right to enter into a relationship where only one person might be in love. Been there, done that, and paid a heavy price for it.
And the web sites? Oh God, there are so many scammers out there now how would you know even if somebody showed some genuine interest? I spent a few bucks on one more well known one that promises you the moon, only to be fixed up with a “might want to convert” lesbian. LOL … talk about a blow to the male masculinity!
Humanity … I’m afraid that’s another one that is disappearing quickly. It’s a wonder that men & women can even get together any longer!
The Russian bear is once again snarling but indications are that this bear may be more bark than bite. While Russia showed good strategy in it’s first move against Crimeria the same cannot be said for the Ukraine or it’s response to the Americans or European Union, in fact from all appearances Mr. Putin appears to be quite unsure of himself. Perhaps the Pollitt bureau is starting to register their disapproval and Mr. Putin’s days could, in fact, be numbered.
Just look at it. First, he looses control over his not so secret ground forces in Ukraine, allowing them to create an international incident by shooting down a civilian air liner. He then allows them to clumsily go about trying to alter the facts in some rather obvious alterations to the crash scene and takes another black eye when they cannot allow international inspectors to have immediate access, all the time trying to somehow turn the facts around and accuse both the Ukraine and US of being responsible for his troops bungling. Now, he responds to US & EU sanctions by cutting off trade, which will hurt the folks at home and push the EU and US closer together as trading partners in a unilateral support against Russia.
From all appearances, the brilliant KGB wonder boy may not be so wondrous, in fact he is a pretty lousy tactician and an even worse diplomat. He hopes his moves will hurt the US & EU without hurting the folks back home, but anytime you cut off farm supplies, food and any of the basics, the Russian people will feel the pain rather quickly and for a society that has become rather used to the free flow of goods from the West, there is no painless solution.
While it’s certainly no cold war it also has all the makings of one. The only thing missing is more saber rattling and some too close navel maneuvers in the Baltic sea with a few deniable incidents between vessels …. That is, military vessels, not civilian. For all practical purposes, Mr. Putin has not only made a few gaffs, he seems to be maneuvering himself into a position of having to admit to his errors but in the Russian society, an apologetic leader is seen as a weak leader and an image of weakness is not how he rose to power.
He has missed the golden opportunity to position himself as a world leader and peacemaker by not stepping in and ordering his military to crush the insurgents in Ukraine. Having done so, he would have earned the respect and perhaps admiration of those Ukrainians that are still on the fence. He could have shown even more power by interceding in Syria, helping remove a dictator, and build new relations with the rebels, or perhaps he is wise enough to see that as another no-win battle.
With the Russian inability to complete it’s latest political moves, China’s pending housing bubble, Hamas’s useless battles they cannot win and a few other global ills, it appears that the remainder of this decade will be a rough one. And in the middle of all of this the Americans are drawing down their military strength, even being stupid enough to tell a number of their currently serving combat captains in Afghanistan that they will be getting a pink slip within the next six months.
Honestly … is there ANY country out there that has a sound, first class leader that actually sits back and plans their next three moves? Does anyone actually listen to their diplomatic corps or their captains of industry? Apparently the best global economic product seems to be the “dumbing down” practice and I’m sorry to say it doesn't appear to have any end in sight ….
I am not what most would consider a religious may, in fact most are shocked to find out that I have any religious thoughts at all. They do not realize that in my family such things are considered very private and rarely spoken of outside of the closest of friends. I received the following from a friend, by mistake, but I thought it lends a great deal of insight into the thinking of people and worthy to share with those that enjoy reading and thinking about such things:
When a man is getting better he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse he understands his own badness less and less. A moderately bad man knows he is not very good: a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right. This is common sense, really. You understand sleep when you are awake, not while you are sleeping. You can see mistakes in arithmetic when your mind is working properly: while you are making them you cannot see them. You can understand the nature of drunkenness when you are sober, not when you are drunk. Good people know about both good and evil: bad people do not know about either.
From Mere Christianity – CS Lewis
Ever since I was a boy I remember hearing the constant bickering between Israel & their neighbors. In the early years I distinct remember the issue was all too often “Israel’s right to exist” and I must admit a good deal of sympathy and support for their position, but as with all things, there has been a change in attitude and apparently support. These days, on too many occasions, fault, blame, and a general lack of respect falls equally to both sides with neither willing to extend an olive branch or give an inch in their positions. Because of many decades of US and private citizen support, Israel has a significant upper hand including (still denied) nuclear weapons. Their most recent addition of intelligence satellites, drones and the “iron dome” has given them another significant advancement over their neighbors, still, it must be noted that they do appear to require quite a bit of provocation before they strike back.
Fast forward to the recent developments. With both sides staunchly refusing to accept a cease fire it appears that this one won’t be over until somebody loudly cries “uncle”. From all appearances, Israel isn’t going to be satisfied until they fully regain the Gaza Strip and considering how active Hamas has been, working out of this tiny strip of land, I find it difficult to condemn them. The latest provocation appears to be an exchange of murders of children, but the border between Gaza and Israel has been locked down a long time, preventing even the exchange of medical supplies, food, or anything else. Israel’s reasons are valid and again, we have another stalemate with no movement on either side.
These are the sorts of things the US has been trying to play peacemaker for a very long time and unfortunately with little to no success, any of which is short lived, at best. And here is just another good example of where the US might want to step back and decide to simply stay out of it all, particularly since both sides have lowered themselves to such dastardly deeds that no civilized nation should tolerate it, at all! If there is anything that sincerely offends me is the constant claim of being “the chosen people” as their right to participate in some of the events that have turned a few stomach’s over the years. Not saying they haven’t endured a lot, but please don’t use religion as an excuse. Doing so only gives legitimacy to others that are doing the same.
So, what do we do? Well, in the military we learned that one never “reinforces defeat” and while one side might win more battles, the big picture shows the entire mess is one serious defeat in the way of principles, morals, and so called religious beliefs. We have tried negotiations, peace offerings, and more other approaches that I can name in one sitting. Jimmy Carter PO’d a lot of people when he put it out there on the line in has last book and while a lot of people condemned him, very few found fault with his logic.
In nature the strong survive while the weak perish. In everyday life this also applies to businesses (sans government bailouts) communities, and many more examples. Sadly, this may be the only way for this dispute to be settled. Interesting that few, if any of Israel’s Arab neighbors are coming to the rescue, which says a lot about Hamas. Perhaps it’s time for us to simply stand back, let the situation run it’s course, then deal with the winner.
Cold hearted? You bet, but it certainly is a lot better than us getting directly involved. There is more than one of these similar situations going on and with 41 active conflicts (wars) going on around the globe, now might be a good time for us to spend a lot more time taking care of the folks at home to improve our own strength & prosperity just to insure that when needed, we can step into some of these other situations.
I have no qualms over the application of the death penalty. I personally am not sure I could be the one to throw the switch and despite claims that it is not a deterrent, the fact remains that once a killer is gone, we won’t kill again so despite the objections on grounds of morality, religious beliefs, etc there is a certain efficiency to the whole thing; but, I do have a problem with an avoidable, horrific death that is completely senseless. Now I know there are many out there that say that person should die as horrible a death as they might have caused others and I must admit that is a pretty strong argument, but we live in a society that, while using the death penalty, also prides it’s self on it’s humanity, particularly since we preach that to a lot of other countries.
The most recent fiasco caused the inmate to suffer for 2 hours before his execution was completed. That is simply and completely unacceptable. Allowing this to continue puts us in the same position as a few other countries that we have been lambasting for decades and it certainly flies in the face of “cruel and unusual” as a punishment, particularly when there are other options.
Firing squads, electrocutions and hangings are a lot more dramatic, but they are also a lot more effective and eliminate suffering. For that matter, if you prefer lethal injection, why on earth can’t that take some of that cocaine we capture by the ton, and make up a lethal cocktail from that? It would be very effective, cheap, and truly painless. After all, the whole idea is to suspend life so who really cares if the inmate goes out with a smile on his face? Dead is dead and an overdose of cocaine will certainly do the trick. For that matter, you could give them a handful of barbiturates and a shot of booze for about $10 an execution and that also would be painless and equally effective.
After all, if you are going to anything … well, do it right or don’t do it at all. For the sake of the economy we certainly can’t afford to maintain life imprisonment at an average cost of just under $100,000 per year but for that kind of savings I would certainly think that some well-intentioned, moderately educated chemist could put together a fool proof formula that would get the job done quickly, effectively, and right every time. The Nazi’s put together some dandy suicide pills make from spoiled butter clams … why can’t we make a few more of those?
If it’s not going to be done correctly and we are going to ignore the law against cruel and unusual punishment, then let’s just throw out the law and the constitutional provision and say that the state has the right to use “the most cruel and unusual punishment” it can think of to execute these people. Hmmmm, I don’t know about you, but just the thought of what they might come up with scares the begezziers out of me and that’s one heck of a good deterrent!
Death by phone sex with Hillary …… oh God …. I think I just accidently created the best way to end all forms of capital crime in the US!!
It was forty five years ago I sat on a dirt floor along with 150 other boys and our camp councilors. Late at night by camp standards but not so late that so many young men could stair wide eyed at a small black & white television, waiting to glimpse that historic moment. Seeing the leg come down the ladder and there it was, the first foot print in that dusty soil. Kind of an insignificant pattern, certainly not as sexy as our PF Flyers, but remarkable to see the first footprint that a man had left on the moon.
It was one of those “where were you” moments that my generation will never forget. Telling this to my son one evening I was filled with glee and laughter when it looked at me and said “wow pop, I thought we always had men on the moon and all the other planets”. Too much TV and not enough reality I assured myself but looking at so many of the events of history since that night, I can certainly understand his confusion. It has been a busy, busy world since then and bound to get a lot busier in the coming decades.
Over the years we have seen many, many things transpire in this country and around the world and perhaps it is just my opinion, but none of these has gripped the nation or the world as watching man set foot on the moon. It may have been the last time that the majority of the world was united in watching and appreciating a single goal. While we have seen great attempts by a hand full of other nations, one one else has yet made the commitment of time, money, or simple effort to repeat one or all of our visits to the moon. It is just one of those things that sets the USA apart from the rest of the planet, and regardless of what the nay Sayers may say, it is and remains significant.
So lets take this brief moment in time to remind ourselves of what this country can do when it puts it’s mind to it, then lets take a deep breath and write to our elected officials and remind them of what they haven’t done for us lately and that we haven’t forgotten. Enough motivation will get even the slowest turtle up to a gallop!
Seriously? We have aircraft with auto-pilot, a wide variety of remote controlled vehicles from kids toys to large bomb sniffing robotics and now the FBI seems to have zeroed in on the one thing that stands to be the greatest prevention of death on the roadway since the modern seatbelt. Don’t these guys have something important to do like busting up drug rings, catching criminals and that sort of thing?
OK, granted the application is certainly possible but for the sake of morbid statistics, just how many people have been killed by exploding vehicles vs. the number of deaths in auto accidents? If you simply look at the cost vs. benefit ratio, what is the cost of one suicide bomber in a van packed with TNT (vest optional) vs the cost of one of these vehicles packed with (at this point won't be much more than a Yogi Bear lunch box) full of explosives? And the cost of a remote vehicle vs. an old used era 1990 Ford F-100 van. Come on! For once, listen to those bean counters! Terrorists do a lot of nutty things, but even they have to answer to the folks that are supplying the money and right now you could do about 10 terrorists in vans to one remote vehicle. Shoot, just for the same of the experiment use an old drunken granny in a Buick coming from the liquor store as your control group.
As technology marches forward there will always be new dangers to be dealt with. Applying their logic moving up from the first four legged beast to the horseless carriage should never have been tolerated and Henry Ford should have been immediately shipped to GITMO for creating and distributing “weapons of mass destruction”.
In all fairness, it is important for these agencies to look at all possibilities and at the right day and time, such a device could certainly pose a hazard to the general population, but there are trade offs in just about every scenario you can present. Preventing the development and distribution of self-driving vehicles won’t stop all those TNT packed vans from continuing to be used, if anything, the technology that goes in one could certainly include other things to “sense” the present of explosives, track terrorists, and make the detection and capture of the bad guys easier rather than harder.
The article contained some feedback, one comment certainly caught my eye and funny bone when the submitter simply stated “The FBI should be more concerned with senior-drivers, they are the real lethal weapons.”
Nuff said!
Some months ago Timothy Draper, the founder of a Silicon Valley venture capital firm, proposed that the state of California be divided into six separate states, to be named Jefferson, North California, Central California, Silicon Valley West California & South California. The intent is to bring state management back to a reasonable and intelligent size. Admittedly, the state of California is considered to be one of the worst managed states in the union, guilty of poor representation, division of costs and a completely bloated cost structure. Some issues that need to be addressed include water distribution, political representation as well as access to agriculture & commerce. At last measurement, some 59% of Californians surveyed were against the measure and regardless of intent such a move would still require the approval of Congress and California State legislature.
The web site for this initiative is sixcalifornias.com and it goes into more detail as to the wants and needs behind the measure. There is a video that provides much of the meat of the situation and it’s pretty convincing, particularly when you consider the more local and responsive governments in each of these states. As one of our larger states it currently has some 38 million citizens and only one governor, over 20% of it’s citizens living below the poverty line and, as we said, terrible difficulty managing it all.
While it might be a good idea, it does to a certain extent, court disaster. Allowing such a move would open the door for any state to do the same for just about any reason. Look at the issues between Georgia & Tennessee over water a few years ago. Would it be possible for one state to attempt to solicit parts of an adjoining state to break off and join the first state? Well, if California sets the precedence it certainly might apply and frankly, if this happens, what would stop a group of states from joining as one and calling themselves a new country, very similar to the succession that brought about the Civil War?
Now, in all fairness, there are some good things coming out of this. For instance, during the tenure of one state senator, a contest was run each year to identify laws that don’t exist, but should. Laws concerning red-light cameras, restrictions on over-the-counter cough medicines and criminal responsibility for adults that allow their kids to drink in their home before getting behind the wheel were just some that came out of that process. Sort of makes you wonder why more states don’t do that as well as identify laws that need to be rescinded. Certainly would bring back the theme of “of the people, for the people, and by the people” back into practical application!
I personally am not sure if it’s a good move to divide such a large state into so many parts but the simple fact is that here is a good example of democracy in action, giving “the people” the opportunity to voice their opinion in a way that has a direct impact on how they live their lives and govern themselves. We hear so many politicians speak of smaller, more efficient government. Perhaps you should start spreading the word and start your own movement. Put the politicians in your own state on notice that it is possible for citizens to make things happen.
Politicians always talk about “leadership by example” … perhaps if you show them a few good examples, back up by constituents, we might finally see a little leadership out of them!
Well, we certainly must congratulate our Supreme Court, it appears their latest ruling will open the door for all sorts of abuse by companies towards their employee’s, and of course it will all be legal. With the allowance of Hobby Lobby to refuse to provide payment for services concerning contraception, at least one college is proclaiming the same thing. No doubt, in this age of every higher health costs, there will be quite a few companies that do the same, believing it will lower their own healthcare costs as well. But for the moment let’s forget that the cost of childbirth is terrifically more expensive that contraceptives, let’s look a bit further down the road.
Ever heard of a church that had an objection to blood transfers, medications, or transplants? Stay tuned, they may soon be popping up everywhere. There are already several who’s religious beliefs state they should not even see doctors; I wonder if any of them own a “closely held private corporation”? It could soon end up like a lot of Indian Tribes who teamed with private investors to build casino’s. I mean, why can’t we appoint a chairman of the board that is LDS or one of the lesser known religions that object to any kind of medical care? Certainly would cut costs …. No doubt!
One can only hope that corporations are a bit smarter than that, after all, if you take away enough perks people simply won’t want to work for you, but remember, this is a lot like the practice of banks. I don’t know of any rebel bank out there that is paying 5-10% interest on a simple savings account … why should one or two corporations promote great medical plans when all their competitors have ended theirs?
OK, seriously it probably won’t get that bad but I still recall the sales pitches when “managed health care” came out, how it was going to make all of healthcare highly competitive and we would all save a bundle. You know, I don’t remember even a month going by before the first cost increases went into effect and of course the claim now is “oh, without managed healthcare it would be a LOT worse!”. One thing I have not been able to confirm is that Hobby Lobby has always voiced this objection or if they have had that coverage blocked in their prior insurance coverage’s for their employee’s. Anyone know?
None of this directly affects me. My children are grown and at my age I’m not going to have any more, but I must admit that I cannot help but notice how businesses keep eroding benefits, salaries and all those items that get and keep employee loyalty; the one thing that ALL companies constantly complain about. The current generation of kids out there will pick up and leave a job just because they don’t like the boss’s new tie and it drives these company’s nuts trying to figure out how to hang onto them. Do they think this new ruling is going to improve their odds of retention?
I’d love to be in charge of Hobby Lobby’s marketing department and see how much it affects their bottom line in the coming months & years. I wonder if there are any strip mall operators that will decline Hobby Lobby’s leases because they don’t agree with Hobby Lobby’s approach?
It’s the sort of thing that is bad for business, bad for employee’s, bad for public relations and simply put, no good can come out of any of it. Sadly, since the great majority of their employee’s are minimum wage jobs in locations where opportunities may be limited, once again the employee must suck it up and deal with it because they can’t afford to walk out the door and get a better job with a more considerate employer that cares more about their employee’s than they do about their petty personal ambitions.
Just another tidbit of historical significance that was noteworthy. On Tuesday of this week Japan amended it’s pacifist constitution, giving more power to it’s military. For those that are not students of history, since it’s unconditional surrender in the second world war, Japan’s role had been strictly one of self-defense, to which it has been dedicated. The change has certainly not gone unnoticed by China, which has recently been at odds again concerning the Diaoyu islands that both Japan and China claim as their rightful property. It was noted that Japan might also be stepping up it’s support of Vietnam and the Philippines, which also have territorial disputes with China.
Needless to say, with the various conflicts that are ongoing in Iraq and Afghanistan, the prospect of new tensions in Asia are more than a little unsettling, particularly when you review the moves the US made just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor that some claim were the real reason Japan attacked the US. While that was decades ago, it is not out of the realm of possibility that similar disputes with just as similar consequences could once again arise. One can only hope that such activities would not result in the same resolution that caused Japans unconditional surrender.
This, on top of the most recent moves by the President in sending troops and equipment back into Iraq smell to many like another Vietnam. In fact, a recent article in “The Progress Report” published on June 23rd of this year go into greater detail about the many, many similarities between the two wars and how the end of each is easily predicted. As I recall then President George W Bush proclaiming “The analogy between Iraq and Vietnam is false”, yet the tactics and eventual outcome were very similar. And now with Syria, Turkey, and Iran all getting involved, will we once again be dropping bombs on Iraq’s neighbors in effort to keep out the escalation?
Many, including yours truly feel that the President has missed a golden opportunity, thanks to current Iraq leader, to simply bow out and say, “your right, you don’t need us and we should let you settle it yourself”. Some suggest that now is the time to sell arms to BOTH sides, let them slug it out while we reap the financial rewards, and then wait to launch a diplomatic mission with the eventual winner. Cold and heartless? No doubt, but you can’t argue with the effectiveness of it all and lets face it, if we became full time arms dealers to every conflict out there we could easily cover all the unemployment, Obamacare, Medicare, and those that simply don’t care one way or the other!
So, I suppose the transition of Japan from self defense to having a possible offense was inevitable, particularly with China flexing is muscles over those otherwise insignificant islands. I suppose I was just hoping that the generations that remember the war would have been dead and buried so there would be no reliving of the horrors of some of that warfare in the South Pacific. I suppose I should take a lesson from Nazi Germany and realize that while the threat is long gone, the memories live on and not everyone is anti-Nazi now days. Besides, the Germans have their own issues with China, despite a very close business relationship. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to see China attacked by so many of those they have pushed around and how they would handle it … and could we stay out and remain neutral in the process. Doubtful since North Korea would certainly get involved and we would find ourselves dragged in due to our relationship with South Korea.
Oh well, at least the world hasn’t gotten to be a dull little place where nothing ever happens. I mean, can you really believe anyone even has time to worry about Roswell and those aliens? Sorry, I seem to have digressed just a bit …. I suppose with “Independence Day” on the horizon I just couldn't help myself!
We've heard it so many times now, it’s a wonder that it even rates a headline. Americans confidence in all three branches of government are at an all time low. This with the announcement that the Supreme Court’s popularity has fallen to a record low of only 30%, the lowest since the Gallup pole started tracking it in 1973. Fortunately for the justices the legislative branch takes the price with only a 7% approval rating. And they wonder why so many Americans are buying record numbers of guns and hording every bit of ammunition they can find. People have simply lost faith, are losing hope, and are hunkering down, getting ready for God only knows what. If ever the tea leaves pointed to the American version of an “arab spring”, this certainly is starting to look a lot like it.
Granted, the Supreme Court isn't about winning popularity contests but, considering some of the court’s rulings over the past decade, it really cannot come to anyone’s surprise. It’s one thing for the court to tackle an extremely difficult case with lots of intimate details that the everyday person won’t fully understand, but when cases are decided against what even the simplest person can see as a common sense ruling, you really have to wonder if anyone bothered to tell the new justices that impartiality isn’t just a nice habit, it is a necessity for the court to be respected, understood, and appreciated by every citizen as “the highest court in the land”.
And if all this political non-sense isn’t enough, just look at our own general population. Look at the surveys of how many young adults say it’s OK to lie? As a culture, we accept that every politician lie’s, but why? Why aren’t our legislatures passing laws to stop this, or better yet, why aren’t we the people demanding it end? Has it simply become so easy to do that we simply accept it and never demand the truth? Most importantly, how does this affect who you actually trust and of course, what do you base that trust upon? For fun, just google the words “lies, Lying” and see how many hits, news stories, research results, etc you get. Simply astonishing! Oh yes, my favorite was the statement that in 1 out of 3 couples, one spouse admits to lying to their partner about money …. Really? Only 1 of 3 …. Shocking that there is so much truth about money. Wonder if there is a direct correlation to the claim that the divorce rate is now 50% or 1 in 2 …. Hmmmmm, apparently some of these couples are lying about more than money! In a recent NPR survey, more and more older couples are divorcing later in life because they are finding that after the kids are gone, they simply don’t have anything else in common. Wow, now there’s a breech in trust, particularly since all that time they had time to create more commonalities. Now days people over 50 are twice as likely to divorce as those 20 years younger.
So, you can’t trust your government, our politicians, your spouse and probably not your kids …. So who do you trust? But maybe the real question is, how do you find trust, keep trust, and believe in trust? Or maybe it’s a lot simpler … do you ever talk about trust with other people? Do you talk about how important it is and what happens when it’s lost.
You know, since our lives became so full of television, computers, games, music and all those other distractions we don’t seem to have really meaningful conversations any longer. When is the last time you told your significant other just “why” you love them?
Perhaps you've just found the first step in trust, now get moving, you’ve got to get back on that beaten path!
Watching this evening’s special on Amazon I was surprised by the stunning parallels between them and Wal-Mart’s formula for success. In brief is it, snuff out the competition, treat your employee’s like robots, and claim that it is all for the benefit of you, the customer. I must admit that their prices are at times, breathtaking and there are very few things that they don’t carry or have a direct source to, but after hearing this evenings report I am seriously wondering just how many businesses they have or will drive out of business in the near future.
And if all of that isn't enough, just look at the profit line and stock price. I cannot remember ever seeing any company that is the absolute darling of the market despite their 1,400% growth and little, if any actual profit. Now, I’m not the sharpest investor in the world but a stock that pays no dividends and has practically no profit worries me. Oh sure, the price keeps going up but what is it supported by? If I were holding a few thousands of their shares I would be worried sick that I was going to wake up some morning and find that everyone else had wised up and sold the day before.
But if there was one overwhelming, run screaming through the streets kind of indicator that rises above everything else was simply this. They flatly refused to talk to any of the reporters on camera and warned their associates (another Walmart phrase, eh?) not to talk to the reporters either. Not necessarily a sign of guilt but it certainly has to make you wonder. Kind of reminds me of old Tony Blair back during Desert Storm and how he always managed to put a positive spin on anything. “Oh Tony, we didn’t catch Osama again today, what say you?”. “Oh common mate’s, yes we didn’t catch him but just think of all that money we saved by not having to keep him behind bars!”. I’m sure I hear at least one of my readers from across the pond absolutely Cackling in agreement on that one! But seriously, if a business or even a person has nothing to hide, what is the harm in talking with the press and addressing some of those pesky nay say’ers?
The one thing I didn't see and wanted to see was some kind of analysis that showed how many businesses had been driven out of business or forced to move over sea’s because of Amazon? Quite a few celebrity authors and book sells are currently at war with Amazon because of their heavy handed tactics. But I’ll be the first to admit I buy and read a lot of books and Amazon has made it affordable for me. I certainly never got that treatment from B. Dalton’s or some of the other “big box” book retailers. The down side, I suppose, is that there are a lot of students out there buying their text books from Amazon at less than half price of those university book stores. Having just left a university, I can tell you there were more than a few discussions about the fat commission checks the universities got each quarter, on the backs of the students while the university was raising tuition prices, adding extra fee’s, etc. all in the name of education, which as some are finding out, isn't necessarily a guarantee of success for anyone.
I've got to tell you, there are days I really worry about how so many young people are going to find a way to support themselves in this world. Is it any wonder that so many lawyers advertise on everything from accidents to Social Security claims?
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