Monday thoughts (some in italic)

I can understand being too lazy to read a necessarily large and thorough health care reform bill, or to dim-witted to understand summaries of it. But for opponents of the effort to carry signs reading “NO to health care” — I hope their own personal physicians don’t take them literally.

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The sign at the Arby’s drive-thru reads “We gladly accept bills up to $20.” I believe they’ll also accept larger bills, but won’t be able to use quite as positive an adverb about it. My research reveals that they’ll reluctantly accept fifties, wistfully accept hundreds, skeptically accept two-hundred-dollar bills (good thing, since that denomination doesn’t exist), hypothetically accept $500 bills, impishly accept thousands and ironically accept the rare $5,000 bill. That’s what I like: a multinational corporation with attitude.

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“KSM” is both the federal government’s shorthand name for terrorist mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and the name of a power pop all-girl teen rock group from Los Angeles. See if you can tell the difference between the Man …

and the Band…

Lead singer is Shelby Cobra (The Man or The Band?)

Principal architect of the 9/11 attacks (The Man or The Band?)

Waterboarded over 70 times (The Man or The Band?) Remember: answer what actually happened, not what should’ve happened.

Mentored by the Go-Gos (The Man or The Band?)

Opening act for American Idol winner David Archuletta (The Man or The Band?)

Involved in the Bali nightclub bombings (The Man or The Band?) Careful — could be a trick question.

Pleaded guilty to mass murder (The Man or The Band?)

Described by critics as “spunky” and leading examples of “girl-ska-punk”. (The Man or The Band?)

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I always feel that if I’d been just a little gentler flipping the on-switch that the light bulb on the lamp would not have burned out. Is it possible to feel too responsible for your actions in life?

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Fun phrases and their possible definitions from the world of corporate news releases:

“Expansion of our footprint” — We’re starting to put on a little weight.

“We leverage multi-shore outsourcing expertise” — We own see-saws and other playground equipment at beaches around the world.

“We employ a suite of internet-based capabilities” — We have a whole room-full of workers shopping on eBay.

“As an integrated provider of solutions, we drive innovation” — We use both African-American and Caucasian employees to blend dangerous chemicals. Many of them own hybrid cars.

“Customer-facing applications” — We’ve learned to look at our clients.

“A 24-7 360-degree resource” — The football game had to be called in the third quarter when it got too hot.

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I drove up to the ATM at my bank the other day and confronted two separate lines of cars — one row had three vehicles, the other had a single auto from which a man my age (late fifties) had stepped out. He was hunched over, peering into the machine, with a card in his hand and a quizzical look on his face.

My instincts told me to choose the longer line, since those people had remained in their cars and appeared ready to make smooth and quick transactions at their machine. But I thought, no, that’s being prejudicial toward my own kind, and I shouldn’t assume a lack of hair corresponds to a lack of ability to interact with modern technology.

I pulled into the line only to regret it immediately; a woman had now emerged from the passenger seat of the older man’s car and was also looking at the ATM. The older couple was apparently trying to figure out how to apply for a modified home equity loan using a secondary residence as collateral, and couldn’t tell which slot they were to yell their questions into. Meanwhile, the other line proceeded nicely.

The man soon returned to the driver’s seat while the woman began rifling through her purse. When the car’s brake lights came on, I had hope that he was going to drive off without her, allowing me to nudge forward — not actually striking her with my vehicle, but offering a helpful bit of direction on how she should get the hell out of the line. The man pulled about a foot forward, then again climbed out of the car. Apparently, they needed a little more elbow room to transact their business. The man removed his jacket.

He looked pretty handy and I half-expected him to pull out a tool kit to try and force access to his passbook account. Neither of them looked in my direction, which was a good thing, as this was about the time I started shaking my fist. I pulled into reverse, moved across to the now-vacant other lane, and quickly finished my withdrawal.

Stupid people like me!

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The Methodist church near my home advertised the topic of Sunday’s sermon on the sign out front: “Jesus and the Smiley Face.”

At first, I figured the message would be predictable: Jesus recognized that life was difficult, that it wasn’t always easy to do the right thing, that doing things which make you happy may not be in the interest of God’s greater glory. There was no place on Calvary’s Cross for a round yellow head grinning ear to ear.

But then, I realized how the Lord’s message is frequently a nuanced one, and there are many layers of meaning in various commandments. (For example, “love thy neighbor” means not only to care for their souls and their well-being, but also to loan them your leaf blower and occasionally engage in secret sex with their wife). Maybe this is in line with that gospel of prosperity and joy I’ve been hearing about. Maybe Jesus does want us to be happy, and display that glee through a big, sloppy smirk.

Not that I’m going to spend a Sunday in church to find out.

[Via http://davisw.wordpress.com]

Jamby's Greatest Fear

After the newly formed multisectoral group  Sagip Korte Suprema has called on all presidential candidates to sign a covenant blocking the appointment of a new Chief Justice by President Arroyo immediately  senator Ma. Ana Consuelo “Jamby” Madrigal called on her fellow presidential candidates to unite in condemning president’s Arroyo’s alleged intent for “silent grab for power.” Probably, if not for a political gimmickry, she’s so afraid of Gloria’s extension to power after her term. And who is not anyway.

But whatever be her (Madrigal’s) intention in echoing the sentiments of the Sagip Korte Suprema group to fellow presidential candidates it’s an eye opener for everyone to be vigilant that while we are all focused on the May 10 elections “GMA (president Arroyo) and her cohorts have set the stage for her to stay in power beyond her term.”

Madrigal also warned that the automated poll system might be used to ensure the victory of Gloria Arroyo’s presidential candidate. She feared that with the appointment of Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit (defying military tradition of seniority in the system) as the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the incoming appointment of a new Chief of Justice of the Supreme Court Gloria will have no difficulty to execute her sinister plan to prolong her stay in power.

“The appointment of the new Chief Justice despite the constitutional prohibition is not only illegal but immoral and unethical as well,” she said.

Madrigal also said that any presidential candidate who would not oppose Ms Arroyo’s appointment of a new Chief of Justice “does not deserve the people’s mandate.”

But Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar  does not feel any of  Jamby ’s (Madrigal)  fear. He said all legal remedies should be exhausted first before presidential candidates sign a covenant that would  reject Ms Arroyo’s appointment of a Chief Justice because as this would be tantamount to not recognizing the Constitution thus putting the new elected president in a difficult situation.

Former president  Joseph Estrada of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino fears nothing and sees no problem at all. If ever he will win in the election, he can take his oath before a new Chief of Justice even if appointed by Gloria. “If it’s according to the Constitution, what can we do?” Estrada, said.

Sen. Benigno Aquino III of the Liberal Party on the other hand said that the next Congress could impeach Ms Arroyo’s appointed Chief Justice “if his or her appointment was found to have been made on unsound legal principles.”  The nine justices who voted to authorize Ms Arroyo to make the appointment would be liable for impeachment according to senator Aquino.

“The legislature has the power of impeachment if it feels there are grounds to impeach an impeachable constitutional body… We need the new Congress, after having organized itself, to determine whether or not there is a need for the impeachment process.” Aquino said.

On his part, Gilbert Teodoro the administration candidate  said that  the President should  exercise prudence ” in considering whether or not an appointment should be made” and let her successor name the new Chief Justice to avoid undermining the high court’s credibility. “If I were in her position, I would not make the appointment given the controversy surrounding the issue.”

“I think that despite the ruling, prudence is the order of the day. We’re talking about the credibility of the institution that is the Supreme Court. I will not even bother to give ‘advice,’ but prudence is the necessary thing,” he said.

But Jamby’s fear should not be ignored in the light  of  the possibility of a military uprising as a result of the Palace’s “concluding maneuver to control the judiciary in its effort to avoid prosecution for its high crimes against the people” as stated by detained ex Brig. General Danny Lim who is now running as a senatorial candidate under the banner of the Nationalista Party . He said the threat of “a soldier’s revolt” was “always there” as a result of the purported undermining of democratic institutions.

And this is the greatest fear of all; a military Junta whether on the side of the opposition or in the present administration. If there is a failure of election, who will rule on who will be in power? If the Senate President is not available, is it not the Speaker of the House? Jun Lozada has already expounded in this scenario, aren’t we that alarmed that a chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and a Chief of Justice will be in placed to backed up militarily and legally who ever be elected as the Speaker of the House to be appointed as the interim president? And will you not be as paranoid as Jamby when that elected Speaker of the House and appointed as the interim president is no other than but Gloria Macapagal Arroyo?

I am just praying greed and lust for power shall be set aside for the greater interest of the Filipino people.

[Via http://kidlatanvillage.wordpress.com]

Failed Banks May Get Pension-Fund Backing as FDIC Seeks Cash

Dakin Campbell Bloomberg March 9, 2010

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is trying to encourage public retirement funds that control more than $2 trillion to buy all or part of failed lenders, taking a more direct role in propping up the banking system, said people briefed on the matter.

Direct investments may allow funds such as those in Oregon, New Jersey and California to cut fees for private-equity managers, and the agency to get better prices for distressed assets, the people said. They declined to be identified because talks with regulators are confidential.

Oregon’s retirement fund may contribute $100 million as regulators seek “the support of state pension funds to solve the crisis surrounding ongoing bank failures,” Jay Fewel, a senior investment officer at the Oregon State Treasury, said in a presentation at the fund’s Feb. 24 meeting. New Jersey’s fund may also participate, said Orin Kramer, chairman of New Jersey’s State Investment Council.

Read entire article

[Via http://truth11.com]

Three Stages of Obamacare

The three stages of Obama care are Abortion, Regular Care, and End of Life.  Here is the way I see it.

STAGE 1

Why is abortion so important to the government? Each child born into a welfare family receives aid. In my home state of Illinois, the average payment to a family is $401.00 per month. If the aid ends when a kid turns eighteen, he will have been paid $86,616.00 over his lifetime.  There are 1.3 million abortions in the USA each year. Let us assume that ten percent of them are welfare recipients. The total cost to the government using the average cost of $86,616 per child is 11.2 billion dollars.  It is beginning to sound like some serious money.

STAGE 2

Money spent on health care is one sixth of the total economy. My math calculates that to be 2.3 trillion dollars. If I spread that number over our total population, it translates to $8461.00 per every insured person in the country.  Now, let us add the thirty million uninsured into the same calculation, the number drops to $7778.00 per insured person.   That is a reduction of ten percent. Ten percent less paid to medical suppliers. What that means to me is that my doctor will have to recommend lower cost treatments to diagnose my situation. For instance, it may mean an x-ray instead of an MRI. The two are as different as comparing a black and white TV to a High Definition Digital TV. Which test do you think will be able to help your doctor find a problem?

STAGE 3

End of life situations can be ugly. None of us wants to die, but we do. The cost of keeping a very sick person alive can be devastating. My own experience with Barbara is that it cost well over five hundred thousand dollars to keep her alive for two years.  I call it dying ugly. Each year 2.4 million people die in the USA.  Let us assume that ten percent die ugly like my Barb. The cost comes to 121 billion dollars. The bottom line is that death panels make sense to Uncle.

Final argument

Medicare became a law in 1965. The law made a lot of sense, and was a bi-partisan effort. The plan is forty-five years old this year. It is bankrupt. Why is that?  Our leaders have piggy backed more recipients into the system over the years. The baby boomers who are coming online have overloaded the system.  The administration has had forty-five years to improve and fix Medicare. Even worse, they have had over seventy years to fix the postal service, over thirty years to reduce our dependency on foreign oil, and the list keeps going. Obama wants us to believe that he can perform a miracle and fix health care in a single year.  The bill will require a building the size of ten Pentagons to staff with people who will finally read, interpret, and write the final rules.

In the infinite wisdom of our President, he will remove $500 billion dollars from Medicare to fund the new Obama care.   Medicare will go broke within a year or two.  All of us who are retired will certainly be looking into the eye of a death panel. Many of us will recall watching the final moments of Edward G. Robinson as the panel euthanized him in the movie Soylent Green. 

Yes, there is a great need for health care reform. Obama care is not it, yet he pressures us to love it now, or the country faces certain disaster. I happen to believe that we will profit by defeating Obama care now, and by revising the system in a rational way.

Put me on the job. I will hire a bunch of engineers who know how to solve problems and we will design a system that will work, and the country will love.

[Via http://grumpajoesplace.com]

Part One: Complete equal rights in Islam for man and woman

Part One: Complete equal rights in Islam for man and woman; (Mar. 18, 2010)

            Women visited the spouses of the Prophet Muhammad and said: “Allah in the Koran talked about you (the spouses) but said nothing about us women.  Are there nothing in us that merit to be mentioned?”  Thus, one of the spouses Umm Salma, a most beautiful matured spouse and an aristocrat from the tribe of Quraich, relayed to Muhammad this question: “Why men are mentioned in the Koran but not women?”  Muhammad had to answer.

            A few days later, the Prophet recited a verse in the adjacent mosque to the spouses residences which stated: “A man and a woman who have submitted to Allah (the one and only God), who are believers, who are pious, who are sincere, who are patients, who fear Allah, who give charity, who fast, who protect their sexual parts, who invoke Allah frequently, the Allah has prepared forgiveness and limitless recompense” Consequently, Allah sees no differences in gender who have submitted to Allah and are believers in the community.

            Muhammad then endeavored to pronounce an entire Sourat called “Women” (Al Nissa2) and then demanded equitable shares in heritage to both gender and to children and orphans.  In pre-Islamic Arabia, women were considered chattel as in then Jewish communities. One verse said “remit to men a part of what parents and relatives left in heritage; and remit equitably to women a part of the heritage whether the heritage is little or a lot”

            Men in Medina tried their best to resume the pre-Islamic traditions.  Umm Kajja (with 5 daughters) complained to Muhammad saying: “My husband is dead and his brother is demanding to stick to tradition and to ignore the new laws.  He is claiming that women do not participate in fights for loots and thus we have claim to heritage” There was a succession of such complaints which required a Sourat on the questions of heritage and legal matters of remarrying.  The verse 19 in Sourat “Women” states: “O you believers! You are not permitted to take away women in heritage against their will; or to forbid them remarrying so that you may capture part of what they received unless they manifestly committed a proven infamy.”  Verse 2 said: “Give to orphans what is their due… Do not eat what belong of their shares: This behavior constitutes a great sin.” The Sourat on “Women” goes into great length on details of proportional shares in heritage.

Note 1: This article is extracted from “The Political Harem: The Prophet and the women” by Fatema Mernissi.

Note 2: There are bunches of mindless and rapacious seemingly matured men who plunder other people’s shares by fraudulent interpretations of the Koran; they were labeled “Sufaha2” in the Koran.

[Via http://adonis49.wordpress.com]

Surf's Up, Condensed: Top Creativity Links for March 17, 2010

Illustration courtesy of SXC.

Special Report: Innovating in a Recession

Chuck Frey of InnovationTools blog/website releases his 2010 Innovation Climate Survey.

iF Design Awards Highlight Brilliant Solutions to Everyday Problems | FastCompany.com

Next to the Red Dot awards, the iF award is the most prestigious design award out of Europe, attracting all sorts of designs that you’d otherwise never see. The 2010 awards were doled out at a ceremony last week.

Innovate: Encouraging Light Bulb Moments in Your Workplace

A nice short e-guide from the documentation and training firm of Michaels & Associates.

Creative Exercises for Artists

Benoit Philippe of My French Easel has created a lovely free e-book for artists and other creatives. Most of these exercises are visual ones, but many of them do not require specific artistic skills and are suitable for anyone regardless of their age or level of artistic ability. (Hat-tip to Making a Mark blog for the link.)

Is There A New Art Economy?

Sue Smith, writing on her blog Ancient Artist, discusses the very shaky current market for art and advises scenario planning for artists trying to figure out their next business move.

Learning innovation skills and best practices

Jeffrey Phillips, writing on his Innovate on Purpose blog, explains what can go wrong with a facilitated brainstorming or innovation session by describing a badly led one he participated in recently.

[Via http://creativeliberty.wordpress.com]

State of the Economy and You

“Economic conditions are much improved for both companies and countries, executives say—but hopes for continued recovery are a little less bright than they were in December” screams the synopsis of a McKinsey Global Survey Results announcing the Economic Conditions Snapshot in February ’10. Now, when companies and executives are talking about the economic mend, the context is the virtual collapse in 2008 and the present condition. It is not a comparison to an ideal state. In a related McKinsey research conducted in January ‘10, 60% respondents polled “building capability among the top three priorities where capability is defined as anything an organization does well that drives meaningful business results”.

It is with reference to the above two research pieces that the claims of the media that “Jobs are back” and “Economic Recovery is Visible” are appalling.   Even given the Ellen Goodman quote, “In journalism, there has always been a tension between getting it first and getting it right”, this rant is way off the mark! Against this backdrop, we are now adding social media and the depth of discussion and the quality of content even gets worse.

As I was heading back to the change room this morning at the gym after my workout, an acquaintance at the gym came following back. He had wanted time from me for the past two weeks to discuss something and seek advice but things didn’t work out. However, he was determined to get a few minutes of my time and my perspective this morning as he was struggling with a decision he had to make and the question was “whether to stay in his job or opt for an invite from his ex-boss in an entrepreneurial venture”. And that established the context of this blog posting for me.

First the advice I gave this young man when I found out that his ex-boss was offering employment and not an entrepreneurial opportunity. I advised him that stock options are really not such a great investment instrument in the current economic market with the time and effort involved. On the other hand, I was very clear that if he had a radically differentiated idea with the ability to garner funds that budgeted for three years of Sales & Marketing, Payroll and Product / Service Development, he should become an entrepreneur right now without question. The matter was settled when the answer emerged clearly in that sweaty state we were both in, that keeping his current job with a multinational company was the safest option. He was going to go straight to work from the gym and inform his current boss that he was ready to take that flight tomorrow to Amsterdam to pursue his current professional life with renewed focus.

Most of what is being written here is from an IT & IS Products and Services industry perspective, but holds good for a large number of industry sectors similar in nature including Banking, Financial Service & Insurance, Retail & Manufacturing and other Professional Business Services. The sectors such as Healthcare, Telecom, Media and Utilities have a more fundamental challenge with respect to technology and a change at the core of their business to address. Travel, Transportation and Lifestyle are an offshoot of the trends adopted by the above industries anyway.

Evidence of Growth is in the “pipeline” with a probability factor greater than 85% for all opportunities listed and 40% of that 85% materializing into business in the next two quarters. If you dig deep into the CXO community of the enterprises who are sheepishly following the media rant about the story of economic recovery, you will notice that the evidence is missing; there is no pipeline. Right now, it is a strange mix of coincidences and desperation that is keeping business going. They know it and therefore they are not investing yet in new workforce. They are definitely beginning to hire and backfill positions that have been required in the last couple of years. But they are yet to make the investments to build capabilities. Some CFO’s who have yet to get busted by the earlier bubble syndrome of 2002 are keeping money available for acquisitions as their growth endeavor. But real capability building is still a lot of words and posturing, rather than a genuine attempt at recovery and growth.

As the advice given to my acquaintance, this stage of the economy demands money in the bank to spend on growth measures. But if it is going to be spent on more sustenance, this economic recovery is a further haul away. Finding Talent within and outside the organization that can create a fundamental differentiation to the business and ringing in an Industry Transformation is the way forward for business leaders. Mere movement should not be mistaken for signs of growth or recovery and it is wise not to fall into a trap of the media who are starved for content.

[Via http://subbuiyer.wordpress.com]