Thought -> In -> Motion

Quick Hitters

2009-11-05T11:46:00.002-06:00

A few thoughts from a book I'm reading:

Work is not a means to an end...rather it is an end in itself.
If your competitive scorecard is money...you will ALWAYS lose
Business/Enterprise IS a mechanism for social change (for good and bad)
Entrepreneurship is a life concept...not just a business concept (totally Doug)
Performance is a bed rock requirement (not just good intentions)

Health Care is Largely Government Financed

2009-08-03T09:58:00.003-05:00

Its interesting that much of the debate around health care reform has been scare tactics attempting to show that we would be in a "Government" run program. The funny thing is most health care is financed and paid through government run programs. In fact, 45% of all healthcare was funded by public sector in 2000. Private insurance contributed significantly less. The thinking is, the fear tactics of government run system is out of sync given government is largely running healthcare today. The related points could be..."Government is doing a awful job running healthcare today." I am the last one to defend the government when it comes to its spending wisdom, but I belive the issues with health cost are more industry related than simply government related. With or without additional government health coverage for those uninsured, there needs to be MAJOR changes to the cost structure of the system.

I Love This Skit

2009-03-22T10:54:00.001-05:00

This is one of my favorite SNL commercials. Just something about the conversation:

Why I Love Austin

2009-03-10T13:05:00.002-05:00

Currently sitting in the Austin Airport ready to fly back to Chicago. Of all the client locations I visit, Austin Texas is my favorite by far.

Ten Reason's Why I Love Austin

Easy Access to Cheap Alcohol - Jamie Foxx was talking about Austin when he wrote "Blame it On The". More about this later
Abundance of Food Options - high end, low end, pizza on 6th street, tapas in the warehouse district. You just can't go wrong
High heals - Its like they are taught a a young age to rock the heals and rock them all day. I LOVE IT!!! Its like there are no women here shorter than 5'8" because of those lovely heals. :)
Approachable City - get a hotel and walk where you want to go down town. If you have to take a cab...be ready to fork over all $3 of the ride cost. (that's with a generous tip)
Makeup Every Day - What I'm trying to say is these girls are inspired by Barbie. They really put the make up to good use.
They Love Their Drink - I would be curious about the rate of alcoholism here because everyone is so crazy cool about their drink. I was in a client meeting yesterday and one of my clients offered this suggestion "Go over to Sam's (I forgot the bar's name) and make sure you get Ed ( forgot the bartenders name) to serve you. He makes-em strong and usually will charge you $5 bucks for 3 drinks." I just have three words to say about that..."Good Bless Ed"
Music is Everywhere - All kinds, All day, Everyday. I flew in on Monday, walked to dinner and passed 8 live acts in a 3 block radius. It was Monday night!!!!
Crazy Swagger - People are friendly but fearless. Its hilarious but also inspiring...you'll see the weirdest guy pull the hottest girl because he just has that swag to him.
Blue Jeans - Texas women where blue jeans the way they are meant to be worn. Enough said...
Easy Breezy - Life is good...no worries

What Did He Expect

2009-03-03T12:39:00.003-06:00

Recently Michael Steele, Chairman of the RNC and the first African American in the role, took on Rush Limbaugh. To put it simply, he got his lunch ate. Below is an excerpt to a MSNBC post.

*** Steele’s rocky start: Steele’s apology yesterday was the second time he has said something during his month-old chairmanship that he has had to backtrack from. Earlier, in a FOX interview, Steele suggested that the three Senate Republicans who voted for the stimulus -- Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, and Arlen Specter -- would face primary challenges, and left open the possibility that those three might not receive funds from the RNC. But the committee reversed course, telling First Read: "The RNC has no intention of getting involved in primaries. We work with state parties to elect Republicans and will continue to do that." These reversals come as Steele has raised eyebrows with his language (examples: “off the hook,” saying he wanted to give Bobby Jindal some “slum love”). To put it charitably, Steele has gotten off to a rocky start as RNC chair (as Rush himself said) -- primarily due to a lack of message discipline. And some Republicans might agree with this statement from Limbaugh yesterday: "It's time, Mr. Steele, for you to go behind the scenes and start doing the work that you were elected to do instead of trying to be some talking head media star, which you're having a tough time pulling off."

Hmmm...as Bobby Jindal and Mr. Steele are now realizing, being a person of color who is semi articulate is not the response the Republicans need to fight Barack. In fact, its only reinforcing his strong character and intellect.

They Said It...But A Lot Of Us Have Thought

2008-08-19T17:34:00.003-05:00

Big reader of this blog called - The Message. No its not the Nation of Islam or anything like that. Its just a couple brotha's and a sista or two that happen to write about stuff I care about. I urge you to check it out. A lot of my inspiration comes from reading the differing views i read on their site.

The have a post about Robin Thicke and how we (black folk) love him. Read it and keep the conversation going. Don't be too shy to add a comment.

http://themessageshow.blogspot.com/2008/08/blue-eyed-soul-inadverdant-death-of.html

Ouch - McCain As Shallow

2008-08-19T09:16:00.003-05:00

I may agree with most of the points outlined in this article, but it still seems a bit too harsh and one sided. What do you think
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/18/cafferty.mccain/index.html

Sprint To The Finish

2008-08-19T09:07:00.003-05:00

I was watching the Olympics over the weekend and happened to catch the women's marathon. Normally this wouldn't grab me, but I couldn't help but notice the parellals between it and the election. In this case, there was a group bunched together battling for the silver. You see, the first place runner was very far ahead and the likely hood of them catching her was essentially zero. The only way she would lose is if she fell apart on her own. She could only beat herself.

Now are in the home stretch of the longest election cycle ever. No matter how each candidate tried...no knock out blows were going to be landed in May, June, or even July. We are not at the point where it matters and the candidates can essentially beat themselves. I'm not sure if they are bunched up like the guys battling for second place or Barack has a lead that he needs to coast in for the win. But I do know...we are at a point when it matters again.

Politcal Dog Days

2008-06-30T12:02:00.003-05:00

OK...unless something breaks...I'm going to put politics on the back burner for the next month or so. Its really down until the conventions anyway.

However...I will be passing along get out the vote activities as they come my way. :)

Sad Day

2008-06-13T18:54:00.003-05:00

I am saddened by the loss of Tim Russert today. I am a loyal Meet the Press watcher and the manner that he conducted his interviews are second to none. He would challenge his guest, but not appear overly confrontational. His passing is a blow to transparent political discourse in our country.

The Training Our Children So Badly Need

2008-06-06T08:26:00.002-05:00

America is frequently called the greatest nation on earth, but our kids continually fall behind their Asian and European counterparts in math and sciences. However we have been able to ignore this because we have a more advanced military and easy access to weapons. According to the report below...we are falling behind African nations for equipping our children to become soldiers and warlords.

enjoy ;)

Report: American Schools Trail Behind World In Aptitude Of Child Soldiers

Back On The Concert Scene

2008-06-04T11:51:00.001-05:00

Another Concert
chrissett Michele is an amazing up and comer in the Jazz / Neo Soul game. I happened to "befriend" her on MySpace and saw she was going to be in Chicago last night. I shifted my plans and made it a point to attend the concert. It was held at the House of Blues and lacked the big venue feel of the Badu concert...but it was still a great experience. She did a great job and it was nice to see that she is not just a "studio" singer and still has a powerful voice. Here is one of my favorite songs by her.

How The Nomination Was Won

2008-06-04T11:40:00.000-05:00

How The Nomination Was Won

I read an interesting article in the Washington Post that lays out the battle plan for how Barack manage to win the nomination. Keep in mind that Hillary winning the nomination was a forgone conclusion for the last year and it took a great deal of strategy and gamemanship to pull of the upset. In light of the upset that occurred, you can understand her supporters being disappointed and angry. However, it is worth reading how his team approached things. In a nutshell...luck, excellent strategy, and rabid grass roots support.

Read The Article

Erykah Badu / The Roots Live Experience

2008-06-01T09:10:00.002-05:00

I went to the Erykah Badu/The Roots concert in Chicago for May 31, 2008. Just to get to the point...I f*ckin love Erykah and I f*ckin love The Roots. I was pretty pumped about going to the concert...as much as I love music, I rarely go to concerts. Well...this is def the year of change :)

First The Roots...Crazy amazing!!! The band is bangin and it was a good short...I felt cheated because they got off the stage after an hour and didn't do much of their new stuff. But still good ;)

Erykah is AMAZING...the girl puts on a show and her presence fills the venue. She performed most of her catalog and seemed to be on stage for about 2.5 hours. Good times!!!

Ironically the song that helped to really jump start a mass Roots/Badu following was not played. :(

The Chess Master

2008-05-30T07:15:00.003-05:00

Taken from a group Canadian political comic: http://www.filibustercartoons.com/

Thoughts From Dick Luger

2008-05-29T15:58:00.002-05:00

Can't take credit for the below...its a great article i read in the Washington Post last month. Enjoy!

By David S. Broder
Sunday, April 13, 2008; B07

When Gen. David Petraeus came to The Post on Friday, he had already answered hundreds of questions in two days of hearings before the House and Senate about his assignment as commander of coalition forces in Iraq.

But he had not really responded to the comments that Sen. Richard Lugar made at the start of the Foreign Relations Committee hearings with the general and Ambassador Ryan Crocker.

The Indiana Republican, one of the real wise men of foreign policy and an ally of the Bush administration, had distilled the committee's previous week of testimony from experts on the Middle East into five "premises" that he said should guide discussions on future U.S. policy.

First, the experts agreed that the surge ordered by President Bush last year and executed by Petraeus has improved conditions on the ground and created "breathing space" for increased economic activity and possible political accommodations.

Second, further security improvements from American efforts are likely to be only marginal, not transformational, in their effects. Significant change awaits political arrangements among Iraqis themselves.

Third, as Lugar said, "despite the improvements in security, the central government has not demonstrated that it can construct a top-down political accommodation for Iraq. The Iraqi government is afflicted by corruption and shows signs of sectarian bias. It still has not secured the confidence of most Iraqis or demonstrated much competence in performing the basic government functions, including managing Iraq's oil wealth, overseeing reconstruction programs, delivering government assistance to the provinces or creating jobs."

Fourth, though many Iraqis are tired of violence, the country's sectarian and tribal groups remain heavily armed and are focused on increasing their own power. For that reason, "Iraq will be an unstable country for the foreseeable future. And if some type of political settlement can be reached, it will be inherently fragile."

Fifth, the Iraq struggle has severely strained the U.S. military. Gen. Richard Cody, the Army's vice chief of staff, was quoted by Lugar as testifying that "lengthy and repeated deployments, with insufficient recovery time at home stations, have placed incredible stress on our soldiers and on their families, testing the resolve of the all-volunteer force like never before." Cody added, "I've never seen our lack of strength of strategic depth be where it is today."

According to those premises, Lugar said, the questions before Congress and the country are much different now from those being asked when the surge strategy was launched. "Today," he said, "the questions are whether and how improvements in security can be converted into political gains that can stabilize Iraq, despite the impending drawdown of United States troops.

"Simply appealing for more time to make progress is insufficient. Debate over how much progress we have made and whether we can make more is less illuminating than determining whether the administration has a definable political strategy that recognizes the time limitations that we face and seeks a realistic outcome designed to protect American vital interests."

In response, during the hearings, Petraeus told Lugar, "We've got to continue. We have our teeth into the jugular, and we need to keep it there."

The general clearly likes that phrase, because he used it twice more during his visit to The Post. I can see why Bush admires his aggressive tone. And I can understand why his troops revere their commander.

But when I asked him if there was a better answer to the question Lugar raised -- is there such a strategy? -- his answer was murky. He began with the comment that "there has to be a regional approach," and he went off the record for a time, then came back with many references to Iran.

When a colleague asked if we had a plausible strategy for engaging or persuading or coercing Iran to cooperate in that elusive regional solution, the answer was: We're working on it at many levels.

Meantime, Petraeus's suggestion is that we focus "less on an exit strategy from Iraq and more on an engagement strategy."

Getting Off My Ass

2008-05-29T15:57:00.000-05:00

Lets see if I can get this thing right now.

Coming Soon...

2008-04-20T20:04:00.003-05:00

Sorry guys...been a busy week at work and home. I plan to write about the following over the next week:

Finished the book Infidel - amazing story and want to share it
Comments on economy and thoughts on making it better
Trip to Austin TX...

Holla at me!!!

Great Response By Barack

2008-04-12T00:22:00.001-05:00

Barack caught some heat for saying the people of Pennsylviana are bitter...I won't get into the situation much...but I will say his response was excellent. Please check it out here...

Barack's Different Angle on Iraq

2008-04-11T10:31:00.003-05:00

I wanted to share this article with you guys....it discuss the war in Iraq and more specifically the hearings that took place on Capital Hill.

Hillary Clinton and John McCain sit on the the Armed Services Committee while Barack Obama sits on the Foreign Relations Committee. Clinton took the stand you would expect...the policy is failed and must be reversed. McCain took the stand you would expect...we are succeeding and must stay the course. General Petraeus and the administration are more in tuned with McCain for sure and are able to easily ignore the attacks that Hillary made.

Barack took a different approach. It was a bit more calculated and seem to almost be in sync with the current secretary of defense's goal (which is in contrary to the Administrations). Time.com says it best here: Time.com

Political Naming Conventions

2008-04-11T10:03:00.001-05:00

the country that politicians and activist alike are forced to run from the liberal label for fear of being defined before they even speak. As such, I’ve taken to calling my self a progressive. It just sounds nice! In my area of the country few people identify with what a progressive means so it gives me an opportunity to explain. This has worked great until you go to an area (like San Francisco) where the term is well known and easily defined.

An excerpt from Wikipedia explains this issue.
The term "progressive" is today often used in place of "liberal". Although the two are related in some ways, they are separate and distinct political ideologies. American progressives tend to support interventionist economics: they advocate income redistribution, and they oppose the growing influence of corporations. Conversely, European and Australian progressives tend to be more pro-business, and will often have policies that are soft on taxation of large corporations. Progressives are in agreement on an international scale with left-liberalism in that they support organized labor and trade unions, they usually wish to introduce a living wage, and they often support the creation of a universal health care system. Yet progressives tend to be more concerned with environmentalism than mainstream liberals, and are often more skeptical of the government, positioning themselves as whistleblowers and advocates of governmental reform. Finally, liberals are more likely to support the Democratic Party in America and the Labour party in Europe and Australia, while progressives tend to feel disillusioned with any two-party system, and vote more often for third-party candidates.

So…yeah…not actually a progressive. Need a new tag and I’m open for suggestions.

Recent Trip to Cali - 10 Days Late

2008-04-11T09:44:00.006-05:00

I wrote this 10 days ago...so forgive me for its lateness :)

San Francisco - >
I’ve spent the last week in California enjoying the weather and break from the Chicago cold snap that seemed to never end. My old college roommate from IU lives in San Francisco and on average I travel to Bay area to hang out twice a year. My goal for this year is 4 or 5 times. I love the vibe, the weather, the people.

I've grown to twice Doug's size

When I arrived Thursday I wasn’t sure what to expect. I wasn’t in town for business, for a change, and just was on hang out mode. Day one didn’t disappoint as we attended a “Gala” at the old opera house called Toast to the City. It was a big wine tasting event that took up four levels. I’ve become a big wine drinker over the last several years so I was in heaven. Good times for sure…

Oakland - >
I don’t go to Bay Area for Doug…rather not just Doug. The man has great friends. I’ve easily met and befriended 10 or great people in the area through my friendship with Doug. There is a couple I absolutely love to hang out with when I’m in the area. They have the right combination for hosting and entertaining. They live in Oakland (Hills) and have an amazing house that overlooks down town Oakland, Bay Bridge, and down town SF.

Good times with more wine

It’s AMAZING!!! We spent the entire day Sunday at their place watching basketball, drinking beer, talking shit, drinking the best margaritas EVER, playing football, playing volley ball, grilling, and having some classic wine. It was easily one of my best days in a long line of great Bay Area days. [Sidenote…the Margaritas are really good, but I recommend the 2nd marg for pros ;)] [Second side note…yours truly was the only two time winner in the games on the day…holla at ya boy!!!]

Fresno - >
Plain and simple…I have some great friends. I really do. My home girl moved to Fresno about 3 years ago and I have not come to see her yet. She even came to meet me to hangout in Bay Area so the pressure was building for me to come down…well I was won over and made the three and half hour drive from San Francisco to Fresno. Now, I hear nothing but crappy things about Fresno: “Arm pit of California” or “I’m sorry WHY you are going to Fresno”.

"It only took your ass three years to visit!"

Well, I went and the place was beautiful…everything was lush and the temperature was great, my friends house rocked…and it EXCEEDED my expectations by far. I had a great time and will likely have to come back this year yet. More importantly I got to spend meaningful friend that has become a sister to me…good stuff there!

More Unearthed Hillary Info

2008-03-30T17:49:00.001-05:00

This is similar to my previous text...but its just the video documentation.

See more funny videos at CollegeHumor

Clinton to McCain - "Pu$$y's Get Caught!" - Diaries of a Warrior

2008-03-29T11:05:00.003-05:00

Surely I jest...but I'm struck with the ease that politicians are prone to hyperbole and out right lies. Hillary's account of her Bosnia trip, explained in great detail on multiple occasions, is a classic example of this. However, not for the reason you would think...This is what "THEY" wanted you to believe:

However, I recently came across some top secret documentation compliments of our friends at The Daily Kos

The True Account:

As bullets clawed the air around us and screams echoed down the rubble-strewn tarmac, I felt almost peaceful.

It was a simple mission, they had told me - get in, shake a few hands and mouth a few platitudes, get out. Simple. Yeah.

Things had started going wrong while we were still in the air and only gotten worse from there. So here we were, pinned down, choking on the acrid tang of cordite and the heady scent of human blood. The mission was even simpler now: survive. Whatever the cost, survive.

There was a grunt and a clatter of equipment as Sinbad threw himself down at my side. Sweat glistened on his bare arms, and I could see tendons contracting and relaxing as he squeezed off bursts from his M14. The motion was hypnotic, like a snake about to strike. Perhaps, when all this was over-
No. Concentrate. Focus on the mission. Survive.
A shout from my left drew my head around. Sheryl Crow, guitar still strapped to her back, had taken cover behind a haphazard pile of decaying corpses. Her hair, once lustrous, now lank and greasy, was held back from her eyes by a dirty red headband. Her slim nostrils flared in the dirt-smeared oval of her face, seeking air free of the funeral taint shrouding the airfield. Still, I saw a fierce exultation in her expression that I knew mirrored my own.
Her lithe, nimble fingers stroked the top of an M67 frag grenade, strumming a chord of impending doom. With one quick, economical movement, she plucked the pin free and sent the deadly payload sailing toward the ridge concealing our enemies. My eyes traced the arc, willing it to fly true, to rain death on-
"There!" Sinbad shouted. "The convoy!"
I wrenched my gaze in the direction he was pointing. The boom of the grenade registered only faintly, suddenly unimportant. Thirty yards dead ahead was the real target: the armored convoy, offering safety, shelter, survival. If we could reach it.
"Follow me!" Sinbad roared, levering himself to his feet. As I prepared to follow, a high-pitched whine arrowed across my eardrums and warm, sticky rain splashed my face.
I forced myself to look, already knowing what I would see. The big man lay there, crumpled, the left side of his head a nightmare maze of blood, brains and tight curls of yellowish-orange hair.
Time to mourn later. Survive.
I juked to my left, darting and weaving, somehow making it to Sheryl's position. Her eyes were wide, shock and fear clouding their emerald depths. "Is he-"
"Gone," I snapped. "We have to move. Now."
For a moment I wondered if I would have to leave her behind, but then her jaw tightened and she nodded sharply. "Stay behind me," she said with a brief squeeze of my hand, then she was up and running, moving like a deer.
I followed, matching her as best I could with the mindless insect hum of lead bees filling my ears and the cracked tarmac clutching at my heels. We ran, time stretching, flattening, the convoy impossibly distant, a cruel mirage, too far, too far . . .
And then, somehow, we were almost there. We had made it, we were going to -
A flat crack and the mournful twang of a guitar string. Sheryl fell, scarlet-splashed splinters from the shattered guitar seeming to hang in the air.
I stopped. Men were flooding out of the brush and streaming around the cars. One approached me, smirking, rifle held casually across his body, smoke still rising from the barrel.
"Every day a winding road," he said in heavily accented English, shrugging a shoulder toward Sheryl's body. He stepped closer, almost close enough to touch. "End of road for her today. And you."
Still smirking, he began to raise the rifle. I lunged forward, freed the ka-bar concealed under my pantsuit, and buried it to the hilt in his chest. He grunted, stiffened, and then slid backwards, the knife making a greedy slurping sound as it pulled free.
The other rebels froze, momentarily stunned. There were a lot of them - too many, surely - but it didn't matter. One day, I knew, I would be telling this story to rapt audiences as I made my inevitable march to the Presidency. Would this ragged group of smelly goatfuckers be the ones to stop me? Would they?
I raised the blade to my lips, licked it clean, and began to laugh.
Survive. Whatever the cost, survive.

Reflections of a Kite Runner

2008-03-27T19:17:00.004-05:00

I just finished the book Kite Runner a story about the turmoil and struggle of Afghani people over the last 30 years. I love books and become deeply engrossed in the stories that I read. This one is no different and I identified with the main character, Amir, as he confronted his fears and history head on. I want to tell more...but shouldn't. It is an amazing book that I highly recommend.

However its after books like this that I become very sensitive to the global struggle. From Afghanistan, Iraq, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Somali, Ethiopia, Liberia, Tibet, and on and on...there is a fight just to LIVE. As I sit in a coffee shop in San Francisco I'm overwhelmed by blessed life I live and realize that I am in the minority and most people aren't this fortunate. My heart and mind is with those who are in the struggle...

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