Death of the Public Library

Are the days of public libraries drawing to an end? The public library is soon to be a relic from the past. The clock is ticking. With the advent and popularity of the internet and the more environmentally conscience world, the days of the printed book and library are entering obsolescence

 

The internet is in high gear. The downfall of the daily newspaper and the increased web surfing from mobile devices has embarked us all on a new path. A path that is devoid of ink and wood pulp. Paper is a fossil relic of days past. The actual physical holding of media material and the obscene waste of space housing this media is an insanity that fortunately is drawing to a close. The local library will soon be exhaling for the last time… it’s final breath.
At last count, there are 120,096 libraries in the United States. That’s an awful lot of space wasted on the storage of a material that can be reduced to a kilobyte. Imagine what could replace a library. Maybe a low cost health clinic. perhaps a community day care. The days of the Dewey decimal system are behind us. The library of today is just a money saver for the cheapos of the world who don’t want to pay for something. If anything is deemed valuable , it should be knowledge but unfortunately we have decided as a society that knowledge should be free, or well in this case accessed by anyone with a library card.

 

Books are nothing more than words formulated into ideas and printed with ink on wood pulp. Ink is by far one of the most precious commodities in the world. An ounce of ink can retail for as little as $13 to as much as $75. Which, per gallon, ranges from $1664.00 to an eye popping $9600.00. That’s almost $10,000 for the Rolls Royce of Ink. Now, let’s think about the cost of other liquids. So, for one gallon of the good ink, we could have bought 2,791 gallons of milk or 2,652 gallons of regular gasoline. Not fair to compare ink with the price of gold because one is a liquid and the other a solid, but you get my point. Ink is BLACK GOLD. And we waste it printing words on paper when we can all access any material on the world wide web and save all that ink. Converting to an electronic media standard would not only save ink, but we would save trees. Imagine that.
Imagine all the trees saved because we as a nation went paperless. 4 BILLION books were published last year in the US by approximately 75,000 book publishers. It took 30 million trees to make the paper found in those books. 30 million is about 1,150 times the amount of total trees found in Central Park in New York City. Many of these sourced trees are taken from endangered forests and cause devastating impact on the wildlife that relies on a healthy forest. The production impacts to the environment are frightening. The pulp and paper industry is the 4th largest emitter of greenhouse gases among U.S. manufacturing industries. The paper industry contributes 9% of total carbon dioxide emissions from manufacturing. Those are seriously unhealthy numbers. There are other dangers and that’s in the disposal of paper. Paper makes up 26% of landfills. Degradation produces methane, a greenhouse gas with 23 times the heat trapping capacity of carbon dioxide. Landfills are the source of 34% of methane releases, the single largest source in the U.S. Imagine if we just got away from the written word, how much cleaner the world will be. This accounting doesn’t even look into the practices of the lumber industry and the negative impact of deforestation on the environment. We need to stop the insanity.

Technology has enabled man to evolve. From writing on cave walls with charcoal, to using a feather pen and an ink well to a laserjet printer. The evolution is apparent. Now, the advent of the internet, the evolution is upon us to find a new way and to accept that way with open arms. The days of hopping in a car, driving to the library and perusing the stacks of books are over, at least they should be. The waste in time and trouble, not even counting the gasoline used to make a trip when an easier choice is available is a fool’s errand. Why are we so reluctant to not embrace the age of electronic media? Why must we hold on so tightly to the bygone days of a bound book and a huge building to warehouse those books? Why do we feel the need for every community to have multiple libraries, some towns have one of each side of the town. 120k libraries in the U.S., divided by 50 states is 2400 libraries per state. C’mon now, that might have been ok in the 1980s but things have radically changed on how we collect and share information. In a small area of Central Long Island, New York, we can find many libraries. All redundantly offering the same products. We could stand in Massapequa, a small community on the south shore of Long Island and be amazed at the amount of libraries all in a 5 mile drive in any direction. We have the two libraries found in Massapequa, we have two libraries in Farmingdale, one library in Plainedge, one library in Seaford. thats less than 5 square miles and we have 6 libraries not counting the libraries found in the local schools. All of this info can be easily found on the internet. Instead we do as these hamlets in New York have done many times over. We warehouse books in ornate buildings and then loan them out for free, subsidized by the tax revenue of those areas. That’s a plain and simple definition of a public library. What a waste of time and money, paper and ink, and real estate. Most of this info can be found on the internet.
The Google Library Project initiative was started in December 2004. It’s goal for the first 10 years, Google would create a library by scanning and digitizing 15 million volumes. As of April 2013, they surpassed the 30 million volume mark. That’s double the goal. That is now a huge amount of books that can be accessed just using a search word. No need for reference librarians, no need for people to reshelve books, no need to replace worn out copies, no need to spend millions on the actual places to store the books, no transportation costs getting the books to the library, etc, etc, etc, the list of benefits is almost endless. Wow, can you imagine, It’s an evolution or a revolution, that choice is yours. Sooner than later, Google will catch up and have scanned every book in the world. That’s a fact and it is just a matter of when it is finished. So, why isn’t there conversation going on about alternative uses for libraries. Why hasn’t the public demanded a more streamlined modern approach to electronic media. Because of money. The book publishers and the politicians of the world would keep us in the stone age if that meant the status quo wouldn’t change.

The U.S. library system is Big business. Lets; just look at the Library system of the most celebrated city in the United States. The New York Library System. It is the second largest library system in the world behind only the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.. It was established at the turn of the 20th century and has currently 87 branches with 53 million items. Although New York has 5 boroughs, the NY Library system only serves the island of Manhattan, the island of Staten Island and the Bronx. Brooklyn and Queens have their own library systems. The annual budget is $245 Million dollars per year. Imagine that, one quarter of a billion dollars. Or $5 dollars spent annually on every item warehoused in the system. That isn’t even counting the other two library systems, the Brooklyn Public Library and the Queens Borough Public Library. The Brooklyn Public Library system has 60 branches and 5 million items and a $140 million annual budget. The Queens Library system is similar. Comprised of 62 branches and 7.5million items, it operates on an annual budget of $125 million. Total of the 3 systems serving the City of New York and it’s residents is $510 million dollars per year. That’s a half Billion dollars for what easily could be accessed by all in the comforts of their own homes, or on their mobile devices anywhere.
Everyone starting to get the picture that the system is wasteful and archaic. It’s time for people to wrap their minds and embrace change especially when the pros exceed the cons so dramatically. It defies logic that people would choose to keep the brick and mortar library system. Once the books are scanned onto the net. It’s equal access for anyone. No waiting to take out a copy of a book, no fees for returning one late, no locked doors and restraint because of the hours of operation. Knowledge centers would now be open 24 hrs a day/365 days a year with no regard to weather or anything else. All one would need is an internet connection. All that cumulative time spent going to take out a book and then having to retrace the steps to return the item, saved. The three NY Public library systems combined maintain almost 200 brick and mortar buildings. Think about what these buildings could be used for in the public domain. Warehousing books is not the proper use for these buildings anymore. Not my call here, it’s evolution.

Things change. and That’s is a good thing. If not, we would all still be whipping that horse and bumping along in a buggy behind it, or we would still be starting the car by turning the crank in the front. It’s ok to write a eulogy for the Library system. Say your piece, bow your head and say goodbye. Like Blockbuster video, it has reached the end of the road. Everyone remembers the days of going to the local video store and renting a movie. No one thinking that one day, renting of a movie would be done in the comfort of their own homes over the internet at the touch of a button. But, alas, that day has come. People now subscribe to a myriad of services satisfying their entertainment needs such as Amazon Prime,Netflix, and Hulu. But the days of schlepping to the video store are over. Thank God!! Soon the movie theatres will be a relic of the past as well. People don’t want to sit in an auditorium of strangers watching a movie. If there were a viable alternative to watch new release movies from their homes. They would jump on it and leave behind the days of sticky floors, obnoxious people and overpriced concessions in a heartbeat. So, why does it antagonize people when others suggest evolving away from the brick and mortar library business. Why are people so reluctant to accept the future and the change that comes with it. Why is it so hard to change a certain generation? Why can’t they see the overwhelming benefits of electronic media. Why must they try and restrict the evolution and the natural progression of the way things change. Why won’t they just turn in their restrictive library card and subscribe to the future? Is it fear of change? I’m not sure, but I do know this. It is so much nicer and more convenient for me to google a topic and be offered many solutions that fit what I am searching for. It’s a hassle to have to hop in a car or a subway, brave the weather and restricted hours of operation to seek out the knowledge I need at a library. Isn’t life grand when you can in your pajamas google something that needs googling. Isn’t it great that the days of the morning and afternoon newspaper are behind us and the instant gratification for info is at our fingertips.
So, Why the reluctance to demolish the antiquated public library system. A high speed bullet train is to the internet what a steam locomotive is to a library in a brave analogy of learning systems. Who would opt for the steam engine over the 300 mile an hour train? No one except the fearful. So, let’s help the “fear change minded” people of the last generation, let’s forget and ignore the politicians telling us what we need. They have an agenda and that agenda is the publishers wanting to sell the libraries and Universities the books. Scholastic Corporation doesn’t donate millions in political campaigns because they are socially responsible. Nope, they are about increasing the black on their bottom line. Lots of people get fed cause of the book industry and it’s time for that to end. Society has never benefited by hanging on to an industry that should have been replaced because of an evolution of technology. Think of Film processing and Kodak. Kodak was one of the largest companies in the world but the invention of digital cameras and SD cards killed the film processing business All those 60 minutes or less film processing stores were closed in record time. Anyone miss those days where they had to drop off a roll of film, then return and pick up their photos? Nope, no crying there. So, why all the heel dragging and crying over an antiquated way to get a book? Time to embrace the future and shutter institutions that were invented in 1895. Yes, Libraries once served the greater good and were responsible for much individual success, but let’s face it, we have the internet now and wandering up and down stacks are a complete waste of time. More fun to hit a Starbucks, grab a latte and google the topic that interests you. If you aren’t gonna think of yourself, think how lovely life would be for the average student having to tuck an Ipad under an arm rather than haul a 50 pound kapsack of books.

 

NFL Changes Super Bowl Format

NFL changes format for the playoffs and Super Bowl. That’s a future newspaper headline. Lots of talk at the NFL Owners meeting and the buzz in Roger Goodell’s office for the last few years has been about the extension of the playoff schedule to include more teams. There really is no need to add more teams. Unfortunately, the current NFL scheduling system is wrong. The season is too long. The preseason is a joke and meaningless to teams and fans. The Super Bowl format is flawed. The Big game should be a “best of three” game series. Win two, don’t play the third, but this one and done does nothing to really determine who the season Champ was. All it does is tells us who the best team was on that day. That “Given Sunday”.

Football needs change of format

Football needs to ditch the one game Super Bowl format and embrace a series tournament like other professional sports. Every year, we all wonder a bit if the best team of the NFL season actually was the Super Bowl Champion or was it just one of those “Any Given Sundays”.

Any Given Sunday

This year Seattle won the Super Bowl doing what no other team in the league had been able to do, BLOW OUT the Denver Broncos 43-8. I believe this is a clear case of “Any Given Sunday”. Denver got steamrolled, no doubt and no argument. But I have also witnessed 18-2 bashings in baseball or 125-62 bruisings in the NBA from bottom division teams on teams that eventually went to win that year’s World Series. Anomalies happen in life. Every Dog has it’s day. Now before, Seattle’s 12th man flies to Las Vegas to torch my house and hang me in effigy, I am NOT saying Seattle is a bad team. I am NOT saying Seattle is the Dog who had it’s day. I didn’t say they don’t deserve the Lombardi trophy They damn sure did. They earned it. They were the best team on February 2nd 2014. What I am saying is that Denver is and was the better team in 2013. No team in NFL history put up the box scores week in and week out that Denver did. They were a scoring machine. Peyton Manning was on fire. It’s running game at times looked unstoppable. Every one of their receivers scored 10 TDs. Insane stats, every game all year long. And it doesn’t deflect any from the amazing job that Pete Carroll and the Hawks did to neutralize that offense and then drive a stake right into John Fox’s mending heart. but they did it ONE game. Not an entire season or even a series.

If I was Commissioner

My argument is this. The NFL wants more revenue. I get that and I am all for it. I love the NFL. I love what Pete Rozelle envisioned and I love the work Roger Goodell and the other commissioners have done to bring us this amazing product. The salary cap has made a more balanced league with the aim for league disparity and fairness across all markets. I love it and the salary cap adds another piece for the fans to snack on. The contract signings during the pre and post seasons. But this talk of bringing lower seeded teams into the playoff picture and giving them a chance to be crowned Super Bowl champs is a terrible idea. It’s already bad enough that a 8-7-1 team like Green Bay could make the playoffs after winning their division. What’s next, will we have 6-10 teams in the Super Bowl one day against 14-2 teams because they lucked out during a playoff game because of an “Immaculate reception” or a David Tyree “The Catch”. Will a bad referee call or two cause a last ranked team a chance at a Superbowl? Cause all that will do is create a Super Bowl Sunday mismatch that will not draw more fans, it will draw less fans if the anomaly doesn’t happen and the true result of a lopsided blowout occurs. A couple of years of “David vs Goliath” football in the Super Bowl with a transparent result where the favorite team destroys the underdog will only serve to distance fans from the big game. If not careful, The Super Bowl could follow Boxing when the result is obvious that fans tune out rather than tune in.

People hate change in general

I can hear the screams now. Oh no, someone wants to change an institution!! Get out the flamethrower and light it up, this guy is crazy. No, I’m not and neither is this conversation. It’s an archaic system. The NFL has evolved to 32 teams. When the Super Bowl was introduced in 1966 there were 15 teams. We have twice as many teams today and with talk of expanding the league to possibly Los Angeles, internationally to Canada and London, England, it could be growing. The last few years the NFL has talked about dropping the Pro Bowl, eliminating or shortening the pre-season, extending the regular season and expanding the amount of teams that make the playoffs. Everyone seems to be just looking past an obvious alternative.

Series format is the better mousetrap

Let’s join the other three major sports leagues in the format they have used for decades. The SERIES format. Let’s get rid of the preseason, let’s junk the last two games on the regular season calendar. That’s six games gone. Now we can substitute a series type format. We could have a three game Super Bowl. Best two out of three. They could have a double elimination set up for the playoffs. Just spitballing here. But let’s be honest. the Super Bowl doesn’t give us a real indication on who was the best team for the season. Again, as I said, it’s an indication on who was the best team on “Any Given Sunday”.

Is “one and done” the right format?

Think about all the fluke plays and bad calls that turned previous Super Bowls. Think about the Immaculate Reception, The Catch, The blackout during the Ravens-49ers game. The List goes on. Lots of events change the outcome of a game. What happens in this past years Super Bowl if the Center doesn’t launch the ball over Peyton Manning’s head into the end-zone for an opening play safety. That two possession difference at the start of the game, great field position for Seattle and a two point head start got that snowball rolling and it kept gaining speed and Denver didn’t have a chance to get out of it’s way. I know the argument that these events are what make football great. Well, if that was the case, then the other sports could go to a one and done format. No need for the Best of Series like they play now.

Life is about change

The NFL wants to expand and increase revenue. The NFL Players Union wants to keep the status quo so the injury rate doesn’t increase in proportion to the amount of games played. The fans hate the meaningless preseason, the games are terrible and more of a tool for teams to internally evaluate their talent. The fans hate the Pro Bowl, because players play at half speed because there is nothing but bragging rights for the winner. The NFL tried changing things up by using a fantasy system this year. Great idea I thought but the fun was in the picking of the teams in my opinion and the game again really didn’t matter to many fans and was second rate to the process. So, it’s time for a change in thinking.

Summary

Eliminate the pre-season, the teams can self-evaluate in training camp, no reason to broadcast meaningless games except for revenue. Eliminate games in weeks 15 and 16 since, most years, those games are the ones where most of the teams are not playing for anything and are already playing their second and third rate talent for next season evaluations and benching starters to prevent injury. Institute a 14 game regular season coupled with a double elimination series format for the playoffs. And finally a three game series for the Super Bowl. The nuts and bolts can be ironed out. But this conversation is long overdue.

More Hype and better contests

Imagine a team one game away from playoff elimination and the excitement and build up surrounding the next one. Imagine a Super Bowl, where both teams are tied up 1-1 going into the tie breaker game. Both teams now having two games under their belts against each other. Against studied opponents. Now that to me is exciting. Imagine the fun in one month of three big games played. Imagine the amount of betting. Imagine the advertisements. Imagine how happy the networks would be with the ratings of three Super Bowls. I can not think of one negative or reason why people would object except the same people who are afraid of anything in life changing. Wouldn’t there be a clearer case for who is the real season champion based on a series format?

Originally the Super Bowl was called The SuperGame. Let’s bring that definition to life by instituting the Series format for the most viewed sport in the world.

The Truth About Anabolic Steroid Public Policy Scam

Funny thing about this whole steroid debate is the utter nonsense in the first place about the dangers of steroid use. Does everyone realize that steroids was a political agenda? You all drank the kool aid like a bunch of Jim Jones followers. It’s actually quite scary how easy it is to influence and brainwash the general populace.
Do realize that there are approximately three deaths a year associated with steroids. THREE!!!! That’s a scary statistic in itself. Steroids, in fact, like any medication come with associated risks and EVERY drug on the market has some side effect. Listen to a TV ad or read the warning in a magazine, some warnings take up more copy than the advertisement. Anything used in excess is dangerous. This is all a smokescreen for creating public policy. But this was an amazing example of populace hypnotizing by problem creation, solution introduction leading to profiting. Genius!! Makes Congressman Francis Underwood in House of Cards character jump off the screen. How art imitates life. I laugh when I see all the people debase and demonize their favorite athletes and they aren’t even aware why they are doing it. Clear case of Hypnotized Populace.

 

Let’s look at the first step “create a problem”. Steroids KILL!! Simple problem. Clear and to the point. Very easy to rally people around a cause when it involves our first and strongest instinct…. SURVIVAL.
Throughout history, public policy has adapted the “danger strategy” to villainize and hypnotize the populace on what needs to be done. The prohibition of alcohol in the 20s to the reefer madness propaganda that served to criminalize a plant in the mid 30s, public policy creators have crafted a well thought out plan to “convince” the consensus. Alcohol prohibition was pushed by both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats. Clearly, this act caused many things to happen. First off, legislation was enacted, the 18th amendment, which made alcohol illegal under the Volstead act. A new cottage industry was formed overnight. New employees of the federal justice system for enforcement and prosecution. The Mafia, Al Capone and others really stood to benefit, besides the countless politicians, judges and police he paid off. At the peak, it is reported that Al Capone ran 10,000 speakeasies. The average American consumed $17 of alcohol per year before enactment. After the repeal of Prohibition, American consumption had increased to $35 per year. A doubling in consumption and a 100% increase in spending. Nice!! Who personally benefited will never be known cause rudimentary forensic investigations at the time were not done. It’s easy to see now, in retrospect, who did benefit.

The U.S. Justice department grew, the gangsters profited. Corruption soared. Courts and jails were full with cases backlogged over a year. and lest, we forget the bootleggers. In,1973, Frank Costello told the world that Joseph Kennedy and he were bootleggers during prohibition. Never proven but makes you wonder how the Kennedy’s got their money since they never seem to work at anything. That’s a tale for another time. The point here is the Temperance movement was the hypnosis stage of the populace. By demonizing alcohol to women, the ideology of alcohol being an opposition to “true motherhood” , the temperance movement founders were able to dial in on the hot button and get “the moral authorities of their households” to get their men to refrain from the evils of alcohol. An amazing example of mass hypnosis using propaganda to form public opinion. It worked fabulously.

Marijuana followed a similar path. The policy reformers used a film called Reefer Madness which was originally titled “Tell your Children” and produced by an unknown religious group. Released in 1936, it served it’s purpose to demonize marijuana and effect the The Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. The federal government again embarked on a campaign to demonize by using William Randolph Hearst’s newspapers. It is known today as the “yellow journalism” campaign and the articles linked usage of marijuana to violent crime and blacks. Most historians agree that Hearst agreed to embark on this witch hunt because of the invention of “Decorticator Hemp”. This innovative way to cultivate hemp created an immediate, superior and cheaper alternative to wood pulp. and that very fact, threatened the timber empire that the Hearst family managed. At the time, the Secretary of the Treasury was Andrew Mellon, whose family’s original wealth accumulated because of their lumber business. But, the Mellon family evolved into banking and was a major investor in DuPont. At this time, DuPont invented a new fiber called Nylon. Nylon was also threatened by the Decorticator Hemp. So, they embarked on the task of creating public policy by creating a problem, demonizing it and then making it illegal. Another master plan, successfully implemented. Hemp became illegal, Nylon and wood pulp endure unencumbered. An empire protected. Job well done.

History repeats itself. War on steroids has been declared. Problem created. Steroids Kill!! Simple rally point again emotionalizing all Americans to jump on the bandwagon. To reiterate, some reality facts on steroids. Any drug used improperly and excessively is harmful. All drugs have side effects but steroids has been improperly demonized as much more dangerous. THREE people die a year from steroids. Now, that’s a funny number considering two substances, alcohol and cigarettes, both bought without prescription and both extremely dangerous, yet very legal and easily obtainable. Scary facts from the Centers for Disease Control.

• CDC Facts on alcohol. “There are approximately 88,000 deaths attributable to excessive alcohol use each year in the United States. This makes excessive alcohol use the 3rd leading lifestyle-related cause of death for the nation. Excessive alcohol use is responsible for 2.5 million years of potential life lost (YPLL) annually, or an average of about 30 years of potential life lost for each death. In 2006, there were more than 1.2 million emergency room visits and 2.7 million physician office visits due to excessive drinking. The economic costs of excessive alcohol consumption in 2006 were estimated at $223.5 billion.”
• CDC Facts on cigarettes. “Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States, including an estimated 42,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. This is about one in five deaths annually, or 1,300 deaths every day. On average, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers.”

Age restriction and advertisements are about the only laws governing their existence. Combined they kill some 600,000 Americans a year. Five million people worldwide will die from smoking this year. Both put a heavy burden on our medical system, but are very profitable and provide many cottage industries. Don’t need to pontificate the demons of the two, the dangers are very well known and ignored. But, steroids remain illegal. “Cause they kill people and cause cancer”. I’m sorry, but I just laughed and I’m sure you did as well. Three unlucky souls died from steroids the past year. That is still 597,997 less people who have died than the smoking and drinking business.

The steroid witch hunt. Every cause needs it’s first “public face”. The face that will be used to demonize. This one was footballer Lyle Alzado. Died in 1992, from “steroid abuse”. Actually, he had brain cancer. And, medically speaking. Steroids have NEVER been clinically proven to cause brain cancer. NEVER!!. Unfortunately, since they became illegal, term testing with testosterone is not legal in the US. NICE way to shut up the critics. Mr. Alzado publicly blamed his usage of steroids from 1969 till almost his death as the cause of his demise. He said that the slurred speech, loss of hair and lack of motor control function clearly showed that steroids was the root cause. Of course, he ignored the daily brain trauma he received colliding with another human being during his career and he ignored the fact, that most of the populace lose their hair as they age. He said that 90% of the NFL was on steroids and now we see, that 20 years later, there have been few, if any other players, that have succumbed to brain cancer linked to steroids. Guess we can close the book on the Alzado cause of death and attribute the brain cancer to another cause. Possible cause could be associated with what the NFL has now admitted to be a serious health consequence, the sustainment of multiple concussions. Unfortunately, steroid blame by Alzado doesn’t support the historical facts. But, he served his purpose to the policy makers. He became the poster boy for “Steroids are a killer”. Lyle wasn’t alone. The faces of the steroid user continue to be presented so the “kool aid” doesn’t have a chance to wear off. Remember Chris Benoit,WWE wrestler, killed his family and himself because of steroid abuse and roid rage. Then we have Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and the rest of the athletes, careers asterisked forever. We have the national media attention surrounding the Congressional hearings. More time and money spent on hearings by the House Government Reform Committee that didn’t even have the jurisdiction over sports nor the health industry. A prime example of Washington showmanship. But, it put the light on steroids and made the black mark that much deeper. The fallout still is touching on other people. Former Mets catcher, has been, so far, cast off many ballots for the Hall of Fame because he had acne on his back, a sure sign of steroid abuse. Amazing. Not a failed specimen indicating steroid usage, pimples made him guilty as charged. in 2013, The Indianapolis Punter, Pat McAfee was selected for a “random” PED test after a game where he delivered a vicious tackle on Trindon Holliday that went viral on the internet. Paranoia will destroy ya. All of this contributing to this “greatest show on earth” circus mentality fueling the steroid crusade.. The power that Senators and Big Business have is not to be underestimated. Combined, they are a force of nature.

This whole scheme to demonize and make steroids illegal started in 1986 when the U.S. Olympic committee started testing for PEDs. The timeline and the benefiters of the steroid witch hunt can been easily identified by stepping away and looking at the long term plan in retrospect. We have to look at who benefitted, The How and the Why are just window dressings. In 1990, Congress passed the Anabolic Steroid Act of 1990, NOW, it is a controlled substance. At the same time, Congress enacts The Nutrition Labeling and Education Act requiring all packaged foods to labeled with nutrition information and all health claims for foods standardized by terms defined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. This law trumps state requirements about food standards, nutrition labeling, and health claims.

With the former, Steroids have now been officially demonized. The latter gives the FDA broad power to enforce and make companies complicit to a standard on what can be advertised and sets forth a requirement regarding labeling. Wow, that really irked some people and spoiled their plan. But the policy makers have a Plan B and they put it into high gear. In 1994, Congress passed the coup de grace, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act(DSHEA). It restricted the Food and Drug Administration from exerting authority over dietary supplements as long as makers made no claims about preventing or treating disease. As a result, the FDA currently regulates dietary supplements as a food, and not in the category of pharmaceutical drugs. BAM!! Plan is back on track. This leaves the gates open for anyone to jump into the dietary supplement business which today is estimated at $30 Billion dollars and growing like it’s on steroids. . Now, we start to see the “why”. Money, of course. But who is the culprit of this “Francis Underwood” plot to make billions in the politbureau of Washington. Who is the rainmaker? Well, history is extremely transparent when it comes to the truth. Senator Orrin Hatch(R-Utah) was the sponsor of the bill to deregulate supplements and reclassify as a food thus neutering the ability to regulate the industry. Bravo!! Who benefitted directly? Well the great state of Utah. The number #1 industry in Utah is the diet supplement business. Almost $8 billion annually. Smoking guns are easy to see in hindsight. Did Mr. Hatch get paid? You damn straight he did and so did other Hatch family members. In 1990, this industry was worth $800 million, fast forward twenty years later and its grown 10 times as big, thats an amazing growth rate and can only be attributed to the said deregulation. Utah citizens have become very comfortable and support themselves nicely cause of the other branches of the diet supplement business tree. Between 2007-2012, over 200k people attended conventions in the state concerning supplements spending on average of $1,000 per person on food, lodging, entertainment and transportation. $200 million dollars in convention money. That’s big.

Who got paid? The Senator has been paid nicely with most of his re-election money coming from the supplement business. His son, Scott Hatch is a longtime industry lobbyist in Washington who derives his income from the mega-conglomerates in the Utah diet supplement business.

• In March 2003, the Los Angeles Times reported that Scott Hatch’s lobbyist firm was formed with Senator Hatch’s personal encouragement and that he saw no conflict of interest interacting with his son’s firm regarding constituent issues.
• In 2007, five pharmaceutical companies and Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), donated $172k to the Utah Families Foundation, a charitable foundation which Hatch founded in the 1990s.
• In March 2009, the Washington Times reported that the same pharmaceutical companies that received help from the Senator failed to file disclosure

Mr. Hatch’s former partner at his law firm owns Pharmics, a nutritional supplement company in Salt Lake City. Gets better and better.

Utah controls the market and fights viciously to protect it. The government has attempted to reverse the deregulation and require broader control and oversight of the supplement business to no avail. A President doesn’t stand a chance fighting a long term Senator and his political connections. Witnessed back in the day of the prohibition amendment when vetoed by the President but overridden by Volstead et al.

Classic case of Washington bill blocking. Senator McCain Withdraws Support For Dietary Supplement Safety Act. It was confirmed by a Senate staffer that Sen. John McCain no longer supports a bill he introduced to tighten the regulatory requirements for dietary supplements. In February, McCain offered the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010. Since withdrawing the bill, Senator McCain now announces he will work collaboratively with Senator Hatch on a revised bill to increase transparency and safety within the supplement industry but without the intensive regulatory rhetoric proposed in the bill. No effective timeline is set for re-introduction of a new bill. The legislation was blocked on every attempt. Job well done by Senator Hatch. That new “legislation” will never see the light of day. And watch the timeline of what happens next. Hatch’s next plan to accelerate more control for the industry. Next step, the Co-conspirator.

Utah supplement industry has other political puppets in Washington it controls outside of Senator Hatch. It single handedly helped elect Congressman Jason Chaffetz. What an interesting bio on Jason when read. A former Democrat who converted to Republican and a former Jew who converted to Mormonism, a former Californian who relocated to Utah. Man changes sides at a moment’s notice. A former employee of Nu-Skin, an infamous diet supplement MLM company in it’s own right. Who would have thought it (sarcasm). In the news, January 2014, Nu-Skin is accused of being a classic pyramid scheme by the Chinese government and the stock tanked. What happens in the future will be determined at a later date. But the blood is running red. As a Junior Congressman in 2011, motivated by his loyalty to the supplement people who bankrolled his campaign, he sponsors The Free Speech about Science Act(FSEA ). It will greatly reduce the FDA’s authority to prevent consumers from receiving legitimate scientific information before purchasing food or dietary supplements. Currently, no information can be provided alongside these products, except for what the FDA approves. Current FDA laws and regulations prohibit any mention of a scientific study by the makers of a dietary supplement if the information elaborates any specific health results. It will allow dietary supplements and health foods to cite “legitimate” scientific research. But the question of what is legitimate is a slippery slope and well traveled historically. The Tobacco Industry to refute claims on the dangers of smoking in 1954 established the Tobacco Industry Research Council. It’s sole function was to put out the ‘fires’ that smoking was dangerous. It used data and testimonials from doctors and scientific studies to refute the health danger claims. Much like that can be done by the supplement business. Which is why they want the FSEA passed. Just more wiggle room to state whatever it wants in its advertisements. Classic case of snake oil salesmen with their panacea cures, just an advanced evolution of the occupation.
The FDA reports there are 50,000 health issues related to diet supplements. According to them, the industry fails 70% of the time to follow basic quality standards. Now that’s scary. But it doesn’t stop consumers from going into their local health store and buying a giant jug of “muscle milk” and believing the hype. BMB Medicine reported that a third of what was claimed as an ingredient wasn’t identifiable as present when tested. The really sad statistic is out of the 55,000 U.S market diet supplements, only 0.3% have been tested, that leaves 99.7% of the products on the shelf untested. Which leaves the question to what negative side effect interaction is possible and what unknown danger is present. Because of the 1994 DHSEA, the FDA must prove a supplement to be adverse rather than a product prove it worthiness to be in the market. Quite the backwards standard. And because of budget issues, the FDA is not equipped to study the properties of 55,000 products. In 2007, the FDA implemented a “good manufacturing practices” policy to standardize the labeling and the purity of the ingredients. In 2012, FDA director of diet supplements, Dan Fabricant said that 70% of the companies were not in compliance. Imagine that. An industry that lacks oversight brought to you by Senator Orrin Hatch, Congressman Jason Chaffetz and the great people of Utah. Imagine if the top Mormon rainmaker, Mitt Romney was elected to President. How much would the USDA be worth if the cattle industry was deregulated like the diet supplement industry and substituting their product with horsemeat? Don’t laugh, HR Bill 2112 lifted the US ban on the slaughter of horses for human consumption which was effected in 2006. This provision was squeezed in quietly in the body of The Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act.of 2012. How long before Horse winds up at the butcher shop. Now serving Mr. Ed at $3.99 a pound. I digress, my apologies.

So the next time a ballplayer is maligned as a cheater because he took steroids. Think Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sly Stallone. Don’t think Alex Rodriquez. No steroid enabled him to hit a curve. Next time, Gov. Arnold comes out against steroids, ask him about the bodybuilding competition with his name on it and if they PED test. Nope, they don’t. No money in a bodybuilding contest containing small bodies. Ask him about the 2007 winner and his indictment on running a steroid distribution operation. When Arnold claims to “not know”. Shake your head and ask him how at his own peak, while admitting his own steroid use, stood 6 foot 3 inches and weighed 235 pounds. But Victor Martinez was 5 foot 8 inches and a massive 255 pounds. But he didn’t know if Martinez was juicing or not. Incredible!! The face of the Arnold Classic.
Next time you attend a concert, think about the pill the performer took before climbing on stage. Most take some form of beta blocker to get rid of the nerves and stage fright. Is that a PED? Cause it definitely gave them a performance enhancement. Today’s students go to their physician to get Adderall prescribed because of it’s known benefits to increased attention span and the ability for the student to focus and achieve stellar test results. A recent study suggested that 66% of students were offered Adderall by their senior year. Is this using a PED? Check Twitter around mid terms and you will be amazed at all the students hunting for some Adderall. Is this cheating?
Captain America, comic book hero, was transformed by a Super Soldier Serum, “steroid”, to transform from wimp to macho super soldier. Popeye the sailor man, opened a can of spinach, another form of PED. I’m kidding. We are surrounded by enhancers. People cosmetically enhance their appearance without thought. Is it such a stretch that people want to be the best at what they do? If that takes a shot in the arm every now and then, most people will trade the result for the risk. Three people dying a year, doesn’t sound like much of a risk compared to how many who die undergoing a breast augmentation or butt lift. I bet more people die from over the counter medications like aspirin. American policy makers made steroid the villain so an industry and a politician could enhance their bottom lines and fatten their wallets. Plain and simple. This steroid issue was about creating and building the diet supplement business. No demand for diet supplements without the demonization of steroids.

Now at the sound of my voice, you will awaken from your “sleep”.

Fantasy Football Kicker Strategy–Streaming Kickers and Why It’s a Mistake

Not many people understand the strategy to choosing the right kicker for your fantasy football team. Most people just follow the projected points or match-ups and tend to spend little thought into the intricacies of the position and what it can do for you to really make or break your ability to win your leagues.

Cashing in when your team stalls on a drive

You need to ALWAYS pick your kicker based on either your QB or your matchups QB for that week. If you have the same kicker as your starting QB, you won’t be kicking the TV when your QB stalls a drive and out comes the kicker. If you had the QB’s kicker, you are in a position to reap the points anyways and sometimes it will be more than the 4 points in standard scoring that the QB could have gotten for the pass TD. IF a QB gets 4 pts and the kicker gets is 3,4 or 5 points depending on distance. You are in the coveted position to get either one less, the same or one more point than what your QB would have gotten you had he passed for a TD. No worries, If your team runs the ball for the score, You will still get 1 point for the extra point and if your QB passes for a TD you now increase the value of that TD to 5 points, 4 from your QB and 1 from your extra point.

Stealing points from your opponent

Now suppose, your QB’s kicker was taken in the draft and you can’t get your hands on him. That’s ok, we now look at our weekly H2H match-up and see who they are starting at QB and see if that kicker is available in the waiver pool. If he is, then we are in business to poach points from one of his key players. Now suppose our matchup had Peyton Manning starting at QB and Matt Prater, his kicker was in the waiver pool, we can pick up Prater and get his points on every stalled drive. Also, we benefit that when Denver scores regardless of pass or run, we get credit for the extra point. So, If Peyton passes for a 1 yard TD, he would get 4 points, and we get 1 point for the extra point, thus reducing his TD points to 3 every time. Now, when Peyton stalls a drive on his opponents 40 yard line and Prater comes out to kick the 55 yarder. He gets no points and we get 5 points. How lovely!! I have effectively neutralized some match-ups QBs totally using this strategy.

X-Factors choosing a Field Goal Kicker

Now suppose, you can’t get your kicker or your match-ups which happens from time to time. Don’t just settle for the highest projected kicker. There are so many other factors involved when choosing that perfect kicker that will hang 15 points for you. Look at stadium, open field or dome. Look at weather predicted for the game. So much nicer for a kicker to kick in the Dallas Dome than in Lambeau Field in December. Look at the offense of the kickers team and see if they have lots of injuries to their weapons that could stall a drive. Look at the defense and see if they are the type that can stop the 3rd down conversions cause that’s gonna make any kicker more valuable. Look at their overall team record and see if they are a losing team that will forgo a field goal as they will be playing from behind and go for it on 4th down reducing the potential ceiling for your kicker. Also look at when the game is played. If two kickers are pretty similar for you and one is playing on Sunday vs another playing the dreaded low scoring shortened week Thursday game. Take the Sunday kicker.

Conclusion

The Field Goal kicker position has a definitive strategy that most people ignore. They will analyze and agonize over which potential WR3 to start on their bye week and just choose any kicker cause he is projected to score X amount of points. The projection rarely takes into account most of the important intangibles like weather, stadium type, home or road game, 3rd down conversion percentage, 12th man, etc. Use the QB-Kicker strategy and it’s one less player to worry about for 15 out of 16 weeks. Stop kicking the cat every time your team stalls a drive and start banking those points. At the end of the year, the kicker could be the difference whether or not you beat a match-up or make the playoffs.

Book Review: Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky

Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals teaches the lessons any community organizer needs to learn to understand how to effect social and political change through tactics and fundamentals in community organizing. The Alinsky “play-book” has been used by the Clintons and the Obamas.

 

Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky was published in 1971 during one of the most explosive times in the history of the United States. It was the time of the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, the desegregation of education, women’s rights movements. In the tumultuous decade of the 1960s, we saw the assassinations of leaders from both the political and civil rights movements: John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers and Malcolm X. Mr. Alinsky was inspired to write this book that serves as the playbook for many organizers and politicos today. It was born from Mr. Alinsky’s 40 years as a community organizer. Before we get into the aspects of the book, we need to know the background of the author.

Who was Saul Alinsky

Saul Alinsky was born in 1909 and died June 12, 1972, one year after Rules for Radicals was published. He was one of the founders of modern community organizing and perfected his craft over four decades. Mr. Alinsky was a champion of the poor and a leader in the African-American ghettos becoming their champion fighting to improve their living conditions and opportunities for employment and betterment. His focus in his early days were the ghettos in Chicago but soon took his fight on the road to major cities across the country focusing again on the ghettos in Michigan, California, and New York City. His work has been commended many people and adopted by many in the mainstream as well as counter-culture organizers.

Testimonials to Alinsky and his thoughts on organizing

Time magazine once said about Alinsky, ” American democracy is being altered by Alinsky’s ideas.” Both Hilary Clinton and President Barack Obama have both said that they were indirectly influenced by the doctrines of community organizing that Alinsky preached. Conservative pundit and author William F. Buckley once said, “Alinsky is very close to being an organizational genius.” In Hillary Clinton’s 1969 college Political Science Thesis, she wrote it on the 1946 Saul Alinsky book, “Reveille for Radicals.” Her thesis title was “There is only the fight…” An Analysis of the Alinsky Model. This totally refutes Hillary Clinton saying that Alinsky was only an indirect influence.

Life thru the eyes of Saul Alinsky

Alinsky saw the United States fight two World Wars, Korea and the Vietnam War. He saw the country change from peacetime to war time and back again many times over. He experienced the Great Depression as a 20 year old man and even though he was an archaeologist by education, he found his way naturally to become a leader and a person that changed the mindset of a nation for the betterment of entire classes of people thru community organizing.

“Rules For Radicals: A Pragmatic Primer For Realistic Radicals”

The book is an amazing look at the times of a community organizer that effected change for 40 years of his life. The book is a how-to for modern organizers to follow to effect change. The tactics used in the book are the playbooks that many have used to change political elections to effecting change for better health, laws giving people equal rights, and recently seen in the legalizing of gay marriage and the legalization of marijuana. The 2008 Presidential election saw the Alinsky rules laid out in the book used effectively for the second time in political history with it’s fundamentals in grassroots political campaigning. Bill and Hilary Clinton used these rules the first time when Bill was elected President and Obama used the same playbook when he ran and successfully became President of the United States even though he had such limited political experience. Barack Obama has always been a community organizer and follower and practitioner of Alinsky rules for organizing. Companies use Alinsky’s rules everyday to get support of their bad business practices like: lack of medical plans for their employees, justification not to raise the minimum wage above poverty levels, fracking, tax loopholes, and government tax credits and subsidies that afford them the opportunity not to pay any federal corporate taxes, etc.

The Basic Ideas of Rules for Radicals

Saul Alinsky laid out his Rules for Radicals very simply. He stated that there are three classes of people: “The Haves,” “The Have-Nots,” and “Have-a-Little, Want Mores,” they are the rich, the poor and the middle class, respectively. In the book, each chapter has one lesson to teach a rule to empower a community to organize and effect social and/or political change. All of these rules have been used successfully by labor unions, governments, politicos and community organizations.

Criticisms

Rules for Radicals and Mr. Alinsky have been criticized and demonized as a brand of socialism and communism. It’s funny to me, the people that do this demonizing are actually taking a page straight out of Alinsky’s book and trying to influence people by making Alinsky the evil party. A great tactic and Mr. Alinsky would be the first to applaud them. Some say the Alinsky movement is akin to a “movement without morals,” but I think it is a pragmatic dogma of realism. All things have a duality. The discovery of nuclear energy was a great day for mankind, it gave us a source of clean energy and allowed us to move away from oil and coal as our primary methods for generating electricity and power. But at the same time, some genius figured out that the splitting of the atom could be used to kill millions of people at a touch of a button. Mr. Alinsky’s words have the same duality of purpose. Some will use it to fight the good fight. They will use his ideas for noble thoughts to help mankind. Others will use the same thoughts for evil. This duality of man has nothing to do with Alinsky but is a barometer of the human spirit and that can’t be changed.

My opinion

I feel empowered everytime I read the book. I have read it a least 10 times, re-discovering many new ideas as I re-read certain chapters. I look at some of the political and social organizing today and as a “graduate” of the books of Alinsky, the tactics they use amuse me as they are readily identifiable to any student of Alinsky, which I am. I don’t of course agree with Alinsky on all points and I am NOT affiliated with any political party nor have I ever been. I have voted both sides of the aisle and see intelligence and stupidity in both party’s rhetoric. I see myself as a fiscally responsible libertarian on some issues and a conservative on others. I am torn on many political issues like gun control. I respect that all people have a right to be treated equal but am also realistic to understand that even though some may say it is okay to behave a certain way, that doesn’t make it so. I love the book, Rules for Radicals, and think that it should be a mandated read in high school. Every American should want to read it to understand when they are being played for a sucker by some slick community organizer or corporation. Read the book and become educated. It is a short book, 244 pages in total length and under $8.44 at Amazon. You will have a knowledge but few possess in the general populace of he United States.

Sources: Hilary Clinton College Thesis, Best of Beck , Crossroad, Nuke Gingrich, Townhall, Front Page Mag

Alibaba, the Chinese E-Commerce Giant IPO in August of 2014

What will the Alibaba IPO mean for it’s original investor, Yahoo!  Yahoo invested 1 Billion dollars in 2005 for a 40% stake in Alibaba. After pulling out $7.6Billion in 2013, they still have a 23% stake in the company that will be valued from $100 Billion to 200 Billion. Yahoo is about to get a huge cash infusion.

 

Alibaba is the Chinese E-commerce site. They are to China what Amazon is to the United States but with a distinct difference that they are the exclusive middlemen to a purchase between a buyer and a seller. That leaves Alibaba in the advantageous position of not having to inventory product. Alibaba is a conglomerate of businesses consisting of their main Alibaba brand that links business to business transactions and it’s consumer to consumer business portal called Taobao that functions similarly to Ebay and offers over 1 billion products for sale by over 7 million unique sellers at any given time. They also own Alipay which is the Chinese Paypal and has 300million users and controls half of the market. They also own Tmall, Juhuasuan, e Tao, Ali Express, Ali Cloud Computing, ChinaVision Media Group, Laiwang, Youku Tudou and US shopping site 11 Main. All develop different aspects of the internet like social networking, instant messaging, video sharing and archiving, and cloud storage to be brief.

Alibaba files for their Initial Public Offering (IPO)

In April 2014, Alibaba filed the paperwork disclosing their future public offering. It was a placeholder filing for only $1 billion dollar but the consensus opinion is that in August when the IPO happens the company valuation should be in the $150-$200 Billion ballpark. To put this in perspective, Facebook IPO had the company selling shares at $38 per share for a valuation of $104 Billion, so the Chinese E-commerce company IPO will dwarf that by the factor of two possibly.

What does this mean to it’s original investors.

Two companies were the original venture capitalist stake horse for Alibaba in 2005. One was Yahoo! And the other is Japan’s Softbank with a 36% share. Both publicly traded companies. Yahoo! Invested $1 Billion dollars in 2005 for 40% of the company. It currently has a 22.6% after selling stock back to Alibaba for $7.8 Billion in cash in September of 2003. Since the IPO filing disclosed that Yahoo! will be required to sell 40% of it’s outstanding shares for the IPO, Yahoo! will in turn get a cash infusion between $24 and $44 BILLION Dollars depending on valuation An interesting observation is that at a current price of $33 a share for YHOO, the stock valuation in Alibaba may be greater than the total valuation of Yahoo! As a whole. Yahoo current valuation is at $33.8Billion dollars

What will Yahoo do with the money?

In my opinion, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has done an amazing job so far She has acquired 37 companies in the two years since becoming CEO. She has hired Katie Couric from Television to be the Yahoo Spokesperson and hired the New York Times Tech editor, David Pogue to start a digital tech magazine. Her strategy focusing on smaller business acquisitions to introduce a new customer to Yahoo! and integrating new products and services into the business model takes time to evaluate it’s success but is a logical move to strengthen it’s core business and compete with Google and Facebook . The coup de grace is the acquisitions of major companies with high profiles on the internet like Tumblr, Snip IT, and Wander. These acquisitions when looked at as an overview fill some of the niches that Yahoo needed in the mobile, social networking, instant messaging and video necessities of the web. I foresee a major purchase by Yahoo before the 2014 calendar year ends that will bring all 37 of these acquisitions to a pinnacle of usefulness through integration.

How to capitalize on the Alibaba IPO

Buy either Yahoo or Softbank and hope for a higher valuation. Yahoo is on a dip on their high price of $41 in January 2014 and closing today under $34. TheStreet has given it a B rating and a BUY determination. Soft Bank on the Tokyo Stock Market closed at $74.75 with a yearly high of $88. Softbank has announced that it has plans to hold on to 30% of it’s shares after the IPO so they are obviously bullish on the long-term future growth and business model of Alibaba. At the end of May 2014, Softbank stock slipped below $70 and I feel that is an extremely profitable target price to buy. Alibaba is a giant of a company with huge potential and little concrete competition with a huge head start and now a cash infusion. Old expression, “the rich get richer.” This is as true a statement as you can make concerning the longtime potential of Alibaba as an investment vehicle for outstanding performance and long term growth in the largest business and consumer market in the world. You can take advantage now by buying shares of Yahoo! And Softbank.
Sources: NBC News, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, Forbes, IBN Live, TheStreet, Market Watch

Book Review: “How We Die” by Dr. Sherwin Nuland

This book will prepare each person with the understanding that dying with dignity is all about dying on your own terms according to your own set of values. The process of dying is a personal experience and it is not a universal rule that all must do “whatever is available” to prolong life regardless of the cost to mind, body or soul.

 

Brief Overview

Sherwin Nuland was a doctor, surgeon, author, speaker, teacher, philosopher, husband, and father. His life was quite extraordinary and filled with amazing highs tumultuous lows. Sherwin battled through debilitating depression that was successfully treated in the 1970s by electroshock therapy. Dr. Nuland through his own experiences as a doctor coupled with his own personal experiences with the process of dying, wrote a book that is a must read for every person. It explains in detail the six ways most of us will meet the end of life.

Sherwin Nuland Biography

Sherwin Nuland was born in the Bronx on December 8, 1930 to immigrant Russian Jewish parents. He was raised in an Orthodox Jewish manner but later in life became an agnostic. Sherwin was a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, New York University and the Yale School of Medicine where he also did his surgical residency. Sherwin’s mother died from colon cancer when he was 11 years old and the treatment and kindness shown his mother at such an early age influenced him so much, he decided at a young age o become a doctor to help other people and always remembered the doctor who treated his mother as a pseudo-mentor to him his whole life. Dr. Nuland was married twice and had four children, two from each marriage. He has two daughters and two sons from these marriages. His daughter, Victoria Nuland is the Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs at the United States Department of State.

Sherwin Nuland and his depression

Because of a troubled childhood and a fear and shame relationship with his father, Dr. Nuland suffered severe bouts of depression. These bouts became more severe and so debilitating that in his early 40s, he was institutionalized for more than a year for treatment. Senior staff at the psychiatric hospital recommended a lobotomy but thankfully a young resident psychiatrist interceded and his recommendation for electroshock therapy was the path of treatment that was chosen. After twenty sessions it became clear that the treatment was a success but was he direct cause of the dissolution of his first marriage. Dr. Nuland returned to medical practice and his surgical duties and still had some issues of depression but they were more manageable and had less negative impact on him.
“How We Die”

Written in 1994, Sherwin Nuland took on the medical profession by writing this book challenging the long standing paternalistic role of the physician that lent it self to a less pragmatic philosophy on treating death. The prevailing philosophy was that the doctor was the only one who knew the proper treatment to handle disease and all avenues of treatment would be expended even if they were in fact pointless treatments that exacerbated the suffering of the dying patient. This book arrived at the perfect time as palliative medicine and hospice care was in it’s infancy. Dr. Nuland arrived at this philosophy at embracing death watching his brother try every means necessary to beat his terminal colon cancer. The treatment in his case and many people is worse than the disease and robs people of a dignified death.

The “Ah-Ha” moment in the book for me

A particular aspect of the book talked about the psychological make-up of doctors which I found interesting. Dr. Nuland hypothesizes that doctors by nature are high functioning, “type A” intellectuals with massive egos and the unrelenting desire to succeed. They are highly competitive and without that ambition would not have survived and excelled in the competitive and grueling study to become a doctor or a surgeon. He opined that many doctors think of medicine as a battle of wills between the disease and the doctor. And because of their competitive drive and wantonness to succeed will often become apathetic to the patient and their emotional well being and sacrifice that for even the slimmest chance at conquering the disease.

Dr. Nuland’s evolution in philosophy on treating terminal patients

Dr. Nuland concludes that life and death are parallel journeys and that a dignified death is preceded by a life of dignity. That people should not blindly follow the advice of the medical establishment but to follow their own set of values regarding quality of life and death. Dr. Nuland realized this when his brother was dying. He did him an injustice by not telling him how dire and hopeless his prognosis was and this lapse in judgment, withholding the severity of his brother’s malignancy, caused more harm than good. It gave his brother unrealistic hope when there just was no hope with the universal spreading of the cancer beyond his colon into almost every organ in his abdomen. His brother chose to try an experimental treatment that caused him to become a shell of his former self and die a death that was not in any realm associated with dignity. It was the exact opposite, he did extend his brother’s life for a few months, but the cost was so high that his brother and his family suffered more than peacefully succumbing to the ravages of the disease with acceptance and giving closure to his family.

The Cure is sometimes worse than the disease

In summary, I have a new philosophy on life and death after reading this book. I read it many years ago when it first came out and before writing this article, just finished re-reading it as a 50 year old man. This book will be a game changer for me one day in the not-so distant future. It will give me the courage to say no to my doctor if I feel that the quality of my life will be forsaken for a few more miserable months doing anything to “beat” the disease. One thing is for sure, we will all go to our death alone. It is one of the few experiences in life that is a journey you take by yourself. The question is, should the time preceding the inevitable be a time of peace and comfort, or pain, discomfort and sadness trying to grasp at anything to extend life regardless of cost to quality of the final days of life.

Dr. Sherwin Nuland’s Legacy

Dr. Nuland died on March 3, 2014. The world is not a better place with his absence and he will be missed but he left us all his legacy. He helped and cured thousands of people in his career and he helped many meet their dignified death. He has also given us all the gift of his philosophy on life and death. It is up to you if you want to listen to his advice. Dr. Nuland would tell you to read his book and then with your own set of values, come to your own working philosophy on what life and death means to you and figure out at what point should death be accepted as the right path to a dignified life.

Sources: The New York Times, NPR , Los Angeles Times, “How We Die”

Lessons for the Novice Internet Content Writer

Writing online comes with many early lessons needing to be learned. The learning curve for some can be tricky and time consuming understanding the differences in writing style, writing level and the way people read online content.

 

Writing for publication on the internet is a totally different experience than writing for other media mediums. Careful thought about how people search for information coupled with strong use of search phrases and article structure will be the keys to reaching and engaging the readers.

Early Lessons I learned writing on the Internet

• Be direct with short, concise sentences.
• The appropriate writing level needed to reach the reader.
• Small blocks of text comprised of one or two thoughts set off by a bold sub-heading.
• The use of action oriented sentence structure rather than passive tenses.
• Thought about search engine popularity when it involves words and phrases.
• The “Golden Triangle” and the importance of front loading major information early in the article to engage and keep the reader.
• The use of referencing to credit for information sourcing.
• The importance of respecting the copyright of photos and information.
• Understanding that when reviewing copy for typos, the eye reads differently online as opposed to print. Get someone to proofread for you if possible.

Be Direct

When writing online, it is imperative to think about time restraints of the reader. Understand that hey want the information delivered without any pomp and circumstance. Writing creatively is fine in novels and short stories but the ability to deliver information in short, concise sentences is important to keeping the reader engaged.

Structure of online content differs than conventional print content

The average internet reader spends as little time as possible devouring information. They tend to read 25% slower than print medium and scan pages on the web rather than reading them. This is the reason that 5 and 6 sentence blocks of information are important with bolded sub headings to keep the reader engaged. The average internet reader reads at a 7^th grade reading level so the use of complicated words or writing styles is adverse to most readers and will result in them finding more “friendly” writing.

Search Engine Optimization

The focus of every writer online needs to focus around how the search engines will receive an article. If an article is filled with typos, too wordy, too many backlinks, the “Search Engine Spiders,” will discredit the importance of the articles content and give I a terrible search ranking.. That will negatively affect future potential readers finding the content. An article that can’t be read is like a masterpiece from DaVinci sitting in a storage locker. If no one sees it, the best written article on the planet will be unread and mean nothing to the world.

Words and Phrases needed to be Search Engine friendly

Thinking about how people search for words and phrases is of prime importance and critical to the success of an online writer and how the article ranks on search engines in that category. These key words and phrases need to be included multiple times throughout an article for the “Google Spiders” to index the keywords into a category. Learning this early online lesson will result in more readers engaging with your content and a higher chance of better search engine rankings and other mainstream major websites backlinking to your article.

The Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle is a term used on the web in the writing community on how the reader scans a web page. It is of extreme importance to understand how people read on their PCs, Mobile phones and Ipads. All of these devices offer different experiences for the user and require the writer to write with the focus on where things are placed on the page in the article. The Golden Triangle rule is keep your most important information on the left side of the page and at the top and funnel the less information down he page. In general, keep locations and dates to the right side of the page.

Proper Referencing and Respecting Copyrights

All information taken or farmed from other places whether it be print, web, television, or radio needs to be referenced in the article. Use of backlinks to that information is critical for credibility and preventing accusations of plagiarism. Respecting copyrights needs to be maintained. Crediting and/or obtaining permission to use content and photographs is common courtesy and also keeps you on the right side of the law.

Proofreading

Nothing reads as poorly as a page full of typos. Poor grammar, bad sentence structure, misspellings and poor punctuation make a reader uncomfortable in accepting the content’s credibility and makes them want to just click on another article. Google Spiders also hate typos and misspellings as it influences their decision to classify an article as quality or poor content. The Google Spiders can make or break the success of an article so a thorough proofreading is an important lesson for the online writer to learn as early as possible. Try to get an uninterested third party to proofread the article before submitting for publication.

Let an article sit for a day before publication

It’s important to let an article sit before publication. This way, you will return the following day to an article that is “new” to you again and typos that you skimmed past will be blatantly obvious. Also, every proofread leaves us with opportunity to rewrite wordy sentences or choose more search engine optimized words. Proofreading will never cost you anything but a few minutes but catching a few typos and improving he article is worth every second of effort.

Annual Bacon and Brew Classic

The Bacon and Brew Classic takes centerfield on July 26, 2014 at Citi Field and Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas on September 27, 2014 and for a bacon and beer fest. 60,000 people are expected at the yearly event.

Bacon And Brew Classic At Citi Field on July 26, 2014 and at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas on September 27, 2014. The Bacon and Brew Classic is all about tasting craft beers offered by almost 100 of the finest macro and micro brewers in the United States. It is also about the one thing all people love, Bacon. Bacon and beer will be the stars of the evening as the New York Mets are playing the Milwaukee Brewers so the team will be in the brew capital of the country and beer will be the home team at Citi Field in Queens that day and evening. Coincidentally, Houston Astros will be playing the New York Mets on September 27 when the Bacon and Beer Classic rolls into Houston’ Minute Maid Park.

The Event

This is a doubleheader event. A day and night game so to speak of beer and bacon versus the great people of New York. Each guest will be able to sample 3 ounce pours of hundreds of craft beers from top breweries. A list of the top breweries can be found here. Sponsoring restaurants will be offering each guest, one bacon inspired treat so it will be a day of suds and pig fat on the home field of the Mets. A list of some of the restaurants can be found here. Live music and demonstrations will highlight the event besides the 80 breweries and restaurants taking part in this food and drink extravaganza.

Judging the bacon and brew

There will be two celebrities judging the bacon treats and the craft beers. They are Adam Poch, aka the “Bacon Minister,” and former Big Brother cast member. Judging alongside Adam will be David “Rev” Ciancio. David is well known in the East Village of New York City being the co-owner of Idle Hands Bar. David also runs one of the top burger blogs called Burger Conquest. Guests will also be able to download an application for heir smartphones that will provide interactive features for the event and also allow them to vote for their favorite brews and bacon treats. All votes will be tabulated at the end of the event and prizes will be awarded to the top restaurants and brewers.

Sponsors of the Event

Cannonball Productions is the event planner but the sponsors are the ones enabling this unique experience. The charity partner for the event is Citymeals on Wheels. D’artagnan meat purveyors is supplying the delicious bacon. Clearchannel Q104.3, iheartradio are the event’s media sponsor. Another sponsor of the Bacon and Brew Classic is the Baconeers.

Time of the events

One ticket for each event, either the 12-3PM brunch session or the 7-10PM evening session. Guests can attend one or both sessions, but each ticket is specific to each time. VIP ticket holders will be admitted one hour earlier.

Price

Both day and evening sessions are the same price but there is a two tier pricing level for the event.

General Admission:

Entrance to the event, access to the demonstration and educational sessions and the interactive games. The cost is $59.00 per person and a non-alcoholic, designated driver ticket is $39.00

VIP Admission:

Entrance to the event, all the perks of general admissions PLUS one hour early entrance, exclusive access to the stadium warning tracks and dugouts. VIP exclusive brews and bacon tastings and access to the VIP lounge and cooling areas. Each VIP can also take advantage of exclusive stadium tour and they will receive a VIP souvenir glass. The cost is $129 per person. All tickets are non-refundable but transferable. To purchase tickets, Eventbrite.

Source: Bacon and Brew Classic

Which NBA Team Will Carmelo Anthony Choose in Free Agency?

Carmelo Anthony opts out of final year of contract to test his value in the free agency market. Will he sign for less money and a shorter contract to play for a playoff contender like the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls, the Los Angeles Lakers or re-sign with the New York Knicks.

 
Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks sent a letter to the team by FedEx opting out of his option year of his contract passing on the $23 Million yearly salary. He wants to explore his value in the free agency market. The Knicks have the ability to resign Carmelo to a 5 year $129 Million deal having an advantage on every other team because of the collective bargaining agreement cap limiting the contract offered by other teams to 4 years and $96 Million. Carmelo has expressed interest in staying and signing for less if the team commits to adding better players making them a playoff caliber team.

Where would Carmelo go if he decides to leave the Knicks?

Carmelo has four teams actively and publicly vying for his services and most of the teams would be offering the maximum contract allowed of $96 million over 4 years so it would have to do with depth of talent or change in location for Carmelo Anthony personal benefit to leave the New York Knicks. The teams besides Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks pursuing Carmelo are the Houston Rockets, the Chicago Bulls, the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Odds Carmelo joins the Houston Rockets

Long-shot in my opinion. Carmelo isn’t going to like playing in Texas. Houston is a similar team to the New York Knicks and adding Carmelo would just deduct from their chemistry. Houston doesn’t need a guy who wants to shoot he ball everytime down he court and disregard defense. He won’t make Houston stronger, just more dysfunctional. He would be better off staying in New York and asking the larger and longer contract. Odds he signs with the Rockets is 15-1.

Odds Carmelo joins the Miami Heat

The Miami Heat saw that Dwayne Wade is losing steps and Chris Bosh isn’t the answer. With Lebron James entering free agency, Carmelo will focus on what Lebron does before he commits. Lebron is younger and a better player than Carmelo so the watch won’t be on Lebron’s wallet but rather the question of staying in Miami or leaving. Personally, I see Lebron staying as Miami is his home and his wife and children have a strong base there. No reason to uproot from sunny Florida for some miserable weather, and play for a North or West based team. Lebron has his rings so no necessity for the Championship win anymore. Carmelo MIGHT consider Miami if Lebron stays. If Miami added some three point shooters with Carmelo and Lebron’s ability to drive the paint, they would be a tough combination to defend if there was true chemistry and communication between the two players. Odds he signs with Miami is 5-1.

Odds Carmelo joins the Chicago Bulls

Joakim Noah and the Bulls have been courting Carmelo since the All-Star break and talking about how he would instantly make Chicago a serious contender. BlogaBull has been reporting about this speculative Carmelo landing spot. I definitely don’t see it happening. Yes, Carmelo instantly transforms the team if everything goes as planned on paper. But everyone knows that Derrick Rose NEVER finishes a season. Look at his record over the last three years. In 2011, he played 39 games, in 2012 he did not play for the entire season and in 2013, he played 10 games. This can’t be ignored by Carmelo and why in the world would he leave the Knicks for less money and security. Odds he signs with Chicago in my mind is at 10-1.

Odds Carmelo joins the Los Angeles Lakers

The Los Angeles area is where Carmelo makes his home in the off-season. With Donald Sterling selling the Los Angeles Clippers to Microsoft former CEO Steve Ballmer. There is new competition in town to steal he spotlight from the NBAs #1 franchise. It’s time for the Lakers to make an investment in the fans and give them a reason to support the Lakers over the Clippers who surely will have deep pockets to buy the talent to take them to the next level. I positively see Carmelo leaning towards returning to his home state and playing for the Lakers. Would love to see the Lakers make a move and try o get both Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony. That would diffuse the new ownership of the Clippers and keep the Lakers at the top of the list of most valuable NBA franchises. Odds are 2-1 that Carmelo chooses the Lakers.

Odds Carmelo stays with the New York Knicks

I think the odds are very good that Carmelo stays because of the extra year in the contract and the $33 million more over the contract. Carmelo can leverage this free agency period to force Phil Jackson’s hand to make room to add another star player. One thing history has taught us about the 7-time NBA All Star is he likes money and is the total dominating factor behind his motivation. Odds are Even Money that Carmelo stays with the Knicks if they commit to improving their player personnel which shouldn’t be a stretch since owner James Dolan brought GM Phil Jackson to New York to win and compete against the attention given to the Brooklyn Nets.
Sources: ESPN New York, New York Daily News, Blogabull

Sublimotion is the Most Expensive Restaurant in the World

Would you spend $5,000 for a dinner for two?  The Hard Rock Hotel in Ibiza, Spain and Chef Paco Roncero introduce the world to the most expensive restaurant in the world, Sublimotion. $5,000USD for two people for a three hour gastronomical adventure that will entice all your senses.

 

Would you pay $5000 for dinner at the most expensive restaurant in the world? That restaurant is called Sublimotion and is the brainchild and life’s dream of celebrated chef Paco Roncero. It is located on the coast of Spain a the Hard Rock Hotel in Ibiza.

The Experience

This is more than fine dining, it is art. It is an experience that stimulates your five senses. In the private dining area, you are surrounded with ever changing landscapes on the walls coupled with aromatizations, customized mood music, and ever changing use of temperature and humidity to create an atmospheric texture to the space. All of this creates a three hour food theater rather than a dining experience because of the chromatic atmosphere mating beautifully with the 20 courses of molecular gastronomy wonderment.

The Chef

Paco Roncero was born in Madrid in 1969. He is one of the leading chefs in Spain as evidenced by his winning the International Academy of Gastronomy’s 2005 L’Avenir Chef Award, The National Academy of Gastronomy’s 2005 Award for the best restaurant menu design, and The 2006 National Gastronomy Award bestowed by the Royal Academy of Gastronomy. His restaurant, La Terraza del Casino, was awarded two Michelin Stars and he has earned three suns in the Repsol Guide. Besides Sublimotion, Roncero owns five other restaurants in the world.

The Food

We come for the ambiance but the food has to be absolutely amazing to demand $2250 per person. The food is served at a community table that seats 12. The table is unique in itself as there are images projected on the tabletop and they change throughout the meal as do the colors on the walls as they are choreographed by a technician that is watching for every subtle change of he guests experience or to use color and images to announce something new is about to take place. There are 20 courses of food that will be served with a strong emphasis on molecular gastronomy. Lots of liquid nitrogen used to create foggy deserts and frozen spheres of goodness. One of Roncero’s sous chefs explains the dining concept, “The ‘receiver’ is the diner, the dish is the ‘message,’ and the setting is the ‘channel.” as written in Business Insider Magazine.

The Summary

When you have $5,000 burning a hole in your pocket and find yourself in Ibiza, you can eat like a scientific food explorer and cross one more thing off your bucket list. Problem with most of these high end food experiences is that they by nature are bound to disappoint because of the build-up and costs.

Las Vegas Getting a National Hockey League Franchise?

Las Vegas is ready to host a professional hockey team on the grounds of the MGM Grand. Jerry Bruckheimer is rumored to be owner of a new team in Las Vegas. Will it be an existing team that relocates or will the NHL be expanding the league?

Las Vegas is rumored to be at the top of the list for a major hockey franchise possibly owned by Hollywood Mogul Jerry Bruckheimer. It will be the first major professional sports franchise in Las Vegas. Las Vegas Wranglers are a professional hockey team in the East Coast Hockey league which is the AA affiliate of the National Hockey League. The Wranglers used to call Orleans Arena their home ice until he Boyd Gaming company refused to renew their lease. The ECHL averaged almost 5k fans per game in 2013-2014 season and Las Vegas could definitely fill the 20-22k seat capacity of a professional hockey franchise if I was located near the Las Vegas Strip.

Why Vegas hasn’t has a major professional sports franchise

Las Vegas has never had a major professional sports franchise because of antiquated rule that said that sports gambling and professional sports had no business marrying. The NFL has issued such drastic measures that they refuse to sell advertising promoting Las Vegas tourism during the Super Bowl and has threatened legal action on any hotels holding Super Bowl parties which has been nothing but a veiled threat with plenty of bark but no bite. Numerous obstacles have been the proper location for a major event and the fact that any event would have to compete with the many other attractions and shows Las Vegas has to offer it’s visitors.

 

Bet on Las Vegas

Las Vegas has been a proven winner in the entertainment and sports industry. Basketball by UNLV, Professional Boxing and The UFC have all given us enough comparisons to see that a major sport will have no issue in Las Vegas getting their share of the entertainment dollar and attention of the local population as well as the tourists. Some sports are more suited for Las Vegas than others. Baseball could never work because of the sun unless it was an enclosed indoor stadium. Football will be ideal bu it would be a gamble that the NFL could sell out 60k seats every Sunday and sell Personal Seat License. Basketball and Hockey are the sports that would have the easiest time creating sell outs and the average arena in both sports holds at capacity at maximum of 22k fans and as little as 15k in the smaller venues.

Who wants to put a team in Las Vegas

Jerry Bruckheimer has been a longtime fan of the NHL and has deep enough pockets to absorb the initial cost of buying a team or relocating an existing one. The question remains, where in Las Vegas will they play and will it be an expansion team or a new team that rules the Las Vegas Strip. What I would find interesting would be the “away”team record playing in “Sin City” with all the inherent distractions.

 

When and Where

The team probably wouldn’t arrive until the earliest the 2016 season and most likely the 2017 season but ground has been broken on the MGM Grand property which would give it an ideal location and an experienced promoter of world class concerts and sporting events.

 

Source: The Hockey News, Kukla’s Corner, Fox 5 Vegas

Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation Rescues Animals

Rick Springfield helps the Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation.  Rick Springfield and Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation have teamed up to help save animals and fight against animal cruelty. Find out how the Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation and everyone can help save the millions of animals from kill shelters.

 

Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation (LBWF) is a a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a focus on animal rescue, spaying/neutering programs, rehoming, breed specific legislation, stopping dog fighting and animal cruelty education. Oscar nominated actress Linda Blair founded this organization in 2003 and after a three year search found a 2.5 acre setting in Acton, California which rehabs animals bu providing medical care, grooming, rehoming services and the time for animals to redevelop their coping skills after traumatic events. The facility houses some of these animals which in some cases could be as long as a year.

LBWF saves animals

The LBWF visits California shelters with euthanasia policies and rescues the animals that are on death row awaiting for their imminent demise. Most shelters do not have adequate funding or staff to raise puppies and kittens and unfortunately, these animals are the first to be put down. The LBWT has numerous “foster” families that house animals temporarily until permanent rehoming options can be facilitated. Some of these foster families rehab the animals for as long as a year before a suitable “forever” family can be found for the animal.

Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation and the Hurricane Katrina

Ms. Blair and the LWBF reacted quickly and took action when New Orleans was struck by Hurricane Katrina. Ms Blair personally spent 2.5 weeks living in the back of a camper in Gonzalez, Louisiana. Because of the damage cause by Katrina to the local shelter, it was earmarked for closure displacing 350 dogs. LWBF successfully found new homes for these orphaned dogs and brought 51 one of them back to Acton, California to live at Camp LBWF until more suitable accommodations could be found. Some of these dogs to this day still live at LBWF.

Rick Springfield Auction to benefit the Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation

Rick Springfield hosted an auction on June 19, 2014 where all the proceeds went directly to the LBWF. Rick Springfield and Linda Blair have been close friends for decades and Linda Blair was seen recently in Melanie Lentz-Janney film, “An Affair of the Heart” which documented Rick Springfield’s 30 year career as an actor, writer and musician. The auction grand prize is a one hour walk for two people and their pet on the beach in Malibu, California with Rick and his dog. The winner will also receive a signed guitar and a signed photo opportunity with Rick.

How can people support the foundation?

Of course, every foundation needs supplies and money to pay it’s bills. The LBWF is 100% volunteer so monies go towards essentials and no salaries for employees nor directors like other charities. The LBWF is always in need of: blankets, dog food, treats, toys, collars, leashes, stainless steel water/food bowls, garbage bags, paper towels, 42″ to 48″ wire crates, chain link fence and plywood. The “Dream Wish List,” would love to see a donation of a Cargo Van for animal transportation or an energy and water efficient top loading washer and front loading Dryer.

Ways to donate

Buy gift cards from Home Depot, Lowes, Petco, and Petsmart and send them to the foundation. You can buy a T-shirt at Booster, give directly at LBWF website which accepts PayPal, and all major credit cards. Purchase Linda Blair custom designed products, such as imprinted coffee mugs, hats, t-shirts, bags, and adorable Teddy Bears at CafePress where the proceeds go to support the LBWF. If you live in the Acton, California area and can either volunteer at the facility or become a foster parent, that is a great way to give to the LBWF. He mailing address for the LBWF for mailing checks and gift cards or parcels for supply donation: 10061 Riverside Drive #1003 Toluca Lake, CA 91602

List of Email addresses for immediate response to a particular inquiry.

• volunteer@lindablairworldheart.org – questions or comments concerning volunteering at LBWF
• adoptions@lindablairworldheart.org – questions or comments concerning adopting a LBWF dog
• worldheartdonations@gmail.com – questions or comments concerning donations made to LBWF
• events@lindablairworldheart.org – questions or comments concerning planning or attending a LBWF event
• rescue@lindablairworldheart.org – if you have a dog that you must relinquish or know of a dog in need of rescue
• info@lindablairworldheart.org – for general information regarding LBWF or any other inquiry

Sources: Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, Movie Review: Rick Springfield: “An Affair of the Heart”, Rick Springfield Auction for LBWF, DogTipper, Anipal Times

Book Review: The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino

Og Mandino’s The Greatest Salesman in the World is a two part book designed to teach success skills to teach perseverance, courage, good habits, keys to productivity, and simplification thru repetitive reinforcement of the 10 ancient scrolls of Egypt.

 

“The Greatest Salesman in the World” by Og Mandino was written in 1968. The story is as fresh and meaningful now as the day it was written. The book is a two part read. One part is told as a story serving as a parable and the second half is the 10 Ancient Scrolls of Egypt.

Part One: The Parable Lesson

Part One is a parable about a young man looking to become successful as a salesman in the times of Christ in the Middle East. The second part of the book explores the relationship between the boy, Hafid and the successful leader of the merchant caravan, Pathros. Hafid’s recounts how he became successful because of the Ancient Scrolls and the journey to find enlightenment is told is the final days of his life to a trusted confidant and the new guardian of the Scrolls.

Part Two: The Ancient Scrolls of Egypt

Each scroll is an independent idea teaching success through frugality, good habits, productivity, simplification, empathy, perseverance, courage, truth and modesty. Each scroll has to be read three times per day with the last time being said aloud I is advised that doing this with the each accompanying daily meal time. Each scroll should be read for a 30 day period before advancing to the next, so to cycle the entire ten scrolls, it will take ten months. Each scroll builds upon the last adding another level to the layer of enlightenment.

What about the aspect of salesmanship in the title

I read many reviews of this book and I laugh quite hard when I read the synopsis on Wikipedia, “The Greatest Salesman in the World” is a book, written by Og Mandino, that serves as a guide to a philosophy of salesmanship.” That little snippet summarizing the page on Google is such nonsense. It is written obviously by someone that didn’t spend ten months or ten minutes reading the book. The term, “Salesman” is a metaphor. It is not to be taken literally and has nothing to do with salesmanship or being the greatest Salesman except for Hafid trying to sell his merchant goods.

It’s a self-help book

The book is meant to try and change a person’s idea of themselves through repetition and reinforcement. I would love to brag that I spent the full ten months reading the book as the author says to do it. But that would be untrue. I did read the book twice in fact and I did attempt once to do the “read 3x a day” but life gets in the way and to be honest, I am not by nature a true three meals a day guy. But I will guarantee you this, try and follow Og Mandino’s steps and you will not forget about the difference between having a mindset of an olive tree as opposed to an onion. Your thoughts regarding yourself and your environment will change, therefore your actions naturally will evolve with your thinking. So, this is a great way to try and change your mindset. It is a great gift for yourself, co-worker or a loved one. It is an extremely short read so there isn’t a lot of investment in time if you decide to read straight thru it. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I have.

Sources: The Greatest Salesman in the World, Good Reads, Zen Habits, NZ Wealth Mentor