Intellectual Bubblegum

Musical Chairs

Brooks — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 12:42:25 -0400

Chew on this,

Investing is just a game of music chairs.

Everyone dances and moves around the chairs to the sound of trades and higher revenue reports. Then everyone runs to a get out-of-the-market chair before the music stops. Institutional investors are just those who can see the DJ about to hit the "sound off" button.

Failure is sometimes an option. A good option.

Brooks — Mon, 24 May 2010 11:28:35 -0400

Chew on this,

Like no pain, no gain. Is feeling failure just the burn and crucible-like intensity you feel to become sleeker and stronger to fight for what you real want?

I lifted this excerpt from Nicholas Kristof, who lifted it from J. K. Rowling's commencement speech this year at Harvard. A great way to view setbacks in life as a cleansing process and a phase of personal renewal.

I think it fair to say that by any conventional measure, a mere seven years after my graduation day, I had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless. The fears that my parents had had for me, and that I had had for myself, had both come to pass, and by every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew.

Now, I am not going to stand here and tell you that failure is fun. That period of my life was a dark one, and I had no idea that there was going to be what the press has since represented as a kind of fairy tale resolution. I had no idea then how far the tunnel extended, and for a long time, any light at the end of it was a hope rather than a reality.

So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged.

I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life.

You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default.

Failure gave me an inner security that I had never attained by passing examinations. Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way. I discovered that I had a strong will, and more discipline than I had suspected; I also found out that I had friends whose value was truly above the price of rubies.

The knowledge that you have emerged wiser and stronger from setbacks means that you are, ever after, secure in your ability to survive. You will never truly know yourself, or the strength of your relationships, until both have been tested by adversity. Such knowledge is a true gift, for all that it is painfully won, and it has been worth more than any qualification I ever earned.

Making seriously injuried seriously funny.

Brooks — Tue, 18 May 2010 11:18:08 -0400

Chew on this,

A commercial for a personal injury firm in NYC that's in on it's own joke about personal injury firms.

The Lupus of News

Brooks — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 08:03:00 -0400

Chew on this,

Jon Stewart of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, talks about Fox News. It's simply brilliant. In his response to media critic Bernard Goldberg's criticism of The Daily Show, Stewart call Fox News an overreaction to the existence of liberal bias. Check out the clip.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Bernie Goldberg Fires Back

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show Full Episodes

Political Humor

Tea Party

Let X equal X

Brooks — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 09:04:00 -0400

Chew on this,

In Algebra, you're always trying to find out or telling people what "X" is.

I say, don't be overbearing or impose roles and let X discover his own path. Sure "X" might start listening to goth music and have an experimental phase in college, but he'll eventually find himself.

Steele don't get it, GOP?

Brooks — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 07:57:29 -0400

Chew on this,

According to the Washington Post, black voters haven't gravitated in the GOP's direction. This even though the party's chairman, Michael Steele said he'd work to win over minority voters. Bring "hip hop" attitude to the party. Why?

Because minorities know an affirmative action hire when they see one.

Haul Asinine Opinions

Brooks — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 16:03:40 -0400

Chew on this,

It's like someone else saying everything I learned about white people I learned from Slavery.

Aw Christ. I mean, "Me."

Brooks — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 08:10:00 -0400

Chew on this,

Christ: "As I look down on the earth and see how my people celebrate my sacrifice to save their souls, chocolate eggs was the best you could come up with?"

Get Down To Business

Brooks — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 20:09:00 -0400

Chew on this,

"There's no business like show business." - Hollywood.

"Not so fast." - Prostitution

Socialism. I don't know what it is, but I fear it.

Brooks — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:05:00 -0400

Chew on this,

The world "socialism" gets thrown around lately. Often by people who don't know what it is.

The real definition of socialism. When government controls private industry's means of production and prices with a focus on wealth distribution towards the workers and lower income.

Since the new health care plan requires citizens to give to private insurances companies for private insurance. And more people who would get free health care in the emergency room will now pay more out of their own pocket upfront (that the insured who now pay for their visits), it's hard to argue the health care bill is socialism. And many of the parts of the new plans are actually ideas developed by the American Enterprise Institute, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney who seem to not want to be near them since they are adopted by Democrats and the Obama Administration.

Instead I get the feeling the "pop" definition of Socialism = legislation that the Obama Administration proposes. Though not correct, much easier to fear that way.

My phone had beans for lunch

Brooks — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 08:03:00 -0400

Chew on this,

Thought developed while killing time on the train. A practical joke idea: setting fake flatulence as a ringtone on a friend's phone then calling them while they are in public.

Fighting words vs fighting.

Brooks — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 08:01:00 -0400

Chew on this,

Politics is nothing more than the replacement of violence. It's rules and procedures that determine how factions are going to fight over resources. Like rules in sports, you might get a little leeway on what constitute high-sticking or a interference, but the rules for sport stay intact. In politics you might fib about some aspects of your opponents plan, but you don't try to take down the whole political process. When it gets to the point people feel the political system and the rules that control it is not a reasonable route to fight for what they want. Guns and physical threats start looking good.

This is the danger of the current political discourse in America. I am hearing people I know openly talk about "taking people out." I don't condone it in the slightest but I know where it's coming from. Some citizens are constantly being told the political system is incapable or too corrupt to do anything. That may be true. But it it stays true, the chorus of revolution and unrest may get louder.

To the politicians and groups who may be tacitly allowing such anger to grow, I ask, " do you want to lose your system to score a short term gain in policy or votes?" If the political system breaks down, you political power will go with it. Replaced by the vote of vigilantes and revolutionaries.

Virginia is for the (the right kind) of lovers.

Brooks — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 10:50:00 -0400

Chew on this,

After public attention, Attorney General Cuccinelli and the governor of Virginia both backtracked away from originally declaring civil right protections did not apply to gays in Virginia schools and colleges.

New culture term?

Brooks — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 08:31:00 -0400

Chew on this,

A new term I propose for your consideration:

"Getting on the bangwagon."

Definition: When normally unknown people start falling over themselves reveal to the press that they had sex with a caught celebrity.

Cut costs at all all costs?

Brooks — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 08:21:00 -0400

You can't cut costs at all costs.

I'm a fiscal conservative. But that doesn't mean not spending. A never-spend mantra is just idiotic. Sometimes you got to know when to spend. Otherwise it leads to that phrase "a penny wise and a pound foolish." When you spend too much you go broke. And we did that the last eight years. You can also go broke or even meet your end when you don't spend when you should. Working with some of the largest companies in my career I've seen companies like Sears. Kmart and others cut back on spending on forward looking things like advertising and promotion or new product development to save money only to realize their competitors have spent and build a sales lead they may never catch up with. Or spend twice as much money as originally planned to regain a lead.

Republicans currently have it with the mantra of don't spend money on anything.

They refused to spend money on the TARP plan until financial Armaggedon looked them in the face. Then the stimulus bill, now credited by most economists with saving our economy for almost certain depression. Cash for clunkers the ridiculed as a spending boondoggle, until it worked.

Are we in financial trouble, yes. Should some programs be cut, yes. But for government to cut spending when business and consumers already have would ensure economic destruction. Yes, we should start taking a look at programs that sap money and resources or support parasites projects. But let's not confuse unwanted but urgent spending with unnecessary spending. Especially when it comes to times of crisis like the economy or war. After all, you wouldn't say, during WWII to just stop the war it costs too much. Until business and John Q Public get back in the game, we need government to do some of the heavy lifting.

What's a true patriot?

Brooks — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:54:00 -0400

Chew on this,

Patriot.

That's defending your country. Not your party. Defending the ideals of your party make you a party member. Defending your country makes you a patriot.

There's the saying "no one makes fun of my brother but me." Within that is the true idea of Patriotism. I can have disagreements with my brother. We can fight. But when he or the family is attacked from anyone from the outside, we put aside our differences right then and there and fight together against any outside threat. Because our bond and our family is important above all. Even if we disagree with each other.

Over the years (particularly the last nine years), the idea of patriotism has shifted and morphed. The shift is being honored by some groups, particularly right-leaving groups for defending the "right values." Not the country. With the idea accepted that the "right values" are the country. And I guess those without the "right values" aren't the country.

The McCain campaign gave a wink to the patriots as "real Americans" - those that knew what party to pick. During the Bush Administration, conservative bloggers and commentators hailed those that didn't question the actions of government as patriots. Only after the election of the first black president and a change in party in Congress did they turn around and give a wink and a nod to protesters chanting slogans of revolution and making threats to kill the president as the duty of a patriotic American because of a desire to change health care.

From John Kerry, to John McCain we've seen what happens from military people fought for our country but don't vote or act in the way a party would like. Or a protester who rightly or wrongly believe a war was bad. They're labeled as un-American.

In the quest to pick Patriots, we've confused disagreeing with disloyalty. And those acting on those disagreement through the legal political process as tyranny. I have and will continue to disagree with my brother. And sometimes with my fellow countryman. That is not the standard that you or I should be judged by as a patriot. If something come along that that truly threatens the life, liberty and pursuit of happiness of all American, I will stand by you and I expect you stand by me to defend our country. And not the objectives of our respective party. That's when we both prove we are truly patriots.

OMG Un Cool

Brooks — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 15:54:16 -0400

Sing with me now. I believe the children are our future…..

Yes, you are a catch. It's just that he hasn't caught enough fish yet.

Brooks — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 08:55:00 -0400

Chew on this,

I heard this from a guy commenting on the Sandra Bullock/Jesse James flair up.

"Show me a smoking hot successful chick and I'll show you a guy who is tired of fucking her"

Pardon the language of my friend, but look at the premise.

This is seems to be the year of men cheating on hot wives. Along with a lot of women thinking and wondering about this not-so-new phenomena. I guess that's why from Tiger Woods, to Halle Berry to likely now Sandra Bullock, I'm always hearing some from of the line "how could he cheat on her? She beautiful?"

How? Here's how. It's a form of live by the sword, die by the sword. If beauty is your primary weapon/tool for attracting a man (or for a man being attracted to you). You're competing with a tool millions of other women have, too. It's like price in marketing. In business, you may get a lot of customers by making your price highly attractive. But you don't get their loyalty. The minute they find a better price or see a better value, they're gone. Same concept applies to beauty.

I think if a man is attracted to you only because you’re hot. You win his attention, not his loyalty. And if he came to you because you're hot, being hot is likely his most important criteria in the relationship. And how long can any relationship keep that kind of temperature? Especially when you want to build other parts of your relationship?

You can't. That's where personality chemistry and all that other stuff are supposed to kick in. Problem is, with a man who is focused on looks, that's not what he was "buying" in the first place.

Yes, Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie, Kim Kardashian you're hot. And those you are a catch, men will always wonder if they could have caught something even better. Or, just re-live the challenge of being sexy and attracting a hot women, again. And for that man looking for the just the lust-level stimulation such women are cursed with always being a cup size, hair style, "admiring little girl attitude" away from men losing their carnal interest or desire in not catering to their ego enough. Again it's not that you're not hot. You've done something oddly almost worst. You’ve committed the sin of being normal.

What do you think?

Book of lies - Brought to you by your local school board

Brooks — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 08:20:00 -0400

Chew on this,

Hitler said those who win the wars, get to write the history books. I guess that also applies to seats on school boards.

In what seems more like the actions of Winston Smith's work in the Ministry of True in the book 1984, revising and deleting history to fit the Government's current view, the Texas Board of Education has approved school curriculum to have a more conservative bent to correct history " skewed too far to the left."

Based on their changes, I would argue what's being done is not so much correcting history or balancing, but recalibrating it to sound better to personal sensibilities of the board. Some examples:

"A lawyer from Richmond who is a strict constitutionalist and thinks the nation was founded on Christian beliefs, managed to cut Thomas Jefferson from a list of figures whose writings inspired revolutions in the late 18th century and 19th century, replacing him with St. Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin and William Blackstone."

Apparently Jefferson "left leaning crime" was advocating separation of church and state. The same thing that he brought the The US Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. So he clearly contributed. So doesn't that seem like retribution for a historical figure saying something that's not a historical fact, but not liked by this member of the school board?

They also replaced the word “capitalism” throughout their texts with the “free-enterprise system," because it has "a negative connotation." Perhaps right now it does. It's also what we call it. What most people call it.

This is not correcting left-leaning ideas. This is changing germane facts. Key, and history influential and verifiable facts. People, including conservatives do call capitalism, capitalism. Even now. Jefferson clearly did influence American ideas, values and laws. That's why these actions of the school board are more attempts to influence the future than accurately report the past.

The snakes aren't on the plane. They're in the airline's boardroom.

Brooks — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 07:59:00 -0400

Chew on this,

Airlines are raising bag fees again. They are charging for everything. If the movie Snakes on a Plane was made today, that the airline would charge Samuel Jackson and the other passengers for the snakebites. Probably calling it a "excitement fee."

Playground Playa'

Brooks — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:55:00 -0400

Chew on this,

Tips for being a playa' at age 4 (if you are that savvy). Ask her if she likes Fisher Price. Set the mood by singing "wheels on the bus." And if you do kiss. Kiss responsibility. You don't want to wake up to see "welcome to the world of cooties" on your mirror.

Maybe the real sin here is hate.

Brooks — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 08:25:00 -0400

Chew on this,

Some sins seem worse than others.

Ripped from the headlines: Catholic School Kicks Out Kid With Lesbian Parents

A Boulder, Colorado, pastor's chose to disinvite a lesbian couple’s preschooler from returning to his school. He wrote on this blog:

"It is simply that the lesbian couple is saying that their relationship is a good one that should be accepted by everyone; and the Church cannot agree to that."

My question is, I'm pretty sure the church doesn't agree with stealing, adultery, lying, killing etc., so why not kick out the kids of those parents, too? Or is the sin of homosexuality that bad. So much worse than killing or stealing? Or is the child suffering from her parents offending the pastor sensibilities?

Not so different after all

Brooks — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:55:00 -0500

Chew on this,

Isn't the environmental movement essentially a form of conservatism? It's "don't take my land" rather than "don't take my money."

Do it to me, environmental style.

Brooks — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:04:00 -0500

Chew on this,

Environmentally greener sex ideas from the Chicago Tribune including:

Vegan Condoms
Organic Lingerie
Solar Vibrators (But I thought it wasn't nice to fool with Mother Nature, but I guess you can use one of those)

For more green ideas, check out the Chicago Tribune link here.

You wrecked your Karma in your drive way? The brakes on my Karma don't work.

Brooks — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 07:38:09 -0500

Chew on this,

What does the most famous and successful golfer in the world have in common with one of the largest automotive companies in the world?

They both are paying for not getting ahead of their stories.

Tiger Woods, once the golden boy of clean-cut images and sponsorships is now known for his number of infidelities. Stories that came out from what seem a small, odd incident. Wrecking his car in his driveway to reportedly get away from his wife.

Toyota, a car company known for outstanding quality and reliability is now known for cars uncontrollably accelerating, brakes not working. And massive recalls.

Where these stories merge is that 1) both new about their problems long before hand 2) they expected their positions and reputation to somehow keep their issues above the fray and out of the public 3) that the rules didn't apply to them

And they likely did not apply for a while. Toyota was reported to have downplaying these problems. And apparently other golfers and some press knew about many of Tiger's infidelities.

But they added up. Swelling up like a balloon. Woman after woman. One downplayed or ignored customer complaint after another. The pressure building until a small pin prick (when the news picked up the story about a brake problem, or Tiger's SUV wreck) let all the gunnysacked ideas fly and spread with a bang that could be heard world wide.

Both could have softened their misery if they'd taken a page from David Letterman and got ahead of the story. They would have set the narrative instead of camera shots of women telling sexual details or families crying as they tell how their car speed uncontrollably.

Public Relations is like Karma. What comes around goes around. And what should have come around first for Toyota and Tiger was the truth.