Blair's Path Less Traveled

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noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 01:34:00 +0000

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noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 06:47:00 +0000

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Your Energy Powerhouse

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 04:47:00 +0000

Your heart beats faithfully for you, one hundred thousand times a day, each and every day, without rest. Be good to your heart. If you nourish and protect it, you can actually double your chances of living a long life, free of cardiovascular disease and heart attack. Heart attacks are the number one cause of death of both men and women in the United States. Stroke, which results from similar risk factors, is the number three killer. Fortunately, you can make choices and changes today that can significantly improve the health of your heart and cardiovascular system and reduce your risk of these deadly and debilitating diseases.

Then there is CoQ10.

Also known as CoEnzymeQ10, ubiquinone, or ubidecarenone.

This oil-soluble, vitamin-like substance is present in most eukayotic cells, primarily in the mitachondria. It is a component of the electron component chain and participates in aerobic cellular respiration generating energy in the form of Adenosine Tri-Phosphate (ATP). Ninety-five percent of the human body’s energy is generated this way. Therefore, those organs with the highest energy requirements—such as the heart, liver and kidney—have the highest CoQ₁₀ concentrations.

Studies have shown that people with low energy, low thyroid, risk of heart disease and periodontal disease can benefit from taking a CoQ10 supplement. You can find the more soluble form available for sale here;

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Replacement Officials Bad...How About Players?

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 20:30:00 +0000

These professional football players are paid in the millions. Here is how the Ravens / Cowboys match up unraveled in the last 50 seconds of the game.

Cowboy receiver fails to catch ball that strikes him directly in the shoulder pad to convert a two point conversion to tie the game.
Cowboys direct an on side kick and the ball rolls through the legs of an on side Raven defender. Cowboys recover.
Ravens DB sticks his hand in the face of Cowboy wide out committing pass interference putting Cowboys very close to field goal range.
With the next play, Cowboy yardage extent disputed by same receiver that failed to catch 2 point conversion thereby running such time off the clock that one more play prior to long field goal attempt becomes impossible prior to final kick.
Missed field goal attempt.

Poor execution everywhere. Very glad I only started watching with 2 minutes left in the game.

Victory

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 21:08:00 +0000

You are the man who used to boast
That you'd achieve the uttermost,
Some day.

You merely wished a show,
To demonstrate how much you know
And prove the distance you can go...

Another year we've just passed through.
What new ideas came to you?
How many big things did you do?

Time...left twelve fresh months in your care
How many of them did you share
With opportunity and dare
Again were you so often missed?

We do not find you on the list of Makers Good.
Explain the fact!
Ah no, 'twas not the chance you lacked!
As usual - you failed to act!

....Herbert Kauffman

Replacement NFL Officials and Media

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 16:53:00 +0000

Caught pieces of the Ravens / Patriots game last night but gave up having concluded that there were excessive ads and poor flow to the game. Everyone wants to dump on these replacement officials but I suggest that the 30 calls during last night's game were legitimate and it's the players that require more discipline in executing plays within the confines of the rules. Replay has gone over board with the permission of a challenge for third down ball spotting. Coaches with their overinflated egos react viscerally with blame towards officials when in fact they'd do their teams service by reinforcing rules prior to season's start. The sports media doesn't do the game any favors by piling on with criticism of these officials. Why should anyone watch with so much nagging and judgment towards those that do their best in working the rules under unfavorable conditions.

Things I'm Thinking

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 05:36:00 +0000

NHL labor dispute – someone said, like two obese regulars at KFC fighting over a tub of drumsticks.

Republican convention Tuesday – Everything but Mitt’s leadership skills and record. Gives one confidence in dealing with a $16 trillion debt. Bemused by self-aggrandizement of podium players.

MSNBC’s biased reporting – come on - the Chris Christy speech carried thunder. Literally the stage must have been shaking.

Insistence on networks reporting tweets. If I wanted to read them, I’d be a follower.

Replacement NFL referees.....cut them some slack – you do the game for what they’re getting paid.

Public company G&A. Ridiculous what it takes to keep a shell company listed.

Parks Canada. Improving your camping and hiking experience.

Beaches of Nova Scotia. Seriously warm coastal waters will have climatologists clamoring.

Neil Armstrong’s modesty. Seemingly a rarer trait.

Lance Armstrong’s legacy. Another asterisk yet never failed drug test. The feat of six straight seemed perplexing.

U.S. Open early round action. Loving the passion from unseeded newcomers.

Great Outdoors For Granted

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 21:24:00 +0000

Made a new friend today. We have this parking problem at the office and I have volunteered to take a shuttle to a pick up zone until our new parking lot gets built. Affords an opportunity to chat with folks while waiting. Had the pleasure of meeting N. N has been relocated back to Toronto and is sad that he will no longer be able to ski the Rockies in the winter and foray through nature's beauty during the summer with an easy 1-1/2 hour drive from Calgary. N took total advantage while he was here. We rattled off the mountains throughout the west and I could only find one that he hadn't skied during his three years here (Vernon's Silverstar). One particular comment of his will always stand out in my mind. "People here don't know how good they've got it! N will take some ski vacations back to the west when he gets the chance.

Economists Revise Outlook Again

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 16:17:00 +0000

Yesterday it was Bernanke and today it is Carney revising their forecasts on the economic outlook. I like both of these gentleman but given the size of their pay cheques and power over monetary policy - it would be nice if they were right much more often. They both possess a nice vocabulary, nice clothes and high offices but they seem deft at communicating in common sense terms issues of money supply, debts, deficits, productivity, and the real labor market. Could Bernanke in bold terms at least build a case for the consequences of Congress' intransigence in dealing with the nation's fifteen trillion dollar debt.

I just wrapped up "Aftershock" by Robert Weidemer and concur wholeheartedly with his premise that economists are living a life of privilege immune from challenging suppositions from credible alternative economic theorists. It is not the radical thinker that achieves status among the Washington and Wall Street elite. The notional world wide derivative book is still a potential time bomb four years after its role in the financial crisis. In fact, Ben was still touting the benefits of derivatives in non-financial industries yesterday in his address to Washington Senators. There was once a time when non-financial industries simply relied upon insurance to mitigate against market risk but nowadays the derivative instrument becomes the win-win bargain chip which could become the lose-lose stimulant of our next phase of economic decline (the decline that none of these mainstream economists saw coming or were at least permitted to publicly prognosticate).

A Lesson in Persistence

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 04:04:00 +0000

Occasionally I'll head over to the PGA Tour website to check out some golf stats. I have a feel for the players by catching the odd round of golf on a Sunday afternoon over at CBS Sports. There are actually some decent announcers over there...and yes Gary McCord - I count you among them in spite of the Tour's cringing at your overzealous use of language especially when characterizing the greens. Haven't heard from you in a while though.

Tonight I discover two examples of players who have persisted at the game over time in spite of very mediocre play as measured by the standard of a golf professional. Ten Broeck sits atop the leaderboard at the U.S Senior Open tonight and here is the thing. The guy is a caddie and not a golfer. He knew he couldn't afford to make it golfing over the years so he caddied instead. Now because of his passion for the game and practice when his golf bosses weren't looking, he is now poised to earn for a weekend's work more than double that that he's ever earned on a golf course during his best year as a caddie.

Then there is Dickey Pride. At 42 years old he is having his best year on tour. Twenty-five per cent of his career earnings (over one million dollars) have been earned this year alone. At times during his career he missed more cuts than he made. Imagine if he packed away his clubs for a new career at 40 succumbing to the pier and family pressure arising from lackluster annual earnings. Imagine if he had walked off a fairway one day never to return because of one more wayward drive. Imagine if he scorned himself off some next week's entry list because of placing dead last on a favored course. Imagine if he heeded the wise council of those who thought he had no game. I think you get the picture.

The Thing About Aging

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 21:16:00 +0000

…..is that belief systems lose their malleability. The rigidity that arises turns people off because the opportunity for discourse is lost. Not all aged people get trapped into the cyclone of absolutism but unfortunately most do. When there’s little room to maneuver then a sense of suffocation pervades the theatre.

Chris Evert is one classy lady but maybe it’s her age that had her fixated on certain victory for Serena Williams in the Wimbledon final today when commentating without giving sufficient chances to the higher seeded opponent. A nice comeback by Radwanska in the second set almost had Evert looking like a homer.

Then there are the arrogant aged scientists that think they have a firm grasp on the universe’s composition only to be outdone by the younger generation’s propensity for broadening hypotheses. Evidence of this “God Particle” as coined by media intelligentsia now has many a wise scientist doing back flips.

Learned veteran financial market analysts are habitually wrong about movements in the market but still continue to espouse their futurist forecasts with the glib of certainty that becomes amusing to those versed in their record.

This sampling of intransigent thinking beckons the question of why more attention isn’t given to broadcasts of opinion more colored with humility and open to possibility bereft from the pragmatic.

Musing on Eye Contact

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Sat, 30 Jun 2012 21:49:00 +0000

Enjoyed Katrina Onstad’s article on “Why Are We So Scared of Eye Contact” today over at the Globe and Mail. It’s not surprising that such an article has recently been penned given the unquestionable breach of personalization which has occurred with the advent of personal tech devices. I think of the issue often and particularly in the context of much learning that I undertake on the state of the human condition.

It’s hard to put a finger on the exact cause of one’s propensity to interrupt joyous interpersonal communication for the alarms and chimes of tech devices but I suggest that there is an issue of esteem at play which drives an individual to react instead of control. Eye contact may be less apparent due to a preoccupation with reacting to tech signals. New laws have necessarily been created to cope with humanity's loss of common sense when deploying tech toys.

Then there's the complex internal processing of a world where more demands, oftentimes self imposed, are swirling in the brains of one who may otherwise be sojourning in the now.

Unfortunately, bad news carries front page headlines and as much as we wouldn’t like to admit, there is probably some meager correlation between aberrant evil stories of mankind and the way we address perfectly sincere strangers. We do seem to be more brash and paranoid in general.

The blip like elevation in vibration received from a simple nod or meeting of the minds from respectful eye contact is perhaps not yet a fully fledged thing of the past. Is there a savior in the likes of a modern era finishing school, which teaches etiquette in our world where younger generations have no concept of the meaning of the word, upon us?

10 HOW ABOUTS

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Fri, 04 May 2012 21:55:00 +0000

Building instead of tearing
Cleaning instead of cluttering
Complimenting instead of cursing
Running instead of hiding
Opening instead of closing
Thinking big instead of managing small
Producing instead of pandering
Thrusting instead of steering
Stepping up instead of turning away
Communicating with empathy and eagerness

Blair Sveinson

The Job Jingle

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 02:29:00 +0000

After ten years of running my own corporation (May 8, 2002) and having dealt with a myriad of different clients, here is why it was my best move but perhaps not for you.

• People are scared sh*tless of missing a mortgage payment
• People would rather catch late night Letterman than plan financial affairs
• People care about what other people think
• People are followers and not contrarian
• People always let opportunity pass by due to fear
• People will do anything to avoid drilling through a problem
• People are habitual excuse makers
• People haven’t a clue about what criteria constitute a priority
• People are poor communicators
• People listen to who they shouldn’t and turn off who they should
• People get emotionally unstable by the stupidest of things
• People disappoint
• People are selfish and immature
• People love to place blame anywhere but inward
• People are lazy

So, you need to keep your job because you are guaranteed a cheque. As long as you show up, it won’t matter what people problem you encounter. You can always hit the whiskey at home and complain to your spouse about how bad things are back at the office.

Yup, in spite of the above, a corporation is good for me. Well – life in my estimation is meant to be lived in a pursuit of adventure and individual autonomy. Those with vision put perspective into every single little nuisance that crosses our path....and believe me there are lots of them. I believe that if there is a better widget to be built – then build it. If one is not an engineer by design and building is not one’s forte – then an intricate extrication of that hearty God given talent is a requisite for achieving one’s life long expression to mankind. People who can’t stand mediocrity do not stand by the mediocre. Again, perhaps (now I qualify) you should simply keep your job.

Thanks To Cdn Taxpayer Federation

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 21:21:00 +0000

Had it not been for this group....who knows when one single Alberta provincial MLA would have come forward and said..."wait a minute - I shouldn't be getting pay for meetings I don't attend". It's a very very sad commentary on the state of personal ethics and fiscal discipline by politicians that appear adamant at milking the public purse for whatever they can once achieving office. Premier Redford somehow in her elitist persona found it within her vocabulary to describe the situation as "not right". It's laughable.....and a good number of them I suspect will get laughed right out of office. As for the alternative in lies the $1000 monthly do no work and get paid question.

Anathema - Thin Air 2010 (Full with Lyrics)

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 02:11:00 +0000

A Favorite Chill Tune

Those That Never Surrender

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:50:00 +0000

The "Magic of Thinking Big" by David Schwartz talks about the 2 to 3 per cent of the population who absolutely will not succumb to oppressive forces. They scramble with vigor to their destination and find life stimulating, rewarding and worthwhile. They acutely identify elements of influence that prevent progress and stamp them out. They are the ones that inspire and create a following. They realistically put set backs in perspective doubling up when the going gets tough. It's difficult for this minority to thrive under the confines of strict authority because typically they know better ways to perform and oftentimes they are right. They can aggravate due to the intensity of their pursuit. Without them, the wheels of commerce would grind slower.

The Steve Bartman Story

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 22:28:00 +0000

Although baseball was my passion as a youngster, I have not followed baseball closely since the run of the Toronto Blue Jays to their World Series titles in 1992-93 and the disappointing loss to the 1994 season due to a players strike at which time had my beloved Montreal Expos poised to clutch the National League Pennant. Then came along this fascinating critically acclaimed documentary by Alex Gibney called “Catching Hell”. Now, it’s not so much the baseball element that I find intriguing but the underpinning of an energy shift associated with the story that has really got me thinking in the context of some reading that I’m doing right now.

You have heard about the losing ways of the Chicago Cubs. It is probably the preeminent sporting franchise with rich history most famous for never taking a championship title. However; what you may not be familiar with is the Steve Bartman story. Let me give you the Coles Notes version of what happened to the Chicago Cubs in 2003. The Cubs are up 3 games to 2 and 3-0 heading into the eighth inning of the best of seven National League Championship series playing at home against the Florida Marlins. “Take Me Out To The Ball Game” is being sung in the seven inning stretch and the host singer substitutes the word “Champs” for “home team”. This “flub” one might say had some fans feeling uneasy looking to the Billy Goat curse imposed by Tavern owner Billy Sianis back in 1945. The stadium became anxious. Then the Marlins took to the sticks in the top of the eighth. Courting this three run lead with one out - the home fans in their state of anxiety may not have been totally tuned into the state of affairs on the field. Then again, their zeal in retrieving a foul ball may have simply been instinctual. Crack – a foul ball to left and Moises Alou has it within sights reaching up and over the wall for a catch that looks almost routine - yet a flurry of fans scramble for their souvenir. Steve Bartman, a 26 year old computer consultant, gets credited for the catch instead of left fielder Alou. Wrigley Field encounters a total collapse in energy. Bartman is vilified by media and fans alike. Security is required to protect this quiet unassuming computer guy with glasses, turtleneck and walkman. The Marlins go on to score eight runs in the inning and the feature story of the game becomes Steve Bartman.

In fact, Steve Bartman, the object of the loss to game six becomes the feature story to open game seven the next night The Marlins confidently closed out the NLCS in seven to go on to the World Series.

Gibney was vigilant in ensuring that he captured the mood of what was happening. Certainly, the Alou out would have been the second out for the side but subsequently the short stop made an uncharacteristic error and the “stuff” from the pitcher’s hand seemed to lose its magic. It was like a new envelope encased Wrigley field and the loss of positive vibration at the scene played favourably to the visiting team. The Cubs were in a position of attracting what they feared as a result of focusing on what they did not want to happen.

Currently, I’m re-reading “Ask and It Is Given” by Esther and Jerry Hicks. It deals specifically with how we are individually and collectively receiving and transmitting energy. Gibney has intentionally or unintentionally produced a theme to his documentary that has implications outside the ball park.

COMEX: The March to Irrelevance

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:15:00 +0000

Men with PHD's traveling in financial circles deserve our attention now and then.

COMEX: The March to Irrelevance

Adventures In Squash

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 05:26:00 +0000

Someone told me that next to swimming, squash is about the best thing for your heart (I know - other than love silly). Indeed, you'll have to get your skill up to maintain the flow of a point but once there, the zone is accessible. "B" level players have a certain quiet confidence as they saunter from "T" to back corner and then up for the return of a shallow ball....but forget "B" - I get a great workout as a high "D" player and you can too. The key to finding the flow is technical racquet proficiency in the back corners so that tight balls can be returned with good length and angle.

The Racquet Network in Calgary is always on the lookout for new players. The site has been recently improved for better navigation.

The Racquet Network

Tell Brent I sent you.

Contrition

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 22:25:00 +0000

Dec 2, 11....Have you ever come upon weak half baked apologies and wished to yourself that it would have been best if none was given at all? Most likely you have. Egos if at work can prevent the full scale variety because of some kind of "power differential" (a very good friend recently used this term) that the apologetic has an interest in maintaining. I contend that it is very easy to be forgiving if contrition is wholehearted. The bonding of people is so much more pervasive when we lay our heart out for unconditional acceptance. You and I have been witness to these kinds of people and in fact you may be one of them. They are everywhere but oftentimes not in the lime light because their peacefulness is expressed in the background subtly picking off the inexplicable darts thrown by others.

Should forgiveness be granted to those expressing an apology perceived as insincere? As the prayer goes, "we forgive those who trespass against us".

Research on Exercise and Cancer

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:47:00 +0000

You guessed it. Yes. There's a positive correlation between exercise and a reduced cancer rate. A large body of research has been accumulated in this area. Dr. Friedenreich has reviewed numerous papers in the European Journal of Cancer (2010) and concluded that physical activity decreases the chance of acquiring cancer by 25 per cent. We're talking all kinds - colon, breast, endometrial (uterine), lung, prostate and "possibly" ovarian. It was determined that in Europe, if people exercised more, as many as 330,000 new cases of cancer could have been prevented in 2008 alone.

Still no time to exercise?

Taken from Leap Magazine.....Fall 2011 - associated with Alberta's Tomorrow Project.

How To Win Friend, Influence People Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 17:11:00 +0000

I was inspired to re-read the book because:

It's one of the most referred books in my experience
I was told that new messages and concepts will be conceived when we are different people at a later date
It's part of a reading list of which I'm subscribed
It was fundamental to the establishment of a highly sought professional curriculum

Most people don't finish books they start reading and if you are one of the majority, I suggest you get to at least the end of the first chapter of part two. This book is simple reading and the market for it far exceeds any need for me to give it an endorsement. Hence; I present examples of a life situation(s) that you may be encountering whereby the material can prove beneficial.

You have difficulty attracting an ear to your message
There is friction in your interpersonal relations
People don't warm to you like you wish they would
You've lost someone's trust
You find yourself talking more than listening
You are not getting what you want
Those encircling you are uninspired
You are making unnecessary compromises

Who said book reviews need to be voluminous?

Testing Boundaries

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 21:30:00 +0000

.....can be an exercise in futility. Naturally, this doesn't happen fruitfully under the duress created by criticism. Andrew Carnegie spells this out plainly in his book "How to Win Friends and Influence People." For influence to be successful, subtlety is key. Others seem to want to take credit for their own learning and are consequently best lead down a colorful path enriched by quiet undertones of messaging which at their best would almost seem subliminal.

One must always be cognizant that every mind is prejudiced by years of development shaped by people who have not necessarily been versant in universal laws, moral creed, and characteristics typifying preferable conduct. Hence; people will cross your path from a place you cannot even imagine. Yet you may only have a short time together.

Head downtown at lunch hour to do your people watching. The degree of inwardness in those faces coping with stressors is comprehensible in the context of their subconscious underpinnings laid down by time.

Reading David Brooks' "Social Animal" right now. I'll keep you posted. You know Brooks - writes for the NY Times and is a frequent guest on TV news magazines.

Workplaces are getting nastier - Healthzone.ca

noreply@blogger.com (Blair Sveinson) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 23:48:00 +0000

I've always been a big proponent of self employment. Evidence continues to build.

Workplaces are getting nastier - Healthzone.ca