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What I Have Lived For Nov 22, 2008 12:19 am
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Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and the unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds have blown me hither and thither, in a wayward course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the very verge of despair.

I have sought lover, first, because it brings ecstasy. Ecstasy so great that I would often have sacrificed all the rest of life for a few hours of this joy. I have sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness - that terrible loneliness in which one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the cold unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the union of love, I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the heavens that saints and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might seem too good for human life, this is what - at least - I have found.

With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to understand the hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have tried to apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the flux. A little of this, but no much, I have achieved.

Love and knowledge, so far they were possible, led upward toward the heavens. But always pity brought me back to earth. Echoes of Cries of Pain reverberates in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by oppressors, helpless old people a hated burden to their sons, and the whole world of loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what Human life should be. I long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer.

This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly live it again if the chance were offered me.


- Bertrand Russell -

Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, OM, FRS (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970), was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, advocate for social reform, and pacifist. Although he spent the majority of his life in England, he was born in Wales, where he also died.

Russell was an influential philosopher and commentator. He led the British "revolt against Idealism", was a founder of analytic philosophy and (with Alfred North Whitehead) wrote Principia Mathematica. His works have had a considerable influence on logic, mathematics, set theory, linguistics and analytic philosophy. He was a prominent anti-war activist, championing free trade between nations and anti-imperialism.

Russell was imprisoned for his pacifist activism during World War I, campaigned against Adolf Hitler, for nuclear disarmament, criticised Soviet totalitarianism and the USA war in Vietnam.

In 1950, Russell was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, "in recognition of his varied and significant writings in which he champions humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought".

wiki
2 Comments
No Gift Cards for Xmas Nov 21, 2008 11:13 am
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I am a lazy shopper. Really, I am. I hate to go into a department store with thousands of other shoppers on Christmas Eve looking for that last minute gift I forgot to buy for one of my nieces, nephews, a co-worker, or the forgettable guy from the date I don’t want to remember, or whomever has decided that they want to get into the Christmas Spirit and help the economy along by splurging on a gift for me that will either be too big/small, last year’s fashion disaster, something I already have, or a goofy gift you really don’t know what to do with but they’ll ask when they see you if you liked it. Oh, even worse, they've rewrapped the gift you gave to Uncle A or your Cousin V or your friend D that they've received because the forementioned individuals got cheap last year and rewrapped your gift and passed it on.

Some people just don't appreciate the effort I went through to go shopping after Christmast to buy them a gift for the next year. Oh, well, that's why I resorted to gift cards.

Normally, I keep a stash of gift cards and a stack of rather mundane “Season’s Greeting” card to take care of these situations. It keeps me out of the stores. They are in denominations the reflect the way I feel about the gift they gave me or the the way I feel about the person. If I don’t use them all, well, I get to use them in January for all of the great after Christmas sales that reflect the true worth of the presents I didn’t’ buy on Christmas Eve. And since I always open my gifts almost as soon as I receive them, these cards can get "lost in the mail" but still arrive in time for the after Christmas sales that everyone loves to shop but can't because they've maxed out their credit cards or ran out of cash

But this year it’s going to be different. Because of the economy, many stores are planning to close shop at the start of the new year and that means that their gift cards will be useless. A fifty dollar gift card won’t buy the present it was meant for. Instead, it’s going to be used to scrape the do-do off the bottom of someone’s shoes.

I'm going to avoid "Black Friday", the day after Thanksgiving when people line up at zero dark thirty to get into the stores early to get loss leaders that stores use to entice you into their stores. I'll wait until the week before Christmas when prices get slashed over 50% so they can get rid of inventory.

Here is a list of the stores that are closing and the gift cards I need to cash out now that I still have. Unfortunately, I’m doomed because some of these stores have already closed in the San Francisco Bay Area. But if you have one of the stores in your local area, you know how to contact me (yes, I will answer your mail) and I’ll send it out to you, free–of-charge, my Xmas present to you.

CLOSED IN MY AREA (Gift cards available if you ask early enough)
Bombay closing remaining stores (1 card)
K B Toys closing 356 stores (15 cards)
Levitz closing down remaining stores (2 cards)
Sharper Image closing down all stores (10 cards)
Wilson Leather closing down all stores (3 cards)

GUESS WHERE I’M SHOPPING NEXT WEEK
Ann Taylor- 117 stores nationwide closing
Cache will close all stores
Circuit City (filed Chapter 11)
Dillard's to close some stores
Disney closing 98 stores and will close more after January.
Eddie Bauer to close stores 27 stores and more after January
Ethan Allen closing down 12 stores.
Footlocker closing 140 stores more to close after January
GAP closing 85 stores
Home Depot closing 15 stores 1 in NJ (New Brunswick)
J. Jill closing all stores (owned by Talbot's)
JC Penney closing a number of stores after January
Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, and Catherine's to close 150 stores nationwide
Linens and Things closing all stores
Lowe's to close down some Stores
Macys to close 9 stores after January
Movie Galley closing all stores
Pacific Sunwear (also owned by Talbot's)
Pep Boys Closing 33 stores
Piercing Pagoda closing all stores
Sprint/Nextel closing 133 stores
Talbot's closing d own specialty stores
Whitehall closing all stores
Wickes Furniture closing down
Zales closing down 82 stores and 105 after January
1 comment
R U A Boss? Nov 20, 2008 9:01 pm
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At my consulting company, we examine leadership styles using a variety of different instruments. There are several we could employ to manage conflict and improve relationships, including the well-known Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Discovery Learning Change Process Model, and the Strength Deployment Inventory.

For example, on the SDI, I am a Green-Red-Blue, which according to the analysis says that I am a person who first tries the analytic, logical, and reserved response to conflict, followed by an assertive, forceful attack based on logic and strategies. Basically, it means that about once a year, I have a tendency to be pushed over the edge and I lose my temper. I fully understand that this may not be a good thing, but that is what makes me who I am. It is supported by my past, and is something that I am constantly working on.

So, that begs the question— what do YOU do when things go bad? Are you a person who goes from red to green, who is quick to assert your rights and fight for them, or are you a person who meets conflict and opposition quite flexibly, with an approach that differs according to the situation and circumstances? Are you a person who accepts good and bad news equally well, encouraging open conversation, and solutions?

I once worked for a person who always reacted strongly in a negative way whenever something adverse was voiced. He was not a real morning person, and anything that was presented to him before lunch was immediately disapproved with some berating, sarcastic words meant to send the messenger back to his office with his tail between his legs. The boss always felt powerful after one of these episodes, but the efficiency of the organization took a nosedive. In short, this person was unapproachable—he was a boss, but not a leader. The staff tended not to engage the boss before lunch and only brought good things to his attention for the rest of the day. Those issues that were of a negative nature were never brought up, ultimately reaching a crisis point where no amount of leadership skill could easily solve the escalated problem.

Let us turn the tables—are YOU a boss or a leader? According to Russell H. Ewing, “A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting. A boss is interested in himself or herself, a leader is interested in the group.”

So, I ask again . . . what do you do when things go bad? Regardless of the instrument that you use to help you determine your leadership style, most leadership texts advocate an approachable style. Listen to what others have to say. Make yourself accessible to others, and invite them to talk about whatever is on their mind. Everything will not always go right— prepare yourself to be a leader when things go wrong.

SDF
3 Comments
Good Bye Nov 4, 2008 12:08 am
1043 Views
I just wanted to see what it would be like to blog and I have found it is fun but it is also a lot of work.

So maybe for now I'll just slip back into the background and just drop by to visit and maybe leave a comment on a blog or two if the topic interests me.

Enjoy!!!!
8 Comments
Ways China Might Surprise Us In 2009 Oct 30, 2008 4:06 pm
1096 Views
How will China surprise us next? Shocks, tipping points, and revelations have become basic staples of the world’s daily news diet. But with so many eyes now on this emerging Asian giant, what happens there continues to have an exceptional ability to draw attention and to shift perceptions drastically and suddenly.

Will the surprise be planned, like the magnificent Beijing Olympics Games, whose nearly flawless execution set a counterpoint to China’s image as an economic laggard buoyed mainly by cheap labor? Will it repel, like the tainted-milk scandal? Or will it send a message, as Lenovo’s takeover of IBM’s personal-computer business did in serving notice that Chinese companies were ready to enter the global fray?
3 Comments
Infinity Oct 26, 2008 2:07 am
1313 Views
Always just ahead of us, elusive thought, infinity.

Having no ends, nor shape, nor form like sky, sea, air, and storm yet not like these, these things of time and space.

Is it reality?

We put it to good use as a kind of infinite melting post, a practical excuse for explaining things we can’t explain and things we cannot see for we always say the answer lies at infinity.

But who is to explain the truth, the thing that underlies when we are only humans with human minds and eyes?

We cannot grasp the answer that lies beyond our reach; the most we can do is simple – we think and learn and teach.
6 Comments
Your Most Precious Commodity Oct 24, 2008 1:54 am
1514 Views
Our Most Important Commodity. What is it?

Main Entry: com•mod•i•ty
Pronunciation: \kə-ˈmä-də-tē\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural com•mod•i•ties
Etymology: Middle English commoditee, from Anglo-French commoditee, from Latin commoditat-, commoditas, from commodus
Date: 15th century
1: an economic good: as a: a product of agriculture or mining b: an article of commerce especially when delivered for shipment [commodities futures] c: a mass-produced unspecialized product [commodity chemicals] [commodity memory chips]
2: obsolete: quantity, lot
3: a good or service whose wide availability typically leads to smaller profit margins and diminishes the importance of factors (as brand name) other than price
4: one that is subject to ready exchange or exploitation within a market [stars as individuals and as commodities of the film industry — Film Quarterly]
5 a: something useful or valued [that valuable commodity patience]; also: thing , entity
5 b: convenience , advantage

Eliminate the first four definitions and let’s concentrate on the fifth. I really have no idea what is the most precious commodity in the world. I doubt it’s going to be something material that we can physically feel like gold, diamonds, or other precious objects.

I think it’s something more then that that we humans hold as the most precious commodity in our lives. Some would argue that it’s “time” because we have a finite amount of it. We are born, we live, and then we die. That’s it, that’s all the time we have between being born and dying. Do we really want more time to be alive? If we live life to the fullest then do we really need more time?

Or is the precious commodity another human being? After all, can we really function as individuals in this lifetime? It takes two to procreate. If we cease all relationships with our opposites, be they men or women, there will be no one created to replace us as we die out.

Can kindness be a precious commodity valued by others? How about a smile? A tear? The touch of a woman’s hand as she wipes the tears from the cheeks of a crying child? Can it be Friendship? The ability to listen?

Maybe you have a better idea then I do. Will you share that with me? Share your most precious commodity.
20 Comments
Promises, Promises, Promises Oct 23, 2008 12:27 am
1472 Views
The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed lest Rome become bankrupt. People must again learn to work, instead of living on public assistance.
Marcus Tullius Cicero, Roman Politician (106 BC-43 BC)

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.
John F. Kennedy, U.S. Presidential Inaugural Address, Friday, January 20, 1961

Promises, Promises, Promises

That is all I am hearing on the radio these days as I commute to work from my local, state, and national politicians who are running for office. Even the four people running for the top two positions in the U.S. government are making promises I know they cannot keep. They are promising to spend money they do not have to give to those who do not produce.

“You want a new road in your neighborhood, yeah I can do that for you. You need more regulations in the classroom to insulate you from angry parents because you are a lousy teacher. Do not worry, I will pass a law that prevents them from even bringing up your job performance. Oh, by the way, if you make less then $42,000 I am not going to raise your taxes, just on those making over $250,000.”

But you know, you can only take them at their word and in my opinion, their credit rating has tanked.
9 Comments
Strangers On My Flight Oct 17, 2008 11:03 pm
1474 Views
Recently, I was listening to the radio when a song reminiscent of Frank Sinatra singing "Strangers in the Night" began to play. It's rather apropos since that's the way I feel whenever I board a flight these days. I think this is the way the lyrics went.

Strangers on my flight,
turbans they're packin'.
Wonderin' if they might,
plan a hijacking.
They could pull a stunt,
before this flight is through.

Something's on their minds.
I saw them mutter.
What’s that in their hands?
Looks like box cutters,
I'm gonna kick some butt,
if they make a move.

Strangers on my flight.
Two smelly people,
and they're not talking right;
and in a moment,
I will grab a baseball bat;
and that will be that.
Swing like Joe DiMaggio,
and rip them both a new a-hole.

And if they pick a fight,
and try to screw us,
I'll punch out their lights,
just like Joe Louis.
It would feel so right,
for strangers on my flight.

Ratta Tat Tat Tat,
Budda Bing Bang Boom,
Zooma Zooma Zoom.

Send those bad guys to the moon....
4 Comments
Manners Oct 15, 2008 12:09 am
1499 Views
I was in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles over the weekend at a restuarant waiting for a talbe. It was quite busy and to keep our place in the que we had to take one of the numbers from the wall. The others with me went out to look at the other shops while I waited for our number to come up. Eventually, after almost an hour my humber was called. But before I could sit down, another person said that his number was lower then mine. Well, it was true he had 19 while I had 24. He had been sitting at the shushi bar eating sushi and drinking sake while I had stood by the foor waiting. I didn't understand why he had not taken a table when his number was orginally called. Maybe he didn't hear it called or he was too busy drinking.

I was tired and I asked him if he had picked his number from the discard pile to cut in front of me. I guess I started talking too loud. Anyway, I said, fine, you take the table and I'll wait for another one.

He surprised me and said that was ok, he and his date would leave. They weren't hungry anymore and it was not worth it to fight over a table.

I called my friends to return to the restaurant. We had dinner and then we left.

Did I do something wrong by challenging him in such a rude manner. It makes me feel sad that I ruined his day and maybe even mine by not being more polite.

I wonder, have I become too westernized and no longer the polite likee Asian girl that I used to be?
6 Comments
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Most Recent Comments by Others
PostPosterPost Date
What I Have Lived Fordavinci2rinpocheNov 24 11:46 am
No Gift Cards for Xmas2COLDinMICHIGANNov 22 6:26 pm
R U A Boss?goannaoilNov 21 3:46 pm
Good Byedavinci2rinpocheNov 10 11:50 am
Ways China Might Surprise Us In 2009ACuteGirl4UNov 4 12:41 am
Your Most Precious CommodityACuteGirl4UOct 30 12:41 am
InfinityjpollockOct 29 10:58 pm
Promises, Promises, Promisesdavinci2rinpocheOct 25 4:08 pm
MannerswhiteminkeyOct 19 6:33 am
Strangers On My FlightcnccieOct 18 5:13 am
CampaigningKQRBNPOct 16 3:04 am
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