Each time I drive from Seattle to eastern Washington over Snoqualmie Pass I stop and get out of the car and look up at the stars. It is spectacular. Without the influence of the Seattle city lights the billions of stars offer a show that cannot be matched by anything.
An effective way to minimize of eliminate entirely all the negative energy around us is to mentally block it out by looking for the stars or the positive elements of life.
For every negative political commercial on television or radio there are 10 nice things one could say about the candidates, but you will never hear them.
For each act of viloence you hear about in the news there are 20 acts of kindness you will never hear about.
Give yourself a gift by seeking out the "stars" ands avoiding the glare of city lights whenever possible.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Double the Budget
I do a weekly commenmtary on the Harborstone Credit Union website and I'm so passionate about the topic this week I had to share it with you here as well. You could skip reading and just go to Harborstone.com to hear the audio blog if you'd like or you can let me explain it here.
I work for the Seattle Seahawks doing videos for their web site and every day I observe the way NFL teams do business. It's all very impressive and very efficient and in some cases very effective.
There are 53 players on the active roster every week. There are also 20 coaches on the staff not to mention trainers, doctors and equipment people. There's even a guy who's job it is to make sure everything runs on schedule.
What if we used that system with that ratio in our public school system. The average public school in our state has 25 students per teacher. By NFL standards they'd have 10 teachers for every 25 students.
Just think of how smart American students would be with that much help. Their chances of competing for jobs at the global level would be greatly enhanced.
Of course it would mean doubling the school budget and it's tough enough making it work the way it is.
My solution is simple if silly. Let's charge a fee to have fans come and see the teachers teaching the students. We'll sell hot dogs and drinks and print nice programs. We can also sell jerseys with the kids names on the back. Heck we can even sell television rights to ESPN, NBC and FOX and have the classes on "live" television. Then with all that revenue we hire a few thousand more teachers and bring our public schools up to par.
Sound silly? No sillier than putting professional football above public schools on our list of priorities.
I work for the Seattle Seahawks doing videos for their web site and every day I observe the way NFL teams do business. It's all very impressive and very efficient and in some cases very effective.
There are 53 players on the active roster every week. There are also 20 coaches on the staff not to mention trainers, doctors and equipment people. There's even a guy who's job it is to make sure everything runs on schedule.
What if we used that system with that ratio in our public school system. The average public school in our state has 25 students per teacher. By NFL standards they'd have 10 teachers for every 25 students.
Just think of how smart American students would be with that much help. Their chances of competing for jobs at the global level would be greatly enhanced.
Of course it would mean doubling the school budget and it's tough enough making it work the way it is.
My solution is simple if silly. Let's charge a fee to have fans come and see the teachers teaching the students. We'll sell hot dogs and drinks and print nice programs. We can also sell jerseys with the kids names on the back. Heck we can even sell television rights to ESPN, NBC and FOX and have the classes on "live" television. Then with all that revenue we hire a few thousand more teachers and bring our public schools up to par.
Sound silly? No sillier than putting professional football above public schools on our list of priorities.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Too Many In Jail
The United States is good at a lot of things. We're a generous people, we give to other nations and citizens in need during natural disasters. We support women's rights in parts of the world that are hundreds of years behind the times in that area. We at least try to keep the air and water clean for future generations. We have a really good interstate highway system and an even better parks and national forest system. In all those areas we shine. Not so much in our prison system.
In the United States we have 2.3 millions people behind bars. That's more than the population of 15 of our states. We incarcerate more people than any other country in the world. We have five times the number of people behind bars than England, nine times more than Germany and 12 times more than Japan.
Thank goodness Congress is finally trying to do something about these disturbing numbers. They now realize that if we invest more in education and other obvious prevention programs, we'd be well ahead of the game.
It costs $50,000 a year to incarcerate someone in a California prison. It costs less thank $8000 a year to edcuate that same person for a year in the publoic school system.
Senator James Webb D-Virginia is proposing a National Criminal Justice System to take a close up look at the prison system in America. His bill passed the House without opposition but there is a procedural objection by Republican Senator Tom Coburn R-Oklahoma that could stall it in the Senate.
We need this commission and cannot worry about short term costs when we are already spending billions to keep people in jail who should not be there.
In the United States we have 2.3 millions people behind bars. That's more than the population of 15 of our states. We incarcerate more people than any other country in the world. We have five times the number of people behind bars than England, nine times more than Germany and 12 times more than Japan.
Thank goodness Congress is finally trying to do something about these disturbing numbers. They now realize that if we invest more in education and other obvious prevention programs, we'd be well ahead of the game.
It costs $50,000 a year to incarcerate someone in a California prison. It costs less thank $8000 a year to edcuate that same person for a year in the publoic school system.
Senator James Webb D-Virginia is proposing a National Criminal Justice System to take a close up look at the prison system in America. His bill passed the House without opposition but there is a procedural objection by Republican Senator Tom Coburn R-Oklahoma that could stall it in the Senate.
We need this commission and cannot worry about short term costs when we are already spending billions to keep people in jail who should not be there.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Guns in the Parade
At the recent Renton River Days parade several candidates for local and national office showed up to wave to the crowd and pass out buttons and bumber stickers. United States Senate candidate Clint Didier took the parade to a new level with his "statement" about Americans right to bear arms. His representitves showed up wearing side arms. They had guns strapped to their hips at a nice family oriented summer parade.
With all of the issues effecting "real" people around the country the right to bear arms is at the bottom of that list.
Just a few weeks ago at Samammish State park two separate groups showed up for to "party" and between them there were 20 hand guns. Two people died. Gee hand guns and death, you wouldn't expect those two things to go together would you?
Get over this right to bear arms crap and concentrate on the real issues facing us in the USA like getting people back to work, helping new small businesses by actually getting banks to loan money again, and getting out of Afghanistan once and for all.
I'd like to go on with this but my grand kids want to go to the park so I have to find a hand gun so they'll be safe.
With all of the issues effecting "real" people around the country the right to bear arms is at the bottom of that list.
Just a few weeks ago at Samammish State park two separate groups showed up for to "party" and between them there were 20 hand guns. Two people died. Gee hand guns and death, you wouldn't expect those two things to go together would you?
Get over this right to bear arms crap and concentrate on the real issues facing us in the USA like getting people back to work, helping new small businesses by actually getting banks to loan money again, and getting out of Afghanistan once and for all.
I'd like to go on with this but my grand kids want to go to the park so I have to find a hand gun so they'll be safe.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Slip N Slide
What a day for a Slip N Slide. As a grown up I'd like to proclaim every day over 80 degrees to be Slip N Slide day. Adults don't run through the sprinkler enough on hot days. Adults don't eat enough marshmellows, chew enough "Big League Chew" bubble gum, especially the grape flavor. Adults are too mired in their own little worlds to take the time to run bare foot across the lawn with only half their clothes on. Little kids do it all the time and look how happy they are until some adult tells them to wipe that smile off their face.
As a kid I used to hit rocks into the woods with a baseball bat. I made believe I was every great Yankee hitters. I was Ruth, gehrig, Dimaggio, Mantle and Maris. I hit some monster home runs deep into the trees on Newsome Lane in Wilton, Conn. where I lived in the 1950s. I was in my own little world when I was hitting rocks. I also called play by play of every hit which convinced the neighbors that I had more than one loose screw in my mental mechanism.
Boy I showed them. I'm a grown up now and I still hit rocks, so there. I still make believe I'm Ruth, Gehrig or Dimaggio too becuase I can't bring myself to believe the over paid players of today would spend their time hitting rocks into the woods.
Good thing I don't live in Chicago. Some northside Cubs fan would probably throw the rocks back at me from behind a tree.
As a kid I used to hit rocks into the woods with a baseball bat. I made believe I was every great Yankee hitters. I was Ruth, gehrig, Dimaggio, Mantle and Maris. I hit some monster home runs deep into the trees on Newsome Lane in Wilton, Conn. where I lived in the 1950s. I was in my own little world when I was hitting rocks. I also called play by play of every hit which convinced the neighbors that I had more than one loose screw in my mental mechanism.
Boy I showed them. I'm a grown up now and I still hit rocks, so there. I still make believe I'm Ruth, Gehrig or Dimaggio too becuase I can't bring myself to believe the over paid players of today would spend their time hitting rocks into the woods.
Good thing I don't live in Chicago. Some northside Cubs fan would probably throw the rocks back at me from behind a tree.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Yankee Heaven
I know, I know, I know. If you're not a Yankee fan or even worse if you are a Yankee hater this column will have no meaning to you. Sorry but I have to express myself. Within just a few days two Yankee icons passed away. Last weekend the best in stadium announcer in the history of sports Bob Sheppard died at age 99.
On my first visit to Yankee Stadium in the summer of 1956 his booming voice came over the public address system and etched itself in my memory forever. "Now batting number seven, Mickey Mantle, number seven." Bob Sheppard wasn't fancy but he was perfect. He never mis pronounced a single name to my knowledge because he made it ap ractice to ask each player how he would like his name announced.
After Sheppard stepped away from the announcers booth a couple of seasons ago, Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter asked that each of his at bats for the rest of his career be announced by a recording of Bob Sheppard. Thank you Bob for all those memories.
Then just today long time Yankee owner George Steinbrenner passed way at the age of 80. When he purchsed the Yankees in 1974 they were in dismal shape. He vowed to re build the dynasty and he did. He also rebuilt the tradition and mystique of the Yankees by calling back to the fold such greats as play by play man Mel Allen and Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra.
Not everyone liked George but no one could ever deny what he did for the Yankees and the city of New York by bringing them back to their championship level of the late 1920s, early 1950s and late 1990s. Steinbrenner was famous for hiring and firing Billy Martin but he was also famous for signing the big name free agents to turn the teams forturesd around. The first big move was getting Reggie Jackson rrom the Oakland A's. Reggie earned the title , "Mr. October" and helped the Yankees win the pennant in 1976,77 and 78 and the World Series title in 77 and 78.
He also had a knack for keeping young players being developed in the Yankees farm system. The best examples of that are future hall of famers Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera and long time catcher Jorge Posada.
As eight all stars represent the Yankees this week in Anaheim the baseball world mourns the passing of two of the most memorable Yankees ever Bob Sheppard and George Steinbrenner.
On my first visit to Yankee Stadium in the summer of 1956 his booming voice came over the public address system and etched itself in my memory forever. "Now batting number seven, Mickey Mantle, number seven." Bob Sheppard wasn't fancy but he was perfect. He never mis pronounced a single name to my knowledge because he made it ap ractice to ask each player how he would like his name announced.
After Sheppard stepped away from the announcers booth a couple of seasons ago, Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter asked that each of his at bats for the rest of his career be announced by a recording of Bob Sheppard. Thank you Bob for all those memories.
Then just today long time Yankee owner George Steinbrenner passed way at the age of 80. When he purchsed the Yankees in 1974 they were in dismal shape. He vowed to re build the dynasty and he did. He also rebuilt the tradition and mystique of the Yankees by calling back to the fold such greats as play by play man Mel Allen and Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra.
Not everyone liked George but no one could ever deny what he did for the Yankees and the city of New York by bringing them back to their championship level of the late 1920s, early 1950s and late 1990s. Steinbrenner was famous for hiring and firing Billy Martin but he was also famous for signing the big name free agents to turn the teams forturesd around. The first big move was getting Reggie Jackson rrom the Oakland A's. Reggie earned the title , "Mr. October" and helped the Yankees win the pennant in 1976,77 and 78 and the World Series title in 77 and 78.
He also had a knack for keeping young players being developed in the Yankees farm system. The best examples of that are future hall of famers Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera and long time catcher Jorge Posada.
As eight all stars represent the Yankees this week in Anaheim the baseball world mourns the passing of two of the most memorable Yankees ever Bob Sheppard and George Steinbrenner.
Monday, July 12, 2010
7 Keys to Happiness
Hi everyone. You're all invited to a "free" presentation of "7 Keys to Happiness," at the Longview, Wa. PUD building 961 12th Ave in Longview, Wa. July 20th at 7 p.m. I'll present my "7 Keys to Happiness" seminar and everyone who attends will get a "free" copy of my book, "Smile in the Mirror." There is no obligation, we are not selling anything and we don't want your contact information. This is "free" to all who attend and I know you'll enjoy it. See you July 20th in Longview.
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