Review: Get Motivated

Today, roughly 18,000 people crowded into the Sprint Arena in the Kansas City Power and Light District to hear Rudy Giuliani, Colin Powell, Bill Cosby, Laura Bush, Steve Forbes, and more motivational speakers.  The event is a day-long seminar called Get Motivated, and it was created by a personal training and development company with the same name.  I assumed there's a catch when I purchased tickets for $1.95 a piece (face value of $225).  A cynic, nay, a reasonable person knows no all-day event at Kansas City's premiere venue is that cheap.  The day after I ordered tickets online, a representative from Get Motivated called me, selling a seat closer to the stage and a seminar workbook.  I politely declined, and quickly realized the low ticket price was to attract you to the seminar, where you would be subjected to infomercial-style sales pitches.  What came as a surprise to me was the Christian evangelism some speakers incorporated into their motivational talks.

In between the highly-promoted Colin Powells and Laura Bushes, an unadvertised, but energetic speaker touted too-good-to-be-true software that promises you can always beat the stock market by following a set of simple principles.  Then, this personable speaker urged the crowd to sign up for Wealth Magazine Investor Education for only $99, although the original price for the software is $3200.  This guy was a great salesman--first he took aim at educating the crowd about personal finance.  He attempted convince the audience that amateur investors have the advantage over the "big boys" on Wall Street.  Then, he revealed he had a foolproof system that can help you make intelligent stock trading decisions.  To demonstrate how simple this software was, he brought four volunteers on stage and show the software in action.  On monstrous overhead screens, the audience followed along as a chart displayed the price of a stock moving through time.  If three green arrows appeared, the volunteers shouted, "Buy!" and when three red arrows marked the screen, the volunteers screamed, "Sell!"  When his presentation was finished this guy explained all these benefits are only available by signing up immediately while staff members waved white colored lights to indicate sign-up locations.  In addition, if you signed up, you received a free lunch and a red tote bag.  According to my estimate, approximately half of the audience signed up.

Later this evening, I found myself wondering how Get Motivated makes money.  The expenses are extraordinary- full page ads in the KC Star for four weeks, billboards along highways, renting out the Sprint Center.  Not to mention, some of these highly reputable speakers charge six figures per appearance.

Another mysterious aspect of Get Motivated were the undertones of Evangelical Christianity.  Many business professionals follow other faiths or are non-believers.  Just from observing the people around me, I could deduce I was not the only one confused by the overt Christian message.  One speaker spoke of his own religious journey.  In college, he lost faith, but after he finished his degree, he realized that Jesus cannot be known through the intellect alone.  Instead, he argued Jesus must be known through the spirit and the heart.  I have no problem with proselytizing, but isn't it misleading to promote an event as a business seminar, and then lace it with Christian messages?

If this seminar comes to your town and you decide to attend, expect a full day of tremendous talks by reputable individuals, but also anticipate sales pitches for questionable stock market software, heavy, but short doses of Evangelical Christianity, and political bias from some guest speakers.  Don't fall for the "low-cost if you buy now" scams.  Expect several of the speakers to imply that accepting Jesus is a key element to financial success.  Expect dramatics- fireworks, singing, music, confetti, and beach balls.

Dispatch 5/30/11

8:30 A.M. Sitting in my room back home.  The last week has been productive, but disheartening.  The people of Joplin now have to focus on rebuilding their home.  If anyone is interested, there are volunteer opportunities through United Way's 2-1-1 program.  I plan on going down there within the next week.  Last night, I was thinking about how little time a tornado is on the ground.  In just 17 minutes, the tornado ripped through Joplin, causing billions of dollars in damage.

People are living out their summer plans already.  I have a couple friends who are starting the second week of their internships today.  Another friend is holding down six part-time jobs.  I'll be packing in more credit hours at summer school at the University of Kansas.  Historically, summer has been a time for students to recharge and relax, but our culture has found a way to make our schedules busy, hectic, and chaotic during the summer months.

I'll be attending a Get Motivated Business Seminar in Kansas City tomorrow.  Colin Powell, Bill Cosby, Laura Bush, Rudy Giuliani, and Stanley McChrystal will deliver speeches.  Expect a few speaker reviews here on Joe's Musings in the next couple weeks.

International affairs are always an fascinating yet discouraging area to follow.  The uprisings across the Middle East have continued.  Yemen, Libya, and Syria are the three hotspots right now.  The rebels in Libya are running out of equipment and funds, so British PM David Cameron agreed to send Boeing Apache attack helicopters to assist.  Surprisingly,  the dark horse has been Spain.  Thousands of anti-government protestors demonstrated in Madrid against economic cuts.  Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak received the first verdict against him--a $34 million fine for cutting off communications services during the revolution that overthrew him.  The "BRICS" countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa issued a joint statement criticizing Europe's dominance over the International Monetary Fund, calling it "obsolete" and the requested that developing nations be giving a chance to participate more.  The United States announced the removal of a number of troops from Pakistan upon request of the Pakistani government.  Relations between America and Pakistan are very tense.  It will be interesting to see how the two countries interact in the next few months.

Thanks for reading this,

Joe

Mansour Bahrami

Recently the tennis world has been dominated by the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.  Without a doubt, professional tennis players are serious about their sport, but there is one tennis player that never takes himself too seriously.  His name is Mansour Bahrami, and he can be likened to the Harlem Globetrotters in basketball.  His hilarious and deceptive moves are purely designed to entertain fans.

The Iranian-born Bahrami never made much of an impact in the pro league, but he was found great success on the Champions Tour, where retired pros and fan favorites play for entertainment rather than recognition.

His life story is even more remarkable than his tennis moves.  As a child, Bahrami worked as a ball boy, and he was unable to afford a racket of his own, so he improvised with frying pans and broom handles to teach himself the game.  His progress came to an abrupt halt when the Islamic Revolution banned professional sports in Iran, so he departed to France with his life savings.  Despite not being recognized as a serious tennis player, Bahrami did manage to reach the finals of the French Open Doubles in 1989.  In 1993 when the Champions Tour cam into existence, he found his calling.  He now spends over 40 weeks of the year playing in tournaments and exhibitions around the world.

19 Lessons Life Has Taught Me At the Age of 19

Now that summer has arrived, I encourage everyone with newfound free time to dig deep within themselves and reflect on the things that life has taught you.  Think about all the advice you would give yourself if you could travel back in time.  

In short, what has life taught you?

Here’s my list after an hour or so of contemplation.

1. Never take yourself too seriously.  Always find opportunities to laugh, be cheerful, and enjoy yourself.

2. Spend more time with people who make you smile and less time with those you feel the need to impress.

3. Question everything, but never close your mind to anything.  You can learn so much from inquiring, asking questions.  Sometimes, you learn more from the process of questioning than the answers you find.  

4. No matter how many mistakes you make, you are still better off than those that never try.

5. When you have a purpose, you can figure out how to achieve anything.

6. Knowledge without experience is useless.

7. Always try to be the best version of yourself, not somebody else.

8. There is always someone more intelligent out there who disagrees with you.

9. Change is the only permanent thing in life.

10. Being busy and being productive are two different things.

11. You can wear yourself out and still be able to get up and do it again.

12. Take time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life.

13. Always be willing to admit when you make a mistake.

14. You don’t need to be intellectually gifted or born into affluence to be successful.  You only need a strong work ethic and kindness.

15. You can go further than you ever thought possible if you are willing to push yourself.

16. I don’t need a certain number of friends, just a number of friends I can be certain of.

17. The more you know, the more you realize how much you don’t know.

18. Never let other’s perceptions of you form your perceptions of yourself.

19. Motivation, commitment, and determination are money in the bank.

House Republicans Support Israeli Action Against Iran

I’ve been following the recent insights of the National Iranian American Council, and it appears that Republican Louie Gohmert has reintroduced a measure that would express support for Israeli military action against Iran.  The resolution has 44 cosponsors--all Republicans.  The resolution was introduced before Prime Minister Netantahu’s address to Congress.

House Republicans have decided to crack down on Iran.  H.RES.271 reads... 

Expressing support for the State of Israel’s right to defend Israeli sovereignty, to protect the lives and safety of the Israeli people, and to use all means necessary to confront and eliminate nuclear threats posed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the use of military force if no other peaceful solution can be found within reasonable time to protect against such an immediate and existential threat to the State of Israel.

Is it really a good idea to provoke Iran to build its military up when America’s mission is to denuclearize the country?

In another noteworthy story from Iran, Dorothy Parvaz, the Al Jazeera English correspondent detained in Syria two week ago, was released from Iran on May 18.  She arrived in Doha, Qatar and gave an interview about her experiences here. 

It is good news that Parvaz was released, but there are still many political prisoners and executions occurring in Iran.  Kurdish activist Habibollah Latifi has been placed on death row.  Student protestor Majid Tavakkoli will soon be celebrating his 25th birthday behind prison bars. 

Tornados in the Midwest Photos

At least 14 people in Oklahoma and Arkansas are dead after another violent storm moved through the Midwest.  The rescue crews in Missouri continue to find survivors after a devastating tornado ripped through Joplin.  The National Weather Service said the Joplin tornado appeared to have more than one vortex and gave the tornado an EF5 rating, the strongest assigned to tornadoes, with winds of more than 200 mph.

Roman Catholic Church and Transubstantiation

Last night, I got together with a couple of friends for a movie night.  One friend is very devout and never questions the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church (hereafter referred to as the Church).  The other is a strong Roman Catholic, but is willing to ask questions to gain an understanding of the Church’s doctrine.  

In addition to other things, the topic of transubstantiation came up in conversation between movies.  As you might know, in Roman Catholic theology, transubstantiation means the change of the substance of bread and wine into the Body and Blood (respectively) of Jesus.  The Church teaches the change is not a physical change, but a transformation of the thing in itself.  In other words, the chemistry of the bread and wine does not change, but the substances do.  In appearance, the bread and wine remain the same, but the Church teaches there is a change that is not perceptible to the senses.  The “Real Presence” is the term that refers to Jesus’ actual presence in the elements of the bread and wine.

In metaphysics, philosophers distinguish between the qualities an item has and the thing in itself.  In the case of the bread, it has the qualities of being white, round, and soft.  The whiteness is not the bread, but it is a quality the bread has- the same is true of the roundness and softness.  The senses can perceive these qualities, but they cannot perceive substance (the thing in itself).  Through Jesus’ presence, the Church teaches that during the mass, the substance has been changed to his body and his blood.  This begs the question- how can the Church know there is a change in substance when the senses cannot perceive such things?  The Church responds by quoting scripture, particularly John 6: 53-57.  “Jesus said to them, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His Blood, you have no life in you.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life...For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him...so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.’”  The Church interprets this passage literally and applies its message to the Eucharist.  Those who reject the doctrine of transubstantiation interpret Jesus’ words in John 6:53-57 symbolically.  

As a whole, Protestant denominations have not believed in transubstantiation.  Instead, they view the bread and wine as a symbol of Jesus’ body and blood. During the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther turned the doctrine of transubstantiation into a a controversial subject.  He said, “It is not the doctrine of transubstantiation which is to be believed, but simply that Christ is really present at the Eucharist.”  Protestants use John 6:63 as evidence against transubstantiation.  In that passage, Jesus says, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing.  The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”  Using this passage and others, Protestants argue that the Lord’s Supper is a memorial to his body and blood, not the actual consumption of Jesus.  Because the Church views transubstantiation as a “re-sacrifice” of Jesus, Protestants argue this is a contradiction to what Scripture says, that Jesus died “once for all” and does not need to be sacrificed again. Hebrews 7: 27 declares, “Unlike the other high priests, Jesus does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people.  He sacrificed for their sins ONCE for all when he offered himself.”

Koch Brothers and Florida State

If you have ever used Dixie Cups or Brawny paper towels, you have used a product manufactured by Koch Industries.  Some of you may know of Koch Industries, a private energy conglomerate based in Wichita, Kansas.  Koch is involved in manufacturing, refining, and distribution of petroleum, chemicals, energy, fiber, minerals, and fertilizers.

Known for their unquestionable allegiance to free markets and free enterprise, the Koch brothers have made headlines recently for offering to fund professorships in the economics department at Florida State University.  First, a little background.  Charles and David Koch have created the think tanks, political organizations to advance their belief that government taxes and regulations choke the free market and prosperity.  In addition to owning the second largest private U.S. corporation, the Koch brothers’ assets are worth $22 billion each.  

Libertarian Charles Koch pledged $1.5 million for positions in the department.  In return, Koch representatives get to screen and sign off on any hires for a new program promoting, “political economy and free enterprise.”  Traditionally, when a university donor gives funds, they have little say in who gets the position.  The power to choose professors without outside interference is considered a hallmark of academic freedom.  

David Rasmussen, dean of the College of Social Sciences at FSU, defended the deal when it was passed in 2008 with little public controversy and now- “I have no objections to people who want to help us fund excellent at our university.  I’m happy to do it.”  The issue was revived two weeks ago when two FSU professors criticized the contract in the Tallahassee Democrat as an abomination to academic freedom.  Bruce Benson, chairman of FSU’s economics department, voiced his support of the grant, “The Kochs find, as I do, that a lot of regulation is actually detrimental and they’re convinced markets work relatively well when left alone.  So far, they’re fine with what’s going on.  But I agree with what they believe whether they give us money or not.”

Jennifer Washburn, author of University, Inc, a book on industry’s ties to academia, said, “This is an egregious example of a public university being willing to sell itself for next to nothing.”

Tornado In Joplin, Missouri

Last night, a destructive tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri, a small town about 150 miles south of the Kansas City Metro area.  The death toll is currently at 89 people, but the National Guard warned that numbers could grow today as search and rescuers continue their work at sunrise.

St. John's regional hospital took a direct hit from Sunday's twister.  Churches, schools, businesses, and homes are now reduced to ruins.  Jasper County emergency management direct estimated that 2,000 buildings were damaged.

One Joplin resident recorded the terrifying experience from the heart of the storm.  Although there is a lack of clear visual footage, the audio from inside is enough to scare anyone.  The Youtube user who uploaded the video wrote this about it:

 The video i took while at Fastrip on east 20th street. We huddled in the back of the store until the glass got sucked out , then ran into the walk in storage fridge. Sorry for the lack of visuals but the audio is pretty telling of how intense the storm was. The tornado hits at around 1:20 seconds.

"I've lived in this neighborhood my entire life, and I didn't know where I was. Everything was unrecognizable.  Completely unrecognizable," another Joplin resident said.  

St. John's has been updating its Facebook page since the storm hit.

Another Facebook page has been created to help located people in the area.  Emergency officials are asking people to stay away from the area while damage is assessed.  To volunteer, call 1-800-427-4626.

Nurses and doctors looking to help should call (417) 832-9500.

Guest Post: An Airport Encounter by Archbishop Dolan

Today's post was written by Archbishop Timothy Dolan.  Timothy Michael Dolan was named Archbishop of New York by Pope Benedict XVI on February 23, 2009.  Previously, he had served as the Archbishop of Milwaukee.  He has been a priest for 35 happy years.


This post is always timely given the ongoing child abuse accusations leveled against Catholic priests.  Sadly, the view of the Catholic Church has become jaded in the eyes of many Americans due to the isolated instances of child abuse and pedophilia.  

An Airport Encounter

It was only the third time it had happened to me in my nearly thirty-five happy years as a priest, all three times over the last nine-and-a-half years.

Other priests tell me it has happened to them a lot more.

Three is enough.  Each time has left me so shaken I was near nausea.

It happened last Friday . . .

I had just arrived at the Denver Airport, there to speak at their popular annual “Living Our Catholic Faith” conference.

As I was waiting with the others for the electronic train to take me to the terminal, a man, maybe in his mid-forties, waiting as well, came closer to me.

“Are you a Catholic priest?” he kindly asked.

“Sure am.  Nice to meet you,” says I, as I offered my hand.

He ignored it.  “I was raised a Catholic,” he replied, almost always a hint of a cut to come, but I was not prepared for the razor sharpness of the stiletto, as he went on, “and now, as a father of two boys, I can’t look at you or any other priest without thinking of a sexual abuser.”

What to respond?  Yell at him?  Cuss him out?  Apologize?  Deck him?  Express understanding?  I must admit all such reactions came to mind as I staggered with shame and anger from the damage of the wound he had inflicted with those stinging words.

“Well,” I recovered enough to remark, “I’m sure sorry you feel that way.  But, let me ask you, do you automatically presume a sexual abuser when you see a Rabbi or Protestant minister?”

“Not at all,” he came back through gritted teeth as we both boarded the train.

“How about when you see a coach, or a boy scout leader, or a foster parent, or a counsellor, or physician?”  I continued.

“Of course not!” he came back.  “What’s all that got to do with it?”

“A lot,” I stayed with him, “because each of those professions have as high a percentage of sexual abuse, if not even higher, than that of priests.”

“Well, that may be,” he retorted.  “But the Church is the only group that knew it was going on, did nothing about it, and kept transferring the perverts around.”

“You obviously never heard the stats on public school teachers,” I observed.  “In my home town of New York City alone, experts say the rate of sexual abuse among public school teachers is ten times higher than that of priests, and these abusers just get transferred around.”  (Had I known at that time the news in in last Sunday’s New York Times about the high rate of abuse of the most helpless in state supervised homes, with reported abusers simply transferred to another home, I would have mentioned that, too.)

To that he said nothing, so I went in for a further charge.

“Pardon me for being so blunt, but you sure were with me, so, let me ask:  when you look at yourself in a mirror, do you see a sex abuser?”

Now he was as taken aback as I had been two-minutes before.  “What the hell are you talking about?”

“Sadly,” I answered, “studies tell us that most children sexually abused are victims of their own fathers or other family members.”

Enough of the debate, I concluded, as I saw him dazed.  So I tried to calm it down.

“So, I tell you what:  when I look at you, I won’t see a sex abuser, and I would appreciate the same consideration from you.”

The train had arrived at baggage claim, and we both exited together.

“Well then, why do we only hear this garbage about you priests,” he inquired, as he got a bit more pensive.

“We priests wonder the same thing.  I’ve got a few reasons if you’re interested.”

He nodded his head as we slowly walked to the carousel.

“For one,” I continued, “we priests deserve the more intense scrutiny, because people trust us more as we dare claim to represent God, so, when on of us do it – even if only a tiny minority of us ever have — it is more disgusting.”

“Two, I’m afraid there are many out there who have no love for the Church, and are itching to ruin us.  This is the issue they love to endlessly scourge us with.”

“And, three, I hate to say it,” as I wrapped it up, “there’s a lot of money to be made in suing the Catholic Church, while it’s hardly worth suing any of the other groups I mentioned before.”

We both by then had our luggage, and headed for the door.  He then put his hand out, the hand he had not extended five minutes earlier when I had put mine out to him.  We shook.

“Thanks.  Glad I met you.”

He halted a minute.  “You know, I think of the great priests I knew when I was a kid.  And now, because I work in IT at Regis University, I know some devoted Jesuits.  Shouldn’t judge all you guys because of the horrible sins of a few.”

“Thanks!,” I smiled.

I guess things were patched-up, because, as he walked away, he added, “At least I owe you a joke:  What happens when you can’t pay your exorcist?”

“Got me,” I answered.

“You get ‘re-possessed’!”

We both laughed and separated.

Notwithstanding the happy ending, I was still trembling . . . and almost felt like I needed an exorcism to expel my shattered soul, as I had to confront again the horror this whole mess has been to victims and their families, our Catholic people like the man I had just met . . . and to us priests.

Harold Camping- The End of the World As We Know It?

Well, I am preparing for the end of the world peacefully in my bedroom.  Today is “Doomsday” according to Harold Camping, a radio host and leader of an obscure Christian movement.  He has predicted that the world will end today on May 21, 2011.  The 89 year old Family Radio evangelist has garnered international attention in the media with his claims that May 21 marks the beginning of the end.  He has drawn attention from “Judgment Day” billboards across the country. 

Today, Camping claims, Jesus will return to earth and save his believers.  The unrepentant sinners will be the victims of a massive earthquake, which will start in New Zealand and then spread across the world, until it finally reaches the United States around 6 P.M.

Unlucky survivors will meet their fate 6 months from day on October 21 when God destroys the earth with fire.  Not only will nonbelievers be destroyed physically.  Camping believes in annihilationism, which is the view that those who are not saved will simply cease to be conscious rather than sent to Hell.  Here’s Camping supposed line of logic...

May 21 is exactly 7,000 years since the animals entered Noah’s Ark.  He arrived at that date through some terribly complex formula that he devised and applied to the Bible.  “The Bible is the source,” one supporter said, “Harold Camping fine-tunes the Bible, and he allows God to speak through him using the scriptures.”

This isn’t the first time Camping has predicted the end of the world.  In the nineties, he wrote a book called 1994? in which he claimed the world could end that year.  As you might notice, the title of the book has a question mark, meaning Camping can not be held responsible if events didn’t pan out the way he originally thought. 

Camping opened Family Radio in 1958 in Alameda in a joint venture with other Christian groups in San Francisco, California.  Before that, he earned a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from Cal Berkeley.  He and his family were members of the Christian Reformed Church until 1988.  

International Gender Segregation

On March 28, CEO of the New Israel Fund Daniel Sokatch sent out a mass e-mail informing people that “Israeli women will no longer be forced to the back of the bus”.  The e-mail referred to a recent Israeli Supreme Court decision that made it illegal for government-subsidized bus companies to require gender segregation.  When I first heard about this e-mail, it seemed too shocking to be true.  How can Israel, on of the few democracies in the Middle East, force women to enter through a separate door and then sit in the back of the bus?  This was surprising.

After doing some reading, I learned that government, segregated buses are not uncommon around the world.  Japan, Egypt, Taiwan, Brazil, India, Belarus, and Mexico all use this outdated and arguably sexist bus system.  Were it not for the Israel Religious Action Center- the advocacy group that initiated the Supreme Court case- Israel might still operate segregated buses.  I assume that if these kinds of advocacy groups exist in other democracies, they are not doing a good enough job of persuading the legal system that we live in a equal society where women have the same rights as men.  

However, there are more practical reasons to women-only buses.  The Intitute of Mexico City Women first put women-only buses into circulation in 2008 to protect women.  Unlike the Middle East, where the separation of men and women in public spaces has religious and cultural roots, the Mexico City decision was implemented to prevent sexual harassment and defend women’s rights.  One could argue that this form of discrimination has a positive effect.

Debate: John Mark Miravalle vs. Dan Barker

Recently, the Society of Open Minded Atheists and Agnostics (SOMA) and the St. Thomas More Society hosted a debate between atheist Dan Barker and Catholic theologian John Mark Miravalle.  Instead of writing a lengthy review, I am simply going to publish the debate that SOMA was so kind to record.  The topic was, "Does God Exist?".

Getting to Know Professors

Getting to know a professor can be intimidating, especially if you are a student at a large university.  During my first semester, I was terrified to approach an professor with questions or concerns.  I worried that I would embarrass myself by asking dumb questions, and I have a feeling I’m not the only one that falls into this category.

Professors are very intelligent individuals.  It takes smarts to teach at a college or university.  Many professors, especially those with tenure, have a myriad of experience to compliment their extensive knowledge base.  When experience is coupled with intelligence, it creates a bountiful resource for students.

Although it might not seem practical at the time, getting to know a professor can provide you with long-term benefits.  Chances are that your professors are highly regarded within their field of study both regionally and nationally, and possibly internationally.  Forming a friendship with a prof could end up getting you into the grad school of your choice or land you a job offer you would not have received otherwise.  

What I have described so far might sound manipulative, and that’s what I thought when I heard this advice for the first time.  I objected, “Well, if my sole motivation for getting to know a professor is to benefit myself, is that really the right thing to do?”  This is a reasonable ethical concern, but the reality is that most professors strongly desire to help students.  For some instructors, giving advice and imparting knowledge to eager students is their favorite part of teaching.    

Once you figure out why it is important to form relationships with your college instructors, you need to be equipped with right tools.  Here are a few tips.

1. Shoot for only professional Interactions at first, then branch out into personal matters IF YOU THINK IT IS APPROPRIATE.
2. Go to office hours with questions in mind about the course material.
3. Treat the administrative staff in the department with respect.
4. Distinguish between intellectual sincerity and brown-nosing.

Top 10 Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash has always been one of the few country artists that I enjoy.  His lyrics are often thought-provoking, and his music appeals to rock n roll and country fans simultaneously.  Cash was known for his deep, distinct voice, his humble demeanor, and putting on concerts in prisons.  He was a devout but troubled Christian as evidenced by his declaration that he was "the biggest sinner of them all".

As you can see in some of these videos, Johnny often introduced himself at concerts by saying, "Hello.  I'm Johnny Cash."

1. Walk The Line

2. A Boy Named Sue

3. Amazing Grace

4. Hurt

5. Ring of Fire

6. I've Been Everywhere

7. Highwayman (with Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, and Waylon Jennings

8. Cats In The Cradle

9. Get Rhythm

10. Folsom Prison Blues

Bonus. God Is Gonna Cut You Down

When Do We Take Responsibility?

After the financial crisis in 2008, a series of laws were passed that forced companies to disclose more information to investors.  These laws were designed to make executives more accountable to the stakeholders of a company.  

But how much responsibility can an executive have over an organization?  Imagine for a moment that you are the head of a multinational corporation with operations across the globe.  You have over 100,000 employees that work underneath you when you consider all the various divisions and subsidiaries.  How can you possibly be accountable for every problem that occurs on your watch?

Every CEO will say the buck stops with them.  How realistic is this perspective in a huge company?  Any reasonable human being will expect a CEO to experience problems because no one is perfect.  What I am curious to know is that after mistakes are made, how much responsibility really falls on the CEO’s shoulders?  

-Does taking action convince stakeholders that the problems within an organization have been adequately addressed?

-If a CEO does not know about problems, should the stakeholders hold that CEO responsible for the mess?

-If a CEO did not know, should we consider that an act of negligence in most cases?

-When is a CEO personally responsible for the failures of a company?

The point of this blog post is to get you to think about your own performance.  I invite you to reflect on when you are personally responsibly for part of the problem.  Furthermore, I want to expose the value of being informed in all situations.  

These issues matter when we elect to engage the process of leadership.  Considering these issues now rather than later will be of benefit to you when you are working in a management position.  

Julian Assange's Take On Mark Zuckerberg

It's the time of year when I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day.  Unfortunately, I am not able to write as frequently as I'd hoped.  Here is an amusing and clever quote from Wikileaks founder Julian Assange...

"What is the difference between Mark Zuckerberg and me?  I give private information on corporations to you for free, and I'm a villian.

Zuckerberg gives your private information to corporations for money and he's man of the year."

Is It Ethical To Celebrate bin Laden's Death?

“Is It OK To Cheer Bin Laden’s Death?” was the headline on USA Today a few days ago as I glanced at the newspaper dispenser on campus.  Granted, Bin Laden was unquestionably an evil man, the direct cause of suffering and pain.  However, can you see Jesus celebrating the death of another human being?  How about Mohammad or Buddha?

I find it abhorrent that we can celebrate death, even if we killed our number one enemy.  Although he was tragically misguided, bin Laden was fighting for his convictions and way of life.  He witnessed American and Israeli military operations that killed his relatives without a second thought.  

“What if we responded in reverent prayer and quiet introspection instead of patriotic frenzy?”, wondered Christian ethicist Diana Bass.  “That would be truly American exceptionalism.”

I can understand the natural human inclination to express relief and joy over the death of such a wicked enemy intent on murdering Americans.  But did we really endure and uphold righteousness by killing?  The concept seems backwards to me.

From a strategist’s point of view, this death has demoralized Al-Qaeda, but the terrorist cell is far from dead.  My Pakistani acquaintances have told me that bin Laden was quickly losing control of the loosely affiliated Al-Qaeda.  Terrorism is very much alive despite bin Laden’s death.  Sadly, it will be used again to kill innocent people.  

When I heard the news of bin Laden’s death, I tried to place myself in the shoes of those who found themselves in New York City on September 11, 2001.  Panic, chaos, confusion, and people jumping out of burning buildings.  I was in fifth grade at the time, and the events seemed too tragic to ever occur on American soil.  In addition to the physical injuries and deaths, America was injured.  I am grateful bin Laden, the man responsible for that atrocity, is dead, but I will not celebrate the death of another human being.