69 Years Ago Today......

If studying history has given me nothing else, it has given me perspective. And perspective is a gift. It allows you to relate to current events in your own life without overreacting – good or bad. If things are going well, perspective can give you humility. If things are going bad, perspective gives you solace.

So on June 18, 1940, Winston Churchill (the Prime Minister of Britain) gave a speech to Parliament. It was the first year of World War II and Germany had just rolled through France and took over the country – completely unprovoked. Churchill knew that Britain was Hitler’s next target and they we’re going to be in a fight for their lives - literally. Here is an excerpt from one of the most famous speeches ever given:

What General Weygand has called the Battle of France, is over. I expect that the Battle of Britain is about to begin. Upon this battle depends the survival of Christian civilization. Upon it depends our own British life, and the long continuity of our institutions and our Empire. The whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us. Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be freed and the life of the world may move forward into broad, sunlit uplands. But if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States, including all that we have known and cared for, will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age made more sinister, and perhaps more protracted, by the lights of perverted science. Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves, that if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, "This was their finest hour."

Less than a month later, the Germans starting bombing England incessantly. People in London were forced to live in the subways for fear of the bombings in their neighborhoods. The battle lasted a year and England never gave in. Some historians believe this was the turning point in the war. If Hitler got Britain, he would have their airfields to help fly bombers to North America.

So when you feel things are tough out there, go on-line and find an 80 year old from England to chat with. Ask them what it was like to live in a subway while their home was being decimated for being in a country that Hitler needed in his quest for world domination. Ask them what it was like to know that any given day someone they knew and loved would get killed – completely unprovoked. Or that they themselves could be in harms way by simply running outside to get their food rations for the day. Then ask them how they’re handling these “tough” times we’re faced with today. I bet you might just get an LOL.

Yep. History sure does give you perspective.

Goin' to Miami

I'm very fortunate that I am able to attend conferences that have taken me throughout the country.  But through all my personal and professional travels, I've never been to southeast Florida.  The conference was in Miami and was taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Looking for a nice day off,  I scheduled my flight for early Monday morning so I could rent a car and spend the day in Key Largo.  I had the 6:45 am flight that was filled with Newlyweds and Nearly-deads.  I WAS the average age even though no one was my age.  

I made my car reservation only a day before I left, so all the "cool" cars to rent were not available.  As I'm standing at the Hertz counter at the airport, she said, "We have a Grand Marquis available."  Perfect.  If you didn't know, the average age of Grand Marquis owners is 72, so they made me join the AARP before I could take it.  I get to the car and notice it has Pennsylvania plates.  Great. Now I look like the stereotypical northern retired snowbird down for the winter.  I already had shorts and sandals on and was worried that they would make me wear black dress socks with my sandals and send me to a shuffleboard tournament at the Driftwood Mobile Home Park.

Anyway, I get in the car and it has a GPS system with a sexy female voice (it is Miami, you know).  I named her Sophie.  I figured that if I was going to have a woman on the passenger side of the car telling me where to go, I would need a name to yell back at.  She was to me what "Wilson" was to Tom Hanks in Castaway.  So I typed in  The Fish House in Key Largo and off I went.  Now Sophie was putting me on the turnpike right away, but I noticed it wasn't too out of the way to take the Don Shula Parkway.  For me, if I had a chance to drive on a highway named after a hall of fame NFL coach, I'd take it.  It was only fitting that it is a toll road.  I had to pay to see him coach and I had to pay to drive on his road.

I made it to The Fish House around noon and ordered Stone Crab - market price for the day was $29.  Btw, that's only an appetizer.  Crab cake sandwich and a couple of beers and I spent $50 for lunch just for me.  Always heard about the "Florida Keys" and wanted to see them for myself.  Now I know.....nothing fancy.  It's a nice place if you like to fish, scuba dive and drink. There's no beach, just coral.  Didn't have time to fish or dive, so I had my beers, drove around a bit and headed to my hotel in the North Beach area of Miami Beach.

Now Miami's nice because it's ALMOST the United States.  I'm glad I had Sophie with me because asking for directions wasn't an option since I don't speak Spanish or Long Island.  Of course my car came with a complimentary handicap plate so I could park anywhere I wanted.  I once again avoided Sophie's suggested path and decided to route myself through historic South Beach.  Judging by the Porshe's, Maserati's and Bentley's lining Collins Avenue, South Beach residents seem to be doing just fine.  I think the local plastic surgeons are doing well too - if you know what I mean.

Finally made it to my hotel and the conference was great.  It wrapped up Wednesday afternoon and since I only had a temporary visa, I had to rush to the airport to get my flight. Until next time...........  

Laughter - Still the Best Medicine

I'm sure we've all heard stories from our parents or grandparents of how challenging it was during the Great Depression.  Many of those that lived through it had emotional scars that lasted a lifetime.  If you read my previous blog post (New to Us, Doesn't Mean it's New), you will see that this is another down cycle in our economy.  Not new, but not easy either.  History tells us that unemployment doesn't peak until 2 years AFTER a recession hits.  It's the delayed domino effect of a contracting economy and the layoffs that ensue.  This means unemployment will peak in 2010, then gradually come back after that.  

That is just how it is and we can't change that.  What we can change is our own behavior in reaction to the reality set before us.  So if you haven't already started, you need to adjust your lifestyle now to prepare for the economic hurricane that is here for a while.  Here are some seemingly simple tips that our society got away from over the past few years:

-- Stop keeping up with the "Jones's"

-- Don't charge - pay cash (what a novel concept).

-- Set a family budget.

-- Last time I checked, laughter is still FREE - so start laughing more.

Did you know that children laugh 10 times more per day than adults?  Why does that change?  You're born with laughter, its being serious that you learn.  Here is a list of ways that laughter is good for your health:

--  It boosts your immune system.

--  It relieves stress & lowers your blood pressure.

--  It increases blood flow & oxygenation of your blood which makes you heal faster.

--  It actually increases your intellectual performance & boosts your information retention.

--  And.......it makes your cheeks sore.

So get more laughter in your life.  Google words like "laughter" and "jokes" and see what comes up.  Read a humorous book.  If you're going to the movies, see a comedy or go to a comedy club.  When you hear a funny story, share it with five people.  It won't bring you good luck like the e-mail chain, but it will help five more people smile.  Whatever you do, don't take yourself too seriously.  Enjoy yourself, and if you can't enjoy yourself - enjoy somebody else. ;-)

Obama's sound stands out more than his look

Much has been made about Barack Obama being the first person of color to get elected President.  To me, what has stood out more are his skills as an orator.  He's arguably the most charismatic speaker in the White House in my lifetime.  Believe me, I'm a fan of "The Great Communicator" Ronald Reagan, but Obama has a more youthful exuberance that the 70 year old Reagan just couldn't have.  Perhaps Obama's oratory skills shine due to the sharp contrast of his predecessor's skills - or lack thereof.

His last couple of speeches were more on the "doom and gloom" side, which was a little disappointing.  I'd been looking to see something more reminiscient of FDR's "We have nothing to fear, but fear itself".  I think we got that tonight.  Whether you agree or disagree with his position on things, I don't think you can deny that he comes across confident, inspiring, intelligent and in-touch with the situation.  The political debate comes in the policies put in place.

He seemed to "promise the world" on his set of initiatives, which sounded inspiring.  I think he got so good at campaigning, he doesn't want to stop.  Which is why we heard great rhetoric without specifics.  But he's smart enough to know the public is bored with specifics anyway, they just want a guy in charge who has some kind of vision he's working toward.  That's the essence of leadership.  It doesn't really matter what he promises anyway since you're ultimately judged on what you actually accomplish as President, not everything you promised.  

Can he accomplish all he promised?  Personally, I'm struggling with the math.  Not sure how you can increase government programs while simultaneously cut spending to go along with declining tax revenues from a contracting economy.  But that's for the political pundits on Fox and CNN to debate.  In times of crisis, action in any direction always wins out.

New to Us, Doesn't Mean its New

As I watched President Obama pitch the Stimulus Bill to the country, I noticed he said we were in "unprecedented times."  That's when I realized he was more of a salesman at that moment, trying to get the country behind the bill.  I also learned that night that the Stimulus Bill wasn't Bill Clinton's nickname, as I originally thought. ;-)  So I decided to take the whole "unprecedented times" phrase and do some research and I found the following paragraph:

"The causes of the economic crisis lay far deeper than in the complex processes of banking or in the faults of Federal administration of the finances.  But, as a man suddenly ill prefers to find for his ailment some recent and obvious cause, and is not convinced that its origin lay in old and continued habits of life, so the greater part of the American people and of their leaders believe this extraordinary crisis to be the result of financial blunders of the President's administration.  They believe that the new president could with a few strokes of his pen repair, if he pleased, those blunders and restore commercial confidence and prosperity.  This crisis became, and remain, the subject of political and partisan differences which obscure its real phenomena and causes."

Sound like they're talking about today?  This was written in 1888 and they were discussing the "Panic of 1837" which, at the time, was the worst economic crisis to hit our country.  The sitting president was Andrew Jackson and the new president was Martin Van Buren.  What were the causes?  There was an increased level of available credit which allowed states to fund the building of canals through the use of state-issued bonds.  Credit restrictions were gradually loosened and the speculative fever created a bubble that burst in May of 1837.  The Panic was followed by a 5 year depression, with the failure of banks and record high unemployment levels.  Kinda eerie, isn't it?  The Panic of 1873 had a major Wall Street brokerage firm go under that created panic in the markets.  The Panic of 1907 required a monetary bailout of Wall Street banks to ensure liquidity in the marketplace.  Human nature, if nothing else, is consistent.

Here is the list of Panics, Depressions and severe Recessions in our "boom-bust" economic cycles:

Panic of 1819, 1837, 1857, 1873, 1893 and 1907 (the Federal Reserve was created after this one)

Great Depression - 1930 (lasted 12 yrs, followed by 4 yrs of WWII)

Severe Recession 1980 (milder recessions in 1958 & 1974)

Severe Recession 2008 (milder recessions in 1991 & 2001)

As you can see, the Panics were like clockwork.  Things got spread out once we started putting different things in place, but they'll never go away.  As far as the Stimulus Package that's getting all the hoopla right now.  It's just the new, New Deal - government funded projects to help ease some pressure until the markets can correct themselves.  Government can't get us out of it, they never have and never will.  They have to tell us they can, so to keep us convinced of their importance.  How do I know?  Because these are VERY precedented times.

Weather got you down?

So I'm checking the local weather on Channel 4's website to see how freakin' cold its getting tonight.  As I'm quickly ticked off at the minus sign in front of the number, I noticed that they have a box with the current weather of the North Pole (true story):

Temperature: - 35 degrees (ouch!)

Wind Chill: - 50 degrees (just so you know at -75 below your spit will freeze before it hits the ground)

Dew Point: - 40 degrees (wouldn't that be called the "frost" point at that temp?)

Humidity: 70% (its not already uncomfortable, it has to be humid and sticky too?)

And this was the best part..................

Sunrise: 11:59 pm

Sunset: 12:01 am

Yes, that's right folks - that's only TWO minutes of daylight.  And I thought we had short days.   And to make it worse, the two minutes of daylight are at midnight.  You can't even enjoy it.  Talk about depressing.  You'd think Santa would try to get out of town more than once a year.  Geesh!

Top 5 Christmas Songs That Need To Be Put On The Shelf

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Christmas songs as much as anyone.  I think we can all agree though, that there are some songs that have outlived their entertaining value - if they had any value to begin with.  Here's my top five:

5) "Back Door Santa" by Clarence Carter - This church classic personafies all that Christmas is about with lyrics like:

They call me back door Santa

I make my run at the break of day

I keep the little girls happy,

While the boys are out to play

Yeah, that ranks right up there with "Merry Christmas Darling" by the Carpenters for most romantic Christmas songs.  How about change the title to "Back Door Man," & re-release it in June.  Until then, put it on the shelf.

4) "Auld Lang Syne" - What does that mean anyway?? I'll give $10 to anyone who can even tell me what language that is!!!  Yet tradition forces us to sing a song on New Years, even though we have no clue what it's even about.  New rule: If no one knows what the title means & can't recite more than one line - put it on the shelf.

3) "Feliz Navidad" by Jose Feliciano - This one reminds me of that Saturday Night Live skit that goes for six minutes, but stopped being entertaining after one.  C'mon, there's only 4 lines in the whole song & the last 2 are the English translation of the first 2.  I remember in 4th grade Music class, the teacher actually passed out the lyrics so we could sing along.  Gee, thanks teach - cause I wasn't able to memorize it after the first 30 times I heard it on the radio.  The in-depth Spanish lesson will come in handy too if I'm ever stuck in a Tijuana jail.  Shelf it!

2) "Grandma Got Run Over by A Reindeer" by Elmo & Patsy -  This is one of those cute, clever songs that I liked the FIRST time I heard it.  The novelty wore off after about the third time.  The remaining 4,000+ times over the past 30 years have been mildly tortuous.  "Gather around kids & let me tell you the heart-warming holiday tale of Santa committing involuntary manslaughter on a drunken senior citizen."  What they don't tell you is that Santa blew a .07 on the breathalyzer himself.  Let's put this one on the back of the shelf - behind the fruit cake.

1) "Jingle Bells" by the Barking Dogs - I think I have a little better insight than most on this one.  Spending years on a dog training team and hanging out with many dogs and dog trainers - I've learned to speak "Canine."  News flash: These dogs AREN'T singing Jingle Bells.  It's a parody that actually makes fun of humans.  Not to mention the Shitz tzu is totally off key and when the baritone Hound isn't singing, he's, well...cleaning his chestnuts - if you know what I mean.  I actually have a game I play with the time it takes from when I hear it come on the radio & when I change the station.  My personal best is .86 seconds.  Don't shelf it.  Let's torch this one.

So, I would like to wish everyone Feliz Navidad & hope your New Year's is Auld Lang Syne.  Keep your back door locked, grandma away from the egg nog & tell your dog - "I'm on to you now!"