I just found out about a new way to separate the rich from their money. It is apparently based on a novel, The Ultimate Gift, which I haven’t yet read and which is being released as a motion picture sometime next year. The premise is the search by a depressed billionaire for a suitable heir. Just that is enough for a great comedy. It turns out, from what I have been told that this billionaire’s children and relatives are basically no account and merely engaged in spending their allowances and waiting for his death to collect on their shares. This realization strikes him to the core with unhappiness. Wait! There is hope which comes in the form of a nephew who is a little idealistic and who can probably be manipulated in to adopting the appearance of decency. The billionaire uncle spends time getting to know this person, something he probably done with the rest of his family all along, and decides he is worthy of his billions. That is he is worthy of passing a test of his worth.
The nephew must fulfill twelve tasks, what is it with 12 step programs in America anyway, and upon successfully demonstrating his value as a human being he can get his billions and degenerate into one of the family.
Undoubtedly some will think I have oversimplified the story but personally I don’t think so. This said even without reading the book. What could be more banal than the complete story I have just outlined? Well, guess what? A whole cottage industry within the “wealth management” community has or is emerging. It is known by various terms but it is essentially “legacy projection” Is this some kind of derivation of the media’s idea of Presidential legacies?
Anyway, I was in a meeting where this topic was raised. A person said, with a completely straight face, that the wealthy need and are looking for legacy planners. Stupefied, I listened in amazement as this person described the wealth that could be extracted by a legacy planner from rich people too stupid to figure out their own lives. AS the discussion went on it turns out that while becoming wealthy many rich people ignore their families and pay them to stay out of the way of wealth accumulation. No surprise there, it’s an age old story. Here’s the great thing about it, many of modern humans are so shallow themselves that they think they are in deep water just because they have a few bucks.
I don’t have room to go much further with this today and I’m sure how accurate an assessment of wealthy people is being made, but as I listened it all seemed to boil down to the fact that education and values are so weak in today’s world that the rich don’t know they’re adrift until they are rich enough to hit the shoals.
Friday, April 14, 2006
Thursday, April 13, 2006
How many must die?
I love do-gooders. They are so inconsistent that they appear to have their acts together when in fact the opposite is true. I believe these tendencies are rooted in the natural desire of human beings to be liked. This impulse coupled with the usual herd mentality gives us the fun of watching them behave like lemmings going over a cliff. If you find this assertion offensive perhaps you’d better look and see how close you’re getting to the cliff’s edge.
Let’s take a look at some of the campaigns mounted in recent years, say the last 40 years. Anti-smoking, anti-drinking, anti-fat, anti-driving (without seatbelts), these are just a few of the main objects of the people who want to run our lives and feel good because they are helping. Are they? Anti-war, anti-conservatism, anti-religion, all these things are cast in the negative; ever wonder why? I am not grinding an axe here simply making an observation.
With all the ways of prolonging life and supposedly improving its quality why is there no objection from the left on the one thing that has taken more lives in the past 40 years than any number of deaths from fat, smoking, or drinking? Since 1973 approximately 40 million babies have been killed by abortionists and their supporters. This number dwarfs the deaths from any other source; single or combined. These murders are based on a woman’s right to choose, a weak specious argument at best; transparently stupid at worst.
Why don’t I have the right to choose to smoke, drink, be promiscuous, get fat, drive fast, or anything else these people object to? Why are they right about the do’s and don’ts of life? The latest thing is the “civil rights” of illegal immigration. What about the “civil rights” of children conceived and then murdered?
I am asking these questions because we are bombarded every day about things that should be banned from our lives. Is there an irony here? The do-gooders, right and left, have embraced a new Puritanism, unique in its American slant. Unfortunately the rest of the world tends to ape American behavior which is resulting in a dumbing down of societies all around the globe. We Americans know what is best for everyone, especially those we can control.
It is outrageous that a woman’s right to choose does not seem to include choosing not to have sexual intercourse without birth control methods and techniques in place. Sexual acts are fun and should be indulged in frequently but sensibly. The so-called unwanted pregnancy is totally unnecessary today so why do we have so many abortions? People are selfish, lazy, and thoughtless. Abortion is nothing more than birth control for the stupid and self-indulgent mindless individuals that populate our nation.
The next time you are warned about the number of deaths from smoking, drinking, and obesity remember the deaths resulting laziness: 40 million so far.
Let’s take a look at some of the campaigns mounted in recent years, say the last 40 years. Anti-smoking, anti-drinking, anti-fat, anti-driving (without seatbelts), these are just a few of the main objects of the people who want to run our lives and feel good because they are helping. Are they? Anti-war, anti-conservatism, anti-religion, all these things are cast in the negative; ever wonder why? I am not grinding an axe here simply making an observation.
With all the ways of prolonging life and supposedly improving its quality why is there no objection from the left on the one thing that has taken more lives in the past 40 years than any number of deaths from fat, smoking, or drinking? Since 1973 approximately 40 million babies have been killed by abortionists and their supporters. This number dwarfs the deaths from any other source; single or combined. These murders are based on a woman’s right to choose, a weak specious argument at best; transparently stupid at worst.
Why don’t I have the right to choose to smoke, drink, be promiscuous, get fat, drive fast, or anything else these people object to? Why are they right about the do’s and don’ts of life? The latest thing is the “civil rights” of illegal immigration. What about the “civil rights” of children conceived and then murdered?
I am asking these questions because we are bombarded every day about things that should be banned from our lives. Is there an irony here? The do-gooders, right and left, have embraced a new Puritanism, unique in its American slant. Unfortunately the rest of the world tends to ape American behavior which is resulting in a dumbing down of societies all around the globe. We Americans know what is best for everyone, especially those we can control.
It is outrageous that a woman’s right to choose does not seem to include choosing not to have sexual intercourse without birth control methods and techniques in place. Sexual acts are fun and should be indulged in frequently but sensibly. The so-called unwanted pregnancy is totally unnecessary today so why do we have so many abortions? People are selfish, lazy, and thoughtless. Abortion is nothing more than birth control for the stupid and self-indulgent mindless individuals that populate our nation.
The next time you are warned about the number of deaths from smoking, drinking, and obesity remember the deaths resulting laziness: 40 million so far.
How many must die?
I love do-gooders. They are so inconsistent that they appear to have their acts together when in fact the opposite is true. I believe these tendencies are rooted in the natural desire of human beings to be liked. This impulse coupled with the usual herd mentality gives us the fun of watching them behave like lemmings going over a cliff. If you find this assertion offensive perhaps you’d better look and see how close you’re getting to the cliff’s edge.
Let’s take a look at some of the campaigns mounted in recent years, say the last 40 years. Anti-smoking, anti-drinking, anti-fat, anti-driving (without seatbelts), these are just a few of the main objects of the people who want to run our lives and feel good because they are helping. Are they? Anti-war, anti-conservatism, anti-religion, all these things are cast in the negative; ever wonder why? I am not grinding an axe here simply making an observation.
With all the ways of prolonging life and supposedly improving its quality why is there no objection from the left on the one thing that has taken more lives in the past 40 years than any number of deaths from fat, smoking, or drinking? Since 1973 approximately 40 million babies have been killed by abortionists and their supporters. This number dwarfs the deaths from any other source; single or combined. These murders are based on a woman’s right to choose, a weak specious argument at best; transparently stupid at worst.
Why don’t I have the right to choose to smoke, drink, be promiscuous, get fat, drive fast, or anything else these people object to? Why are they right about the do’s and don’ts of life? The latest thing is the “civil rights” of illegal immigration. What about the “civil rights” of children conceived and then murdered?
I am asking these questions because we are bombarded every day about things that should be banned from our lives. Is there an irony here? The do-gooders, right and left, have embraced a new Puritanism, unique in its American slant. Unfortunately the rest of the world tends to ape American behavior which is resulting in a dumbing down of societies all around the globe. We Americans know what is best for everyone, especially those we can control.
It is outrageous that a woman’s right to choose does not seem to include choosing not to have sexual intercourse without birth control methods and techniques in place. Sexual acts are fun and should be indulged in frequently but sensibly. The so-called unwanted pregnancy is totally unnecessary today so why do we have so many abortions? People are selfish, lazy, and thoughtless. Abortion is nothing more than birth control for the stupid and self-indulgent mindless individuals that populate our nation.
The next time you are warned about the number of deaths from smoking, drinking, and obesity remember the deaths resulting laziness: 40 million so far.
Let’s take a look at some of the campaigns mounted in recent years, say the last 40 years. Anti-smoking, anti-drinking, anti-fat, anti-driving (without seatbelts), these are just a few of the main objects of the people who want to run our lives and feel good because they are helping. Are they? Anti-war, anti-conservatism, anti-religion, all these things are cast in the negative; ever wonder why? I am not grinding an axe here simply making an observation.
With all the ways of prolonging life and supposedly improving its quality why is there no objection from the left on the one thing that has taken more lives in the past 40 years than any number of deaths from fat, smoking, or drinking? Since 1973 approximately 40 million babies have been killed by abortionists and their supporters. This number dwarfs the deaths from any other source; single or combined. These murders are based on a woman’s right to choose, a weak specious argument at best; transparently stupid at worst.
Why don’t I have the right to choose to smoke, drink, be promiscuous, get fat, drive fast, or anything else these people object to? Why are they right about the do’s and don’ts of life? The latest thing is the “civil rights” of illegal immigration. What about the “civil rights” of children conceived and then murdered?
I am asking these questions because we are bombarded every day about things that should be banned from our lives. Is there an irony here? The do-gooders, right and left, have embraced a new Puritanism, unique in its American slant. Unfortunately the rest of the world tends to ape American behavior which is resulting in a dumbing down of societies all around the globe. We Americans know what is best for everyone, especially those we can control.
It is outrageous that a woman’s right to choose does not seem to include choosing not to have sexual intercourse without birth control methods and techniques in place. Sexual acts are fun and should be indulged in frequently but sensibly. The so-called unwanted pregnancy is totally unnecessary today so why do we have so many abortions? People are selfish, lazy, and thoughtless. Abortion is nothing more than birth control for the stupid and self-indulgent mindless individuals that populate our nation.
The next time you are warned about the number of deaths from smoking, drinking, and obesity remember the deaths resulting laziness: 40 million so far.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Iran Explodes
Explosions in Iran should come as no surprise. It is clear that the United States is considering military action against known Iranian nuclear facilities. This will most likely come in the form of attacks by the USAF using its stealth bombers and massive bunker-busting bombs. These attacks will be as surgical as possible but that might not be very surgical in the sense of little or no collateral damage. This damage will be more than just destroyed buildings and dead people.
That some action should be taken is inarguable, the Iranian regime is unstable politically, morally, historically, and most likely mentally. Iran will destroy, or a least attempt to destroy Israel using its nuclear weapons. The reason there is such a willingness to do so is based on their fundamental belief that the end of the world is near so what have they to lose. One might be surprised to find that fundamentalist Christians share this belief and both sides are looking forward eagerly to this event. The Iranians will also use this power to intimidate other Muslim nations, who actually despise them for embracing Shia, and bending them to their will under threat of destruction. This will not be a religious conundrum as Sunnis are regarded as heretics by Shia.
For those of us who aren’t looking for a tremendous upheaval and nuclear degradation of the environment something preventative is called for. A military action should be the absolute last resort, but it must be considered. The Iranians are naïve if they think a military strike would be unsuccessful. The immediate results will be a great success; the lingering ones are much more problematic. Detractors of the United States will have a knee-jerk totally predictable response to this suggestion and action, but a least they can have a reaction. In Iran any dissent is usually punished by death or lengthy imprisonment; similar to Cuban and Venezuelan behavior.
The set of circumstances is almost irretrievable at this point, Iran is going to press forward, the US is going to find away to stop them. The rest of us will be along for the ride which will be very unpleasant and last a long time.
That some action should be taken is inarguable, the Iranian regime is unstable politically, morally, historically, and most likely mentally. Iran will destroy, or a least attempt to destroy Israel using its nuclear weapons. The reason there is such a willingness to do so is based on their fundamental belief that the end of the world is near so what have they to lose. One might be surprised to find that fundamentalist Christians share this belief and both sides are looking forward eagerly to this event. The Iranians will also use this power to intimidate other Muslim nations, who actually despise them for embracing Shia, and bending them to their will under threat of destruction. This will not be a religious conundrum as Sunnis are regarded as heretics by Shia.
For those of us who aren’t looking for a tremendous upheaval and nuclear degradation of the environment something preventative is called for. A military action should be the absolute last resort, but it must be considered. The Iranians are naïve if they think a military strike would be unsuccessful. The immediate results will be a great success; the lingering ones are much more problematic. Detractors of the United States will have a knee-jerk totally predictable response to this suggestion and action, but a least they can have a reaction. In Iran any dissent is usually punished by death or lengthy imprisonment; similar to Cuban and Venezuelan behavior.
The set of circumstances is almost irretrievable at this point, Iran is going to press forward, the US is going to find away to stop them. The rest of us will be along for the ride which will be very unpleasant and last a long time.
Bombs in the Iranian Hinterlands
Explosions in Iran should come as no surprise. It is clear that the United States is considering military action against known Iranian nuclear facilities. This will most likely come in the form of attacks by the USAF using its stealth bombers and massive bunker-busting bombs. These attacks will be as surgical as possible but that might not be very surgical in the sense of little or no collateral damage. This damage will be more than just destroyed buildings and dead people.
That some action should be taken is inarguable, the Iranian regime is unstable politically, morally, historically, and most likely mentally. Iran will destroy, or a least attempt to destroy Israel using its nuclear weapons. The reason there is such a willingness to do so is based on their fundamental belief that the end of the world is near so what have they to lose. One might be surprised to find that fundamentalist Christians share this belief and both sides are looking forward eagerly to this event. The Iranians will also use this power to intimidate other Muslim nations, who actually despise them for embracing Shia, and bending them to their will under threat of destruction. This will not be a religious conundrum as Sunnis are regarded as heretics by Shia.
For those of us who aren’t looking for a tremendous upheaval and nuclear degradation of the environment something preventative is called for. A military action should be the absolute last resort, but it must be considered. The Iranians are naïve if they think a military strike would be unsuccessful. The immediate results will be a great success; the lingering ones are much more problematic. Detractors of the United States will have a knee-jerk totally predictable response to this suggestion and action, but a least they can have a reaction. In Iran any dissent is usually punished by death or lengthy imprisonment; similar to Cuban and Venezuelan behavior.
The set of circumstances is almost irretrievable at this point, Iran is going to press forward, the US is going to find away to stop them. The rest of us will be along for the ride which will be very unpleasant and last a long time.
That some action should be taken is inarguable, the Iranian regime is unstable politically, morally, historically, and most likely mentally. Iran will destroy, or a least attempt to destroy Israel using its nuclear weapons. The reason there is such a willingness to do so is based on their fundamental belief that the end of the world is near so what have they to lose. One might be surprised to find that fundamentalist Christians share this belief and both sides are looking forward eagerly to this event. The Iranians will also use this power to intimidate other Muslim nations, who actually despise them for embracing Shia, and bending them to their will under threat of destruction. This will not be a religious conundrum as Sunnis are regarded as heretics by Shia.
For those of us who aren’t looking for a tremendous upheaval and nuclear degradation of the environment something preventative is called for. A military action should be the absolute last resort, but it must be considered. The Iranians are naïve if they think a military strike would be unsuccessful. The immediate results will be a great success; the lingering ones are much more problematic. Detractors of the United States will have a knee-jerk totally predictable response to this suggestion and action, but a least they can have a reaction. In Iran any dissent is usually punished by death or lengthy imprisonment; similar to Cuban and Venezuelan behavior.
The set of circumstances is almost irretrievable at this point, Iran is going to press forward, the US is going to find away to stop them. The rest of us will be along for the ride which will be very unpleasant and last a long time.
Monday, April 10, 2006
Tiger Misses
Phil Mickelson is going to cause Tiger problems on his way to breaking the major championship victory record set by Jack Nicklaus. Mickelson might run out of time, he is 36 to Tiger’s 30, but he has regained the confidence that was shattered by Tiger’s arrival on the golf scene. Over the years Mickelson has four putted his way out of victory. His wild risk-taking style cost him many opportunities to win. Apparently he has now matured and is now a championship golfer.
This means that when Phil starts a tournament he is trying to win. In the past he merely wanted to win and felt he could because of his skills which are of course excellent. Arrogance will not win golf tournaments especially at the championship level. The great Bobby Jones had the same problem when he started, there is no other comparison between the two golfers, but until Jones learned to control himself and his golfing urges he remained winless when it counted. Tiger Woods has raised the standard of performance required to win major golf tournaments. The field is responding by rising to the level and sometimes beyond.
I doubt that there is any real danger of Woods failing to break Jack Nicklaus’ record. The only thing that can prevent it is Tiger Woods either losing interest or suffering injury. Other players will win majors and Phil Mickelson is well on his way to a record similar to that of Nick Faldo, none will surpass Woods.
Tiger has been tinkering with his swing and he is taking risks that he wouldn’t take in the past. He has been accused of being to machine like, too boring, but that is what wins tournaments and sets records. Golf is a game of patience and humility. One must prepare, commit, and play the shot; if it doesn’t work out perfectly one must move on from there. Ben Hogan realized this and pointed out that tournaments are won by those who manage their bad shots as very few good shots are ever made under the pressure of a tournament.
Congratulations to Phil Mickelson for winning the Master’s he held up when others faltered.
This means that when Phil starts a tournament he is trying to win. In the past he merely wanted to win and felt he could because of his skills which are of course excellent. Arrogance will not win golf tournaments especially at the championship level. The great Bobby Jones had the same problem when he started, there is no other comparison between the two golfers, but until Jones learned to control himself and his golfing urges he remained winless when it counted. Tiger Woods has raised the standard of performance required to win major golf tournaments. The field is responding by rising to the level and sometimes beyond.
I doubt that there is any real danger of Woods failing to break Jack Nicklaus’ record. The only thing that can prevent it is Tiger Woods either losing interest or suffering injury. Other players will win majors and Phil Mickelson is well on his way to a record similar to that of Nick Faldo, none will surpass Woods.
Tiger has been tinkering with his swing and he is taking risks that he wouldn’t take in the past. He has been accused of being to machine like, too boring, but that is what wins tournaments and sets records. Golf is a game of patience and humility. One must prepare, commit, and play the shot; if it doesn’t work out perfectly one must move on from there. Ben Hogan realized this and pointed out that tournaments are won by those who manage their bad shots as very few good shots are ever made under the pressure of a tournament.
Congratulations to Phil Mickelson for winning the Master’s he held up when others faltered.
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