An Ancestor Reaching Out?

Thanksgiving being a family time primarily, the mind runs to family things. Sometimes moments occur in life that are inexplicable, but you still can’t help but ponder them from time to time. In my case, there are both a king and a pirate way back in the dusty distant past of my family history. Perhaps this means I’m a small fraction of a percent royal scoundrel, and have been called worse in my time! Now, I’ve never had a moment in my life that made me think of anything some regal king or chieftain did way back in the day, but with regards to the pirate, I have.

Having been on several cruises, I realized after a few sailings that I always gravitated to the top deck at the stern of the ship every single time we sailed out of port, or into one. After while, it occurred to me that that’s exactly where the wheel would have been on a sailing ship…such as a pirate might have commanded. Could this be something burned into my DNA, or just a wild imagining? No one can say, of course…that’s what makes it inexplicable…but it’s still one of those things one rolls around in one’s head from time to time as you ponder, “I wonder if…”

Running up the Jolly Roger, a salty Thanksgiving to you!

Old Age & Treachery Over Youth & Skill?

Years ago, while working with my father (who, probably unlike yours was diagnosed with a serious mental illness…yet kept working and functioning up to a point), I began to notice that every time I outsold him, he would write across the top of the weekly planner on the desk in Sharpie. He would always pen the following: “Old age and treachery will overcome youth, skill, and enthusiasm.”  It became my mission to make sure that didn’t happen.

Although not in the ‘old age’ category, I am close enough to be able to see it now, and I still disagree with this. In fact, by merely dropping the ‘youth’ portion, I have found that the latter elements can serve anyone quite nicely in their quest for success…both personal success, and in contributing to the success of the common good and our country.

Keep sharpening your skills and acquiring new ones, and whatever others may do to try to knock you down, DON’T lose your enthusiasm!

Occupy Moves to a Bank

This afternoon in San Francisco, the Occupy SF folks moved into the lobby of Bank of America in the financial district. As this is written, there have been about a half dozen arrests. The occupiers are primarily peaceful, chanting and ‘om-ing.’ They did pitch a tent inside. This brings up a couple of thoughts. First, with the police raids and clearing of Occupy camps around the country, then the returning of the movement folks, one group that is profiting off the whole movement so far is merchants who sell tents!

Here’s another thought: A couple weeks ago, there was a internet-driven push (which actually started back in 2009, but took a while to really take hold) encouraging people to move from the big banks to smaller locally owned banks or credit unions. The protests of the Occupy people get publicity, and I get that, but instead of ‘taking over’ the lobby of a bank, wouldn’t it do more to alter the big banks’ behavior if all those occupy folks went out and each got several people they know to withdraw all their funds from those big banks and move them to smaller ones and credit unions? Just a thought.

A Right to Make a Profit?

From Newser.com: Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan defended his bank’s controversial new $5 debit card fee in a CNBC interview yesterday, saying that most customers would avoid it, and that the bank had given customers plenty of warning about it. Asked to respond to President Obama’s statement that banks don’t have “an inherent right to a certain amount of profit,” Moynihan replied that “I have an inherent duty as a CEO … to get a return for my shareholders.”

He said that once BofA talks to customers and shareholders “they’ll understand what we’re doing—understand we have a right to make a profit.”

No, Mr. Moynihan, you have NO RIGHT to make a profit! This is America…you have the opportunity to make a profit. As CEO, you have the obligation to your shareholders to get a return, as you noted, but no RIGHT to a profit! You and other big banks and investment banks got a giant bailout from taxpayers and the Fed…you have, in effect, privatized profits and socialized losses. That is NOT the American way, and it’s now generating quite a bit of anger right down at the street level on Wall Street and elsewhere. Having run small businesses, I can assure you that no one ever guaranteed my RIGHT to a profit…sometimes we made good ones, other times, we took a haircut. That’s business in the real world. I suggest you and other arrogant banksters step out into that real world and see how things REALLY are!

Coming Facebook “This Is Your Life” Changes

There has already been plenty written about the upcoming Facebook profile changes, and how it will be even more intrusive.  It can be checked out in beta, and some people love it, others despise it. It appears that if you are in the latter category, there are at least some controls in place to allow you to keep limited some of the information you share. That’s a good thing, no doubt about it.

The sad (in my opinion) fact is, however, the privacy horse was out of the barn before Facebook even existed. No matter how careful you are with what you put on the web, if you have had any dealings with businesses at all…and most have unless they live in a cave with no contact with the outside world…THEY will have put info related to you up on the web. In fact, your info is being sold and resold at warp speed. Some of it is ‘annanomized’ so that your identity is stripped out, but there is plenty that isn’t.

On the flip side of all this lack of privacy, if you are trying to dig up information about someone who passed away before the internet (besides death notices and family tree information), good luck getting much detail about them! This may make for some very interesting historical research issues many years from now, even with Google’s fabled digitizing of all books. It may make digging through Egyptian tombs look like a walk in the park!

On Cos’ Little Old Man

This morning, I saw a kindly, white-haired ‘little old man’ at the supermarket.  He was cheerfully going about his business. For whatever reason, Bill Cosby’s recording of years ago, “Little Old Man” popped into my head. It struck me that in the many years since recording the bit, Cos’ has kind of BECOME the ‘little old man!’ Further, it occurred to me that I’m not really all that far down the road behind him…and neither are some who will read this.

Here’s a thought…give a metaphorical tip of the hat next time you see a cheerful little old man or little old lady. Heck, if you actually wear a hat, and are so inclined, give ’em a REAL tip of the hat! Whatever you do in life, someone that’s a little old man or little old lady now blazed the trail for you!

We Get Played With Free Trade

This morning, solar panel maker Solyndra suddenly closes in Fremont, and 1100 people are on the beach. This is a business President Obama visited and touted last year. With the housing market like it is, this shouldn’t be a shocker.  It does, however, raise an issue.

The Chinese are kicking our tails in solar production. The government there subsidizes both the production and purchase, to get wide distribution of them. Back in the early days of solar, 40 years ago, our government had nice tax subsidies for solar panels…I know…I had 8 of them on my roof!  We’ve seen this show before…in the 60’s and 70’s, the Japanese sold cars over here for less than they cost in Japan to take US market share. At that time, US cars were considered superior by almost everyone (remember THAT?), but they vastly increased market share by selling cheaper ones.  As one who was in the auto business selling against them, I have a pretty good frame of reference on this issue!

I can see the theoretical benefit of free trade, but it’s never happened, and never going to. Other countries always cheat, and we let them get away with it. As long as other countries play us like a violin, free trade is a myth!

Tour Your Own Back Yard…And Ours!

The past week, with family from out of state in town, I played tour guide and took them around to lots of tourist destinations– a number of which I hadn’t visited myself in something like 20 years. They had a great time, the weather was cooperative, and that’s all great.

On the motorized cable car tour of San Francisco, there was a fellow from the East Bay who was taking the tour for his 50th birthday. He was born in the Bay Area, and commutes into San Francisco daily (something a lot of us can relate to!) Much of what was on the tour he’d never seen before, despite being a Bay Area native. As we rolled across the Golden Gate Bridge, he remarked that he’d never been on it before. It was a great time to do so, as it was totally clear…one of probably 10 days a year where you could see the Farallon Islands if you had a telescope or binoculars.

Here’s a point worth making, wherever you may live. Take the time to see some of the great local sites before you turn 50, or if you’re already past 50, see them soon! Don’t put it off like the birthday boy on the cable car tour. In fact, as a shameless plug…come to the Bay Area, see the marvelous sites, and DO cross the Golden Gate Bridge, for Heaven’s sake! It’s well worth your time!

Bringing it Home

News headlines from the Wall St. Journal on July 19, 2011:

Apple reports earnings of $7.31 billion…Sales

surged to $28.57 billion, topping expectations of

$24.99 billion.

Goldman Misses Profit Mark, Plans Job Cuts

B of A Swings to Loss

Coke’s Profit Jumps 18%

DJIA’s 200-Point Rise Is Biggest in 2011

So, Bank of America drops 9 billion (mainly still due to the mortgage mess), and Goldman’s profit is significantly lower than expectations, and they plan to cut 1,000 jobs. Coke and Apple are up. Why would the market have such a good day, and what do these have or not have in common? As a rank outsider to the markets, but one who has owned and run substantial small business operations, I’d say this: Apple and Coke MAKE THINGS that people want. B of A and Goldman make money with other peoples’ money.

A CEO of a major communications company did a TV interview today and lamented some of our poor trade agreements and losing jobs overseas, and pointed out what a lot of us on the retail & service sector side of things (as opposed to high finance) have been shouting for quite a while now…we in the US need to get back to making things.

If we can’t make cheap consumer goods due to extremely low labor costs in other countries, how about making greener and more efficient energy-saving items, or large products that go into infrastructure where the shipping cost savings is enough to counteract the labor savings due to near-slave wages in certain countries?

Of course Coke is made here, and it’s easy to point out that Apple has most of its products produced overseas. Apple, however, designs and tests them here, they don’t just slap their name on someone else’s designs from overseas, and they are also retailed here and when necessary, repaired here. That takes good old American bodies…not as many as the manufacturing, but it all helps.

Just A Personal Rant- Renting vs. Owning

In the 12 years I lived in an apartment, the trim, fences, and deck were painted once. The outside was never cleaned. In just over a month in this townhouse, they have already pressure washed the buildings again. If you think it’s a case of ‘you get what you pay for,’ the payment and HOA fee for the condo are much less than the rent for the apartment was. I’ll take a little noise once in a while for a lot more clean!