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Movember Madness – The Final
Welcome back to Movember Madness, if you missed the selection or the first rounds:
Part 1, The Selection
Part 2, The Elite Eight
If you have enjoyed the Movember Madness, please support the cause @ http://mobro.co/jeremylouden – every little bit helps.
Welcome everyone to the final 3 rounds of MOVEMBER MADNESS. We are down to our last 8 participants, all true power houses of the mo.
#1 Rollie Fingers v. #2 Hulk Hogan
For sports, it is all about the stats, so we have to go to the stat sheet.When you are comparing 2 people of this magnitude you skip all of the small stuff.
Rollie: 3-peat World Champion, World Series MVP, AL MVP and Cy Young winner in 1981. Has had his mo since 1972 when he grew the "Snidely Whiplash" to win a $300 bonus from A's owner Charles A. Finley and has been a dedicated mo wearer ever since.
Hulk: 12-time World Champion and arguably the greatest professional wrestler ever. [Quick aside, I hate in now that everything is "arguably", can we just agree that everything is arguable at this point, there are people that don't believe in evolution or global warming. So from this day forward is, by definition, anything is arguable. You may be wrong and a moron, but you can argue.]
#1 seed Rollie Fingers prevails as the committee is unsure how much the Hulk mo was aided by PED's during his career and were not happy when he went "Hollywood" and grew in the black beard.
#1 Burt Reynolds v. #3 Groucho Marx
This was a very close battle as the committee was obviously having a hard time remembering Bandit, JJ McClure, and Stroker Ace due to the fresh impressions they had of the impostor with the Burt Reynolds mask that has been popping up for the past 8 years.
Right as time looked like it was going to expire and the overall #1 seed was going to be bounced from the tournament, an image was presented to the committee to wipe clean the impostor and remember the real Burt Reynolds.
Burt Wins.
#5 Ned Flanders v. #2 Ron Swanson
Listening to the deafening crowd, this was the battle that everyone came to see tonight. The Cinderella Ned Flanders against the upstart Ron Swanson. Ron Swanson comes out strong and tries to put the contest away with his best move, the Pyramid of Greatness.
Just as it looked like an exhausted Flanders was going to offer his last "didly" of the madness, the action was interrupted by a mustached man running through the action.
This gave Flanders the time that he needed to rely on his years of experience, "He can't win, he doesn't have the longevity. A true mo has staying power." As the committee began to be swung, this image was presented:
A dazed Ron Swanson looked at the image in shock and Ned took the opportunity to seize the win.
#5 Bill Cutting v. #2 Rhett Butler
You know the one team that makes the Final 4 against huge odds only to get annihilated by the favorite who is clicking on all cylinders that day. Bill "The Butcher" Cutting went down with class, but he went down hard.
#1 Rollie Fingers v. #1 Burt Reynolds
#5 Ned Flanders v. #2 Rhett Butler
To be honest, at this point, the committee is running on fumes. All of the easy jabs and jokes have been used up and we are past the good beer and into the stuff that is on the back of the shelf that was left there by someone who visited about 3 months ago.
To break it down simply and easy, the winner of the sports side never really had a chance once they got out of the regional to do anything against the stacked People region. Only Hogan had enough brand power to possibly battle with Burt Reynolds, but Fingers had no shot against the man that beat Albert Einstein, Ron Jeremy, and Groucho Marx to make it this far.
Similarly, while Ned Flanders run was unexpected and brought a lot of attention to the Madness, you could tell that he was happy just to make it to the final four. There's a reason why actors only do TV until they can do Movies, Movies are just bigger and better.
Which brings us to the Championship:
In this corner, born on February 11, 1936 and missing since 2005 (I kid), he has won many awards throughout his career including 5-time Favorite Motion Picture Actor from 1979 to 1984, 3-time Favorite All-Around Male Entertainer, 2 Golden Globes, and an Emmy. He was THE #1 box-office star for 5 straight years from 1978-1982 and in 1989 was the Durex Man of the Year. Your dad wanted to be him and your mom wanted to …. love him, Heeeeeeee's
"Bandit" Burton Milo "Burt" Reynolds, Jr.
As the primary character in the biggest movie of all-time (adjusted for gross), Rhett is the rogue and scalawag (ask Wikipedia) from the movie. Played by Clark Gable, who was I am sure was in some other great movies. At 6'1" and filmed in 1939, from somewhere in Georgia –
Rhett Butler
For the record, this is what having a 50% female committee will get you. Not that it is bad, it was very important to get a woman's view on the acceptance of the mo since it is very hard to have a look good enough with the mo now a days to be accepted by the fairer sex.
To be honest, "Franky, I don't give a damn" about Rhett Butler and if I had enough foresight I would have pushed someone that I could write better about. Luckily, without any sway from the judge, Burt won the championship with only 1 vote going to Butler.
So how did Burt win? The pencil-thin mo sported by Rhett would always have a hard time against a full mo like Burt sports. Plus, look at his intro, Burt Reynolds was the #1 box office star for 5 years and while Ia m a HUGE fan of the Bandit and Cannonball series of movies, I would venture to say that most of those movies are less than memorable.
The best part of Burt Reynolds winning is that we can finish this madness off in true Burt Reynolds style – role the outtakes.
Movember Madness #2 – Road to the Elite Eight
For some reason, my Elite 8 post lost all text between last night and today…for donations: http://mobro.co/jeremylouden. Sorry for lack of clean up, had to post from backup.
For Part 1: Movember Madness: The Selection
The kickoff for Movember Madness had to be scheduled for Thanksgiving. So on Thanksgiving, a group of Mo aficionados were gathered around a hot fire with plenty of fluids to keep them going through the long and difficult process of picking a winner. The 8 experts were split into 3 groups: Dudes (brothers Alex and Cameron, friend Charlie), Chicks (sisters Morgan and Natalie, wife Emily), and the Old Married Couple (parents Gary and Janet). I only served as mediator and representative for the contestants.
So as Bruce Buffer would say, after thanking his brother for his career, "It's Time"…
Sports Region
#1 Rollie Fingers v. #8 Mike Ditka
The Hall of Fame pitcher, who has his number retired by 2 teams and has to be in the Mustache Hall of Fame, easily hammered the overmatched Ditka. Maybe if Buddy Ryan was there to help out, he could have had a chance.
#4 Larry Bird v. #5 Don Mattingly
The "Battle of Indiana". While it is widely known that the "Hick from French Lick" is an Indiana native, Donnie Baseball in native to Evansville, IN. While Mattingly often ran afoul with management for his ungroomed facial hair and mullet – he had no chance against "Basketball Jesus".
#3 Goose Gossage v. #6 Keith Hernandez
Keith Hernandez came out pissed with the #6 seeding, "I was voted top sports mustache ever by the American Mustache Institute – check Wikipedia if you don't believe me." We believe you Keith, you win.
#2 Hulk Hogan v. #7 Dale Earnhardt Sr
Hulkamania Rules, always.
#1 Burt Reynolds v. #8 Albert Einstein
This contest was heatly contested as the judges had trouble separating Einstein from his mo. In the end, the Bandit won a close battler to make it to the 2nd round. Einstein was done in when pictures had to be presented that proved he had a mustache. People only remember the hair.
#4 Ron Jeremy v. #5 Charlie Chaplin
Porn mo beats Hitler mo every time. Would the Chaplin style taken off if not for Hitler, who was born only 4 days after Chaplin? No one could bring this style back, including Michael Jordan.
#3 Groucho Marx v. #6 Ghandi
Ghandi's mo is too peaceful to stand up to Groucho's trademark look. The judges felt really, really bad for not picking Ghandi though as it was mentioned many times.
#2 Salvadore Dali v. #7 Teddy Roosevelt
Dali has flowers on the tips of his mustaches. Flowers win.
#1 Magnum v. #8 Yosemite Sam
Up to this point, the tournament had been pretty calm, but it is not called "Madness" without a reason. The madness started here where the gun-toting Looney Tune took out one of the tournament favorites. Magnum, and Selleck, just doesn't have the staying power that the liberal media want you to believe.
#4 Gomez Addams v. #5 Ned Flanders
Flanders helped prove the staying power of the cartoon mo as he followed up Yosemite's huge upset with a pounding to the Addams patriarch. Mario expresses his anger on not making the tournament.
#3 Walker v. #6 Gene Shalit
While Shalit has a very strong mo, the rest of his resume just is not strong enough. Walker wins.
#2 Ron Swanson v. #8 Geraldo Rivera
Ron Swanson beats Geraldo 12 votes to 0 as random people stop in to vote against Geraldo, because, yes, everyone hates him. His respectability is reportedly buried in Al Capone's Vault.
#1 Ron Burgundy v. #8 The Stranger
Sam Elliott deserved a place somewhere in this tournament and should have been given a better seed than #8, but his Q score just isn't high enough. Burgundy in landslide but at least Sam gets some attention for his long time greatness.
#4 Doc Holliday v. #5 Bill "The Butcher" Cutting
I must admit that I had to look up the character's name from Gangs of New York represented by Daniel Day Lewis, but everyone remembered his mo and his hat. I was very sorry to see Holliday leave, but he ran up against his huckleberry. The Butcher was a daisy and moves on.
#3 Jules Winfield v. #6 Jack Sparrow
"Say 'what' again, I dare you, I double dare you …" The BAMF ran up against a stacked deck with the judges being 50% female. Something about pirates in eye liner that really changes a woman.
#2 Rhett Butler v. #7 Vito Corleone
"Gone with the Wind" v. "Godfather" . . . Rhett dominates.
#1 Rollie Fingers v. #4 Larry Bird
With the strong following that Bird has among several of the judges, the money line was showing a lot of movement heading into the contest. The respect for Fingers' mo is too great for Bird who has since shaved off his mo to show his incredibly thin upper lip.
#6 Keith Hernandez v. #2 Hulk Hogan
When pulling pictures for the bracket, I ran across this one of Keith Hernandez smoking on the bench; and you thought that the heavy use of OPS and WAR was the biggest change in baseball. Heads would explode and ESPN would literally be carrying Skip Bayless out on a stretcher.
All that said, the 18-time World Champion's mo held strong with the help of all of the vitamins and prayers.
#1 Burt Reynolds v. #4 Ron Jeremy
Fresh from a bit of a scare in the 1st round, Burt has no trouble with Ron.
#3 Groucho Marx v. Salvadore Dali
A little hint, if they mass produce a set of glasses with mustache, nose, and eyebrows based on your appearance over 30 years after your death, you are going to be a hard out. Marx moves on.
#8 Yosemite Sam v. #5 Ned Flanders
The best matchup that anyone could draw up . . get it "draw up" . . ? Flanders pure spirit helps win out against the Cinderella minded Yosemite.
#3 Walker v. #2 Ron Swanson
Ron Swanson is not scared of Chuck Norris. Ron Swanson wins and then orders all of the bacon, all of the bacon.
#1 Ron Burgundy v. #5 Bill Cutting
And…. Burgundy is the 2nd #1 seed to fall. 60% of the time, he wins every time. This was not one of the 60%. Stay Classy.
#6 Jack Sparrow v. #2 Rhett Butler
I must say, I was very worried about the pirate riding his way with the women on to later rounds. In what was probably lucky for the other Mo's, Captain Jack went up against one of the only other entrants that had a strength with the women. Rhett Butler wins. Hard to argue with the star of a movie that has grossed over $390 million worldwide not adjusted for inflation.
#1 Rollie Fingers v. #2 Hulk Hogan
#1 Burt Reynolds v. #3 Groucho Marx
#5 Ned Flanders v. #2 Ron Swanson
#5 Bill Cutting v. #2 Rhett Butler
Movember Madness
With Movember coming to an end, it is time to put the best mo's (or staches, if you prefer) to the test. Think March Madness but with furry lips and waxed tips. The hope is that this tournament will help finally put an end to the never ending fight over who has the greatest mo while bringing increased awareness to men's health, particularly prostate cancer. If you enjoy it, please donate a few shillings here: http://mobro.co/jeremylouden.
Selection Sunday
Before the tournament could come to a start, some ground rules had to be created. First, it was decided that 64 mo's would be entered into the tournament, broken down into 4 regions, and seeded 1-8 in each region. Each region was given a category that its entrants had to belong: sports figures, famous people, TV characters, and movie characters. I could go into great detail how some were put into one category, but I will touch on any questionable ones as we go through the match-ups.
Hours were then spent deciding the final 64 to go into the tournament. Images were compared, biographies were pored over, and trimming habits were closely examined. While some may argue that there were no true criteria for selection, an entry had to have had a defining career or moment that was epitomized, stimulated, or even made possible through the mo. Similar to so much else in life, there is no true definition of greatness, you just know it when you see it.
Before going into the selections, we would like to honor some of the bubble Mo's to miss the cut. Mario of "Super Mario Bros." fame lost out when the video game conference lost its automatic bid. Wooderson of "Dazed and Confused" was just "alright, alright, alright" and didn't make the cut. It was also decided that our tournament had no place for evil dictators so Hitler and Saddam were shown the door. In the sports region, we had a very tough battle in which it was decided a play-in game was needed. Mike Ditka narrowed out Wade Boggs to earn the 64th and final position.
So without further ado, the selections by region and seeding order:
1. Rollie Fingers
2. Hulk Hogan
3. Goose Gossage
4. Larry Bird
5. Don Mattingly
6. Keith Hernandez
7. Dale Earnhardt Sr.
8. Mike Ditka (def. Wade Boggs in play-in)
People and Personalities:
1. Burt Reynolds
2. Salvadore Dali
3. Groucho Marx
4. Ron Jeremy (*representing the Porn mo conference)
5. Charlie Chaplin
6. Ghandi
7. Teddy Roosevelt
8. Albert Einstein
Movie Characters
1. Ron Burgundy (Anchorman, *70's mo conference)
2. Rhett Butler (Gone With The Wind)
3. Jules Winnfield (Pulp Fiction)
4. Doc Holliday (Tombstone, *Cowboy mo conference)
5. Bill "The Butcher" Cutting (Gangs of New York)
6. Capt. Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Carribean, *Pirates mo conference)
7. Vito Corleone (Godfather)
8. The Stranger (The Big Lebowski)
TV Characters
1. Magnum PI (Magnum PI)
2. Ron Swanson (Parks and Rec)
3. Walker (Texas Ranger, *Police mo conference)
4. Gomez Addams (Addams Family)
5. Ned Flanders (Simpson)
6. Gene Shalit (The Today Show)
7. Geraldo Rivera (*Douchy News personality mo conference)
8. Yosemite Sam (Looney Tunes)
Some quick notes
- Burt Reynolds made it as a person while Tom Selleck was put in as a TV Character for a couple of reasons. First, they were both seen as #1 seeds and needed to be put in different regions but more importantly, Tom Selleck is always Magnum, while everything Burt Reynolds ever did – he IS Burt Reynolds.
- Several people were selected from some of the top Mo conferences and have been noted a champion (*) of that conference. These conferences have automatic bids considering their long line of commitment to the Mo.
Come back tomorrow for the first 2 rounds and Thursday for the final rounds.
Getting Kick Started
Summary: My company, nimbleSoft, has been putting extra time in to launch a project on Kickstarter to fund the last stage of development for our code generation product, nimbleDeveloper. This post will provide some information about Kickstarter, why we chose to launch a project on the site, and the process that we followed to get our project launched.
As I sat across from Dennis, feasting on burritos and chips, we discussed a software product that we had envisioned. It was an application that would use tag-based templates (think html) and combine them with data from a database to produce standardized programming code. We should start a company and do what we were good at, consulting, to finance what we wanted to become, a software company.
Fast forward 4 ½ years later, we are finally nearing the launch that project that that had initiated the creation of our company. We have been very busy with consulting, a good problem, and not dedicated the time and effort needed to truly complete the software in a more "timely" manner.
What is Kickstarter
To use their description, Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. The process is straightforward. A person, or company, has an idea for a new product and they apply to list their project on the site. For sake of clarity, I will call the person or company who created the project listing a venture. Kickstarter reviews the request and either accepts or rejects it. Once accepted the venture finalizes their project listing by adding video, a full description of the project, and setting rewards for the supportive pledges. Pledges are monetary donations that supporters give to help fund the project. In exchange for their support, the venture gives them unique rewards that increase in significance with higher pledge amounts.
When the venture sets up the project they set a target dollar amount that they are trying to raise for their project. If they receive enough in pledges to achieve their goal, the project is funded and money is paid to the venture through Amazon payments. If the project does not meet its goals, it is unsuccessful and no money changes hands. After receiving the funds, the venture then starts working on their project and delivers the promised rewards to the supporters.
Kickstarter makes money by taking a percentage of the pledge amounts. At the time of this post, 61,110 projects had been launched with ~44% of them being successfully funded leading to $221 million dollars in financing. There are currently almost 4,000 projects listed on the site.
Why we posted on Kickstarter
At first, I started researching the site because I thought the whole thing was pretty interesting and there were some really great projects listed. People were able to create wonderful products without having to go through the arduous process of trying to secure financing from a bank, venture investor, or friends and family. They simply posted their idea to the masses and see if it was accepted or not.
We then decided that we were going to post nimbleDeveloper, our code generation software to the site. While the possible influx of capital was definitely a factor leading to our listing, it was not the primary reason. We will be able to see what the interest level is for our application, a true market analysis. If we are able to meet our goal, we will be able be confident that there is a market for our application when we launch it. When you are so close to a project, use it every day, and have been working on it for years, it can be very difficult to fairly judge your creation.
The capital that it raises will also allow us to dedicate resources to completing the first version of the application, which we have never been able to do. The consulting side of the business has always affected our progress on the product. We pride ourselves for the excellent service that we provide, but all of that service takes time and resources.
Equally beneficial, it will create a group of devoted customers, advocates, for our system that will help us continue to make the product better in the future. Unlike other products that you may see on the site, the launch of our product will hopefully be just the first version of a long line of improvements and added features. We are going to rely on these customers, the first adopters, to lead us to where the tool needs to go.
Creating a Kickstarter project
It sounds pretty simple. First get accepted, then create the video, description, and rewards, post the project, and sit back and watch. At first, I thought it would be equally simple. It wasn't.
First, have you ever created a video that you are hoping thousands of people will watch? It is not easy. Bringing in professionals is not cheap and doing it yourself will probably look cheap. In the end, we decided looking cheap would be better than spending money on a video that was meant to raise funds to support our project. Speaking as one of the primary presenters in the video, there is a reason we work with computers. Lines were missed, technical issues occurred, and general issues presented themselves. At the end of the day of shooting we had an 8 minute video with 3 minutes of it having no sound.
After various cuts and edits, we finally had a video short enough that it would keep someone interested but still have enough content to get our message across. We also dubbed some sound to fill in for the technical issues that we had on 2 of the scenes. While the edits did nothing to make us look like more polished presenters, we did have a suitable video.
I would hate to go into detail on how much time and effort went into the video, but it was not a small amount. It gave me a whole new appreciation for actors and presenters.
Then we had to establish our rewards. Kickstarter has a few rules about the rewards that are pretty easy to follow. Basically, don't offer anything that you can't deliver. We went through and tried to set up rewards that people would want that fit every pledge level. It wasn't too difficult, but a little challenging trying to decide what people may want and like. Luckily, there are thousands of successful projects to benchmark.
Now that the project was all set up, we started to look at how we would market our project. Our website, for lack of a more suitable term, sucked. We had never put much effort into it as we never really used it as a sales tool. On the consulting side, we rely heavily on word-of-mouth and face-to-face meetings. In addition, the site was very consulting focused and had nothing about software. Due to this, we built an entirely new site to be launched on the same day as the Kickstarter project was to go live.
Which leads me to now, an hour away from our project launch. Sleep deprived, I am getting ready to deploy a new website, launch the project on Kickstarter, and submit this post.
Ready for Launch
If you would like to check out our Kickstarter page, please follow this link. Pledge if it interests you, or you just want a sticker, t-shirt, or cookies. The project is set to run for just over 30 days. I plan on posting an update at the mid-way point and one at the end. Hopefully, these will have some pearls of wisdom that I can pass on to others that are interested in launching their own project.
Are you a silent movie actor?
Summary: When most people watch "The Artist" they will immediately be drawn to the style and the love story of the film. I immediately started drawing parallels between my own more colorful, very noisy world.
Warning: There may be spoilers in this article and I don't want to ruin anyone's viewing of the movie – so stop now and come back.
Side note: Within this post, I focus on technology, but you can easily make the same points about changes in sales, marketing, production, teaching, etc. All business and personal interactions are evolving, largely due to the availability and use of technology.
On the surface, The Artist is a movie about a man who falls from grace and only finds his way out of the gutter with the help of a woman and their love. This is a story that has been told numerous times in Hollywood and, to be honest, has no real need for a blog post written by me. However, when I watched the film, the themes of obsolescence, technical evolution, and pride jumped out at me.
We are all going to become obsolete some day. If not, people wouldn't retire, or for that matter experience the ultimate in obsolescence, death. As an owner of a technical business with 10+ years of experience behind me, this is more visible in my every day life than most. With every wave of new technology, the "opportunity window" closes a little more. How many hot start-ups are started by people in their 40's or later? I don't want to sound like an ageist, because I am not, just a realist. Most people's careers climb until they reach an apex and then slowly decline until retirement.
The Artist shows this brilliantly through the use of a silent movie star as their protagonist, one of the most obsolete professions I can think of. It also happens that silent films became obsolete, at least in the movie, rather quickly. When giant companies like Borders, Kodak, and Blockbuster can decline as suddenly as they have, it would be naive to think that this cannot happen on a personal level. Ask MySpace what they think of Facebook, or Blackberry how they are doing against Google and Apple.
Technical Evolution
The companies that I used as examples became obsolete because they weren't able to adjust to changing technology and customer habits. It can easily be argued that they became too satisfied with their place in the world and did not place the right amount of importance on up-start competitors. While this is true, it was also difficult to continue their core business while diversifying into new technology and new business models. If you go too far, you are abandoning your existing customers. Now relate this to yourself. 5 or 10 years ago, I had much more time to learn new technology. Now I am lucky to keep up to date in the technology that I do know. In addition to work, I have a great wife and 2 kids that I enjoy and need to spend my time with.
Going back to The Artist, the main character is shown a "talkie", a movie with sound and speaking, and he blows it off. For reasons that we will touch on later, he ignored the technical evolution of movies. He was given an insider look on the future of his industry and he turned his back on it. Had he embraced it, his life would have been much better (though we wouldn't have a great movie).
Facebook, Twitter, social marketing, the cloud, smart phones, tablets…how many new technologies have changed business in just the past 5 years? I run a software consulting business and I don't own or operate a single server. My mail, files, and databases are all hosted through services in the cloud. This would have been a pipe dream when I graduated college. Your business, your life, is going to change every day and you can either face these changes and accept them or you can dismiss them as fads. When you do dismiss the next "tech fad", think of the silent movie actor and what happened to him when he dismissed sound in movies.
The actor in the movie saw himself as more than an actor, he was "The Artist". At least that is how he saw himself, everyone else saw him as nothing more than an actor in a dying industry. If he was more in touch with others' perception of him, he would have been able to accept the shift away from his silent films. In his mind though, he was making art, and his films could not be lowered to the level of having people actually talk in them. Basically, he was very full of himself.
Is your opinion of yourself holding you back from accepting reality? Is your self portrait in line with how other people see you? There is one way to know for sure, ask them. Once you have your perceptions in line with reality, you will be able to acknowledge these shift and act on them.
In the end of "The Artist", the actor finally realizes the err of his ways and swallows his pride. He accepts the help of his lover and finds a niche in which he still has appeal to the new generation of customers. It takes him nearly dying and losing everything that he has to reach this finale.
By learning the lessons symbolized in "The Artist", you should be able to overcome the ever changing landscape of the world around you.
And you though that you were simply watching a novel film shot in black and white and largely silent.
Celebrate Your Conquests (and Your Defeats)
Summary: Too often people don't recognize and celebrate key moments in their lives. Part of setting goals is tracking the completion of the goal, and taking a moment to reflect when it reaches its end.
This year, the New York Giants won the Super Bowl and were rewarded with a string of huge celebrations. In addition to the party that the organization gave them, there was a ticker tape parade and there will be a White House visit. The losers of the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots, also had a private party following the Super Bowl. While I would venture to say that this celebration was much more subdued that the Giants, they were raked over the coals by "the media" for celebrating a loss. I commend them. Reaching the pinnacle of your occupation and being one play away from winning the championship should be recognized. It is also a good time to reflect, as a team, on what they need to do the following year to get back to the same level – and hopefully succeed next time.
Personally, my company reached a milestone in its 4th year that I was able to celebrate with my employees. We ate our faces off, told stories, and had a generally good time. This celebration has also acted as a boost to the company and to me personally. It also made me regret that I have waited for 4 years to have any similar type of celebration. The occasion was devoted to reflecting on what we did right (and wrong) and the company received a benefit that more than covered the cost.
I know what you are thinking – glad I am wasting my time reading this "ground breaking" blog. Well . . I have also come to realize that you need to celebrate when you fail to reach your goals. Similar to the Patriots, a failure party will generally be a much more subdued occasion. However, it is the perfect occasion to reflect on what was done right and wrong during the attempt to complete the goal. Additionally, what is a better way of putting closure on a failure than to recognize the failure in grand fashion. I have even heard of a team holding a mock funeral for an application that was killed off by their company. While this may seem overboard, it shows the devotion that the team had in developing and supporting the system and the action allowed them to relieve some of the disappointment that they felt in hours of hard work being thrown out.
The examples of failures leading to great successes are everywhere. To quote Thomas Edison, "I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways that won't work". None of these successes could have occurred if the people involved did not take the time to learn from the failure and extract any worth that was left. It is impossible for this to occur if you just mark the failure up in the loss column and move on to the next goal.
The next time you fail, take the time to celebrate the failure and identify the lessons you will take from it. And for those of you who can't stomach the idea of celebrating failure, just call it "drowning your sorrows", serves the same purpose.
Note: Sorry for the long hiatus, January and February were amazingly busy. Good, but busy. I have a few posts that I have started but not completed so i should have some regulars out here in the coming weeks.
Audacity – Enemy of Apathy #1
The definition of Audacity from dictionary.com
1. boldness or daring, especially with confident or arrogant disregard for personal safety, conventional thought, or other restrictions.
2. effrontery or insolence; shameless boldness: His questioner's audacity shocked the lecturer.
By glancing over the definition, it may not seem complementary to call someone audacious or to say someone "has" audacity. I am going to tell you exactly the opposite. To achieve and aspire in this world you need audacity. This idea has been communicated in subtler ways; "positive thinking brings positive actions", "you have to believe to do", and other derivatives of similar ideas. They don't go far enough.
When you are trying to accomplish something significant, do you try to be great at it? Why do it if you are going to half ass it? I say great is not good enough, your goal, to borrow from gaping void, should be to be "totally fucking amazing"!
Amazing-ness does not come by simply having positive thought or believing in yourself. It doesn't reach far enough. You need to have a level of self confidence that propels you through your doubts. "I think I can" is great for the "Little Engine" and it may get you started, but for amazing, you need
to be thinking know that "I am going to accomplish my goal and nothing is going to stop me".
I know Oprah believes in the Secret, but to accomplish what she has the Secret is like the first flight of steps on the way to the top of the Eiffel Tower. She had to have a belief that grew into a boldness to become one of the most important people in television, and then equally amounts of that audacity to shut it down. I am not an Oprah fan, but looking at what she has accomplished, largely on her own terms, it is pretty inspiring, and awe-inspiring.
Enough about Oprah, For the rest of this post, I am going to use myself as an example. You should use yourself in relating to these concepts. Everyone has accomplished something amazing that started by first conquering your doubt and apathy. I am going to break down the definition of audacity from earlier in the post, boldness or daring, especially with confident or arrogant disregard for personal safety, conventional thought, or other restrictions.
Boldness or Daring.
When I started my company 4 years ago, I was leaving a very good job. I actually even liked my job well enough. House prices were starting to drop and we were at the beginning of recession. I also had a 2 year old son and my wife was 7 months pregnant with our second child. I think you can see why I often say that the hardest thing about starting my company was deciding to start it. Everything after that just flowed by performing a series of small actions. That initial decision was the most difficult one I ever made.
Looking back, I realize the amount of boldness that I held to think I could do any better than the current situation. I often wonder if I was in that same situation now, 4 years later, if I would make the same decision. It ended up being one of the best decisions I have ever made, but it took "guts", brass ones.
Confident or Arrogant
I have often been told that I was confident, arrogant, or even cocky. I think a lot of the time it was meant to be an insult, not a complement. Regardless, I have always taken it as a complement. I have always felt that one of my biggest assets was the confidence to try, even if it led to failure, just about anything. Confidence is not necessarily the feeling that you are going achieve, but rather lacking the fear of failure when you don't succeed.
If you lack self confidence in something that you want to do, you need to start acting. I have a goal someday of writing a book. I don't know why, I just want to. That is the primary reason I started writing this blog. I knew that I needed to practice writing on a regular basis to get better at it. What I didn't realize was the amount of confidence that I lacked in my writing and how people around me would accept it. To be honest, I often feel like writing this blog requires a large amount of audacity. Who am I to dare think that I have anything worthwhile enough to write to interest anyone? I didn't share a post on Facebook until after my 10th post and after my wife had already begin sharing it. I still have some doubt if my posts are any good, but I am slowly building that confidence that will hopefully grow into audacity (and a book). If I fail, who cares, I have found that I enjoy writing.
Disregard for Safety, Conventional Thought, or Restrictions
This is the most important part of the definition. Audacity is not simply being boldly confident (or daringly arrogant). It is using those emotions as power to enable you to overcome the restrictions that we put on ourselves, or put on us by others. For many people, it is very hard to start a company because most of us have been ingrained with the idealism of getting a good job. We go to college and follow the trodden path because that is the conventional method of "success". You have to be insane, in a very good way, to break out of the shell that we all have around our actions and thoughts.
So be audacious. Do something that is not easy or expected. Go back to school. Quit your job. Have kids. Paint a masterpiece. Jump out of an airplane.
Be bold. Be confident. Defy convention.


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One person is dead and another seriously injured after a car
fled police in Greymouth last night.
A police patrol saw a white Subaru station wagon being driven
south along High St at high speed around 11pm. The constable
turned on his lights and siren and pulled out to follow the
vehicle. The driver did not stop.
High St veers left about 600 metres from where the vehicle
was first seen and the officer quickly lost sight of the car.
When he came around the bend he found the car had crashed
into a house on the left hand side of the street.
There were three people in the vehicle. One died at the scene
and a second was trapped inside the vehicle for some time and
suffered serious injuries. The third person suffered only
minor injuries.
There was significant damage to the house, however no one was
home at the time.
Police have launched a homicide investigation and a serious
crash investigator is at the scene.
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Here's what some students had to say about the programme and their advice for new students joining it.
Naema Sultan Alblooshi, from UAE
Naema is studying IFP before progressing to a degree programme run by Aston Business School and School of Languages and Social Sciences
"I chose to study at Aston because it's a well-known University and more specifically it's a high-ranking University for business studies. I believe studying here will broaden my horizons and enable me to fulfil my dream. At home I was surrounded by my family and friends and everything seemed easy. It is different when you study abroad. I love Aston because it helped me to make friends from different cultures and backgrounds. The University is located in the city centre, which makes me worry less about safety. Living in Birmingham made me forget about homesickness. There is such a variety of activities and places to go to for leisure. The Bullring and Selfridges are my favourite for shopping. I am planning to study a degree in International Relations and Business; this is why I chose the International Foundation for Business and Social Sciences. The programme has enriched my knowledge in these areas. I also enjoyed getting to know people from different parts of the world. In the future I want to fulfil the dream of becoming an Ambassador to my beloved country. Studying abroad is a challenge; I am glad I faced this challenge with Aston."
Cristine is studying the IFP before progressing onto a degree programme at Aston Business School
"I have chosen Aston as a place to study because of its reputation as one of the top UK Universities.
Yasir is studying the IFP before progressing onto a degree programme at Aston Business School
"Aston is a really good place to study. The University campus is right in the centre of a big city. Birmingham has a lot of places to have fun, for example the famous Bullring Shopping Centre. London is also not far. I have met friends from around the world and have experienced different cultures. I am into swimming, football and fitness and the gym facilities here allow me to keep in shape. What I like about the Foundation programme is that the teachers are very experienced and have a fantastic sense of humour. Studying here is different to how we do it at home; the programme helped me to improve my English and develop my skills in research and writing papers. My aim is to complete the studies and then implement all the things I have learnt in my job."
Dalia Suhail Abushulaih, from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Dalia studied the IFP before her BSc Accounting for Management, at Aston Business School.
"Only one word can truly describe my personal experience, and that is amazing. During my year of study I have developed skills that I hadn't been capable of before. In my written assignments and essays which I thought might be too hard, I was awarded with the grades I always wished for. The foundation programme is one that is considerably small, however, that has made it possible to create relationships with my lecturers, as they were capable of finding the time to focus on me and my fellow colleagues. The IFP also made it easier for me to find friends that are going through the same experience, for we are all international students facing the same challenge."
Hussain studied the IFP before his BSc Accounting for Management, at Aston Business School.
"I was pleased that the IFP met my expectations. The programme gave a clear indication about what we would study in the first year of a degree and we had the opportunity to learn subjects which were not familiar to us. I also enjoyed the activities provided, especially the end of the year excursion to Alton Towers! The overall experience of studying the IFP was awesome and gave us the opportunity to explore the city of Birmingham and to prepare for our future studies at Aston Business School."
Yelena studied the IFP before her BSc Technology and Enterprise Management, at the Aston School of Engineering and Applied Science.
"The IFP was an intensive course, taught in a multicultural environment. It provides strong academic grounding and a good knowledge of how university works. It was a very rewarding experience to prepare with great academic support. I could have gone anywhere after the IFP but I really had a good experience here and was really impressed, I love this place!"
Excellent Different Distinctive
© Copyright Aston University,
Birmingham, B4 7ET


text:
February 21, 2014
Articles in this issue
'Embers Continue to Smolder'
To get an inkling of the power of anti-Judaic legacy, I recommend reading a gospel in one sitting. Or better yet, watch 'The Gospel of John' with a Jewish friend.
February 10, 2014John Connelly6 commentsPremium
Not Conversion, but Communion
Recent papal teaching, particularly since John Paul II, portrays God's covenant with the Jews as valid and irrevocable.
February 10, 2014Donald SeniorReligion1 commentPremium
Dual-Covenant Theology vs. Dual-Truth Theory
An interreligious dialogue in which parties explain away their distinctive truth claims can help to improve relations among participants, but at great cost.
February 10, 2014Jon D. LevensonReligion1 commentPremium
'What Our Church Has Inflicted on Judaism'
To foster a more productive Catholic-Jewish dialogue we need to pose two further questions, one backward-looking and one forward-looking.
February 10, 2014Steven EnglundReligion7 commentsPremium
A Soulless Soul Mate
'Her' focuses on emotional anxieties, asking what happens when companionship and intimacy itself are outsourced to a rapidly evolving machine. What happens to us?
February 10, 2014Rand Richards CooperFilm & Arts2 comments
Letters | Darwin, Israel & 'Mary Poppins'
Readers write on Elizabeth A. Johnson, Margaret O'Brien Steinfels, and 'Mary Poppins.'
February 10, 2014The Editors0 commentsPremium
Top Heavy
Conservatives insist that higher incomes at the very top fuel investment and growth and improve living standards. Real-world outcomes make nonsense of these claims.
February 10, 2014Charles R. MorrisPolitics2 commentsPremium
Various but Coherent
Evangelicalism is still very much around, and understanding such a diverse movement is a formidable challenge. Molly Worthen is to be commended for helping meet it.
February 10, 2014George M. MarsdenFilm & Arts, Book Reviews0 commentsPremium
Romance & Resurrection
Boitani addresses not the question of whether Shakespeare was Catholic, but a more basic one: Was he in any important sense a Christian poet?
February 10, 2014Paul K. JohnstonFilm & Arts, Book Reviews2 commentsPremium
Making Do
The men who tell their stories in 'Doing the Best I Can: Fatherhood in the Inner City' know that they don't look much like Ward Cleaver or Cliff Huxtable.
February 10, 2014Eve TushnetFilm & Arts, Book Reviews0 commentsPremium
Friend of Justice
Msgr. Carlos Manuel de Céspedes y García-Menocal, faithful priest, seminary rector, and prolific writer who died January 3, was also a great Cuban patriot.
February 10, 2014Tom QuigleyReligion0 commentsPremium
Two Poems
I go by myself / to where I am supposed to be
February 10, 2014Jack LindemanFilm & Arts0 comments
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Hi there,
I have this form which allows you to search for post in a custom post type. In order to find a matching post, all three meta fields must match otherwise the post doesn't belong in the result set.
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Update of /cvsroot/sbcl/sbcl In directory sc8-pr-cvs1.sourceforge.net:/tmp/cvs-serv9489 Modified Files: version.lisp-expr clean.sh NEWS Log Message: 0.8.9.49: merged Scott Parish's patch for OpenBSD, with a few tweaks... ...reduced space sizes to work around ulimit problems (as a quick hack, probably not the ideal long-term solution) ...fiddling to work around collisions with NetBSD patch; ah, the joys of working on living, squirmy code ...I think s/LISP_FEATURE_LINUX/LISP_FEATURE_SB_THREAD/ on create_thread() is correct; it was motivated by the way that now new_thread_trampoline() is defined only when LISP_FEATURE_SB_THREAD. minor issue encountered while going through xc: clean.sh should blow away src/runtime/genesis/. Index: version.lisp-expr =================================================================== RCS file: /cvsroot/sbcl/sbcl/version.lisp-expr,v retrieving revision 1.1558 retrieving revision 1.1559 diff -u -d -r1.1558 -r1.1559 --- version.lisp-expr 16 Apr 2004 14:17:39 -0000 1.1558 +++ version.lisp-expr 19 Apr 2004 03:41:40 -0000 1.1559 @@ -17,4 +17,4 @@ ;;; checkins which aren't released. (And occasionally for internal ;;; versions, especially for internal versions off the main CVS ;;; branch, it gets hairier, e.g. "0.pre7.14.flaky4.13".) -"0.8.9.48" +"0.8.9.49" Index: clean.sh =================================================================== RCS file: /cvsroot/sbcl/sbcl/clean.sh,v retrieving revision 1.17 retrieving revision 1.18 diff -u -d -r1.17 -r1.18 --- clean.sh 24 Mar 2004 16:45:26 -0000 1.17 +++ clean.sh 19 Apr 2004 03:41:40 -0000 1.18 @@ -13,7 +13,7 @@ # this script (including "gmake clean" in the src/runtime directory) # several times in a row without failure.. so we leave the output/ # directory in place.) -rm -rf obj/* output/* doc/user-manual \ +rm -rf obj/* output/* src/runtime/genesis/ doc/user-manual \ doc/user-manual.junk doc/DBTOHTML_OUTPUT_DIR* # (The doc/user-manual.junk and doc/DBTOHTML_OUTPUT_DIR* directories # are created by the Cygnus db2html script when it formats the the Index: NEWS =================================================================== RCS file: /cvsroot/sbcl/sbcl/NEWS,v retrieving revision 1.513 retrieving revision 1.514 diff -u -d -r1.513 -r1.514 --- NEWS 14 Apr 2004 20:07:46 -0000 1.513 +++ NEWS 19 Apr 2004 03:41:41 -0000 1.514 @@ -2367,6 +2367,9 @@ * Support for the forthcoming 2.0 version of the NetBSD kernel running on x86 hardware has been added. (thanks to Perry E. Metzger most immediately, and others for their past work) + * SBCL now runs on OpenBSD 3.4. (Thanks to Scott Parish; 3.4 is the + current release version; SBCL's OpenBSD support had been broken + since about the time of OpenBSD's switch to ELF binary format.) * [placeholder for DX summary] ** user code with &REST lists declared dynamic-extent, under high speed or space and low safety and debug optimization policy.
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ATLANTA (January 31, 2014) Childhood cancer cases continue to increase, but death rates have fallen by in half, according to an American Cancer Society report released Friday that is called one of the most comprehensive looks at the types of cancer that most commonly affect children and adolescents.
Childhood cancer is considered rare, especially compared with cancer in adults, but, it's the second leading cause of death in pre-adolescent, school-aged children and it is growing more common.
New diagnoses have been inching up each year, led by some types of blood and lymphatic cancers.
The good news is that childhood cancer death rates dropped more than 50 percent since 1975, to 24 per 1 million children and adolescents in 2010.


text:
Which do you prefer?
Gotye- Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)- official film clip (HD)
Somebody That I Used to Know - Walk off the Earth (Gotye - Cover)
Watch them both!!!
Dear Inner Circle,
There is always a stream of people visiting here to check us out and they're always welcome. Just before Christmas, a man from a world-wide, well-known church agency was clearly impressed at the range of things that we do. He saw people, struggling with long-term mental health issues, working in the roof garden; he saw a small group constructing a mosaic tile artwork on the roof. He saw some people learning to cook with the herbs that they'd grown on our roof; he saw a discussion group for Aboriginal people taking place. He saw a busy cafe with people of all shapes and sizes mixing together as they ate. He saw a play group in action in our community hall. He saw young people in our youth area cooking their own breakfast. He saw street people being organised for showers and a change of clothes. As he was just about to leave, he came to me and said something like, "I love all these things that you're doing but what about God?" I was a bit taken back by the question because I guess I was wondering which part of what we do gave an impression that it wasn't about God. I've thought a lot since then about what I wished I'd said in that moment. I've come to realise that I've learned more about God in this place than I ever learned from any eminent scholar.
A 12 year old girl told me once that her dad used to have sex with her every day. It mostly happened in the house but when her mother was home, her dad used to drive her to a place near a railway line where there were very few houses. At 12 years old, this dear girl had already had about 4 years of this daily abuse. She told me how when she was being assaulted in the car, she used to pray and ask God for a train to derail and run her and her father over. She never understood why God seemed to lack enough mercy to put an end to her humiliation. She told me about a rainy day when she was in the car and praying that God would bring a train down upon the car. She told me, "I could only see the window of Dad's car." She prayed that a train would slip off the wet tracks and bring life to an end. "And all of a sudden, I got it" she said. "I saw the drops running down the window and I knew it was God's tears for me".
A funny old sausage stopped me in the street on my way in today and asked, "Is it ok if I call you Pastor, Minister?" I said, "You can call me anything you like. Why don't you just call me Graham?" He said, "I just want to get my terms right, Reverend. So is it Pastor, Reverend?" I said, "Whatever you like" and he said, "Thanks, Father".
I might be the luckiest man in the world. A young woman came to see me yesterday who I don't know and with whom I'd never had a conversation. She just decided that this was the moment that we were going to meet. She didn't want anything from me. A fresh little face that would pass for 16 years old any day, turned out to belong to a young woman who was actually 21 years old. She told me a story that pushed my imagination to the limit. Her first memory is around 4 years old when she was admitted to hospital as a result of a sexual assault by her father. It was the hospital admission that she remembers because there was nothing noteworthy about the sexual assault. She thought of herself as something akin to a self serve bar for not just her father but for all of her brothers and for the odd partner of her mother. At 21 years old, she'd already had 8 years experience in prostitution. She has not worked now for about 10 months but she reflected that her years in prostitution were the happiest of her life because men wanted her and were willing to pay money to be with her. We talked for perhaps an hour and the astonishing thing was not the facts of this story but that for some reason, this was the moment of our meeting. As we parted this dear girl said, "Really, I'm lucky". I couldn't find much luck in her story but somehow I think we both shared in some real luck at that time. When we parted, I was a different man. I can't say exactly how I was different but I know I'd received something of incalculable value. For a short time this dear person poured her heart out and felt safe. For me, her face filled the heavens.
If you dragged me into every church in this city and I heard all the songs and all the sermons, I believe at the end of the exercise I'd be asking, "But what about God?"
Thanks for being part of this inner circle,
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text:
A study shows that Lexington has about a 25 percent tree canopy.
Read the Urban Tree Canopy Report Card
Read the Urban Tree Canopy Assessment
A healthy and diverse urban forest that optimizes forest benefits to our community and that is valued and cared for by our citizens and government as an essential environmental and economic community asset.
A healthy and diverse urban forest that optimizes forest benefits to our community and that is valued and cared for by our citizens and government as an essential environmental and economic community asset.
Street trees play a vital role in making Lexington a great place
to live. In addition to their beauty, street trees add value to neighboring properties and save taxpayers money. LEARN MORE.
Annual tree planting event for volunteers funded by both public
and private sponsors. Reforest the Bluegrass is designed to improve water and air quality, wildlife habitat and aesthetics. LEARN MORE.
Lexington's Champion
Tree Program is designed to promote tree care by identifying trees that are native to Kentucky and are large for their species. LEARN MORE.
Tips on how to properly maintain trees,
The Emerald Ash Borer is a small, green insect that threatens to kill a significant percentage of all ash trees in Fayette County. LEARN MORE.
The benefits of an urban forest, beyond its aesthetic appeal,
are well documented and include the following:
Improved Air Quality. Trees absorb air pollutants and help reduce smog.
Reduction of the Urban Heat Island Effect. Tree shade reduces the amount of solar energy absorbed and stored by buildings and pavement. Trees can also cool the air by evapotranspiration.
Improved Wildlife Habitat. Urban forests provide food and shelter to many important native and migratory birds and animals.
Stormwater Management. Trees intercept and absorb rain, reducing and slowing the amount of runoff that makes its way to the sewer system.
Noise Abatement. Trees can form a barrier that partially deadens urban noise, while providing the background sound of rustling leaves and branches that muffles other street sounds.
Increased Psychological Well Being. Exposure to trees has been shown to reduce stress, rates of violence and symptoms of children with Attention Deficit Disorder, while increasing feelings of belonging.
Improved Energy Conservation. Trees can cut heating and air conditioning use by providing shade and cutting the wind, reducing energy costs.
Increased Property Values. The value of homes in neighborhoods with trees tends to be higher than those of comparable neighborhoods without trees.
Dial 3-1-1 or (859) 425-2255
Urban Forester
(859) 258-3404
Arborist Senior
(859) 258-3405


text:
Perry: You know, at times, I can really relate to Moses
posted at 5:00 pm on January 15, 2012 by Tina Korbe
If nothing else, Rick Perry — in all his imperfection — remains likable. In fact, he's arguably even more likable now than when he entered the presidential race with all the apparent arrogance of a man who had famously never lost an election. Chastened by his own mistakes, he's learned to take himself lightly but his principles seriously.
That was the message he delivered today at the South Carolina Faith and Freedom Coalition breakfast. He light-heartedly referred to his debate stumbles, but reminded listeners that he'll stand up for conservative principles. National Journal relates a particularly memorable moment:
Rick Perry's no stranger to gaffes, but he has tried to turn it into an asset, making self-deprecating jokes about it on the campaign trail.
On Sunday, he found an ally in a fellow speech-challenged leader that drew laughs from the audience of the South Carolina Faith and Freedom Coalition prayer breakfast: Moses.
"Moses, he tried to talk [G]od out of making him go lead the people," Perry told the crowd of about 300. "He wasn't a good speaker. Now, from time to time I can relate to that."
Talk about knowing your audience! Perry was very on point to deliver that quip to this particular crowd. Maybe he's like Moses in another way, too. While it's true Moses didn't think of himself as a particularly effective spokesperson (Exodus 4:10), he was known to others as "powerful in speech" (Acts 7:22). Perhaps Perry is on his way to that (if not the nomination), as well: His speech today earned him a standing ovation.
Related Posts:
Breaking on Hot Air
The press shouldn't hold their breath waiting for Hillary Clinton to take any questions
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2 3 4 Next »
Moses had a speech impediment. He stuttered. He never forgot one of the commandments though.
Akzed on January 15, 2012 at 8:07 PM
I've read our Constitution. In fact, I've read it thoroughly and frequently… Sorry, it's kind of short on Sabbaths and the like.
MJBrutus on January 15, 2012 at 7:59 PM
Actually, the Constitution makes it illegal for a bill to be ratified on Sunday.
Akzed on January 15, 2012 at 8:08 PM
If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law.
Article I Section 7
You're right. It ain't illegal, Sundays just don't count in the mandated days because of the Christian faith presidents are exprected to possess.
Akzed on January 15, 2012 at 8:16 PM
Thank you for your contribution to the thread. It is sad that you regard my mind as ugly but the mind of a mass murdering monster like Moses as something to be admired. fadetogray on January 15, 2012 at 8:16 PM
And who is this mass murderer Moses of whom you speak?
Akzed on January 15, 2012 at 8:20 PM
Thanks for playing. MJBrutus on January 15, 2012 at 8:19 PM
I'm not advocating that. Funny thing though, conventioneers were required to take them by the states that sent them.
"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." -John Jay.
Akzed on January 15, 2012 at 8:23 PM
Numbers 31. fadetogray on January 15, 2012 at 8:23 PM
So you see no difference between warfare and murder?
Akzed on January 15, 2012 at 8:25 PM
fadetogray on January 15, 2012 at 8:32 PM
They were disease ridden, if you read the rest of the chapter you'd know that anything they touched was to have been burned. NAMBLA would have been very much at home among the Midianites.
I think the 8th Air Force in WWII killed hundreds of times more children than Moses did.
Akzed on January 15, 2012 at 8:36 PM
I don't recall a single founder weighing in on the subject aside from that pursuit of happiness thing. MJBrutus on January 15, 2012 at 8:32 PM
At a General Court Martial whereof Colo. Tupper was President (10th March 1778), Lieutt. Enslin of Colo. Malcom's Regiment [was] tried for attempting to commit sodomy, with John Monhort a soldier; Secondly, For Perjury in swearing to false accounts, [he was] found guilty of the charges exhibited against him, being breaches of 5th. Article 18th. Section of the Articles of War and [we] do sentence him to be dismiss'd [from] the service with infamy. His Excellency the Commander in Chief approves the sentence and with abhorrence and detestation of such infamous crimes orders Lieutt. Enslin to be drummed out of camp tomorrow morning by all the drummers and fifers in the Army never to return; The drummers and fifers [are] to attend on the Grand Parade at Guard mounting for that Purpose. George Washington, The Writings of George Washington, John C. Fitzpatrick, editor (Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1934), Vol. XI, pp. 83-84, from General Orders at Valley Forge on March 14, 1778.
Thomas Jefferson said that homosexuality "should be punished, if a man, by castration, if a woman, by cutting through the cartilage of her nose a hole of one-half inch in diameter as least. Pines B. BACK TO BASICS. NY Morrow, 1982, p. 211.
Akzed on January 15, 2012 at 8:41 PM
Comment pages: « Previous 1 2 3 4 Next »


text:
We stayed two nights at this hotel in April 2012 and found it to be pretty much everything we wanted for such a stay : warm, comfortable and clean, within walking distance of things we enjoyed seeing and wonderful eating too.
The bedroom and ensuite bathroom were by Australian and New Zealand customs small, but we knew this would be the case in advance having used TA's other reviews and looked at the website. There was a dear little balcony behind the shutters overlooking a treesy 'place' and the decor was equally charming.
We speak enough French to get by and hotel staff were helpful and spoke enough English to help us with the necessary booking in and out procedures and we were happy.
Two things, however decided us not to rate this hotel 'excellent' though. The first was that smoking is plainly ok within the hotel somewhere or perhaps at least near the aircon system: we could smell fresh cigarette smoke frequently coming into our room and even throughout the night . We strongly dislike this and actually are always dismayed to see how many people still smoke everywhere in France. We have become used this area of success in NZ health promotion and like being able to breathe fresh clean air -everywhere. We also don;t think this is a very good safety factor in an old building where access in and out is not that fantastically easy.
Secondly, we did not like having to leave our room key in a basket on the public stairs for the maid in the morning and nor did we like being so discourteously asked to leave it when we left the hotel -every time. We consider this insecure. We are used to being able to lock up our possessions in our room when we leave it and take the key, although we don't leave passports and anything similar behind of course.
While we appreciate that is an old and beautifully historic hotel and the doors are old with large old keyholes (and indeed the key we were given was enormous and attached to a large heavy 'thingammy' -presumably so it would not be taken) -we think perhaps a second key could indeed be cut for the maid! At the least please don't ask guests to leave their key in front of other members of the public at the front desk or hang it on the numbered hook so that it is plain to anyone keen to know that the room is unoccupied just now. In fact, we also like to be asked before our room is serviced each day as mostly we would choose for it not to be. We don't think its necessary. (Nothing like coming back to the pillows you want to put your cheek on with the dirty old cover or cushions which have been put on the floor while the bed is made resting right back on them either -ugh) And who wants their toiletries rearranged and personal bits and pieces dusted anyway for such a short stay. If we need a clean towel we will request one -mostly there are heaps in the bathroom to suffice for a one or two night stay.
Not to end on a moaning note though: Hotel du Palais has great reviews on this site and it is worthy of them. A lovely French experience.
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Treat Yourself with These Non-Food Splurges
Don't want to be counterproductive to your weight loss and fitness goals? Then you'll definitely want to skip that double serving of ice cream, cupcake or large caramel mocha with whip cream and instead treat yourself with these non-food splurges.
4 Refreshing Guilt-free Drinks to Try This Summer
It's time to clear a place on the kitchen counter for your trusty blender. Whether you're drinking a full portion as an easy on-the-go meal or enjoying a half-portion as a healthy snack, it's a great way to get more produce into your diet.
Running for Beginners: 5 Simple Tips for Success
Looking for an easy way to up your activity ante? Running is one of the most accessible workouts on the roster.
Recipe Roundup: Football Season Faves
Football season could derail your healthy eating goals—but with Jenny Craig on your side, you've always got a long list of delicious, guilt-free choices on your proverbial (and literal) plate.
Sweet and Savory Toppings for Waffles
Top these healthy waffles with sweet additions in the morning, and for a twist, top them with savory toppings for lunch or dinner. Here are six sweet and savory topping ideas to add to your classic waffles.
Slow Down and Eliminate Distractions while Eating
Distracted and unconscious eating may actually be harming your weight loss goals.
Sleep Your Way Slim
Weight loss is already a challenge, so don't sabotage your efforts by not getting a healthy dosage of sleep. Alongside regular exercise and healthy eating, sleep plays an important role in weight management.
Slim Down with Savory Soups
From chowders to chilis, soup should be a staple in your Jenny Craig menu.
5 Winter Wardrobe Tips: Add Warmth, Not Bulk!
It's not easy to stay warm without adding bulk to your silhouette—especially if you're transitioning to a smaller size, and not all of your clothes are fitting perfectly right now.
5 Ways to Add Exercise to Your Daily Routine
If you can't seem to fit a gym workout into your schedule, there are some other ways to sneak a bout of exercise into your daily routine.


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Freshman Leadership Programs (FLP) seek to instill the value of leadership in freshmen. By focusing on individual development, as well as team building, freshmen will walk away ready to lead on Auburn's campus. Each week 45 freshmen will meet with their Director and Assistant Directors to work on leadership development and campus involvement. Each meeting is designed to help freshmen enhance their abilities, network with fellow leaders, and practice the skills they acquire in their own individual way. For more information, go to auburn.edu/leadership. Applications Available August 1.
Leadership Small Groups provide an opportunity for freshman to learn from current student leaders and discuss important leadership topics in a fun and relaxed environment. Small groups of 10-15 first year students will be placed with a senior student leader who has experience serving in various roles and campus organizations. The Small Group Leaders will serve as a guide, mentor, and friend to their group throughout their first year at Auburn University. Groups meet twice monthly in a casual and relaxed environment. Each group will be filled on a first come first serve basis and students may select the group day and time that best fits their schedule. For more information, go to auburn.edu/leadership. Applications Available August 1.
The University Program Council (UPC) is a student-led programming board consisting of 11 committees that bring a variety of events to Auburn's campus. These events are planned and executed by students for students. UPC consists of 11 committees and an executive board. There are six programming committees and five support committees. UPC Committee are groups of students who support each of the committees within UPC. Applications Available August 1.
Back to School Organizations Week will take place August 31- September 3 on the Haley Concourse. O-Week allows students to interact with over 200 organizations in one place! O-Week is a great time to ask organization leaders questions about how to become a member or learn about their events.
The Involvement Ambassadors are available to assist you in discovering what involvement opportunities best fit your personal interests. Consultations are available for walk-ups Monday-Thursday from 10:00 AM- 3:00 PM or Friday from 10:00 AM -12:00 PM or you may schedule an appointment by e-mailing firstname.lastname@example.com.
If you would like your organizations leadership opportunities to be listed on this page, e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Associated Press
A Florida jury has slammed the nation's No. 2 cigarette maker, R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., with $23.6 billion in punitive damages in a lawsuit filed by the widow of a longtime smoker who died of lung cancer in 1996.
The case is one of thousands filed in Florida after the state Supreme Court in 2006 tossed out a $145 billion class-action verdict. That ruling also said smokers and their families need only prove addiction and that smoking caused their illnesses or deaths.
Last year, Florida's highest court re-approved that decision, which made it easier for sick smokers or their survivors to pursue lawsuits against tobacco companies without having to prove to the court again that Big Tobacco knowingly sold dangerous products and hid the hazards of cigarette smoking.
The damages a Pensacola jury awarded Friday to Cynthia Robinson after a four-week trial come in addition to $16.8 million in compensatory damages.
Robinson individually sued Reynolds in 2008 on behalf of her late husband, Michael Johnson Sr. Her attorneys said the punitive damages are the largest of any individual case stemming from the original class- action lawsuit.
Reynolds' vice president and assistant general counsel, J. Jeffery Raborn, called the damages in Robinson's case "grossly excessive and impermissible under state and constitutional law."
Did R.J. Reynolds tie this man up and force smoke down his lungs?
Where is personal responsibility
Why must someone else always be responsible for the bad things that result from our bad choices?
Nothing like a large sum of money to aid in the grieving process!
The new America. "It's not my fault"!!!
Hey is there anyone out there who smokes, who would like to make me rich? If you are a long time smoker and near dead and have no relatives please call me. I will gladly sue the tobacco companies for you and me , of course.
For years, the tobacco industry promoted cigarettes, at one time even saying the were healthy! As any long term smoker will tell you, it is VERY difficult to quit. Many smokers try everything - cold turkey, programs, nicotine patch, wellbutrin, hypnosis with a 92% failure rate. Smokers are finding the e-cigs are an instant cure for their habit, often giving up cigarettes on the very day they start using e-cigs. They can vape with or without nicotine, or slowly reduce the amount of nicotine down to zero when they're ready.
The giant tobacco industry and pharma aren't interested in your health, they are only interested in your wallet. They and the FDA are trying to put a stop to the e-cig business. Well, actually tobacco industry is now venturing into that market. but they continue to try to say that e-cigs will harm children because they contain nicotine which is highly addictive - no duh! Who's using e-cigs? The vast majority are those that were already addicted to regular cigarettes.
According to the American Lung Association, There are approximately 600 ingredients in cigarettes. When burned, they create more than 7,000 chemicals. At least 69 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and many are poisonous. http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/abou...
E-liquid typically consists of four main ingredients: propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, nicotine and flavoring. Some without nicotine.


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Mandriva Releases One Isos
Public mirrors available for 32 and 64 bit builds
Mandriva released its 2010 Spring Beta2 isos earlier this week for testing both on native hardware and virtual machines. Isos for KDE and GNOME environments are also available.
Improvements in the beta include enhanced data encryption, allowing for the home directory to be encrypted quickly and easily. Network services can now be added to network profiles and parental controls now dictate both network and application access.
Also featured in the beta are enhancements to the Mandriva Directory Server. OpenSSH, massive user import and a userquota module are among a set functionalities designed to assist in managing an LDAP directory. Along with that come a new audit framework and new password policy module.
Mandriva's turn around from beta to alpha is quick because of its active community. You can do your part by downloading the Isos and as always, report any bugs in the Mandriva Bugzilla.
Issue 26: Linux Shell Handbook 7th Ed./Special Editions
Buy this issue as a PDF
Mirantis to Refactor OpenStack Fuel for Kubernetes
The company is collaborating with Google and Intel to use Kubernetes as an engine for Fuel
Canonical Joins Document Foundation Advisory Board
The upcoming release of LibreOffice will be available as a snap package
SUSE Joins the Microsoft Test Drive Program
Customers can take a free test drive of SLES for HPC on the Azure Cloud
SiFive Launches a Line of Open Source Chips
San Francisco-based chip company announces their first fully open source chip platform.
Fedora 24 Released
The whole distro gets rebuilt on glibc 2.3
Canonical Announces Cross-Distro Support for Snaps
Ubuntu Vendor tries to solve app packaging and distribution problem across distributions.
ownCloud Forked
Founder of ownCloud launches the Nextcloud project.
HP Enterprise Unveils a Futuristic Computer
Will The Machine change the way future programmers think about memory?
CoreOS Announces Distributed Storage System
The new Torus distributed storage system is available under an open source license on GitHub
Google Beats Oracle in the Android Lawsuit
Juries decides Google's use of Java APIs Was Fair Use


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Great Mountain With Tons Of In Bounds Backcountry, And Pow Left For Weeks After Snowfall If You Know Were To Find It....
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I have been able to ski the mountain for two years - one had good snow, one marginal (this year). Altitude is key to skiing all of WA State. Ski life here l...
Spectacular 360 degree view from up top. Runs are long. Can ski with novice skiers and take different runs and meet up at the end. I go up for the skiing ...
This mountain is grossly misrepresented by our western Washington brethren. While the views are nice, and the open skiing / terrain are pretty sweet, every...
Stay here only if you're snowed in and can't get out. When booking my stay they offered early check-in, got there and they refused. Kids are free 10 and und...
My brother, finance & I went to Crystal Mountain on the Saturday of MLK weekend. We stayed with my brother at his apartment in Seattle, which was a good th...
Close to my house so easiest to go there, but if I lived closer to Stevens I would go to Stevens instead. Good ski school for kids. Great food at the 2 re...
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Fire destroys barn in East MontpelierApril 24,2013Jennifer Langille Photo
Firefighters from throughout the region rushed to the scene of a brush fire which destroyed a barn at the Carver Tree Farm on Casavant Road in East Montpelier Wednesday afternoon. According to Keith Hudson, who was the first on the scene, the two story barn was engulfed in flamed when he arrived on the scene early Wednesday afternoon. East Montpelier Fire Chief Ty Rolland said that approximately 50 firefighters responded to the blaze which swept through the barn and surrounding land. The firefighters managed to keep the fire from jumping the road and destroying the home on Gosavant Rd in East Montpelier. Firefighters were continuing to hose down the smoking brush, and estimated that between 4 and 5 acres had been exposed. Among the departments that responded were East Montpelier, Plainfield, Barre Town, Calais, Worcester, Berlin, and Montpelier
Staff Report
EAST MONTPELIER - An afternoon fire destroyed a barn and some farming equipment at the Carver Family Tree Farm on Casavant Road.
About 50 firefighters from seven area departments responded to the blaze around 2:30 p.m. No injuries were reported. The barn, which contained equipment used by the Carvers, was destroyed.
The cause of the blaze is unknown.
Fire crews had the blaze under control, but around 3:45 p.m. they were still monitoring hot spots on a 4 acre to 5 acre area.
The thick smoke from the ridge line blaze off County Road could be seen for miles.
Read more about this story and view photos of the blaze in the next edition of The Times Argus.MORE IN This Just InBURLINGTON As part of a federal effort to dismantle drug trafficking organizations in Vermont,... Full StoryMONTPELIER A new net-metering program is in the final stages of being revised by the Public... Full StoryMIDDLESEX The Agency of Transportation is set to begin replacing a bridge on Route 2 that spans... Full Story
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"The Good Samaritan" by Thomas McGuane Originally published in the April 25, 2011 issue of The New Yorker.
I don't know much about Thomas McGuane. His most recent novel is Driving the Rim, a book set in Montana; here is a quick sentence from the Publishers Weeklyr eview: "Berl Pickett is a smalltown doctor whose ill-advised decision to try to cover up an old friend's suicide attempt leads to dire consequences when she later dies from her injuries: his clinic privileges are suspended and he faces a possible criminal negligence charge." For whatever reason, since I moved away from the Rocky Mountain west, I'm much more interested in books set in that region. It helps that the books have been superb, particularly Maile Meloy's books of short stories and Larry Watson's Montana 1948. So it looks like McGuane has a backlist I'll be checking out: Some Horses, Ninety-Two in the Shade, Gallatin Canyon, Nothing but Blue Skies, and The Longest Silence: A Life in Fishing, among others. And "The Good Samaritan" leads me to believe going through McGuane's books will be well worth my time.
"The Good Samaritan" is also set in Montana. Szabo is a divorcee who has a day job at an office but rushes home at night to take care of a ranch, "a word that was now widely abused by developers. He preferred to call it his property, or 'the property' . . ." He devotes all his time to it: "Sometimes he was so eager to get started that he let his car running." It's enough to make him seem crazy; after all, "[h]is activity on the property, which had led, over the years, to arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, one vertebral fusion, and mild hearing loss, thanks to his diesel tractor, yielded very little income at all and some years not even that — a fact that he did not care to dwell on." But, as McGuane soon says, "Szabo was not nuts. He had long understood that he needed to do something with his hands to compensate for the work that he did indoors, and it was not going to be golf or woodworking."
One evening, Szabo is in such a hurry to mount his beloved John Deere tractor that he had an accident:
Here his foot slid off the step, leaving him briefly dangling from the handhold. A searing pain informed him that he had done something awful to his shoulder. Releasing his grip, he fell to the driveway in a heap. The usually ambrosial smell of tractor fuel repelled him, and the towering green shape above him now seemed reproachful.
This is just the beginning of this story that takes us all over the place. We learn what Szabo does in his daytime work when he has to call in to his assistant, Melinda, to ask her to find him some help. She certainly thinks he needs help at work, but he means on the property; he hates to admit it, but he needs some help on the property — for a short time. After a few interviews with some shady characters, Melinda thinks she's found the perfect fit when she meets Barney:
He told Melinda that he was extremely well educated but "identified with the workingman" and thought a month or so in Szabo's bunkhouse would do him a world of good.
I'm going to stop there. There's no sense in spoiling the story by disclosing a few of the details of Szabo's life that need dealt with. Needless to say, I recommend it, even if the ending did leave me a bit befuddled (I'm sure that was part of the point).
9 thoughts on "Thomas McGuane: "The Good Samaritan""
In this week's Book Bench interview with D. Treisman, McGuane remarks, "I remember feeling when I started 'Driving the Rim' that serious fiction had gotten entirely too gloomy." The whole interview is actually really worth reading, but it was this sentence that spoke to me about the story I'd just read.
"The Good Samaritan" deals with some serious topics, full worthy of gloom, but McGuane deftly gets his serious points across with a story that is, as Trevor says, "all over the place." The whole thing has a Mark Twain feel that lets the seriousness percolate through the wry language and entertaining twists. It's a yarn whose full developments only gradually dawn on you (a part of the pleasure). I liked, though, how the story made me feel. McGuane has a basic respect for people, so while he's funny, he's not mocking, and while he's serious, he's not deadly.
And the story leaves you with a couple of little mysteries – very tantalizing.
Glad you gave us the backlist, Trevor. This is a terrific writer.
At first I thought this might be an example of an "unreliable narrator" but later decided he was more of a "clueless narrator" (resulting in a certain unreliability). Did anybody else have suspicions of how the story would turn out? There were certainly lots of clues! (even Barney's "good reference" in retrospect seems suspicious) Just started a NY subscription and am looking forward to your comments on the short stories. Peg
Peggy, I hope you stay on board. It is really interesting to commit to forming a cohesive opinion about one story once a week. And that also makes you read Trevor's opinions keenly, not to mention also reading the differing opinions of his many correspondents just as keenly. So the exercise makes the fiction exceptionally alive. One other thing — these stories are generally new ones that have not yet been written about. So it's exciting to take a stand – even if only to discover later you're mistaken. It's a bit of a blank slate, and that enlivens the whole thing even more. Fun to think about writing some of the first words about a story. It's a nice tightwire.
I thought I had "The Good Samaritan" nailed half way through, but McGuane was just messing with me. I had it only halfway nailed. The half I didn't get was of course the more important half.
While the story looks for a while like it's going to be about a simple theft of a physical object, it turns out to be more about breaking into a man's soul, or, more mundanely put, a kind of intervention. Once broken into, Szabo is no longer left to his paralysis and his misunderstanding of his paralysis.
Barney, the hired man, plays the role of a shadow self, saying and doing very direct (rude) things that will ultimately change Szabo's life, while Szabo says and does as little as possible (while thinking that he is accomplishing a lot, harvesting his perfect alfalfa.)
At the same time, the story kindly admits that some situations do paralyze us: a terrible divorce, a child in jail, new developments that intensify any separation from our children we already feel. At those times, most of us have very few, if any, truly reliable people to give us a kickstart in the right direction. What if we were to have a kind of tough love twin (a clod like Barney) who could act up when we need a swift kick? What a relief that would be. I get the feeling that the ending which Barney has set in motion is only a beginning – but while iffy as to success, that it has the best possibility of satisfaction. For one thing, at least Szabo will know he tried. Maybe, having made a stab at it, he will find out gradually what works and what doesn't. But at his death, which would he rather? Having produced a perfect alfalfa bale? Or having made a stab at helping his son? Even if it fails? So what Barney really ends up stealing is a man's commitment to being on the sidelines of his own life.
It's a relief just to contemplate the possibility of a Barney appearing in one's life…what he might need to straighten out…how he would choose to go about it.
The story is ambiguously fantastic, and it treads deliciously along the line that divides the real from the impossible: all of which intensifies the pleasure of the yarn.
As for who Szabo's Barney actually is and whether he could actually exist – well – that's at the heart of the enjoyment. Oh, and the physical thing that gets stolen? How is that possibly a gift and not a theft? More enjoyment.
Now, McGuane has set out to be light on a difficult topic. There are among us people who need only John Edgar Wideman's terrible visions from the abyss of having a brother or son in jail. And they are right. And there are those of us who need McGuane's humor to even think about the possibility of a brother or son in jail. And there are those of us who have a kind of double vision: we need both, the tragic vision and the comic, depending on the day, depending on the decade, depending on our strength.
Trevor, I just read and really enjoyed McGuane's "Gallatin Canyon" – a collection of 10 short stories published in 2006, half of which had been previously published in the New Yorker. Although he is known for living in Montana, the settings for these stories vary from Montana to Michigan to Florida to Massachusetts and the Pacific Northwest. And while he is at home with western ranch life, these stories also range to rain forest hiking, night skating on a great lake, and a lengthy solo sail in the Gulf of Mexico.
Almost all of these stories contemplate addiction, its denials and its self-delusions, but each story is a surprise. People are caught at various ages and stages of sobriety and self-delusion, but McGuane's attention to the integrity of the characters and to clarity make each story fresh. I remember the force of the title story from when it appeared in the New Yorker quite a few years ago, but my favorite is "The Refugee", which unfolds an alcoholic's gradual journey toward awareness within the framework of a very dangerous solo sail in the Gulf of Mexico (a little reminiscent of Old Man and the Sea – but with a McGuane twist).
To a degree, McGuane uses alcoholism and addiction as devices to explore the degree to which any of us, addicted or sober, hide the truth from ourselves, and the layers we have to traverse to get to the truth of the matter of our own lives. Conveying the motion of dawning awareness seems to be his actual writerly goal. These are great stories. I think I want to give "Driving the Rim" a look-see.
Yeah, I enjoyed this one a lot — and I don't normally like the plain-spoken, semi-rustic fiction such as this. Not sure I'm ready to pick up the backlist (though Betsy's words are certainly encouraging), but I liked the depth McGuane found, not just in morality but in the links between generations and families. I take Barney at face-value — an actual con-man with a heart of gold, like the guy in The Rainmaker — because of the way he's set in opposition to our "hero" Szabo. Barney may be a criminal to some (though he doesn't hurt anyone, and he steals the painting only after getting it insured), but he arguably does more good in the story than Szabo, which sort of makes you reconsider what makes a person good in the first place: intentions or actions.
After several weeks of poor fiction, it's nice to be in the hands of a veteran who knows what he's doing and is not either rubbing your face in nastiness or showing off to hide emptiness. This was a very complex character study and also a nice example of slowly revealing the main character's faults and imperfections in a subtle and non-judgmental way. I agree with those above that McGuane is ironic but not condescending. Szabo is increasingly revealed as pretentious, clueless and incompetent and yet he is capable of change and the end is nicely, tentatively hopeful. There are many wonderful sentences and great descriptive passages. I've enjoyed previous McGuane stories as well but this was a needed respite from dreck.
Fast forward four years….
After reading "The Driver", I was sold. And after reading this piece, I am sunk – hook, line and sinker. Another great writer with skills that seem effortless.
As with "The Driver", the title character is not what he seems to be – and there is an overbearing mother, a neglected son, Montana, and "A Good Samaritan".
Another honest story. I like the idea of "rustic" fiction- a place to share the bare-bones struggles without prissing anything up. I loved "The Homesman" by Glendon Swathout. The same unabashed un-adornment is here, too.
I enjoyed he subtle sarcasm and humor: "Telling people to relax is not as aggressive as shooting them, but it's up there." Ha! And yet so true. And the idea, the desire, for grace and compassion in a prison parking lot? Of course a father would feel that way.
The story and its truths unfold seamlessly.
Fantastic craft.


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Dear Donna,
Can you tell me how long the average shift is for an LPN? What is the difference between an LPN, CNA, and medical assistant? I see the salaries are quite different. I am planning to attend school to become an LPN, which will take about a year, but I want to be sure that I've chosen the right field. I would love to chat with some LPNs to hear what they have to say about the job.
Dear Donna replies:
Dear Deb,
You should indeed chat with some LPNs to learn more about the profession. Contact the National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses (www.nflpn.org). See whether your state has a chapter and contact your representative. Even if there is no chapter in your state, contact any of the LPNs listed on the site and do an informational interview with them (www.dcardillo.com/articles/thescoop.html). You also should join the association as a student member as soon as you start school.
Shifts for LPNs vary depending on where you work. The average shift lasts 8 to 12 hours, but there is considerable variation. CNAs usually work in a direct patient care role in a hospital or nursing home. Medical assistants typically work in a medical office, clinic, or other outpatient setting.
Best wishes,