CURRENT EVENTS

Kōan

A kōan is a story, dialogue, question, or statement which is used in Zen practice to provoke the “great doubt” and test a student’s progress in Zen practice.

 

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I have read and reviewed this book many times over the years and if you are serious about being extraordinary, I would check it out.

It’s Not How Good You Are,

It’s How Good You Want To Be

By Paul Arden

 

This uplifting and humorous little book provides a unique insight into the world of advertising and is a quirky compilation of quotes, facts, pictures, wit and wisdom – all packed into easy-to-digest, bite-sized spreads. If you want to succeed in life or business, this book is a must. (Source: Goodreads)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

I just saw this film and thought it was really good, it reminded me of Gone Girl.  So if you liked Gone Girl, you are going to like this film.  If you haven’t seen Gone Girl, perhaps you should check out that film too.

A Simple Favor (2018)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Once in a Lifetime

By Talking Heads

ART OF THE WEEK

Constructing a High Rise

Perhaps you have never looked at construction workers as artists; but if you think about it, they are artist and they create art on a grand scale.

I was taken by the way cement floors are being created in the high-rise outside my hotel window in Halifax.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

AJAX The Great

In Homer’s Iliad he is described as of great stature, colossal frame and strongest of all the Achaeans. Known as the “bulwark of the Achaeans”, he would later die of an accidental wound inflicted by Heracles, whom he was at the time training.

He was described as fearless, strong and powerful but also with a very high level of combat intelligence. Most notably, Ajax is not wounded in any of the battles described in the Iliad, and he is the only principal character on either side who does not receive substantial assistance from any of the gods (except for Agamemnon) who takes part in the battles, although, in book 13, Poseidon strikes Ajax with his staff, renewing his strength.

Unlike Diomedes, Agamemnon, and Achilles, Ajax appears as a mainly defensive warrior, instrumental in the defence of the Greek camp and ships.

Ajax battling Hektor. Engraving by John Flaxman, 1795.

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Food is Medicine

CHARACTER TRAITS 

SOCIAL TRAITS 

Seems Like Everyone Is Online

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS 

There is a lot of talk about the 1% in the USA, so I thought you might find this data interesting. (Source: Jessica Strachan, Patch Staff, Sep 11, 2018 4:46 pm ET)

Here are the top 10 states where 1 percenters have the highest average annual income:

1. Connecticut ($2,522,806)
2. New York ($2,202,480)
3. Massachusetts ($1,904,805)
4. Wyoming ($1,900,659)
5. Washington D.C. ($1,858,878)
6. California ($1,693,094)
7. New Jersey ($1,581,829)
8. Florida ($1,543,124)
9. Illinois ($1,412,024)
10. Washington ($1,383,223)

The data comes from the Economic Policy Institute, which released a report on income equality in the U.S. in July.

I live in Michigan and a number of you are also from Michigan so:

The top 1 percent in Michigan earns an average annual income of $917,700 according to the cost information website, How Much.

If you are from Michigan and wonder how much you need to earn each year, to be part of the 1 percent in the mitten, you’d have to earn an annual income of $328,649 according to the website.

Please note, I think these figures are individual and not married couples or families.

BOOK 

Warning:  This book will not change your life, only you can do that.

CURRENT EVENTS

Burt Reynolds

(2/11/1936 – 9/6/2018)

I think entertainers touch the lives of all of us and it is always sad to see them go.

Clim Seals

However, “sad” does not even come close to describing the loss of a long time friend.

I first met Clim when I was a student (I was 30 when I graduated) at Wayne State University (WSU) and he came to talk to the students about a profession known as Internal Auditing.

I spent most of my life as an internal auditor at various corporations and Clim and I visited various colleges and high schools talking about internal auditing.  It was always a treat for me to return to WSU and tell the students how I was sitting in those same seats listening to Clim talk about internal auditing.  There was never that much difference in our ages, since I was 30 when I graduated.  Anyway, I got a kick out of Clim telling me one day as my hair turned grey, that I could retire that story.

He was a great guy and always a gentleman.

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

I’m half way through this book and find it so captivating. Not only will you learn about Alexander the Great, but you will learn a lot about human nature.  

Alexander The Great

By Philip Freeman

In the first authoritative biography of Alexander the Great written for a general audience in a generation, classicist and historian Philip Freeman tells the remarkable life of the great conqueror.

The celebrated Macedonian king has been one of the most enduring figures in history. He was a general of such skill and renown that for two thousand years other great leaders studied his strategy and tactics, from Hannibal to Napoleon, with countless more in between.

He flashed across the sky of history like a comet, glowing brightly and burning out quickly: crowned at age nineteen, dead by thirty-two. He established the greatest empire of the ancient world; Greek coins and statues are found as far east as Afghanistan. Our interest in him has never faded. (Source: Goodreads)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Smokey and the Bandit (1977)

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Blueberry Hill

By Vladimir Putin

Blueberry Hill

By Fats Domino

I’m not going to waste everyone’s time with a poll asking who did the song better, since that is obvious.  But I will give Vladimir credit for even attempting this song.

ART OF THE WEEK

Ginevra dé Benci

Ginevra de’ Benci is a portrait painting by Leonardo da Vinci of the 15th-century Florentine aristocrat Ginevra de’ Benci (born c.  1458). The oil-on-wood portrait was acquired by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. in 1967. The sum of US$5 million—an absolute record price at the time—came from the Ailsa Mellon Bruce Fund and was paid to the Princely House of Liechtenstein. It is the only painting by Leonardo on public view in the Americas. (Source: Wikipedia)

Mona Lisa

The Mona Lisa is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci that has been described as “the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world”. The Mona Lisa is also one of the most valuable paintings in the world. It holds the Guinness World Record for the highest known insurance valuation in history at $100 million in 1962, which is worth nearly $800 million in 2017.

  EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE OF THE WEEK

USA Supreme Court

Motown Supremes

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

Some clothing advice for the guys

CHARACTER TRAITS 

 

SOCIAL TRAITS 

LEARNING TRAITS

Here is something every guy needs to learn.

MISCELLANEOUS 

BOOK 

Warning:  This book will not change your life, only you can do that.

CURRENT EVENTS

Happy Labor Day

I hope all of you are having a wonderful Labor Day Weekend

And for those of you that have to work over the Labor Day Holiday, Thank You

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

This is an excellent book and the author, Karen, is particularly interested in helping young girls become more self-confident, develop a strong body image, develop and practice healthy lifestyle habits and successfully manage times of transition.

With that said, I think anyone would benefit from this book.

Strong Beauty – Power Up The Champion Within

By Karen Furneaux

Karen Furneaux, world champion, Sports Hall-of-Famer and international speaker, shares her deepest insights and the golden nuggets that it takes to succeed at your goals.

Karen’s actionable P.O.W.E.R. tools help you to find your unique strengths and bring your best to the world. Building confidence and conviction to energize your life and overcome challenges when you get stuck.

By understanding the energy of emotion and intention, you too can activate your authentic voice and generate the power to succeed through any transition in life.

This is an inspiring resource to have or share with those who have big goals!

Whether you are designing your life, developing your leadership skills or taking on a new opportunity, Strong Beauty gives you the step-by-step tools to POWER UP your inner winner.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Perceptions (2010)

Here is a short film (Five minutes) that I made back in 2010, called Perceptions.  It is a “tongue-in-cheek” view of how people perceive the world around them.  There are better films out there, but I made this one with my friends and so I love the film even with all it’s flaws.

My good friend Bryant died a few years ago.

What a terrible loss, he was a wonderful person.

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher (1967)

By Jackie Wilson

The video that goes along with the music features Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth from the 1942 film “You Were Never Lovelier“

Jackie Wilson

ART OF THE WEEK

Houses

Houses have often been works to art.  I was really taken by the aerial walkway to this house, that I recently saw on Young Avenue in Halifax.

  EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE OF THE WEEK

Working Men & Women Everywhere in the World

Labor Day in the United States is a public holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. It honors the American labor movement and the contributions that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws, and well-being of the country. It is the Monday of the long weekend known as Labor Day Weekend and it is considered the unofficial end of summer in the United States. It is recognized as a federal holiday.

Beginning in the late 19th century, as the trade union and labor movements grew, trade unionists proposed that a day be set aside to celebrate labor. “Labor Day” was promoted by the Central Labor Union and the Knights of Labor, which organized the first parade in New York City. It became an official federal holiday in 1894.

Canada’s Labour Day is also celebrated on the first Monday of September. More than 80 countries celebrate International Workers’ Day on May 1 – the ancient European holiday of May Day – and several countries have chosen their own dates for Labour Day.

(Source: Wikipedia)

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

There are few greater sartorial power moves than wearing white after Labor Day. Doing so not only bucks the age-old dictate that warns against all shades of ivory after the start of September, but it also establishes the wearer as someone impervious to the grime of daily life. (Source: Vogue)

CHARACTER TRAITS 

SOCIAL TRAITS 

It is alway a good idea to think, before you speak.

LEARNING TRAITS

Oh my gosh, how many of us talk ourselves out of doing something, while someone less appropriate for the task does it.

Some of the best advice I received when I was starting out in my professional career was, “Never let the lack of ability stand in my way.”  Of course, at the time I was told this, I did wonder why is someone saying this to me (smile)

MISCELLANEOUS 

BOOK 

Warning:  This book will not change your life, only you can do that.

CURRENT EVENTS

Halifax, Nova Scotia

HALIFAX FLIGHT

HALIFAX HARBOR

And if you don’t believe this is a real picture of the Halifax Harbor,

here is a picture of me with a ship’s captain

HARBOR HOPPER

The USA made these things to go in the water and on land during the Vietnam War.  A tour company bought a few, did some redecorating (no 50 caliber machine guns) and now uses them to provide city and harbor tours.  I was in Vietnam in 1966-67, but we just took a row-boat with an outboard motor down the Saigon River.

HIGHLANDERS PARADE IN HALIFAX

HALIFAX PUBLIC GARDENS

PIRATES

Halifax isn’t pirate friendly

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

How many times do you need to hear, if you don’t have your health, nothing else matters.  If you are fortunate enough to be able to retire, your new full-time job is either regaining your fitness or keeping it.  But please don’t wait until you retire to work on your health.

Ageless Strength, Strong and Fit For A Lifetime

By Jeff Horowitz

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Crazy Rich (2018)

Check out the trailer and see if this is a movie you want to watch.  I enjoyed it.  Also, for those of you who have never been out of the USA, here is a chance to see how the USA infrastructure compares to other countries.

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Israelites (1969)

By Desmond Dekker & The Aces

ART OF THE WEEK

Shed

Even something as utilitarian  as a shed can be art, if done artfully.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

In America, you can be anyone you want to be.

Korla Pandit

Korla Pandit (September 16, 1921 – October 2, 1998), born John Roland Redd, was a musician, composer, pianist, organist and television pioneer of national notability.

A pathbreaking musical performer in the early days of television, Redd is known for Korla Pandit’s Adventures In Music; the show was the first all-music program on television.He also performed live and on radio and made various film appearances, becoming known as the “Godfather of Exotica”.

Beginning in the late 1940s, Redd claimed to be “Korla Pandit”, a French-Indian musician from New Delhi; however, Redd was actually African-American.

Redd maintained the Korla Pandit persona–both in public and in private–until the end of his life. (Source: Wikipedia)

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

This is all you need to know, to be certain the earth isn’t flat.

PHYSICAL TRAITS

I don’t think these commercials represent powerlifting gyms,

but I find them very funny.

CHARACTER TRAITS 

SOCIAL TRAITS 

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS 

BOOK 

Warning:  This book will not change your life, only you can do that.

CURRENT EVENTS

American Royalty

If you ever wonder what makes Americans unique in the world?

I think one reason is because we choose our own royalty.

In 1977, our King died on August 16 and now our Queen has died on August 16.

Coincidence?

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

Reading

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Gringo (2018)

Check out the trailer and see if this is a movie you want to watch.  I enjoyed it.

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Hey Mickey

By Toni Basil

Hey Mickey

By Taylor Swift

ART OF THE WEEK

Woodward Ave. Dream Cruise

You might have to be from Detroit to know that the Woodward Dream Cruise is the largest one-day car event in the country.

I suspect this person has been cruising for too long.

  EXTRAORDINARY PERSON OF THE WEEK

Chief Boyardee

THE GREATEST AND BRAVEST CHIEF OF ALL

Chief Boyardee (October 22, 1897 – June 21, 1985), was an Italian-American chef, famous for having the courage to put pasta in a can.  

He was a true American hero. For producing rations supplying Allied troops during World War II, he was awarded a Gold Star order of excellence from the United States War Department.

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

If you enjoy coffee, you will really like a complimentary coffee

PHYSICAL TRAITS

This is what I do.

CHARACTER TRAITS 

SOCIAL TRAITS 

LEARNING TRAITS

MISCELLANEOUS 

BOOK 

Warning:  This book will not change your life, only you can do that.

CURRENT EVENTS

Respectfully Disagreeing

Over the past few years I have heard the most vile descriptions of members of either party.  I feel those types of comments say more about the people making them, than it does the members of either party.  

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Richest Man in Babylon

By George S. Clason

This book was originally written in 1926 and its financial advice will get you wherever you wish to go, so long as you aren’t in a hurry.

Since most of you will never bother to read this excellent book and to prevent you from having to struggle financially in your later years, here are seven cures for a lean purse:

1. Start thy purse to fattening
2. Control thy expenditures
3. Make thy gold multiply
4. Guard thy treasures from loss
5. Make of thy dwelling a profitable investment
6. Insure a future income
7. Increase thy ability to earn

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Mamma Mia 2! Here We Go Again (2018)

Critics Consensus: Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again doubles down on just about everything fans loved about the original — and my, how can fans resist it? (Source: Rotten Tomatoes)

Personally, I liked it better than the original.

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

I Can’t Dance (Remix)

By Genesis

ART OF THE WEEK

Zen Gardens

Zen gardens come in all different sizes from this large one at Meijer Gardens

To this little zen garden in my office

  EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE OF THE WEEK

Geronimo

Geronimo (June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Apache tribe.

From 1850 to 1886 Geronimo carry out numerous raids as well as resistance to US and Mexican military campaigns in northern Mexico and in the southwestern American territories of New Mexico and Arizona.

At any one time, about 30 to 50 Apaches would be following him. However, since he was a superb leader in raiding and warfare he frequently led large numbers of men and women beyond his own following.

During Geronimo’s final period of conflict from 1876 to 1886 he “surrendered” three times and accepted life on the Apache reservations in Arizona. Reservation life was confining to the free-moving Apache people, and they resented restrictions on their customary way of life.

In 1886, after an intense pursuit in Northern Mexico by U.S. forces that followed Geronimo’s third 1885 reservation “breakout”, Geronimo surrendered for the last time to Lt. Charles Bare Gatewood, an Apache-speaking West Point graduate who had earned Geronimo’s respect a few years before.

Geronimo was later transferred to General Nelson Miles at Skeleton Canyon, just north of the Mexican/American boundary. Miles treated Geronimo as a prisoner of war and acted promptly to remove Geronimo first to Fort Bowie, then to the railroad at Bowie Station, Arizona where he and 27 other Apaches were sent off to join the rest of the Chiricahua tribe which had been previously exiled to Florida.

In his old age, Geronimo became a celebrity. He appeared at fairs, including the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, where he reportedly rode a ferris wheel and sold souvenirs and photographs of himself. However, he was not allowed to return to the land of his birth. He died at the Fort Sill hospital in 1909. He was still a prisoner of war. He is buried at the Fort Sill Indian Agency Cemetery surrounded by the graves of relatives and other Apache prisoners of war. (Source: Wikipedia)

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

No matter how famous or important you are or want to be,

you need to take a little time out each day to relax.

CHARACTER TRAITS 

Sometimes You Just Have to Take the Bull By The Horn

SOCIAL TRAITS 

LEARNING TRAITS

Too often does youth think that age knows only the wisdom of days that are gone, and therefore profits not.  But remember this, the sun that shines today is the sun that shone when thy [parents] were born … (Source: The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason)

MISCELLANEOUS 

BOOK 

Warning:  This book will not change your life, only you can do that.

CURRENT EVENTS

Return of USA Korean War Dead

On Wednesday, the US military held a repatriation ceremony at Osan air base in South Korea, where the boxes had arrived the previous week.

“There’s no reason at this point to doubt that they do relate to Korean War losses,” said John Byrd, a forensic anthropologist working for the Hawaii-based agency in charge of identifying the remains. (Source: BBC)

LAST WEEK’S POLLS

BOOK OF THE WEEK

You may find it difficult to obtain this book, but what an opportunity to learn something of the people who shaped the world during their time.

Richard Nixon knew virtually every major foreign leader since World War II–some at the pinnacle of power, some during their “years in the wilderness” out of power, and still others toward the end of their lives. His was an unparalleled opportunity to gain insight into the nature of the powerful and qualities of leadership.

In “Leaders, “Nixon shares these insights and experiences. He illustrates these leaders in private, assesses their careers, recalls words of wisdom, and brings to bear his own judgments.

We meet the co-architects of the New Japan, Douglas MacArthur and Shigeru Yoshida. Encountering the legendary leaders of China–Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Chiang Kai-shek–we see the men behind the events. We see the intensely private Charles DeGaulle; explore the philosophies of Konraud Adenauer; confront Leonid Brezhnev; and delight in the company of Winston Churchill–not to mention Nixon’s analyses of interactions with dozens of other leaders.

No one but Richard Nixon could have written this book. It is at once as personal as a hand clasp and as objective as only so earnest a student of history could have made it. (Source: Amazon)

MOVIE OF THE WEEK

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017)

Critics Consensus: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets uses sheer kinetic energy and visual thrills to overcome narrative obstacles and offer a viewing experience whose surreal pleasures often outweigh its flaws. (Source: Rotten Tomatoes)

The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)

It wasn’t as good as I thought it was going to be.

MUSIC OF THE WEEK

Can’t Stop The Feeling

By Justin Timberlake

ART OF THE WEEK

I suspect most of you recognize the inspiration for this piece of art

  EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE OF THE WEEK

APOLLO 11 ASTRONAUTS

Apollo 11 blasted off on July 16, 1969. Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins were the astronauts on Apollo 11.

Four days later, Armstrong and Aldrin landed on the moon. They landed on the moon in the Lunar Module. It was called the Eagle. Collins stayed in orbit around the moon, [doing] experiments and [taking] pictures.

On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first human to step on the moon. He and Aldrin walked around for three hours, [doing] experiments [and picking] up bits of moon dirt and rocks.

They put a U.S. flag on the moon. They also left a sign on the moon.

The two astronauts returned to orbit, joining Collins. On July 24, 1969, all three astronauts came back to Earth safely. (Source: NASA)

Another Version of the Landing

THIS WEEK’S JOKE

PHYSICAL TRAITS

CHARACTER TRAITS 

SOCIAL TRAITS 

LEARNING TRAITS

This was one of the many favorite sayings of one of bosses, that I was fortunate to work for and to learn from during my career.

MISCELLANEOUS 

BOOK 

Warning:  This book will not change your life, only you can do that.