Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? No, it's time to again review the things I wanted to have happen this year, and consider some things I would like to see happen in 2019. As usual, we start with the prior year's list, with comments in ALL CAPS:
-The failure of Bitcoin, not as an idea, but as an investment.
BITCOIN'S SHARE PRICE WENT FROM OVER $15,000 TO UNDER $4,000. THESE DAYS, IT'S AN AFTERTHOUGHT.
-An NCAA scandal so large they will have to start allowing players a cut of revenues.
THERE WAS/IS A RATHER LARGE SCANDAL RELATED TO SHOE COMPANY REPS GETTING MONEY TO DIRECT AMATEUR BASKETBALL PLAYERS TO CERTAIN SCHOOLS. BUT SO FAR IT'S ONLY LED TO A FEW COACHES BEING FIRED.
-More destinations and ways to fly on Southwest Airlines.
WELL, THEY ADDED A DIRECT DES MOINES - PHOENIX FLIGHT.
-A widespread ability to charge devices without a cord (also asked for this for 2016).
NOPE.
-A new governor / lieutenant governor elected for Iowa.
IT LOOKED LIKE THIS WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE A SURPRISING DISAPPOINTMENT.
-Let's try this -- exponential growth in the cannabis industry to the extent all states will want a piece of it through taxation.
ALMOST READY TO SAY THIS HAPPENED. [I JUST COVERED THIS IN MY LAST POST.]
-Greater national and international awareness of CRISPR (genome editing) technology.
THERE HAVE BEEN MORE NATIONAL STORIES ABOUT THIS.
-Smaller entree portions served in restaurants, for a reduced price.
THE PORTIONS MAY HAVE GOTTEN LARGER.
-Fewer national weather disasters, but more understanding of climate change.
ANOTHER ITEM THAT MOVED FARTHER AWAY FROM HAPPENING, NOT CLOSER.
-The resignation or impeachment of a mentally unstable and unqualified president -- again, no names.
CARRYING THIS ONE OVER TO NEXT YEAR.
Now, for 2019 I'd like to see these things happen:
The resignation or impeachment of a mentally unstable and unqualified president -- again, no names.
The electric vehicle becoming America's fastest growing (by percentage) seller.
Alabama and Clemson and New England to have poor football seasons.
Some major medical breakthrough, perhaps a vaccine to eliminate a dread disease.
Consistent, moderate summer rain in central Iowa.
A priest actually arrested and charged and jailed for past sexual abuse.
More cities allowing app-based scooter rentals.
Another scandal that ruins another Fox TV personality.
U.S. restaurants that allow payment by app, OR that bring the credit card reader to your table.
Me traveling to one of the five continental states in which I've never set foot.
Sunday, December 30, 2018
Sunday, December 9, 2018
High Time
It's been almost a year since I've blogged about legalization of marijuana, and I'm glad to report that more (slow) progress is being made. Let’s recap.
Internationally, Canada legalized marijuana this year, leaving the U.S. in their socially progressive dust.
Nationally, after some additional November ballot approvals, eleven U.S. states have now legalized recreational marijuana use. It isn’t just ‘liberal’ western states either; states like Michigan and Vermont have joined the enlightened minority that allow cannabis with the pleasant side effect of…..tax revenue. (You thought I was going to say the pleasant side effect of sensitivity and relaxation?)
Meanwhile, at least 20 other states now broadly offer legal medical marijuana. This should be the bare minimum allowance of any state. So the good news is, over half of America gets it.
Unfortunately, the rest of America is still in a race to see which state can be the slowest and dumbest when it comes to legalizing pot. A few of these states, including Iowa, now allow an extremely limited and convoluted way for medically-eligible people to obtain small doses of cannabis product. It’s so limited, in fact, that it can’t even be considered a legalization of medical marijuana.
The hypocrisy on these non-legalization states gets worse by the day. We still have a virtually unregulated opioid epidemic in the country, but people can still get prescriptions in those states for opioids with no problem. And do I even need to make the point about legal alcohol consumption? For example in Iowa, the regulators have gone out of their way to encourage home-based production and sale of beer and liquor – as if that’s not a mind-altering substance.
Today there is little doubt that most Americans at least want 1) medical marijuana to be legal, and 2) marijuana possession to be decriminalized. In states that allow the public to vote on ballot initiatives, it’s now also become clear that most people believe in limited recreational sales and usage.
It’s only a matter of time before America legalizes marijuana, like its Canadian counterpart. The only question is which state(s) will be the last, foolish ones not to do something before then.
Internationally, Canada legalized marijuana this year, leaving the U.S. in their socially progressive dust.
Nationally, after some additional November ballot approvals, eleven U.S. states have now legalized recreational marijuana use. It isn’t just ‘liberal’ western states either; states like Michigan and Vermont have joined the enlightened minority that allow cannabis with the pleasant side effect of…..tax revenue. (You thought I was going to say the pleasant side effect of sensitivity and relaxation?)
Meanwhile, at least 20 other states now broadly offer legal medical marijuana. This should be the bare minimum allowance of any state. So the good news is, over half of America gets it.
Unfortunately, the rest of America is still in a race to see which state can be the slowest and dumbest when it comes to legalizing pot. A few of these states, including Iowa, now allow an extremely limited and convoluted way for medically-eligible people to obtain small doses of cannabis product. It’s so limited, in fact, that it can’t even be considered a legalization of medical marijuana.
The hypocrisy on these non-legalization states gets worse by the day. We still have a virtually unregulated opioid epidemic in the country, but people can still get prescriptions in those states for opioids with no problem. And do I even need to make the point about legal alcohol consumption? For example in Iowa, the regulators have gone out of their way to encourage home-based production and sale of beer and liquor – as if that’s not a mind-altering substance.
Today there is little doubt that most Americans at least want 1) medical marijuana to be legal, and 2) marijuana possession to be decriminalized. In states that allow the public to vote on ballot initiatives, it’s now also become clear that most people believe in limited recreational sales and usage.
It’s only a matter of time before America legalizes marijuana, like its Canadian counterpart. The only question is which state(s) will be the last, foolish ones not to do something before then.
Tuesday, November 20, 2018
Ten Years Of Not Being Thankful
The 10th anniversary of my Thanksgiving-time list of things for which I'm not thankful -- can it be so? It thought about making this a 'best of the lists' list, but I have plenty of fresh ones in mind. As always, you can get to the prior lists by following the Thanksgiving label on the blog:
Tariffs.
Esports and professional gaming.
Toilet paper set to roll out underneath instead of over the top.
Political rallies.
The 2018 NFC Championship game.
Dust.
Individuals using social media to promote themselves.
Voter suppression.
Movies based on comic books / characters.
Wildfires.
Neighbors who don’t rake their leaves.
Autocrats.
Tariffs.
Esports and professional gaming.
Toilet paper set to roll out underneath instead of over the top.
Political rallies.
The 2018 NFC Championship game.
Dust.
Individuals using social media to promote themselves.
Voter suppression.
Movies based on comic books / characters.
Wildfires.
Neighbors who don’t rake their leaves.
Autocrats.
Friday, November 2, 2018
A Storm Field
A few weeks ago I attended a major college football game in which the home boys upset a highly ranked team. This resulted in fans storming the field at game’s end, including yours truly.
I’ve been at several games like this over the years, where fans rushed the field, and I’ve seen and/or participated in these events enough to pass on a few tips based on my experience:
Don’t rush the field right away. This includes not pressing up towards the field as the final seconds tick away. That’s when the carnage, if any, will occur. I recall several years ago seeing a fan preparing to rush the field and in the process bumping into a fan from another team; aggressive pushing and shoving ensued. But that was nothing compared to fans who’ve been rocked by running onto the field and into the path of opposing players – players who were fully padded and helmeted, not to mention weighing close to 250 pounds. So, avoid the initial wave – the stands are a better angle to view the players/fans interaction anyway.
Forget about the goal posts. Back in the day, the main reason to storm the field was risking injury to take down one of the goalposts, to carry it away to an unknown location. But for over ten years now, on one has cared about that. Goal post technology has improved to the extent that humans alone aren’t going to move permanent goal posts. Also, security is better about not allowing it.
Be ready to take pictures, especially for others. This is the big thing now, pulling out the cellphone and recording that you were not only at the big game, but also on the field afterward with ten or twenty thousand of your new friends. Some of those new friends want more than selfies, they want the wide shot, and if you can get the scoreboard in the background, that’s even better.
In summary, it’s better to let the college kids get out there early and have their fun. Then, when they realize they’d rather be at the bar celebrating, everyone else can get out there and enjoy walking directly across the field.....to the parking lot.
I’ve been at several games like this over the years, where fans rushed the field, and I’ve seen and/or participated in these events enough to pass on a few tips based on my experience:
Don’t rush the field right away. This includes not pressing up towards the field as the final seconds tick away. That’s when the carnage, if any, will occur. I recall several years ago seeing a fan preparing to rush the field and in the process bumping into a fan from another team; aggressive pushing and shoving ensued. But that was nothing compared to fans who’ve been rocked by running onto the field and into the path of opposing players – players who were fully padded and helmeted, not to mention weighing close to 250 pounds. So, avoid the initial wave – the stands are a better angle to view the players/fans interaction anyway.
Forget about the goal posts. Back in the day, the main reason to storm the field was risking injury to take down one of the goalposts, to carry it away to an unknown location. But for over ten years now, on one has cared about that. Goal post technology has improved to the extent that humans alone aren’t going to move permanent goal posts. Also, security is better about not allowing it.
Be ready to take pictures, especially for others. This is the big thing now, pulling out the cellphone and recording that you were not only at the big game, but also on the field afterward with ten or twenty thousand of your new friends. Some of those new friends want more than selfies, they want the wide shot, and if you can get the scoreboard in the background, that’s even better.
In summary, it’s better to let the college kids get out there early and have their fun. Then, when they realize they’d rather be at the bar celebrating, everyone else can get out there and enjoy walking directly across the field.....to the parking lot.
Wednesday, October 10, 2018
The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker
I officially started my own business six months ago. While I've had my own professional practice employment for nearly ten years, it was always couched inside a larger firm, and in fact I was technically an employee of that firm. But now I'm on my own.
Until a full year has gone by, I won't have a clear view of what start-up decisions I made that I could've and should've done differently. Like anything else in life, I know that with the experience I've had, I'd be better at it if I had another chance.
Having said that, I can make a few conclusions about starting a new venture.
It takes more time than you think. There are so many unforeseen tasks, things like vendor contracting, record keeping, compliance, accounting, etc. These things must be taken care of at the same time you're trying to work on activities that actually generate revenue. So plan on plenty of extra hours. (The fact I haven't been spending as much time on this blog is directly correlated to this time-suck.)
It costs more than you planned on. There are a lot of one-time, initial start-up costs for any business. Sometimes it's expenses on which you didn't plan. Other times it's expenses that you planned for, but which cost much more than you thought. Regardless, there's a good chance you've under-budgeted for these costs, so I might include a sub-heading to this section that says, "...so make sure you have a good banking relationship."
It takes a lot of self-motivation. When you start your own operation, you aren't going to be motivated to work by other people, whether it be management or peers. Nobody and nothing are going to be pushing you to accomplish anything. You have to get up every day with a plan and ready to work, all without any guarantee of success. You aren't going to accomplish the above-mentioned items without being self-motivated.
In summary, it isn't easy being the butcher, baker and candlestick maker. I hope the next six months don't offer too many more lessons about starting a new business.
Until a full year has gone by, I won't have a clear view of what start-up decisions I made that I could've and should've done differently. Like anything else in life, I know that with the experience I've had, I'd be better at it if I had another chance.
Having said that, I can make a few conclusions about starting a new venture.
It takes more time than you think. There are so many unforeseen tasks, things like vendor contracting, record keeping, compliance, accounting, etc. These things must be taken care of at the same time you're trying to work on activities that actually generate revenue. So plan on plenty of extra hours. (The fact I haven't been spending as much time on this blog is directly correlated to this time-suck.)
It costs more than you planned on. There are a lot of one-time, initial start-up costs for any business. Sometimes it's expenses on which you didn't plan. Other times it's expenses that you planned for, but which cost much more than you thought. Regardless, there's a good chance you've under-budgeted for these costs, so I might include a sub-heading to this section that says, "...so make sure you have a good banking relationship."
It takes a lot of self-motivation. When you start your own operation, you aren't going to be motivated to work by other people, whether it be management or peers. Nobody and nothing are going to be pushing you to accomplish anything. You have to get up every day with a plan and ready to work, all without any guarantee of success. You aren't going to accomplish the above-mentioned items without being self-motivated.
In summary, it isn't easy being the butcher, baker and candlestick maker. I hope the next six months don't offer too many more lessons about starting a new business.
Monday, September 10, 2018
Rocky Mountain High
A relative's wedding in the Denver area gave me an excuse to spend a few days in Colorado recently. I hadn't been there for any length of time since a week-long family vacation in the late 1990s.
I came back thinking I should spend a lot more time there. What's not to like about the place?
It has cool cities.....Denver is hugely populated, but it's spread out enough not to notice, and it also has a pedestrian-friendly downtown, similar to Portland or Seattle. Colorado Springs must be one of the largest cities in America without a bona fide skyscraper, helping make it visitor-friendly, with a great daily view of Pike's Peak. I also spent time in the Denver-area towns of Golden (a modern day version of a formerly dusty western town) and Parker (a modern day version of a formerly sleepy bedroom town).
It has cool attractions.....The Red Rocks Amphitheater is a marvel of semi-natural modern architecture. The Royal Gorge area is a mecca for active folks, including white water rafting and zip-lining, the latter which I did for the first time ever. And don't forget about the mountains and ski resorts -- even in the summer, including the Breckenridge area that I visited for a few hours.
It has great weather.....The air is light and the sun shines 300+ days a year. Sure, it snows in the winter, but it doesn't get bitterly cold, at least not for extended stretches.
And last but not least, it has free-minded enough people that it allows the sale of recreational marijuana.....This cannot be discounted. Keeping some cannabis / edibles in the house is no different than having a six-pack of beer in the refrigerator. Except that the cannabis is safer and healthier.
I came back thinking I should spend a lot more time there. What's not to like about the place?
It has cool cities.....Denver is hugely populated, but it's spread out enough not to notice, and it also has a pedestrian-friendly downtown, similar to Portland or Seattle. Colorado Springs must be one of the largest cities in America without a bona fide skyscraper, helping make it visitor-friendly, with a great daily view of Pike's Peak. I also spent time in the Denver-area towns of Golden (a modern day version of a formerly dusty western town) and Parker (a modern day version of a formerly sleepy bedroom town).
It has cool attractions.....The Red Rocks Amphitheater is a marvel of semi-natural modern architecture. The Royal Gorge area is a mecca for active folks, including white water rafting and zip-lining, the latter which I did for the first time ever. And don't forget about the mountains and ski resorts -- even in the summer, including the Breckenridge area that I visited for a few hours.
It has great weather.....The air is light and the sun shines 300+ days a year. Sure, it snows in the winter, but it doesn't get bitterly cold, at least not for extended stretches.
And last but not least, it has free-minded enough people that it allows the sale of recreational marijuana.....This cannot be discounted. Keeping some cannabis / edibles in the house is no different than having a six-pack of beer in the refrigerator. Except that the cannabis is safer and healthier.
Friday, August 24, 2018
Judgement Day
Until this month, I can only think of one other time in my life when I was asked to judge some type of contest. That was at least 20 years ago, when I judged written essays in a small scholarship competition.
I got to experience another form of judging this month at the Iowa State Fair. For over two decades, my spouse and daughters have been entering food baking competitions there. This year, we decided we wanted to see what it was like on the other side of the table, so we sponsored our own category. This not only allowed our family to choose the category, but also choose the judges -- us, of course.
Months ago, we decided our competition would be chocolate raspberry dessert, and we provided our clever category name: Death By Chocolate Raspberry. This choice was largely based on my own bias for that type of dessert. To ensure we'd have some entries, we put up $100 in prize money -- $60 for first, $30 for second, and $10 for third.
Judgment day came, and we were pleased to have 14 state fair entries with plenty of variety. There were chocolate raspberry cheesecakes, cupcakes, brownies, and more. As with most food categories, the entries weren't judged solely on flavor. We had decided to use three criteria: 50% of the points were based on taste, 25% on appearance, and 25% on creativity.
Influenced by both time and a desire to not get sick, we judges divided the items among us, selected our favorites (the highest point-getters), and then got together to determine the best of the best. In the end, a mocha chocolate, raspberry-filled cupcake came out on top, and a great time was had by all.
I hope to be a judge in the future for this or another Iowa State Fair food category. Like anything else, after having experienced it for the first time, I'd be much better at it the next time. Knowing what to look for in the recipe / item, what to say (or not to say) on the entrant comment cards, and how to consistently score different types of entries will all be more second-nature to me.
Also, I like eating.
I got to experience another form of judging this month at the Iowa State Fair. For over two decades, my spouse and daughters have been entering food baking competitions there. This year, we decided we wanted to see what it was like on the other side of the table, so we sponsored our own category. This not only allowed our family to choose the category, but also choose the judges -- us, of course.
Months ago, we decided our competition would be chocolate raspberry dessert, and we provided our clever category name: Death By Chocolate Raspberry. This choice was largely based on my own bias for that type of dessert. To ensure we'd have some entries, we put up $100 in prize money -- $60 for first, $30 for second, and $10 for third.
Judgment day came, and we were pleased to have 14 state fair entries with plenty of variety. There were chocolate raspberry cheesecakes, cupcakes, brownies, and more. As with most food categories, the entries weren't judged solely on flavor. We had decided to use three criteria: 50% of the points were based on taste, 25% on appearance, and 25% on creativity.
Influenced by both time and a desire to not get sick, we judges divided the items among us, selected our favorites (the highest point-getters), and then got together to determine the best of the best. In the end, a mocha chocolate, raspberry-filled cupcake came out on top, and a great time was had by all.
I hope to be a judge in the future for this or another Iowa State Fair food category. Like anything else, after having experienced it for the first time, I'd be much better at it the next time. Knowing what to look for in the recipe / item, what to say (or not to say) on the entrant comment cards, and how to consistently score different types of entries will all be more second-nature to me.
Also, I like eating.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
RAGBRAI - 2018 Non-Edition
Since 2010, I've made an annual blog entry about what I saw while riding my bicycle on that July's RAGBRAI, a/k/a the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. Had I started this blog before August 2009, there would have been many other entries like it; aside from one missed year due to injury, my best guess is I've ridden at least a day on 18 of the last 20 RAGBRAI's.
Make that 18 of the last 21, because I didn't participate this year.
There wasn't anything stopping me -- I still cycle a lot, I had the time, and the ride came through central Iowa, making it fairly easy to jump onto it. I just didn't have the passion for it this year, and decided not to go.
I told people after the 2015 RAGBRAI that I was retiring from the ride, that I didn't care to do it anymore. After riding in it another day in 2016, I said the same thing.
Last year, after renouncing retirement for the second time and riding my third career 100 mile day on RAGBRAI, I said it again. Apparently this time, it took.
I had some FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) worries, but I was glad to say it never bothered me. The only time I gave it much thought was when I went to a meeting in a town that the ride would later go through. Watching all of the townsfolk out sprucing things up reminded me about how the red carpet is always laid out for the rolling party of RAGBRAI riders. That's part of what makes it fun.
Who knows if there will be another RAGBRAI in my future? Until then, I hope my fellow riders, such as Team Crack-A-Noon and Team Wasted Potential, will be able to carry on without me.
Make that 18 of the last 21, because I didn't participate this year.
There wasn't anything stopping me -- I still cycle a lot, I had the time, and the ride came through central Iowa, making it fairly easy to jump onto it. I just didn't have the passion for it this year, and decided not to go.
I told people after the 2015 RAGBRAI that I was retiring from the ride, that I didn't care to do it anymore. After riding in it another day in 2016, I said the same thing.
Last year, after renouncing retirement for the second time and riding my third career 100 mile day on RAGBRAI, I said it again. Apparently this time, it took.
I had some FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) worries, but I was glad to say it never bothered me. The only time I gave it much thought was when I went to a meeting in a town that the ride would later go through. Watching all of the townsfolk out sprucing things up reminded me about how the red carpet is always laid out for the rolling party of RAGBRAI riders. That's part of what makes it fun.
Who knows if there will be another RAGBRAI in my future? Until then, I hope my fellow riders, such as Team Crack-A-Noon and Team Wasted Potential, will be able to carry on without me.
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
The Iowa Lakers
There comes a time in the life of some upper middle class (or higher) folks when they decide it would be a good idea to buy a second home. It may be a small condo in a multi-story tower in a warm climate, it may be a log house in the mountains, it may be mansion on a beach estate in the Hamptons, it may be a lot of other things. Whatever it is, it's usually a getaway from an already very nice dwelling somewhere in suburbia.
Here in the Midwest, where there are no mountain or oceans, a lot of folks are gung-ho about spending time somewhere else, but not always over 1000 miles away. To fulfill this desire, many local jurisdictions have allowed small lake areas to be developed for housing and recreational purposes.
More specifically to where I live in Iowa, only a few of these lakes are natural, notably the so-called Iowa Great Lakes around Okoboji, Iowa. This is an area that would accurately be described a summer resort, with plenty of restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues to justify a premium, vacation home price point. There are perhaps one or two others like it in the state.
Most of Iowa lakes, however, are small and man-made, the result of damning rivers and streams for flood control. All of these lakes also contain a higher content of agricultural fertilizer run-off of both the natural and man-made variety. And none of them have the restaurants, shops, or entertainment venues to be considered anything close to a resort.
This is where it goes wrong for me. I've no problem with owning more than one property. I may well want that for myself one day (preferably on a golf course in the Southwest). Also, I've no problem with those who want to live on a lake; that isn't for me, but it's different and calming, and I get it. But what I find confusing is the number of people willing to pay inflated prices for a small, very part-time second residence, in a remote location on or near a dirty lake, in basically the same climate in which they already live.
Over the years, I've known quite a few people with these type of second homes, most of them with mixed feelings. It's no exaggeration to say that at some point, I've heard every one of those people complain about that extra home at some point. Either the cost, or the maintenance, or the lack of amenities, or the fact the weather only allows for a few months of lake enjoyment to begin with.
Regardless, they believe the serenity of a lake house - on any kind of lake - is worth those downsides. It also helps that over the last 10 years, most of those properties have skyrocketed in price, due to a good economy and plenty of maturing buyers. That's a good thing.
At least it is until we have another recession. Then it could be a very bad thing. It could be a major depreciating asset that can't be properly monetized, next to a polluted body of water, in the middle of nowhere.
But hey, at least it has a view for a few months a year.
Here in the Midwest, where there are no mountain or oceans, a lot of folks are gung-ho about spending time somewhere else, but not always over 1000 miles away. To fulfill this desire, many local jurisdictions have allowed small lake areas to be developed for housing and recreational purposes.
More specifically to where I live in Iowa, only a few of these lakes are natural, notably the so-called Iowa Great Lakes around Okoboji, Iowa. This is an area that would accurately be described a summer resort, with plenty of restaurants, shops, and entertainment venues to justify a premium, vacation home price point. There are perhaps one or two others like it in the state.
Most of Iowa lakes, however, are small and man-made, the result of damning rivers and streams for flood control. All of these lakes also contain a higher content of agricultural fertilizer run-off of both the natural and man-made variety. And none of them have the restaurants, shops, or entertainment venues to be considered anything close to a resort.
This is where it goes wrong for me. I've no problem with owning more than one property. I may well want that for myself one day (preferably on a golf course in the Southwest). Also, I've no problem with those who want to live on a lake; that isn't for me, but it's different and calming, and I get it. But what I find confusing is the number of people willing to pay inflated prices for a small, very part-time second residence, in a remote location on or near a dirty lake, in basically the same climate in which they already live.
Over the years, I've known quite a few people with these type of second homes, most of them with mixed feelings. It's no exaggeration to say that at some point, I've heard every one of those people complain about that extra home at some point. Either the cost, or the maintenance, or the lack of amenities, or the fact the weather only allows for a few months of lake enjoyment to begin with.
Regardless, they believe the serenity of a lake house - on any kind of lake - is worth those downsides. It also helps that over the last 10 years, most of those properties have skyrocketed in price, due to a good economy and plenty of maturing buyers. That's a good thing.
At least it is until we have another recession. Then it could be a very bad thing. It could be a major depreciating asset that can't be properly monetized, next to a polluted body of water, in the middle of nowhere.
But hey, at least it has a view for a few months a year.
Tuesday, July 10, 2018
Pulling (Me From) The Thread
First, there was the alphabet.
Then there was the printing press.
Then there was a messenger system.
Then there was a postal service.
Then there was a telephone.
Then there was facsimile.
Then there was email.
Then there was text messaging.
And that’s where we reached the point at which communication started to be less than good.
What makes me say this? Bad habits, for one. Non-verbal communication has always been worse than verbal, or in-person communication.
But lately, what makes me say this is being included in large group text message threads. This week, and many others before it, I’ve been included in group texts in which certain group members feel compelled to reply to all, again and again and again. So my phone goes off again and again and again, for messages I don’t want or need.
I probably should be glad to be considered worthy of being included in these threads. Instead, I can’t wait until the messages fade away, assuming I can’t extract myself from the conversation beforehand.
Listen everybody: If you are included in a large group text (or email message), do not feel compelled to reply to everyone unless it’s requested. Otherwise, just reply to the sender individually.
No one else needs to know what you think.
Maybe even the original sender.
Then there was the printing press.
Then there was a messenger system.
Then there was a postal service.
Then there was a telephone.
Then there was facsimile.
Then there was email.
Then there was text messaging.
And that’s where we reached the point at which communication started to be less than good.
What makes me say this? Bad habits, for one. Non-verbal communication has always been worse than verbal, or in-person communication.
But lately, what makes me say this is being included in large group text message threads. This week, and many others before it, I’ve been included in group texts in which certain group members feel compelled to reply to all, again and again and again. So my phone goes off again and again and again, for messages I don’t want or need.
I probably should be glad to be considered worthy of being included in these threads. Instead, I can’t wait until the messages fade away, assuming I can’t extract myself from the conversation beforehand.
Listen everybody: If you are included in a large group text (or email message), do not feel compelled to reply to everyone unless it’s requested. Otherwise, just reply to the sender individually.
No one else needs to know what you think.
Maybe even the original sender.
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
You Learn What You Work
I love the adage, "You learn what you live" which is based on an old poem titled Children Learn What They Live by Dorothy Law Nolte. ("If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn....if a child lives with acceptance, he learns to love....") I use it to explain behavior all of the time, and now I may be ready to adapt and apply this adage to occupations as well. In other words, you learn what you work.
I recently had dinner with a former professional colleague from many years ago. We worked together at a large, multi-national insurance company in the 1980's and 1990's, and while neither of us work there any longer, we've managed to stay in touch.
I recently had dinner with a former professional colleague from many years ago. We worked together at a large, multi-national insurance company in the 1980's and 1990's, and while neither of us work there any longer, we've managed to stay in touch.
For the better part of two hours, we discussed a number of common individuals and personalities we worked with at that company. Many of these folks had more lofty job titles than we did at the time, which is also what made them commonly known to us. And most of them were lousy at their jobs.
After swapping stories about those mid-to-upper level management people, it became obvious to us that their work had little correlation to organizational success. Most of them had far exceeded the Peter Principle, reaching a level even beyond their competence. They were actually better examples of the so-called Dilbert Principle, meaning they were promoted to management because they would do less harm there than on the front lines.
However, what really struck me is how they didn't do any better managing their personal lives. It was notable how many of them today are divorced, and/or obese, and/or still working because they can't afford to retire. If there was any correlation, that was it -- if you aren't that good at your occupation, you probably aren't that that good at life, either.
Maybe you learn what you work?
However, what really struck me is how they didn't do any better managing their personal lives. It was notable how many of them today are divorced, and/or obese, and/or still working because they can't afford to retire. If there was any correlation, that was it -- if you aren't that good at your occupation, you probably aren't that that good at life, either.
Maybe you learn what you work?
Saturday, June 2, 2018
Dear Graduating Class of 2018
Another school year ends, another commencement-style address begins:
To the college graduates of 2018:
Are you paying attention?
Not to me, not to any words of wisdom you might get from thousands of different college commencement address speakers. Are you paying attention to what's going on in America? To what's going on in the world?
Paying attention to civilization is the most important thing you should be doing now. I know, it wasn't your strong suit the past several years. You did enough to get your degree, but listening to long, boring lectures doesn't lend itself to paying attention. For anyone.
If paying attention hasn't been your thing the past four (five? six?) years, it needs to be now. Bad stuff is happening. Stuff that has the potential to make your future miserable. I'm not just referring to your job future, but your future of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Through a mixture of inattentiveness, conniver-y, and outright lying, certain individuals have been given power that far exceeds their ethical and moral capacity to handle it. This has led to them placing other ethically- and morally- challenged people in powerful posts.
The not-so-surprising result is a government that isn't actually working for the people. It's only working for, well, let's just say your chances of success are currently for less dependent on whether you have a college degree and for more on whether you are a white, heterosexual, Christian male.
Are you paying attention now?
The way to fix our broken government is to know what's going on. The best way to know what's going on is to stay abreast of current events, and I don't mean by keeping up with your Instagram or Twitter feeds. That isn't nearly good enough.
Watch the news, nationally and locally, and preferably on more than one channel. Read a bunch of different papers, articles, and books. Talk to a lot of people, and not just to your friends, who probably already think the same way as you do, or they wouldn't be your friends.
Show a little bit of passion for having a government and political system that works the right way, under the rule of law -- after all, you're paying for it, even if you don't have a job. Then, when election day rolls around, vote.
Pay attention!
Oh, and congratulations.
To the college graduates of 2018:
Are you paying attention?
Not to me, not to any words of wisdom you might get from thousands of different college commencement address speakers. Are you paying attention to what's going on in America? To what's going on in the world?
Paying attention to civilization is the most important thing you should be doing now. I know, it wasn't your strong suit the past several years. You did enough to get your degree, but listening to long, boring lectures doesn't lend itself to paying attention. For anyone.
If paying attention hasn't been your thing the past four (five? six?) years, it needs to be now. Bad stuff is happening. Stuff that has the potential to make your future miserable. I'm not just referring to your job future, but your future of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Through a mixture of inattentiveness, conniver-y, and outright lying, certain individuals have been given power that far exceeds their ethical and moral capacity to handle it. This has led to them placing other ethically- and morally- challenged people in powerful posts.
The not-so-surprising result is a government that isn't actually working for the people. It's only working for, well, let's just say your chances of success are currently for less dependent on whether you have a college degree and for more on whether you are a white, heterosexual, Christian male.
Are you paying attention now?
The way to fix our broken government is to know what's going on. The best way to know what's going on is to stay abreast of current events, and I don't mean by keeping up with your Instagram or Twitter feeds. That isn't nearly good enough.
Watch the news, nationally and locally, and preferably on more than one channel. Read a bunch of different papers, articles, and books. Talk to a lot of people, and not just to your friends, who probably already think the same way as you do, or they wouldn't be your friends.
Show a little bit of passion for having a government and political system that works the right way, under the rule of law -- after all, you're paying for it, even if you don't have a job. Then, when election day rolls around, vote.
Pay attention!
Oh, and congratulations.
Sunday, May 20, 2018
Berky Meeting Nuggets 2018
I managed to attend another Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting this month. I'm still not sure how many of these I've been at over the years, but I have a Warren Buffett-signed program from 2003 hanging on my office wall, so it's been more than 15 years now.
A general observation: I've never seen as many people at this meeting. Attendance had seemingly reached a peak once the meeting began to be live-streamed a couple of years ago. However, this year there were more folks than ever waiting to get inside the arena at 7a.m., and more than ever in the overflow rooms. I had my worst arena seat in years (although not bad) and I was a single. But I got a great seat after lunch, and that's when the best Q & A happened anyway.
Some other observations:
On Buffett and Charlie Munger's active oversight of the organization
Buffett joked that he'd been semi-retired for decades. He said, "I think, actually, semi-retired probably catches me at my most active point." Charlie Munger then adds, "Warren is very good at doing nothing."
On Berky's huge investment in, and impression of, Apple
Buffett liked that Apple is spending a lot of money buying back shares. That means Berky's stake will grow on its own. Apple is similar to Berky in that they both have over $100 billion in cash to invest, and it isn't easy to find companies to acquire that are large enough to move the needle.
On cryptocurrency
Buffett and Munger couldn't say enough bad things about it. "Cryptocurrencies will come to bad endings," said Buffett. He mentioned how it's similar to gold as in that it's not a productive asset, so price was dependent on people who want it, not actual value. Munger was more blunt, with what I though was the best line of the day: "(It's like) someone else is trading turds and you decide you can't be left out."
On Amazon and Google (Alphabet)
Buffett and Munger both said they admired those companies, although Munger said he had been to the Google campus and thought it looked like a kindergarten. They wished they'd have invested in them, but they took their lack of foresight in stride, with Buffet saying, "There is not a penalty in investing if you don't swing at a ball in the strike zone as long as you swing at something eventually."
A general observation: I've never seen as many people at this meeting. Attendance had seemingly reached a peak once the meeting began to be live-streamed a couple of years ago. However, this year there were more folks than ever waiting to get inside the arena at 7a.m., and more than ever in the overflow rooms. I had my worst arena seat in years (although not bad) and I was a single. But I got a great seat after lunch, and that's when the best Q & A happened anyway.
Some other observations:
On Buffett and Charlie Munger's active oversight of the organization
Buffett joked that he'd been semi-retired for decades. He said, "I think, actually, semi-retired probably catches me at my most active point." Charlie Munger then adds, "Warren is very good at doing nothing."
On Berky's huge investment in, and impression of, Apple
Buffett liked that Apple is spending a lot of money buying back shares. That means Berky's stake will grow on its own. Apple is similar to Berky in that they both have over $100 billion in cash to invest, and it isn't easy to find companies to acquire that are large enough to move the needle.
On cryptocurrency
Buffett and Munger couldn't say enough bad things about it. "Cryptocurrencies will come to bad endings," said Buffett. He mentioned how it's similar to gold as in that it's not a productive asset, so price was dependent on people who want it, not actual value. Munger was more blunt, with what I though was the best line of the day: "(It's like) someone else is trading turds and you decide you can't be left out."
On Amazon and Google (Alphabet)
Buffett and Munger both said they admired those companies, although Munger said he had been to the Google campus and thought it looked like a kindergarten. They wished they'd have invested in them, but they took their lack of foresight in stride, with Buffet saying, "There is not a penalty in investing if you don't swing at a ball in the strike zone as long as you swing at something eventually."
Friday, May 4, 2018
Old Business / New Business
I’ve taken the last month off of blogging because I’ve been a little busy with something else. Over the past month I've started my own financial planning firm.
This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while, but I didn't until now thanks to a need for medical insurance. In this case, Necessity was truly the Mother of Invention. (That's a long story, and maybe one good enough for a separate blog entry another time.)
Thanks to a lot of planning, I only had about 10 different things that needed to be done in the last month, down from a list of more than 20 when I began. While I probably had a few more things to do than other start-up businesses thanks to state and federal securities regulations, I have new respect for anyone who starts their own organization.
In my case, I'd compare starting your own business as similar to building a new house rather than moving into a nice existing house. It doesn’t take anywhere near as much time to buy an existing home, and frankly, you get more bang for your buck with fewer problems. The house has settled, the landscaping is done, the window treatments are in place, etc. It’s just a much simpler process.
But that existing house isn’t going to be exactly what you want. Maybe it isn’t quite in the right location, or maybe the layout isn’t exactly the best, or maybe it could use new appliances. In the end, if you really want to customize your lifestyle, you have build your own house, and that comes with a lot of extra time and expense and contracting headaches. For all that work, however, you’re going to have things the way you want them, or at least very, very close to it.
When I joined another financial planning firm in the past, it was analogous to moving into an existing home. The branding was completed, the accounting was set up, the compliance work was done, and so forth. It could have used a few updates (people), but it was really only a matter of moving in the furniture in getting started.
Starting my own firm, though, I had to build or re-build all of those things from scratch, and it takes a lot of time and effort. I fully expect it will be worth it.
In the future, I’ll probably write more specifically about a few of the decisions I made -- some that worked, and some that now only seemed like a good idea at the time.
This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while, but I didn't until now thanks to a need for medical insurance. In this case, Necessity was truly the Mother of Invention. (That's a long story, and maybe one good enough for a separate blog entry another time.)
Thanks to a lot of planning, I only had about 10 different things that needed to be done in the last month, down from a list of more than 20 when I began. While I probably had a few more things to do than other start-up businesses thanks to state and federal securities regulations, I have new respect for anyone who starts their own organization.
In my case, I'd compare starting your own business as similar to building a new house rather than moving into a nice existing house. It doesn’t take anywhere near as much time to buy an existing home, and frankly, you get more bang for your buck with fewer problems. The house has settled, the landscaping is done, the window treatments are in place, etc. It’s just a much simpler process.
But that existing house isn’t going to be exactly what you want. Maybe it isn’t quite in the right location, or maybe the layout isn’t exactly the best, or maybe it could use new appliances. In the end, if you really want to customize your lifestyle, you have build your own house, and that comes with a lot of extra time and expense and contracting headaches. For all that work, however, you’re going to have things the way you want them, or at least very, very close to it.
When I joined another financial planning firm in the past, it was analogous to moving into an existing home. The branding was completed, the accounting was set up, the compliance work was done, and so forth. It could have used a few updates (people), but it was really only a matter of moving in the furniture in getting started.
Starting my own firm, though, I had to build or re-build all of those things from scratch, and it takes a lot of time and effort. I fully expect it will be worth it.
In the future, I’ll probably write more specifically about a few of the decisions I made -- some that worked, and some that now only seemed like a good idea at the time.
Sunday, March 25, 2018
Best Song Lyrics (Part XX)
I admit it, I'm a fan of acoustic music. It doesn't matter if it's original acoustic music (think Norah Jones), or MOST modified acoustic versions of older songs. (There are major exceptions, for instance, nobody needs to hear an acoustic version of Hey Ya! by OutKast, but I've heard it on the SiriusXM CoffeeHouse channel more than once.)
Earlier this month, one of my favorite acoustic musicians, Jack Johnson, was the musical guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Colbert was obviously a huge fan, singing a duet with Johnson on his song Sleep Through The Static, and also posting a separate impromptu rehearsal excerpt on the web.
A former champion surfer who still lives in Hawaii, Johnson has been a full-time singer-songwriter for about 15 years. I've been listening to him on and off for about 10 years. In my opinion, Johnson is best known for the songs Better Together and Upside Down, but as an acoustic guitarist outside of mainstream popular music, most people would not be able to identify even those tracks.
You get a definite Hawaiian vibe from his music, but he's also great with lyrics, much of them espousing progressive causes. Let's go back to a verse and chorus from Sleep Through The Static, a 2008 song which uses smart lyrics to spite the reasoning behind the 2003 U.S invasion of Iraq, and the subsequent never-ending war:
Trouble travels fast
When you're specially designed for crash testing
Or wearing wool sunglasses in the afternoon
Come on and tell us what you're trying to prove
'Cause it's a battle when you dabble in war
You store it up, unleash it, then you piece it together
Whether the storm drain running rampant just stamp it
And send it to somebody who's pretending to care
Just cash in your blanks for little toy tanks
Learn how to use them, then abuse them and choose them
Over conversations relationships are overrated
I hated everyone said the sun
And so I will cook all your books
You're too good looking and mistooken
You could watch it instead
From the comfort of your burning beds
Or you can sleep through the static
Who needs sleep when we've got love?
Who needs keys when we've got clubs?
Who needs please when we've got guns?
Who needs peace when we've gone above
But beyond where we should have gone?
We went beyond where we should have gone
A former champion surfer who still lives in Hawaii, Johnson has been a full-time singer-songwriter for about 15 years. I've been listening to him on and off for about 10 years. In my opinion, Johnson is best known for the songs Better Together and Upside Down, but as an acoustic guitarist outside of mainstream popular music, most people would not be able to identify even those tracks.
You get a definite Hawaiian vibe from his music, but he's also great with lyrics, much of them espousing progressive causes. Let's go back to a verse and chorus from Sleep Through The Static, a 2008 song which uses smart lyrics to spite the reasoning behind the 2003 U.S invasion of Iraq, and the subsequent never-ending war:
Trouble travels fast
When you're specially designed for crash testing
Or wearing wool sunglasses in the afternoon
Come on and tell us what you're trying to prove
'Cause it's a battle when you dabble in war
You store it up, unleash it, then you piece it together
Whether the storm drain running rampant just stamp it
And send it to somebody who's pretending to care
Just cash in your blanks for little toy tanks
Learn how to use them, then abuse them and choose them
Over conversations relationships are overrated
I hated everyone said the sun
And so I will cook all your books
You're too good looking and mistooken
You could watch it instead
From the comfort of your burning beds
Or you can sleep through the static
Who needs sleep when we've got love?
Who needs keys when we've got clubs?
Who needs please when we've got guns?
Who needs peace when we've gone above
But beyond where we should have gone?
We went beyond where we should have gone
Wednesday, March 7, 2018
The LOST Loss
I’m a big believer in behavioral science / economics, which is essentially the idea that people are motivated in all facets of life by potential gains or losses, and their calculation of the underlying risk in achieving / suffering those gains and losses. The gains and losses are often related to money, but can also be based on things like religion, politics, or relationships.
Unfortunately, many times humans do not properly calculate the underlying risk, leading to bad decisions / behavior. I thought about this again this week, when the residents of my county were asked to vote in favor of voluntarily and regressively taxing themselves via a sales tax increase.
The local option sales tax (LOST) has been around for a while in Iowa, as a way for county localities to raise additional tax revenue by tacking on another 1% to the statewide sales tax. When it was first introduced around 15 years ago, the idea was to allow counties to use the money solely for school infrastructure improvements over a 10-years taxing period. As with most new tax ideas, I've hated it from the beginning.
Over several years, every county in Iowa passed a LOST, increasing the total sales tax from 5% to 6%. And as a result, we have the nicest school infrastructure in the United States. For real. I’ve been to most other states, and their school building suck compared to Iowa. (Of course, there’s absolutely no evidence that nicer bricks and mortar mean smarter kids, but that’s another story.)
But then something happened that was only predictable to those of us with common sense: The LOST never went away. In fact, after the school districts mismanaged their budgeted improvements to the tune of millions of dollars, the state decided to simply make the statewide sales tax 6%, and allow another, new LOST for counties to use as they wish.
97 Iowa counties have piled on to this regrettable legislation, leaving only two that have not voted for a new LOST that increased sales taxes from 6% to 7%. (Note: That isn't a 1% increase, that’s a 19% increase, a math computation the LOST supporters don’t want anyone to know about.) My county is one of the remaining two, and this week, after an affluent neighboring suburb passed a LOST a few months ago, my county decided to have another vote.
Which brings me back to behavioral economics. Why would anyone vote to tax themselves, especially with no explicit guarantee that local government would spend the money on non-essential services? Yet, it happens quite often – as I mentioned, it recently happened in 97 out of 99 other instances in Iowa. It’s usually backed with nothing more than a promise that the sales tax it would help to offset some other tax burden (this time it was property taxes) or that it would not be permanent (see above).
My answer is, it’s another matter of not properly calculating the risk. Many people don’t recognize the cumulative impact of a regressive tax. They think of it in terms of ‘just an extra penny on the dollar’ rather than a whopping 19% increase on every Average Joe that will probably cost hundreds of dollars a year, and many thousands of dollars over many years.
As in past LOST votes, I voted no, and I’m pleased to day this time it failed (barely). I’m not against paying for essential government services, but I’m totally against voting to tax myself for undisclosed services I may not need, to be administered by government bureaucrats that haven’t been truthful, and who aren’t good stewards to begin with.
In other words, I’m for properly assessing risk and behaving appropriately.
Unfortunately, many times humans do not properly calculate the underlying risk, leading to bad decisions / behavior. I thought about this again this week, when the residents of my county were asked to vote in favor of voluntarily and regressively taxing themselves via a sales tax increase.
The local option sales tax (LOST) has been around for a while in Iowa, as a way for county localities to raise additional tax revenue by tacking on another 1% to the statewide sales tax. When it was first introduced around 15 years ago, the idea was to allow counties to use the money solely for school infrastructure improvements over a 10-years taxing period. As with most new tax ideas, I've hated it from the beginning.
Over several years, every county in Iowa passed a LOST, increasing the total sales tax from 5% to 6%. And as a result, we have the nicest school infrastructure in the United States. For real. I’ve been to most other states, and their school building suck compared to Iowa. (Of course, there’s absolutely no evidence that nicer bricks and mortar mean smarter kids, but that’s another story.)
But then something happened that was only predictable to those of us with common sense: The LOST never went away. In fact, after the school districts mismanaged their budgeted improvements to the tune of millions of dollars, the state decided to simply make the statewide sales tax 6%, and allow another, new LOST for counties to use as they wish.
97 Iowa counties have piled on to this regrettable legislation, leaving only two that have not voted for a new LOST that increased sales taxes from 6% to 7%. (Note: That isn't a 1% increase, that’s a 19% increase, a math computation the LOST supporters don’t want anyone to know about.) My county is one of the remaining two, and this week, after an affluent neighboring suburb passed a LOST a few months ago, my county decided to have another vote.
Which brings me back to behavioral economics. Why would anyone vote to tax themselves, especially with no explicit guarantee that local government would spend the money on non-essential services? Yet, it happens quite often – as I mentioned, it recently happened in 97 out of 99 other instances in Iowa. It’s usually backed with nothing more than a promise that the sales tax it would help to offset some other tax burden (this time it was property taxes) or that it would not be permanent (see above).
My answer is, it’s another matter of not properly calculating the risk. Many people don’t recognize the cumulative impact of a regressive tax. They think of it in terms of ‘just an extra penny on the dollar’ rather than a whopping 19% increase on every Average Joe that will probably cost hundreds of dollars a year, and many thousands of dollars over many years.
As in past LOST votes, I voted no, and I’m pleased to day this time it failed (barely). I’m not against paying for essential government services, but I’m totally against voting to tax myself for undisclosed services I may not need, to be administered by government bureaucrats that haven’t been truthful, and who aren’t good stewards to begin with.
In other words, I’m for properly assessing risk and behaving appropriately.
Friday, February 23, 2018
Too Much Snowboarding
After watching the 2012 Summer Olympics, I made a comment about every sport. All 36 of them.
In contrast, there are only 15 official Winter Olympic sports. With the exception of the kinda-crazy bobsled / luge / skeleton, most of them are related in some way to your basic skiing or skating. (One sport that refuses to be categorized is curling, a family favorite, and one that deserves as much attention than the media darling of figure skating.)
One of the newer sports is snowboarding, and that's my topic today -- how the events within the snowboarding sport have gotten completely out of hand.
It started out simple enough, with half-pipe and aerial events. But now the list includes big air, parallel slalom, giant parallel slalom, slopestyle, snowboard cross, and team ski-snowboard cross. These all apply separately to men and women.
I'm not saying I don't enjoy watching these thrill sports. I'm saying that we don't need this many Olympic events for snowboarding. We've taken these boutique, millennial-driven, X-Games activities and put them on the same level as mainstream sports that require far more fitness.
Whatever. At least it's good for the United States' medal count, because the U.S. tends to dominate these snowboarding events. Suck it, Norway!
In contrast, there are only 15 official Winter Olympic sports. With the exception of the kinda-crazy bobsled / luge / skeleton, most of them are related in some way to your basic skiing or skating. (One sport that refuses to be categorized is curling, a family favorite, and one that deserves as much attention than the media darling of figure skating.)
One of the newer sports is snowboarding, and that's my topic today -- how the events within the snowboarding sport have gotten completely out of hand.
It started out simple enough, with half-pipe and aerial events. But now the list includes big air, parallel slalom, giant parallel slalom, slopestyle, snowboard cross, and team ski-snowboard cross. These all apply separately to men and women.
I'm not saying I don't enjoy watching these thrill sports. I'm saying that we don't need this many Olympic events for snowboarding. We've taken these boutique, millennial-driven, X-Games activities and put them on the same level as mainstream sports that require far more fitness.
Whatever. At least it's good for the United States' medal count, because the U.S. tends to dominate these snowboarding events. Suck it, Norway!
Friday, February 9, 2018
Jamaica Mon
I spent a few days away on a family vacation in Jamaica last month. It was my first time in the Caribbean – not to mention my first visit to a country outside North America. As with other travels to new places, I have some observations to share:
- Jamaica is a beautiful country – except for when it isn’t. The coastal areas, foliage, and tropical colors were all great. However, on the 1+ hour travel each way from the airport to our resort, the outdated and run-down roads, buildings, and housing structures were a deep contrast to the beauty.
- Driving on the left side of the road, with a right-sided steering wheel, is weird.
- I have never interacted with a group of friendlier people than the Jamaicans. I’m well aware that I only visited the tourist-y places, and friendliness under those conditions may be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Still, this was a deferential friendliness, as if someone feared offending me by just stepping across my path. So I think there’s something more to it, something related to their laid-back living styles and frames of mind.
- I saw plenty of people smoking joints, but I frankly expected to see a lot more cannabis than I did.
- The food was a bit hit-and-miss for me, although I might not have been adventurous enough. Among the most notable items, the Caribbean jerk chicken was very good, and I absolutely loved my daily serving of fresh papaya.
- There wasn’t much time for watching TV, but I had no idea there could be that many televised cricket matches.
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Yes We Cannabis
It’s time to catch up on the good news in world of cannabis!
In sum, the news is positive enough that I’m almost ready to declare that January 2018 will one day be considered the ‘tipping point’ in time for full decriminalization of marijuana in America. (There’s only one thing standing in the way of that right now, more on that in a few paragraphs.)
The thing getting the most attention now is the legalization of recreation marijuana in the state of California. That became effective on January 1, 2018, and now like several other (mostly western) states, they allow anyone at least age 21 to buy a limited amount of cannabis daily.
The difference here is, California is the most populous state in the country. As such, the implications are more profound. One of these implications is the amount of tax revenue this law will bring to a state that sorely needs it.
Make no mistake, money (i.e. tax revenue) is why cannabis will ultimately be legalized in all 50 states. That isn’t the only reason, nor the best reason, but it’s the main reason.
[This would normally be where I go on a rant about how marijuana should be no more controlled than alcohol, and probably less controlled than prescription drugs. But I’ve covered society’s asinine attitude about that more than once before, and specifically in regard to medical marijuana.]
One lesser but still important pot-related action happened just this week in Vermont (Vermont!), where the governor signed a bill making it the ninth state to legalize marijuana effective July 1, 2018. The difference is that Vermont was the first state to do it via legislation, rather than by a voter-approved ballot initiative. That is a big deal, and the first admission that states want to grab the tax revenue.
Regarding that one thing standing in the way of ‘tipping point’ actualization…..we currently have an old white male dominated (Republican) party in charge of the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government, along with an old white guy U.S. attorney general that thinks marijuana is evil. That means marijuana, for now, will likely maintain its federal designation as a Schedule I drug along with things like heroine and LSD – good grief.
These will all need to be changed before the pro-cannabis world can truly take over. It’s only a matter of time, however, and that time is much shorter than it seemed only a few weeks ago.
In sum, the news is positive enough that I’m almost ready to declare that January 2018 will one day be considered the ‘tipping point’ in time for full decriminalization of marijuana in America. (There’s only one thing standing in the way of that right now, more on that in a few paragraphs.)
The thing getting the most attention now is the legalization of recreation marijuana in the state of California. That became effective on January 1, 2018, and now like several other (mostly western) states, they allow anyone at least age 21 to buy a limited amount of cannabis daily.
The difference here is, California is the most populous state in the country. As such, the implications are more profound. One of these implications is the amount of tax revenue this law will bring to a state that sorely needs it.
Make no mistake, money (i.e. tax revenue) is why cannabis will ultimately be legalized in all 50 states. That isn’t the only reason, nor the best reason, but it’s the main reason.
[This would normally be where I go on a rant about how marijuana should be no more controlled than alcohol, and probably less controlled than prescription drugs. But I’ve covered society’s asinine attitude about that more than once before, and specifically in regard to medical marijuana.]
One lesser but still important pot-related action happened just this week in Vermont (Vermont!), where the governor signed a bill making it the ninth state to legalize marijuana effective July 1, 2018. The difference is that Vermont was the first state to do it via legislation, rather than by a voter-approved ballot initiative. That is a big deal, and the first admission that states want to grab the tax revenue.
Regarding that one thing standing in the way of ‘tipping point’ actualization…..we currently have an old white male dominated (Republican) party in charge of the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government, along with an old white guy U.S. attorney general that thinks marijuana is evil. That means marijuana, for now, will likely maintain its federal designation as a Schedule I drug along with things like heroine and LSD – good grief.
These will all need to be changed before the pro-cannabis world can truly take over. It’s only a matter of time, however, and that time is much shorter than it seemed only a few weeks ago.
Monday, January 15, 2018
Less Brutal Vikings
We interrupt our planned blog entry again to bring you breaking news.....
On a couple of occasions in the past, I've written about the harsh life of being a fan of the Minnesota Vikings. Several years ago, I documented my five most brutal losses, and then added a sixth a couple of years ago.
Yesterday, the Vikes were about to add to that brutal loss list, in a last minute, come-from-ahead loss in another home playoff game. Then this happened.
I've never bothered to come up with a list of the Vikings' five greatest wins. But given the circumstances, this one might have been the best (so far)!
On a couple of occasions in the past, I've written about the harsh life of being a fan of the Minnesota Vikings. Several years ago, I documented my five most brutal losses, and then added a sixth a couple of years ago.
Yesterday, the Vikes were about to add to that brutal loss list, in a last minute, come-from-ahead loss in another home playoff game. Then this happened.
I've never bothered to come up with a list of the Vikings' five greatest wins. But given the circumstances, this one might have been the best (so far)!
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