Last Friday night our impromptu group of Valpie Singers got to "perform" for Meg Whitman's campaign dinner at Hotel Sofitel in Redwood City. On the dias with her were Mitt Romney, George Schultz, John McCain and Jeb Bush. The big surprises to me were how charismatic John McCain and Jeb Bush were - very spontaneous and energetic. George Schultz (he's got to be pushing 90) was very articulate (and his wife was adorable and beautiful!); Mitt was articulate but not as engaging as Jeb and John. We got a free dinner that the other attendees paid $1000/plate.... I'm including the site because I'm hidden behind someone's head.... It was enlightening to hear these individuals comment on the policital climate; there were no surprises to report.
http://www.megwhitman.com/experience_detail.php?id=2201
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
A Gary-kind of Day
As you know, Gary has been remodeling the spa with the support of his partner, Yoshi. Yoshi is an amazing businessman and has hotels, etc, in Japan ~ he knows what he's doing! Yoshi is also a let's-get-it-done-yesterday and why-aren't-you-here-now? kind of guy. Yesterday, Gary hadn't heard from Yoshi all day.... Very unusual!
Yoshi came in to the spa today, limping and with bandages around his head. He had decided to go surfing yesterday, and with the help of an amateur surfer who's board got away from her, managed to get his head split open from the forehead to the crown of his head. Of course (as head wounds will do), it bled profusely. He was anxious to get out of the water (shark! shark! - just kidding!) and off to the hospital to have his scalp sewn back together. The ambulance took him to one hospital, which rejected him and told him they were too busy and to go to another one. He went there, only to be rejected and told to go back to the first one -- which he dutifully did.
He got his massive gouge stitched back together and called his daughter to come and pick him up -- at the spa. As he's walking to the spa (yup - head wound and all... such a "Gary" thing to do), someone runs a red light and blam! Right into Yoshi - tossing him into the air, breaking a leg and causing multiple contusions, etc. So... you guessed it! Back to the same hospital he just left. The attendings shock their heads and said, "What are you doing back here? You just left!"
"I got hit by a car!" Through their laughs and chortles, the docs manage to get him admitted -a gain- his admittance bracelet once still on the one arm so they had to put the new one on his other arm! They patched him up and let him go home later that day.
When Yoshi got to the spa this morning, limping, bandaged, bruised, stitched, hammered, sore (but on time), Gary said, "Yoshi!!! What happend to you?!"
"Now I know what it's like to be Gary!"
Nuff said!!
Yoshi came in to the spa today, limping and with bandages around his head. He had decided to go surfing yesterday, and with the help of an amateur surfer who's board got away from her, managed to get his head split open from the forehead to the crown of his head. Of course (as head wounds will do), it bled profusely. He was anxious to get out of the water (shark! shark! - just kidding!) and off to the hospital to have his scalp sewn back together. The ambulance took him to one hospital, which rejected him and told him they were too busy and to go to another one. He went there, only to be rejected and told to go back to the first one -- which he dutifully did.
He got his massive gouge stitched back together and called his daughter to come and pick him up -- at the spa. As he's walking to the spa (yup - head wound and all... such a "Gary" thing to do), someone runs a red light and blam! Right into Yoshi - tossing him into the air, breaking a leg and causing multiple contusions, etc. So... you guessed it! Back to the same hospital he just left. The attendings shock their heads and said, "What are you doing back here? You just left!"
"I got hit by a car!" Through their laughs and chortles, the docs manage to get him admitted -a gain- his admittance bracelet once still on the one arm so they had to put the new one on his other arm! They patched him up and let him go home later that day.
When Yoshi got to the spa this morning, limping, bandaged, bruised, stitched, hammered, sore (but on time), Gary said, "Yoshi!!! What happend to you?!"
"Now I know what it's like to be Gary!"
Nuff said!!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Have you seen the movie "Stand and Deliver?" It's about a high school teacher is East LA in the '70s who teaches calculus to his class of gangers, etc. They test out well and the Bd of Ed believes they cheated because they not only did well, but missed the same questions. Long story short: They retake the exam, monitored by the B of E and do exceptionally well. This teacher goes on to teach for another 10 yrs or so and has the same success with successive classes.
The teacher required excellence from the students ~ and got it. There were no excuses because of lower economic status, language difficulties, etc. They simply had the imperative to succeed; to do well in spite of circumstances. It's different these days.
These days circumstances are used as excuses and justification for lackluster behaviors and a sense of entitlement ... someone - everyone - owes them as a matter of course what other people (those they believe are the "owers") produce. If someone else has it, entitlers believe they must share it, regardless of whether or not they earned it. If productive people earn it, entitlers believe it is only fair that they give a portion of what they earn and/or produce to those who don't, and haven't earned or produced the same. It's called "liberalism."
Just as that high school teacher in ELA helped individuals succeed, the current trend to socialism is our country, is teaching people to "dumb down" and not achieve or reach for excellence. The idea that others need to "share the wealth" is simply code for "you can't do it yourself" so let others do it for you. Let others who have sacrificed, worked and struggled for whatever degree of success they've achieved be required by governmental interference to subsidize mediocrity. Let those who are wicked and selfish enough to work for their futures be required to guarantee others' futures who haven't bothered to prepare themselves.
We hve lost the vision of excellence in exchange for a vision of entitlement: Because someone else has it, they owe it to every else.
.... And so we decline into mediocrity and we plunged into substandardism. Is there anywhere in the world where integrity, productivity, honesty, accountability and generosity are looked upon as values to support? Is there anywhere in the world where leaders stand for principles that enhance the drive to become better people? Is there anywhere in the world where laws are honored; where truth is upheld; where morality is valued?
Can we "stand and deliver" what is important - truly important - to our children and their's? To ourselves? We must stand for something; we must deliver on principles. We must meet the challenge to save ourselves and this Republic from the tyranny of mediocrity. We must pursue excellence and those who demonstrate their commitment to the same. We must stand and deliver!
The teacher required excellence from the students ~ and got it. There were no excuses because of lower economic status, language difficulties, etc. They simply had the imperative to succeed; to do well in spite of circumstances. It's different these days.
These days circumstances are used as excuses and justification for lackluster behaviors and a sense of entitlement ... someone - everyone - owes them as a matter of course what other people (those they believe are the "owers") produce. If someone else has it, entitlers believe they must share it, regardless of whether or not they earned it. If productive people earn it, entitlers believe it is only fair that they give a portion of what they earn and/or produce to those who don't, and haven't earned or produced the same. It's called "liberalism."
Just as that high school teacher in ELA helped individuals succeed, the current trend to socialism is our country, is teaching people to "dumb down" and not achieve or reach for excellence. The idea that others need to "share the wealth" is simply code for "you can't do it yourself" so let others do it for you. Let others who have sacrificed, worked and struggled for whatever degree of success they've achieved be required by governmental interference to subsidize mediocrity. Let those who are wicked and selfish enough to work for their futures be required to guarantee others' futures who haven't bothered to prepare themselves.
We hve lost the vision of excellence in exchange for a vision of entitlement: Because someone else has it, they owe it to every else.
.... And so we decline into mediocrity and we plunged into substandardism. Is there anywhere in the world where integrity, productivity, honesty, accountability and generosity are looked upon as values to support? Is there anywhere in the world where leaders stand for principles that enhance the drive to become better people? Is there anywhere in the world where laws are honored; where truth is upheld; where morality is valued?
Can we "stand and deliver" what is important - truly important - to our children and their's? To ourselves? We must stand for something; we must deliver on principles. We must meet the challenge to save ourselves and this Republic from the tyranny of mediocrity. We must pursue excellence and those who demonstrate their commitment to the same. We must stand and deliver!
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