Mar

29

We were on the floor laughing at this one today…the truth can sometimes be pretty funny… 

(Actually this one came to me from my pal Ed) 

A Japanese company (Toyota) and an American company (Ford) decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River.  

Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.  

On the big day, the Japanese team won by a mile.  

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat.  A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.  Their conclusion was the Japanese team had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and 1 person rowing.   

So American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. The consultants advised that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing. 

To prevent another loss to the Japanese, the American’s rowing team’s management structure was totally reorganized to 4 Steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant Superintendent steering manager.  They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the “Rowing Quality First Program,” with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower.  There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices, and bonuses. 

The next year the Japanese won by two miles!  

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and cancelled all capital investments for new equipment.  

The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year’s racing team was out-sourced to India.  

Mar

25

Things you will never hear a southern boy say 

I’ll take Shakespeare for 1000, Alex.
Duct tape won’t fix that.
Come to think of it, I’ll have a Heineken.
We don’t keep firearms in this house.
You can’t feed that to the dog.
No kids in the back of the pickup, it’s just not safe.
Wrestling is fake.
We’re vegetarians.
I’ll have grapefruit and grapes instead of biscuits and gravy.
Honey, we don’t need another dog.
Who gives a damn who won the Civil War?
Too many deer heads detract from the decor.
Checkmate.
I just couldn’t find a thing at Wal-Mart today.
Trim the fat off that steak.
Cappuccino tastes better than espresso.
The tires on that truck are too big.
Unsweetened tea tastes better.
I’ve got two cases of Zima for the Super Bowl.
I don’t have a favorite college team.

Mar

24

In this Wednesdays Seattle Times the front page featured a story on 10 townhouses being built in the Issaquah Highlands that are being designed to be the epitome of green energy efficiency. While being hooked up to the grid these homes sport solar, maximum insulation, energy star appliances, and energy efficient lighting.

While being touted as 0 energy, they will likely draw 30-50% of there energy from the grid. This is still great news. We need to keep moving green products and ideas into the mainstream until they become the norm.

Mar

20

When connecting through Chicago I like to add an extra 1/2 hour to my layover so I can get an Italian beef sandwich from one of the carts in terminal C. The Italian beef sandwiches are not made with Gonnella bread (so they are not 100% authentic), but close enough.

An Italian beef sandwich is thinly sliced beef cooked in Italian au-jus. It is best served on crusty Gonnella french bread. I like mine “juicy.” This means the bread is dipped into the juices before piling the beef on. I also like it topped with either hot peppers or giardiniera.

Italian beef sandwiches are a Chicago delicacy that should not be missed. Just about any place in the city will be good. I am partial to a place called Carms http://www.carms.com/ as it brings back childhood memories.

Mar

16

Yes they can cost $5.95 per bulb, but they use 2/3 the energy and last 10 times longer. One bulb can save you $30.00 over the life of the bulb.

You can get 8 13watt (equivalent of a regular 60 watt bulb) for about $3 a bulb from Amazon.
Globe 13-Watt T2 Mini Compact Fluorescent Spiral Bulb, Cool White, 8-Pack #6780201

or go a little brighter

Compact Fluorescent Energy Saver / 20 Watt / 75 Watt Equivalent / 4 Pack / 2700K

Also, check out http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls

 

Mar

10

If you are using rechargeable batteries pat yourself on the back. But did you know that rechargeable batteries contain toxic materials and must be properly disposed? You can drop your batteries off at one of 30,000+ locations. For more details go to www.rbrc.org or call 877-273-2925.

Mar

9

Aging work force?

March 9, 2007 | 1 Comment

I just read… “RETIREMENT MAY SOON be a relative concept.” As a generation of baby boomers prepares to exit the work force, companies realize that a vast amount of experience and knowledge is leaving with them. And employers are “petrified,” says Bruce Klug, a retirement consultant at Mercer Human Resource Consulting in Milwaukee.”  …in an article at http://finance.comcast.net/personalfinance/view.html?x=theproshop/20060608.

Experience and knowledge at any company should be highly valued. In this age of information the marketplace has really become one of intellectual captial. When a quality employee with 10 years experience walks out the door you just lost someone really special. Competitive advantage is about cultivating and keeping talented people around. You and your customers win. It really is about more than the aging workforce. Keep and cultivate the finest. Make your people feel like more than “just another brick in the wall.”

Mar

6

Actually I got these from my buddy Nina and sent them to Earl. These are choice and real answers to math questions.

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

…and off we go to graduate school

Mar

4

I read in a recent Seattle Times article that if every American used just one CFL bulb that we could prevent greenhouse emissions equivalent to 800,000 cars. What are you waiting for?  

The next story I would like to read is about stores not being able to keep them in stock. 

Mar

3

There is a new trend gaining some momentum in the fight against global warming. Buying offsets for carbon emissions. What is buying offsets for carbon emissions? The general idea is that you make a payment to counteract the damage you have done to the environment caused by a trip you take (As I write this I am hurling through the skies on a jet spewing hydrocarbons into the atmosphere). This money is used for programs that implement green/renewable energy sources which in turn reduce our dependency on carbon producing energy sources. In 2006 these programs brought about 110 million dollars.

This type of program is a great idea. Frankly though, $110 million is pretty much “chump change” in the fight to reverse the coming catastrophic effects of global warming. Local, state, federal, and world governments need to quit postering and spinning and mandate programs like this. It is up to business and individual consumers as well to shoulder the burden for this problem. We need to start a dialog and start taking action together.

Taxes for reducing carbon emmissions should be mandatory, not compulsory. Government needs to regulate and make businesses reinvesting in renewable energy resources accountable. While I am not a huge fan of government regulation, this is an area where I think some form of regulation is needed. We need sin taxes on travel, on cars that get crummy mileage (after we define crummy in a sensible way). We need to increase mpg ratings and offer auto manufacturers incentives for doing this, and consumers incentives for buying green.

Write your government and get them on the case. Our collective numbers and voice are going to be what makes a difference. Indifference will not.

http://www.nativeenergy.com
http://www.gocarbonzero.org
http://www.carbonfund.org

If you would like to buy a carbon emmisions offset check out the following websites.
Yes, I plan on buying a credit to offset this trip.

 

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