tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50565169153929134312024-02-19T10:16:52.624-05:00a second chanceuncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.comBlogger377125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-21008217920371040192010-03-06T15:45:00.000-05:002010-03-06T21:39:43.129-05:00Nefarious - Part 10: Denouement<h3 class="post-title entry-title"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >a bit part in a TV gangsta pilot</span></span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >meet the family</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >-</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >I mean "THE" fami</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >ly</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">[continued from posts of May 3 & 26, June 7 & 21, July 4 & 22, August 22, September 6, and October 24, 2009</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">]</span></span></span></span><br /><span class="variant"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - -</span></span></span><br /><span class="variant"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">NEFARIOUS</span></span><dl><li>Pronunciation:<span mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref" class="pronchars"> \ni-<span class="unicode">ˈ</span>fer-ē-əs\ </span> </li><li>Function:<em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref"> adjective</em> </li><li>Etymology: Latin <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref"><span style="font-size:130%;">nefarius</span>,</em> from <span style="font-size:130%;"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">nefas</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">= crime</span></span>, from <span style="font-size:130%;"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">ne</em> = </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> + <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">fas</em> </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">= right</span></span></li></dl><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>here were a lot of things that wer</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">e <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">not right</span> in the unfold</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ing of these vignettes. Like many things, though, you sometimes don't spot them except with hindsight. Then it is usually </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">too late.</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:78%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">- - - - - - - - - -</span></span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span> worked from the company's HQ for the next week or so. One woman and one man in the Agency Settlements Department were assigned to work closely with me. Their goal was to contact every Agent with whom we held a contract. Once the initial phone contact and brief interview was completed, the agent was advised a call would be coming from the Vice President of A</span><span style="font-size:130%;">gency Development: me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 51);">T</span>he net result of all these calls was for me to schedule face-to-face meetings with the agents which seemed to hold out the most promise for fast short-term gains. The next month was lived out of my car. I traveled f</span><span style="font-size:130%;">rom city to city meeting with these agents. One big 2-week loop started in Detroit, proceeded through northern OH into western PA, thence to eastern PA then down the east-coast through VA and NC and SC, then to GA and AL and TN and KY and IN. Another subsequent loop took me through southern MI and northern IN, then north-eastern IL and south-eastern WI, to MO and back through central IL.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">W</span>e were gaining a lot of new business revenue from already existing agents. Everyone was happy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - -</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >J</span>ust before I left on my 2-week trip through the east, the Vice President of Sales for the Western Region took me out to lunch. My new position as the Vice President of Agency Development was removing me from his area of responsibility. He said he wanted to thank me for all the help I had been to him. He also wanted to let me know that he was going to be leaving the company soon - and that it was a secret he expected me to keep. He was sharing with me because he 'really liked me' and thought me to be an honest and upright person - he didn't want to see me get hurt.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">A</span>t that point I had no idea of what he might be inferring.<br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">H</span>e gave me one very specific piece of advice. He said that before I left town on this business trip, I was to go into the accounting department and tell them that my personal Credit Cards were maxed-out and that I needed 'cash' to make this trip. "DO NOT use your personal credit cards," he said. "Make them give you the money up front - do you understand what I'm telling you?"<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>he reality was that my naivety did not allow me to clearly read into the words the seriousness of his message. While I intended to do as he told me, I had never had any problems in almost 20 years. I was busy ge</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span>tting everything lined-up for the trip. I failed to follow through with his advise.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - -</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">U</span>pon my return I started hearing rumors of some driver payroll checks 'bouncing'. I was hearing of vendors denying us services due to unpaid bills. I noticed that my Travel Expense Reports were not being processed in a timely manner. On, payday, people were running to the bank on their lunch hour to be sure their checks would clear. Some did and some did not. It seemed that there was some money available, and when that ran out, the bank stopped ac</span><span style="font-size:130%;">cepting the checks. People who lived out of the immediate Detroit area and received their checks by mail were having the checks accepted by their home-town bank, only to get them back in a day or two marked NSF.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>hings were getting ugly. The official word was that things were tight but everything was being worked out. "Don't panic", they said. Some believed that, some didn't.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">M</span>y 20 year anniversary with the company was</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> coming up in about a month. At 20 years you were entitled to 3-weeks paid vacation. For years 2-5 of employment we were given 1-week of paid vacation - there was no paid vacation during the 1st year. For years 6 through 20 we received 2 weeks of paid vacation. With number 20 on the very near horizon, I turned in a 'Vacation Request' for 2 weeks combined time off starting on the Monday one day after my 20th anniversary on a Sunday. I was relieved when I received notice that it had been approved. It left me with one additional week I could take later.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - -</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">A</span>ll of these things were taking place in a very face-paced and frantic environment. In the weeks before my first big trips to get new agent business, the company had changed banks for some of the company's accounts. They also had engaged a 'Payroll Processing' company to handle the issuance of all checks for accounts that dealt with driver payroll and Agency business. No one, including me thought much about it.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - -</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">A</span>bout a week to 10-days before my vacation </span><span style="font-size:130%;">was to begin, I was part of a very heated and hostile meeting with our company CEO - you know the one I'm referring to. There were a lot of department heads and other manager types in the meeting.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>he main issue was getting revenue flows moving faster from our customers - get our Accounts Receivables down to a very tight time frame ... really go after anyone who was overdue on any monies due us.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">V</span>arious people were given their orders and dismissed from the meeting to get the ball rolling. Various other peoples in Operations, Sales, and Accounting were told to stay put for another discussion. Because of my experience in various areas of the company over the years, I became the target of the next round of discussion.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span>t seems that the Holding Company that owned our company also owned a number of other trucking companies around the country. We were advised that there were several of those companies that were being targeted by the 'owners' to be closed and bankrupted in the foreseeable future. They wanted us to come up with ways to immediately divert freight and revenues away fr</span><span style="font-size:130%;">om those companies and into ours.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">W</span>hat they were proposing was going to be a challenge. When I explained what we'd have to do to accomplish this, I was met with a very threatening response that that approach was not good enough. We needed to do it some way that would allow the money to flow in much sooner that what I was describing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">W</span>ithout getting into all the details, just let me say that what they were wanting done, I kept telling them couldn't be done that way - at least not legally. Our CEO, after much heated discussion with all of us, left the room in a serious 'huff'.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>hat was the last time I ever saw him.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - -<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span></span>he next day I left for my home base in Indiana. My 2-week vacation was scheduled to start in another week. I made face-to-face appointments to see Agents in and around my home area. I wanted to be able to get things in order for taking my first ever 2-week vacation.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">M</span>y travel expense reimbursement checks were now 4 weeks behind. I was now wondering what it was my former Vice President of Sales for the Western Region was trying to warn me. I was counting on that money, along with current pay, to fund our vacation. We had planned to go to the San Antonio TX area. We had reservations to visit a large Texas Longhorn cattle ranch; attend an old-fashioned Barn Dance; visit the Alamo; hang-out on the River-walk; and just enjoy the weather. January there was going to be a lot different than in Indiana and Michigan.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - -</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span></span>t was Thursday. My vacation was going to start on Saturday - bags were mostly packed and tickets were in hand. I was at one of our company's freight terminal offices when I received the phone call.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">"Lock the doors, send the people home. The company is closed!"<br /><br />- - - - -<br /><br />NOTICE OF SEIZURE:<br />All properties and material items in or on the attached premises are<br />here-by declared to be the property of the United States of America.<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikbXHOIGiidB6QRlm0h7EA2zibVB2pwTwCMiJ9JwhnZh-SW2YkWqkg4be81tJNDmF6pTqj0LEvm9SVHuk8gpVTZlWn2idmml7KGZXkfqZLYromK_Zohcn5pWpRr6vYLFp5iq7ursTLAji/s1600-h/53478004.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 103px; height: 113px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikbXHOIGiidB6QRlm0h7EA2zibVB2pwTwCMiJ9JwhnZh-SW2YkWqkg4be81tJNDmF6pTqj0LEvm9SVHuk8gpVTZlWn2idmml7KGZXkfqZLYromK_Zohcn5pWpRr6vYLFp5iq7ursTLAji/s200/53478004.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5445645923588074242" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">All claims to remove any such property are to be made at the local IRS office.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >- - - - - - - - - -</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span>t seems that since 8 months ago when the new owners took over, no money for any Federal taxes owed were ever sent in. All those with-holdings from all of our payroll checks never found their way into U S Government coffers. The IRS was mad.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - -</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">[to be continued as time allows]</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span> </div><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></span></span>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-32871316882147378812009-10-24T21:29:00.015-04:002009-10-27T08:38:17.114-04:00Nefarious - Part 9<h3 class="post-title entry-title"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >a bit part in a TV gangsta pilot</span></span></h3><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >meet the family</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >-</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >I mean "THE" fami</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >ly</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">[continued from posts of May 3 & 26, June 7 & 21, July 4 & 22, August 22, September 6, 2009</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">]</span></span></span></span><br /><span class="variant"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - -</span></span></span><br /><span class="variant"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">NEFARIOUS</span></span><dl><dt class="pron">Pronunciation:</dt></dl><dl><dd class="pron"> <span mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref" class="pronchars"> \ni-<span class="unicode">ˈ</span>fer-ē-əs\ </span> </dd><dt class="func">Function:</dt><dd class="func"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">adjective</em> </dd><dt class="ety">Etymology:</dt><dd class="ety">Latin <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref"><span style="font-size:130%;">nefarius</span>,</em> from <span style="font-size:130%;"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">nefas</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">= crime</span></span>, from <span style="font-size:130%;"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">ne</em> = </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> + <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">fas</em> </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">= right</span></span></dd></dl><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>here were a lot of things that wer</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">e <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">not right</span> in the unfold</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ing of these vignettes. Like many things, though, you sometimes don't spot them except with hindsight. Then it is usually </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">too late to change things.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">- - - - - - - - - -</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">M</span>r. Bxxxxxxxx was waiting for us as we entered his office. He seemed to be in one of his regular 'agitated' states...like he was on a caffeine high [only it probably wasn't caffeine].</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">M</span>r. 'X' sat in one of the chairs across from Mr. Bxxxxxxxx. I guess he wanted his presence to be known to us.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">A</span>s he points at me, </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Mr</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">. Bxxxxxxx asks my VP</span></span></span>, <span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">"<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">S</span>o, what's this great idea of yours? ...and what's he got to do with it?"</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">M</span>y VP shoots right back with, "Jimmy here is the guy who's gonna help us pull this off." </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span>t now seems I play a role in it, even though I haven't heard the plan yet. Now if it fails, its my fault. These guys are pros at covering their backsides in case things go wrong.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">H</span>e continued speaking to Mr. Bxxxxxxxx, "Remember when I called you last week and asked if your people could get me some names in the Chicago area?"<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">P</span></span>ointing to the guy who normally sets in the corner of the room, he says "Txxx called me back with the names I needed: Jimmy gumshoe and Manny the rat.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">Y</span>esterday, we made house-calls on four contract Agents in the Chicago / Gary area. I dropped the names and struck gold at two of them. These guys don't want any trouble like the kind Jimmy gumshoe and Manny the rat can cause them. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I </span>told them I needed to know why they don't throw more business our way. Seems we're slow payers and our commission rates aren't the best.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">W</span></span>e gotta get someone in our company to work with these guys ... you know, face-to-face. We gotta schmooze them a little. We need to pay faster and we need to pay better. If we want revenue from them we gotta treat them better. What we're doing now isn't throwing much revenue onto our books."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">M</span>r. Bxxxxxxxx is listening and figeting in his chair.<br /><br />"<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">S</span>o, that's what you're saying we gotta do? Pay them faster and pay them more commission?", Mr. Bxxxxxxxx asks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">M</span>y VP comes right back with, "...and we gotta get the right person getting the word out that we're gonna do just that. We have over a hundred of these contract agents . I'm saying we gotta have somebody with the title and the power to make things happen."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>he quiet guy in the chair next to us butts in: "Are you saying Jimmy here is the guy?"<br /><br />"<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">A</span>bsolutely!" says my companion.<br /><br />"<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">H</span>ow much is it gonna cost us?" asks Mr. Bxxxxxxxx. "...and what're you gonna call him?"<br /><br />"<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span>t'll cost a 'big one' ... and he needs new business cards - fast. We can call him: Vice President of Agency Development."<br /><br />"<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">W</span>ell, can you do it?", Mr. Bxxxxxxxx asks as he glowers at me?<br /><br />"<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span>f I've got front-office support and the expressed authority to do what needs to be done, then, 'Yes!', I can do it." That's about the best I can come up with on the spur of the moment.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">M</span>r. Bxxxxxxxx stares at my VP then looks over at the guy setting next to us. Mr. 'X' nods one time affirmatively. Mr. Bxxxxxxxx returns his gaze to our Vice President of Sales for the Western Region.<br /><br />"<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">L</span>et's do it!" he declares.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">M</span>r. Bxxxxxxxx then looks to me. In one of the few almost normal comments I've ever had from him, he asks, "What do you need from me?"<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I </span>have several folders in my lap. Each contain records for one of the four contract agents we visited the day before. I'm keenly aware of the weaknesses in our Agency program.<br /><br />"<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I </span>need the Manager in the Settlements Department answering to me. I need to be able to implement changes in the way we process Agency business. I need to adjust payment levels as needed to get business from our agents. Commission rates don't have to be the same to all agents. We only have to be higher than what they get from other carriers. And I need you to speak personally to our VP of Operations and to the Settlements Department Manager - let them know of the changes." There! I had said it. Unplanned and unrehearsed.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">M</span>r. Bxxxxxxxx raised himself from behind his desk. "Let's go see them right now." He looked to my VP and told him to go to payroll and get the pay thing squared away ... and get my business cards ordered 'rush'. I had no idea about this. We hadn't discussed anything.<br />- - - - -<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">A</span>n hour later, the conversations had been concluded. I was given a small office outside the Operations Department. I would be making a lot of phone contact with our agents. After that I'd be on the road a lot, seeing them face-to-face.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I </span>went to dinner with my Vice President of Sales for the Western Region. I heard it again: "You do for me - I owe you. I do for you - you owe me." I wondered who owed at this point. I asked about the pay thing. "Remember when he asked what it would cost? I told him 'a big one'. Well that was your raise ... a big one ... a grand a month."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I </span>was now a Vice President, and I had a thousand dollar a month raise. This was a few years back - a grand was very nice. I told him I needed to go home for a couple of days. He suggested I stay there in HQ for a day. Get things set up in the Settlements Department. Make some phone calls. Then go home. After that, get on the road. Make something happen quick. We both knew they didn't like negative reports at sales meetings.<br />- - - - -<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I </span>called home and gave my wife the news. She was thrilled about the money, but I think she had a sense of what it was going to cost us. I was only beginning to imagine what was happening in the company. As long as what I was to do wasn't illegal or immoral, I'd give it my my best shot.<br />- - - - -<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">O</span>ut of the chute, the agents were thrilled to hear the news. I didn't know how long-lived the euphoria would be. Increased commission checks are great ... if the checks don't bounce.<br />- - - - - - - - - -<br />[to be continued as time allows]</span></span></span></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-37775129100671627312009-09-06T21:53:00.020-04:002009-09-08T10:38:26.191-04:00Nefarious - Part 8<h3 class="post-title entry-title"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >a bit part in a TV gangsta pilot</span></span></h3><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >meet the family</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >-</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >I mean "THE" fami</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >ly</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">[continued from posts of May 3 & 26, June 7 & 21, July 4 & 22, August 22, 2009</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">]</span></span></span></span><br /><span class="variant"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - -</span></span></span><br /><span class="variant"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">NEFARIOUS</span></span><dl><dt class="pron">Pronunciation:</dt></dl><dl><dd class="pron"> <span mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref" class="pronchars"> \ni-<span class="unicode">ˈ</span>fer-ē-əs\ </span> </dd><dt class="func">Function:</dt><dd class="func"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">adjective</em> </dd><dt class="ety">Etymology:</dt><dd class="ety">Latin <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref"><span style="font-size:130%;">nefarius</span>,</em> from <span style="font-size:130%;"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">nefas</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">= crime</span></span>, from <span style="font-size:130%;"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">ne</em> = </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> + <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">fas</em> </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">= right</span></span></dd></dl><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>here were a lot of things that wer</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">e <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">not right</span> in the unfold</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ing of these vignettes. Like many things, though, you sometimes don't spot them except with hindsight. Then it is usually </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">too late to change things.<br />- - - - - - - - - -</span></span></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb53TUU3wwhiH1mCxQyfm1l5-BTeT6apk81IbkInylFy8Vwhnhs9gYTleZJ9wD7i3cM3IFw0imJBBS2hBM1Jwd6mv2In4o4oLjspfcaNEmNDil8_IxYA9_BTV-2FiLdRlLbXjXezUT8RUt/s1600-h/chicago+skyline.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 95px; height: 132px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb53TUU3wwhiH1mCxQyfm1l5-BTeT6apk81IbkInylFy8Vwhnhs9gYTleZJ9wD7i3cM3IFw0imJBBS2hBM1Jwd6mv2In4o4oLjspfcaNEmNDil8_IxYA9_BTV-2FiLdRlLbXjXezUT8RUt/s200/chicago+skyline.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378832089810040978" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold;">T</span></span>oday wa</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">s </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">on my mind. We had </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">made the rounds of 4 different Agent offices in the Chicago</span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgIdNP_CiOCRFuWh2pNoIgkDLmydsQkxDqFyCqqGZsisnUuMf_KU4NMrMdbxMtjFSmTviTcezJzAtbJMrkgjCDT7pb8MAUQdkiecKxtpjlO3Hiv5bLgbye2hDRR_8uTyCQyfYafyNH1b4/s1600-h/detroit.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 173px; height: 92px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtgIdNP_CiOCRFuWh2pNoIgkDLmydsQkxDqFyCqqGZsisnUuMf_KU4NMrMdbxMtjFSmTviTcezJzAtbJMrkgjCDT7pb8MAUQdkiecKxtpjlO3Hiv5bLgbye2hDRR_8uTyCQyfYafyNH1b4/s200/detroit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378832950020757682" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> area. My Vice President of Sales for the Western Reg</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">ion </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">asked questions after questions. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">W</span>hat was nagging me was some of the conversations I heard while with him. It reminded me of a Sales Rep that worked for us a number of years before. He had come to us after having be</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">en the Vice President of Sales for a small regional LTL trucking company that had recently folded.<br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj421WN934Zl8WxbPa9hDfKc5APK965zZuh0usy8B_1qwB6r8eW707Bu2iuyxKjGCAu4t8MDRtP5ST1lZye1nApAr86e-bZewRKmxDVF4UGsfQ1u6RGRVi2603QOVOWxBYJ-VbZ42zJOgW5/s1600-h/mason-web+sml.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 112px; height: 111px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj421WN934Zl8WxbPa9hDfKc5APK965zZuh0usy8B_1qwB6r8eW707Bu2iuyxKjGCAu4t8MDRtP5ST1lZye1nApAr86e-bZewRKmxDVF4UGsfQ1u6RGRVi2603QOVOWxBYJ-VbZ42zJOgW5/s200/mason-web+sml.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378830806212230354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">W</span>hen that former sales rep an</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">d I were making a joint sales call on potential new customers, someone he didn't know before, he would</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> have some sort of banter that</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> determi</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">n</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">ed if they were a member of the Masons. It seemed to be some sort of coded talk.</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> If they determined they were both brother Masons, it seemed almost automatic that we were going to be getting new business from them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">W</span>ell, my Vice President of Sales for the Western Region was doing something similar ... but it had to do with 'name dropping'. Some of these agents knew some of the same people that he knew. At some point he would ask if they knew "Jimmy gumshoe" or "Manny the rat". If their response said 'no'</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">, the conversation seemed to continue in more of a business tone. If their response said 'yes' [yeh], or if they asked a question about how he knew them, the conversation went a different direction. The net result of those who said 'yes' seemed more positive - we could work out our problems and start doing more business together. We got a 'yes' from two of the four.</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I </span>had no idea who 'Jimmy gumshoe' or 'Manny the rat' were ... and I never asked.</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">H</span>ow this was going to play out in our meeting with Mr. Bxxxxxxxx I had no idea - but I was certain I would find out.<br />- - - - -<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span>t was late when I arrived in Detroit. I stayed at that same famous hotel I've mentioned before - the one where I had been awakened at 3am in the morning and told to be in the Conference Room in 1-hour for a sales meeting. This trip I slept in, had a late breakfast, and checked in at Company Headquarters about 10:30am. Our Meeting with Mr. Bxxxxxxxx was scheduled for 2:30pm.</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span> went directly to the De</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">partment that h</span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3AmXWQFv9pUWeKFBgH3VUZTVKyw2Cz11dXsF53LI-e-77t3iujoFy82yFweax1BJb0bcye4fPDHQzhW2kqVKY7KurzY1gc3cTkVEopZLjHxNkowzc3Doj1-qlBLIfgMUOaOxBqcf3F5S/s1600-h/busy+office.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 117px; height: 115px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3AmXWQFv9pUWeKFBgH3VUZTVKyw2Cz11dXsF53LI-e-77t3iujoFy82yFweax1BJb0bcye4fPDHQzhW2kqVKY7KurzY1gc3cTkVEopZLjHxNkowzc3Doj1-qlBLIfgMUOaOxBqcf3F5S/s200/busy+office.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378838100806826866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">andled the 'settlements' for the Agency o</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">ffices. The number one</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> com</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">plaint we hear</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">d was about delays encountered in </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">being paid for freight han</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">dled in our</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> behalf. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Most other complaints were about paperwork requirements.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span> had the names of the agents we had visited and I asked to see their files. At that time I was a Regional Manage</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">r. The woman I was talking to wasn't sure whether she could show those to me - she'd have to get someone's OK. I said that was fine, but I was asking for them for Mr. Bxxxxxxxx [that was not entirely untrue].</span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">S</span>he was back with the files </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">in </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">minutes.<br /></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I </span>asked for a desk to use. She </span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFGSwGbJJS3uCB95M5QbnAhnzzSRp0uXKhtOAJZVlxcSn7sVeypqybqqzEy6-HJyo-ROk5n6uMGGUdouCqxHNs3KJbGv4ALgmDMLhhye4BWVeRHrhNzBjzjbHT3wHyk08wcq7PPvAP302/s1600-h/empty+cubicle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 114px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFGSwGbJJS3uCB95M5QbnAhnzzSRp0uXKhtOAJZVlxcSn7sVeypqybqqzEy6-HJyo-ROk5n6uMGGUdouCqxHNs3KJbGv4ALgmDMLhhye4BWVeRHrhNzBjzjbHT3wHyk08wcq7PPvAP302/s200/empty+cubicle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378836698581406978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">pointed me to one in the corner out of the way. I went through the paperwork and documentation. I made notes and went back to the same lad</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">y with my questions. Then I called each agent to tell them that I was now in Detroit and working on the pay problems they told us about the day before. Boy did that impress them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>he lunch hour for the people in that department came and they all left. I stayed and continued making my notes and a few more phone calls. On their return I had more questions. This time we were joined by the department head, whom I had known for years. I had worked in Headquarters before as the head of Intermodal Operations. I had explained to him </span></span></span> <span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">that I was meeting with Mr. Bxxxxxxxx at 2:30pm.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>he reality was that there were approximately a hundred agents who held contracts with us nationwide. We had visited with four in the Chicago area. If these four had complaints, I was certain that the others did too.<br />- - - - -<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">A</span>fter 2pm I <span style="font-style: italic;">informed</span> the Department Manager that I'd like to take the files to my meeting with Mr. Bxxxxxxxx. On the condition</span></span></span> <span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> that I return with the paperwork when I was done in the Executive wing, I left with files in-hand.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span> went to the Reception Area for the Executive</span></span></span><h3 class="post-title entry-title"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGGKA2X7opLv-PPRuWDomVJjJLyW2NxI2gMosqALhA9j10HRhx7awFGFEFYflfchDAOUfcVVp0RicvZyon_vjeHyHpkDck6GlaRvPhRboBbd-i4LhlLXksT_O0FtTc5AGaVavk1Z-urE6/s1600-h/reception+room.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 371px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGGKA2X7opLv-PPRuWDomVJjJLyW2NxI2gMosqALhA9j10HRhx7awFGFEFYflfchDAOUfcVVp0RicvZyon_vjeHyHpkDck6GlaRvPhRboBbd-i4LhlLXksT_O0FtTc5AGaVavk1Z-urE6/s320/reception+room.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378835047620201362" border="0" /></a></h3><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> Offices and</span></span></span> <span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> asked if our Vice President</span></span></span> <span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> of Sales for the Western Region had a</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">rrived. She informed me he was in the building and that she would locate him for me. At 2:25pm he showed up in the Reception Area. I told him what I had been doing - he seemed sort of surprised and impressed.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">H</span>e asked the receptionist to let Mr. Bxxxxxxxx know we were here for our 2:30pm meeting.<br />- - - - -<br />[to be continued as time becomes available]<br /></span></span></span></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-7608143035402622042009-08-22T13:30:00.014-04:002009-08-24T13:56:05.401-04:00Nefarious - Part 7<h3 class="post-title entry-title"> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >a bit part in a TV gangsta pilot</span></span><br /></h3><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >meet the family</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >-</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >I mean "THE" fami</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >ly</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">[continued from posts of May 3 & 26, June 7 & 21, July 4 & 22, 2009]</span></span></span></span><br /><span class="variant"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - -</span></span></span><br /><span class="variant"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">NEFARIOUS</span></span><dl><dt class="pron">Pronunciation:</dt><dd class="pron"> <span mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref" class="pronchars"> \ni-<span class="unicode">ˈ</span>fer-ē-əs\ </span> </dd><dt class="func">Function:</dt><dd class="func"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">adjective</em> </dd><dt class="ety">Etymology:</dt><dd class="ety">Latin <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref"><span style="font-size:130%;">nefarius</span>,</em> from <span style="font-size:130%;"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">nefas</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">= crime</span></span>, from <span style="font-size:130%;"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">ne</em> = </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> + <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">fas</em> </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">= right</span></span></dd></dl><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>here were a lot of things that wer</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">e <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">not right</span> in the unfold</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ing of these vignettes. Like many things, though, you sometimes don't spot them except with hindsight. Then it is usually </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">too late to change things.</span></span></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />- - - - - - - - - -</span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>he NW Indiana terminal had not been on my itinerary much in the past </span><span style="font-size:100%;">month or so. Much of my time had been on the road and at the company headquarters in Detroit.<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZH_n6e2XK6fNXEfhYtxLRjmIt__BnjBbprkzwJedut0xdwIY4HWMUROwDs0o_J1ZJyHmPn9b-7H3CvJifCkkeOIGEkbzc12Zax8Cqo0nXyaZObFabbnZkAj_0F-A0WTpOEXONF0mtnAI2/s1600-h/dispatch+center.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZH_n6e2XK6fNXEfhYtxLRjmIt__BnjBbprkzwJedut0xdwIY4HWMUROwDs0o_J1ZJyHmPn9b-7H3CvJifCkkeOIGEkbzc12Zax8Cqo0nXyaZObFabbnZkAj_0F-A0WTpOEXONF0mtnAI2/s200/dispatch+center.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372935880800331906" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>he people there were good hard working people. I had been their Regional Manager for the past yea</span><span style="font-size:100%;">r. During one part earlier in my career I had been the local Terminal Manager there. The people there were old friends. I left there with a promotion t</span><span style="font-size:100%;">o company headquarters. I had bee</span><span style="font-size:100%;">n asked to run a new Division within the company which was called "Intermodal Operations".<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">B</span>ut that was then and this was now. My task at hand was to meet our Vice President of Sales for the Western region. He had an idea that he hoped would interject a good strong flow of new </span><span style="font-size:100%;">business into the</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> company. If it was successful, he'd get a feather in his hat. As goes the saying, "You help me, I owe you - I help you, you owe me." It was always a two way exchange - I'm not sure what happened to those wh</span><span style="font-size:100%;">o did not help him.<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">P</span>romptness was measured on <span style="font-style: italic;">his</span> time piece, not mine. So, while I got to visit with old friends, he got to take his time getting to his 9am </span><span style="font-size:100%;">appointment with me.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> T</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ime was </span><span style="font-size:100%;">often only an illusion any way - the nature of getting things done sometimes ignores time pieces.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPA0viISCXRjklbhCjkvLk_Uiu-3GEevYeO81QJm1SRxS-myVZXck1LctGYJZhtKv8S-tC6GSoWQ23XNZUs8TwF-X5-rk1b-Y33MK579Rak3gfAxNLSI9a7ldsIZByxPWOJTJN_12eadfz/s1600-h/wall+clock.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPA0viISCXRjklbhCjkvLk_Uiu-3GEevYeO81QJm1SRxS-myVZXck1LctGYJZhtKv8S-tC6GSoWQ23XNZUs8TwF-X5-rk1b-Y33MK579Rak3gfAxNLSI9a7ldsIZByxPWOJTJN_12eadfz/s200/wall+clock.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372934822925094434" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">A</span>rou</span><span style="font-size:100%;">nd 10:10am he m</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ade his appearance. He "had some busine</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ss to take care</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> of" was always his response to the unasked </span><span style="font-size:100%;">question. </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Today he was all business. Undoubtedly, at least in my mind, he was really getting some heavy pressure from above.<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">Q</span>u</span><span style="font-size:100%;">estions started filling the conversation - questions about the company's network of Agents. How many did we have? How much reven</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ue did they produce? How did we acquire them? How do we pay them? Did they really control a lot of business? Did we have any in the area with whom he could meet and talk? Who in the company controlled them or to whom did they report? And on and on and on...<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">B</span>y the time we covered these questions to some degree, it was time to go to lunch and continue the discussion. Unlike most working lunches with him, this was not going to be at some nice place on the south side of Chicago. He wanted to go someplace where we would be close to some local Agents. When we were finished talking over lunch, he wanted to visit Agents.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>he vast majority of these freight brokerage agencies are located in proximity to major truck-stops. This is where you find the Independent Owner-Operator trucks drivers that are the bread & butter of these agents. </span><span style="font-size:100%;">In the greater Chicago area, there are many, many truck-stops ... and many, many, many freight brokers and agents. </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Man<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBp-5HCUsTkJwWlZYcK16YxxLwykgXzd6w17JmPzqADSVOMzo0IDSt8GZq27yaBlY-IpgtZ1MNr2umivmBmoIQdCh28hCD44Q0r7A06HQXV16jz0VnDbdGVIkWAPMo2TH3z3zuurlEz-S/s1600-h/flatbed+steel+hauler.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikBp-5HCUsTkJwWlZYcK16YxxLwykgXzd6w17JmPzqADSVOMzo0IDSt8GZq27yaBlY-IpgtZ1MNr2umivmBmoIQdCh28hCD44Q0r7A06HQXV16jz0VnDbdGVIkWAPMo2TH3z3zuurlEz-S/s200/flatbed+steel+hauler.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372936133599938274" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;">y of them specialize in the types of freight they handle.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">N</span>W Indiana, especially back then, </span><span style="font-size:100%;">was the home of a dozen or more major steel mills. Those steel mills needed hundreds of trucks a day to transport their fres</span><span style="font-size:100%;">hly made products. I took him to a truck-stop that catered to the steel haul</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ing, flat-bed operating owner-operators the steel mills needed.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">W</span>e ate in the drivers dining area of the truck-stop. It was a new experience for him. For me, I'd done it hundreds of times. My family used to get tired of eating at truck-stops when we were on vacation, or traveling - I knew them all and knew where the best, and least expensive, meals could be found.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>he next stop was with some agents that had agreements with our company. He wanted to know the "what, why, when, where and how" of their business ... and what did we have to do to get more of it?<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">L</span>ater that afternoon we returned to the company terminal. He was sure we could achieve the goals for which we were shooting. ALL it would take is to get som</span><span style="font-size:100%;">eone in our company, </span><span style="font-size:100%;">somebody higher-up, to focus on t</span><span style="font-size:100%;">his segment of our business, </span><span style="font-size:100%;">someone of titl<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydY5P12j5Eb41TIhHGTD2QqOTHIJnPXKmiusSULqsp03mc64f_ct1vJWuykrgwN2z-_8g9Gm_BuV7EOe5Ue3rbXtHnjdysn31tHK0QJWAIZwZRhu41t_Y0tAHSbdrySFpUbTq_rvjGb3e/s1600-h/vie+president+name+plate.png"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 53px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydY5P12j5Eb41TIhHGTD2QqOTHIJnPXKmiusSULqsp03mc64f_ct1vJWuykrgwN2z-_8g9Gm_BuV7EOe5Ue3rbXtHnjdysn31tHK0QJWAIZwZRhu41t_Y0tAHSbdrySFpUbTq_rvjGb3e/s200/vie+president+name+plate.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373172066339086290" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:100%;">e </span><span style="font-size:100%;">[he felt agents liked to be catered to by </span><span style="font-size:100%;">higher -ups ... kind of an ego thing - it made them </span><span style="font-size:100%;">feel more important], s</span><span style="font-size:100%;">omeone who would have the authority to correct the w</span><span style="font-size:100%;">eaknesses and </span><span style="font-size:100%;">short-comings in our agent program, which several agents made clear to us were significant.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">S</span>hortly after talking this through with me, he was on the phone to Mr. Bxxxxxxxx in Detroit. He made an appointment to see him the next day to make his pitch. He felt he now knew enough about how the agency network worked.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">O</span>f course, he needed me to go with him ... absolutely the person highest on my list of people I wanted to meet with - our CEO, Mr. Bxxxxxxxx. This whole concept of "you help me - I owe you; I help you - you owe me" - was beginning to take me into stranger territories.<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:100%;" >E</span><span style="font-size:100%;">xperie</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">nce taught me that when I leave home, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTW0ZBf3_sXl5-kgZglryCGq9vmIcLHSkr3oZvDtRFoZ9yLYHrovX7yXknqgBclaVVsNkuw4totnLtAgzZJMCtD3F5eiWmht4ZPv-WtVYV-ukIxB8Z0OAqoUpCVv93E_2kL7QKjW1SzRwu/s1600-h/detroit.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTW0ZBf3_sXl5-kgZglryCGq9vmIcLHSkr3oZvDtRFoZ9yLYHrovX7yXknqgBclaVVsNkuw4totnLtAgzZJMCtD3F5eiWmht4ZPv-WtVYV-ukIxB8Z0OAqoUpCVv93E_2kL7QKjW1SzRwu/s200/detroit.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372939466710571858" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">even for a one-day out-and-back trip, pack for at least 3 days. I was now headed for Detroit. Get a hotel room, sleep a little, meet my Vice President of Sales for the Western Region at headquarters at 2:30pm the next day.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:78%;" >F</span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">or his part, he was going home for the night. He would drive to Detroit in the morning.<br />- - - - -</span><br /></span><br /></span></span></span></span></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-79876044835455995422009-07-22T08:38:00.015-04:002009-07-23T10:23:09.747-04:00Nefarious - Part 6<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >a bit part in a TV gangsta pilot</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >meet the family</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >-</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >I mean "THE" fami</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >ly</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" ><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">[continued from posts of May 3 & 26, June 7 & 21, and July 4, 2009]</span></span></span></span><br /><span class="variant"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - -</span></span></span><br /><span class="variant"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">NEFARIOUS</span></span><dl><dt class="pron">Pronunciation:</dt><dd class="pron"> <span mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref" class="pronchars"> \ni-<span class="unicode">ˈ</span>fer-ē-əs\ </span> </dd><dt class="func">Function:</dt><dd class="func"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">adjective</em> </dd><dt class="ety">Etymology:</dt><dd class="ety">Latin <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref"><span style="font-size:130%;">nefarius</span>,</em> from <span style="font-size:130%;"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">nefas</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">= crime</span></span>, from <span style="font-size:130%;"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">ne</em> = </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> + <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">fas</em> </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">= right</span></span></dd></dl><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>here were a lot of things that wer</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">e <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">not right</span> in the unfold</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ing of these vignettes. Like many things, though, you sometimes don't spot them except with hindsight. Then it is usually </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">too late to change things.<br /><br />- - - - - - - - - -<br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span>t was somewhere in the 3rd - 4th month after the take-over of the company - or should I have said the purchase of the company. The original announcement stated the company had been sold, so we'll stick with the original terminology. Eventually I came to view it otherwise.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"> I </span>met with our Vice-President of Sales for the Western Region at our company terminal office in northwest IN </span><span style="font-size:130%;">as requested. Our discussions quickly turned to efforts to increase revenues. He told me he was impressed with the efforts to reclaim business from various government entities. Many of our company's terminals were starting to get calls from various government agents asking us to transport freight for them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>hat was the good news.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>he other news was that he was getting pressure to produce more in his efforts to help to make additional acquisitions.</span> <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I </span>was not privy to what was going on in the acquisition area.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I </span>was soon going to know a little more than I was comfortable with knowing. </span><span style="font-size:130%;">He had an idea he wanted to explore with me ... over a nice lunch someplace.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">W</span>e drove to a nice restaurant in a south Chicago suburb.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">C</span>onversation continued on many different topics. Part of it helped clear up, for me at least, what some of the miscellaneous meetings he often had with non-trucking related businesses were about. He explained that the parent holding company that had acquired our company was involved in a lot of different types of holdings, including other trucking companies. Part of his responsibility was to help in the acquisition of companies that were in financial difficulty.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">O</span>ur parent company had teams of lawyers and accountants who spent their time and energies identifying medium sized companies who were in trouble with various lenders. Once those companies were identified, they sent in people to talk to those businesses about helping them get out of the financial trouble in which they found themselves. </span><span style="font-size:130%;">My impression is that the tactics used were definitely strong-arm tactics.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>hat helped make sense of some of the experiences I had with him - like the guy who came out of his office screaming and cussing and calling me a 'goon'.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>hat was part of my VP's job - to convince these distressed business owners to sell now, while they still could. Of course the offers were for very low prices. He wasn't scoring too often lately and he needed to make some kind of headway soon.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span>n the short time with our company, he was learning a bit about our industry. He thought he noticed an area that was ripe for growing, and he thought I could help make it happen. The old adage, "You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours" came to mind. In his words, "You help me, I owe you - I help you, you owe me."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>here is a segment of the trucking business that is not controlled by the trucking companies. It is controlled by Independent Agents ... similar to the Independent Agents in the insurance business. An Independent Agent represents a number of different trucking companies. It is his job to find the best company with which to place the business for his customer, the shipper. Agents have access to additional trucks that are not in the employ of the one specific trucking company. They also have access to many shippers of freight that don't rely solely on specific trucking companies.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">O</span>ur Vice President of Sales for the Western Region wanted to explore the possibility of growing the segment of our business that is controlled by these agents. Like many trucking companies, we had a network of agents that carried us as one of the choices they had available to them. We needed to find a way to get them to tender more freight to us.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">H</span>ow were we going to do that?</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">=============</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">[to be continued as I make the time - stay tuned]</span></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-18810767578264027562009-07-04T21:03:00.012-04:002009-07-23T10:10:34.139-04:00Nefarious - Part 5<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >a bit part in a TV gangsta pilot</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >meet the family</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >-</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >I mean "THE" fami</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >ly</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" ><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">[continued from posts of May 3 & 26, and June 7 & 21, 2009]</span></span></span></span><br /><span class="variant"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - -</span></span></span><br /><span class="variant"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">NEFARIOUS</span></span><dl><dt class="pron">Pronunciation:</dt><dd class="pron"> <span mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref" class="pronchars"> \ni-<span class="unicode">ˈ</span>fer-ē-əs\ </span> </dd><dt class="func">Function:</dt><dd class="func"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">adjective</em> </dd><dt class="ety">Etymology:</dt><dd class="ety">Latin <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">nefarius,</em> from <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">nefas</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">crime</span>, from <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">ne-</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> + <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">fas</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">right</span></dd></dl><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>here were a lot of things that wer</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">e <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">not right</span> in the unfold</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ing of these vignettes. Like many things, though, you sometimes don't spot them except with hindsight. Then it is usually </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">too late to change things.<br /><br />- - - - - - - - - -<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >T</span>he next two weeks were spent living in our Detroit Headquarters. I was constantly on the phone trying to resurrect expired Governme</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">nt contracts. It was no easy matter. Most were either expired by a seeming 'lack of interest' on our part, or canceled 'for cause'. 'For Cause' meant</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> we screwed-up somehow. I was now trying to convince rigid government underlings that we would do a very good job the next time - if there was a next time. Part of my spiel was that we had new owners who were very interested in, and committed to, serving our government.<br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8YkcC94O0wD1o_MR0orDHwv1NUyrdAdZl2PS29SBB2CTaoqRhvx7qp7ls_ETVm3H3U0LaLfPSy63-ytIVAB9u3UQQhQpVIWw2DSRhRJeHXGZOm6aJ2uxs9jkWhkTnyAztMzbKS-lhqsB/s1600-h/US-GreatSeal-Obverse600px.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 144px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf8YkcC94O0wD1o_MR0orDHwv1NUyrdAdZl2PS29SBB2CTaoqRhvx7qp7ls_ETVm3H3U0LaLfPSy63-ytIVAB9u3UQQhQpVIWw2DSRhRJeHXGZOm6aJ2uxs9jkWhkTnyAztMzbKS-lhqsB/s320/US-GreatSeal-Obverse600px.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355059032167427026" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >M</span>y job also involved convincing our operations people that this was priority freight. If any of our branc</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">h locations was tendered freight by any government </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">entity, it m</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">ust be handled, and must be handled efficiently and expeditiously. They already had their hand</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">s full trying to </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">meet other expectations of various sales managers from around the company. All of them were under th</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">e gun from headquarters to generate more revenue by soliciting and moving more freight.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >E</span>veryone was getting a lot of pressure and 'intimidation' by the new guys. It was beginning to take its toll on a lot of people. Long hours, and long days on the road away from home were becoming the norm for most</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> of us.<br /></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >T</span>wo weeks after the meeting at which I was given the charge to reestablish the 'lost' government business of our company, we had another meeting. This one was attended by all the players from that previous gathering. We each had to report on our successes. The higher ups seemed to have little tolerance for non-success reports. Individuals presenting reports with little to show for the past tw</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">o weeks were summarily castigated in front of everyone present. The message spread quickly through-out the ranks: succeed, or lie real good.</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >F</span>or my part, while we were not actually handling any government freight, yet, I reported on the successful reestablishment of a number of government contracts. I also reported on my efforts with operations people in various of our branches. I reported how they were gearing-up to handle this renewed and soon to be tendered business.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >I</span> concluded, waiting for</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> the shoe to fall an</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">d the screaming to start - yes, I said screaming. Our CEO had developed a reputation for 'screaming fits'. Instead, I felt the grip of this strong hand on my left shoulder. I looked up and saw the face of the man fro</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">m the corner. He bent low and spoke in my ear. In those few seconds between feeling the grip of his hand on my left shoulder a</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">nd looking up and seeing his face, I swear I broke into a sweat. He said something like, "Nice report ... keep up the good work." He returned to his seat in the corner...and I filled my drawers. Well, not really, but I could have.<br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9cPXhy4qPp5hDHJ-6O4bkK9A877FgYwlmQDgdoqI6s8WWeze9oc6b55YQNa9DSWusnhO-57X98R3HXBv46TFVSr6T_1pJ1DL1amRQKRY8TzUxicOMpZGPdESOPUzkUWj4UOjRtq4saW5/s1600-h/Hotel+Room+Phone.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 155px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9cPXhy4qPp5hDHJ-6O4bkK9A877FgYwlmQDgdoqI6s8WWeze9oc6b55YQNa9DSWusnhO-57X98R3HXBv46TFVSr6T_1pJ1DL1amRQKRY8TzUxicOMpZGPdESOPUzkUWj4UOjRtq4saW5/s320/Hotel+Room+Phone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355059966419169810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >O</span>h, the screaming fits. The first one I experienced was during that time I w</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">as 'living' in our Detroit Headquarters. They had a group of us who were from out of town holed-up in a hotel nearby. One night, a little after 3am, my room phone rang. The voice on the other end was Mr. B. himself. The words he spoke were distinct and certain. "There will be a sales meeting in the Confere</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">nce Room in one hour - be there!"<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >A</span>s I struggled to make some sense of this nightmare I was sure I was having, I suddenly realized it</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> was the real thing. I brushed my teeth, combed my hair, put on my suit and tie and headed out to find someplace between the hotel and the office to grab a strong cup of coffee. As I came through the hotel lobby I met several compatriots. They were all comparing stories of similar nightmares.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >W</span>e all made it to the Headquarters Conference Room on time. We were all a little on edge as to what was about to happen. It didn't take long to find out.<br /><br /></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFFD7tgMzuAQIDyTrtW5xJaVFBMvzCLg7smccrcXUoAxBzNbIUjW9u5PbL9n57xrscbPtuziyvqHxVBFqzjP1twlJiq82ZgIiyOxCGzemMuxCoGE_KKSFhyphenhyphen7e99FjGXyR3ArCXLoJruFN/s1600-h/angry+business+man.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFFD7tgMzuAQIDyTrtW5xJaVFBMvzCLg7smccrcXUoAxBzNbIUjW9u5PbL9n57xrscbPtuziyvqHxVBFqzjP1twlJiq82ZgIiyOxCGzemMuxCoGE_KKSFhyphenhyphen7e99FjGXyR3ArCXLoJruFN/s200/angry+business+man.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355071462763246018" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >H</span>e entered the room, followed by the guy who always sat in the corner. He began a tirade about how slowly our company revenues were increasing. He was almost literally having a fit. H</span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">e appeared to be, quite honestly, 'stoned'. When he started throwing things across the room, the man in the corner rose, moved to him, took him by the arm and quickly escorted him from the room. The man in the room </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">who bore the title of President of Operations rose. He said he was 'sorry' for what had happened. He also suggested that what had happened here not be talked about ... among ourselves or with others.<br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >H</span>e said we were all to leave ... go home, or back to the hotel ... get some sleep. </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Then he said we needed to be back on our job, whatever capacity that was, by 11am. If we were people who normally had appointments with customers or vendors, we should be sure to keep any appointments we had already made for that day. Also, we were to take Mr. B.'s comments seriously. We needed to increase company revenues more quickly.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >T</span>he pressure continued. Some few weeks after the report meeting mentioned above - the one where Mr. Corner </span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Guy gave me a passing grade, we all received word about one of the local sales reps - Timmy O'Reilly. A real leprecaun of a guy. Well liked by everyone. Well known around the trucking business in southeastern Michigan.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">H</span></span>e apparently was taking a lot of 'heat' from the new cadre. On this particular morning he was getting ready to make scheduled sales calls across the river in Windsor, Ontario. He was at a gas station refueling his company owned car, when he had a heart attack, and died there on the ground next to his car. His wife and family all immediately began blaming the stress he had been experiencing at work...and so were a lot of other people in our company. The lines were beginning to form in opposition to the intimidation and pressure everyone was feeling. Some quit and went elsewhere. Some thought they could fight back some way. Some of us just kept doing our job as best we could in hopes that this nightmare would soon end.<br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >I</span>t had been long enough that some of us were starting to n</span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCJ8oi3lqiMr0NRF4CabnGsUzvbNsn4GYibZn1ydNQ3fxr67rax_1EBCL912NOtv8CgkxZvAI6nXzXlEWiaxvmQDySXI-sWxu07QIFuyF_vXNvej96MEj2PIQfjnpp-xbxbPAWtcQL4HD/s1600-h/53+ft+trailer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 152px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFCJ8oi3lqiMr0NRF4CabnGsUzvbNsn4GYibZn1ydNQ3fxr67rax_1EBCL912NOtv8CgkxZvAI6nXzXlEWiaxvmQDySXI-sWxu07QIFuyF_vXNvej96MEj2PIQfjnpp-xbxbPAWtcQL4HD/s320/53+ft+trailer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355061961781271378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">otice some irregularities in the way things were being done. Some people in our accounting department were whispering about new 53-foot semi trailers that had been ordered. They had seen the purchase orders. They had seen the checks go out to pay for this new equipment. No one could find where any new trailers were being delivered to any of our branches anywhere. We were becoming guarded in our conversations. We were becoming watchful in the goings on of the company.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">I</span></span>n the mean time, our Vice President of Sales for the Western Region called me and said he had an idea. He asked me to meet him tomorrow at our terminal in northwest INdiana. Dutifully, I left home early [home was a place where I did actually get to go occasionally], and appeared at our northwest INdiana terminal at 9am, as requested.<br /></span></span></span><br />=============<br />[to be continued as I make the time - stay tuned]<br /></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-87573612606419873632009-06-21T12:51:00.006-04:002009-06-22T12:35:35.530-04:00Nefarious - Part 4<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >a bit part in a TV gangsta pilot</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >meet the family</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >-</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >I mean "THE" fami</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >ly</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" ><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">[continued from posts of May 3 & 26, and June 7, 2009]</span></span></span><br /><span class="variant"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - -<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">NEFARIOUS</span></span><dl><dt class="pron">Pronunciation:</dt><dd class="pron"> <span mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref" class="pronchars"> \ni-<span class="unicode">ˈ</span>fer-ē-əs\ </span> </dd><dt class="func">Function:</dt><dd class="func"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">adjective</em> </dd><dt class="ety">Etymology:</dt><dd class="ety">Latin <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">nefarius,</em> from <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">nefas</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">crime</span>, from <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">ne-</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> + <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">fas</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">right</span></dd></dl><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>here were a lot of things that were <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">not right</span> in the unfold</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ing of these vignettes. Like many things, though, you sometimes don't spot them except with hindsight. Then it is usually too late to change things.</span></span></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">- - - - - - - - - -<br /><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;">T</span>ime to back-up a little.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span> had taken on my new side-kick at about the 2 month mark of the new regime's ownership of the company. During that time, they had been very actively meeting with all the constituents of the business: customers, unions, drivers, operations and sales people, office personnel, equipment suppliers, government agencies, freight brokerage agents, et al. The message was pretty much the same. </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">"We're putting millions of dollars into this company to bring it back to life and grow it. We need your help." For many of us, we had no clue it was in deep financial distress.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">F</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">e</span></span>edback scuttle-but from the drivers was that the company was asking for deep cuts and concessions from the Teamsters Union, which represented them. Translated, it probably meant they would be coming to the rest of us shortly. The difference being that they would have to negotiate with the union. With us, they would just tell us how it was going to be.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">A</span>t about month 3, they backed-up our current pay date by one week. In the past, we were paid one week behind - the work week ended on Friday, and we were paid the following Friday. Now it was going to be 2 Fridays after the end of a work week. Multiply that by 400 employees, and that was a chunk of money not being paid out. They said it would be used to purchase some badly needed new 53' semi-trailers. Seemed reasonable to me. We were all going to have to sacrifice to make the company grow.</span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsI6M160xekgSecKbn__IhpB26H-c15W4XdUVzOPyICvY4WBK1vf5Bf0OXurV7awQbEBo9u-8zs8ypFk_b1vGY6s3411NGG0sXeAl57zHkogrVWPvb0USbWJDfZgrTAIud4d5UCOvy8roY/s1600-h/bd+rooom+mtg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 464px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsI6M160xekgSecKbn__IhpB26H-c15W4XdUVzOPyICvY4WBK1vf5Bf0OXurV7awQbEBo9u-8zs8ypFk_b1vGY6s3411NGG0sXeAl57zHkogrVWPvb0USbWJDfZgrTAIud4d5UCOvy8roY/s400/bd+rooom+mtg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5349847548506102514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span>n the same general time period, I was a</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> participant in a sales meeting in our Corporate Headquarters Conference Room. </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Other Sale Reps and Regional Managers were also present. One of the ideas that was seized upon by the new regime was that we needed to recapture some portion of Government Business which, for various reasons, we had lost in the past year.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">W</span>ho here should be assigned that task? Government Agencies have all kinds of </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">special requirements to meet re bidding and pricing and various other red-tape issues. Somehow, because of my very diverse experience in various aspects of our company, my name got offered for the sacrifice. Once others got someone other than themselves in the spot-light they were, symbolically at least, off the hook - for now.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span> forgot to mention one special person who was also in the room. He was present in most of our meetings. He always sat back in a corner and observed. He never said anything. He always accompanied the CEO. He was younger ... had a muscular build ... his last name ended in a vowel ... and he had a noticeable bulge under the left arm-pit area his suit coat.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">A</span>fter I had been duly acknowledged for taking on this new task, I felt this very strong hand grasping me by the left shoulder from behind. I looked up and over my left shoulder. It was the mysterious and somewhat frightening stranger from the corner of the room. He bent over and whispered in my ear, "We're sure you'll do a good job ... won't you?" And he returned to his corner.</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />============<br />[to be continued as time is available]<br /></span></span>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-10589309923284592672009-06-07T17:14:00.014-04:002009-06-09T07:21:29.943-04:00Nefarious - Part 3<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >a bit part in a TV gangsta pilot</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >meet the family</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >-</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >I mean "THE" fami</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >ly</span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" ><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">[continued from posts of May 3 & 26, 2009]</span></span></span><br /><span class="variant"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - -<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">NEFARIOUS</span></span><dl><dt class="pron">Pronunciation:</dt><dd class="pron"> <span mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref" class="pronchars"> \ni-<span class="unicode">ˈ</span>fer-ē-əs\ </span> </dd><dt class="func">Function:</dt><dd class="func"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">adjective</em> </dd><dt class="ety">Etymology:</dt><dd class="ety">Latin <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">nefarius,</em> from <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">nefas</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">crime</span>, from <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">ne-</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> + <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">fas</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">right</span></dd></dl><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>here were a lot of things that were <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">not right</span> in the unfold</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ing of these vignettes. Like many things, though, you sometimes don't spot them except with hindsight. Then it is usually too late to change things.</span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><br />- - - - - - - - - -<br /></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">M</span>y new friend, side-kick, and boss [the new Vice President of Sales for the Western Region] was gone about 20 minutes. I waited and had another drink. I didn't know, or suspect, that th</span><span style="font-size:130%;">is would be only the first of many similar meal interruptions. I had the opportunity to eat at many fine establishments over the course of the next 6 months.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">"<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">J</span>ust had a little business to tend to." That was </span><span style="font-size:130%;">pretty much the normal reply when he returned to the table. I use the term "reply" although that suggests there was a question; I never asked any questions. I suspected his "reply" was all I needed to know.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAml8AgynOfinqwtq581yg22PLwEyF1ju7qlzx2_kjsquHE4p1gp_mHehytw7RtPpcwSH6gFhkJKc9epAWsrIACY7QlEb0kZ_oCf8DBYCqsoHYzjDHfXxeiVL-mj7Ly9yaJnVga8YRduao/s1600-h/nice+cocktail+lounge.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAml8AgynOfinqwtq581yg22PLwEyF1ju7qlzx2_kjsquHE4p1gp_mHehytw7RtPpcwSH6gFhkJKc9epAWsrIACY7QlEb0kZ_oCf8DBYCqsoHYzjDHfXxeiVL-mj7Ly9yaJnVga8YRduao/s400/nice+cocktail+lounge.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344725083944534770" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">N</span>ot all</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> these places had curtains to pass through. Sometimes it was just a table or booth back in a corner someplace out of sight and hearing. Although, I do admit there were a few occasions when loud, agitated voices could be heard ... and while the conversation itself was not understo</span><span style="font-size:130%;">od, the heat of the discussions could be sensed.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>here were some occasional meetings where he had "</span><span style="font-size:130%;">...a little b</span><span style="font-size:130%;">usiness to tend to"</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> at someplace other than a nice restaurant or bar. Those gave me the opportunity to set and wait in the reception area of several businesses in the Chicago area. I would wait while he met with someone in an office elsewhere on the premise.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">O</span>n one such occasion, the office in which he was meeting was very nearby the reception area. The loud voices could be heard by everyone. Suddenly the door to the office in which he was meeting flew open. He was exiting, with an older, very irate man close behin</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEhB5VFrkq8p8RHzVXVGlgrtuyv9br-bkFH0Gz0NfUy7WP5pzA1q4FFLRw9QP5ktqGzeWZcuOWvcf9M2Dy0OzJlB44eJK7tkWcq3_yKvTjfE3lXOGhuhS9OZ_eosITUbEzi36N61ogn_l/s1600-h/screaming+man.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 144px; height: 107px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitEhB5VFrkq8p8RHzVXVGlgrtuyv9br-bkFH0Gz0NfUy7WP5pzA1q4FFLRw9QP5ktqGzeWZcuOWvcf9M2Dy0OzJlB44eJK7tkWcq3_yKvTjfE3lXOGhuhS9OZ_eosITUbEzi36N61ogn_l/s400/screaming+man.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344727070774803410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;">d him shouting obscenities and calling him names. As he passed me, on his way out, he motioned for me to follow. The older guy continued his tirade, adding, </span><span style="font-size:130%;">"</span><span style="font-size:130%;">Don't </span><span style="font-size:130%;">you</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">your goon</span> ever step foot in <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">MY</span> business again."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">F</span>irst time I'd ever been called a 'goon'.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>hen there was another time I remember with almost a sense of awe. It was middle afternoon - between the regular lunch hour and dinner-service time. We went to a very modest, but nice, restaurant. It was bright and cheery and well lit - many places we went were dimly lit. I always found those places to be a little difficult to see people clearly, unless you were relatively close to them. I now suspect that was more by design - for reasons that were for other than ambiance only.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">H</span>e said he had someone to meet and had me set at a table fairly near the entrance. He then went to another vacant table across the room. Apparently his 'client' had not yet arrived. I ordered a drink, and told the waitress I needed to get something from my car, but I'd be right back. I figured that if I was going to be waiting a while, I may as well go through some paper-work in my briefcase.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span> left the establishment and headed down a sloped sidewalk to the parking area. Coming from the other direction I encountered a very attractive woman</span><span style="font-size:130%;">. She was a little taller than average; slender; li</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ght-brown hair; lightly tanned; red lipstick which complemented her bright red form fitting knee-length dress; medium height high-heeled shoes; shapely - by almost anyone's standards: very attractive.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwOCMjzj6BV9zYziHRcH3KVFZxfF_eNVx-GJ6jYDawR8sI4Hkg8D8DTj_irFDuvQznNn3YxZbE1ozujEB5nNs0ZfOsCjTGSPQgaKGRxbKZpusdBIZEwTX3xOoI2uJSuiyBemY7JWO4Bng/s1600-h/moll.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 244px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDwOCMjzj6BV9zYziHRcH3KVFZxfF_eNVx-GJ6jYDawR8sI4Hkg8D8DTj_irFDuvQznNn3YxZbE1ozujEB5nNs0ZfOsCjTGSPQgaKGRxbKZpusdBIZEwTX3xOoI2uJSuiyBemY7JWO4Bng/s400/moll.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344723051843223026" border="0" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">W</span>e nodded a quaint 'hello' to each other as we </span><span style="font-size:130%;">passed.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I </span>retrieved a couple of folders from my briefcase and returned to my table in the restaurant. I looked over at my friend's table to see if his 'client' had yet arrived.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>here she was - the lady of my sidewalk encounter - at his table. I almost choked in disbelief.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>his gal had people turning heads, and she was seated with my boss, the Vice President of Sales for the Western Region of the company.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I </span>ordered another drink.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:100%;" >I </span><span style="font-size:100%;">never knew how long these meetings of his were going to last - 20 minutes, an hour? This one was not too long - less than half an hour. I noticed him stand and she rose right after he. They started coming across the room. I was near the entrance, and they'd have to come past me on the way out. I was riding with him, so I was fairly confident that he wasn't leaving without me - at least not for any length of time.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:100%;" >T</span><span style="font-size:100%;">hey were along side my table very quickly. They stopped. I stood. He spoke.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:100%;" >"J</span><span style="font-size:100%;">immy, I'd like you to meet my wife."<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:100%;" >Y</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ou just had to be there to appreciate this moment - I was in a state of shock and awe. I have no recollection of what I might have said - although I probably slobbered as I spoke. He said he'd walk her to her car and then be back in.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:100%;" >I</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> look back at that event and the word that comes to mind is something like:<br /></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">moll</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />n.</span> <i>Slang.</i><ol><li> A woman companion of a gunman or gangster [usually very attractive].</li></ol><br />=============<br />[to be continued as I make the time - stay tuned]<br /></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-35934291384532916122009-05-26T05:00:00.012-04:002009-07-23T10:04:39.236-04:00Nefarious - Part 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YnepsQimvrjpnzoGAwyxsYNkuJxaZ4QYINoGIK0XLHaiT51iNAzxU4ETV6bCEaY0q7YfVG-6TmWwC6mS6UqCzcpX1iZPUIh1HLlS1bIz7Lkr5iSUV3SxB8LaxfstdzCKU4_WtXV40XYj/s1600-h/italian+rest+int.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 1px; height: 1px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3YnepsQimvrjpnzoGAwyxsYNkuJxaZ4QYINoGIK0XLHaiT51iNAzxU4ETV6bCEaY0q7YfVG-6TmWwC6mS6UqCzcpX1iZPUIh1HLlS1bIz7Lkr5iSUV3SxB8LaxfstdzCKU4_WtXV40XYj/s400/italian+rest+int.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340213461885292722" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >a bit part in a TV gangsta pilot</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >meet the family</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:180%;" >-</span><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >I mean "THE" fami</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >ly<br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-style: italic;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">[continued from post of Sunday May 3, 2009]</span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><span class="variant"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - -<br /></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">NEFARIOUS</span></span><dl><dt class="pron">Pronunciation:</dt><dd class="pron"> <span mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref" class="pronchars"> \ni-<span class="unicode">ˈ</span>fer-ē-əs\ </span> </dd><dt class="func">Function:</dt><dd class="func"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">adjective</em> </dd><dt class="ety">Etymology:</dt><dd class="ety">Latin <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">nefarius,</em> from <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">nefas</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">crime</span>, from <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">ne-</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> + <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">fas</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">right</span></dd></dl><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >T</span><span style="font-size:130%;">here were a lot of things that were </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">not right</span> in th</span><span style="font-size:130%;">e unfolding of these vignettes. Like many things, though, you sometimes don't spot them except with hindsight. Then it is usu</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ally too late to change things.</span></span><dl><dt><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">- - - - - - - - - -</span></span><br /></dt></dl><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">C</span>ancelling my lunch appointment with my new business prospect was not diff</span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">icult. He almost seemed glad to hear from me. It probably saved him the task of cal</span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">ling me at the last minute and canceling for some obscure reason of his own - that would not have been uncommon for a first meeting. Statistics indicate that it takes 7 contacts with a new prospect before your trucking company starts handling any of their freight. After-all, they already have their freight being handled by somebody and, barring some major failure, they don't really relish changing things.</span></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8P_fw3hJX9xY9gsFIjErxoaM7w4TWX1DgUmVZcPKi8O3rjqMfLf0c3F-dxxoce6OH-Al5uW5oeEGL_a8wzYyTf8FvtVlr4Sm86vH9Zl-rwn6jXd_yG_1lMEta9VShl31v_Z6Bp06PZQnJ/s1600-h/chicago-skyline.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8P_fw3hJX9xY9gsFIjErxoaM7w4TWX1DgUmVZcPKi8O3rjqMfLf0c3F-dxxoce6OH-Al5uW5oeEGL_a8wzYyTf8FvtVlr4Sm86vH9Zl-rwn6jXd_yG_1lMEta9VShl31v_Z6Bp06PZQnJ/s400/chicago-skyline.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340462653681769346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">T</span>he trip from Milwaukee took me a little over 3 hours. Traffic through Chicago was especially bottle-necked in several places.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> When I arrived at the company's terminal office in northwest IN I found everyone hard at work - or trying to get their work done. There was a 'stranger' in their midst asking questions and watching everything they were doing - our new Vice President of Sales for the Western Region.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">H</span>e immediately noticed me when I came in the door to the dispatch office. He seemed relieved a</span><span style="font-size:130%;">nd happy to see me - almost genuinely so. He had been hanging around almost four hours [I did learn he went out for lunch for almost two of those hours]. We introduced ourselves, exchanged a few pleasantries, and went into an office adjacent to the dispatch room. This was the 'Sales' office for this terminal.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYzL9HQBbpSyYr4OdjizBW7o3Q78BDVNtNdEpOSYIWjRaY5FXXyel7BGIWGV4sOhhj7MgqzH5v7WfY6T23_HacikCTSibgXz2QEf52x0ruBPyY7DKwX_b3ELNuyzRKBsd_mBS9ECDUp3M/s1600-h/dispatcher.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 182px; height: 182px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMYzL9HQBbpSyYr4OdjizBW7o3Q78BDVNtNdEpOSYIWjRaY5FXXyel7BGIWGV4sOhhj7MgqzH5v7WfY6T23_HacikCTSibgXz2QEf52x0ruBPyY7DKwX_b3ELNuyzRKBsd_mBS9ECDUp3M/s320/dispatcher.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340464691106641938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">B</span>ecause I was the company's Regional Manager for this area, I was also the current Sales Rep - the previous occupa</span><span style="font-size:130%;">nt of that position had recently moved on to a competitor. It appeared the newly appointed Vice President of Sales for the Western Region had already made himself at home. Sales Reports and other materials w</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ere scattered about the desk; the local terminal manager, who had also just met our newly appointed Vice President earlier in the day, had been providing him with records as requested.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">F</span>rom appearances, I guessed we were about the same age. It also seemed to me that he liked to eat more than adequately - his girth was substantial. I was not in especially great physical shape myself, but I was in an acceptable weight range for height and age. I did also note that although he lived in the Chicago area instead of NJ, his last name also ended in a vowel ... like those new guys in our headquarters in Detroit. I wondered if they were all related somehow.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span>t was now approaching mid-afternoon. He explained that he had been hired by the new owners to help us increase our sales revenues in the 'Western Region'. He asked a lot of questions about my background and experiences with the company. What positions had I held, and where had I worked, and how long I had been with the company, etc., etc.? It seemed to me that he would have already known most of this information. It seemed reasonable to me that he should have been adequat</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ely prepped before our meeting.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">H</span>e also told me that the company wanted to expand into some different types of businesses. He felt his strengths were with the 'connections' he had all around the Chicago area. He stated he believed we would work well together, as I had been highly commended by our new owners in Detroit - pure schmooze.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">S</span>mall talk only goes so far. There were more significant matters to start discussing. He suggested that, if I was available, we should continue our discussions over a</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> nice dinner somewhere. I soon learned that was his M.O. [modus operandi]: let's talk about it over food [and drink]. His preference that day was in a south-side of Chicago suburb. We ended up at a very nice, but noticeably plain-looking [on the</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> outside] restaurant in Cicero. This was closer to the southwestern suburb in which he lived - I was the one who would have to travel back to where I was staying in Merrillville IN.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>his is where it started getting to be a little bit like being in 'a bit part in a TV </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeIGYuXVuvbcbxDqbAD1VhYHlYzMHOaht6jBnQkKOOFijiFnUMo4wX05wnt7Dz8DH9_WPKEB9NHHaFopMD8UFYOA-kUfgpPWdk3qAHzrdN6IYXzirKWwB3lYrCJ5I8eS5F_qFGwANfUCM/s1600-h/italian+rest.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 245px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNeIGYuXVuvbcbxDqbAD1VhYHlYzMHOaht6jBnQkKOOFijiFnUMo4wX05wnt7Dz8DH9_WPKEB9NHHaFopMD8UFYOA-kUfgpPWdk3qAHzrdN6IYXzirKWwB3lYrCJ5I8eS5F_qFGwANfUCM/s320/italian+rest.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340463279911502434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;">gangsta pilot'. The decor was classical Mediterranean</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> - pillars and vineyard </span><span style="font-size:130%;">type decorations. We were seated in the main dining area.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> There was also a very nice bar off to one side, separated from the dining room by a half-wall partition. At the far end was an arched doorway going into another area. The</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> archway was adorned with a curtain hanging from it. On both sides of the archway were dining booths - both were occupied.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">W</span>e both ordered a drink and studied the menu. He stated, very matter-of-factly, that in many of the circles in which he had contacts, things were done or accomplished as favors or as repayment of favors. He helps me - I owe him. I help him - he owes me. We both know people we've helped and now they owe us. We remind them that they owe us, and together we get our goals met and the company gets the increase in sales revenues for which it is looking.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span> think I was starting to understand his take on this ... and merely accepted it as a view of a way in which business can be conducted. He was my new 'boss' and I really did want to accomplish 'growing' the company - our new mantra.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span>t was during this part of our conversation that he revealed he had never worked in the trucking industry before, and knew very little about it. I was to be his connection - his 'joined-at-the-hip' companion - his right-hand-man. I would help him, and he would help me. Such an offer.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I </span>started having flash-backs to another person I knew. He operated a vending machine business - his name was Tony.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">A</span>fter a couple of drinks and between the main course and desert, </span><span style="font-size:130%;">he excused himself. He walked towards the archway at the far end of the room - </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWgHGuRaBlMslmtQ12W8Jx0rZ3GTuS9WFv1jrmoEcuQZlRNjkqk7t2WrdAwPwAcNK1M0t26NOVzhSHQiin9-uVKxdExIOkF0Z0OFmYyNImsBvc-Q99OuFeq7zchFiDhouuTmy__Jtp6wou/s1600-h/bouncers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 189px; height: 139px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWgHGuRaBlMslmtQ12W8Jx0rZ3GTuS9WFv1jrmoEcuQZlRNjkqk7t2WrdAwPwAcNK1M0t26NOVzhSHQiin9-uVKxdExIOkF0Z0OFmYyNImsBvc-Q99OuFeq7zchFiDhouuTmy__Jtp6wou/s320/bouncers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340927643270198946" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;">the </span><span style="font-size:130%;">one with t</span><span style="font-size:130%;">he </span><span style="font-size:130%;">curtain hanging from it. As he neared the</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> archway, an occupant from each of the booths on either side stood and 'challenged' his approach. There were some quiet words exchanged. One of the 'gatekeepers' disappeared behind the curtain. In a brief moment he returned. The 'gatekeepers' sat down. My new friend passed through the curtain.<br /><br /></span>- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -<br />[to be continued as I make the time - stay tuned]<br /></div></div></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-73347086710638389192009-05-25T08:42:00.000-04:002011-04-25T16:27:50.307-04:00Nefarious - Part 1<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;">a bit part in a TV gangsta pilot</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;">meet the family</span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"> </span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:180%;">-</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;">I mean "THE" fami</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;">ly</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span>t played like a poorly written script</span> for the Pilot of a TV </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Vgfi9ZEFWXGskalQ181ncA9pV5XFLEEqZzqb0yXUNZfgNJayT5_nFM8af7bVryTF3df9Ja1bNo49A0JXy1gXlZL4AACo4sh0T7-UC1GOQOjMWVIbOgc9astqIFD5sVOj0qxOMsoscVFm/s1600-h/untouchables-the-photo-xxl-the-untouchables-6216556.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 163px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Vgfi9ZEFWXGskalQ181ncA9pV5XFLEEqZzqb0yXUNZfgNJayT5_nFM8af7bVryTF3df9Ja1bNo49A0JXy1gXlZL4AACo4sh0T7-UC1GOQOjMWVIbOgc9astqIFD5sVOj0qxOMsoscVFm/s200/untouchables-the-photo-xxl-the-untouchables-6216556.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332753473888162114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;">series. If</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> it had been </span><span style="font-size:130%;">promoted as "based on real events", I doubt anyone would have b</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ought it. Although, I've learned </span><span style="font-size:130%;">that reality sometimes</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> resembles and often times out-surprises fiction.</span><br /></div><dl><dt style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;" class="hwrd"><span class="variant">NEFARIOUS</span></dt><dt class="pron">Pronunciation:</dt><dd class="pron"> <span mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref" class="pronchars"> \ni-<span class="unicode">ˈ</span>fer-ē-əs\ </span> </dd><dt class="func">Function:</dt><dd class="func"><em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">adjective</em> </dd><dt class="ety">Etymology:</dt><dd class="ety">Latin <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">nefarius,</em> from <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">nefas</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">crime</span>, from <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">ne-</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">not</span> + <em mwref="http://www.m-w.com/mwref">fas</em> <span style="font-weight: bold;">right</span></dd><dt><br /></dt></dl><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;">T</span><span style="font-size:130%;">here were a lot of things that were </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">not right</span> in th</span><span style="font-size:130%;">e unfolding of these vignettes. Like many things, though, you sometimes don't spot them except with hindsight. Then it is usu</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ally too late to change things.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">= = = = = = = = = = = = = = =</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">I</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;">n January</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> of that year I had passed my 19th year of service with the company</span><span style="font-size:130%;">, a mid-sized interstate trucking company headquartered in D</span><span style="font-size:130%;">etroit.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9FXm-bxN5vPePbjG02X48mDtPOUHDKwUDI3g1YeXDLt5RXwogcs0nBinxtJBGtJpMV6V7lIwgLdl6rMzxEMAuFDYC9VryYfP2Cnjaxh2CKezNrRKWRJB2kotsBc9uyFFz24cje-mx4po/s1600-h/Detroit-Michigan.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 106px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-9FXm-bxN5vPePbjG02X48mDtPOUHDKwUDI3g1YeXDLt5RXwogcs0nBinxtJBGtJpMV6V7lIwgLdl6rMzxEMAuFDYC9VryYfP2Cnjaxh2CKezNrRKWRJB2kotsBc9uyFFz24cje-mx4po/s320/Detroit-Michigan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332506696930486914" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> It was now June, and I was facing yet another Company announcement - <span style="font-weight: bold;">THE COMPANY HAD BEEN SOLD</span>...again.</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>he sale of trucking companies is fairly common. Many are privately held businesses </span><span style="font-size:130%;">with aging owners who are ready to sell them and 'go fishing'. </span><span style="font-size:130%;">Another reason to buy a trucking company is to get access to the customer base and grow your existing enterprise. </span><span style="font-size:130%;">These are common and legitimate reasons. The company I worked for was bought and sold seven times wh</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ile I worked for them. Cou</span><span style="font-size:130%;">nting the original owner and founder, I worked un</span><span style="font-size:130%;">der a total of eight owners. </span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><br />A</span>s with most acquisitions, the new owners come in with their own agenda and their own way of doing things. Change is inevitable. Much of that change is in terms of which of the acquired employees will be kept. Through all of those changes in ownership, I survived. I don't know if it was because I was very good a</span><span style="font-size:130%;">t what I did, or because I was grossly underpaid.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">N</span>one-the-less, through all those gyrations of change, I never got used to it. The first couple of months seemed to be direction</span><span style="font-size:130%;">less. Keep doing what you're doing, just do more of it. </span><span style="font-size:130%;">The new owners and their crew seemed to be throwing around a lot of money - big dinners with major customers</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8Vm960uzeT7Bds0-M-zD8IeRgjvriAdjYnYJjq3-WKY28X8ljju3-_XOU0HuylBUnHIKMVF3UZAxrTQLoXon1jvXHa2pD_9UsYVmo3TH2NizlljaVKEtay8hVi0OMbWMU5hq7nwVRC5r/s1600-h/Trader+Vics+Cabin+%26+Deck+Web.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT8Vm960uzeT7Bds0-M-zD8IeRgjvriAdjYnYJjq3-WKY28X8ljju3-_XOU0HuylBUnHIKMVF3UZAxrTQLoXon1jvXHa2pD_9UsYVmo3TH2NizlljaVKEtay8hVi0OMbWMU5hq7nwVRC5r/s320/Trader+Vics+Cabin+%26+Deck+Web.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332509212904144850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> - luncheons and confere</span><span style="font-size:130%;">nces with union leaders - they even had food delivered to the driv</span><span style="font-size:130%;">ers' break room regularly. They were trying to win everyone over with a message of, "growth is good for all of us, and we're going to grow."</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">S</span>ome items </span><span style="font-size:130%;">of note: the holding company which the new owners operated was based in NJ. The new leased company cars we were assigned were from a leasing company in NJ. The last names of these new people that came in to run 'our' company <span style="font-style: italic;">all</span> ended in vowels. Some of the people that were now walking the hallways of our Corporate Headquarters had an noticeable 'bulge' under the left arm-pit of their suit coat. Some of th</span><span style="font-size:130%;">em </span><span style="font-size:130%;">had a very distinctive and blended NJ / Italian accent.</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">B</span>ut, hey! I'm not prejudiced or nuttin - my wife's mother was first-generation Sicilian; my wife's maternal grand parents were from Palermo, Sicily; my mother-in-law's brothers and my wife's cousins looked like and sounded like these </span><span style="font-size:130%;">guys. It was like meetin' wit more of '<span style="font-style: italic;">THE</span>' Family ... only my wife's relatives were all from Chicago, no</span><span style="font-size:130%;">t NJ.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"> </span>digressed. Sorry.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">A</span>t about the two month anniversary of the 'take-over', things started jumpin'. I was in Milwaukee, WI. I had several appointments scheduled that day. Two were with existing customers, and one was with a potential new customer. I met with the first mid-morning, a brewery of some size and reputation. It was a routine generic 'keep in touch' kind of meeting.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglVqcKKFch2sRttHk4NbAe6jlyuMmwXD2hjHzqAn2GqXY0mw0KFNJimK4cIX1dqLVzas-uwvWWypE2qXmmmMGM-zqMwL11qa2s59ATN0pC4K0mk_HP9bDKfr8cn_Wvqs0kfPUoacF098fO/s1600-h/Miller_Brewery.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglVqcKKFch2sRttHk4NbAe6jlyuMmwXD2hjHzqAn2GqXY0mw0KFNJimK4cIX1dqLVzas-uwvWWypE2qXmmmMGM-zqMwL11qa2s59ATN0pC4K0mk_HP9bDKfr8cn_Wvqs0kfPUoacF098fO/s320/Miller_Brewery.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332505477499329618" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I </span>had an hour to kill before my next appointment. This was in the days before we all carried pagers or cell-phones. The routine was that you called your office 3 or 4 times a day to get messages and field questions from whomever. That meant finding a pay-phone somewhere and making the call. I found a phone and made my call.</span><br /></div><br />- - - - - - - - - -<br />Her: "Where are you?"<br /><br />Me: "Milwaukee."<br /><br />Her: "Call Detroit headquarters and talk to Mr. Bxxxxxxxx."<br /><br />Me: "Mr. Bxxxxxxxx?!?!"<br /><br />Her: "Yes, Mr. Bxxxxxxxxxx!"<br /><br />Me: "What's up?"<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">Her: "I don't know. They just want you to call him right away. They're waiting for your call. In fact, I'm supposed to call them and let them know that I've heard from you...so don't blow it off. OK?"<br /></div><br />Me: "Okay!"<br />- - - - - - - - - -<br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">M</span>r. Bxxxxxxxxxx was the new CEO - the big cheese - the big kahuna - the top dog. In two months time he had proven that he had a silvery tongue ... he could talk almost anyone into or out of almost anything [including Teamster U</span><span style="font-size:130%;">nion Officials - but, I'll save that for later]. Then he </span><span style="font-size:130%;">could turn around and cuss you and demean you and question your manhood and make you feel like a worthless piece of xxxx - without ever taking a breath or blinking an eye. A real expert in</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> the use of words. That day he was fairly calm ... but emphatic.</span><br />- - - - - - - - - -<br /></div><br />He: "Where are you?"<br /><br />Me: "Milwaukee."<br /><br />He: "How far are you from our terminal in northwest IN?"<br /><br />Me: "In driving time, probably about 3 hours...gotta go right through the heart of Chicago."<br /><br />He: "You need to get down there right away. Your new boss is there waiting for you."<br /><br />Me: "My new boss?"<br /><br />He: "Our new Vice President of Sales for the Western Region."<br /><br />Me: "I've got a lunch appointment scheduled with a potential new customer."<br /><br />He: "Cancel it!"<br /><br />- - - - - - - - - -<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I </span>didn't even know we had a Western Region ... but hey, it's their company.</span><br /><br />- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -<br />[to be continued as I make the time - stay tuned]<br /><br /></div></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-64432673326890208402009-05-25T08:00:00.002-04:002009-05-25T18:20:54.939-04:00Memorial Day 2009<span style="font-weight: bold;">another day, another hero</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >...in the valley of the<br />shadow of death...</span><br /></div><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gpLdrvPHYVg&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gpLdrvPHYVg&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - -</span>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-30649764552477543432009-05-24T05:00:00.001-04:002009-05-24T12:42:10.709-04:00Government cover-up<span style="font-weight: bold;">first Georgetown - then:</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">TOUCHDOWN !</span></span></span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - -<br /><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRysB_keyGT3-V0SGyGpIdQaEVqhOFxA6acbF8xVRN58sZQ6DSvFo0TOt0MeVhPffAGXc-8w1nsiJ-QYzhzfReJ7gluM_bhfrvj3YCzn5-9eoRYQ0LY5UWyYvafpHW4BGfdCn2g4UDiE76/s1600-h/ND+Touchdown+Jesus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRysB_keyGT3-V0SGyGpIdQaEVqhOFxA6acbF8xVRN58sZQ6DSvFo0TOt0MeVhPffAGXc-8w1nsiJ-QYzhzfReJ7gluM_bhfrvj3YCzn5-9eoRYQ0LY5UWyYvafpHW4BGfdCn2g4UDiE76/s400/ND+Touchdown+Jesus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339208414003937250" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - - </span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span></div></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-21171192627354280092009-05-23T20:40:00.008-04:002009-05-23T22:19:09.350-04:00How to negotiate with God<span style="font-weight: bold;">inch by inch by inch</span><br /><br /><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" > </span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >and then God said...</span><br /></div><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - -<br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">A man walking along a California beach was deep in prayer.</span> </span></span><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">All of a su</span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAUylMSTrdVKLDVmFv32HyyDSmTUpat_0FJLzDX2y0nsssi0yF0wSHYRYxAK5VzZQQN4wLr-zz146J76HJWDLLXPjg1nnEfrZOJxfXeTgZnEOQQMHRzSUSnxD-sudCKJOC8pfeMQ3rzMR/s1600-h/bridge+to+hawaii.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 112px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIAUylMSTrdVKLDVmFv32HyyDSmTUpat_0FJLzDX2y0nsssi0yF0wSHYRYxAK5VzZQQN4wLr-zz146J76HJWDLLXPjg1nnEfrZOJxfXeTgZnEOQQMHRzSUSnxD-sudCKJOC8pfeMQ3rzMR/s200/bridge+to+hawaii.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339188540164192386" border="0" /></a><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">dden he said aloud, "Lord grant me one wish".</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">The sky clouded and </span></span></span><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">a boomi</span></span></span><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">ng voice</span></span></span><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> said, "Because you have </span></span></span><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">tried to be faithful I will grant you </span></span></span><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">one wish."</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">The man said, "Build a bridge to Hawaii so</span></span></span><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> I can drive over anytime I want to." </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Lord answered, "Your request is very materialistic.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Think of the logistics of that kind of undertaking: the supports required to reach the bottom of the Pacific; the concrete and steel it would take.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">I can do it, but it is hard for me to justify your desire for worldly things.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Take a little more time to think of another wish.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Think of a wish that would honor and glorify me". </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span> </span></span><br /><br /><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The man t</span></span></span><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">hought for a long time.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Finally he said,</span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqysLc_Pa4x9mKR9Cvg-msLMma_DpUpJw6mOmKOwoRXpxGDXI5knAi-PNqiMLb5-WQUDp7oKQ9TKa0TVBKwnghcVu_OGgd5ySZnktuFwtOLXF77HYMpZAoTnrAvqg3_gKrdEj3gk1ozUpB/s1600-h/a+woman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 152px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqysLc_Pa4x9mKR9Cvg-msLMma_DpUpJw6mOmKOwoRXpxGDXI5knAi-PNqiMLb5-WQUDp7oKQ9TKa0TVBKwnghcVu_OGgd5ySZnktuFwtOLXF77HYMpZAoTnrAvqg3_gKrdEj3gk1ozUpB/s200/a+woman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339195229368931858" border="0" /></a><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> "Lord, I </span></span></span><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">wish that I could understand women.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">I want to know what they feel inside.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">I want to know what they are thinking when they give me the silent treatment.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">I want to know why they cry.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">I want to know what they mean when they say 'nothing'.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">I want to know how I can make a woman truly happy?"</span></span></span><br /><br /><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">After a few minutes God said, "How many lanes do you want on that bridge?"</span></span></span><br /></div><span class="arial14" style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">- - - - - - - - - -<br /></span></span></span>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-26129082679983416662009-05-22T17:22:00.008-04:002009-05-24T12:46:32.738-04:00the e-mail is in the mail<div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >latest poll numbers show...</span><br /></div><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br />how bad is it?</span></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCJF4sIVTyTDJyRRJbKkSo4K8jAEVTH5CYEbmD0xHoQ9kHrUAvi59lzcUAS2ZpriDSVsJ-eSMe0FISuALhdJO_2p0oswD2BHbYHUHkuP44VyV_2osSONtYS5kxgnrgDzSsW9yIgbJ4mTL/s1600-h/10+commandments.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 155px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHCJF4sIVTyTDJyRRJbKkSo4K8jAEVTH5CYEbmD0xHoQ9kHrUAvi59lzcUAS2ZpriDSVsJ-eSMe0FISuALhdJO_2p0oswD2BHbYHUHkuP44VyV_2osSONtYS5kxgnrgDzSsW9yIgbJ4mTL/s320/10+commandments.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338764677569883250" border="0" /></a></div><p style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">- - - - - - - - - -<br /></span></p><p style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;">One day God was looking down at Earth and saw all of the rascally behavior that was going on. So he called one of His angels and sent the angel to Earth for a time.<br /><br />When the angel returned, he told God, "Yes, it is bad on Earth; 95% are misbehaving and only 5% are not. "<br /><br />God thought for a moment and said, "Maybe I had better send down a second angel to get another opinion."<br /><br />So God sent another angel to Earth for a time.<br /><br />Upon returning from earth, the angel went to God and said, "Yes, it's true.<span> </span>The Earth is in decline; 95% are misbehaving, but 5% are being good.'"<br /><br />God was not pleased. <span> </span></span></p></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div><div><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"> </div> <p><span style="font-size:130%;">So He decided to e-mail <span style="font-style: italic;">the 5% that were good</span>, because he wanted to encourage them, and give them a little something to help them keep going. <span> </span></span></p> <div> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />Do you know what the e-mail said?</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;">Oh, you don't?</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p></div></div></div></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />That's OK. I was just wondering,</span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"> because I didn't get one either.</span></p></div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> </div> <div style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:13;"><span style="font-size:100%;">- - - - - - - - - -</span></span></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:13;"><span style="font-size:85%;">[thanks to Billie Sheppard for this one]</span><br /></span></span></p></div></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-61129053317252646012009-04-29T13:57:00.010-04:002009-04-30T07:03:59.803-04:00Wall Street vs street smartsHedge fund managers, derivatives traders, mortgage loan officers can learn something.<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" ><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >when do I run out of money?</span><br /></div><br />A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmxrmnRhTQNgDzFIqazRFc_n6t9XM3BvJTThS5gH78OS_6Ukw-ZC5OCMvgpklgGLgffh4mgV7tH2FVzzYTSfCR_u5AU1noE6PyX9OzyvOVTE9A7NSGq-_qDDBC7YnzBGSVaXr1d7h92V6/s1600-h/barber+cutting+hair.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 101px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmxrmnRhTQNgDzFIqazRFc_n6t9XM3BvJTThS5gH78OS_6Ukw-ZC5OCMvgpklgGLgffh4mgV7tH2FVzzYTSfCR_u5AU1noE6PyX9OzyvOVTE9A7NSGq-_qDDBC7YnzBGSVaXr1d7h92V6/s320/barber+cutting+hair.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330176363518602066" border="0" /></a>'This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you.'<br /><br />The barber puts a dollar bill in one hand and two quarters in the other, then calls the boy over and asks, 'Which do you want, son?'<br /><br />The boy takes the quarters and leaves the dollar.<br /><br />'What did I tell you?' said the barber. 'That kid never learns!'<br /><br />Later, when the customer leaves, he sees the same y<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhSpDh5pBh5Pj5kz48b8bS58YewywoJLZZ9P717wDCRgLVzQ01BOgNRlTaI06LLKjU4TMwIsgjzdU3ohQ6FJSaqkfzBIXYxpAa-T5eIm7WiK1SY9z7HixrRTGaGr1KYblFgc3adqywgTX/s1600-h/boy+eating+ice-cream+cone.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 86px; height: 98px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdhSpDh5pBh5Pj5kz48b8bS58YewywoJLZZ9P717wDCRgLVzQ01BOgNRlTaI06LLKjU4TMwIsgjzdU3ohQ6FJSaqkfzBIXYxpAa-T5eIm7WiK1SY9z7HixrRTGaGr1KYblFgc3adqywgTX/s320/boy+eating+ice-cream+cone.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330175080889565794" border="0" /></a>oung boy coming out of the ice cream store & says, 'Hey, son! May I ask you a question? Why did you take the quarters instead of the dollar bill?'<br /><br />The boy licked his cone and replied, 'Because the day I take the dollar, the game's over!'<br />- - - - - - - - - -<br />the lesson to be learned:<br />Greed & quick big profit = nothing left for later.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >[thanks to friend Ken M]</span>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-23093045025539243262009-04-24T07:09:00.002-04:002009-04-24T07:17:17.088-04:00Pro-Life CommencementsWill others speak up for the unborn?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >Here's to you,</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >NOTRE DAME</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">a tip of the ole chapeau to Ebeth Weidner<br /><span class="UIIntentionalStory_Names"></span><br /></div><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gJzJRhoLtUk&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gJzJRhoLtUk&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-41960141001711877422009-04-17T14:48:00.002-04:002009-04-17T14:52:14.905-04:00the Ballad of Timothy Geithner<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >my taxes are filed<br />and ON TIME</span><br /></div><br />Thanks to <a href="http://adriennescatholiccorner.blogspot.com/">Adrienne</a> and <a href="http://themorningbuzzz.blogspot.com/">Jennifer over at the Morning Buzz.</a><br /><br />As she says in this parody, "Only in America".<br />----<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/MAdJLLmpWBU&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/MAdJLLmpWBU&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-58357640151896423762009-04-14T22:28:00.009-04:002009-04-16T13:52:06.858-04:00Can you say "OUTRAGE!"<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Let the government do it -<br />they can do it better than we ca</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">n!</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Newspaper Column<br />dated 4/14/09<br /><br /></b></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >Living with Children</span></span></span><br /></div></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Copyright 2009, John K. Rosemond</b></span></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><b> </b></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">[Abridged version - complete text follows down farther]<br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >- - - - - - - - - -</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">F</span>orget nationalizing the banks. Certain influential Democrats in the US Senate are thinking seriously of nationalizing parenting.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span>n February of 1995, </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">President Bill Clinton signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> Early opposition in the Senate persuaded Clinton not to risk submitting it for ratification. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>he Convention...obligates signatory nations to conform their laws to its articles; </span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">...articles extend...such rights as...to include the “freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or in any other media of the child’s choice.”</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>he Convention allows for children to protest, through legal channels, parental limit-setting of almost every sort, ...even to protest parental discipline. The language...clearly establishes the</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> state as the final authority</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> where the raising of children is concerned.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">S</span>enator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is one of the champions of ratification.</span></span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 102, 0);font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:130%;" ><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">F</span>or more information on the UNCRC and to sign an online petition calling for a much-needed Parental Rights Amendment to the Constitution, go to <a href="http://www.parentalrights.org/"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">www.parentalrights.org</span></a> <http: org=""> . In the meantime, call and/or write your two US Senators and let them know how you’d like them to vote should ratification come to the Senate floor.</http:></span><br /></div><br />- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -<br />[Complete version of article is below]<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -<br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">F</span></span>orget nationalizing the banks, certain influential Democrats in the US Senate are thinking seriously of nationalizing parenting, transforming it into “governmenting.”</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span></span>n February of 1995, at the urging of his wife (now Secretary of State), who just happens to be one of the world’s most ardent children’s rights advocates, President Bill Clinton signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The major media paid almost no attention to this momentous event, giving Clinton a free pass. Thankfully, early opposition in the Senate persuaded Clinton not to risk submitting it for ratification. The UNCRC has been in legislative limbo ever since…until now.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span></span>he Convention is an international treaty that obligates signatory nations to conform their laws to its articles, certain of which extend needed protections to children, including protection from sexual exploitation. No sensible, moral person would argue with that. Other articles, however, extend to children such rights as “freedom of association” (Article 15) and “freedom of expression (Article 13).” The latter is written to include the “freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or in any other media of the child’s choice.” It is pertinent to note that “child” is defined as anyone under age eighteen. One can assume, therefore, that these rights activate at birth.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">Y</span></span>es, the freedoms in question are subject to limitation, but not at the discretion of parents. Nuances of that sort can only be exercised by the state. Parents are permitted to provide “direction” to the child in keeping with the child’s “evolving capacities,” but nowhere in the document is their authority recognized.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">G</span></span>overnment intrusion into child-rearing matters is already a reality and has been for some time. But this is not mere intrusion; this is the replacement of parental prerogative by the state. The Convention allows for children to protest, through legal channels, parental limit-setting of almost every sort (Article 16: No child shall be subject to arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy….), even to protest parental discipline. The language, often recklessly vague, clearly establishes the state as the final authority where the raising of children is concerned. As such, the document could more accurately be called the United Nations Convention on the Abolition of Parents’ Rights.</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span></span>his time around, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is one of the champions of ratification. She gave the Obama administration a March 23 deadline, already expired, for moving toward ratification. I think it’s safe to say that she (and many of her same-side-of-the-aisle colleagues) wants this over and done with before the American public is fully informed. During her confirmation hearings, UN Ambassador Susan Rice expressed support for the treaty, but did not agree to Boxer’s desire for hasty ratification. </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">F</span>or more information on the UNCRC and to sign an online petition calling for a much-needed Parental Rights Amendment to the Constitution, go to <a href="http://www.parentalrights.org/"><span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);">www.parentalrights.org</span></a> <http: org=""> . In the meantime, call and/or write your two US Senators and let them know how you’d like them to vote should ratification come to the Senate floor. Given that ours is still a government of, for, and by the people, let us pray that the people make themselves heard!</http:></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">F</span></span>amily psychologist John Rosemond answers parents' questions on his website at <a href="http://www.rosemond.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-size:130%;" >www.rosemond.com.</span></a></span></span></div></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-55123313416809008692009-04-07T17:50:00.013-04:002009-04-07T18:18:43.149-04:00Our Lady...Notre Dame - - - Obama...our bane<span style="font-weight: bold;">web-site log of media coverage</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >University of Notre Dame<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >provide</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >s 'sanctuary</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >'</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >for President Obama<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4KO0nmbSJK4TMgHZxsnuDYi5wlLbHqa3WxbacQuLGdH0x1EhUN-BBVP7sXD8ENxjn-CD9C7YXP5pcQ7ItiIjkOQ3DX5Uy9Vs1X4Rcfom1hxjeqxfnIlzQ1jLF3Vm-FxMvCpSuc9dujTn/s1600-h/notre_dame_south_bend_101.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 354px; height: 307px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4KO0nmbSJK4TMgHZxsnuDYi5wlLbHqa3WxbacQuLGdH0x1EhUN-BBVP7sXD8ENxjn-CD9C7YXP5pcQ7ItiIjkOQ3DX5Uy9Vs1X4Rcfom1hxjeqxfnIlzQ1jLF3Vm-FxMvCpSuc9dujTn/s400/notre_dame_south_bend_101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322076791351843922" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >This site is now up and running.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><a href="http://www.catholicity.com/notredame.html">http://www.catholicity.com/notredame.html</a></span><br /></div><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Get out your reading glasses - lots here to digest.</span><br /></div></div></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-8817826844484711292009-04-05T14:54:00.006-04:002009-04-05T15:05:34.659-04:00"Laugh Your Way to a Better Marriage"<h1><span style="font-size:78%;">Men's Brain vs Women's Brain</span></h1><h1 style="text-align: center; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;">Mark Gungor</span></h1><h1 style="text-align: center; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="font-size:100%;">...EXTENDED</span></h1>This has been around for a year or so, but maybe you've never seen it. Share it with your spouse...maybe even view it together.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">So set back, put up your feet, and relax.<br />Learn why you are different from your spouse</span></span>.<br />[10:38]<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/GuMZ73mT5zM&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/GuMZ73mT5zM&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></span>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-11755211911511272792009-04-03T22:11:00.003-04:002009-04-03T22:15:52.287-04:00love him or hate him<span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >that's how people respond to</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">- Glenn Beck -</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">"don't give up"</span><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0); font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">he says</span></span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;">On today's broadcast he got personal.<br /><br />Click <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=4177274&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/">'here' </a> and watch.<br /></span></div></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-20886308756106513872009-03-29T11:02:00.028-04:002009-03-29T16:40:04.398-04:00i think i'm going to have<span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">a short series of short stories about</span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><span style="font-size:78%;">- Ch 2</span><br /><br /></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">vacation week - 2009</span></span></span></span></span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">[spring break]</span></span></span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);"><span style="font-size:130%;">D</span>ay 3<br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">W</span></span>hile Rozann finished repacking for our journey to Lake Havasu City, I went and picked up our rental car. This was accomplished by taking the Hotel shuttle to the airport, then catching the car rental shuttle to th<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tHNfjpYo_FjnTi_TJ-sog8sPhEthOHj91Js2ylI0nV7kewSp1LyANRJkYNyZEGakiVxguuTcxwWir1hqiDdrLc31H0bW9x5fAThyvjLmcL34UOTSSkgQsZ3BV6JuSlYp2lPtJQHcNj9Q/s1600-h/skyharborrental04.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tHNfjpYo_FjnTi_TJ-sog8sPhEthOHj91Js2ylI0nV7kewSp1LyANRJkYNyZEGakiVxguuTcxwWir1hqiDdrLc31H0bW9x5fAThyvjLmcL34UOTSSkgQsZ3BV6JuSlYp2lPtJQHcNj9Q/s200/skyharborrental04.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318627088190355714" border="0" /></a>e rental facility.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">T</span></span>he airport uses one fleet of Airport<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJEe-JWLhyphenhyphenY9fJMm51Lmplw7-8BHd5ZnUsQnKRyGo152lwNY4jzJ_ffnjD85qYsE61jXp-RwPPZdwdhjkhvg7K0W1wyiYU4GkoFeNwhHVqd-ucbts3wWBHJnj22xmvozcf-zxoBsxXzBy/s1600-h/Rentalcarcenter.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 197px; height: 139px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieJEe-JWLhyphenhyphenY9fJMm51Lmplw7-8BHd5ZnUsQnKRyGo152lwNY4jzJ_ffnjD85qYsE61jXp-RwPPZdwdhjkhvg7K0W1wyiYU4GkoFeNwhHVqd-ucbts3wWBHJnj22xmvozcf-zxoBsxXzBy/s200/Rentalcarcenter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318627327642492770" border="0" /></a> Car Rental Facility buses and transports all car renters to the <span style="font-style: italic;">same centralized facility</span>. Each of the Major car rental companies is located together at this one same facility. It makes it really convenient. Renters just go to the individual counter for the rental car company they have chosen, and complete their transaction. It is a lot like a food court in a mall or airport, only this is a car rental court.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">B</span></span>ack to the hotel, pick up Rozann and our luggage and begin our 4-1/2 hour trek to Lake Havasu City. Actual driving time was probably under 4 hours - the rest of the time was bathroom and scenic view stops.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKrGHozTrDygwQvgNnk8Qjbz9h3bz5ElL7hOojlowQuZM0BBaQJ8Nx6f3Jp4slFqdmVbGawKKaHVFHSlNxs0NSc8-lwz2kOeBWpz9egcTwnzMzwN_ZdDjBMamD7Hzmq_3pM0MMOwNzuwU/s1600-h/map+of+LHC+location.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 239px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfKrGHozTrDygwQvgNnk8Qjbz9h3bz5ElL7hOojlowQuZM0BBaQJ8Nx6f3Jp4slFqdmVbGawKKaHVFHSlNxs0NSc8-lwz2kOeBWpz9egcTwnzMzwN_ZdDjBMamD7Hzmq_3pM0MMOwNzuwU/s320/map+of+LHC+location.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318638493491410226" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >L</span>ake Havasu City is in the extreme western side of Arizona. It is on a man-made lake formed on the Colorado River by a dam at Parker AZ [the Parker Dam] about 25 miles south of Lake Havasu City. On the other side of the lake / river is California. To the North about 60 miles is the southern tip of the state of Nevada.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">T</span></span>he area is mostly dry mountainess t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhq95heqmzarNgf01fSm8QhrxhZp2bG38ZbOooI3gPGHdXXu9hcLDC0_o1ckcuGdvs-g7asmpG0WdQx70CMmIiZvOHG0EBJYyTalkxfMD2Y_rjLALl5sHNMq_yEgnPRnmuewmjnxCB3i-/s1600-h/cactus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 129px; height: 209px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbhq95heqmzarNgf01fSm8QhrxhZp2bG38ZbOooI3gPGHdXXu9hcLDC0_o1ckcuGdvs-g7asmpG0WdQx70CMmIiZvOHG0EBJYyTalkxfMD2Y_rjLALl5sHNMq_yEgnPRnmuewmjnxCB3i-/s200/cactus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318641192666789218" border="0" /></a>errain - arid and desert-like conditions abound. Cactus of many varieties thrive here. They <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">average</span> just under <span style="font-weight: bold;">3-1/2 inches</span> of rainfall per year</span>. The <span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">average</span> annual daytime high is <span style="font-weight: bold;">88 degrees</span> farenheit</span>. It has become a retirement and resort type community. The permanent population is around 55,000 - the winter <span style="font-style: italic;">snow-bird</span> population adds another 20 - 25,000 from November to April.<span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:100%;" >F</span></span>riends of ours rented a house for 6 weeks and invited us to come visit [they are retired school teachers from Minnesota].<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >T</span>he drive from Phoenix provided a great deal of scenic opportunities. We arrived at their home around 3pm. After unpacking and getting settled, they took us on a short driving tour of the city. It included a walk along the touristy area of the Canal Bridge River District.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >I</span>t is here that the world famous "London Bridge" <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5srrR-Afq4Z8E9Ml7mAy4V6rMOEWM1JW8grKTAZV03dNbUmNuKkK8ywmm-PD-oBPWkvFGDCPf2veu5O3y7vuOLoXMwwXt7lViRsTsG8P4tC3Ce4HvDyJv1bQCBJfJeMqGd_Tv3V-R8bBk/s1600-h/londonbrg1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 383px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5srrR-Afq4Z8E9Ml7mAy4V6rMOEWM1JW8grKTAZV03dNbUmNuKkK8ywmm-PD-oBPWkvFGDCPf2veu5O3y7vuOLoXMwwXt7lViRsTsG8P4tC3Ce4HvDyJv1bQCBJfJeMqGd_Tv3V-R8bBk/s320/londonbrg1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318634909602193010" border="0" /></a>is relocated. An American Industrialist had purchased the bridge in London, had it totally disassembled, shipped to the desert of AZ, reassembled, and used it to form the heart of what is now Lake Havasu City. An oasis in the desert is what was created, and people from around the world come to visit...even from Muncie, IN.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">B</span></span>ack home for a leisurely dinner was next on the agenda...a game of cards, and then to bed for a full night's sleep.<br /><br />[to be continued]<br /></div></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"></span></span></span></span></span></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-86235330595724202602009-03-28T22:49:00.016-04:002009-03-29T10:20:13.321-04:00i think i'm going to have<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">a short series of short stories about</span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">vacation week - 2009<br />[spring break]<br /></span></span></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">T</span>he beginning is a good place to start.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">Day 1</span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">S</span></span>unday, March 22, we decided to take an extra day before actual plane departure. We booked a room at a north-side Indianapolis Hotel for Sunday night. For the main event we went to a movie and saw the Nicholas Cage thriller "<span style="font-style: italic;">Know</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ing</span>". After shopping at a supermarket, we went to our room for dinner. Miscellaneous TV completed our Sunday adventure until we fell to sleep.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Day 2</span></span><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">M</span></span>onday was a sleep in. When we finally went down for breakfas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzOvRMYzmAJnnQN1vhP8BFAno4FXWSMd2vPf1MP5zbZesl9VW6IzTKVCrXfakpxjQeRgfc_O6aGmgEycYNNUkXxA8PxQE89OS2MdvVw6qZPWlIMEGqrQ4JfpSCXzYZaymM9Zl8S9ySl_H/s1600-h/Adams+Mark+.hotels.indianapolis.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 223px; height: 107px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzOvRMYzmAJnnQN1vhP8BFAno4FXWSMd2vPf1MP5zbZesl9VW6IzTKVCrXfakpxjQeRgfc_O6aGmgEycYNNUkXxA8PxQE89OS2MdvVw6qZPWlIMEGqrQ4JfpSCXzYZaymM9Zl8S9ySl_H/s320/Adams+Mark+.hotels.indianapolis.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318452940533483490" border="0" /></a>t, they were almost done serving. After checking out, we went downtown. Lunch at the Indiana State Museum Cafe was followed by viewing a movie at the IMAX theatre. Then it was time to head to the airport. We booked long-term parking at the Adam's Mark Hotel. For $5 per day they not only allow you to park there, they shuttle you to your terminal and pick you up on return.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >T</span>he new airport terminal is absolutely fantastic [my humble subjective opinion].<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCH6x7MQFRlmiPXF7wUH9CSs_k6m1oXLSvGF0gSQLBuRwCxdKqXJg1CqL4j51YErWZaukWstu0co66ApGUzmf91fAtWHJbL20HfC0dpnE-bMS6b-gNFQbSQt3EBxyywRQIZVPhmPIsapnH/s1600-h/IND+Airport.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 148px; height: 95px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCH6x7MQFRlmiPXF7wUH9CSs_k6m1oXLSvGF0gSQLBuRwCxdKqXJg1CqL4j51YErWZaukWstu0co66ApGUzmf91fAtWHJbL20HfC0dpnE-bMS6b-gNFQbSQt3EBxyywRQIZVPhmPIsapnH/s320/IND+Airport.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318453734153385538" border="0" /></a> <span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">W</span></span>e had pre-checked in online and were also able to print our boarding passes in advance. This allowed us to go directly to the gate for boarding. So far so good.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >T</span>hen it started getting interesting - and only a little stressful.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">T</span></span>he previous incoming flight at our gate was to discharge, then reload and take off for another destination. While they were reloading, it was determined it had a mechanical problem, and could not pull away from the gate area. All those passengers then had to be placed on other planes and flights to get to where they were headed. That was very time consuming, to say the least.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >I</span>t had our ga<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBd2pfmdBvd1afwoChrVmImt_lw6WuwpT3AwmH0_G0Zeqpw6lnrH_f51OHBEAUxCSOxz81fTlhhYtvJQ8UIsE6TLsi1cX8qpLrw0Ule9ldQb4V7PKiZmgp_RfpHliaMEDh4e7aX-RzPwX/s1600-h/AA+MD80.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEBd2pfmdBvd1afwoChrVmImt_lw6WuwpT3AwmH0_G0Zeqpw6lnrH_f51OHBEAUxCSOxz81fTlhhYtvJQ8UIsE6TLsi1cX8qpLrw0Ule9ldQb4V7PKiZmgp_RfpHliaMEDh4e7aX-RzPwX/s400/AA+MD80.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318451295068530514" border="0" /></a>te blocked up. The incoming flight that was to be our outbound flight now could not come in to the original gate. They had to find another gate for it...and all of us who were scheduled to go out on it had to change gates. Lost time was realtively not too bad...about 1/2 hour and we were ready to start boarding at the new gate.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >A</span>s the first group of passengers to board were lining at the gate, one of them - an older gentlemen - seemed to pass out. As everyone in line moved out of the way, the ticket agents came over and tried to move him off the floor and into a chair. They realized he was more than passed out. Emergency crews were summoned from the Airpo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTx3gqSbM6amlT4LMMad8GFH_8Wqn-lXpJ4BkmLnrdphgOGLZmY-hLqokzqVgIl7jsWMeYRAuWav7kTgxwddrX2qx_nQp1yT3SUeS1Mf1VPuM8UbWrthSnPR8EzxEyVSy9FckpjAFq5H_H/s1600-h/defibrillator.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 166px; height: 135px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTx3gqSbM6amlT4LMMad8GFH_8Wqn-lXpJ4BkmLnrdphgOGLZmY-hLqokzqVgIl7jsWMeYRAuWav7kTgxwddrX2qx_nQp1yT3SUeS1Mf1VPuM8UbWrthSnPR8EzxEyVSy9FckpjAFq5H_H/s320/defibrillator.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318452336094526482" border="0" /></a>rt Fire & Rescue Station. While they were en-route a passenger who seemed to know what to do, began doing chest compressions. A fight attendant ran on board the plane and came back with a portable defibrillator. When the emergency people arrived they continued with occasional shocks and chest compressions. After about 30-minutes they had him revived and stabilized for transport to a local hospital, but had to wait for the ambulance to arrive.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >T</span>hank God he was talking and breathing as they left with him.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">F</span></span>orty minutes late already, they were able to resume the boarding process. We were then in the air to Dallas-Fort Worth airport where we had a connection to make going on to Phoenix. The pilot did a good job and was able to make up about half of the lost time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >F</span>or us, the saga was to continue.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 51, 0); font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >W</span>e arrived at our connecting gate in time for our next leg of the journey. We then discovered that not only had the gate been changed, but it was in an entirely different terminal. But we weren't late because there was a delay involved on this flight, too. Once boarded and ready to depart, the plane pulled away from the gate and headed t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdpWE2G1jdDp-jfOCBIeLjTQKSXJ-Jre-IEuI0iZu8IyJ0o3BgbTSW8SxGmERF_mAPVrj78VQlR4W1HP9dLavwvLGpEpOeNlKsEbnxqIKRgykk6rTgnYnS6MLrUm0YNNsXFKickrurgUg/s1600-h/Phoenix-skyline.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 303px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjdpWE2G1jdDp-jfOCBIeLjTQKSXJ-Jre-IEuI0iZu8IyJ0o3BgbTSW8SxGmERF_mAPVrj78VQlR4W1HP9dLavwvLGpEpOeNlKsEbnxqIKRgykk6rTgnYnS6MLrUm0YNNsXFKickrurgUg/s320/Phoenix-skyline.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5318454845722438306" border="0" /></a>o the tarmac - where we sat for over an hour awaiting the delivery of commissary supplies. All of this happened because of the original gate change. We eventually left from Dallas for Phoenix, and arrived about 1-1/2 hour after the original planned arrival.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);font-size:130%;" >T</span>hen we caught a shuttle to our hotel for the night. The next morning, Tuesday, we would get our rental car and head to Lake Havasu City.<br /><br /></div>[to be continued]<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span></div></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-80192801907086039552009-03-16T18:24:00.003-04:002009-03-16T18:28:13.173-04:00if lotteries pay out small change<p><span style="font-weight: bold;">What do bail-outs pay?</span><br /></p><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >try this on for size</span><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>What does a trillion dollars look like? Click on the link and find out:</p><p> (US national debt is 10.9 Trillion dollars as of 3/4/2009)</p> <p><span style="font-size:130%;"> <a href="http://www.pagetutor.com/trillion/index.html" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></p><p><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.pagetutor.com/trillion/index.html" target="_blank">http://www.pagetutor.com/<wbr>trillion/index.html</a></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Boy, do I feel broke</span>.<br /></p>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5056516915392913431.post-47569415609087875212009-03-10T12:33:00.005-04:002009-03-10T14:33:15.323-04:00is life too hard?<span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >am I treated unfairly?</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);font-size:180%;" >how hard do I try?</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">D</span>o I have what it takes to persevere through life's hardships?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">I</span>n Christ, all things are possible.<br />- - - - - - - - - -</span><br /><br /><embed src="http://www.tangle.com/flash/swf/flvplayer.swf" flashvars="viewkey=ff841f4b250745d431e6" wmode="transparent" quality="high" name="tangle" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="330" align="middle" height="270"></embed><br /><br />- - - - - - - - - -<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 51, 0);">M</span>aybe I should go out and have a good day ... in spite of those around me.</span><br /></div></div>uncle jimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01879341171634900790noreply@blogger.com2