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<title>Richs Blog</title><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/index.html</link><description>Updates</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2007 Richard Meyer</dc:rights><dc:date>2008-10-14T16:13:28-07:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:14:04 -0700</lastBuildDate><item><title>Pailin Off The Ticket</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-14T16:13:28-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/11297126c6252c99ee34de32d5e410cc-83.html#unique-entry-id-83</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/11297126c6252c99ee34de32d5e410cc-83.html#unique-entry-id-83</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[(null)]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Now this says a lot</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-14T08:45:53-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/f1c36f683646ec3aa3cf3cc6dc88f000-82.html#unique-entry-id-82</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/f1c36f683646ec3aa3cf3cc6dc88f000-82.html#unique-entry-id-82</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[(null)]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Brian Williams on Letterman</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-04T13:51:40-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/56f566a6fbb933b0c4c78e9eda77f30c-81.html#unique-entry-id-81</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/56f566a6fbb933b0c4c78e9eda77f30c-81.html#unique-entry-id-81</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[(null)]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Greatest City In The World</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-10-02T08:41:26-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/4156412732e85687d987f312ffa334e8-80.html#unique-entry-id-80</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/4156412732e85687d987f312ffa334e8-80.html#unique-entry-id-80</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[(null)]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Makes sense to me.....</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>None</category><dc:date>2008-09-28T08:06:12-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/f43712e210cb2fc7bc5db8eeae46d031-79.html#unique-entry-id-79</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/f43712e210cb2fc7bc5db8eeae46d031-79.html#unique-entry-id-79</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[(null)]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>How true</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Life 101</category><dc:date>2008-09-13T09:57:35-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/99edbc93348e44becd4ec481730cbcc7-78.html#unique-entry-id-78</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/99edbc93348e44becd4ec481730cbcc7-78.html#unique-entry-id-78</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[(null)]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>It&#x27;s a tough choice</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Politics sucks</category><dc:date>2008-09-09T16:07:52-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/3c4b1a98ae99fb2ba404c0d384bc6d0a-77.html#unique-entry-id-77</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/3c4b1a98ae99fb2ba404c0d384bc6d0a-77.html#unique-entry-id-77</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[First let me say that I respect Mr McCain for the service to our country as I do anyone who served in the military.    However if one looks at the history of the Vietnam war you will find that at the time Mr McCain was shot down a lot of military targets were "off limits".  

...One of the reasons that we have not killed more high ranking terrorists is that the military has to follow a strict process before launching attacks that could take hours.  

...A military that is strained for resources and has done the job we have asked them to do even though it is not what they were trained for.  ...  I have been in the military and been under fire and I can tell you that to be under constant threat of attack is as stressful as it gets.     Mr McCain has a temper, that is well known and he needs someone around him who can calm him down with their experience on world events and leaders.  

...I want our troops out of Iraq because we cannot afford to keep spending billions of dollars on a country whose people do not want us there while our own infrastructure is crumbling.  

...Car makers need to be given incentives to start marketing higher MPG autos and maybe it's time to start thinking about deploying hydrogen stations around the US and give people incentives for purchasing these cars.   


...Now while a lot of people say this is off limits I am not sure that I want a 72 year old person to take on the most stressful job in America?  

...It would tell a lot about his management and his direction as the cabinet is the one who tells the President he is full of shit or supports his decisions with facts.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Mr Cain has lost it...</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Politics sucks</category><dc:date>2008-08-30T07:29:40-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/8faa86e6ddbde13bf78531e487c15849-76.html#unique-entry-id-76</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/8faa86e6ddbde13bf78531e487c15849-76.html#unique-entry-id-76</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Palin a first-term governor of a state with more reindeer than people, will have to put on a few pounds just to be a lightweight. 

...For a man who is 72 years old and has had four bouts with cancer to have chosen someone so completely unqualified to become president is shockingly irresponsible. 

...In choosing this featherweight, McCain passed over Tom Ridge, a decorated combat hero, a Cabinet secretary and the former two-term governor of the large, complex state of Pennsylvania.


...In his first presidential decision, John McCain has shown he is willing to endanger his country, potentially leaving it in the hands of someone who simply has no business being a heartbeat away from the most powerful, complicated, difficult job in human history.


Now some will say that Mr Obama also has little experience but the strength that he has shown in the election is reassuring to me and to a lot of other people.  ...  I am sick of spending $1 billion a week in Iraq when we have crumbling roads. people without health care, and people afraid of losing their jobs right here at home.


...Let's also not forget the number of people who want to get better jobs but cannot relocate because in doing so they will lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in the sale of their homes.    Thus a lot of jobs are open if people are looking locally but there are also a lot of people who would like to take better positions but cannot afford to.


...Hope that things will get better, hope that America can once again stand for democracy and not stand alone against allies who have turned their back on us because of a "cowboy" attitude.


Shame on you  Mr McCain..not for selecting a woman but for selecting someone without experience and pandering for votes instead of doing what is best for the country.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Work to live don&#x27;t live to work</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Working is too much like work</category><dc:date>2008-08-25T14:06:56-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/187f7b75c7ceca72b3a2374bcc834ad9-75.html#unique-entry-id-75</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/187f7b75c7ceca72b3a2374bcc834ad9-75.html#unique-entry-id-75</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I'll be the first to say that when I was working I would check eMail first thing in the morning when I got up and be eMailing people just before bed.    Now that I am a consultant I realize that this is pure insanity no matter how much you love your work.


There are so many little things around us that are beautiful that go overlooked while we are answering eMails and it's time to slow down and be thankful that we can appreciate this beauty and that it's in our world.    I am seeing things that I have not seen before: a humming bird in the garden, new flowers coming up and a sunrise and sunset that are spectacular.  


It's time for people to stop working so much, even if we really enjoy what we do and slow down to appreciate what we have.    Life goes by way to fast and right now a lot of people are gonna miss it because they were on the phone.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Time to lay out your plans</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Politics sucks</category><dc:date>2008-08-25T14:01:44-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/76a5487df7228919f7e7bf8edc05f0cc-74.html#unique-entry-id-74</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/76a5487df7228919f7e7bf8edc05f0cc-74.html#unique-entry-id-74</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Obama&rsquo;s chance to give 120 million voters a clear idea of what he means when he asks them to trust him to change the country.


Americans need to hear how he plans to halt the economy&rsquo;s frightening downward spiral and help millions who have lost their jobs, homes and hopes while also preparing our children to compete in a globalized world. 

...Although the sputtering economy has replaced war as the most important issue cited by voters in public opinion polls, this remains a nation at war. ...  Bush&rsquo;s surge has reduced casualties from catastrophic to simply intolerable levels, and how he will salvage the war in Afghanistan.   How will he keep the country safe from terrorism while also keeping his promise to restore America&rsquo;s &mdash; and the world&rsquo;s &mdash; confidence that this is a nation ruled by laws and the Constitution, not the whims of an unbridled president?


...Obama&rsquo;s task will be easy: showing how much damage the Bush administration has done to Americans&rsquo; lives and their country&rsquo;s reputation.


...Whether the problem is lead-tainted toys or predatory credit card companies or irresponsible home mortgage lending by handsomely paid bankers, Americans doubt that their government is able to protect them, or wants to do so.


President Bush&rsquo;s White House has offered no serious answer to the problem of America&rsquo;s energy dependence and no strategy for calming anti-American furies around the world.


...What we know is that many Americans are deeply suspicious of their political leadership &mdash; the approval ratings of Congress, now controlled by Mr.   Obama&rsquo;s own party, are even lower than those of President Bush &mdash; and they are only now turning their attention to the election.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>&#x24;40 Billion on Olympic games?</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Money for nothing</category><dc:date>2008-08-03T11:59:46-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/0566038d8ef0433e65a0ec104bca6c17-72.html#unique-entry-id-72</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/0566038d8ef0433e65a0ec104bca6c17-72.html#unique-entry-id-72</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Forget the fact for a moment that the Chinese are some of the biggest polluters on the planet making the city of Beijing almost inhabitable.    China has suffered from an inferiority complex for a long time and this is their chance, in their eyes, to show the rest of the world that they are now a super power.  ...  They also need to address the corruption and pollution that results in so many dangerous products on store shelves.


...The face that China is trying to portray to the world is nothing short of a sham and con.    People who BLOG against China are thrown in jail and those imprisoned report of torture and rape.    Stuck in the middle of all this are the athletes who just want to compete against each other.    The Olympic committee meanwhile is only trying to get as much money and prestige for the games as possible.    NBC is sponsoring the games and their selfless promotion has already started making me switch stations.


So while the worlds people continue to beg and die for food the Chinese will spend their billions to make people welcome.    Let&rsquo;s hope that money can&rsquo;t hide the charade of what really is going on in China.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Adapt or perish</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Marketing &#x26; Business in the 21st Centure</category><dc:date>2008-08-02T07:09:03-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/d4c8cc3f02b6dcd380c4b23596419cb2-71.html#unique-entry-id-71</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/d4c8cc3f02b6dcd380c4b23596419cb2-71.html#unique-entry-id-71</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[You know things are bad in Detroit when Chrysler hires the ex-CEO of Home Depot, who was shown the door, and he promptly does what any buzz-saw CEO does; he fires people, reduces budgets and closes plants.    Forget trying to rescue the auto giant with an infuse of talent and new models it&rsquo;s far easier to cut expenses to keep investors happy.


Now Detroit is going to cut lease deals on cars because the SUV&rsquo;s that are coming off lease are not worth the money they are listed at on paper.     This is called turning the screws and it defies logic to do this at a time when all three are fighting for survival.    Rather than focus all their energies on new fuel efficient models they are a huge cargo ship trying to do a 180 in a small river.


Right now it is estimated that the waiting list on the new Mini Clubman is 9 months and some cars, like Mini&rsquo;s and Kia&rsquo;s, in used car lots are fetching nearly 85% of their original values in sales.  ...  From a business point of view this makes no sense at all, from a customer service point of view Detroit is telling consumes to piss off.


...They are bringing more fuel efficient models, currently on sale in Europe, to the US and their Focus model is a success.  ...  GM is trying but maybe too addicted to SUV&rsquo;s to react in time for a smooth turnaround.


In the end it will be the American Consumers who decide who stays and who goes but the car companies better learn to react faster to changing marketer conditions or they will go the way of the Dinosaurs.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Now I know what my father meant</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Life 101</category><dc:date>2008-08-01T07:22:37-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/588ca5b8edf4b3dc50559a8aee89cd00-70.html#unique-entry-id-70</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/588ca5b8edf4b3dc50559a8aee89cd00-70.html#unique-entry-id-70</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My guess is that it was recorded in the mid 70&rsquo;s but as I watched clips from this classic show I remembered my dad and mom sitting at home in our house in Westchester (New York) laughing at the genius of the cast and script writers.  

...I also find myself asking &ldquo;where did the time go&rdquo; and more and more I realize that a lot of time was spent on meaningless jobs in corporate America that did much to age me via the stress they created.  

...Since I was not dating at the time due to low self-esteem I think that I was looking for myself as much as I was looking to find new things.     This of course is long before the era of computers and eMail but through it all if I had a problem my mom and dad were a phone call away.


...She would ask how it was going and since at the time I was living from paycheck to paycheck working retail she used to send me a check for $100 every now and then.    When I went to visit them my dad remarked that there is something wrong with this country when families are forced to live distances apart and I believe he was right event to this day.  


My mom and dad are gone now which is sad more for me because there is sooo much more I wanted to tell both of them.    I wanted to let them know that they did a great job raising me and installed the values that they held so dear but most of all I think I just wanted to tell them one more time how much I loved them both and miss those families get togethers around good food and stories.


...Life is too damn short to go to work everyday and not make a difference in people&rsquo;s lives, but most of all life passes to quickly not to take some time to tell those around us how much we love them.


...I did what I thought was right and I am scared about what the future may bring but I will never forget to tell those closest to me how much I love them.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Can someone explain the airlines business strategy to me?</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>I don&#x27;t get it?</category><dc:date>2008-07-19T12:27:40-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/5798305ad2c5b1d671980ab9d5346854-69.html#unique-entry-id-69</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/5798305ad2c5b1d671980ab9d5346854-69.html#unique-entry-id-69</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Flights are packed to the limit, there are flights that leave every half hour to cities like Chicago, Boston and New York yet the airlines want to blame speculators for high fuel costs.  ...  The airlines need to raises prices and raise them substantially so they can make money and provide services that make customers feel like customers instead of cattle.


...In short the business model for airlines is beyond broken it is falling apart and has been falling apart for a long time.  

...The luxury market is still strong and the lines for iPhones at Apple stores the last 2 weeks indicates to me that their is money out there and people are willing to spend if THEY perceive it is worth it.


...First there are the huge security lines where you have to take off  your shoes, belt and other items so they can go through an x-ray.  ...  They then call you to board by row number and this is where people stop being human beings and turn into &ldquo;it&rsquo;s me, myself and I&rdquo;.  ...  Now that they are changing the rest rooms less and less the experience of using one reminds one of the worst possible smell one could ever imagine.


...Yes thank you for making the bathrooms smell like ces pools and for making me feel like a number rather than a person.  

...Every airline executive should be required to fly coach in an overbooked flight so they can experience first hand what it&rsquo;s like to be dehumanized.    Until a new business model is put into place that allows airlines to make money we will all be nothing more than cattle awaiting the call to move to the next field.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>California&#x27;s bad decisions</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>I don&#x27;t get it?</category><dc:date>2008-07-17T09:11:38-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/b61686cf6e896a837a04b3fdad806313-68.html#unique-entry-id-68</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/b61686cf6e896a837a04b3fdad806313-68.html#unique-entry-id-68</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The plan would raise the top marginal income tax rate to 12% from 10.3%; that would be the highest in the nation and twice the national average.   This plan would also repeal indexing for inflation, which is a sneaky way for politicians to push middle-income Californians into higher tax brackets every year, especially when prices are rising as they are now. ...  So in the face of one of the worst real-estate recessions in the state's history, the politicians want to raise taxes on businesses that are still making money.


This latest tax gambit was unveiled, ironically enough, within days of two very large California employers announcing they are saying, in the famous words of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, "hasta la vista, baby" to the state. 

...Then last week Toyota announced it is canceling plans to build its new Prius hybrid at its plant in the San Francisco Bay area because of the high tax and regulatory costs.   Adding to the humiliation is that Toyota will now take this investment and about 1,000 jobs to a more progressive and pro-business state: Mississippi.


...Those with incomes of more than $100,000 pay 83% of the state's income taxes, and the richest 6,000 of the 38 million Californians pay $9 billion in taxes. 

...The politicians in Nevada, the state with the third worst real-estate market, are hoping California raises taxes, because this could be a fast way to revive the Reno and Las Vegas housing markets.


...Schwarzenegger and the Democrats want to pass a new $9 billion water bond, a $14 billion state-run health insurance program, and the most expensive climate-change program in the country.


It may be that California Democrats are trying this now as a kind of trial run for Barack Obama next year. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Hypocrisy</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Not in my back yard</category><dc:date>2008-07-16T07:32:35-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/a64b3c72c0086d82930195e4ebbe7aa7-67.html#unique-entry-id-67</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/a64b3c72c0086d82930195e4ebbe7aa7-67.html#unique-entry-id-67</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[TIM Robbins' and Susan Sarandon's mission to protect the poor and needy doesn't apply to their Greenwich Village neighborhood.   The Oscar-winning liberals recently attended a Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing to oppose St.   Vincent's plea to build a new, larger hospital on West 12th Street, three blocks from their home.   This despite their support of causes like UNICEF and Champions for Children.   "The hospital provides $40 million in care to the indigent every year," one proponent told us.   "Robbins dismissed more than 100 people rallying in support of the hospital - low-income, union workers and veterans of the AIDS crisis - as 'those people out there.'   " Sarandon said in a statement: "Improving the hospital is a great idea.   However, this can be accomplished without compromising the neighborhood. ...  Vincent's should consider the proposed alternative solutions."   Robbins declined to comment.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Spineless</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Thoughts &#x26; Observations</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-16T06:20:16-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/651eaf33625579edb05d2758a2ca6ba9-66.html#unique-entry-id-66</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/651eaf33625579edb05d2758a2ca6ba9-66.html#unique-entry-id-66</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[But America is not and never has been just about those things, which is why I also find some of these poll results self-indulgent, knee-jerk and borderline silly. 

...The U.S. put forward a simple Security Council resolution, calling for an arms embargo on Zimbabwe, the appointment of a U.N. mediator, plus travel and financial restrictions on the dictator Mugabe and 13 top military and government officials for stealing the Zimbabwe election and essentially mugging an entire country in broad daylight.


In the first round of Zimbabwe&rsquo;s elections, on March 29, the opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, won nearly 48 percent of the vote compared with 42 percent for Mugabe.   This prompted Mugabe and his henchmen to begin a campaign of killing and intimidation against Tsvangirai supporters that eventually forced the opposition to pull out of the second-round runoff vote just to stay alive.


...Vitaly Churkin, Russia&rsquo;s U.N. ambassador, argued that the targeted sanctions that the U.S. and others wanted to impose on Mugabe&rsquo;s clique exceeded the Security Council&rsquo;s mandate. 

...Mugabe&rsquo;s campaign of murder and intimidation didn&rsquo;t strike Churkin as &ldquo;illegitimate and dangerous&rdquo; &mdash; only the U.N. resolution to bring a halt to it was &ldquo;illegitimate and dangerous.&rdquo; 

...But when it comes to pure, rancid moral corruption, no one can top South Africa&rsquo;s president, Thabo Mbeki, and his stooge at the U.N.

...As The Times reported, America&rsquo;s U.N. ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad, &ldquo;accused South Africa of protecting the &lsquo;horrible regime in Zimbabwe,&rsquo; &rdquo; calling this particularly disturbing given that it was precisely international economic sanctions that brought down South Africa&rsquo;s apartheid government, which had long oppressed that country&rsquo;s blacks.


...The U.N. vote on Zimbabwe demonstrates that this is not true for these &ldquo;popular&rdquo; countries &mdash; called Russia or China or South Africa &mdash; that have no problem siding with a man who is pulverizing his own people.


...I guess they would prefer a world in which America was weaker, where leaders with the values of Vladimir Putin and Thabo Mbeki had a greater say, and where the desperate voices for change in Zimbabwe would, well, just shut up.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Apple screws customers badly</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Marketing &#x26; Business in the 21st Centure</category><dc:date>2008-07-11T18:25:33-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/9e3eb60becfa74a579101ebc20567164-65.html#unique-entry-id-65</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/9e3eb60becfa74a579101ebc20567164-65.html#unique-entry-id-65</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[&ldquo;There are certainly lessons in preparedness,&rdquo; said Richard Doherty, a consumer electronics industry consultant who is president of Envisioneering Group in Seaford, N.Y.   &ldquo;The acid test for many years has been Christmas morning where customers contact companies in droves after opening presents,&rdquo; Mr. 

...In addition to long waiting times for iPhone 3G purchasers at Apple and AT&T stores, current iPhone users found that their phones were made inoperable when they tried to upgrade their phones to the latest iPhone software.   The iPhone now requires an authentication step in which the phone must connect to Apple servers through its iTunes software application before it will function again after a software upgrade. 


...There has to be accountability here for current and new customers but one has to wonder if Apple really cares?   I mean after all people are stupid enough to waste time and wait in line for a cell phone and Apple knows this.   When I went to my local outdoor mall for some lunch I was astounded at the line in front of the Apple store which was at a 3-4 hour wait. 

...Now every major media website has the headline about the activation problems and I get a sense that a lot of people are glad that Apple has finally made a mistake.   I personally love Apple products but I have to say that I can call a spade a spade when I see mistakes like the one that happened today, the Apple Hi-Fi and Mac Book Air.   Apple had more than enough time to prepare for this launch and to have activation problems is inexcusable plain and simple. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Cheney wanted cuts in climate testimony</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><dc:subject>Thoughts &#x26; Observations</dc:subject><dc:date>2008-07-08T08:35:02-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/20d0526b642b01162a1ed87e74e95ac9-64.html#unique-entry-id-64</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/20d0526b642b01162a1ed87e74e95ac9-64.html#unique-entry-id-64</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When six pages were cut from testimony on climate change and public health by the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last October, the White House insisted the changes were made because of reservations raised by White House advisers about the accuracy of the science.


...Burnett, until last month the senior adviser on climate change to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson, says that Cheney's office was deeply involved in getting nearly half of the CDC's original draft testimony removed.


"The Council on Environmental Quality and the office of the vice president were seeking deletions to the CDC testimony (concerning) ... any discussions of the human health consequences of climate change," Burnett has told the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.


...Burnett, 31, a lifelong Democrat who resigned his post last month as associate deputy EPA administrator because of disagreements over the agency's response to climate change, describes deep political concerns at the White House, including in Cheney's office, about linking climate change directly to public health or damage to the environment.


...The letter by Burnett for the first time suggests that Cheney's office was deeply involved in downplaying the impacts of climate change as related to public health and welfare, Senate investigators believe.


...Cheney's office and the White House Council on Environmental Quality worried that if key health officials provided detailed testimony about global warming's consequences on public health or the environment, it could make it more difficult to avoid regulating carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, Burnett believes.


...Nowhere were these White House concerns more apparent than when CDC Director Julie Gerberding, the head of the government's premier public health watchdog, testified about climate change and public health before Boxer's committee last October. 

...The White House, at the urging of Cheney's office, "requested that I work with CDC to remove from the testimony any discussion of the human health consequences of climate change," wrote Burnett.


"CEQ contacted me to argue that I could best keep options open for the (EPA) administrator (on regulating carbon dioxide) if I would convince CDC to delete particular sections of their testimony," Burnett said in the letter to Boxer.


...Burnett caught the attention of Bush administration insiders as a researcher at the Center for Regulatory Study, a joint effort by the American Enterprise Institute and the Brookings Institution, where he co-authored a number of reports on regulation including one criticizing a ban on using cell phones while driving and another criticizing the EPA regulation of arsenic as too expensive with limited benefits.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Why is doing the right thing so hard today for so many people?</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Life 101</category><dc:date>2008-07-07T09:45:52-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/dae7d56fa6dff5f44327cac3df101467-63.html#unique-entry-id-63</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/dae7d56fa6dff5f44327cac3df101467-63.html#unique-entry-id-63</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When I asked him years later why he left he told me &ldquo;I just knew it was the right thing to do&rdquo;.  


I believe that a lot of people know what the right thing to do is but they are afraid to do it.    People who have stood up in business scandals have been labeled troublemakers and some of the senior managers at Enron who said &ldquo;something stinks here&rdquo; have never risen to previous employment levels again.  ...  Are they willing to do the right thing when they KNOW it&rsquo;s the right thing or are they willing to scurry back into their cubes just to feed their addiction to their paychecks.    Granted it&rsquo;s not easy to swim against the current and sometimes it is better to let the current pull you along but there will come a time when we all have to pick and chose our battles and make a stand.


The right thing means that you are making decisions as a person rather than a machine and that the decisions you make benefit everyone mostly your customers.    It also means that you feel a hell of a lot better about your job and life than others who have to continually and gradually sell themselves down the river just to keep a job.  

...So if you are reading this ask yourself this &ldquo;how many times do I do something knowing that it&rsquo;s not the right thing to do&rdquo;?    If the answer is a lot then you have a choice: either do what is right in your heart or just look at your job as a paycheck.    One of these paths will make you feel great the other will lead you down a road that may not have a u-turn.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Entitlement at Google</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Working is too much like work</category><dc:date>2008-07-05T12:42:49-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/27f099def9a0cf8dd228f26356b4a0cd-62.html#unique-entry-id-62</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/27f099def9a0cf8dd228f26356b4a0cd-62.html#unique-entry-id-62</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[They came up with ideas to save money, used the company&rsquo;s T.G.I.F. sessions &mdash; a weekly meeting for anyone who wanted to ask questions of Google&rsquo;s top executives &mdash; to plead their case, and conducted surveys showing that most parents with children in Google day care would have to leave Google&rsquo;s facilities and find less expensive child care.


...At a T.G.I.F. in June, the Google co-founder Sergey Brin said he had no sympathy for the parents, and that he was tired of &ldquo;Googlers&rdquo; who felt entitled to perks like &ldquo;bottled water and M&Ms,&rdquo; according to several people in the meeting. 

...Today she is the company&rsquo;s vice president for product measurement, though as I discovered in talking to unhappy Google parents this week, not many Googlers seem to know what her exact duties entail. 

...Parents who know her point out that the company&rsquo;s day care approach is very much aligned with her views; for its part, a Google spokesman insists that &ldquo;these decisions were not made by her; they were made by the executive management team.&rdquo;


Google&rsquo;s first facility, called the Kinderplex, was run by the Childrens&rsquo; Creative Learning Centers, or C.C.L.C., which, according to its Web site, offers &ldquo;learning in a play-based, developmentally appropriate environment that incorporates a variety of activities and multicultural aspects in a thematic style.&rdquo; 

...Meanwhile, someone at Google woke up one day and realized that the company was subsidizing each child to the tune of $37,000 a year &mdash; which nobody had noticed up until then &mdash; compared with the $12,000-a-year average subsidy of other big Silicon Valley companies like Cisco Systems and Oracle. 

...When I spoke to Laszlo Bock, the company&rsquo;s vice president for &ldquo;people operations&rdquo; (a k a human relations), he told me that &ldquo;what is really driving the cost is eliminating the two-year wait list while focusing on providing really high quality.&rdquo;


...The company points out that the prices are somewhat lower than originally planned, that it is expanding its day care operation, that its facilities will be state of the art and that it will be giving scholarships to parents who can&rsquo;t afford to keep their children in Google day care. 

...There are many people in this country &mdash; including, I&rsquo;ll bet, many Googlers &mdash; who believe that employer-provided day care, at affordable prices, ought to be like health insurance, a benefit that every company provides as a matter of course. 

...If Google had really wanted to do something path-breaking about its day care crisis, it would have spent less time creating elitist day care centers and more time figuring out how to &ldquo;scale&rdquo; day care for everybody no matter what their salaries.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>How the mighty have fallen</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Marketing &#x26; Business in the 21st Centure</category><dc:date>2008-07-01T15:00:04-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/4fe5486f002c7b61e01c36c34eee1197-60.html#unique-entry-id-60</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/4fe5486f002c7b61e01c36c34eee1197-60.html#unique-entry-id-60</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There was a time when it was really cool to walk around with a Starbucks cup; that was then this is now.    A coffee chain with brand equity that most marketers would have killed for has taken a turn for the worse and there are some lessons to be learned here.


...Yes it was cool to walk around with a cup of Starbucks coffee but in a down economy people start asking themselves &ldquo;do I really need to spend $4.00 for a cup of coffee&rdquo;?   ...  New products were slow coming and not promoted well and essentially Starbucks lost that part of their brand equity that made them cool.


...McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts launched major counter offensives against Starbucks with beverages that not only tasted better but were a hell of a lot cheaper.  

...Then came bad quality control..no longer could you get a Latte at one store and have it taste the same as other Lattes that were purchased from other stores.   

...Now the Chairman of Starbucks wants to install $20,000 espresso machines in each store, like that is going to make a difference.


...Brand equity has a lot of elements but the intangible elements are often the ones that can easily get damaged when you lose sight of what made you great.     Apple is enjoying the brand equity of &ldquo;being cool&rdquo; but if Apple ever stopped innovating they would also lose their platinum brand equity.  


...That&rsquo;s hard to say, for when you lose customers it costs 5 times as much to win them back and I am not sure that Starbucks has the marketing smarts to do that anymore.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Employees First</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Business in the 21st Century</category><dc:date>2008-06-28T12:52:22-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/07d61d2b8b8ff041602b7384404a2649-59.html#unique-entry-id-59</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/07d61d2b8b8ff041602b7384404a2649-59.html#unique-entry-id-59</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have always believed that the better you treat your employees the better they will treat you, but just look what has happened over the last decade;


...These cubes offer little in the way of privacy are small and have led to the anti-cubicle culture made famous by &ldquo;Dilbert&rdquo;.


-Companies continue with small raises, anywhere from 2-5%, while executives get boatloads of stock grants, options and bonus money.


-Telecommuting is still a rarity because employers think that we are getting over on them even though the price of gas is approaching $6.00 a gallon.


...Now most would say that the CEO has an obligation to shareholders and that is true but I would argue that the first obligation is to employees.  ...  You bet it will yet senior executives are too entrenched in corporate politics to think about putting employees first most of the time.


When I walk into a cube farm I often think that there is no better way for one to lose ones dignity.    Sure you can &ldquo;nest&rdquo; a little bit in the cube but think of it: we go to college for four years and then to graduate school.    We get a job that we really want and then one day we find ourselves in a cube, with back-to-back meetings, and getting reviewed based upon what others think of us rather than meeting business and customer needs.  

...Businesses in this country will start to realize that they had better take care of their employees first so that they can keep the good people happy which contributes to the overall health of the organization and company.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Team building events suck</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Work can really suck</category><dc:date>2008-06-27T14:00:21-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/a7672df65d9cb99d7ab38f2741d69a70-58.html#unique-entry-id-58</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/a7672df65d9cb99d7ab38f2741d69a70-58.html#unique-entry-id-58</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There are some people that I work with that I really like,  but over the course of my career I have learned to be very cautious about who I call "friend".   I have had people stab me in the back to get ahead and have had a lot of people take credit for the work that I did. ...  But managers still feel that we need to go offsite and spend 8 hours together and that will make a cohesive team. 

...I have managed people before and they always like the way I manage them. 

...Understand that peoples lives do not rotate around work and other personal issues may sometime take up work time.


...Hold them accountable for their work but remember a good manager takes all of the blame and none of the credit.


...Understand that risk may sometime lead to failure but learn to manage the risk and reward those who are willing to take a chance.


...During the spring and summer don't be afraid to tell people to go home early and enjoy the day. 

...Always coach them but remember that sometimes they are going to need to fall off the bike in order to learn how to ride it.


...Yet you would be surprised how many people can't learn this and would rather spend money for an off site of team building.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Which path to take?</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Life 101</category><dc:date>2008-06-26T09:49:07-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/dab0d888eb3c6c8c8e51bf80d14bca7f-57.html#unique-entry-id-57</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/dab0d888eb3c6c8c8e51bf80d14bca7f-57.html#unique-entry-id-57</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[However as you rise the ladder within a company you often have to make choices between doing something for politics or doing something because it is the right thing to do.    Over time I have found that there are too many people who appear to choose the wrong path because they either are not willing to stand up for what they believe in, or they are too worried about making waves.    I also know that standing up for what you believe takes a lot of courage and not everyone is passionate about their work as I tend to be.  

...Now, I am not that innocent to think that businesses exist just for their customers, but I always beleived that if you &ldquo;take care of  your customers and they will take care of you&rdquo; .   Companies like Sony and Ford have learned that the hard way and have lost their brand position in the market because they failed to take care of their customers.    Sony thought that their brand equity would see them through anything and along came Apple and caught them napping and took the portable stereo market away right under their eyes.    Ford ignored the fact that people were moving away from SUV&rsquo;s to smaller cars and is now stuck with a business model that relied too heavily on the profits from SUV&rsquo;s.


...There are a lot of people out there, however,  who are only interested in doing what is right for their careers, not their customers.  

...I can tell you that I was very afraid in making the decision to leave but it was as much for me as it was for my patients and customers. ...  Maybe I just believe that there are some businesses out there that are willing to put customers first and reward employees for putting customers first.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Airlines don&#x27;t get it&#x21;</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>I don&#x27;t get it?</category><dc:date>2008-05-30T16:33:22-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/cb64dabebf74654010f44c64317af9fa-56.html#unique-entry-id-56</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/cb64dabebf74654010f44c64317af9fa-56.html#unique-entry-id-56</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[You are treated like cattle and harassed at the security line then you wait at the gate until the cattle call to board and then everyone is out for themselves to ensure they get on so they can hide their baggage.    Forget getting meals anymore if you sit in coach and now they want to charge us for a small bag of peanuts????


Well here&rsquo;s news to the airlines: we would be willing to pay more if you treated us like valuable customers instead of cattle.    One airline, Continental, is still treating their coach passengers like people and for that they will get my business whenever I fly from now on.  

...I believe that enough of us saw that the price of $2.00 gas was only going to be short-lived. ...  The problem with that is that after the 3 years people are either going to turn in their vehicles or go into shock when it costs $100+ to fill their tanks.


...I believe that people would be willing to pay more for a better class of service.  ...  I&rsquo;m talking about appreciating our business by treating us like people and offering us decent food that doesn&rsquo;t make McDonalds look like gourmet food.    I am talking about having enough room to relax and go to sleep and restroom onboard that work and don&rsquo;t smell like a sewer.   

...Travel is going to change and for the better or American airlines will become a thing of the past..and good riddance to them !!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Goodbye to the Clintons</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Politics sucks</category><dc:date>2008-05-25T07:57:00-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/7ed9274a933bbe6cc302900f7c90486e-55.html#unique-entry-id-55</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/7ed9274a933bbe6cc302900f7c90486e-55.html#unique-entry-id-55</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[This is def not the thing someone who is Presidential says in public and it is an embarrassment to everyone around her.  

...The missteps of Mrs Clintons campaign are so huge that one has to wonder how she could manage the biggest economy and defense force in the world.     Mistake after mistake....way to guarded and please ditch the pants suits which make you look like a soccer mom campaigning for a weekend.


...Restoring our military and ensuring that they have the right equipment to do the job this nations asks of them.


...Letting those who commit crimes against us and our people that we will hunt them down to the ends of the earth and that there is no place to hide.


...Making our enemies aware that we will do what we have to do to safeguard our freedom and ensure stability around the world while not action as the sole world police force.


...This means less blue collar jobs and that our children are going to have to compete for jobs on a global scale.    It means longer hours in school and shorter summer vacations but it also means that America can remain stronger for generations to come.


...We should not expect miracles as Mr Bush and Mr Cheney have both damaged this country a great deal.  ...  Mr MrCain is right to distance himself from this administration and I believe someone with his military background would make a great commander in chief.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Give our GI&#x27;s a thank you for what they have done</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>It just makes sense</category><dc:date>2008-05-26T07:49:01-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/59164e93cf3ccbb70cb3e5d95f80c49b-54.html#unique-entry-id-54</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/59164e93cf3ccbb70cb3e5d95f80c49b-54.html#unique-entry-id-54</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The House passed it by a veto-proof margin this month, and last week the Senate followed suit, approving it as part of a military financing bill for Iraq and Afghanistan.


...Their bill would pay full tuition and other expenses at a four-year public university for veterans who served in the military for at least three years since 9/11.


...Bill would be as generous as the one enacted for the veterans of World War II, which soon became known as one of the most successful benefits programs &mdash; one of the soundest investments in human potential &mdash; in the nation&rsquo;s history.


...They would prefer that college benefits for service members remain just mediocre enough that people in uniform are more likely to stay put.


They have seized on a prediction by the Congressional Budget Office that new, better benefits would decrease re-enlistments by 16 percent, which sounds ominous if you are trying &mdash; as Mr. ...  McCain are &mdash; to defend a never-ending war at a time when extended tours of duty have sapped morale and strained recruiting to the breaking point.   Their reasoning is flawed since the C.B.O. has also predicted that the bill would offset the re-enlistment decline by increasing new recruits &mdash; by 16 percent. 

...But as a long-term investment in human capital, in education and job training, there is no good argument against an expanded, generous G.I. 

...Congress should forcefully show how wrong he is by overriding his opposition and spending the money &mdash; an estimated $52 billion over 10 years, a tiniest fraction of the ongoing cost of Mr. 

...It's time to show them we can spend a small portion of our defense budget for their well being after their service. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Learning the hard way..from history</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Politics sucks</category><dc:date>2008-04-28T09:16:17-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/619cb969345d492384790f2aedd7dc3b-53.html#unique-entry-id-53</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/619cb969345d492384790f2aedd7dc3b-53.html#unique-entry-id-53</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As our military is withdrawn from Iraq a lot of money will be pumped into the defense department to modernize the military and repair the damage from the Iraq campaign. ...  Our current military is modeled after an outdated world and once again call for the elimination of the "different branches of service" to one military that can rapidly deploy or respond as needed with a CLEAR military objective in mind. 


...Companies get stronger after layoffs but what really upsets me is that some companies do this just to please the street with no strategy on how to increase sales.   Often it is the people lower on the totem pole who pay the price for senior executives bad decisions and that it's time to hold them accountable with a boot and no golden parachute.


These are just some of the issues the next President is going to have to tackle and no matter what he, or she, does it will not mean a thing without the approval of Congress and The House. ...  I don't believe that Mr Obama has the experience to deal with career politicians, Mr McCaine does not have enough experience in domestic policy, especially on the economic side but a strong cabinet can aid him in this gap.   Ms Clinton is a career poltician who has the knowledge to twist elbows and bring people to the table but if she gets in office the GOP may decide to do the same thing to her that they did to Bill..attack..attack and attack some more.


...While his morals are in question I believe that most people feel that getting "oral" from an intern was between him and his wife and none of the business of anyone else. 

...Obama is riding a wave of change with no substence and if the poltical process of a democracy is strong we will see him exposed for what he really is or is not.   The more things change the more they stay the same no matter who is sitting in the oval office but someone who can truly unite and lead may do much to get people to come into the light from the dark that the media loves to scare us with.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Lenders trying to shake responsibility</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>I don&#x27;t get it?</category><dc:date>2008-04-28T09:09:19-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/db5018e4993dd3bd51407e3c16a78957-51.html#unique-entry-id-51</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/db5018e4993dd3bd51407e3c16a78957-51.html#unique-entry-id-51</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The lenders are now saying that the increase in paperwork would result in higher costs and as the additional regulations of ensuring people can qualify for loans would mean that a lot of people would not get loans. ...  Excuse me but isn't the lenders who are partially responsible for creating this mess by giving mortgages to people who could not afford them?   How about ensuring that nobody gets a mortgage when their payment is more than 40% of their take home pay.   How about not counting on employee bonuses when calculating if someone can afford a home because bonuses are not guaranteed? 


If you listen to the smart economists they are all saying the same thing: the housing market will come back and people should be willing to ride out the storm. 

...They want to continue to make bad loans because frankly that's where the money is.   The same for the credit card companies who are fighting new rules and regulations around new disclosure statements for cardholders. 


When someone signs on the dotted line they need an explanation of just what they are getting into.   This is especially true when it comes to mortgages because at closing you usually spend an hour or so signing your life away.   We need to ensure that people who want to live the American dream can afford the American dream because when they reach too far for that star the crash can effect all of us.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Out of work is something I hope nobody else ever experiences</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Life 101</category><dc:date>2008-03-31T18:24:22-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/87ba4e37f2fa0f3bbc0004e29b673c74-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/87ba4e37f2fa0f3bbc0004e29b673c74-50.html#unique-entry-id-50</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I was laid off from work in the late 90's when the company that I was working for was acquired by another company in the Midwest.    I had just moved to Florida and gave up a great job with a consumer electronics company in New Jersey to take the job in Gainesville and I found myself out of work in a town that didn't have many employers.    When you lose your job this way you feel worthless and when you send out resumes only to have business colleges turn a cold shoulder to you things can go from bad to worse really quickly.


It took me over 6 months to find another job and I had to relocate back to the Northeast, at my own expense, to take the lateral position.    To this day the bitterness is still with me and I have come to the realization that we are nothing more than number on a balance sheet.    While CEO's ruin companies and then leave with multimillion dollar packages middle managers, like myself, continue to work and hope that we can gain enough skills to make us employable at other companies.


I went back to school 6 years ago and earned my MBA in Internet Marketing and I continue to stay on top of all the latest trends and skills needed to make me valuable to potential employers.    Although at times I can be bitter at "corporate America" I realize that it's a companies job to make money and good returns for investors.  

...For those of you reading this BLOG I hope you never experience being out of work.    It is a horrible thing to go through and really makes you question your self-worth.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Sex and politicans</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Politics sucks</category><dc:date>2008-03-16T14:12:33-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/05fb6dfa440941dc56cfee45dcad89a9-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/05fb6dfa440941dc56cfee45dcad89a9-48.html#unique-entry-id-48</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Now there are a lot of reasons why men stray outside a relationship for sex.   First, a lot of married people do not communicate their sexual needs and wants to their partners thus they go unfulfilled.   Second, men can separate the act of getting laid from love.   Men can basically have sex with anything with a pulse and then pack up and go home.   When we see a nice looking lady we naturally try to think what she would like naked.   To do this is natural but there is a huge difference between thinking she would be great in bed and taking action on it, especially at $5K a pop.


It all comes down to integrity: that which each of us has inside ourselves that allows us to stray or do what is right.   I can look myself in the mirror and know that I have not hurt the one I love most but evidently a lot of other people can rationalize what they did as "no big deal, I just got laid"..too bad their partners don't see it that way]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Take personal responsibility</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Life 101</category><dc:date>2008-03-16T14:08:51-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/f6227b8333f05f52ce4d857caa657ffd-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/f6227b8333f05f52ce4d857caa657ffd-47.html#unique-entry-id-47</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For years, it has spent us into oblivion, mortgaging our future for programs we can't afford, and Americans have happily followed suit, running up credit card bills and home equity loans for things they never should've bought.


...From Eliot Spitzer's alleged hooker craze to the revelation that Arnold Schwarzenegger commutes to work in a large private jet even as he preaches the dangers of carbon dioxide emissions, there's never been a shortage of "do what I say, not what I do" hypocrites in politics.


...Democrats aren't happy that delegates from Florida and Michigan won't be seated at the national convention because those states broke clear party rules. 

...If you want to talk about disenfranchised voters, then let's talk about why just 17 percent of Americans have a positive view of Congress. 

...In the cases of Florida and Michigan, I've patiently listened to all the moving arguments about why there should be a "do-over," but quite honestly, they're not arguments at all. 

...But no matter what you think should happen, you have to admit that Clinton's idea that we should simply count her "wins" in Florida and Michigan is completely ridiculous.


...Last year, when the punishment against Florida was first approved, Donna Brazile, a member of the Democratic National Committee rules panel, said she hoped that the harsh consequences would "send a message to everybody in Florida that we are going to follow the rules." 

...Voters in Florida and Michigan should ask themselves one important question before they blindly follow their party: Why did no one seem to care about "alienating" them last year when the rules were intentionally broken? 

...Florida and Michigan have a golden opportunity to stand up and say enough is enough, to send a message that it's time to not only take responsibility for their actions but for those of our leaders as well.


After all, what would it say about personal responsibility in this country if we allow the two states that broke all the rules to end up having the biggest say of all?]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Time for a change</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Politics sucks</category><dc:date>2008-02-17T18:31:07-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/b3805a4b133ff880913f23f1ae6e28fb-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/b3805a4b133ff880913f23f1ae6e28fb-46.html#unique-entry-id-46</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Now I believe that the Bill Clinton was a good President even though he had personal scruples of a pimp, but still the country did well under his watch.  ...  Mr Cheney is an evil person and although I don't believe that Mr Bush is evil or bad I do believe that he surrounded himself with buffoons and as a result he will go down as one of the worst Presidents this country has ever had.


...However he seems to be a little bit short on substance and I would like to hear more about his ideas when we are facing a record deficit and a war in which we can't win.   ...  That's $9 billion that cannot be accounted for and seems to have just disappeared while the people in New Orleans are living in contaminated trailers.  


So when you get tired of the same ol same ol you look to change and the young people in this country believe that Mr Obama is the man.  ...  That jury is still out but this country is so screwed up now it is going to take one hell of a leader to bring us together and make the tough choices that need to be made to get us back on track.


...I like Mr McCain but I am concerned that he will bow too much to the right wing of the party to get their endorsements.    The fact that Rush hates him is a positive in my book but still he wants to keep troops in Iraq possibly for the next "100 years".     A military victory is possible in Iraq in the short term but this area has been fighting for hundreds and thousands of years.  ...  We don't belong in the area until the people of these countries want peace and are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to win peace.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Greed is not good Mr Gekko</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Life 101</category><dc:date>2008-01-16T06:08:41-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/9b092bba3baf7b9ca4762e0faa021159-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/9b092bba3baf7b9ca4762e0faa021159-45.html#unique-entry-id-45</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Who wouldn't want to be a CEO of a major company today?    No matter how many bad decisions you make or what effect you have on shareholder value you are ensured of leaving with a package that is worth millions of dollars, sometimes hundreds of millions of dollars.    The executives who made these bad decisions should be shown he door without any parachutes...just leave you're fired !


The reason that the subprime housing mess started in the first place as greed.    Greed by investment arms of banks anxious to package these and sell them off in bundles fueled more companies to make more loans to people who obviously should not have been given loans.    These people now are walking away from their properties losing equity and the dream that one day they could own their own house.    It's enough to make you sick.


Congress, instead of looking at steroids in baseball, needs to investigate the whole subprime mess and hold those accountable criminally liable.    That is an issue that affects us all not athletes who bulk up on injections.    It seems that Gordon Geko from the movies Wall Street was wrong; greed is not good !]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Men and woman ARE different</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Relationships</category><dc:date>2008-01-06T11:34:43-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/972f8bca071475c4160bbb51290def03-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/972f8bca071475c4160bbb51290def03-44.html#unique-entry-id-44</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Now if your a woman reading this you may have seen a cute guy at a bar, restaurant or work and wondered why he never asked you out.    You probably start to internalize and think that you need to go to the gym to lose more weight or that you're not his type.  ...  Rejection is a fear that has a powerful inhibitor and a lot of men don't like to deal with the consequences.  


On the other side of the coin, if a woman asks a guy out is she being too forward ?  ...  It's not like you are going to go to bed with him right away it's just let me see if he a decent guy and get to know him.    Yes men think with their zippers but as we get older we realize that there is more to relationships than sex.    It's sharing the ups and downs on the path of life..it's having someone to hang with and watch movies and eat a pizza..it's taking trips to get away and it's waking up next to someone with whom you are sharing life.  

...Now here's another myth that I going to dispel for women: although guys read magazines like Playboy we realize that these "perfect" women have had a lot of help with the airbrush.  ...  If a man wants a woman with big breasts then he is not ready for a relationship he is only interested in superficial things and you should stay away from him.    Eventually men will realize that women are different from them and they will also see that accepting people for what they are, not what we want them to be, is the most important aspect of any relationship.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Iowa does not represent the country</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Politics sucks</category><dc:date>2008-01-05T07:59:21-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/388ccb3accb11947c05099e707791357-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/388ccb3accb11947c05099e707791357-43.html#unique-entry-id-43</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Mr Huckabee will not be the Republican nominee for President.   He has too many skeletons in the closet, is a Bapist minister and has too many conservative core beliefs that go against the political mainstream.   I think that the vote for Mr Huckabee in Iowa was not so much a vote for him but a vote against the negative attack ads run by Mitt Rominey.


Now to Mr Obama.   Let me start by saying that this man scares the shit out of me.   Here we have a candidate that has done absolutely NOTHING in his career and wants to enter the political arena as the leader of the most powerfule country on earth at a time when the world is a hell of a lot more dangerous then it was before Mr Bush took office.   Again the vote for Mr Obama was not so much a vote for him but a vote for "politicians" like Hillary. 


Iowans wanted to show the country that they were different but in reality all they showed was how irrelevent they are.   In two weeks they will be all but forgotten and for good reason it is a rural state that prefers to keep quiet except every 4th year when candidates come to their state to spend money]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Why music sucks today</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>I don&#x27;t get it?</category><dc:date>2007-12-27T15:55:56-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/878733800069574b3ba82c2715ec2838-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/878733800069574b3ba82c2715ec2838-42.html#unique-entry-id-42</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For those of you born in the 70's the 60's were a wonderful time time in America.  ...  You could buy a stereo LP for $3.99 and rushing to the record store to buy new releases was the rule of the day.    But the great thing about this music was that you could put on an album and listen to it from cover to cover and realize that every track was great.    Now, with iTunes, people can purchase the few songs they like from CD's and frankly that's one of the reasons that iTunes is so successful.


I still remember the first time I heard Jimi Hendrix's first album with the songs like Hey Joe and Purples Haze.    That album blew me away and to date there is nobody who can play the guitar like that.  ...  Well my opinion is that the music business became "big business" and rather than support musicians they decided to develop packaged products with choreographed dancers and a light show to highlight the performances.    My brother who spent a lot of time in the music business recently commented that the Grammy awards was a big yawn as again corporate America puts its spin on the business.  


There is a lot of great music out there if one knows where to look that is being overlooked by classic rock stations.    The music back then was great and it was free...or maybe we were just young and free...free of the burdens of getting older paying bills and trying to live at a time when there is no time to do anything that we like anymore.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Bring families closer together</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Life 101</category><dc:date>2007-12-24T13:47:07-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/20ef3b440ccad2cdf96ecdc76de31fe3-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/20ef3b440ccad2cdf96ecdc76de31fe3-41.html#unique-entry-id-41</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[My mother and father passed away these past years and every time a holiday comes around I am reminded of those days back home around the dinner table with family.  ...  I was lucky because in those days very few women worked and my mother was a stay at home mom.    My uncle and grandmother would usually come over and soon there would be house full of people watching TV, talking politics and opening presents.  ...  I can now understand as the years passed why my dad would become down this time of year...without family Christmas was never the same.


I believe that we all work too much and spending one, two or three weekends with our family is not enough.    I love to have my in-laws over to visit and open some nice bottles of wine to share over dinner.  ...  In this way I am lucky as well and I often wish that there were a lot more days like this.     Our jobs have taken us 2000 miles away from our in-laws and that's too bad because I enjoy sharing my wine with them.  ...  When the come back it's always good to be home but those memories will be with them a lot more as they get older...trust me on that.


...I am reminded that it's not so much what the holiday means as much as what it means to each of us.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>John Edwards is not MY politican</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Politics sucks</category><dc:date>2007-12-23T16:05:45-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/c42626659464d49a57edbbcc6f750fa7-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/c42626659464d49a57edbbcc6f750fa7-40.html#unique-entry-id-40</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Edwards became one of America's wealthiest trial lawyers by winning record jury verdicts and settlements in cases alleging that the botched treatment of women in labor and their deliveries caused infants to develop cerebral palsy, a brain disorder that causes motor function impairment and lifelong disability.   Although he was involved in other types of personal injury litigation, Edwards specialized in infant cerebral palsy and brain damage cases during his early days as a trial lawyer and with the Raleigh, N.C., firm of Edwards & Kirby.   Edwards has repeatedly told campaign audiences that he fought on behalf of the common man against the large insurance companies.   But a political critic with extensive knowledge of Edwards' legal career in North Carolina told CNSNews.com a different story. 


"Edwards always helped the little guy as long as he got a million dollars out of it," said the source, who did not want to be identified according to CBS News.   So one has to wonder if Mr Edwards would be willing to support legislation that would limit attorney caps on award settlements against pharmaceutical companies so that the people in class action suits could get more than just enough cash for a week or two?   Of course not. 


Mr Edwards is an angry man who has nothing better to do than to run for office full well knowing that he has a snowball's chance in hell of winning the nomination.    He is therefore a fraud in my opinion so before he can pretend to be "one of us" I suggest that he go back to hi s multimillion dollar lifestyle and spend the money that he took from his clients pockets.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A New Years resolution? Bullshit &#x21;&#x21;</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Life 101</category><dc:date>2007-12-22T06:59:29-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/7fe9a6c2ff06a6313125dae6f06b5b8b-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/7fe9a6c2ff06a6313125dae6f06b5b8b-39.html#unique-entry-id-39</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[When I do get angry I try and understand "why" the persons did what they did to make me angry and then look for some way to modify their, or my, behavior.    As I get older I also try and treat people the way that I would want to be treated.   To be the best thing I can do for others is to make them smile and make them feel good about themselves...that is the best gift of all.    Since I work in healthcare I also try to remind people that the reason we are here is to make life easier for people who are not as healthy as us.


As I get older I have also found that it takes 3 weeks to lose 5 pounds and it seems like 1 day to gain it all back.    For this reason I go to the gym at least 5 times a week for 25 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weights.    I do it for myself and my wife because I want to enjoy life as I get older and don't want to worry about potential health issues that I can control.    Sure it's easy to be a couch potato but this is something that I owe myself and want to do.    I don't need a new years resolution to say that I am going to lose more weight and get in shape.  

...So as we move forward with another year I promise to continue to make more people smile and feel good about themselves.  ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A good man is hard to find but a hard man is good to find &#x21;</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Relationships</category><dc:date>2007-12-20T16:28:44-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/434fa42476ede59a05fbdf6c1fabb77b-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/434fa42476ede59a05fbdf6c1fabb77b-38.html#unique-entry-id-38</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[In the Woody Allen movie Manhattan Woody and Diane Keaton are on their first date and as they walk down the street Woody tells Diane that he wants to kiss her.  ...  He replies.."well look this is our first date and later after we eat I'll have to decide when to make the first move and this way we kiss, get it out of the way and digest our food better".  

...The problem with that is that once you have spent some time naked the hard part of the relationship comes; getting to know one another and deciding if you want to spend some of your life getting to know the sweaty person panting next to you.    You see we spend so much time on mind games trying to get each other into bed that somewhere we don't get to really know one another.  ...  A relationship is like two overlapping circles; the part that overlaps is the part where you share each others feelings, physical enjoyment (SEX) and spend time together but the part of the circles that doesn't overlap is the you.  

...Sex should get better as you get more comfortable with each others bodies and communicating what you like and don't like.    Remember as you enter a serious relationship you will not see another person naked and that is especially true when you get married.    Some people are good in bed together others are not and frankly the sex has to be good because life is too short not to have as many orgasms as humanly possible.


...Yes even I lust for women I see but the difference between maturity and a child is knowing when to act and when to keep it zippered.    In the end what goes around comes around and everything happens for the best...of course that may not be easy to see all the time but we should never stop giving because of a couple of jerks.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Put down the damn cellphone please</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Life 101</category><dc:date>2008-06-27T06:29:00-07:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/ca9db5d20f51a05c06f15b1506296e5c-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/ca9db5d20f51a05c06f15b1506296e5c-37.html#unique-entry-id-37</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have an Apple iPhone which I use for personal contacts but when I get home it goes on the charging dock and I don't answer it.   If someone wants to reach me they can call me at home and when I leave work I try and leave work.    There are times when we are all under a deadline and have to work until all hours or early in the morning but for most the bullshit it can wait.    When you are texting your girlfriend or wife instead of talking to her you know you have a problem.  


It got to the point in my house where my wife and I would check our eMails first thing in the morning.    Since my wife has European contacts and they are 10 hours ahead of us this sounds reasonable but for me I do it only to ensure that when I get to work there won't be any fires to put out first thing in the morning.    I have since learned to use the "out of office" assistant and tell people that I will not be checking eMail when I go on vacation or take personal days.    Still you would not believe the number of people who expect information while you are on a cruise, swimming in the ocean or getting naked with your significant other.


...Turn of the PDA and cell phones when you are going out with your romantic partner.    Put them away in a draw with the power off when you want to make love and learn to live life to the fullest instead of living life for work.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Some ideas for Christmas gifts from the heart</title><dc:creator>rmeyer52@mac.com</dc:creator><category>Life 101</category><dc:date>2007-12-19T08:28:45-08:00</dc:date><link>http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/0d79a5b91729fc9ae4831b34b2e1873e-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.richsblog.com/public_html/files/0d79a5b91729fc9ae4831b34b2e1873e-36.html#unique-entry-id-36</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Tell her to pack light because a smile is the only thing you want her to wear during the weekend.


-A night out with "da girls":  Get a gift certificate to her favorite bar or restaurant and tell her then when you go into your cave she can use the certificate for a night out with the girls so they can talk trash about men all night.


-One free "I'm sorry for being an idiot card": We all make mistakes and let her know that if she hurts you and says something that she regrets then she can redeem this card and it will be as if it never happened.


...-The big bow: Get naked and wrap yourself in a ribbon with a big bow and tell him that his present is under the bow.


-A customized jersey: If he is into football or baseball get him a customized jersey with his name and age on it.  

...-One night of talking dirty: men love it when women talk dirty and with this certificate you can be his love "wench".


-Dance lessons: A lot of men don't like to dance because they just don't know how to and we feel like a spas when we go on the dance floor. 

...- A soft porn DVD: OK most men like porn and there are now a bunch of soft porn DVD's that are meant for couples.    They actually have a story line and are not as graphic with people that are actually attractive and intelligent.


See there are a lot of things that you can give that say "together we are a greater sum of the parts but once in awhile I know that your circle needs to overlap my needs".  ]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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