Okay, my first week in LA and I have a celebrity sighting to report. I was invited to attend a presentation by renowned homeopathic/naturopathic healer, Malcolm Smith. The event was being held at the home of an Acupuncturist and her husband in the old, ritzy section of Hollywood. One of the guys at the office was helping to host, and he invited a bunch of us along. The promise of dinner (and lack of a social life) prompted me to accept. I am not normally a passionista about homeopathic healing, but the subject sounded interesting. It was going to be a video presentation of some "before and afters" of his patients. Amazing was the word being bandied about. Okay, I am up for amazing, plus I had nothing planned that weekend.
On the way over, my co-worker casually mentioned that "Bonnie" would be there. I asked "which Bonnie?", and he answered, "Bonnie Rait". How cool is that? We got there early, because one thing is certain in SoCal...the parking will be horrendous. We found a tiny spot and wedged his Corolla in tightly. The host and hostess had turned an old school into their home, and the living room was now the presentation hall. Very nice. Bonnie came early and was very friendly, chatty and very much the personality she appears to be on TV, at concerts, etc. She brought her assistant and her blind tea cup poodle.
Dr. Malcolm (as he likes his patients to call him) was genuinely amazing. I believe there are mentally ill people that have physical ailments because of their mental state. He can help them. Not sure I buy completely into his methodology and antidotes, but the transformations in people were astounding. One psychopath changes before your very eyes into a normal, approachable, and much more handsome guy. I think his best results were on the clinically depressed.
Here is how it goes...remember, I am not a firm believer in this, but should report it to you all to judge for yourself. The newest homeopathic methodology involves categorizing humans into 1 of 3 buckets...Animal, plant, and mineral. In each of those categories, based on your description of yourself (through a series of questions), Dr. Malcolm can determine what type of animal, plant or mineral you are. There in lies the treatment as well. Your imbalance in health (physiological and mental) lies in the fact that the characteristics you are displaying need to be counter-acted by the same type of animal, plant or mineral. Basically restoring your balanced self. I know, sounds confusing. Let's take the psychopath we mentioned earlier...this guy basically was exhibiting characteristics of Nazi-ism and Adolph Hitler. Those characteristics map to the plant family...a particular type of fungus or mushroom. So the treatment is more of that mushroom. A tincture is made of that fungi and given to the "patient". Within 24 hours, if the treatment is a "match", there should be signs of improvement. Within 6 months, there should be drastic if not complete healing...and there was. You could see the lines on his face soften with each recording. The language, the achievement, the loss of physiological symptoms, the smiles, the amazement of friends, family and colleagues...all from a couple of drops of mushroom tonic. Mushroom cancels mushroom. I started wondering if he could heal me of my Type II diabetes, my high blood pressure and my sleep apnea...but it is hard to justify the $1500 consultation. But I do wonder what type of animal I am...oh yea, I am an animal. I married a plant though...ha!
I move into my new bachelor pad in Marina Del Rey, 1 block from famed Venice Beach. I have a nice studio apartment, but the rent is sky high! This weekend is SuperBowl, I will spend it with a friend in Malibu...I guess he lives right on the beach. Nice life...
I was also invited to a gallery opening...wow, making the social scene in LA. The artist is an awesome photographer. He will be exhibiting a new series of shots taken in China while on assignment. Check him out...Stephen Wilkes.
Chow!
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Kenya Update
All the horrible news coming out of Kenya has me worried for the orphans and staff of Ring Road and the new works in Mombassa, Malindi and Eldoret. Eldoret was our latest project, with about 388 orphans needing sponsorship. On our visit to Eldoret in July, we were expecting to meet 17 orphans...we were surprised by the large group. We had promised support to the 17 only, and increased that count to 30. After returning to the US, we ended up supporting close to 100 or more, with that number growing every week.
Currently Eldoret and Mt. Elgon are experiencing the most horrific violence and effects of the violence. You have to remember that most Africans rely on gathering food and fuel on a daily basis. With the curfews, looting, killing, gang activity it is nearly impossible to find food. Unscrupulous business people with food and water have found they can double, triple and quadurple prices during the strife. The roads are so bad anyway, but now with rival tribes setting up roadblocks no humanitarian aid can get through.
We lost communication contact with our workers in Eldoret for a while, but now that e-mail link has been re-established...with almost daily bad news I am not sure that was a blessing or not! I can't really mean that.
Thank God that most of our kids and staff are safe, being fed, and can still find hope in the darkest of situations. The stress the staff are going through is taking a toll. They will need a vacation when this blows over. We had one staff member, Thomas take a beating for saving an orphan from being burned alive. In the process he had his valuables stolen. His father-in-law was killed. Other that this bad news, we don't know of any other direct victims. Jared, our intrepid leader in Kisumu has been caring for not only the Ring Road kids and staff, but the commuity as well. He took a credit line out and bought a large quantity of corn for the surrounding community. The church and school are the beacon in that slum. He even risked his life to take money to Kitale, Eldoret, and Malindi...traveling on his own dime and again stretching his credit line to get bare essentials for thousands of people...Kikuyu or Luo.
What would I do in that situation? I wonder that often...what kind of servant would I be?
What to do? Pray for peace, understanding, forgiveness. When I hear some of the chilling stories of neighbor on neighbor violence I wonder how forgiveness will happen. Only through the grace of God...but too many of us aren't counting on that...we would rather take our own vengeance, and exact our own retribution.
To think that the tribal conflicts are based on an arbitrary assignment of class by the British colonials...they needed domestic help, so they enlisted the Kikuyus because they happened to be closest to the settlements. When the Brits left, they handed over many of the civil service, merchant, and white collar jobs to the Kikuyus. Same thing happened in Rwanda with the Tutsis and the Hutus...that one is even more bizarre...the best jobs in Rwanda were given to the tribe that had lighter skin...what a crock! Amazing what colonialism has accomplished over the past couple hundred years. I know that is a tough stance to take, but I look at the results and it bothers me.
The best way to help...Go to http://www.christianrelieffund.org/ and send in a donation...if you mark the donation "for Kenyan Relief", 100% of the money donated will go to Africa...zero administration costs. The need is immediate and is the fastest way to get aid to those in peril. The real risks are starving and disease. Please help.
Chow
Currently Eldoret and Mt. Elgon are experiencing the most horrific violence and effects of the violence. You have to remember that most Africans rely on gathering food and fuel on a daily basis. With the curfews, looting, killing, gang activity it is nearly impossible to find food. Unscrupulous business people with food and water have found they can double, triple and quadurple prices during the strife. The roads are so bad anyway, but now with rival tribes setting up roadblocks no humanitarian aid can get through.
We lost communication contact with our workers in Eldoret for a while, but now that e-mail link has been re-established...with almost daily bad news I am not sure that was a blessing or not! I can't really mean that.
Thank God that most of our kids and staff are safe, being fed, and can still find hope in the darkest of situations. The stress the staff are going through is taking a toll. They will need a vacation when this blows over. We had one staff member, Thomas take a beating for saving an orphan from being burned alive. In the process he had his valuables stolen. His father-in-law was killed. Other that this bad news, we don't know of any other direct victims. Jared, our intrepid leader in Kisumu has been caring for not only the Ring Road kids and staff, but the commuity as well. He took a credit line out and bought a large quantity of corn for the surrounding community. The church and school are the beacon in that slum. He even risked his life to take money to Kitale, Eldoret, and Malindi...traveling on his own dime and again stretching his credit line to get bare essentials for thousands of people...Kikuyu or Luo.
What would I do in that situation? I wonder that often...what kind of servant would I be?
What to do? Pray for peace, understanding, forgiveness. When I hear some of the chilling stories of neighbor on neighbor violence I wonder how forgiveness will happen. Only through the grace of God...but too many of us aren't counting on that...we would rather take our own vengeance, and exact our own retribution.
To think that the tribal conflicts are based on an arbitrary assignment of class by the British colonials...they needed domestic help, so they enlisted the Kikuyus because they happened to be closest to the settlements. When the Brits left, they handed over many of the civil service, merchant, and white collar jobs to the Kikuyus. Same thing happened in Rwanda with the Tutsis and the Hutus...that one is even more bizarre...the best jobs in Rwanda were given to the tribe that had lighter skin...what a crock! Amazing what colonialism has accomplished over the past couple hundred years. I know that is a tough stance to take, but I look at the results and it bothers me.
The best way to help...Go to http://www.christianrelieffund.org/ and send in a donation...if you mark the donation "for Kenyan Relief", 100% of the money donated will go to Africa...zero administration costs. The need is immediate and is the fastest way to get aid to those in peril. The real risks are starving and disease. Please help.
Chow
Moving to LA
What a whirlwind month...I resigned from my old job as a consumer strategist in the food and beverage world to take an operations job with a new beverage company. Leaving was tough, because I absolutely loved helping my clients with consumer and branding issues, and the value I was adding was clearly measurable and appreciated by the clients.
I tried to leave under the best of circumstances. I made it fairly easy on my old company...I waited until they had adequate resources to backfill me, I kept great files and records, and I kept my expenses up to date. What I didn't expect was a nasty certified letter from the CEO accusing me of violating my non-disclosure and non-compete (while I was still an employee)! Seems impossible...but the threatening tone just pissed me off. I fired off a rebuttal, and haven't heard a thing. I don't think they have a leg to stand on, but the bitterness of their tone was unexpected. We shall see what they intend to do.
The new job has a whole new series of challenges. I will be heading up operations for a small health beverage company. The person I replaced may not have been the best ops choice for a new company. Looks like systems, processes, specs and cost containment are my first order of business. I will be looking for a good ops analyst and QA head first up. Know of any good candidates you can send my way?
The new job required me to relocate temporarily to LA...West LA to be specific. I drove down in a downpour and my new colleagues blamed me for bringing Seattle weather to LA. It has been cold and rainy all week! I will be in LA for 3 months, and then will split time between Seattle and LA for the rest of the year. If it works out, that will be the solution until my youngest gets out of HS...and then the dreaded relo question comes up.
My temporary digs are at Marina Del Rey...nice, near Venice Beach and the canals. I need to find a different apartment that is less expensive...this one is $3000 a month!
I am excited about the change, the challenge and the company. More details to follow!
Chow!
I tried to leave under the best of circumstances. I made it fairly easy on my old company...I waited until they had adequate resources to backfill me, I kept great files and records, and I kept my expenses up to date. What I didn't expect was a nasty certified letter from the CEO accusing me of violating my non-disclosure and non-compete (while I was still an employee)! Seems impossible...but the threatening tone just pissed me off. I fired off a rebuttal, and haven't heard a thing. I don't think they have a leg to stand on, but the bitterness of their tone was unexpected. We shall see what they intend to do.
The new job has a whole new series of challenges. I will be heading up operations for a small health beverage company. The person I replaced may not have been the best ops choice for a new company. Looks like systems, processes, specs and cost containment are my first order of business. I will be looking for a good ops analyst and QA head first up. Know of any good candidates you can send my way?
The new job required me to relocate temporarily to LA...West LA to be specific. I drove down in a downpour and my new colleagues blamed me for bringing Seattle weather to LA. It has been cold and rainy all week! I will be in LA for 3 months, and then will split time between Seattle and LA for the rest of the year. If it works out, that will be the solution until my youngest gets out of HS...and then the dreaded relo question comes up.
My temporary digs are at Marina Del Rey...nice, near Venice Beach and the canals. I need to find a different apartment that is less expensive...this one is $3000 a month!
I am excited about the change, the challenge and the company. More details to follow!
Chow!
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Obama or Hillary
Many of you don't know me well enough to understand my political leanings, so I will tell you that I have been a solid Republican since I turned 18 and could vote (haven't missed a Presidential election). I have voted that way for almost 30 years...but after the past 7 years, my disgust and wretching over the current administration (and my powerless apathy towards him) has me looking for...you guessed it, "CHANGE!!!"
I read in an editorial about boomer aged Republicans and Independents leaving in droves and heading to the Obama camp. I believed I was the only one...I feel smarter now. Barack Obama seems to be the one candidate that really believes that he can make change happen in Washington, DC. It might be a pipe dream, but I am willing to invest my one measly vote to see that come true. There is just one problem...I may not get a chance to vote for him if he doesn't win the Democratic Presidential nomination over Hillary Clinton. My dilemna...if Obama wins, I vote Democrat for the first time, if Hillary wins, I will vote for any ol' Republican candidate. That just doesn't seem right to me. Then it dawns on me...voting is personal, it isn't about the issues, it is about the person representing the issues.
I gotta tell you, I truly cannot stand that woman. I have been trying to justify why for a long time, but I think it comes down to one word...TRUST. I don't think I can trust her. I believe all her qualities...experienced, intelligent, funny, clever, quick-witted, charming, the list could go on. I get that. But I also get that forboding feeling in the pit of my stomach...I can't tell when she is putting on an act or when she is being genuine. I just can't tell! Is it important that I tell when she is genuine or not? I think that is the character I am looking for in a President. If it ain't visible, it ain't there.
Here is my other view on this 2-Party election...the difference in where the country SHOULD be on the issues v. the difference between where the two parties ARE on the issues is much greater. For example: where the country should be on an issue like education for children is so very far from where the two parties are dickering that it almost makes no difference. Same with the defense budget, farm bill, Global Warming, dependence on fossil fuels, etc. Splitting political hairs v. making drastic changes necessary isn't worth debating anymore. Both parties are pitifully far away from where we should be as a people. The two groups aren't even that far off on abortion or immigration. So jumping to the democratic side doesn't feel that rebellious or disloyal. It just feels right...but only if Obama is the candidate.
Ramblings of a man hoping desperately that this one candidate, fresh faced, eager, and full of character can really bring about real and necessary change. Corporate America has really done enough...time to let the people rule America.
Go Obama!
Chow!
I read in an editorial about boomer aged Republicans and Independents leaving in droves and heading to the Obama camp. I believed I was the only one...I feel smarter now. Barack Obama seems to be the one candidate that really believes that he can make change happen in Washington, DC. It might be a pipe dream, but I am willing to invest my one measly vote to see that come true. There is just one problem...I may not get a chance to vote for him if he doesn't win the Democratic Presidential nomination over Hillary Clinton. My dilemna...if Obama wins, I vote Democrat for the first time, if Hillary wins, I will vote for any ol' Republican candidate. That just doesn't seem right to me. Then it dawns on me...voting is personal, it isn't about the issues, it is about the person representing the issues.
I gotta tell you, I truly cannot stand that woman. I have been trying to justify why for a long time, but I think it comes down to one word...TRUST. I don't think I can trust her. I believe all her qualities...experienced, intelligent, funny, clever, quick-witted, charming, the list could go on. I get that. But I also get that forboding feeling in the pit of my stomach...I can't tell when she is putting on an act or when she is being genuine. I just can't tell! Is it important that I tell when she is genuine or not? I think that is the character I am looking for in a President. If it ain't visible, it ain't there.
Here is my other view on this 2-Party election...the difference in where the country SHOULD be on the issues v. the difference between where the two parties ARE on the issues is much greater. For example: where the country should be on an issue like education for children is so very far from where the two parties are dickering that it almost makes no difference. Same with the defense budget, farm bill, Global Warming, dependence on fossil fuels, etc. Splitting political hairs v. making drastic changes necessary isn't worth debating anymore. Both parties are pitifully far away from where we should be as a people. The two groups aren't even that far off on abortion or immigration. So jumping to the democratic side doesn't feel that rebellious or disloyal. It just feels right...but only if Obama is the candidate.
Ramblings of a man hoping desperately that this one candidate, fresh faced, eager, and full of character can really bring about real and necessary change. Corporate America has really done enough...time to let the people rule America.
Go Obama!
Chow!
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