The Thought for Wednesday, March 10, 2010 Comes from Warren Buffett:
On Investing: I am a better investor because I am a businessman, and a better businessman because I am an investor. (Ed's Note: To be great at investing you need to be like the businessman and know a good business from a bad one, and when you go to buy a business, you need to be like the smart investor and know whether it is selling cheap or it is overpriced.)
Thanks for Reading My Website
March 10, 2010
Rude Is Indeed Crude
Are Good Manners Part of a Good Education? Absolutely! You Would Have to Be Really Insensitive to Think Otherwise
(Ed's Note: After reading this article by Peaco Todd, I wondered just how much email communication, which is voiceless and faceless, contributes to our willingness to do away with eyeball-to-eyeball contact, and the good manners it generates. People who used to have 5 close friends now have 1. All of the advances in technology are not creating good manners, and are also destroying the English language; you have only to listen to our children and grandchildren speak to know this. Peaco Todd is an affiliate professor for The Union Institute and University's online Bachelor of Arts program. She also is a syndicated cartoonist and author, and writes a football blog for ballhype.com. Find her work at www.peacotoons.com)By Peaco Todd
This really IS about education. Stay with me here. A friend of mine is about to throw herself a lavish 30th birthday bash. She took care of everything: rented a hall, hired a band, sent out evites well head of time, arranged for the caterers and the disco ball, and plans to boogie the night, and her first three decades, away.
What she does not have is a clue about who intends to join her.
That is an exaggeration: she has something of a clue. Many of us have rsvp'd but
some of the invitees simply linger in impenetrable silence despite several
follow-up pleas for a general head count.
Their muteness basically suggests
either: I'm coming but I just don't feel like making the effort to let you know;
or I'm unable to attend but I just don't feel like making the effort to let you
know. Either way, one thing is certain: not responding to an invitation from a
friend is just plain rude.
Of course, these days "rude" is a relative term. Back in the day, when our
society was more homogeneous (at least the prevailing class thereof) the rules
of etiquette were more generally understood—they comprised a language of
inclusion.
The increasing recognition of diverse cultures and their various mores has
changed all that, in my opinion for the good. I am all for widening the range of
what is considered socially acceptable, of looking beyond mannerisms to more
genuine gestures of heart and spirit.
That said, is there something fundamental in what might be deemed "good"
behavior, something that distinguishes superior character, of a person or an
organization, regardless of the influences of money or background? I believe
there is—I believe it has to do with respect.
In Malcolm Gladwell's fascinating
book Outliers: The Story of Success,
he describes an experimental public
school in the South Bronx that, despite seemingly overwhelming disadvantages,
has become notably successful. Entrance to the KIPP Academy (KIPP stands for
"Knowledge is Power Program") is by lottery; residents of the borough are
eligible but there are no entrance exams or other requirements.
A good percentage of this randomly selected student body comes from single-parent low-income families in which nobody has ever gone to college; their home environments are often minimal and their neighborhood dangerous. On the surface this would not seem to be a formula for success but the KIPP Academy turns such a calculation on its head.
The statistics are startling: by the time students reach 8th grade most are
doing well in all their subjects and a staggering 84% are performing above grade
level in math. KIPP students have long school days, substantial homework every
night and most go to college and even beyond.
Hard work, however, is not the real
story. Early on KIPP kids are taught a "protocol known as SSLANT: smile, sit up,
listen, ask questions, nod when being spoken to, and track with your eyes" (p.
251). It is clear that what the KIPP Academy nurtures is a culture of respect.
Students respect their teachers and in turn experience respect—from their
teachers, administrators, fellow students and ultimately for themselves and
their potential. They respect the opportunity they've been given and express
this understanding by working hard, showing up and being present. They respect
what a college degree can mean for them and for their families.
You might say that in terms of their educational experience, KIPP students
have good manners.
One of the several definitions of respect is "to pay due attention". Good
manners are not about knowing what to do with the fish fork or learning how to
fake social graces. At heart, good manners involve looking outward rather than
inward, attempting to understand, and respond to, another's experience.
Respectful behavior is the
opposite of bullying, cheating and entitlement. Good manners embody concern for
the comfort and well being of others. Respect grows from the nurturance of an
appreciative spirit.
Respectful behavior—the skill of paying due attention—can be taught and
encouraged, in the school environment as well as at home. It can become a
foundation for personal power: the power to achieve, to grow, to be a positive
influence.
If it becomes a skill that is valued, then we might see a very different manner of social, and political, discourse. Rudeness might not be tolerated as it is now. Expressions of gratitude might become commonplace.
Companies might consider it important to send at least a polite no-thanks to
applicants instead of dropping their resumes into a black hole of silence.
People might notice, and care more, about each other and about themselves.
Bullying and other forms of persecution might diminish. And my friend would not
be left wondering how many chicken wings to order for her big bash
Point - Sarah Palin and the Mutual Loathing Society (Lessons in Life Section Under Politics)
The Role of Money in America's Economy (Internet Marketing Section Under The Economy)
March 9, 2010
Saint Ann the Advocate:
The Health Care Bill May Become Law Through Reconciliation: What Does It Really Mean Anyway?
(Ed's Note: Passage of the Healthcare Bill by the U. S. Congress may be achieved through a legislative procedure known as "reconciliation", a complicated process that is explained by Ann Pietrangelo, a freelance writer and multiple sclerosis patient advocate. Because of her tireless work, I am giving Ann Pietrangelo an additional name. I am henceforth calling her "Saint Ann the Advocate"—as Ramses the Egyptian pharaoh said, "so it is written, so shall it be"—at least here in Ed Bagley's Articles web site. It is my intention to recognize good works. Her staunch belief in affordable and accessible health care for all fuels her passion for health care reform. My sister Loretta was a victim of multiple sclerosis; this sinister disease so changed her life that she lost hope and committed suicide.)By Ann Pietrangelo
Reconciliation can sound like a dirty word, depending upon whom is doing the
speaking, but the process is nothing new and is certainly not out of the bounds
of normal politics.
Introduced in 1974, the process of reconciliation is used when Congress issues
directives to legislate policy changes in mandatory spending (entitlements) or
revenue programs (tax laws) to achieve the goals in spending and revenue
contemplated by the budget resolution.
Reconciliation was first used in 1980
and at least 22 times since then on a variety of policies including overhauling
the welfare system, and passing several huge tax cuts under George W. Bush. Of
the 22 times reconciliation has been used, 16 were approved by a
Republican-controlled Senate.
Reconciliation and health care have a strong history together. The Consolidated
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), Children's Health Insurance Program
(CHIP), added Medicare benefits for HMOs, added protections for patients in
nursing homes, and changes in the way Medicare pays doctors and other health
professionals all passed through the reconciliation process.
The great health care debate of 2009-2010 encountered many sticking points, with
reconciliation being used as part of reform opponents' scare tactics.
Republicans who previously supported the process of reconciliation, but now cry
foul, say that health care reform is too big of an issue to be passed through
reconciliation and is a threat to the Senate and the American way of life.
One must keep in mind, however, that a health care reform bill has already
passed through the House, and a separate health care reform bill passed the
Senate through the normal channels with a super majority. All that remains is to
merge the two bills, or to have the House vote to pass the Senate bill.
Despite what opponents of reform
would have us believe, what would be passed through the reconciliation process
is a budget fix on legislation that has already been approved. Congress created
reconciliation in the first place in order to deal with exactly this type of
situation.
The Budget Reconciliation Process: Reconciliation is not a required action, but
an optional procedure, beginning with the inclusion of reconciliation
instructions in the budget resolution.
The process begins with a bill containing changes in law recommended pursuant to
reconciliation instructions in a budget resolution. If the instructions pertain
to only one committee in a chamber, that committee reports the reconciliation
bill. If the instructions pertain to more than one committee, the Budget
Committee reports an omnibus reconciliation bill, but it may not make
substantive changes in the recommendations of the other committees.
Under reconciliation, the legislative
process is speeded up, putting a limit of 20 hours on floor debate with no
opportunity for a filibuster. Only a simple majority of 51 votes is needed to
pass.
Motions and amendments may be offered and considered without debate, but
unrelated amendments are prohibited (The Byrd Rule), as are amendments that
would cause the deficit levels to increase.
The Senate Parliamentarian decides any technical disputes over the complex
procedure.
Once a reconciliation bill is passed
in the House and Senate, members of each body meet to work out their
differences. A majority of the conferees on each panel must agree on a single
version of the bill before it can be brought back to the full House and Senate
for a vote on final passage.
Approval of the conference agreement on the reconciliation legislation must
be by a majority vote of both Houses. In the House, the conference report is
usually given a special rule from the Rules Committee to govern floor
consideration. In the Senate, the floor debate is governed by Senate rules and
specific provisions of the Budget Act.
Simple Majority/Super Majority:
Simple majority refers to the majority of all senators in attendance and voting.
A bill can pass with 51 votes if all 100 senators are present. The Vice
President, as President of the Senate, can vote to break a tie. A super majority
is 60 votes—the number of votes needed in the Senate to avoid a filibuster.
Filibuster: When a bill comes up on the Senate floor, debate can go on
indefinitely. A filibuster is when a Senator refuses to yield and prevents a
roll call vote from taking place. The filibuster gives individual senators a lot
of power to delay or block legislation.
Cloture: The only procedure by which the Senate can vote to place a time limit
on consideration of a bill or other matter, and thereby overcome a filibuster.
Under the cloture rule, the Senate may limit consideration of a pending matter
to 30 additional hours, but only by vote of three-fifths of the full Senate,
normally 60 votes.
You can read the complete rules of reconciliation at
February 27, 2010
An Internet Breakthrough:
Discover More About Getting Traffic From Social Media Websites – Put Yourself on the Internet Map Big Time
Copyright © 2010 Ed Bagley
Who doesn't like getting high-quality visitors to their websites? If you own
a website, I know one thing about you—you WANT traffic.
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In fact, FaceBook
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networking site currently on the Internet. Twitter is No. 2 and generates 24
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If you are like most people, there doesn't seem to be enough time in your day to
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