Summa Cum Laude

I was at a dinner the other evening. It wasn't for me but I was there. It was held to honor lots of people who had graduated in the top ten percentile in their college graduation classes. There was  - as expected - a cocktail hour before the dinner and, by chance, a man and his sister came to sit with us at our table. The man admitted he had graduated by the skin of his teeth but he was there as his sister's guest and because he had put a video presentation together for the college. I noted that there were very, very few luminaries among the top ten. They were all successful people but nothing extraordinary. The guy who got the biggest cheers was that man who had sat with us and who probably graduated in the bottom ten percent. It is well-known that many super-successful people are often not the ones who succeed in school. This was no exception. It's not the teachers who matter; it's the pupils. You could name ten or twenty extraordinary historical figures but you could never name who their teachers were. It matters, but not that much. As the 1800 tequila commercial says, "enough said." 

Accidents

According to one very reliable source, these things happen in America every single day: 

240 people die as a result of medical errors 

144 people die as a result of an accident at home 

130 people die as a result of a traffic accident 

110 people die as a result of accidental poisoning 

62 people die as a result of a fall 

49 people die victims of a homicide 

28 people die victims of a drunk driver 

9 people die as a result of drowning 

Maybe we can learn something from these numbers. They say that doctors bury their mistakes so maybe that is still true? Perhaps people should really watch where they are going to avoid being victims of accidents? People should learn how to swim or wear life jackets always? Don't hang around people who might kill you? Don't put strange stuff in your mouth and maybe, just maybe, you won't poison yourself? Nobody dies as a result of starvation so I guess that's a good thing. 

Filling up space and time - part two

I'm writing this just to post something on the first day of the year - that's all. I have my trusty vodka by my side. 

Filling up space and time

I'm just writing this to kill time and fill up some space. It will be the last post of 2013. 2013 was definitely not the best year on record - too many bad things happened. If you keep up with the news, you know what I mean. We didn't find the Forrest Fenn treasure either. 

Africa and other countries

What if every country just retreated back to its borders and decided to mind its own business? What could possibly happen? Every country would be left to figure out its own problems and manage its own prosperity. Yes, there would be plenty of commercial trade but no foreigners would remain in another's country longer than thirty days, even for tourist excursions. What could happen? Weapons would not be allowed to cross borders. Every country would have to manufacture its own weapons if it chose to do so. Defense treaties would be outlawed. Of course, strong, aggressive countries could militarily attack and subjugate other countries but they would themselves be subject to the same actions by other countries. No country would have any legal or moral obligation to step in and defend any other country. What could happen? Would things be worse than they are now? 

LTNs and MTNs

Even though only five or six people will read this, it's worth mentioning. One never knows. Coincidence is one of the secrets of life so, if just by pure dumb chance, the right person were to stumble across this blog post, we could end up with something worthwhile to do. Be that as it may, I have a buyer ready to purchase LTNs (which MUST be on Euroclear) or MTNs. Of course, I am just the intermediary but you cannot get to the buyer without me. Thank you so much. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. 

Treasure in Santa Fe New Mexico

Nobody has said that they have found the Fenn Treasure in New Mexico so I guess there's still time for me to formulate a theory about where it is and go look for it. I just might be right. What have I got to lose? This is NOT breaking news so don't get excited.