Dick Rowland Image ‘Shoots (News, Views and Quotes)’ – Publicly Funded School Vouchers are Available to Few Students In recent history, courts have worked to push religion out of public life. Sectarian institutions, in fact, were admitted to the public square only insofar as they secularized their activities and kept their religion behind closed doors. Consequently, many now fear that publicly funded school choice will undermine religious schools’ missions. However, observers conclude that given the extraordinary hullabaloo surrounding school choice’s recent victory in the Supreme Court, it’s surprising to realize how few choices are actually being made. *Cleveland offers educational vouchers to just over 3,700 of the city’s 75,000 students. *n Milwaukee, 10,739 students — about 10 percent of the city’s schoolchildren — attend a school of their choice with public support. *And in Florida, which maintains the country’s first and only statewide school choice program, only 50 students currently receive vouchers. *All told, the nation’s three publicly funded voucher programs offer educational options to about 0.0003 percent of American students. Both the Cleveland and Milwaukee programs force participating schools to relinquish control of their admissions policies. Admissions decisions must be made by lottery, ensuring nondiscriminatory access. These regulations, and concern about further state intervention in school administration, prompted the Milwaukee Archdiocese to urge 37 parochial schools not to participate in the program. The Wisconsin Evangelical Synod’s 18 parish schools in Milwaukee are not, for the most part, accepting voucher children. In this way, Milwaukee is representative of a larger trend. A 1998 report by the Department of Education found that 46 percent of religious schools in 22 urban areas nationwide would not participate in a school choice program that required a lottery system in admissions. Fully 86 percent of religious schools would refuse to participate in a program that required them to offer exemptions from religious activities. Source: Steven Menashi, “The Church-State Tangle,” Policy Review, August-September 2002, Hoover Institution. For Hoover Institution text https://www.policyreview.org/AUG02/menashi.html For more on Vouchers https://www.ncpa.org/iss/edu – Federal Agencies’ Accounting Would Not be Tolerated in Private Sector Year after year, auditors studying the financial records of federal departments find many of them so disorganized, even chaotic, that the agencies cannot account for tens of billions of dollars. So officials simply enter multibillion-dollar balance adjustments — thereby writing off the money. Mitchell E. Daniels Jr., director of the Office of Management and Budget, has written to Congress that the government’s accounts “would never be tolerated in the private sector,” adding that “repair of a system so badly broken will not happen overnight.” In part to embarrass the agencies, the budget office this year began rating the 24 largest departments — scoring each green, yellow or red. Green indicates that the agency’s financial systems are acceptable, yellow that they are troubled but improving and red that there are serious, chronic problems. *In June, only one agency was rated green — the tiny National Science Foundation. *Twenty were rated red. *In the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2000, the Department of Defense entered unsubstantiated balance adjustments totaling $1.1 trillion — down from $2.3 trillion the previous year. *In addition to Defense, the books of the Agriculture Department, NASA and the Agency for International Development were in such chaos they were not auditable in 2000-2001. The Internal Revenue Service is unable to produce a hard figure for the amount of tax payments due the government — relying instead on a statistical sample of taxes due from which it derives an estimate. All told, for the 2000-2001 fiscal year, the Treasury Department entered a balance deduction from the government’s general fund of $17.3 billion to make up for financial errors throughout the government. Source: Joel Brinkley, “Auditors Say U.S. Agencies Lose Track of Billions,” New York Times, October 14, 2002. For text https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/14/politics/14ACCO.html For more on Government Mismanagement https://www.ncpa.org/iss/gov ‘Roots (Food for Thought)’ – Liberal Academic Shoots Down the Precautionary Principle Author: James M. Taylor Published: The Heartland Institute 07/01/2002 The Precautionary Principle-a popular theory holding that speculative, unproven environmental risks are entitled to primacy in any environmental debate so long as any risks exist-has been harshly criticized in a just-released law and economics paper. While a thoughtful analysis finding fatal flaws in the Precautionary Principle is neither a new development or unique, what makes “Beyond the Precautionary Principle” noteworthy is its author: University of Chicago law professor and prominent liberal theorist Cass Sunstein. Reminiscent of Bjorn Lomborg’s groundbreaking book, The Skeptical Environmentalist, Sunstein’s dismissal of the Precautionary Principle is a dagger in the heart of speculative claims made by left-wing environmental activist groups. Sunstein’s liberal leanings, as well as his academic credentials, are strongly established. He is the Karl. N. Llewellyn Distinguished Service Professor of Jurisprudence in the Law School and Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago. He has taught law at Harvard and Columbia. And, importantly, he has written such articles as “Originalism for Liberals,” “Why We Should Celebrate Paying Taxes,” “The Courts’ Perilous Right Turn,” and “Environmentalism and Economics.” Defining Terms Sunstein begins the paper by clearing up some ambiguities about what the Precautionary Principle means. In its most benign form, some interpret the principle simply to mean “that a lack of decisive evidence of harm should not be a ground for refusing to regulate.” This interpretation basically means that if the evidence is mixed we may still find it desirable to regulate. Such an interpretation reflects common sense. However, environmental activists go much further in defining what the Precautionary Principle requires. According to the widely publicized Wingspread Declaration, from a meeting of environmental activist groups in 1998, “When an activity raises threats of harm to human health or the environment, precautionary measures should be taken even if some cause and effect relationships are not established scientifically.” A quick glance may call to mind the old saying, “better safe than sorry.” But a closer examination of both the declaration’s language and its real-world application show a categorically more intrusive intent. Decision-making Paralysis The Wingspread Declaration of the Precautionary Principle, reasons Sunstein, is undesirable because “the threshold is minimal, and once it is met, there is something like a presumption in favor of stringent regulatory controls.” “The principle is literally paralyzing,” explains Sunstein, “forbidding inaction, stringent regulation, and everything in between.” Such paralysis occurs because all societal decisions, including the decision not to act at all, entail risks of harm. Sunstein offers several illustrations: *The justification for a reduced arsenic level in public drinking water is that by reducing arsenic from 50 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb, over 100 lives per year might be saved. At first blush, the Precautionary Principle would seem to call for the stricter standard, as this would effectuate the principle’s bias toward preserving human health. However, like virtually all decisions, there is a countervailing risk to the stricter standard. As water costs climb due to the added purification steps, rural and poorer citizens will increase the use of free well water. Ironically, by using more well water, these residents will be exposed to higher arsenic levels than if the 50 ppb standard were never abridged. Either decision, therefore, runs afoul of the Precautionary Principle, resulting in a paralysis of decision. *Many environmental activists cite the Precautionary Principle to justify a ban on genetic food enhancements. Even though no adverse effects of genetically enhanced foods have been discovered, such side effects may someday be found. *1. The Precautionary Principle cuts both ways here, too. Genetically enhanced crops are more productive than the crops they replace, resulting in cheaper and more available food. Not allowing biotechnology to advance could cause more malnutrition, malnutrition-related health complications, and even third-world starvation. *2. The Precautionary Principle can be invoked to prevent the low-but-theoretically-possible emergence of adverse human health effects … or to prevent over-regulation of promising new ways to relieve human suffering caused by malnutrition. Once again, the result is a paralysis of decision. * Global warming may occur, resulting in a broad range of potential harms. Here, many environmental activists call for a drastic reduction in the emission of greenhouse gases, pursuant to the Precautionary Principle. However, reducing greenhouse gas emissions would entail stunning economic costs, diverting money from many health programs and putting at risk the lives of countless world citizens. Once again, the Precautionary Principle gives little guidance for policy decision-making. *The use of nuclear power carries with it a small but theoretically possible risk of a plant meltdown and resulting tragedy. According to many environmental activists, the Precautionary Principle therefore prohibits the use of nuclear power. The cost of foregoing nuclear power, though, is greater reliance on fossil fuels, which cause their own environmental harms and pose greater safety risks to workers. The Precautionary Principle can be employed either on behalf of or against nuclear power. Popular in Spite of its Flaws According to Sunstein, there are several reasons why the Precautionary Principle has gained popularity despite its unavoidable contradictions. These include: *Loss aversion. People are more concerned about losing what they have than missing out on what they might potentially gain. By seemingly supporting a presumption in favor of the status quo, the Precautionary Principle is marketed as a form of societal risk aversion. *Visible versus less-visible concerns. The Precautionary Principle is generally invoked to deter high-visibility risks … often at the price of increasing less visible, but equally probable, risks. Even if two hazards pose a similar threat to human life, the one that captures more public concern will be the one defended by proponents of the Precautionary Principle. *Probability neglect. People often invoke the precautionary principle against low-risk activities, when a proper probability analysis will show the invocation actually leads to greater risks in other contexts. A lack of issue awareness and education leads to the neglect of proper probability analysis. *System neglect. Many people see only the harm that is to be prevented, ignoring the indirect and unintended consequences either of action or inaction. The problem is commonplace in economics: In the case of free trade, for example, people may see the jobs that move to Mexico but fail to understand how specialization and lower consumer prices create much greater long-term benefits for the U.S. Risk Reduction by More Rational Means Proponents of the Precautionary Principle fail to recognize that all resources-including the time, effort, and money available to reduce risk-are limited, Sunstein explains. Resources invested in deterring low-probability risks are not available to deter higher-probability risks. The Precautionary Principle “is a crude and sometimes perverse way” of managing risk, Sunstein concludes. Policymakers “need to use more direct effective strategies to pursue the salutary goals of risk regulation.” That requires a “fair accounting of the universe of dangers,” says Sunstein: a careful balancing of the costs and benefits of inaction, regulation, and everything between. Only after such an accounting has been made can risk-management resources be invested where they will achieve the most “bang for the buck” … and that should be the ultimate goal. “A rational system of risk regulation certainly takes precautions,” concludes Sunstein. But it does not adopt the precautionary principle.” For more information … Cass Sunstein’s University of Chicago working paper, “Beyond the Precautionary Principle,” is available through PolicyBot as document #2313446. You can also search PolicyBot for the topic/subtopic combination Environment/Cost Benefit Analysis and Risk Assessment. More than 80 documents are available on the topic. Environment & Climate News has covered the precautionary principle often in past issues. See, for example, “Precautionary Principle at odds with science” (September 2001), “ICCS conference tackles the precautionary principle” (December 2000), and “Precautionary Foolishness” (December 2000). Web Site of the Week Reason Public Policy Institute (RPPI) has a long and close relationship to Hawaii. Bob Poole, founder of the Reason Foundation has visited numerous times to discuss transportation, privatization and other issues at seminars, meetings with legislators etc. The Executive Director of RPPI, Adrian Moore, was the speaker at last year’s Tax Foundation of Hawaii annual luncheon. Our own Cliff Slater is on adjunct scholar for RPPI. It is our plan to use RPPI extensively in counseling/advising the Lingle administration and County Councils on budget control, results based management, transportation and other critical policy issues. Visit the RPPI Web site at: https://www.rppi.org. ‘Evergreen (Today’s Quote)’ If man is to continue his self-improvement, he must be free to exercise the powers of choice with which he has been endowed….He must be free to either enjoy or endure the consequences of each decision, because the lesson it teaches is the sole purpose of experience — the best of all i.rr.com or (808) 487-4959.” – F.A. Harper ”See Web site” https://www.grassrootinstitute.org ”for further information. Join its efforts at “Nurturing the rights and responsibilities of the individual in a civil society. …” or email or call Grassroot of Hawaii Institute President Richard O. Rowland at mailto:grassroot@hawaii.rr.com or (808) 487-4959.”
From Fear of Officials to Condiment Control
“Suzanne Gelb Image”
”Insecure — Why do I Put People on Pedestals?”
Q: Dear Dr. Gelb:
I am always complaining to my friends about what’s going on in government or things I don’t like and wish there could be some changes, and they always say, “Call your Senator, call your Congressman” and I get scared because I think they are such an important person. I’m afraid to call. What causes me to be so afraid?
Fearful Caller
A: Dr. Gelb says . . .
Dear Fearful:
Many of us project our own authority on other people. But if we step back and really consider what we are afraid of it, much of the time we can find that the fear really does not hold any value. I have known lots of people, for example, who have been plagued by the fear you describe, until they decided to consider that all public officials are their employees, even the president. As such, they realized that they have the right to speak to these officials and voice their approval or disapproval about what is going on in their government, and in their schools, for example. They keep in mind that their tax dollars pay the salaries of city or government employees. That makes them their employee. So if I were in your situation, I would re-evaluate my fear, gain back some confidence, and make the call. “I imagine that you have a legitimate point to make.”
”Food — How to Best Season it?”
Q: Dear Dr. Gelb:
My favorite restaurant complaint — I like to season my food with a nominal portion of salt and pepper. Invariably when I pick up the saltshaker and start salting my food, it pours out more salt than I want. Now my food is too salty. What would be the appropriate thing to do?
Too Salty
A: Dr. Gelb says . . .
Dear Salty:
I can relate to your experience, and as you probably have found out, it is not uncommon for restaurant condiment dispensers to vary, especially when it comes to salt and pepper shakers. Sometimes a patron may pick up a pepper or saltshaker and someone has left the lid off or loose — then they start to shake it and it dumps in their plate. Or, sometimes the holes in the shakers vary in size from restaurant to restaurant. I have found that the best resolve to a problem such as the one you describe, is to develop a habit of testing the condiment containers in the palm of one’s hand, especially salt and pepper before dispense it on food. Even though some restaurants will compensate a patron for their error in judgment with a salt or pepper shaker, for example, by preparing another meal for them, it is important not to take advantage of this.
”’Suzanne J. Gelb, Ph.D., J.D. authors this daily column, Dr. Gelb Says, which answers questions about daily living and behavior issues. Dr. Gelb is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Honolulu. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Human Services. Dr. Gelb is also a published author of a book on Overcoming Addictions and a book on Relationships.”’
”’This column is intended for entertainment use only and is not intended for the purpose of psychological diagnosis, treatment or personalized advice. For more about the column’s purpose, see”’ “An Online Intro to Dr. Gelb Says”
”’Email your questions to mailto:DrGelbSays@hawaiireporter.com More information on Dr. Gelb’s services and related resources available at”’ https://www.DrGelbSays.com
Setting Your Goals to Double Your Business
Your perspective on life looks a bit different when you’re laying
on your back on a hammock strung between two palm trees
on a beautiful beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
My wife, daughter, and I took a break from the hustle and bustle of
the business world to go on a nice, relaxing vacation to celebrate
my 53rd birthday. It’s an enjoyable experience getting away
from the newspapers, radio and television.
For me, a holiday vacation is an opportunity to reflect upon the year
just past, and think about – and plan – for the year ahead.
As I think about success, it goes beyond income, salary, or money.
It’s about ”’lifestyle.”’
If you double your income, but spend twice as much time working,
what’s happened to your lifestyle?
How much time and energy do you have left for your family,
or yourself? How much pleasure, enjoyment and fun are
you getting out of life?
The goal isn’t to be working smarter, it’s to be working less.
For me, this past year was my best year ever. But I like
to think — and dream big — my goals for 2003 are to:
* Triple my sales,
* Triple my profits,
* Work fewer hours each day,
* Spend more time with my family, and
* Take 6 weeks of vacation.
A year ago I wrote a goal setting eBook, “Setting and Achieving
Your Goals,” which was as much a step-by-step blueprint for
me as it was for the reader.
If you want help setting your goals, my “Setting and Achieving Your Goals walks you through the process of looking where you are now, identifying where you want to be tomorrow and helping you create a Master Plan to take you there.
Here’s the link to order your copy: https://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=8022
If you want help discovering who you are, identify where you want to go, and figure out what you want to do, you’ll enjoy my “Successful People Have a Dream” eBook.
Here’s the link to order your copy: https://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=8730
I’ve followed the same process while on vacation. But the fun of goal setting comes not from trying to grow your business by 10 or 20 percent, it comes from dreaming of ways to double or triple your business — while improving your profit margins — in a single year.
To do that you must change the way you think about how you run and manage your daily business affairs.
If you’re like most people, 80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your activity. And I would argue that the remaining 80 percent of your time is spent on worthless, meaningless, unproductive activities.
Focus your efforts on converting that 80 percent of your unproductive time into valuable – results producing – activities, and doubling your business in a single year is no longer a pipe dream.
It’s real, and it’s doable.
While laying on my hammock I watched the local tradesman making repairs to the hotel, which had sustained severe damage due to the recent hurricane. (A 40 foot tidal wave crashed onto the city and caused massive damage. Several hotels were destroyed beyond repair.)
Because labor is so cheap, there’s no sense of urgency. If something isn’t completed today, maybe tomorrow. Maybe not.
Case in point, I watch two men work for an entire week replacing patio tiles. They chipped out the damaged tiles using a 5-pound hammer and a spike or chisel. They mixed the concrete by hand with a shovel in a wheelbarrow. It took them a day to replace ten tiles.
In the US, the entire repair project that took them a week, would be completed in less than a day.
Behind the tile repair crew was an army of workers digging trenches for the foundation of a new building. They were digging with pick axes and shovels. Back home, they would have complete the work in a day. In Mexico, it takes a week or two.
On the beach, a worker was cutting down a palm tree with a machete. I watched him whack and whack at the tree. He would switch from his right hand to his left. Every few minutes he would take a rest . It took him two and a half hours to fell the tree and cut it into three pieces.
In Chicago, the Park District would cut the tree down with a chain saw, throw the pieces onto the back of a truck and be finished in 15 minutes.
This isn’t about sharpening your saw — or machete — it’s about throwing it away and using a chain saw
Why is there such a difference in productivity between the US and Mexico? We put a premium on time, and we use tools, machinery and technology to automate manual processes.
Achieve Your 2003 Goals
If you want to achieve your 2003 goals you first need to set your priorities, create a plan, and focus your time, effort, energy and resources — like a laser beam — on your target. It also helps if you get organized.
You may not realize it, but most people lose an hour each day looking for things that are lost on the top of their desk. More than five weeks of your life is spent searching for things you can’t find.
Talk about wasted time. What could you do with five weeks of extra time. (I’m going on vacation.)
Simply by getting organized — and getting rid of all the “stuff” that’s on the top of your desk — you can convert wasted time into productive and profitable time.
If you want help getting organized — and cure yourself of pilamania — get yourself a copy of my “Winning The Fight Between You And Your Desk” eBook. “Winning The Fight” shows you how to get rid of the clutter and get organized, so you can become more productive, efficient and effective.
Here’s the link to order your copy: https://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=9558
Schedule Your Priorities
Many people want to prioritize their schedule. They look at their to-do list and then rewrite it every morning so the most important tasks are at the top of the list. Then they try to get to them, but never do because of interruptions, distractions, or a lack of focus.
Instead of prioritizing your schedule, you should schedule your priorities. That means blocking out time — scheduling appointments with yourself — to get your important work done.
Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric used to say, “Everything we do is either aimed at getting a customer or keeping a customer.” Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell Computer, spends 40 percent of his time with customers.
Why? Because it’s his job.
How much of your time is spent getting or keeping a customer? Convert your wasted time into productive time and you can easily double your business.
If you want help setting your priorities, getting focused and managing your time – so nothing slips through the cracks – get yourself a copy of my “Taking Control of Your Day” eBook.
Here’s the link to order your copy: https://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=13334
In Mexico, manual labor is cheap and workers are plentiful. But for you and me, we can use technology to leverage our time, effort and energy, so we can have dramatic results.
You’re reading this essay — which was sent to 150,000 people who
want to become more successful, people just like you — on your computer. I’m typing it on my laptop from the beach. That’s what I mean by leverage.
But just because I’m vacationing in Mexico didn’t mean that I was out of touch. For $18 I was able to open a local Internet access account which enabled me to log onto the Internet for the cost of a local telephone call.
Once connected, I’m running my business, from warm, sunny, beautiful Puerto Vallarta, not cold overcast, and dreary Chicago. (While writing this I’m looking out over the water watching a whale swim a mile off shore. Every few minutes he comes up for air and as he dives he waves his fluke at us and says good bye.)
But “just” being connected isn’t enough. I’ve got to service my eBook
customers, and to do that I need access to my computer in Chicago. A few years ago I subscribed to GoToMypc.com, which is a service that enables me to access my office computer from anywhere in the world.
And to check my voice mail, I use Net2Phone.com, which enables me to make telephone calls over the Internet.
You can make 2003 your best year ever. All you’ve got to do is set your goals, create your Master Plan, get organized, set your priorities, and manage your time.
Come to think of it, maybe my goals aren’t high enough. What could I do if I managed my time, got organized, and set my priorities?
”’Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey Mayer’s Succeeding In Business Newsletter. (Copyright, 2002, Jeffrey J. Mayer, Succeeding In Business, Inc.) To subscribe to Jeff’s free newsletter, visit”’ https://www.SucceedingInBusiness.com
From Fear of Officials to Condiment Control
Suzanne Gelb Image ‘Insecure — Why do I Put People on Pedestals?’ Q: Dear Dr. Gelb: I am always complaining to my friends about what’s going on in government or things I don’t like and wish there could be some changes, and they always say, “Call your Senator, call your Congressman” and I get scared because I think they are such an important person. I’m afraid to call. What causes me to be so afraid? Fearful Caller A: Dr. Gelb says . . . Dear Fearful: Many of us project our own authority on other people. But if we step back and really consider what we are afraid of it, much of the time we can find that the fear really does not hold any value. I have known lots of people, for example, who have been plagued by the fear you describe, until they decided to consider that all public officials are their employees, even the president. As such, they realized that they have the right to speak to these officials and voice their approval or disapproval about what is going on in their government, and in their schools, for example. They keep in mind that their tax dollars pay the salaries of city or government employees. That makes them their employee. So if I were in your situation, I would re-evaluate my fear, gain back some confidence, and make the call. “I imagine that you have a legitimate point to make.” ‘Food — How to Best Season it?’ Q: Dear Dr. Gelb: My favorite restaurant complaint — I like to season my food with a nominal portion of salt and pepper. Invariably when I pick up the saltshaker and start salting my food, it pours out more salt than I want. Now my food is too salty. What would be the appropriate thing to do? Too Salty A: Dr. Gelb says . . . Dear Salty: I can relate to your experience, and as you probably have found out, it is not uncommon for restaurant condiment dispensers to vary, especially when it comes to salt and pepper shakers. Sometimes a patron may pick up a pepper or saltshaker and someone has left the lid off or loose — then they start to shake it and it dumps in their plate. Or, sometimes the holes in the shakers vary in size from restaurant to restaurant. I have found that the best resolve to a problem such as the one you describe, is to develop a habit of testing the condiment containers in the palm of one’s hand, especially salt and pepper before dispense it on food. Even though some restaurants will compensate a patron for their error in judgment with a salt or pepper shaker, for example, by preparing another meal for them, it is important not to take advantage of this. ”Suzanne J. Gelb, Ph.D., J.D. authors this daily column, Dr. Gelb Says, which answers questions about daily living and behavior issues. Dr. Gelb is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Honolulu. She holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and a Ph.D. in Human Services. Dr. Gelb is also a published author of a book on Overcoming Addictions and a book on Relationships.” ”This column is intended for entertainment use only and is not intended for the purpose of psychological diagnosis, treatment or personalized advice. For more about the column’s purpose, see” “An Online Intro to Dr. Gelb Says” ”Email your questions to mailto:DrGelbSays@hawaiireporter.com More information on Dr. Gelb’s services and related resources available at” https://www.DrGelbSays.com
Setting Your Goals to Double Your Business
Your perspective on life looks a bit different when you’re laying on your back on a hammock strung between two palm trees on a beautiful beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. My wife, daughter, and I took a break from the hustle and bustle of the business world to go on a nice, relaxing vacation to celebrate my 53rd birthday. It’s an enjoyable experience getting away from the newspapers, radio and television. For me, a holiday vacation is an opportunity to reflect upon the year just past, and think about – and plan – for the year ahead. As I think about success, it goes beyond income, salary, or money. It’s about ”lifestyle.” If you double your income, but spend twice as much time working, what’s happened to your lifestyle? How much time and energy do you have left for your family, or yourself? How much pleasure, enjoyment and fun are you getting out of life? The goal isn’t to be working smarter, it’s to be working less. For me, this past year was my best year ever. But I like to think — and dream big — my goals for 2003 are to: * Triple my sales, * Triple my profits, * Work fewer hours each day, * Spend more time with my family, and * Take 6 weeks of vacation. A year ago I wrote a goal setting eBook, “Setting and Achieving Your Goals,” which was as much a step-by-step blueprint for me as it was for the reader. If you want help setting your goals, my “Setting and Achieving Your Goals walks you through the process of looking where you are now, identifying where you want to be tomorrow and helping you create a Master Plan to take you there. Here’s the link to order your copy: https://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=8022 If you want help discovering who you are, identify where you want to go, and figure out what you want to do, you’ll enjoy my “Successful People Have a Dream” eBook. Here’s the link to order your copy: https://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=8730 I’ve followed the same process while on vacation. But the fun of goal setting comes not from trying to grow your business by 10 or 20 percent, it comes from dreaming of ways to double or triple your business — while improving your profit margins — in a single year. To do that you must change the way you think about how you run and manage your daily business affairs. If you’re like most people, 80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your activity. And I would argue that the remaining 80 percent of your time is spent on worthless, meaningless, unproductive activities. Focus your efforts on converting that 80 percent of your unproductive time into valuable – results producing – activities, and doubling your business in a single year is no longer a pipe dream. It’s real, and it’s doable. While laying on my hammock I watched the local tradesman making repairs to the hotel, which had sustained severe damage due to the recent hurricane. (A 40 foot tidal wave crashed onto the city and caused massive damage. Several hotels were destroyed beyond repair.) Because labor is so cheap, there’s no sense of urgency. If something isn’t completed today, maybe tomorrow. Maybe not. Case in point, I watch two men work for an entire week replacing patio tiles. They chipped out the damaged tiles using a 5-pound hammer and a spike or chisel. They mixed the concrete by hand with a shovel in a wheelbarrow. It took them a day to replace ten tiles. In the US, the entire repair project that took them a week, would be completed in less than a day. Behind the tile repair crew was an army of workers digging trenches for the foundation of a new building. They were digging with pick axes and shovels. Back home, they would have complete the work in a day. In Mexico, it takes a week or two. On the beach, a worker was cutting down a palm tree with a machete. I watched him whack and whack at the tree. He would switch from his right hand to his left. Every few minutes he would take a rest . It took him two and a half hours to fell the tree and cut it into three pieces. In Chicago, the Park District would cut the tree down with a chain saw, throw the pieces onto the back of a truck and be finished in 15 minutes. This isn’t about sharpening your saw — or machete — it’s about throwing it away and using a chain saw Why is there such a difference in productivity between the US and Mexico? We put a premium on time, and we use tools, machinery and technology to automate manual processes. Achieve Your 2003 Goals If you want to achieve your 2003 goals you first need to set your priorities, create a plan, and focus your time, effort, energy and resources — like a laser beam — on your target. It also helps if you get organized. You may not realize it, but most people lose an hour each day looking for things that are lost on the top of their desk. More than five weeks of your life is spent searching for things you can’t find. Talk about wasted time. What could you do with five weeks of extra time. (I’m going on vacation.) Simply by getting organized — and getting rid of all the “stuff” that’s on the top of your desk — you can convert wasted time into productive and profitable time. If you want help getting organized — and cure yourself of pilamania — get yourself a copy of my “Winning The Fight Between You And Your Desk” eBook. “Winning The Fight” shows you how to get rid of the clutter and get organized, so you can become more productive, efficient and effective. Here’s the link to order your copy: https://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=9558 Schedule Your Priorities Many people want to prioritize their schedule. They look at their to-do list and then rewrite it every morning so the most important tasks are at the top of the list. Then they try to get to them, but never do because of interruptions, distractions, or a lack of focus. Instead of prioritizing your schedule, you should schedule your priorities. That means blocking out time — scheduling appointments with yourself — to get your important work done. Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric used to say, “Everything we do is either aimed at getting a customer or keeping a customer.” Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell Computer, spends 40 percent of his time with customers. Why? Because it’s his job. How much of your time is spent getting or keeping a customer? Convert your wasted time into productive time and you can easily double your business. If you want help setting your priorities, getting focused and managing your time – so nothing slips through the cracks – get yourself a copy of my “Taking Control of Your Day” eBook. Here’s the link to order your copy: https://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=13334 In Mexico, manual labor is cheap and workers are plentiful. But for you and me, we can use technology to leverage our time, effort and energy, so we can have dramatic results. You’re reading this essay — which was sent to 150,000 people who want to become more successful, people just like you — on your computer. I’m typing it on my laptop from the beach. That’s what I mean by leverage. But just because I’m vacationing in Mexico didn’t mean that I was out of touch. For $18 I was able to open a local Internet access account which enabled me to log onto the Internet for the cost of a local telephone call. Once connected, I’m running my business, from warm, sunny, beautiful Puerto Vallarta, not cold overcast, and dreary Chicago. (While writing this I’m looking out over the water watching a whale swim a mile off shore. Every few minutes he comes up for air and as he dives he waves his fluke at us and says good bye.) But “just” being connected isn’t enough. I’ve got to service my eBook customers, and to do that I need access to my computer in Chicago. A few years ago I subscribed to GoToMypc.com, which is a service that enables me to access my office computer from anywhere in the world. And to check my voice mail, I use Net2Phone.com, which enables me to make telephone calls over the Internet. You can make 2003 your best year ever. All you’ve got to do is set your goals, create your Master Plan, get organized, set your priorities, and manage your time. Come to think of it, maybe my goals aren’t high enough. What could I do if I managed my time, got organized, and set my priorities? ”Reprinted with permission from Jeffrey Mayer’s Succeeding In Business Newsletter. (Copyright, 2002, Jeffrey J. Mayer, Succeeding In Business, Inc.) To subscribe to Jeff’s free newsletter, visit” https://www.SucceedingInBusiness.com
F-Secure Warns of Four New Internet Worms
SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 10 (UPI) — F-Secure Corp. is alerting computer users of four new Internet worms that are crawling across the globe.
The new Windows worms were found on Wednesday and Thursday, and they are known as Lirva.A, ExploreZip.E, Lirva.B and Sobig.
“Several new viruses are found every day, there’s nothing special with that,” said Mikko Hypponen, Manager of Anti-Virus Research at F-Secure. “But it is not normal to find four new viruses which are all successfully spreading in the wild within two days.”
F-Secure said it has released a Level-2 Radar alert on all these viruses, indicating that system administrators and end users should make sure their systems are protected.
Level-2 is the second-highest severity under F-Secure Radar alerting system. F-Secure issued 27 Level 2 alerts during all of year 2002 and two Level 1 alerts.
“Apart from the two Lirva variants, these viruses are not related to each other; this does not seem to be a coordinated attack,” said Hypponen. “It seems we just got a really bad start for this year.”
F-Secure said Lirva, or Arvil, is a mass-mailing worm that uses several methods to spread. Besides e-mail, the worm uses ICQ and IRC chat networks and Kazaa file sharing network to spread. It also propagates through shared folders and Windows network drives. Lirva has functionality to disable several antivirus and security applications if it notices their presence. If the worm is active in the system, it tries to steal passwords and send them to an external e-mail address.
E-mail messages sent by Lirva vary, but they often make references to Avril Lavigne, a Canadian rocker who was nominated for five Grammy awards this week. The virus was apparently written by a Kazakhstan-based fan of the artist. When Lirva worm activates, it tries to open the official Web site of Avril Lavigne and starts a graphical screen effect consisting of colored, moving circles.
F-Secure said functionally Lirva.B is very close to the original Lirva virus. It has been modified to evade detection of some anti-virus software. Another difference is that Lirva.B fakes the sender address of infected e-mail messages, replacing the address of the infected user with the e-mail address of a random innocent bystander. The real e-mail address of the infected user can often be found from the e-mail’s “Return-Path” header.
ExploreZip is an Internet worm that was first found in June 1999. The original version ExploreZip.A spread all over the globe within days of initial discovery, becoming first of the really widespread Internet worms. After this, several modified versions of this worm have been found.
On the Wednesday, 3 1/2 years after its progenitor was first seen, ExploreZip.E was found. This version was modified so that it was undetectable to most anti-virus programs, though the worm functionality had stayed the same. All of the ExploreZip variants spread as an e-mail attachment and activate by destroying Microsoft Office documents and source code files from infected computers and from local networks. The worm modifies an infected computer so that the worm will reply to unread e-mail messages, sending dummy e-mail replies with an infected attachment.
F-Secure said Sobig is an e-mail and network worm, sending itself around as a PIF e-mail attachment. The worm has remote control functionality through which the virus writer can control infected computers.
Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.
Legislative Hearing Notices – Jan. 17, 2003
The following hearing notices, which are subject to change, were sorted and taken from the Hawaii State Capitol Web site. Please check that site for updates and/or changes to the schedule at https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/docs/hearing/hearing2.asp?press1=docs&button1=current Go there and click on the Hearing Date to view the Hearing Notice.
Hearings notices for both House and Senate measures in all committees:
Hearing
”Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee”
1/17/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN
1/17/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM
1/17/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing WAM/FIN
1/17/03 9:00 AM None Informational Briefing EEP
1/17/03 1:30 PM None Informational Briefing LAB
1/17/03 2:30 PM None Informational Briefing LAB
1/17/03 3:00 PM None Informational Briefing EDU-HED
1/20/03 9:00 AM None Informational Briefing FIN
1/20/03 9:00 AM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN
1/21/03 1:15 PM None Informational Briefing TSM
1/21/03 1:30 PM None Informational Briefing FIN
1/21/03 1:30 PM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN
1/21/03 3:00 PM None Informational Briefing WAM
1/21/03 3:00 PM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM
1/22/03 1:30 PM None Informational Briefing FIN
1/22/03 1:30 PM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN
1/22/03 1:30 PM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM
1/22/03 1:30 PM None Informational Briefing WAM/TMG
1/23/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing WAM
1/23/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM
1/23/03 1:00 PM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN
1/23/03 1:15 PM None Informational Briefing TSM
1/24/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing WAM
1/24/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM
1/24/03 1:00 PM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN
1/27/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM
1/27/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing WAM/EDU
1/27/03 1:00 PM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN
1/28/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing WAM
1/28/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM
1/28/03 1:00 PM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN
1/28/03 1:15 PM None Informational Briefing TSM
1/29/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing WAM
1/29/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM
1/30/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing WAM
1/30/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM
F-Secure Warns of Four New Internet Worms
SAN JOSE, Calif., Jan. 10 (UPI) — F-Secure Corp. is alerting computer users of four new Internet worms that are crawling across the globe. The new Windows worms were found on Wednesday and Thursday, and they are known as Lirva.A, ExploreZip.E, Lirva.B and Sobig. “Several new viruses are found every day, there’s nothing special with that,” said Mikko Hypponen, Manager of Anti-Virus Research at F-Secure. “But it is not normal to find four new viruses which are all successfully spreading in the wild within two days.” F-Secure said it has released a Level-2 Radar alert on all these viruses, indicating that system administrators and end users should make sure their systems are protected. Level-2 is the second-highest severity under F-Secure Radar alerting system. F-Secure issued 27 Level 2 alerts during all of year 2002 and two Level 1 alerts. “Apart from the two Lirva variants, these viruses are not related to each other; this does not seem to be a coordinated attack,” said Hypponen. “It seems we just got a really bad start for this year.” F-Secure said Lirva, or Arvil, is a mass-mailing worm that uses several methods to spread. Besides e-mail, the worm uses ICQ and IRC chat networks and Kazaa file sharing network to spread. It also propagates through shared folders and Windows network drives. Lirva has functionality to disable several antivirus and security applications if it notices their presence. If the worm is active in the system, it tries to steal passwords and send them to an external e-mail address. E-mail messages sent by Lirva vary, but they often make references to Avril Lavigne, a Canadian rocker who was nominated for five Grammy awards this week. The virus was apparently written by a Kazakhstan-based fan of the artist. When Lirva worm activates, it tries to open the official Web site of Avril Lavigne and starts a graphical screen effect consisting of colored, moving circles. F-Secure said functionally Lirva.B is very close to the original Lirva virus. It has been modified to evade detection of some anti-virus software. Another difference is that Lirva.B fakes the sender address of infected e-mail messages, replacing the address of the infected user with the e-mail address of a random innocent bystander. The real e-mail address of the infected user can often be found from the e-mail’s “Return-Path” header. ExploreZip is an Internet worm that was first found in June 1999. The original version ExploreZip.A spread all over the globe within days of initial discovery, becoming first of the really widespread Internet worms. After this, several modified versions of this worm have been found. On the Wednesday, 3 1/2 years after its progenitor was first seen, ExploreZip.E was found. This version was modified so that it was undetectable to most anti-virus programs, though the worm functionality had stayed the same. All of the ExploreZip variants spread as an e-mail attachment and activate by destroying Microsoft Office documents and source code files from infected computers and from local networks. The worm modifies an infected computer so that the worm will reply to unread e-mail messages, sending dummy e-mail replies with an infected attachment. F-Secure said Sobig is an e-mail and network worm, sending itself around as a PIF e-mail attachment. The worm has remote control functionality through which the virus writer can control infected computers. Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.
Legislative Hearing Notices – Jan. 17, 2003
The following hearing notices, which are subject to change, were sorted and taken from the Hawaii State Capitol Web site. Please check that site for updates and/or changes to the schedule at https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/docs/hearing/hearing2.asp?press1=docs&button1=current Go there and click on the Hearing Date to view the Hearing Notice. Hearings notices for both House and Senate measures in all committees: Hearing ‘Date Time Bill Number Measure Title Committee’ 1/17/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN 1/17/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM 1/17/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing WAM/FIN 1/17/03 9:00 AM None Informational Briefing EEP 1/17/03 1:30 PM None Informational Briefing LAB 1/17/03 2:30 PM None Informational Briefing LAB 1/17/03 3:00 PM None Informational Briefing EDU-HED 1/20/03 9:00 AM None Informational Briefing FIN 1/20/03 9:00 AM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN 1/21/03 1:15 PM None Informational Briefing TSM 1/21/03 1:30 PM None Informational Briefing FIN 1/21/03 1:30 PM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN 1/21/03 3:00 PM None Informational Briefing WAM 1/21/03 3:00 PM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM 1/22/03 1:30 PM None Informational Briefing FIN 1/22/03 1:30 PM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN 1/22/03 1:30 PM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM 1/22/03 1:30 PM None Informational Briefing WAM/TMG 1/23/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing WAM 1/23/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM 1/23/03 1:00 PM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN 1/23/03 1:15 PM None Informational Briefing TSM 1/24/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing WAM 1/24/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM 1/24/03 1:00 PM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN 1/27/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM 1/27/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing WAM/EDU 1/27/03 1:00 PM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN 1/28/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing WAM 1/28/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM 1/28/03 1:00 PM None Informational Briefing Summary FIN 1/28/03 1:15 PM None Informational Briefing TSM 1/29/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing WAM 1/29/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM 1/30/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing WAM 1/30/03 8:30 AM None Informational Briefing Summary WAM
Cloning Ban Bill Reintroduced in Congress
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (UPI) — Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Fla., Wednesday introduced legislation in the House to impose a ban on all types of human cloning in the United States, while Kansas Republican Sen. Sam Brownback said he plans to introduce similar legislation in the Senate soon.
Although the House approved a total cloning ban last year, the Senate failed to follow suit and so the legislative process must be restarted during the new session of Congress.
The announcement concerns the biomedical community, which fears a backlash over the claim last month by the Raelian sect that they had cloned two babies. The effort to ban all cloning stalled in Congress last year because some senators supported allowing therapeutic cloning, which uses the procedure to produce cells that could lead to treatments for disease.
“It would be tragic if this bill passes,” said Robert Lanza, vice president of medical and scientific development at Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Mass., which is developing therapeutic cloning technology as a medical treatment.
“If Congress overreacts and passes this bill, it could be a death sentence for many patients,” Lanza told United Press International. “There are over 3,000 Americans who die every die from diseases that could be treated in the future with these new technologies. The medical and scientific community is unanimous in banning reproductive cloning but at the same time the medical and scientific community is also unanimous in its support of therapeutic cloning,” Lanza said.
Brownback applauded Weldon’s bill, the Human Cloning Prohibition Act of 2003.
“There is no need for this technology to ever be used with humans — whether for reproductive purposes or for destructive research purposes,” Brownback, who introduced a similar bill into the Senate last year, said in a written statement.
Brownback’s bill, which could be introduced before the end of the month, probably would impose criminal penalties of up to 10 years prison time and at least $1 million in fines for anyone who creates a human clone, an aide to Brownback told UPI.
The aide said the Raelians did not factor in Brownback’s decision to introduce the bill.
“Brownback would’ve been pushing this legislation aggressively whether it had been for the Raelians or not,” the aide said. “The Raelians just made people more aware of the need to ban cloning.”
“Scientists are extremely concerned about the backlash” to the Raelians’ claim, Lanza said. “The sad thing is that in the end there’s no evidence. No baby, no DNA tests and there shouldn’t have been a story,” he said, referring to the fact the Raelians have not yet offered any proof the babies are legitimate clones.
A U.S. ban on cloning will do little to stop people in other countries from using the technology, Lanza added. “This research is going to proceed overseas in other countries regardless of what we do here in the U.S.,” he said. “In all likelihood these groups are going to operate overseas anyway.”
Copyright 2003 by United Press International. All rights reserved.