'Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from its death throes?
He's now 82 years old and has a new book, 'Where Have All The Leaders Gone?'.

Lee Iacocca Says:

Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder! We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course.'

Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned 'Titanic'.
I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the bums out!'

You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore.

The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs.
While we're fiddling in Iraq , the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of the ' America ' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?

I can answer that question: 12 years is a memory in your mind that comes to you exactly 4,380 times. In 12 years, there has not been a single day in which I didn't reflect on the wonderful friend and spirit that left us exactly 12 years ago. 4,380 times she has come into my thoughts.

Life, friendship and love is precious, do not waste a single moment. It is quite easy to take for granted that people will always be there. They become a staple in your life and part of the fabric of your daily environment.  Over time, you get used to it. It becomes a comfortable state of 'normal'. Remember this: Impermanence and transient nature of all things is to be learned. Be mindful of sharing your love and compassion.

There was a song / band which we were circulating the lyrics of via email while reflecting on our youth, and we all came to the conclusion that the world needs more Social Distortion.

Treat everyday as an opportunity.

In no particular order,

• The day I got married
• The day our first child was born
• The day I un-installed Microsoft Office
• The day my ex-girlfriend left me
• The day I stopped using Internet Explorer
• The day I un-installed iTunes and started using Media Monkey
• One particular day at a poker table
• The day I bought my fifth boat
• The day I un-installed AIM, Yahoo!, ICQ, and MSN and started using Trillian.

Admittedly, it's an odd list at first glance, so allow me to explain.......

•    The day I got married
a) Find a woman that is 100% compatible with me and is b) willing to put up with my shit, for c) ever and ever amen? A woman that really truly understands me, the way I think, what I want, and supports me, unconditionally? Oh, yeah, and she’s willing to spend the rest of her life with me? How could this not be the happiest day of your life?  When you find 'the one', you'll know, and you'll understand why it's one of the best days of your life.

•    The day our first child was born
The day she was born, I will never forget. What you once thought was important is no longer. What was not important to you at one time is now the first thing on your mind. When your child is born, you truly understand what it means to love something more than life itself.

•    The day I un-installed Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office is, hands down, the biggest piece of shit of an application suit I’ve ever used. The thing is, you don’t understand this until you get rid of it and start using something else. I thought for years that Microsoft Office was an application set that I couldn’t work without. I finally, after years of frustration and fumbling around with it, made the transition to Open Office. It does everything Microsoft Office does, but it does it better, it does it easier, more logically, and effectively. PDF’s right out of the box, XML compliant, stable, and get this…. 100% free. Tell that to the guy who just walked out of Best Buy with a $499 Office CD in his hand.

•    The day my ex-girlfriend left me
How will my life continue without her? She was the awesome girlfriend. Long blonde hair, huge rack, bold red lipstick, and in every way, every man’s [pipe] dream. It’s kind of like the Microsoft Office scenario above. You don’t know what you have [or, more importantly in this case] didn’t have, until you lose it. When you are finally free of the political mind games, the “you can’t live without me / no one will treat you as good as I do” horseshit, you will understand a true sense of self freedom and a freedom which can be expressed and shared with someone else. Freedom of self, and freedom of having a woman in your life that empowers you. I thought the day she left me, (the first …..and the second time) was the worse day of my life. Looking back on it, it’s one of the best things that ever happened to me. I would not be where I am today, without having had that experience behind me, and understanding what building a future means, not only in theory but in practicality.

The Worst Company of 2008! Cast your Vote! I was so thrilled to see this (you'll never guess why). Early leaders in Worst Company in America 2008 preliminary voting round: Comcast 21%, Best Buy 8%, Bank of America 5%, Fox News 5%, Walmart 5%, Countrywide 4%, Verizon 3%, AT&T 3%. Somewhere in our heart is a flicker of hope that dark horse Video Professor will pull into the running (currently with 0% of the vote). Voting for who gets to be seeded in the tournament brackets is still open, cast yours today. I couldn't find, click and submit Comcast fast enough.