25 Random Things That I Don't Mind Sharing About Me

The 25 Random Things Meme that has originated on Facebook is a good thing to participate in. I found that a lot of people are reluctant to share deeply personal things on the internet that they wouldn't ordinarily share with a friend or a loved one. But there are places that we have all visited, people that we have met, movies that we have all seen, and foods that we all like to eat. If we withhold those things from people that we are trying to get to know better, then it puts an invisible barrier in the development of human relationships. So without further adieu, here are some things that I don't mind sharing with the general public at large:

1. Los Angeles is my most favorite city that I like to visit. I think that I could live there too.
2. I like small cars, and for a tall guy like me, it seems proposterous.
3. My favorite mewspaper that I like to read everyday online is the New York Times.
4. Jim Murray was my favorite and the best sportswriter that ever lived. Michael Wilbon and Jason Whitlock are not to far behind.
5. I escaped death twice, once in an automobile accident, and the second a serious attack of cellulitis that started in my left leg.
6. I graduated 44th in my high school class.
7. I delivered newspapers as a teenager, but after getting robbed twice, I gave it up for good my senior year of high school.
8. I never though I would live in Philadelphia, but I am glad that I live here.
9. Growing up in Gary, Indiana I learned a whole lot, the best lesson was how to really understand and connect with people, even if they are different from you.
10. The late David Halberstam is my favorite author, "The Education of a Coach" is the one that I like the most.
11. My daughter is one of the best things that God could have blessed me with. My wife is night to far behind.
12. I played the clarinet and saxophone in high school, and now my daughter plays them.
13. My best friend is an accomplished CPA does a great job of keeping me and his other clients away from the IRS.
14. I am a loyal Oakland Raiders fan-why I don't really know.
15. The Lakers have never been too far from my thoughts even during the off-season.
16. My wife and daughter are trying to get me to learn sign language with them.
17. Pledging a fraternity was not the best decision that I ever made, but it taught me that I had to live with the consequences of my decisions.
18. I have always wanted to write a book about something, so after I'm gone people can wonder "What the heck was he talking about?"
19. My grandfather (see picture) was an extraordinary human being. He was a principal at a racially segregated school in the early 20's and 30's when the world didn't want young black children to learn much of anything.
20. I value a person's character even higher when he or she faces adversity and overcomes it. This trumps loyalty anyday for me.
21. At first, I didn't think much about Barack Obama's chances, but after observing him in action, I thought to myself - "Why Am I Being So Foolish?"
22. My first job out of college was in telemarketing, where I learned for the first time not to take too seriously anything that Corporate America says.
23. My neighborhood growing up will never leave my heart, even though it was during a time that we really needed to stick together as a community. Nowdays, people tend to stick inside their houses. For the life of me, I don't understand why.
24. The world may not buy newspapers a whole lot these days, but the words in them will help you learn things that you never thought that you would learn. My father bought three newspapers out-of-town newspapers home after church every Sunday. That was the best habit that he ever taught, and it allowed me to live a life not dependent on information, but benefiting from the information that I read.
25. I like reading Paul Krugman's explanation in the New York Times about the fundamentals of economics. He does it better than my college economics teacher. If I was his student, I would have gotten a higher grade than a "C". Maybe it was because I hated the subject!
    

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How To Understand Obama's Stimulus in Five Easy Steps

I am not an economic wizard by any means, but it has been fascinating to me to watch the sparring over President Obama's economic stimulus. Republicans who have been used to tax cuts, still push for tax cuts. Democrats who want to provide for liberal social programs and the like, want to spend or throw money at the problem. It is the classic battle of style vs. substance, "tax and spend" vs. "tax everything". I am not sure how much the stimulus actually will benefit my family and I, but it makes great theater. If I was to venture into economic theory for a second, I would ask a lot of questions, but these are the simple ones:

1. How big should the stimulus be?
2. What programs need it the most?
3. Who is for the stimulus?
4. Who is against the stimulus?
5. Where geographically should the money be spent to make the best use of it?

Can anyone suggest any resources on how to learn about the particulars of the stimulus?

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The Worst Deed of 2009

The award for the Worst Deed of the New Year goes to the power company who cut off power to a 93 yr old man's home without finding out if there was any assistance that could be given.  I doubt that anything that happens this year could be as worse as this.

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The First Good Deed of 2008

Normally the first baby of the new year is celebrated in newspapers far and wide. But this item should supersede these types of headlines. Apparently a 47-year old food service worker who makes minimum wage and uses food stamps was walking down the street and picked up a piece of paper to write down a phone number. But instead, he found a $158,000 check. He quickly picked up the check and instead of cashing it, he found the rightful owner who gave him $50 for it. What would you do if you found a check of that amount (or any amount for that matter) ?

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5 Reasons Why You Should Bookmark Madconomist.com

There are not many blogs that exist in the blogosphere that deal exclusively with numbers, but when I came across Madconomist.com the other day, I was impressed to say the least. Madconomist deals with the humourous, serious, and strange events that occur in life that involve numbers. His posts are not limited to how large the number is.




He categorizes his posts well with five categories:

Statistics and Other Lies - Favorite post in this category is "The $1000 Bagel" about a bagel that was created to raise money for culinary arts students.

Crimeconomics - Favorite post in this category is "The Cambridge Man Steals 123 Parking Meters". Maybe the guy wanted to start a museum or something.

Odd Numbers- Favorite post in this category is "Russia Sold Toilet to U.S. for $19m". Can you imagine a toilet costing this much?

Crazy Money - Favorite post in this category is "Mailbox Hit By Meterorite Sells For $83K".

Wrong Numbers - Favorite post in this category is "Exxon Mobil Sends Man 2000 credit cards". Some people should consider themselves lucky to have such a good fortune.

I like the title of the blog too - I wonder how he came up with the name?

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