Beware of Bull

Henry Frankfurt is a moral philosopher at Stanford and aurthor if this book. I got it from Audible after seeing it on the NY Times Bestseller list. I can't beat the following introduction. Enjoy! (the below is edited for the kids)

"On Bullsh!#" explores why there is so much bull, what bull is exactly, and what function bull serves. One of the most salient features of our culture is that there is so much bull. Everyone knows this, each of us contributes his share but we tend to take the situation for granted. Most people are rather confident of their ability to recognize bull, and can avoid being taken in by it. So the phenomenon has not generated very much concern, or attracted much sustained inquiry.

Elkhart, Indiana

Check out the "Truth" online for the latest news from the best little new company in 'Michiana'. Don't laugh, that's what we call the area around Notre Dame!

Winchester, Virginia

Ohhhhh-no! This weekend I am going to Notre Dame for a class reunion - not my graduating class - but for the AIM class. What's AIM? It was where we managed $3 million of Notre Dame's money and for which I covered two stocks.

One of the stocks was Trex (NYSE ticker: TWP), located in Winchester, VA. The stock chart is below. And it just blew up ... down 30% ... just one day before the reunion! Luckily, the class after me sold it off, but still, everyone's going to ask, "What stock did you cover?" I'm screwed, because I'll have to say I recommended a strong buy and we bought more.

Democracy vs. Freedom

I just finished Fareed Zakaria's book The Future of Freedom. He talks about a subject I wondered about when traveling in Arab countries this spring and is relevant to Iraq today. What is the line in a country between democratically developed laws and minority liberties in a country. What if I lived in Morocco (or Iraq), and a democratic election brought about fundamentalist leaders that imposed strict rules on society (e.g. Sharia Law)?

The book talks about the difference between democracy and individual liberty that is not widely understood in the US. We tend to think of democracy and individual liberty as linked, but as Fareed points out, this is not necessarily the case. Interestingly, the book says the best way to advance liberal democracy is through creating constitutional liberty for a society which will then advance into democracy. Democracy, given to an illiberal society, only leads to fascism (WWII Germany) or authoritarianism (Russia). It's something to think about regarding Iraq.

Wheaton, Illinois

As I was weeding the garden at my brother's house, I came across a couple of plants that made me stop and think. Were seeds put here intentionally or is this plant just a weed. Easy you think? Not really! I'm learning that plants grow at amazing speeds (even Sahara-like conditions couldn't stunt the grass here), and after a weekend - or four - the weeds really sprout up. So I need some help with the plant in the picture. Is it a weed or seed (i.e. planted)? Please help me! Write to mander10@gmail.com with advice.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Eric and I caught a Brewers-Cubs game Monday night at Milwaukee's Miller Field. Three home runs in the first inning propelled the Cubs into the early lead and led to a 5-4 win, which made the 15,000+ Cubs fans in attendance happy - even if they did have to drink Milwaukee beer. Good times included singing 'roll out the barrel' in the seventh inning, having the 'Hotdog' win the sausage race and seeing the superfan 'Ronnie Woo Woo'. All that, and their hapless mascot Bernie Brewer stayed far away in his dugout!

Lake Ridiger, Indiana

Exciting weekend again in Indiana with a unique dining experience at Thai-Lao (video in the works!), Sarah getting a new car, and turtle catching at Sarah's grandparent's lake cottage.

Thai-Lao is a wonderfully unique dining experience that you could only get in South Bend. With the interior tent, interesting food and wild decorations, it will remind you of something - just not the Far East! Sarah bought an off-lease Suzuki Aero that has three cup holders and a radio! Feel free to send her a CD of your latest mixes as cruising music. The weekend ended with Sarah and I babysitting Taylor, Sarah nephew, for a night (in the red shirt). He always wants to hear stories, and I told him some great ones, including his favorite 'Why is the fly in the Car' and 'Why Ronald McDonald closed his PlayLand'; my favorite though was, 'The Shaw and Iran's Oil History'. Hey, he wanted to know why we needed to fill up with gas!

LicketyShip is open for business!

Robert Pazornik, Licketyship's CEO was on AM 1340 WTRC, the "Information Station" this morning to annouce the start of LicketyShip. Hot off the WTRC website:

"Robert Pazornik - CEO, Licketyship.com. Robert's new business starts today in the South Bend / Elkhart area. Log on to www.licketyship.com, make a purchase from Best Buy, Circuit City, or many other area stores, and have the merchandise arrive at your home or business within 2-4 hours. Licketyship.com is the brainchild of 6 recent Notre Dame grads. Their business plan won several entrepreneurship competitions across the country."

Blog Power

Interested in creating your own Blog? According to this Wall Street Journal article, there's better ones out there. This one is Google's Blogger and is evidently less user friendly than others, such as MSN My Space. Of course, if you use MSN My Space, you're siding with the biggest & baddest corporate power; allowing Gates and his minions to continue taking over the world. But, oh well, blog away anyway!

Roseville, Minnesota

John & Naomi are leaving the Northwestern College Nazareth Chapel after just tying the knot. John and I have been friends since college days when we lived across the hall from each other at the Getsch Residence Hall (#10 on the map). We've been roommates on and off again for years, but now he's upgrading to a life of comfortable couches, a well-stocked kitchen and, well, he even now has his own blog!

Lawrence of Arabia

With 216 minutes of romping in the desert fun, Lawrence of Arabia is a more exciting film than what I ever expected out of 1962. Based on a real story, an enigmatic Englishman, T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) goes native to band together Arab tribes and conquers the Ottoman Turks. One part blowing up trains & slaughtering evil guys and one part a heat-crazed Englishman striking poses in the desert, the movie was not what you'd expect for a 1962 Academy Award Best Picture winner. I liked it however, and give it 4 stars!


Star System:
**** Miss the 3rd round job interview to watch this movie!
*** Just a bit better than Xbox.
** Rather be blogging.
* Cover letters & cold calling are more fun!

New Paris, Indiana

After an emergency call from the Elephant Ear 'Red Barn' at the New Paris Speedway, Sarah, I and MBA friends Heather and Paul rushed to help out. After kinda enjoying a race or two of the hottest quarter mile track in the Midwest, we wondered why NASCAR is so popular. People have opined on the issue, but an unnamed NASCAR driver said it best in the IMAX movie: NASCAR: "It's the fans that make it so popular." I agree!




Back at the Red Barn, we put Heather and Paul to work creating cinnamon and sugary goodness. As some of the smartest MBAs in the class, they developed some new 'process innovations to rationalize the worker's exit strategy at the end of the day' (for non-MBA's - put kitty litter on the floor to clean up messes). Heather and I had an Elephant Ear competition about who could make the 'best ear.' Her dough didn't even get in the fryer!

South Bend, Indiana

Sarah's been searching for a car for the past week, and a deer decided to help her along with the decision. Did you know the car people own can be a good predictor of their politics? Minivans, Porsches, and big pickups also tell a lot about you. Surprise: Volvos are no longer just for Democrats!

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

I've been on the road for eight days now, and am starting to miss my own bed. Truth be told, I've never had the experience of an air mattress until this past year. Now, I find myself cuddling up on them all the time. I let you in on a little secret - the Mercedes Benz of air mattresses - so if you are in the market, look no further!

Hopkins, Minnesota

Suzy and Justin enjoy their Cigarillo and Cohiba Espléndido cigars. Thanks to an unnamed smuggler (not me!) and a less-than-crack Homeland Security Department, a number of Cuban cigars found their way into the country. I feel right at home at the serene pastures of Meadow Creek after pulling a Kato Kaolin last summer by staying at Tom & Suzy's place during my internship.