How To Sell Lots Of Girl Scout Cookies

Whenever I see kids selling lemonade for a charity (or for a new iPad) on a hot Summer day on the bike trail, I want to tell them (or their hovering parents) "You should be selling cold bottled water!" People would have no problem dropping a dollar for a bottle of water that only costs a dime when bought in bulk. They do it all the time when they're out and about these days.

So I find this Girl Scout's ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit commendable. She will go far in business, if that's the direction she chooses, having learned a good lesson about supply and demand.  

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Okay. I'm Moving On Now.

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I believe that I have now cycled through each of the three stages of grief, following the New England Patriots' elimination from the NFL Playoffs by the Denver Broncos.  

Tom Brady, after the Patriots were eliminated from the NFL Playoffs by Denver.

Tom Brady, after the Patriots were eliminated from the NFL Playoffs by Denver.

Yesterday sucked even worse than Sunday night. It was hard to find the spark to begin the day, or get out of bed. But life has a way of kicking your ass, and getting you moving. So I moved directly to caffeine and sports talk radio - the fellowship of the miserable in New England, the grief counsellors  - and that helped. 

Watching the game again helped, being able to see more clearly what Denver did to take away the plays and players Tom Brady most depends on. The Broncos defense played an outstanding game, and their Defensive Coordinator had the perfect scheme to take away our best players, through formations, blitzes, and match ups, and the Broncos defensive line played on a level well above our offensive line - so much so that our Offensive Line Coach was fired yesterday.

I'm back.  On to next season.

The Harvard Classics - Be Prepared For The Next SnOMG2016

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I know. This snowstorm really sucked. 

The Harvard Classics

The Harvard Classics

In an attempt to get out in front of the NEXT snowstorm, I recommend being provisioned with sufficient alcohol, and keeping your mobile devices (as well as other personal battery-operated devices) well-charged. And by all means, know where the flashlights and candles are stored. My Sister-In-Law is an expert at the flashlight part.

Next, have plenty of good books to read. Actually, you should always have plenty of good books to read, especially if the WiFi goes away for a while. And now, the reading part has been made much easier.

Here's the link

 http://www.openculture.com/2011/07/the_harvard_classics_a_free_digital_collection.html

You're welcome. 

Wicked Pissah

My friend Jonathan sent me this movie trailer, or rather "movie trailer", and in addition to causing me to LOL, as the kids say, it reminded me of Miss Lilly Rabel, a delightful and mysterious Professor of Linguistics who taught a course that I think was required when Jonathan and I were in grad school together. I do remember us taking the course the same Spring semester, and comparing notes about Miss Lilly as much as about the course material.

But I digress. Enjoy the trailer. And cheer whenever your town is mentioned. 

Eyes Wide Open On Bernie Sanders

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 "...Sanders, as I understand him, isn’t claiming that his ambitious and costly program is realistic in today’s Washington. To the contrary, he says that the political system is so broken, and so in hock to big money, that it is virtually impossible to effect nearly any substantive progressive change. The only way to make big changes, Sanders argues, is to create a mass movement that faces down corporate interests and their quislings. Once this movement materializes, all sorts of things that now seem out of the question—such as true universal health care, free college tuition, and a much more progressive tax system—will become possible." 

This excerpt from John Cassidy's New Yorker post today is a pretty clear-eyed assessment of the Sanders candidacy. I have believed from the outset that both Sanders and Donald Trump have tapped into the same current of extreme dissatisfaction within the American public in general, which is far more widespread and apolitical than the Washington commentariat understands.