Winners

Perception

William Barker relates the story of a bishop from the East Coast, who many

years ago, paid a visit to a small, Midwestern religious college.  He stayed at

the home of the college president, who also served as professor of physics and

chemistry.  After dinner, the bishop declared that the millennium couldn't be far

off, because just about everything about nature had been discovered and all

inventions conceived.

The  young college president politely disagreed and said he felt there would be

many more discoveries.  When the angered bishop challenged the president

to name just one such invention, the president replied he was certain that

within fifty years, men would be able to fly.

“Nonsense!” sputtered the outraged bishop.  “Only angels are intended to fly.”

The bishop's name was Wright and he had two boys at home who would prove

to have greater vision than their father.  Their names were Orville and Wilbur.

                       The father and his sons both lived under the same sky,

                               but they didn't all have the same horizon!

                             This writer from SUCCESS Magazine...asks:

                                                  How can this be? 

                         Why is it that two people can be in the same place

                      at the same time and both see entirely different things?

                                                          It's simple. 

We see what we are prepared to see, not what is. Every successful leader

                     understands this about people and asks three questions.

                                                  What  do others see?

                                                  Why do they see it that way?

                                                  How can I change their perception?

One Great Salesman

Most of us think of Christopher Columbus as a great discoverer, but he was also

a great leader and salesman.  Before he could begin  his voyage of discovery

that changed the world, he had to see what, to his contemporaries, was an

utterly ridiculous  idea!  And that was so no “one call” sale!  Consider the

circumstances  and conditions that were stacked against him.

First:  There was absolutely no market for a transatlantic voyage.

           And hundreds of years of tradition and superstition practically

           guaranteed there never would be.

Second:  Although Columbus had made sea voyages as a passenger,

               he had never been captain of a ship.

Third:  Columbus was a foreigner (an Italian) living in Portugal

            and then in Spain.

Fourth:  Columbus did not have sufficient money to fund such an adventure.

               In fact, the only one who could legally fund a voyage of discovery,

               was a head of state ~ a king or queen.  So his prospect list of

               benefactors was rather short.

Fifth:  His price was not cheap.  In addition to needing ships and support,

           Columbus had a long life of personal demands, including...

            A 10% commission on all commerce between his discoveries

            and the mother country.

            A title ~ Admiral of the Ocean Sea.

            The permanent position of governor of all new territories

            All of his honors and rights passed on to his heirs.

Remarkably, Columbus made the sale and did it on his own terms!

Modern sales people could learn a lot form Columbus's sales techniques.

He was propelled by a single-minded passion.

He wholeheartedly believed he could reach Asia by crossing the Atlantic.

(Even though his belief was wrong, it gave him the stamina, the conviction

and confidence to convince others.)

He never stopped selling!

He didn't mind asking for the order again and again and again!

He spent seven years asking King John of Portugal to fund the voyage.

Then he went to Spain and worked on Ferdinand and Isabella for

seven more years before he finally got his Yes!

Columbus had to see...before  he could sail.

Any successful person  knows this truth.

People must buy into You...

before They buy into your Dreams!

Words of Wisdom from Einstein:

I am thankful to all those who said, “NO” to me.

It is because of them, I did it myself!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Complete” or “Finished”

No dictionary has been able to adequately explain the difference between

“Complete” and “Finished”.  However, in a recent linguistic conference held

in London, England, and attended by some of the best linguists in the world,

Samsundar Balgobin, a Guyanese, was the clear winner.

His final challenge  was this:  Some say there is no difference between

COMPLETE and FINISHED.  Please explain the difference between

these two words...in a way that is easy to understand.

“Sam” thought about it a minute, then rendered this astute answer:

“When you marry the right woman, you are Complete!

But when you marry the wrong woman, your are Finished!

And when the right one catches you with the wrong one,

you are Completely Finished!”

His answer was received with a standing ovation lasting over five minutes and it

entitled him to receive an invitation to dine with the Queen, who decided to

call him  after the contest.  He won a trip to travel around the world in style

and a case of 25-year-old-Eldorado Rum...for his answer.

                                                                      "Pearls of Wisdom"

                                              The Winner is always a part of the answer.

                                              The Loser is always part of the problem.

                                              The Winner always has a program.

                                              The Loser always has an excuse.

                                              The Winner says, “Let me do it for you.”

                                              The Loser says, “That’s not my job.”

         

                                              The Winner sees an answer to every problem.

                                              The Loser sees a problem in every answer.

                                              The Winner says, “It may be difficult, but it’s possible.:

                                              The Loser says, “It may be possible, but its too difficult.”

Merle Baird-Kerr...written December 31, 2012.

Comments welcome...scroll down...sign in as “anonymous”

or e-mail...inezkate@gmail.com

Sugar

 This year, I resolved to make Wishes for 2013…

actually 10 of them…some attainable, others pure “fantasy”!

Someone stated, “My dreams shall be my guiding stars

as I navigate through my unknown destiny.”

Another mused, “A Man without Dreams

is like a Bird without Wings.”

New Year’s Resolutions:  Many have 1 or 2, 3 or more.

Perhaps one aspiration is “Food”!

The following is a “sweet tooth” essay

from one of my ardent blog followers.

It is entertainingly written and suggests much truth.

I hear all this fuss about so much sugar in soda.  And in New York, it has become

unlawful to sell soft drinks larger than 16 oz. (but alcohol is still okay).

At one time, I worked with a Russian friend  and when we made coffee

I would put about half a teaspoon of sugar in my coffee (like half a packet)

and he would  put about five packets of sugar in his.   

This is the way he drank coffee: with about five sugars.  I used to say to him, 

“Would you care for a little coffee to go with your sugar there, Serge?”

We were having lunch in a restaurant and I ordered a piece of apple pie for

dessert, along with some coffee.  I put the usual half teaspoon in my coffee

and ridiculed Serge about his coffee-flavoured syrup.  Serge then pointed

out to me that there was likely more than five teaspoons of sugar in the slice

of apple pie that I was enjoying.  And I realized he was right!  So I didn't

criticize his coffee any more.

At home, I often make desserts.  A Filipino dessert called Braso de Mercedes

called for two cups of sugar.  I make it as two smaller meringue-custard

rolls, so each one has a whole cup of sugar.  Each one will be cut into about

four to six servings.  Stop to consider that one cup consists of 48 teaspoons.

So if it is cut in six, then one slice has 8 teaspoons of sugar:  almost the

sugar of one can of Coke.  If  you cut it in four, then one slice has 12

teaspoons of sugar.

Yesterday, I made a German Chocolate Cake.  The frosting calls for 2/3 cup

(that'll be 36 teaspoons) of sugar and 2/3 cup of Carnation milk and 1/3 cup

of butter.  That's the essential sticky base to which we add 4/3 cup of

coconut and 1 cup of chopped pecans.  Oh, it's absolutely delicious!!!

But that frosting sure is loaded with goodness.

A few years ago, my daughter and I made some pumpkin pie from scratch.

There was so much milk and sugar in the mix, I realized that the pumpkin

was little more than flavouring.  The mix was essentially gelled sugar to

hold some pumpkin base.

Now, maybe the high consumption of soda pop is yielding childhood

obesity and a multitude health problems. (Back in the 70's we used to

play outside.  Imagine that!) But it cannot begin to compare to the ills of

alcohol.  And I don't see any laws barring the size of a slice of apple pie!

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A senior citizen acquaintance of mine “loves cookies”.  High on the priority list

are Oreo cookies.  (Recently on a 4-cookie packet, the label indicated these four

Oreos have a total of 160 calories which in my calculation means that 1 of these

cookies  equals 40 calories).  At a social event, this senior consumed at least 16

Oreo cookies .It's a  “no-brainer”  to realize that 640 calories were consumed  

within a couple hours.  But they were immensely enjoyed with hot tea.

Many people today are lured and enticed through media advertisements: radio,

television, internet, magazines, billboards and other technology invading our 

daily lives and environment…with their lilting music, happy jingles, clever ads with 

brilliant cartoons, birds, animals…even merchandise packaging with colouful labels.

I'm reminded of a Johnny Cash song,

Sugar in the morning, sugar in the evening,

sugar at suppertime.

Be my little sugar and love me all the time.

A Brief History of Sugar

Sugar is the generalized name for a class of sweet-flavoured substances used as

food.  They are carbohydrates and as the name implies, are composed of carbon,

hydrogen and oxygen.

Sugarcane is a giant grass and has been cultivated in tropical climates in the Far

East since ancient times.  A great expansion in its production took place in the

18^th century with the setting up of sugar plantations in the West Indies and the

Americas.  This was the first time that sugar became available to the common

people who had previously had to rely on honey to sweeten foods.

The world produced about 168 million tonnes  of sugar in 2011.  The average

person consumes about 24 kilograms of sugar each year, equivalent to about

260 food calories per person per day.

Since the last part of the 20^th century, it has been questioned whether a diet

high in sugars, especially refined sugars, is bad for health.  Sugar has been

linked to: obesity and suspected of being implicated in diabetes, cardiovascular

disease, dementia, macular degeneration and tooth decay.

Numerous studies have been undertaken to clarify the position.

“Buddha's Pearl of Wisdom”

Health is the greatest gift,

contentment the greatest wealth,

faithfulness the best relationship.

Merle Baird-Kerr...written November 1, 2012

Comments welcome...scroll down...may sign in as “anonymous”

or e-mail...inezkate@gmail.com

Motivations & Smiles for January

Perhaps you've collected 3, 4 maybe even 5 or 6 calendars for 2013.

For the past few years, I've received such...with wonderful quotes,

advice and philosophies which inspire monthly...Insights, Smiles,

Achievements, Motivations and Life Lines from the Animal Kingdom.

“On the First Day of __________” (not Christmas)

I share a few with you...the last each month from my 2013 Motivations

Calendar with invitation to “Action”! (You decide How, When and Where.)

Responsibility is the price of greatness. (Winston Churchill)

Equality:  After the game, the King and Pawn  go into the same box. (Italian proverb)

Don't be Afraid to take a big step if one is indicated.  You can't cross a chasm in two

small jumps. (David Lloyd George).

A Journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. (Lao-Tzu)

Cooperation:  Coming together is a beginning.

                        Keeping together is progress.

                        Working together is success. (Henry Ford)

Remember the lead dog is the only one with a decent view.  (Anonymous)

Compassion: (showing 2 bears)  A hug helps to bear it.  (Anonymous)

All Men of action...are dreamers.  (James Huneker)

A Word of Wisdom is often like a worm in a cornfield.

It goes in one ear and out the other.

Celebrate: The more you praise and celebrate your life,

                   the more in life there is to celebrate. 

(Oprah Winfrey)

Pearl of Wisdom

Attitude is like a grindstone.

Whether it grinds us down or polishes us up

depends on us!

(L Thomas Holdcroft)

Merle Baird-Kerr...written January 1, 2013

Comments welcome...scroll down...may sign in as “anonymous”

or e-mail...inezkate@gmail.com

Zen's Alphabet of Life

 Zen is the school of  Mahayana Buddhism...

an ancient and Japanese proven technique

to know yourself and manifest the True Nature

which is the “nature of enlightenment”.

Established 2,500 years ago by the historical Buddha,

Zen meditation allows you to learn about yourself

by observing your life unfolding from moment to moment

without biases.

A to Zen of Life

          Avoid negative sources, people, places and habits.

          Believe in yourself.

          Consider things from every angle.

          Don't give up and don't give in.

          Everything you're looking for lies behind the mask you wear.

          Family and Friends are hidden treasures.

          Give more than you planned to.

          Hang on to your dreams.

          If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.

          Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

          Keep trying, no matter how hard it seems.

          Love yourself.

          Make it happen.

          Never lie, deceive, steal or cheat.

          Open  your arms to “change” but don't let go of your values.

     

          Practice makes perfect.

          Quality, not quantity in anything you do.

          Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

          Stop procrastinating.

          Take control of your own destiny.

          Understand  yourself in order to better  understand others.

          Visualize life.

          When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

          Xcellence in all your efforts.

          You are unique...nothing can replace you.

          Zero in on your target and go for it.

Follow this “Alphabet of Wisdom”

to a Better more Satisfying Life.

Merle Baird-Kerr...composed December 13.  2012

Comments welcome...scroll down...may sign in as “anonymous”

or e-mail...inezkate@gmail.com

 

Forty Nine Years Later...

 Do you remember Julie Andrews

and the seven Von Trapp children from

The Sound of Music?

It won the Academy Award for the best movie of 1965

and is one of the most popular musicals ever produced!

Julie Andrews, actress and vocalist,

to commemorate her 69^th birthday in October, 2012,

made a special appearance at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall

One of the musical numbers she performed was

“My Favourite Things” from the legendary musical.

                                          Maalox and nose drops and needles for knitting;

                                          Walkers and handrails and new dental fillings;

                                          Bundles of magazines tied up in a string...

                                          These are a few of my favourite things.

                                          Cadillacs and cataracts, hearing aids and glasses;

                                          Polident and Fixadent and false teeth in glasses;

                                          Pacemakers, golf carts and porches with swings...

                                          These are a few of my favourite things.   

                                          When the pipes leak, when the bones creak,

                                          When the knees go bad...

                                          I simply remember my favourite things

                                          And then I don't feel so bad.

                                          Hot tea and crumpets and corn pads for bunions;

                                          No spicy hot food or food cooked with onions;

                                          Bathrobes and heating pads and hot meals they bring...

                                         These are a few of my favourite things.

                                         Back pains, confused brains, no need for sinnin';

                                         Thin bones and fractures and hair that is thinnin';

                                         And we won't mention our short shrunken frames...

                                         When we remember our favourite things.

                                         When the joints ache, when the hips break,

                                         When the eyes grow dim...

                                         Then I remember the great life I've had

                                         And then I don't feel so bad.

Ms. Andrews received a standing ovation from the crowd

that lasted over four minutes...and repeated encores.

Of Interest:  At this special performance, photos were shown of the 7 Von Trapp

children; in addition were photos of these seven children as adults today.

One spectacular photo was of these adults set against the Swiss Alps.

Pearl of Wisdom

Moments of simple pleasures

are far more meaningful than all material things.

(author unknown).

Merle Baird-Kerr...written December 12, 2012

Comments appreciated...scroll down...may sign in as “anonymous”

or e-mail...inezkate@gmail.com

What Has America Become?

Politics is a mystery, an enigma, a governing rule.

Politics is a highly debated subject...always has been

..and forever will be...as I foresee!

Politics is accepted by some…rejected by many,

yet, there is little that we, the common people, can do about it.

These are very challenging times!

I totally advocate Honesty

except in cases when diplomacy is called for.

(Sherryl Woods in her novel...Waking up in Charleston)

Recently, the following article was sent to me;

because I extol the views of the writer, I share them with you.

Editor,

Has America become the land of the special interest and home of double standard?

Let's see:

If we lie to Congress, it's a felony and if Congress lies to us, it's just politics.

If we dislike a black person, we're racist and if a black dislikes whites,

it's their 1^st Amendment right.

The government spends millions to rehabilitate criminals and does almost 

nothing for victims.

In public schools, you can teach that homosexuality is OK, but you better not

use the word God in the process.

You can kill an unborn child, but it's wrong to execute a mass murderer.

We don't burn books in America...we now rewrite them.

We got rid of communism and socialized threat by renaming them progressives.

We are unable to close our border with Mexico, but have no problem 

protecting the 38^th parallel in Korea.

If you protest against President Obama's policies, you're a terrorist,

but if you burned an American flag or George Bush in effigy,

it was your 1^st Amendment right.

You can have pornography on TV or the Internet, but you better not put

a nativity scene in a public park during Christmas.

We have eliminated all criminals in America...they are now called sick people.

We can use a human fetus for medical research, but it's wrong to use an animal.

We take money from those who work hard and give it to those

who don't want to work.

We support the Constitution, but only when it supports our political ideology.

We still  have freedom of speech, but only if we are being politically correct..

Parenting has been replaced with Ritalin and video games.

The land of opportunity is now the land of hand outs.

The similarity between Hurricane Katrina and the gulf oil spill

is that neither president did anything to help.

And how do we handle a major crisis today?

The government appoints a committee to determine who's at fault

...then threatens them...passes a law...raises our taxes...tells us the

problem is solved...so they can get back to their reelection campaigns!

What has happened to the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Ken Huber

Tawas City

As writer of this blog, I note that much is similar here in Canada.

With you I share a few other prominent people's views:

Author and Sociologist, Eric Hoffman said,

“In time of change, learners inherit the Earth

while the learned find themselves

beautifully equipped for a world that no longer exists.”

Herman Kahn, founder of the Hudson Institute think tank

and a well recognized strategist who died in 1983, stated,

“A surprising number of government committees will make decisions

on fundamental matters with less attention

than each individual would give to buying a suit.”

To Take the World by Storm...you have to Be a Storm!

The question to ask is, "How can we better our "quality of life"
as citizens in United States and Canada...our Homelands?"

Merle Baird-Kerr...written December 14, 2012.

Comments are welcome...scroll down...may sign in as “anonymous”

or e-mail...inezkate@gmail.com

Canadian Rocky Mountains

A few weeks ago, Josseline (a Bridge Base Online Friend)

sent me...Magnifique, les Rocheuses.

This was a spectacular video of our Canadian Rockies

with her accompanying comment:

I know somebody, living in Canada

who'll be very glad to receive this video.

To her, I responded after viewing the numerous photos:

                                                          How Beautiful our Rockies!

                                                          In viewing these scenes

                                                          tears come to my eyes!

                                                          How fortunate I've been

                                                          travelling all National Parks

                                                          as this video depicts!

                                                         Come!  Travel with me

                                                         to the heights of the mountains,

                                                         to the depths of the valleys,

                                                         to rich evergreen forests,

                                                         to lakes' aqua waters and rivers,

                                                         to the tumbling cascades,

                                                         to Kootenay's hot springs

                                                         and the Columbia Icefields.

                                                        View the mountain goats ever so high,

                                                        the deer , the elk and the moose;

                                                        View the bees, the butterflies and alpine flowers

                                                        throughout the Rocky Mountains.

                                                        Yes, there are the Alps...which I have toured;

                                                         the Andes, over which I have flown;

                                                         the American Rockies through which I've driven.

                                                         But...This is My Canada

                                                         for all to enjoy!

                                                        Our Rocky Mountains

                                                        ... magnificent, mighty and mystical.

                                                        They compel us to lovingly appreciate

                                                        their unparalleled magical beauty!

We are a wide-spread country...ten Provinces and three Territories.

Our lands encompass mountain ranges, valleys and canyons, gently

rolling hills and the golden prairies; we have lakes and rivers, bays

and inlets and country streams; we have tumbling cascades and

well-renowned Niagara Falls. Three oceans border us...west, north

and east:  the Pacific, Arctic and Atlantic.

The Laurentian Mountains, north of Montreal in Quebec

offer ski hills galore...you may  have heard of Mont Tremblant.

I've schussed down many of these slopes on winter vacations

...superbly exhilarating, fine cuisine and freshly fallen snow.

High on my list are Mont Tremblant, Gray Rocks, Mont Ste. Anne.

From west coast to east and north to our Territories, you'll be

surprised...as I was...at the following discovered information.

          British Columbia and Alberta: the Rockies are comprised

          of over 100 mountain ranges.

          Saskatchewan has a few low mountain peaks.

          Manitoba: 2 ranges

          Ontario: 4 ranges (north of Thunder Bay and Ottawa Valley)

          Quebec:  11 ranges including the Laurentians and the Torngat

          New Brunswick: 11 including the Appalachian Mountains

          which extend northward from US and Mount Christmas.

          Nova Scotia: 3 ranges including Cape Breton Highlands

          a spectacular scenic route along the Gulf of St. Lawrence

          and the Atlantic Ocean.

          Newfoundland and Labrador: 10 ranges including the Torngat

          Mountains.
          Prince Edward Island (in the Gulf of St. Lawrence)...none

          Yukon Territory has 19 mountain ranges.

          Northwest Territories have 9.

          Nuvavut 5...2 of which are on Ellesmere Island.

Planet Earth is the only home we have

and we would be wise to take good care of it.

(Bill Sherk...retired High School Teacher

Leamington, Ontario)

Merle Baird-Kerr … written December 4, 2012

Comments appreciated...scroll down...may sign in as “anonymous”

or e-mail … inezkate@gmail.com