Daily Intent

Whether you agree with the election, believe wholeheartedly in Barack, and even trust him or not, this is a powerful American decision.  Yes, the fact of a black man being elected as the president of the United States is historical.  Just as historical in my mind is the way the world quickly responded to our decision.  During a time of economic strife and world hatred toward the bulling and listening inept United States, people around the globe were elated.   Commentary showed renewed hope in the world leader and its direction.  It gave millions, if not billions, hope of a strong, prosperous future.

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A Full on Giraffe?  Sarah Palin?  The Most Interesting Man in the World?  Juno?

Whatever you have decided for your Halloween costume endeavor, remember not to eat unwrapped candy.

Be safe.  Have some fun.  And connect with those in witty costumes.

Note: The Presidential Election happens this next Tuesday.  If you believe in Democracy, it is your duty to vote.  If you don’t believe in Democracy, you should express this in your vote.

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Bold News This Week:

“Lehman Brothers, 4th largest Investment Bank, declares bankruptcy”
“AIG saved by the government’s $85Bn at the 11th hour”
“Washington Mutual teeters as stock plummets”
“Merrill Lynch, the 100yr old giant bull, waves white flag in front of BofA

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September 11th is a day our generations will never forget.  It shook us to our core.  It reminded us of our vulnerabilities.  And it reminded us that United We Stand.  My thanks goes out to the firefighters and the workers that worked tirelessly repairing the cities. And my support goes out to those who had a loved one pass that day or the innocent bystander that had to witness the events first hand. Please take a moment today to consider what positive steps you can take in remembrance of this tragic day.
____________________________________________________________Ocean Preservation: As many of you know, I will be taking on the Santa Barbara Channel Friday at 12 midnight via a relay swim.  What many of you don’t know is it benefits an incredible cause.  Should you be moved to support ocean conservation and underprivileged youth getting the opportunity to experience the Channel Islands first hand, please call or email me.  The benefiting organization is the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation.  My intent is to raise $400 ($10 x 40 people).  In either case, please pray for the sharks to be full from an earlier dinner and less than curious to replay Jaws. 

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A  beautiful and wonderful woman walk jogged into our lives one sunny day last summer.  She quietly brightened our days, this woman from the Bay Area.  She asked all the right questions at the most appropriate of times.  She came prepared each Saturday. She handed out Jolly Ranchers and pretzels when we were exhausted from a long run.  And she shed marathon wisdom upon her fearless comrades.Carolyn Samuels, you were loved by all you touched and will be missed by many.(see below for Memorial details)

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 All over the country Americans begin a year of academic pursuit.  Kindergarteners say good bye to preschool naps.  12 year olds say good bye to recess.  18 year olds say good bye to mom and dad and hello to FREEDOM.  And grad students say good bye to “a life”. In light of their efforts, I’ve compiled a Top 10 list for Education thanks to Wikipedia.com:1. The New England Puritans valued education, both for the sake of religious study (which was facilitated by Bible reading) and for the sake of economic success. A 1647 Massachusetts law mandated that every town of 50 or more families support an elementary school and every town of 100 or a grammar school, where boys could learn Latin in preparation for college.

2. In the year 2000, there were 76.6 million students enrolled in schools from kindergarten through graduate schools.

3. Of those enrolled in compulsory education, 5.2 million (10.4 percent) were attending private schools.4. The country has a reading literacy rate at 98% of the population over age 15.

5. According to a 2005 report from the OECD, the United States is tied for first place with Switzerland when it comes to annual spending per student on its public schools, with each of those two countries spending more than $11,000 (in U.S. currency).  National Education Budget: $827 billion(public and private, all levels)

6. Millions each year pour into economic classes expecting Ben Stein from Ferris Buehler’s Day Off.  “Anyone?  Anyone?  Anyone?”

7. The vast majority of students (up to 70 percent) lack the financial resources to pay tuition up front and must rely on student loans and scholarships from their university, the federal government, or a private lender.8. School voucher programs were proposed by free-market advocates seeking competition in education, led by economist Milton Friedman.9. Among the country’s adult population, over 85 percent have completed high school and 27 percent have received a bachelor’s degree or higher.

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Only during the Olympics do we stay up until one in the morning watching China vs Germany in the most intense woman’s quarterfinal badminton match.  Might the seventh seed, Chinese born German, dethrone the number one seed?A week’s recovery from Fiesta, 6-man, or Seafair, and we’re back to late nights and powering through the days of work with our eyes twitching from Olympic television exhaustion.The Olympic spirit is upon us. 

National pride fills our veins.

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600,000 foreigners are expected for the weeks of the Olympic Games.  And China estimates 4.5 million foreign tourists to pour into Beijing this year alone.  While expenditures are forecast to register $4.9 billion in revenue.

It’s understood with hosting the Olympics comes huge economic benefits to the host city, the surrounding cities and the country as a whole.  But the big question surrounding the monetary stimulus is its longevity.

Both Sydney and Athens experienced “post-Olympic depression”.  Their economies slouched after the Olympics passed through.

$4.9bn is a drop in the bucket in comparison to China’s overall economy.  It’s less than the write-downs of many American financial institutions of late.

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The west coast takes a moment to celebrate life and community this weekend.

Last night Santa Barbarans danced open Old Spanish Days aka Fiesta.  Seattleites have begun waxing their boats and fitting in extra sets of sit ups and push-ups in preparation for Seafair, Friday through Sunday.  And Manhattan Beach?  The infamous 6-man volleyball tournament sets off Saturday followed later by the most intense life-guard competition.

Being that such events offer huge revenue streams to the respective cities, it’s on point to include a few historical nuggets.  Could your annual event of 50 people be the next huge festival to blow away your city?

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Ladies and Gents, this week we must honor a life that continues to compound greatness, my Grandpa Lydon.  He celebrates 80 years of life this Sunday.  All of his descendants are so very thankful for all that he continues to share and impress upon our lives.  Thanks Grandpa and Happy Birthday!
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Once again my childhood has served me well in creating a frame of reference! 

A CNBC special has me back to video games!  Ladies, hang on before you skip to the Word of the Week.  These lessons could serve you well.  Besides, you comprise 39% of all gamers (Btw, 60% of Americans play video games, with a large majority being over 18 years old.).  Crazy, but true. 

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