BETTERBOX

Back in 2001 I was working for Stolt Sea Farm selling Salmon. The Salmon companies were making way too much money and they kept spawning more fish each year as demand grew. In 2002 the salmon market collapsed due to over production. Too many fish and not enough salmon eaters. The companies were too greedy.

My boss, the President of Stolt USA, was fired and after about 90 days they got around to firing me too. All this was done to cut cost. Stolt was losing over $1 million a month. Stolt sold their business to Marine Harvest and closed their LA Plant. The good news was my employment agreement, which called for 6 months severance.

Pam and I discussed my next career move and Meredith and I went on the Journey of Self Discovery. I was in no real hurry to get a new job. Pam joked that I should "think outside of the Box". We talked and agreed what I really needed was a "BETTERBOX".

Well, I got a new job and we put Betterbox on hold. But my recent lay off from Empress and the poor economy has us back discussing our own business. It's no secret that I am ready to retire in the broad sense of the word. This does not mean I am ready to stop earning money. Jack, Colleen, and Meredith all need some level of support for the next few years. Pam has a great job and could easily support us but my income is helpful.

So now is the time for us to launch Betterbox. We formed an LLC [Limited Liability Corp] and set up a Business Banking account. I have been working as a Seafood Broker selling products for three different companies. It is not easy to start a business and make three clients happy at once. I have been working long days and weekends just to keep up. This Saturday I fly to Seattle to meet with another potential client. If all goes well, we should be working together next week.

I set up a simple web page and asked a couple of seafood guys to join me in a Network of Seafood Brokers. I still have some work to do on the Web page but Betterbox Sales & Marketing is coming along. You can visit the site at: http://www.betterboxsales.com


Pam is on the Board of Directors and is VP of Finance.

IT'S ABOUT EQUALITY

I have been busy. I hate to say I have been preoccupied with starting our Food Brokerage Co. [Betterbox Sales & Marketing] and I have not been Blogging or reading the on-line news. I will Blog about Betterbox later and give you the web site info.

I was blown away yesterday by the California Supreme Court decision to uphold Prop 8. We call it Prop H8 because it supports unequal treatment for some California Citizens.

This is clearly and most importantly an equal rights issue. Many people try to make it about sexual preference. It is not. Others try to make it about religion. This is not a religious issue. Simply stated, it is an issue about the government [California] treating one group of citizens differently than they treat others.

If this were Blacks, being told they could not marry, there would be moral outrage. If women or Hispanics were treated differently, they would be upset. Prior to the 1950's Blacks were told they could not marry whites. Prior to 1920, Women could not vote. All this has changed and Prop 8 will not stand. The rule of law is really simple in this case. Everyone should be treated the same.

I am not a liberal or progressive in the current use of the jargon. I believe in strict interpretation of the Constitution. I have always voted Republican, even when I was sad about the candidate. As such I think everyone should be treated the same. This means men, women, blacks, Asians, and people we don't like for any silly reason.

It is wrong for government to withhold service to one group of citizens and I am going to work to get this Prop 8 law changed. I am asking everyone I know to help change California law so anyone can marry the person they love. Please join me by signing up at: http://www.eqca.org/site/pp.asp?c=kuLRJ9MRKrH&b=4026385

Hurray Hurray the first of May

EJ used to say this every year. I'm thinking of you Ed. Up tip.

Oh.....THE LAW WON

So, the Judge went to the freeway and looked at the place where I was riding. Then he agreed with Officer friendly and found me GUILTY. I got a nice letter in the mail.

My next court date for the second ticket is on May 26. I'm working on my defense. Stay tuned

PHOTO RADAR REDUX.......

I read the news today......oh boy!

PHOENIX - Phoenix police arrested a suspect in the fatal shooting of a man who was operating a state police photo radar unit that was parked on a north Phoenix freeway to catch speeders, police said Monday.

The suspect was being questioned Monday morning, Phoenix police spokesman Sgt. Andy Hill said in a news release. Police said more information would be released at a briefing later in the day.

The victim, 51-year-old Doug Georgianni, was shot just before 9 p.m. Sunday on the Loop 101 freeway and 7th Avenue.
Video equipment on the photo enforcement SUV, which is marked as an Arizona Department of Public Safety vehicle, showed a vehicle that was believed to have been used during the shooting. The driver of that vehicle was described as a man who appears to be in his 60s and has white hair and a white mustache.

Georgianni had worked for three months for RedFlex Traffic Systems Inc. The company has a contract with DPS to operate photo enforcement vehicles and fixed cameras on state highways.

When he was shot, Georgianni was inside the Ford Escape and monitoring data collection, the DPS said.

I just knew somebody would start to get even with the photo radar guys in Phoenix. It's going to get worse before it gets better.

iPhone.......AGAIN

I need to say it again. I was wrong. Meredith...can you hear me. Julie wake up from your nap....I was wrong. Colleen, you know I always agreed with you about the phone.

This iPhone is, well, GREAT. Yes, there is an APP for that...regardless of what you want to do. Somebody thought of it and wrote the code. I am almost sure there is an APP to pick your nose if you really want it.

As I use this thing I can not stop being amazed. Why didn't somebody tell me about this? Ha ha ha ha ha ha.

I FOUGHT THE LAW AND........

Well, we really don't know the conclusion at this point. The no talent CHP Officer above says I was riding on the shoulder. That's violation 21755 of the California Vehicle Code. But I took pictures to show that I was riding between lanes and that is NOT the shoulder.

I went to court. Waited two hours for my case. Officer Sunshine here showed up. But he underestimated me. I can see why. The other people who were there were just plain stupid. They had no defense other then to say ..."the cop is lying" Ha ha ha. Ya the Judge really likes that.

The Judge asked a guy...Do you want to go to traffic school and avoid the points? The Guy said No. Then he went on to say he wasn't sure how fast he was driving but he was 100% sure he wasn't speeding. Guilty, $248 fine.

My point is the Officer charged me with riding on the shoulder and I wasn't on the shoulder. I had photos, like the one above, and Google Earth Satellite images of the highway. The Judge said he would go look at this and send us his verdict. 50-50 chance I win.

Stay tuned. I have a second ticket for Speeding and I am 100% sure I was doing 62 mile per hour.

SHEEP WAITING IN LINE

This photo of sheep tells the whole story. It is the dumbest story ever told but you need to hear it so as to help me save mankind.

Saturday we went to South Coast Plaza. Pam bought an ARMANI suit. [Yes that is another long story.....a $3,500 story] As we drove into the mall parking lot we saw a loooong line of cars waiting to exit. The line went out to the freeway on ramp. I thought it was strange but, it's the weekend and maybe the economy is better than we think.

We finally got the suit. Pam wears a 34 in Italian size. Only a few 34's are available in ARMANI suits. You would think they would make more. It is a VERY NICE BLACK SUIT. It should be.

As we drove out the long line was there waiting for us to exit. We waited as it slowly took us up and over the freeway to the 405 on ramp. Then down the ramp. I saw the problem. People were stopping for the on ramp light that controls traffic entering the freeway. I thought it odd that the light would be working on the weekend. It is really to control traffic during rush hour.

As we approached the light I saw that THE LIGHT WAS OFF. It was not working. People were stopping just as if it were on. It wasn't flashing...it was off. And, stay with me, people were stopping. They would wait for the light to change, until they felt really stupid, and then they would drive away. But worse the people behind them paid no attention and when it was their turn...THEY STOPPED FOR THE LIGHT TOO. When I got to the light, the car in front of me was sitting there...waiting. I honked and then as if she had been hit on the head, the Chinese lady in the Mercedes, drove off. I just drove through and kept going.

Behind me I could see people still stopping. Waiting for a light, that wasn't working, to change.

Mankind has become too stupid to know when the stop light ISN'T WORKING. Soon we will need a text message to tell us to urinate. We are becoming Sheep.

ROOM & BOARD

This is not a paid advertisement. I just want to pass on some good news and a tip about ROOM & BOARD.

Furniture is necessary and always too expensive. I see it like blue jeans. You want it to fit well and last a long time but not be $100 per pair. Levis have always been the best value. I like the story about Levi Strauss coming to find gold in San Francisco during the 1849 Gold Rush. The Gold he found was in making jeans out of tent material. Here is a link to him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levi_Strauss

Back to my point. Furniture is necessary. When we built our new house we decided to give most of our furniture to Meredith who was moving to an apartment in San Francisco. For a short time we lived in an apartment with no furniture. We had a bed and a plasma screen TV. We would sit on the floor to eat and watch TV. We should have lived in a trailer I suppose.

All our new furniture was in storage at ROOM & BOARD. We went to the local ROOM & BOARD store in Costa Mesa and picked out things for the new house. Then we went on line to make decisions about color and sizes. Finally, I called a really nice lady in Minnesota [ yes she said MINN -A- SOOODA]. ROOM & BOARD is headquartered in Minnesota and they have a call center there. We picked all our stuff, had it made or shipped to the Irvine Warehouse and stored until we were ready to move.

It was cool moving into to a new home and then having all new furniture delivered. It was like living in a model home or at a hotel. The things we ordered worked out great. It has been 18 months and not a single problem. ROOM & BOARD like Levis is a great value. If you have not been to a ROOM & BOARD Store, or seen their great catalog, here is a link to their site. I recommend them for Traditional / Contemporary Furniture. It's NOT Modern. It is good solid stuff that looks like the 21st Century.

http://www.roomandboard.com/rnb/

OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW

Well, I never thought I would change may mind but I bought an iPhone, and it is just great.

Back in the 1980s I was one of the first to own an Apple Computer. We had Macs and one of the first PowerBooks. Meredith and Colleen learned to use the computer on Mac. They were always way too expensive and fragile. I remember having out first Mac torn apart on the living room floor as I taught myself to replace the hard drive. I swore I would never go back to Apple after we got our first PC.

When the first iPhone came out, everyone waited in line. I thought SUCKERS. This phone will only break your heart with its promise of being great and then CRASH. Many of the original buyers were later disappointed when the new phones came out with twice the memory at cheaper prices. I laughed again at them for falling for the same old Apple marketing gimmicks. Then Colleen wanted the iPhone and I looked at them with her. They were cool but I was still 100% sure they were basic crap. Colleen's Mac Lap top crashed twice and so did Kimmy's. Again, I was sure Apple was a joke.

My phone, the Treo 750 was rock solid for three years. Once in while I had to reboot it and I lost all my files one time but overall it was great. Each day it got older and slower. I kept waiting for the "New PALM PRE" to go on sale. It was the phone of the future. They released the TREO 800 PRO which looked cool but was really just like my own Treo. About once a month Palm would send me an email about the NEW PALM PRE...coming soon.

Then Pam got a new Blackberry Curve. I started looking at Blackberry in a new light. The Blackberry Bold was very nice AND.............all the reports said it was almost as good as a..Holy Shit iPhone. What? Was I reading all this right? The Apple iPhone was the best phone around?

So, I got my last unemployment check in the mail. $475.00. Thanks again Arnold and Barrack. At the Bank, I passed the AT&T store and went in to look at the Blackberry Bold. Jason Yee, the sales guy was good. He asked me how I used my phone. I told him I used it as a hand-held mini-computer. He showed me how the Bold worked and how it did everything I wanted. I was ready to buy the Bold. Then I asked him about the iPhone. He took his out of his pocket and said, "Here try it." The guy, who sells phones, owns an iPhone. I said, "Aren't these really just a toy?" He showed me all the applications on his phone. It was like going back in time to my old PowerBook. It could do anything and it was way cool.

So I asked the BIG QUESTION...which phone is better? Jason said, "They both make calls and get email. The iPhone does much more and it is designed to be able to do more in the future. They are adding new applications almost daily that will run on this phone." He was right. Just as Apple invented the use of the mouse and forced the development of Windows. Apple has reinvented the hand held device. It isn't a phone. It is the magic wand of the future.

So long TREO and so long Sprint. I drank the Apple flavored kool aid again and I'm skipping down iPhone lane.

UNDERSTANDING GOLD

To understand Gold, or the power of Gold, you need to first understand the value of an item. Let us pick a Horse.

In 1875 you could buy a basic horse for a $20 "Double Eagle" gold piece. This was 1 ounce [.98 oz] of pure Gold with the face value of $20.00. The Horse was nothing special. Not a race horse or show horse...just a horse.

Today you can buy a similar horse for about $1,000. Money, specifically US Dollars, have inflated. The same $1000 will also buy 1 ounce of gold in the form of the Gold American Eagle coin.

The value of the Horse and the Gold remained the same for over one hundred years while the value of the US Dollar changed due to inflation and money supply mismanagement. The Dollar is just paper and of very little real value.

The current over spending in Washington on "bail outs" will result in more inflation and greater devalue of the US Dollar. If there was ever a good time to buy gold, it is now. Soon it will take $20 dollars to buy a gallon of milk. At that point one ounce of Gold will be worth $2,500.

EQUINOX

Today is March 20. Vernal Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere. This means the start of Spring. Today daylight and night are equal [thus Equinox]. From now until June 21 [Summer Solstice] the days will get longer. Spring training has already begun and the Dodgers will have their Day Home opener on Monday, April 13.

THE HOLIEST DAY OF THE YEAR

Ahhh...another beautiful day in Ireland. It's the rain ya know.

I could not let the day go by without a brief mention of me Mum. If we went out and she was asked, "Would you like a drink?'" She would say, "I'll be havin that Irish wine." And people would say, "Well, I didn't know they had wine in Ireland." And...she would laugh and say, "it's that old Irish whine...I wish the English would go home."

Another favorite, was when she was asked if she had a drinking problem by one of our neighbors. Mum turned and said, "Well, I have always viewed it as more of a solution then a problem."Finally, Mum always said she hated AA, Alcoholics Anonymous. She said it was for "quitters."

Every year on St Patrick"s Day she cooked corn beef. I asked her if Corn Beef was invented in Ireland. She said no. She told me we eat to remember. Mum said that people were starving during the potato famine, 1845 -1855. The English hoped to starve all of Ireland to death and be rid of the Irish people. Nobody would do anything to help. Europe ignored the problem. But, the Quakers, in America sent barrels of Corned Beef to Ireland. And we will be eating Corn Beef tonight to remember the million plus Irish men, women, and children who starved. Long before CNN and the Holocaust, the English let a million people starve. They gave away free one way tickets to America. Just to get people to leave. Today, more Irish live in America then Ireland.

Tough people the Irish. I miss you Mom.

RETURN TO VALUE

The economy has been a powerful force for change. More than President O'mama, the economy has brought real change to America. Nowhere is this more clear then in consumer spending.

As we watch the stock market dive lower we need to remember that for each sale that drives stock lower, someone is taking cash out of the market. Where is all this cash going? It isn't going to buy new big fancy homes like three years ago. And, It isn't going to buy new SUVs like in the past. People are clearly holding on to their money.

As I watch for signs of cash turning up in new places, I find a general return to value. People are spending, but they are spending better. All that stuff they know was wrong has nearly stopped. Today, people with money are spending it on those things that the need and on value.

This includes groceries. The grocery store is booming. Suddenly cooking is cool and more and more people are skipping the long wait and crappy service for an over priced mediocre meal. Chains, like TGI Friday and others, are begging for business when two years ago you had a rude hostess tell you it would be a 30 minute wait. Today you can stay home and cook in those 30 minutes and save half the cost of that meal.

People are also spending on cars. Not new cars, Used cars and car maintenance. More and more people are saying, "I really don't need a new car payment." They are fixing the car they drive and deciding to keep it another year. Pam's convertible is paid off and it is 7 years old.

Me, I'm saving too. For the past ten years I have had a running fight with the cleaners about my shirts. I ask for Heavy Starch. The shirts come back limp as a wet noodle. I complain and they act like I don't know anything about laundry. Now I buy starch and Iron my own shirts. Guess what...I do a better job and they are cheaper.

We were promised change and change has come to America. The one good thing about all this is that service will have to improve if we ever plan to return to the "good ol days."

WORK.....................update

I think you know I was "laid off" at the end of January. I have been looking for a new job and wanted to send out an update.

I was offered four new jobs and I accepted them all.

I decided back in 2002, when I was 55, to shift my career to a job I could do for the long term. Pam is much younger and working. I have no real hobbies other than Pam and Jack. So I decided I needed a long term job that I can do for another 15 years. I have managed a large staff and helped to build businesses. I have nothing to prove with my career and I'm not concerned about my title or ego. I'm really only working for the money. Period.

Pam earns more than enough for our family. But, we need to plan for Pam's retirement and Jack's college. I also have continued expenses with Meredith and Colleen in college. My plan has worked for the past 7 years. I have sold seafood over the phone and it's been easy. But, long story short, I need to work for 4 to 8 more years. The recent lay off gave me a chance to improve my situation. My GOAL is to work from my Home Office and sell customers over the phone.

I searched all of February to find jobs working from home. I found three selling meat or seafood as an "independent contractor." These are jobs in which the company will pay me a small base salary to set up and run my Home Office. Then they pay commission on the sales I make to customers. The three jobs I found do not conflict with each other and if all goes as planned I will begin next week.

The problem with these jobs is they could stop at any point. The economy is not helping seafood sales. All of these companies are trying to expand cheaply by hiring people like me. If my sales are good, I will continue. If not...back to the search.

At the same time, I was offered a great job working for a really good company. But it is in Vernon, CA. This is downtown LA. The people are great, they are well financed, been in business for 60 years. They like me and I respect them. Did I tell you the job is in Vernon? That's 35 miles each way. Not part of the Home Office plan.

So I accepted this job and agreed to start on April 6. I will try working from Home for two weeks for the three companies and if that fails, I will drive to Vernon. The next two weeks will be a "TEST PERIOD" to see how this will work out. If it goes well, I will keep at it from Home. If it fails or it is just too stupid, I will get up at 5:30 and drive to Vernon five days a week.

The good news, I have a job. Details will follow.

THE RECESSION

I wrote back on February 23 about Nouriel Roubini, a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. He was the ONLY person to forecast the current economic crisis.

Yesterday, Mr Roubini gave a speech in which he said the current crisis will continue for up to 36 months and will cost the financial system over $3.5 trillion. He went on to say the GDP [Gross Domestic Product] will stall at zero growth and may go negative. He predicted a 33% chance of an "L" shaped recession in which the economy falls and then remains flat with zero growth.

We all need to listen to this guy. Many called him "Dr. Doom" when he predicted the current crisis. A few very good Economist said he was dead wrong about the future of the economy. Nearly everything he predicted has come true and his forecast today for the next three years is not good.

Here is a link to the CNBC report: http://www.cnbc.com/id/29598949

The ARIS 2008 Report

Van Morrison sings about it "...no religion, no religion, no religion here today." Now the new ARIS [American Religious Identification Survey 2008] is out today and it shows another reduction in American faith.

The first survey was done in 1990. 86% of Americans viewed themselves as Christians. This dropped in 2001 to 77% and in 2008 to 76%. Moreover, the group with NO religious affiliation, those who claim to be atheist or non religious, has grown to 15% or 34 million Americans. Even the silliest Group, those who claim "don't know" or undecided, grew to 5% of the population. One can assume these are not deep thinkers since they have no opinion on the topic. Only the Muslims grew in numbers who believe. In 1990 they were .3% and in 2008 they doubled to .6 % of the population. I'm sure this is only a fad...it being cool to be Muslim during the last 10 years.

With all the prayers at football games and on American Idol, people thanking Jesus for making a touchdown or moving to the final 13, you would think Belief was on the rise. But no. More and more Americans like those in Europe, are saying they are secularist.

Here is a link to the study: http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/ Go read this for yourself. Whatever you believe, this study seems to say all the public displays of religion are not reflecting the reality of American Faith.

Me, oh, I'm sticking with Santa. He brought me the bicycle and proved himself to me many years ago.

The Stock Market

The Dow Jones Industrial average closed yesterday at 6544. This is down 50% from it's high of one year ago. This massive drop means that America has lost about half it's wealth over the past year.

The Stock Market is the place were people put money to earn more money. They invest to help create new businesses and new jobs in companies. In return for this investment, they earn a return, hopefully better then the local Bank can pay in interest.

Many people see the Stock Market as the place were "rich people buy companies." This is an over simplification. If a person, you for example, has a dollar and wants to earn money on it, you can invest it. Millions of Americans do this with 401K retirement plans and other pension funds. These funds take all the dollars from the workers and invest in the Stock Market.

Half of these retirement investments are gone because the Stock Market has dropped. This means millions of Americans will NOT retire in the next 10 years and they will work until they are 80.

The question now is "how low will it go?"

PROP 8 goes to COURT

I understand that many of you who read this Blog do not support Gay Marriage. Regardless, the issue is NOT about being Gay or being married. The issue is about equality and civil rights. Today the California Supreme Court in San Francisco began hearing the legal arguments regarding the passing of Prop 8. In my view this will be a landmark decision on two levels.

First, it is about the right of citizens to change the state constitution by a public referendum only requiring 51 % of the vote. It could be argued, and will be argued, that 51% of the voters COULD vote Hispanics or Asians or Blacks or Women out of the state. Or, take away their right to vote or whatever. The Constitution was not set up to be modified by popular vote in the same way you vote for American Idol. Moreover just because 51% of the voters say anything does not make it legal or right.

Second, the equal protection provision of the US Constitution says that everyone must be treated in the same manner. To that end, everyone is allowed to get a marriage license but some are restricted and that is unfair. This was the case when the laws were changed to allow inter-racial marriage. I can remember when Black guys could not marry white women. Tell that to Seal. Well those laws were struck down and in much the same way Prop 8 is doomed.

Finally, who cares who marries anyone. Why should I or you care if other people want to be happy or in love. The law does not require churches to marry Gays. It only allows for the license to be granted.

Pam and I worked hard to tell everyone "NO on H8". Now the next phase has begun.

BMW

Our friends at BMW know spring is just around the corner. They have released the newest version of their Sport -Touring Motorcycle the BMW K1300 GT. Details are just rolling in but the news is good: 160 horsepower, new frame stabilizer, better fuel control on acceleration, and the new color scheme. I'm not sold on the colors.

My K 1200 has over 30,000 miles on it and it is seven years old. Maybe it's time to ride over to see the crusty old guys at BMW. Stand around and drink some coffee.