Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Thorogood
George Thorogood's first words in his famous song Bad To The Bone: "On the day I was born, the nurses all gathered 'round, and they gazed in wide wonder, at the joy they had found, the head nurse spoke up and said, 'Leave this one alone,' she could tell right away - that I was bad to the bone, bad to the bone... bad.... bad to the bone. I broke a thousand hearts before I met you, I'll break a thousand more baby, before I am through... I am here to tell you honey, that I am bad to the bone."
Peregrina Paloma Imaginaria
Peregrina paloma imaginaria que enardeces los úlitmos amores... alma de luz, de música y de flores, peregrina paloma imaginaria. Jorge Luis Borges recordando el poema de uno de los literatos más grandes - Ricardo Jaimes Freyre, boliviano.
Herb Kelleher and James Carville
In their book, Buck Up, Suck Up... and Come Back When You Foul Up, James Carville and Paul Begala talk about Herb Kelleher, perhaps the best CEO of all time, according to Fortune magazine. On one occasion, Herb Kelleher told Paul Begala: "I can teach you the secret to running this airline in 30 seconds. This is it: Southwest is the low-fare airline. Not a low-fare airline. We are THE low-fare airline. Once you understand that fact, you can make any decision about this company's future as well as I can."
"Here's an example," Herb said. "Tracy from marketing comes into your office. She says her surveys indicate that the passengers might enjoy a light entrée on the Houston to Las Vegas flight. All we offer is peanuts, and she thinks a nice chicken Caesar salad would be popular. What do you say?"
Paul Begala stammered (hesitated, paused, stuttered). So Herd told him: "You say, 'Tracy, will adding that chicken Caesar salad make us THE low-fare airline form Houston to Las Vegas? Because if it doesn't help us become the unchallenged low-fare airline, we're not serving any damn chicken salad.'"
"Here's an example," Herb said. "Tracy from marketing comes into your office. She says her surveys indicate that the passengers might enjoy a light entrée on the Houston to Las Vegas flight. All we offer is peanuts, and she thinks a nice chicken Caesar salad would be popular. What do you say?"
Paul Begala stammered (hesitated, paused, stuttered). So Herd told him: "You say, 'Tracy, will adding that chicken Caesar salad make us THE low-fare airline form Houston to Las Vegas? Because if it doesn't help us become the unchallenged low-fare airline, we're not serving any damn chicken salad.'"
Jean Paul Getty's 10 rules to being rich
Jean Paul Getty: 10 Rules of Business Success.
Posted on 29. Jan, 2010 by Tito Philips, Jnr. in Archives, Business Quotient (BQ), People Quotient (PQ)
“It is not easy to build a business and make millions. It takes hard–extremely hard–work. There are no nine-to-five working hours and no five-day working weeks. Work is round the clock, 24/7.”
Jean Paul Getty (December 15, 1892 – June 6, 1976) was an American industrialist who founded, among other companies, the Getty Oil Company. He was named in 1957 by Fortune magazine the richest man in the world, and continued to be so until the time of his death. At his death, he was worth more than $2 billion. These rules were extracted from his legendary book “How to be Rich.” Footnotes were added to each of the rules to make them more related to our age and time. There are no absolutely safe or sure formulas for achieving success in business. Nonetheless, there are some fundamental rules to the game, which if followed, tip the odds for success very much in the businessman’s favour.
1. Adequate knowledge of the business: Almost without exception, there is only one way to make a great deal of money in the business world–and that is in one’s own business. The man who wants to go into business for himself should choose a field which he knows and understands. Obviously, he can’t know everything there is to know from the very beginning, but he should not start until he has acquired a good, solid working knowledge of the business.
Footnote
There’s no way one can run a business successfully without having adequate knowledge of the nitty gritty of the particular business he or she is venturing into. Take your time to learn as much as you can about the particular industry, market and peculiar characteristics of the prospective customers your product or service will serve. Also, make sure you have the necessary skills needed as the leader of the business. Remember, “time spent learning and planning is considered an investment in business and the knowledge eventually acquired is an asset and competitive advantage to the business.”
2. Commitment to the central purpose of a business: the businessman should never lose sight of the central aim of all business–to produce more and better goods or to provide more and better services to more people (customers) at lower cost.
Footnote
In the words of Management Guru, Peter F. Drucker, to know what a business is, we have to start with its purpose. Its purpose must lie outside of the business itself. In fact, it must lie in society since business enterprise is an organ of society. There is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer. This then is achieved through the continuous production of more and better goods or the provision of more and better services to the society at lower cost. Because its purpose is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two–and only these two–basic functions: MARKETING and INNOVATION. It is not necessary for a business to grow BIGGER; but it is necessary that it constantly grows BETTER. A businessman or woman who runs a business that isn’t doing this should not hope to achieve any form of business success.
3. Financial management: a sense of thrift (economy) is essential for success in business. The businessman must discipline himself to practice economy wherever possible, in his personal life as well as his business affairs. “Make your money first – then THINK about spending it,” is the best mantra for the man who wishes to succeed!
Footnote
There’s no way a business can be successfully managed without a good sense of money management on the part of the business owner. There must be a clear line of difference between ‘necessary expenses’ and ‘luxury expenses’. Always remember you’re not in business to satisfy your own personal desires, but to satisfy your customers’ desires consistently through the production of more and better goods or the provision of more and better services at lower cost. To do this, firstly, you must practice budgeting–a process of prioritizing necessary expenses essential to the survival and operational stability of the business. Secondly, negotiate everything! Always strive for a bargain no matter how small or intangible it may seem.
4. Seek continuous growth through necessary expansion: legitimate opportunities for expansion should never be overlooked or ignored. On the other hand, the businessman must always be on his guard against the temptation to over expand or launch expansion programs blindly, without sufficient justification and planning. Forced growth can be fatal to any business, new or old.
Footnote
Every business like every child ultimately wants to grow; this is the natural inclination of every living entity. The alert businessman or woman would seek various ways through which the business can grow through expansions. There are a few strategies for business expansion such as; buying over other related businesses, licensing of products or services, selling of franchises, opening of more branches, creation of strategic alliances and the cheapest; network marketing. Adequate planning and research must be fully carried out before any of these strategies can be adopted. Any business which fails to grow through necessary expansion faces the risk of extinction!
5. You’re the BOSS, call the shots: a businessman must run his own business. He cannot expect his employees to think or do as well as he can. If they could, they would not be his employees. When “The Boss” delegates authority or responsibility, he must maintain close and constant supervision over the subordinates entrusted with it.
Footnote
The great Inventor and entrepreneur, Henry Ford was once accused of being uneducated and rather than feel offended he posed a challenge telling his accusers to ask him any question whatsoever. With every question asked, Henry Ford simply called upon any of his workers who was qualified enough academically to answer the questions. On answering all the questions through his workers, his accusers claimed to have proved their allegations of Henry Ford’s illiteracy. Henry Ford smiling made a profound statement which will never go down in history; “I don’t bother to do the work anyone can do, I do the hardest work of all–thinking, which only a few men can do.” The few men who can think are those who become business owners employing those who cannot think but simply follow orders. Your key task as a businessman or woman lies in these words: directing human activities. And only those who know how to think can direct those who don’t think. To do this, you have to know a little about a lot (versatility) and employ those who know a lot about a few (specialization).
6. Seek continuous improvement: the businessman must be constantly alert for new ways to improve his products or services and increase his production and sales. He should also use prosperous periods to find the ways by which techniques and operational processes may be improved and costs lowered. It is only human for people to give little though to economies when business is booming. That, however, is just the time when the businessman has the mental elbow room to examine his operations calmly and objectively and thus effect important savings without sacrificing quality or efficiency. Many businessmen wait for lean periods to do these things and, as a result, often hit the panic button and slash costs in the wrong places.
Footnote
Success they say is a lazy teacher who makes her student complacent and comfortable. The best time to examine your business and seek ways for improvement isn’t when it’s declining, but rather when it is booming. A businessman or woman who desires success in business must deliberately seek out more and more ways of improving their business operations, products or services long before it becomes an emergency. Entrepreneurship is not a destination one is heading to, but a journey one embarks on; it has no end but death. In other words, there is no stationary spot or a point for resting on one’s laurels. Areas through which improvements can be channeled includes; business processes or systems, cost of production or cost of service delivery, product or service features and benefits, human resources, research and development, customer relationship management, finance, distribution etc. Remember, “opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared”. Now, not later or tomorrow, is always the time to make room for improvement!
7. Take only justified risks: a businessman must be willing to take risks – to risk his own capital and lose his credit and to risk borrowed money as well when, in his considered opinion, the risks are justified. But borrowed money must promptly be repaid. Nothing will write finis to a career faster than a bad credit rating.
Footnote
Taking risks in order to meet the needs and solve the problem of the society is the essence of entrepreneurship. However, not all risks are worth taking. A businessman or woman who desires to be successful in business would always evaluate and analyze any risk they choose to take so as to justify its viability. It has always been said, “It’s not the entrepreneur with the best idea that wins but the entrepreneur with an idea whose time has come.” Adequate care must be taken in ensuring that whatever project or venture a businessman or woman chooses to embark on has a positive return on investment (ROI). There are various tools that can be used to analyze the viability of a venture or project some of which are; Best/Worst analysis (BWA), capital budgeting techniques, SWOT analysis etc.
8. Seek new business opportunities: a businessman must constantly seek new horizons and untapped or under-exploited markets. Today’s shrewd businessman looks to foreign markets.
Footnote
Businesses exists because of the opportunities created by the needs and problems of the society in which they operate. If these needs or problems weren’t present, the entrepreneur wouldn’t have any cause to go into business in the first place. Each need or problem represents a business opportunity usually called an ‘untapped-market’. It becomes paramount then to the alert businessman or woman who desires to succeed in any business to constantly be on the lookout for more needs or problems that may represent business opportunities within the society in which they operate. Taking advantage of these opportunities is what innovation is all about. An innovative business is one that is alert to the needs and problems of the market it serves. Once a business becomes dead or indifferent to the needs and problems of the society, its demise is inevitable. In today’s world, the society in which a business operates has greater implications as a result of the changes created by Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The world as we know is now a global village making the operating environment in which businesses function to be unlimited. A local business enterprise can fully meet the needs and solve the problems of an international market through the aid of Information and Communications Technology. For example, millions of businesses are created on the internet every day, businesses open up branches in different parts of the world as a result of strategic alliances/partnerships formed over the internet, goods and services are now being bought and sold online, meetings are held in various places over the internet across the world. Never before in the history of mankind has such a time like this where opportunities abound for the alert businessman or woman to capitalize on and make the most of the ‘boundary-less markets’ open to them.
9. Trust is a social capital: nothing builds confidence and volume faster or better than a reputation for standing behind one’s work or products. Guarantees should always be honoured–and in doubtful cases, the decision should always be in the customers’ favour. A generous service policy should always be maintained. The firm that is known to be completely reliable will have little difficulty filling its order books and keeping them filled.
Footnote
Business at its very core is a social activity. The whole concept of business is built around human interaction. All the parties needed for the successful operations of a business are people; your customers, employees, suppliers, professional partners, etc., are all people. So there’s hardly any thing one can do in the world of business without dealing with people or social interaction. This places a great burden on the character of every businessman or woman much more than they probably bargained for. In the world of business, whether you’re just starting out or you’re an established entrepreneur, your character is a valuable asset that must be jealously guarded. Before you became a businessman or woman, very few people counted on you and how you lived your personal life. The moment you choose to start your own business, the reverse is the case; every one within the world of business watches your every move and character. Your employees look up to you for leadership, your customers hold on to your brand promises, your suppliers bank on your credit worthiness, your professional partners count on your integrity. Everywhere you turn in the world of business, your character as an entrepreneur is daily put to test; your long term success in business will greatly depend on how well you are perceived by those you work with in business. Do you keep your word to your customers, employees, suppliers, professional partners? Do you sell or produce inferior goods or services? Do you cut corners to get the project done? Do you make all the money and treat your employees like rags? Are you sincere and honest in your business dealings? What you must always bear in mind at all times is this; “business is like making babies, you can’t do it alone!” And the golden rule of dealing with people is; “do unto others as you would have them do unto you–treat people like they would like to be treated”
10. You are an instrument of nature: no matter how many millions an individual amasses, if he is in business he must always consider his wealth as a means of improving living conditions everywhere. He must remember that he has the responsibilities toward his associates, employees, stockholders–and the public.
Footnote
Entrepreneurship is a call that is obeyed. There is a spiritual side to it. History is filled with great men and women who built businesses that have significantly improved our existence as humans here on earth. Imagine what the world would have been like if there weren’t people like Thomas Edison who invented light bulb? Imagine a world without computers; would there ever be a term like global village? Imagine a world where we had to gaze at the sun to know what time of the day it is? There are countless examples the world over of breakthrough inventions that has radically changed our existence, all these were made possible by men and women like you and I who felt it more compelling to use their wealth and talents for the good of humanity rather than wallowing in their own fantasies enjoying all the good their wealth can possibly buy. Entrepreneurs are the architects of civilization. We are the instruments of nature being used for the good of humanity.
In conclusion, in the words of the legend himself, Jean Paul Getty: “Do you want to make a million? Believe me, you can – if you are able to recognize the limitless opportunities and potentials around you and will apply these rules and work hard. For today’s alert, ambitious and able young men and women, all that glitters truly CAN be gold!”
Posted on 29. Jan, 2010 by Tito Philips, Jnr. in Archives, Business Quotient (BQ), People Quotient (PQ)
“It is not easy to build a business and make millions. It takes hard–extremely hard–work. There are no nine-to-five working hours and no five-day working weeks. Work is round the clock, 24/7.”
Jean Paul Getty (December 15, 1892 – June 6, 1976) was an American industrialist who founded, among other companies, the Getty Oil Company. He was named in 1957 by Fortune magazine the richest man in the world, and continued to be so until the time of his death. At his death, he was worth more than $2 billion. These rules were extracted from his legendary book “How to be Rich.” Footnotes were added to each of the rules to make them more related to our age and time. There are no absolutely safe or sure formulas for achieving success in business. Nonetheless, there are some fundamental rules to the game, which if followed, tip the odds for success very much in the businessman’s favour.
1. Adequate knowledge of the business: Almost without exception, there is only one way to make a great deal of money in the business world–and that is in one’s own business. The man who wants to go into business for himself should choose a field which he knows and understands. Obviously, he can’t know everything there is to know from the very beginning, but he should not start until he has acquired a good, solid working knowledge of the business.
Footnote
There’s no way one can run a business successfully without having adequate knowledge of the nitty gritty of the particular business he or she is venturing into. Take your time to learn as much as you can about the particular industry, market and peculiar characteristics of the prospective customers your product or service will serve. Also, make sure you have the necessary skills needed as the leader of the business. Remember, “time spent learning and planning is considered an investment in business and the knowledge eventually acquired is an asset and competitive advantage to the business.”
2. Commitment to the central purpose of a business: the businessman should never lose sight of the central aim of all business–to produce more and better goods or to provide more and better services to more people (customers) at lower cost.
Footnote
In the words of Management Guru, Peter F. Drucker, to know what a business is, we have to start with its purpose. Its purpose must lie outside of the business itself. In fact, it must lie in society since business enterprise is an organ of society. There is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer. This then is achieved through the continuous production of more and better goods or the provision of more and better services to the society at lower cost. Because its purpose is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two–and only these two–basic functions: MARKETING and INNOVATION. It is not necessary for a business to grow BIGGER; but it is necessary that it constantly grows BETTER. A businessman or woman who runs a business that isn’t doing this should not hope to achieve any form of business success.
3. Financial management: a sense of thrift (economy) is essential for success in business. The businessman must discipline himself to practice economy wherever possible, in his personal life as well as his business affairs. “Make your money first – then THINK about spending it,” is the best mantra for the man who wishes to succeed!
Footnote
There’s no way a business can be successfully managed without a good sense of money management on the part of the business owner. There must be a clear line of difference between ‘necessary expenses’ and ‘luxury expenses’. Always remember you’re not in business to satisfy your own personal desires, but to satisfy your customers’ desires consistently through the production of more and better goods or the provision of more and better services at lower cost. To do this, firstly, you must practice budgeting–a process of prioritizing necessary expenses essential to the survival and operational stability of the business. Secondly, negotiate everything! Always strive for a bargain no matter how small or intangible it may seem.
4. Seek continuous growth through necessary expansion: legitimate opportunities for expansion should never be overlooked or ignored. On the other hand, the businessman must always be on his guard against the temptation to over expand or launch expansion programs blindly, without sufficient justification and planning. Forced growth can be fatal to any business, new or old.
Footnote
Every business like every child ultimately wants to grow; this is the natural inclination of every living entity. The alert businessman or woman would seek various ways through which the business can grow through expansions. There are a few strategies for business expansion such as; buying over other related businesses, licensing of products or services, selling of franchises, opening of more branches, creation of strategic alliances and the cheapest; network marketing. Adequate planning and research must be fully carried out before any of these strategies can be adopted. Any business which fails to grow through necessary expansion faces the risk of extinction!
5. You’re the BOSS, call the shots: a businessman must run his own business. He cannot expect his employees to think or do as well as he can. If they could, they would not be his employees. When “The Boss” delegates authority or responsibility, he must maintain close and constant supervision over the subordinates entrusted with it.
Footnote
The great Inventor and entrepreneur, Henry Ford was once accused of being uneducated and rather than feel offended he posed a challenge telling his accusers to ask him any question whatsoever. With every question asked, Henry Ford simply called upon any of his workers who was qualified enough academically to answer the questions. On answering all the questions through his workers, his accusers claimed to have proved their allegations of Henry Ford’s illiteracy. Henry Ford smiling made a profound statement which will never go down in history; “I don’t bother to do the work anyone can do, I do the hardest work of all–thinking, which only a few men can do.” The few men who can think are those who become business owners employing those who cannot think but simply follow orders. Your key task as a businessman or woman lies in these words: directing human activities. And only those who know how to think can direct those who don’t think. To do this, you have to know a little about a lot (versatility) and employ those who know a lot about a few (specialization).
6. Seek continuous improvement: the businessman must be constantly alert for new ways to improve his products or services and increase his production and sales. He should also use prosperous periods to find the ways by which techniques and operational processes may be improved and costs lowered. It is only human for people to give little though to economies when business is booming. That, however, is just the time when the businessman has the mental elbow room to examine his operations calmly and objectively and thus effect important savings without sacrificing quality or efficiency. Many businessmen wait for lean periods to do these things and, as a result, often hit the panic button and slash costs in the wrong places.
Footnote
Success they say is a lazy teacher who makes her student complacent and comfortable. The best time to examine your business and seek ways for improvement isn’t when it’s declining, but rather when it is booming. A businessman or woman who desires success in business must deliberately seek out more and more ways of improving their business operations, products or services long before it becomes an emergency. Entrepreneurship is not a destination one is heading to, but a journey one embarks on; it has no end but death. In other words, there is no stationary spot or a point for resting on one’s laurels. Areas through which improvements can be channeled includes; business processes or systems, cost of production or cost of service delivery, product or service features and benefits, human resources, research and development, customer relationship management, finance, distribution etc. Remember, “opportunity is a haughty goddess who wastes no time with those who are unprepared”. Now, not later or tomorrow, is always the time to make room for improvement!
7. Take only justified risks: a businessman must be willing to take risks – to risk his own capital and lose his credit and to risk borrowed money as well when, in his considered opinion, the risks are justified. But borrowed money must promptly be repaid. Nothing will write finis to a career faster than a bad credit rating.
Footnote
Taking risks in order to meet the needs and solve the problem of the society is the essence of entrepreneurship. However, not all risks are worth taking. A businessman or woman who desires to be successful in business would always evaluate and analyze any risk they choose to take so as to justify its viability. It has always been said, “It’s not the entrepreneur with the best idea that wins but the entrepreneur with an idea whose time has come.” Adequate care must be taken in ensuring that whatever project or venture a businessman or woman chooses to embark on has a positive return on investment (ROI). There are various tools that can be used to analyze the viability of a venture or project some of which are; Best/Worst analysis (BWA), capital budgeting techniques, SWOT analysis etc.
8. Seek new business opportunities: a businessman must constantly seek new horizons and untapped or under-exploited markets. Today’s shrewd businessman looks to foreign markets.
Footnote
Businesses exists because of the opportunities created by the needs and problems of the society in which they operate. If these needs or problems weren’t present, the entrepreneur wouldn’t have any cause to go into business in the first place. Each need or problem represents a business opportunity usually called an ‘untapped-market’. It becomes paramount then to the alert businessman or woman who desires to succeed in any business to constantly be on the lookout for more needs or problems that may represent business opportunities within the society in which they operate. Taking advantage of these opportunities is what innovation is all about. An innovative business is one that is alert to the needs and problems of the market it serves. Once a business becomes dead or indifferent to the needs and problems of the society, its demise is inevitable. In today’s world, the society in which a business operates has greater implications as a result of the changes created by Information and Communications Technology (ICT). The world as we know is now a global village making the operating environment in which businesses function to be unlimited. A local business enterprise can fully meet the needs and solve the problems of an international market through the aid of Information and Communications Technology. For example, millions of businesses are created on the internet every day, businesses open up branches in different parts of the world as a result of strategic alliances/partnerships formed over the internet, goods and services are now being bought and sold online, meetings are held in various places over the internet across the world. Never before in the history of mankind has such a time like this where opportunities abound for the alert businessman or woman to capitalize on and make the most of the ‘boundary-less markets’ open to them.
9. Trust is a social capital: nothing builds confidence and volume faster or better than a reputation for standing behind one’s work or products. Guarantees should always be honoured–and in doubtful cases, the decision should always be in the customers’ favour. A generous service policy should always be maintained. The firm that is known to be completely reliable will have little difficulty filling its order books and keeping them filled.
Footnote
Business at its very core is a social activity. The whole concept of business is built around human interaction. All the parties needed for the successful operations of a business are people; your customers, employees, suppliers, professional partners, etc., are all people. So there’s hardly any thing one can do in the world of business without dealing with people or social interaction. This places a great burden on the character of every businessman or woman much more than they probably bargained for. In the world of business, whether you’re just starting out or you’re an established entrepreneur, your character is a valuable asset that must be jealously guarded. Before you became a businessman or woman, very few people counted on you and how you lived your personal life. The moment you choose to start your own business, the reverse is the case; every one within the world of business watches your every move and character. Your employees look up to you for leadership, your customers hold on to your brand promises, your suppliers bank on your credit worthiness, your professional partners count on your integrity. Everywhere you turn in the world of business, your character as an entrepreneur is daily put to test; your long term success in business will greatly depend on how well you are perceived by those you work with in business. Do you keep your word to your customers, employees, suppliers, professional partners? Do you sell or produce inferior goods or services? Do you cut corners to get the project done? Do you make all the money and treat your employees like rags? Are you sincere and honest in your business dealings? What you must always bear in mind at all times is this; “business is like making babies, you can’t do it alone!” And the golden rule of dealing with people is; “do unto others as you would have them do unto you–treat people like they would like to be treated”
10. You are an instrument of nature: no matter how many millions an individual amasses, if he is in business he must always consider his wealth as a means of improving living conditions everywhere. He must remember that he has the responsibilities toward his associates, employees, stockholders–and the public.
Footnote
Entrepreneurship is a call that is obeyed. There is a spiritual side to it. History is filled with great men and women who built businesses that have significantly improved our existence as humans here on earth. Imagine what the world would have been like if there weren’t people like Thomas Edison who invented light bulb? Imagine a world without computers; would there ever be a term like global village? Imagine a world where we had to gaze at the sun to know what time of the day it is? There are countless examples the world over of breakthrough inventions that has radically changed our existence, all these were made possible by men and women like you and I who felt it more compelling to use their wealth and talents for the good of humanity rather than wallowing in their own fantasies enjoying all the good their wealth can possibly buy. Entrepreneurs are the architects of civilization. We are the instruments of nature being used for the good of humanity.
In conclusion, in the words of the legend himself, Jean Paul Getty: “Do you want to make a million? Believe me, you can – if you are able to recognize the limitless opportunities and potentials around you and will apply these rules and work hard. For today’s alert, ambitious and able young men and women, all that glitters truly CAN be gold!”
8 Rules for a future millionaire
8 SECRETS TO WEALTH by Sir John Paul Getty (September 7,1932 - April 17, 2003). Son of Jean Paul Getty, the richest man in the world from 1956 - 1976, who was born in 1892, and died in 1976.
The late John Paul Getty's rules for accumulating wealth are simple and to the point. In fact, they are so simple that most people who read them either dismiss them as sweeping generalities or falsely believe they have known and used them most of their lives... but these people are probably not rich. So while these guidelines may lack romance or an obvious direction, be assured that they are the genuine article. Apply them as soon and as often as you can, and apply them with intelligence and creativity.
Rule No. 1: To acquire wealth today, you must be in your own business.
You may think that the corporate executive with a $100,000 salary is better off than small shop owner, but the executive will be hard-pressed to double his income and taxes will eat up most of any increase. The simplest peanut vendor has unlimited opportunity to expand his business and his income, and even salesmen, who in most cases are able to write their own paychecks, can control his sale increases himself.
Rule No. 2. You must have a working knowledge of the business when you start and continue to increase your knowledge of it as you go along.
If you don't know what you're doing when you start, your mistakes will be costly and often unnecessary, and you won't be able to keep up with the technological explosions in any field. Start smart and stay that way.
Rule No. 3. You must save money in your personal life and in your business venture as well.
Discipline is the key to saving money. You must develop the will power to deny yourself immediate gratification or the temptation to gamble on the quick buck. Resources will be needed for expansion and should be guarded carefully.
Rule No. 4. You must take risks, both with your own money or with borrowed money.
Risk-taking is essential to business growth. Nelson Bunker Hunt is admired for his guts in trying to corner the silver market, not scorned for losing money on this deal. Some of the richest men have staked their entire fortunes and lost, several times over, before the risk-taking paid off. Back those risks with good judgment, experience, commitment, and the right support. Seek advice on risks from the wealthy who still take risks, not friends who dare nothing more than a football bet.
Rule No. 5. You must not only learn to live with tension, you must seek it out.
Thrive on stress! If it means getting physically fit, having a psychiatric overall or losing 50 pounds before you can handle it, do it. Once you can learn to thrive on stress, you will not only enjoy it, you will seek it out willingly and enthusiastically and wonder how you could live any other way. Men of means look at making money as a game which they love to play. Consider it serious business and you will suffer far more stress than you need or want. Keep your perspective or your stress level will rocket beyond your control.
Rule No. 6. Build wealth as a by-product of your business success.
If wealth is your only object in business, you will probably fail. Wealth is only a benefit of the game. If you win, the money will be there. If you lose, and you will from time to time if you play long and hard enough, it must have been fun or it was not worth it.
Rule No. 7. Patience.
This is the greatest business asset. Wait for the right time to make your moves. Let your business grow naturally, not by pressing your luck.
Rule No. 8. Diversify at the top.
Once you've made it, you'll understand that any business is limited in the challenges it offers. You'll want and need other games to play, so you'll look for other ventures to hold your interest.
Now go for it!
The late John Paul Getty's rules for accumulating wealth are simple and to the point. In fact, they are so simple that most people who read them either dismiss them as sweeping generalities or falsely believe they have known and used them most of their lives... but these people are probably not rich. So while these guidelines may lack romance or an obvious direction, be assured that they are the genuine article. Apply them as soon and as often as you can, and apply them with intelligence and creativity.
Rule No. 1: To acquire wealth today, you must be in your own business.
You may think that the corporate executive with a $100,000 salary is better off than small shop owner, but the executive will be hard-pressed to double his income and taxes will eat up most of any increase. The simplest peanut vendor has unlimited opportunity to expand his business and his income, and even salesmen, who in most cases are able to write their own paychecks, can control his sale increases himself.
Rule No. 2. You must have a working knowledge of the business when you start and continue to increase your knowledge of it as you go along.
If you don't know what you're doing when you start, your mistakes will be costly and often unnecessary, and you won't be able to keep up with the technological explosions in any field. Start smart and stay that way.
Rule No. 3. You must save money in your personal life and in your business venture as well.
Discipline is the key to saving money. You must develop the will power to deny yourself immediate gratification or the temptation to gamble on the quick buck. Resources will be needed for expansion and should be guarded carefully.
Rule No. 4. You must take risks, both with your own money or with borrowed money.
Risk-taking is essential to business growth. Nelson Bunker Hunt is admired for his guts in trying to corner the silver market, not scorned for losing money on this deal. Some of the richest men have staked their entire fortunes and lost, several times over, before the risk-taking paid off. Back those risks with good judgment, experience, commitment, and the right support. Seek advice on risks from the wealthy who still take risks, not friends who dare nothing more than a football bet.
Rule No. 5. You must not only learn to live with tension, you must seek it out.
Thrive on stress! If it means getting physically fit, having a psychiatric overall or losing 50 pounds before you can handle it, do it. Once you can learn to thrive on stress, you will not only enjoy it, you will seek it out willingly and enthusiastically and wonder how you could live any other way. Men of means look at making money as a game which they love to play. Consider it serious business and you will suffer far more stress than you need or want. Keep your perspective or your stress level will rocket beyond your control.
Rule No. 6. Build wealth as a by-product of your business success.
If wealth is your only object in business, you will probably fail. Wealth is only a benefit of the game. If you win, the money will be there. If you lose, and you will from time to time if you play long and hard enough, it must have been fun or it was not worth it.
Rule No. 7. Patience.
This is the greatest business asset. Wait for the right time to make your moves. Let your business grow naturally, not by pressing your luck.
Rule No. 8. Diversify at the top.
Once you've made it, you'll understand that any business is limited in the challenges it offers. You'll want and need other games to play, so you'll look for other ventures to hold your interest.
Now go for it!
Friday, May 21, 2010
The day television died
The Day Music Died was on February 3, 1959, when a small airplane crashed near Clear Lake, Iowa, killing Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. Richardson who were aboard that plane. They were the biggest rock and roll performers of that time. On May 22, 1992 the last show of The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson was aired on television after running for 30 years every weeknight. That's the Day Television Died.
Paramount Pictures
In 1968 Paramount Pictures was floundering as the 9th studio in Hollywood, year in which Robert Evans was hired by Charles Bluhdorn of Gulf Western to run it. In less than 4 years Robert Evans turned it into the number 1 studio in Hollywood with such pictures as The Godfather, Love Story, The Great Gatsby, Serpico, and many others. There, he was the boss of Barry Diller and Michael Eisner who, like him, later went on to produce pictures that transformed American and world culture.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Don Simpson's Biography
If there was ever one person who defined the Hollywood tableau of wild success succumbing to even wilder excess, it was fabled producer Don Simpson. Though a driven and talented executive-turned-producer whose flair for churning out hit movies throughout the 1970s and 1980s was unparalleled, Simpson’s enormous appetite for drugs, food and sadomasochistic sex wound up destroying his lucrative partnership with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and ultimately ending his life. At first glance, Simpson reveled in being a raving, solipsistic mogul whose ability to snort massive amounts cocaine was a natural extension of his glamorous lifestyle. But to peel back the layers was to reveal a dark and diseased soul. Though remembered mostly for his excesses, Simpson’s true legacy was his work – he produced some of the most memorable and profitable movies to come off the studio conveyor belt, a contradiction that underscored his tortured, self-destructive nature.
Simpson was born Oct. 29, 1943 in Seattle, WA, but was reared in Anchorage, AK from the age of 2. His father, Russell Simpson, was a mechanic for Boeing and his mother, June, raised him and his younger brother, Larry. His upbringing was steeped in the fire and brimstone of his Southern Baptist parents – church was attended several times a week and the idea of eternal damnation was a constant – an environment he routinely described later in life as a nightmare of repression. According to Simpson, he was a well-behaved boy who ran afoul of righteousness when he discovered sex. Though no official records existed, Simpson claimed to have gotten into his share of juvenile trouble, prompting a local cop to lock him in a room and kick the crap out of him – an act that scared the lad straight. Other variations on the story were a hell-fire minister to whom Simpson confessed his libidinous dalliances and a rough-and-tumble county judge who gave the wayward youth a choice: college or prison. Whether or not these stories were true, it was obvious later in life that his tough love mentor – if one existed – had little to no effect.
Simpson eventually left rural Anchorage to attend the University of Oregon at Eugene, from which he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1966. He left for Hollywood soon after, landing at Warner Bros. where he worked in their marketing department on youth-exploitation films. In 1973, he was snatched away from Warner’s by Paramount where his brash attitude and outspoken nature appealed to the likes of studio heads Robert Evans, Michael Eisner and Barry Diller. Eisner especially took a shine to the lad and gave him the opportunity to rise quickly up the ranks, thanks to Simpson’s ability to boil down the plot of a film into a short and succinct sentence – what later became known as the high concept pitch. By 1975, Simpson was a production executive and, soon thereafter, became the studio’s first president of production, even receiving screenplay credit on the all-star farce, “Cannonball!” (1976). He then began what would become his most valuable partnership – and his most important friendship – with Bruckheimer in 1979 when Bruckheimer was brought to Paramount to produce the Richard Gere film, “America Gigolo” (1980). The two hit it off immediately and soon formed a productive working partnership.
By the time Simpson began working with Bruckheimer, he was fully invested in his cocaine habit. So bad was his addiction, that Diller and Eisner quietly cut him loose. Paramount did, however, have affection for him and respected his talent, extending to Simpson the opportunity to stay on as a producer. In 1983, they handed him the reigns to “Flashdance,” which prompted Simpson to ask for Bruckheimer’s help. About a female steel worker (Jennifer Beals) moonlighting as an exotic dancer with dreams of going to a real dance school, “Flashdance” became a sensation, taking in over $90 million at the box office after being shot on a modest $7.5 million budget. With the success of this iconic film, Simpson and Bruckheimer were rolling. Though their next effort, “Thief of Hearts” (1984), a cheap and cheesy thriller about a professional thief (Steven Bauer) who stumbles upon a woman’s diary and uses her private thoughts to seduce her, was easily forgettable, it was his next project that made Simpson king.
Simpson first pitched the idea of “Beverly Hills Cop” back in 1977 when he was still an exec at Paramount. Though his version was uninspiring in the initial stages, he managed to develop a strong fish-out-of-water story about a rough-and-tumble cop from Detroit forced to work with uppity Beverly Hills detectives. Simpson later boasted that the scripts saw over 37 drafts and 11 different writers before Eddie Murphy signed on to play Axel Foley. Again shot on a modest budget – only $14 million – “Beverly Hills Cop” took in a whopping $235 million at the box office, an astronomical sum in 1984. Thus the action-comedy was born.
But it was his next movie, “Top Gun” (1986), that put Simpson over the top. Born when Bruckheimer found an article about naval flight schools and excitedly pointed it out to Simpson, “Top Gun” – the story of a maverick fighter pilot (Tom Cruise) who attends the top flight school and falls in love with his instructor (Kelly McGillis) – became a sensation, turning Cruise into the biggest star in the world. By the time “Top Gun” hit the theaters, however, Simpson was drowning in his cocaine addiction. He tried rehab while the film was in production, but relapsed upon returning to set. It seemed the more successful a producer he was, the worse his demons became.
“Top Gun” took in $176 million at the box office, dealing Simpson and Bruckheimer yet another winner. Simpson returned to the well for “Beverly Hills Cop II” (1987), and though it proved less successful as its predecessor, the dye, had been cast. Simpson and Bruckheimer were given an unprecedented production deal with Paramount: several hundred million dollars to finance movies, a large cut of the box office take, and no prior approval from the studio. In essence, Paramount handed Simpson a blank check, inflating his already enormous ego beyond all reason.
The regret was felt through the Paramount halls of power almost immediately upon the release of “Days of Thunder” (1990) – a disaster of a movie from start to finish and the beginning of Simpson’s personal unraveling. All indications prior to production indicated a massive hit: Tom Cruise starring in a race car movie – “Top Gun” on wheels. But cost overruns ballooned the budget from $45 million to $70 million. To make matters worse, aside from the constant rewrites to satisfy an unhappy star, Simpson inserted himself as an actor, playing Italian NASCAR driver Aldo Benadetti. The producer’s uncontrollable appetite for junk food and prescription drugs – he was known to take growth hormones for their supposed sexual performance benefits – helped him pack on the pounds, causing him to undergo multiple reconstructive surgeries. He even received injections of fat into his penis!
Though in public he was extremely confident that “Days of Thunder” would be a hit, privately he was deeply concerned. His fears proved correct when the movie took in a paltry $82 million in ticket sales. The disaster prompted Paramount to nix their deal with Simpson and Bruckheimer. After shopping around for a new home, the duo found a new haven with the unlikeliest of studios: Disney, where old boss Michael Eisner was CEO. It would take a few years to get his next project off the ground – though in development on a couple dozen projects, Simpson could not get one into production. Meanwhile, he was descending into a delirium of sex and drugs that made all around him concerned. Rumors were rampant about his deranged predilections – extreme sadomasochistic sex with high class call girls being chief among them, one that later proved to be true. As drugs and junk food took their toll on his body, Simpson – who prided himself on his sexual conquests – found it impossible to perform, forcing him to just sit and watch. He had a penchant for disappearing, sometimes to his Bel Air home where he’d lock himself away from the world, other times to parts undisclosed, causing concern from those closest to him.
By 1994, when Simpson and Bruckheimer released their next film, “The Ref” (1994), an action comedy starring Denis Leary as a burglar who kidnaps a feuding couple (Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey) after a robbery, the magic was gone. Simpson was too far lost to his own depravity to be an effective producer. Though he was involved in several hits in his last year of life – “Bad Boys” (1995), “Crimson Tide” (1995), “Dangerous Minds” (1995) and “The Rock” (1996) – Simpson was barely involved in the productions, turning over control to his clean-living partner. In August of 1995, friend and noted physical trainer Stephen Ammerman was found dead in Simpson’s pool from a drug overdose – toxicologists found cocaine, morphine and Valium in his system. Reeling from the death and its proximity, Simpson spent weeks hiding out in his mansion, refusing to deal with anyone. By this time, Bruckheimer began trying to sever his professional partnership with Simpson – even he was fed up with his problems. The two officially dissolved their creative union in December 1995, but vowed to complete projects already in production. Just a month after their partnership ended, Simpson was found dead in his Bel Air mansion from an apparent heart attack. Autopsy reports later confirmed that Simpson had dozens of prescription drugs in his system, including Thorazine, Valium and Morphine. He was also steeped in large amounts of alcohol and cocaine. Instead of going out in a blaze of glory, Simpson pulled an Elvis, dying on the toilet while reading James Riordan’s biography on Oliver Stone, Stone: The Controversies, Excesses and Exploits of a Radical Filmmaker. He was only 52.
Also credited as: Donald C. Simpson. Born: October 29, 1943 in Seattle, Washington. Died: January 19, 1996. Job titles: Producer, Actor, Executive, Screenwriter. Education: University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 1967.
Milestones:
1970 Handeled the publicity for the First International Erotic Film Festival in San Francisco
1971 Hired by Warner Bros. as marketing executive, specializing in youth-oriented product
1975 Became production executive at Paramount
1975 Co-wrote low-budget film, "Aloha, Bobby and Rose"
1977 Promoted to vice president, production, Paramount
1980 Made president, worldwide production, Paramount
1980 Made senior vice president, production, Paramount
1983 First screen credit as producer, "Flashdance"
1983 Formed Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Productions; entered into five-year exclusive development/production deal with Paramount
1990 With Bruckheimer, signed second five-year production deal with Paramount in February; contract ended "by mutual agreement" in November of same year
1991 Simpson-Bruckheimer signed non-exclusive, five-year, five-picture deal with Disney subsidiary Hollywood Pictures (January)
1995 At the request of Bruckheimer, Simpson-Bruckheimer dissolved their partnership in December
1995 Simpson's doctor, Stephen Ammerman, was found dead of an apparent drug overdose in the shower of Simpson's pool house
1996 Final Simpson-Bruckheimer production, "The Rock", debuted in the summer
1996 Simpson found dead at his home on January 19
Began film career as account executive with Jack Woodel Agency, San Francisco (supervised marketing of Warner Bros. Films)
Raised in Anchorage, Alaska
* This biography was retrieved from Yahoo Movies' Biographies.
Simpson was born Oct. 29, 1943 in Seattle, WA, but was reared in Anchorage, AK from the age of 2. His father, Russell Simpson, was a mechanic for Boeing and his mother, June, raised him and his younger brother, Larry. His upbringing was steeped in the fire and brimstone of his Southern Baptist parents – church was attended several times a week and the idea of eternal damnation was a constant – an environment he routinely described later in life as a nightmare of repression. According to Simpson, he was a well-behaved boy who ran afoul of righteousness when he discovered sex. Though no official records existed, Simpson claimed to have gotten into his share of juvenile trouble, prompting a local cop to lock him in a room and kick the crap out of him – an act that scared the lad straight. Other variations on the story were a hell-fire minister to whom Simpson confessed his libidinous dalliances and a rough-and-tumble county judge who gave the wayward youth a choice: college or prison. Whether or not these stories were true, it was obvious later in life that his tough love mentor – if one existed – had little to no effect.
Simpson eventually left rural Anchorage to attend the University of Oregon at Eugene, from which he graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1966. He left for Hollywood soon after, landing at Warner Bros. where he worked in their marketing department on youth-exploitation films. In 1973, he was snatched away from Warner’s by Paramount where his brash attitude and outspoken nature appealed to the likes of studio heads Robert Evans, Michael Eisner and Barry Diller. Eisner especially took a shine to the lad and gave him the opportunity to rise quickly up the ranks, thanks to Simpson’s ability to boil down the plot of a film into a short and succinct sentence – what later became known as the high concept pitch. By 1975, Simpson was a production executive and, soon thereafter, became the studio’s first president of production, even receiving screenplay credit on the all-star farce, “Cannonball!” (1976). He then began what would become his most valuable partnership – and his most important friendship – with Bruckheimer in 1979 when Bruckheimer was brought to Paramount to produce the Richard Gere film, “America Gigolo” (1980). The two hit it off immediately and soon formed a productive working partnership.
By the time Simpson began working with Bruckheimer, he was fully invested in his cocaine habit. So bad was his addiction, that Diller and Eisner quietly cut him loose. Paramount did, however, have affection for him and respected his talent, extending to Simpson the opportunity to stay on as a producer. In 1983, they handed him the reigns to “Flashdance,” which prompted Simpson to ask for Bruckheimer’s help. About a female steel worker (Jennifer Beals) moonlighting as an exotic dancer with dreams of going to a real dance school, “Flashdance” became a sensation, taking in over $90 million at the box office after being shot on a modest $7.5 million budget. With the success of this iconic film, Simpson and Bruckheimer were rolling. Though their next effort, “Thief of Hearts” (1984), a cheap and cheesy thriller about a professional thief (Steven Bauer) who stumbles upon a woman’s diary and uses her private thoughts to seduce her, was easily forgettable, it was his next project that made Simpson king.
Simpson first pitched the idea of “Beverly Hills Cop” back in 1977 when he was still an exec at Paramount. Though his version was uninspiring in the initial stages, he managed to develop a strong fish-out-of-water story about a rough-and-tumble cop from Detroit forced to work with uppity Beverly Hills detectives. Simpson later boasted that the scripts saw over 37 drafts and 11 different writers before Eddie Murphy signed on to play Axel Foley. Again shot on a modest budget – only $14 million – “Beverly Hills Cop” took in a whopping $235 million at the box office, an astronomical sum in 1984. Thus the action-comedy was born.
But it was his next movie, “Top Gun” (1986), that put Simpson over the top. Born when Bruckheimer found an article about naval flight schools and excitedly pointed it out to Simpson, “Top Gun” – the story of a maverick fighter pilot (Tom Cruise) who attends the top flight school and falls in love with his instructor (Kelly McGillis) – became a sensation, turning Cruise into the biggest star in the world. By the time “Top Gun” hit the theaters, however, Simpson was drowning in his cocaine addiction. He tried rehab while the film was in production, but relapsed upon returning to set. It seemed the more successful a producer he was, the worse his demons became.
“Top Gun” took in $176 million at the box office, dealing Simpson and Bruckheimer yet another winner. Simpson returned to the well for “Beverly Hills Cop II” (1987), and though it proved less successful as its predecessor, the dye, had been cast. Simpson and Bruckheimer were given an unprecedented production deal with Paramount: several hundred million dollars to finance movies, a large cut of the box office take, and no prior approval from the studio. In essence, Paramount handed Simpson a blank check, inflating his already enormous ego beyond all reason.
The regret was felt through the Paramount halls of power almost immediately upon the release of “Days of Thunder” (1990) – a disaster of a movie from start to finish and the beginning of Simpson’s personal unraveling. All indications prior to production indicated a massive hit: Tom Cruise starring in a race car movie – “Top Gun” on wheels. But cost overruns ballooned the budget from $45 million to $70 million. To make matters worse, aside from the constant rewrites to satisfy an unhappy star, Simpson inserted himself as an actor, playing Italian NASCAR driver Aldo Benadetti. The producer’s uncontrollable appetite for junk food and prescription drugs – he was known to take growth hormones for their supposed sexual performance benefits – helped him pack on the pounds, causing him to undergo multiple reconstructive surgeries. He even received injections of fat into his penis!
Though in public he was extremely confident that “Days of Thunder” would be a hit, privately he was deeply concerned. His fears proved correct when the movie took in a paltry $82 million in ticket sales. The disaster prompted Paramount to nix their deal with Simpson and Bruckheimer. After shopping around for a new home, the duo found a new haven with the unlikeliest of studios: Disney, where old boss Michael Eisner was CEO. It would take a few years to get his next project off the ground – though in development on a couple dozen projects, Simpson could not get one into production. Meanwhile, he was descending into a delirium of sex and drugs that made all around him concerned. Rumors were rampant about his deranged predilections – extreme sadomasochistic sex with high class call girls being chief among them, one that later proved to be true. As drugs and junk food took their toll on his body, Simpson – who prided himself on his sexual conquests – found it impossible to perform, forcing him to just sit and watch. He had a penchant for disappearing, sometimes to his Bel Air home where he’d lock himself away from the world, other times to parts undisclosed, causing concern from those closest to him.
By 1994, when Simpson and Bruckheimer released their next film, “The Ref” (1994), an action comedy starring Denis Leary as a burglar who kidnaps a feuding couple (Judy Davis and Kevin Spacey) after a robbery, the magic was gone. Simpson was too far lost to his own depravity to be an effective producer. Though he was involved in several hits in his last year of life – “Bad Boys” (1995), “Crimson Tide” (1995), “Dangerous Minds” (1995) and “The Rock” (1996) – Simpson was barely involved in the productions, turning over control to his clean-living partner. In August of 1995, friend and noted physical trainer Stephen Ammerman was found dead in Simpson’s pool from a drug overdose – toxicologists found cocaine, morphine and Valium in his system. Reeling from the death and its proximity, Simpson spent weeks hiding out in his mansion, refusing to deal with anyone. By this time, Bruckheimer began trying to sever his professional partnership with Simpson – even he was fed up with his problems. The two officially dissolved their creative union in December 1995, but vowed to complete projects already in production. Just a month after their partnership ended, Simpson was found dead in his Bel Air mansion from an apparent heart attack. Autopsy reports later confirmed that Simpson had dozens of prescription drugs in his system, including Thorazine, Valium and Morphine. He was also steeped in large amounts of alcohol and cocaine. Instead of going out in a blaze of glory, Simpson pulled an Elvis, dying on the toilet while reading James Riordan’s biography on Oliver Stone, Stone: The Controversies, Excesses and Exploits of a Radical Filmmaker. He was only 52.
Also credited as: Donald C. Simpson. Born: October 29, 1943 in Seattle, Washington. Died: January 19, 1996. Job titles: Producer, Actor, Executive, Screenwriter. Education: University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, 1967.
Milestones:
1970 Handeled the publicity for the First International Erotic Film Festival in San Francisco
1971 Hired by Warner Bros. as marketing executive, specializing in youth-oriented product
1975 Became production executive at Paramount
1975 Co-wrote low-budget film, "Aloha, Bobby and Rose"
1977 Promoted to vice president, production, Paramount
1980 Made president, worldwide production, Paramount
1980 Made senior vice president, production, Paramount
1983 First screen credit as producer, "Flashdance"
1983 Formed Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Productions; entered into five-year exclusive development/production deal with Paramount
1990 With Bruckheimer, signed second five-year production deal with Paramount in February; contract ended "by mutual agreement" in November of same year
1991 Simpson-Bruckheimer signed non-exclusive, five-year, five-picture deal with Disney subsidiary Hollywood Pictures (January)
1995 At the request of Bruckheimer, Simpson-Bruckheimer dissolved their partnership in December
1995 Simpson's doctor, Stephen Ammerman, was found dead of an apparent drug overdose in the shower of Simpson's pool house
1996 Final Simpson-Bruckheimer production, "The Rock", debuted in the summer
1996 Simpson found dead at his home on January 19
Began film career as account executive with Jack Woodel Agency, San Francisco (supervised marketing of Warner Bros. Films)
Raised in Anchorage, Alaska
* This biography was retrieved from Yahoo Movies' Biographies.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Phenomenon
"You mean inventions, you've got inventions George?" the bartender, Jimmy, asked George Mally, and he replied,"No, no, ideas okay, I get a thousand ideas a day, every damn minute okay, big holy cow kind of ideas, and little what-if ideas alright. I got ideas for you Jimmy, look at this, your parking lot is laid out all wrong, okay, if you just follow this (in this paper) right, you can put six more cars in, and nobody gets fender benders, alright; where's Paulette, where is she? Bonnie, here, take this, this is a new route for her mail, okay, now if she does this, she can save an hour a day, and everybody gets their mail by 3 o'clock, imagine 3 o'clock, huh, and I got a holy shit idea too, look at this (piece of paper), now this may be the most efficient way to store solar energy, okay, take it." "What am I gonna do with it?" asked Jimmy, "What the hell am I suppossed to do with it, hah?" replied George Mally in the movie Phenomenon. "You know what that light was? You know what that sound was?" then asked George Mally, "I am gonna tell you what it was... it's a goddam mistake, is what it is, okay, it was suppossed to happen to someone smart, somone scientific, someone who is a leader, but it didn't, it happened to me, George freakin' Mally! Look at him, look at him (in the mirror)" screams George - then, suddenly, the mirror in the wall breaks by itself.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The happy go lucky
"You should try to stop smoking," says Poppy (Sally Hawkins), the main character in the movie - Happy Go Lucky - to her long time roommate, to which her roommate replies, "And you, you should stop trying to make everyone happy."
Some of us, indeed, spend much of our lives making everyone else around us happy. And somehow, that makes us happy too. That's how it has been with mother, father at times, and uncle Toni; from them I inherited this virtue.
Some of us, indeed, spend much of our lives making everyone else around us happy. And somehow, that makes us happy too. That's how it has been with mother, father at times, and uncle Toni; from them I inherited this virtue.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Saturday, May 1, 2010
The Art of Governing
El arte de gobernar no es más que la razón y la moral aplicadas al gobierno de las naciones.
Governing is nothing more than reason and morals put to the service of a nation - that's all it is.
Governing is nothing more than reason and morals put to the service of a nation - that's all it is.
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