Say It Is So!

So you know I'm a big basketball fan right?  And now that the NBA season is over for this year and the San Antonio Spurs are once again NBA Champs....Every true fan's interest goes to what else....The draft?  My Sixers are in a good position...They have about five of six draft picks and lots and lots of cap space...They can rebuild either through the draft or through the acquisition of key free agents...

Two of my co-workers have been bantering with me all week about the possibility of Lebron James opting out of his final year contract with the Miami Heat and signing with the Philadelphia 76ers...

I didn't see this as even a remote possibility..In fact...Everytime one of the two guys have said this...I have laughed my head off....Until yesterday ,when one of my co-workers sent me an email link from Forbes Magazine...

I am going to share this link with you...Mind you, I still don't think it's likely...but then again....Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm-

10 Reasons Why LeBron James Will Sign With The 76ers-

Congratulations to the Spurs for winning the NBA Finals – the best team won without a doubt. And while Tim Duncan celebrates his fifth parade, the aging Miami Heat and LeBron James remain the center of attention.
This was their last year as favorites to win the title and it’s clear the Heat are on the decline while other teams continue to rise. Not even Carmelo Anthony can save the Heat and so the question that everyone will be asking during the off-season is, “Will LeBron opt out of the final year of his contract?” But the question they should be asking is, “When LeBron opts out, which team will he sign with?” And that’s where the fun begins…but first, let’s dive a little deeper into LBJ’s psyche:

• LeBron the Mercenary: He’s willing to leave town to win. Whether you loved or hated him for leaving Cleveland, the truth is…he wasn’t going to win there. He carried the Cavs on his back for seven strong years before ultimately realizing that his clock was ticking and he needed to win some championships right away. At 29 years old, he’s got one more long term contract to sign in his prime and he’s gotta see the writing on the walls in Miami.

•LeBron the Billionaire: He’s on the record stating that his goal is to become a billion-dollar athlete. With investments in Liverpool FC, a $30 million pay day following Apple’s recent acquisition of Beats Electronics, and high praise from investment guru Warren Buffett, he’s well on his way. And while he’s guaranteed a max contract no matter where he goes, he’ll need to become “The King” of a bigger market than Miami for endorsement potential, jersey sales, and more.

•LeBron the Lonely: No matter where he ends up, he’ll do so with an entourage. Sure to be at the top of his list in deciding his next employer will be the team’s ability to sign one or two superstars to join him. After salary cap health, he’ll also look at things like supporting cast, coaching, the city itself, and fan power.


While “King James” undoubtedly has a team of trusted advisors discussing options, communicating with teams, and building packages for the almighty to study, his next “decision” will send him to Philly and here are 10 reasons why.

1. Salary Cap Space: With over $34 million in cap space, the Sixers may very well be in the best fiscal shape of any NBA team.
2. Young Nucleus: Reigning rookie of the year and 6’6 point guard, Michael Carter-Williams will happily rack up the assists with LeBron’s presence. And 6’11 big man (and projected #1 pick prior to his injury over a year ago) Nerlens Noel provides the rock behind the defense.
3. NBA Draft: The Sixers have the third and tenth overall picks in one of the strongest draft classes in years. Almost guaranteed to get Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker, either talent would mesh perfectly with LBJ. The tenth pick will add another specialist to the mix, like sharpshooter Doug McDermott or wing scorer Gary Harris.
4. Coaching Staff: Brett Brown’s mentor was Gregg Popovich, who not only beat the Heat in the finals this year, but also commands a ton of respect from James.
5. Franchise Leadership: Sixers CEO Scott Oneil was in the meetings when the Knicks tried to lure LeBron to New York three years ago, where he surely gained insight to his heart. And when forward-thinking General Manager Sam Hinkie came to Philadelphia last year, it was clear that the Sixers would embed their strategy into advanced analytics. And, while 22 of the 30 NBA teams have an analytics department, Hinkie sets his strategy apart by pointing out that the data he will be collecting is different from the current data used for player evaluation.
6. Philadelphia Loves Basketball: It’s been a rough few years for Sixers fans, but the city was a top 5 basketball town in terms of attendance when Iverson starred here. The Phillies are fading and the Flyers remain mediocre. That means the up-and-up Sixers could easily rival the Eagles for top of the town with LeBron.
7. America’s Next Big Tech Town? Philadelphia has seen major startup growth and millennials are flocking to the city to start businesses. The Comcast Innovation and Technology Center will be the third largest building in the U.S. and create thousands of jobs.
8. Star Power: Before being dubbed “The King,” LeBron’s favorite players (after Jordan) were Allen Iverson and Dr. J. What better ambassadors to provide a tour of the city and some cheesesteak tasting? Even Charles Barkley likes the idea and put his money where his mouth is when quoted, “If they sign LeBron James I would bet a million dollars within five years they might win the championship. I’m telling you they would be that good.”
9. Survivor’s Remorse: The title of a scripted TV show LeBron is producing for Starz, the story is based on two men from the streets who attain fame. Premiering this fall, the show isn’t based in LeBron’s hometown of Akron, it’s based in Philadelphia – his next town?
10. Facilities: The Sixers are breaking ground on a state-of-the-art training facility which is expected to be the biggest and best in the U.S upon completion in 2016.

After years of mediocrity, the Sixers are finally committed to building for the future. They built the right coaching staff, traded players, cut salaries, lost a ton of games, acquired draft picks, and pretty much cleaned house. Unlike other sports, the NBA Championship can be won with a few great players. Any team LeBron James plays for becomes an automatic contender. And over the next few years, no team – not the L.A. Lakers in the highly competitive Western Conference nor the salary-ridden New York Knicks – provides a better opportunity than the Philadelphia 76ers.

This is starting to make a lot more sense to me and now after reading this ...I don't think I'll be laughing when they talk about Lebron or Carmelo Anthony for that matter coming here to Philly to play...

Anything is Possible....These little things are what make life livable!  Stay Tuned!

Something To Think About!

Now that the election is over and I've dealt with the silliness and crazyness that followed ,let's have a serious conversation about the economy.

My brother sent me an email that contains an article by ROBERT B. REICH, one of the nation’s leading experts on work and the economy,Mr.Reich is Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley. He has served in three national administrations, most recently as secretary of labor under President Bill Clinton.

Time Magazine has named him one of the ten most effective cabinet secretaries of the last century. He has written thirteen books, including his latest best-seller, “Aftershock: The Next Economy and America’s Future;” “The Work of Nations,” which has been translated into 22 languages; and his newest, an e-book, “Beyond Outrage.” His syndicated columns, television appearances, and public radio commentaries reach millions of people each week. He is also a founding editor of the American Prospect magazine, and Chairman of the citizen’s group Common Cause. His widely-read blog can be found at www.robertreich.org. You should check it out.

I would like to share an article he wrote recently about our economy that I found fascinating...

President Obama is slamming Mitt Romney for heading companies that were “pioneers in outsourcing U.S. jobs,” while Romney is accusing Obama of being “the real outsourcer-in-chief.”

These were the dog days of summer and the silly season of presidential campaigns. But can we get real, please? The American economy has moved way beyond outsourcing abroad or even “in-sourcing.”

 Most big companies headquartered in America don’t send jobs overseas and don’t bring jobs here from abroad. That’s because most are no longer really “American” companies. They’ve become global networks that design, make, buy, and sell things wherever around the world it’s most profitable for them to do so.

As an Apple executive told the New York Times, “we don’t have an obligation to solve America’s problems. Our only obligation is making the best product possible.” He might have added “and showing profits big enough to continually increase our share price.”

Forget the debate over outsourcing. The real question is how to make Americans so competitive that all global companies — whether or not headquartered in the United States — will create good jobs in America.

Apple employs 43,000 people in the United States but contracts with over 700,000 workers overseas. It assembles iPhones in China both because wages are low there and because Apple’s Chinese contractors can quickly mobilize workers from company dorms at almost any hour of the day or night. But low wages aren’t the major force driving Apple or any other American-based corporate network abroad.

The components Apple’s Chinese contractors assemble come from many places around the world with wages as high if not higher than in the United States. More than a third of what you pay for an iPhone ends up in Japan, because that’s where some of its most advanced components are made.

Seventeen percent goes to Germany, whose precision manufacturers pay wages higher than those paid to American manufacturing workers, on average, because German workers are more highly skilled. Thirteen percent comes from South Korea, whose median wage isn’t far from our own.

Workers in the United States get only about 6 percent of what you pay for an iPhone. It goes to American designers, lawyers, and financiers, as well as Apple’s top executives. American-based companies are also doing more of their research and development abroad.

The share of Research &Development  spending going to the foreign subsidiaries of American-based companies rose from 9 percent in 1989 to almost 16 percent in 2009, according to the National Science Foundation.

What’s going on? Put simply, America isn’t educating enough of our people well enough to get American-based companies to do more of their high-value added work here. Our K-12 school system isn’t nearly up to what it should be. American students continue to do poorly in math and science relative to students in other advanced countries. Japan, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Australia, Ireland, Sweden, and France all top us.

American universities continue to rank high but many are being starved of government funds and are having trouble keeping up. More and more young Americans and their families can’t afford a college education. China, by contrast, is investing like mad in world-class universities and research centers.

Transportation and communication systems abroad are also becoming better and more reliable. In case you hadn’t noticed, American roads are congested, our bridges are in disrepair, and our ports are becoming outmoded.

So forget the debate over outsourcing. The way we get good jobs back is with a national strategy to make Americans more competitive — retooling our schools, getting more of our young people through college or giving them a first-class technical education, remaking our infrastructure, and thereby guaranteeing a large share of Americans add significant value to the global economy. But big American-based companies aren’t pushing this agenda, despite their huge clout in Washington. They don’t care about making Americans more competitive.

 They say they have no obligation to solve America’s problems. They want lower corporate taxes, lower taxes for their executives, fewer regulations, and less public spending. And to achieve these goals they maintain legions of lobbyists and are pouring boatloads of money into political campaigns. The Supreme Court even says they’re “people” under the First Amendment, and can contribute as much as they want to political campaigns – even in secret.

The core problem isn’t outsourcing. It’s that the prosperity of America’s big businesses – which are really global networks that happen to be headquartered here – has become disconnected from the well-being of most Americans. Mitt Romney’s Bain Capital is no different from any other global corporation — which is exactly why Romney’s so-called “business experience” is irrelevant to the real problems facing most Americans. Without a government that’s focused on more and better jobs, we’re left with global corporations that don’t give a damn.

That was basically what he said in a nutshell... Bottom line is these companies don't care....They don't have to....If they can't find the qualified or well educated workforce they need here,  they go abroad...

Instead of beefing up to fight wars overseas that have very little to do with us...We ought to be investing money in education and better schools and universities like China and Germany and Japan are doing....(Hell,even India!)

The money we spent in Iraq alone could have greatly improved our education initiatives... and money from Afghanistan could have repaired our roads and streets and general infra structure right here in the USA....

Will the USA ever get it right? or will we waste an opportunity on political infighting and racism and foolishness...That's a rhetorical question!!  I don't want to hear the answer.

What I've Learned (From Warren Buffet!)

Yesterday Uber Millionaire Warren Buffett said, "I could end the deficit in 5 minutes," he told CNBC. "You just ...pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election. The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.

Warren Buffet is asking each addressee to forward this email to a minimum of twenty people on their address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise. In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one idea that really should be passed around.

*Congressional Reform Act of 2011*

1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay
will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people. (That would be interesting wouldn't it?)

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12.
The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term's), then go home and back to work. (Tell em Warren!)

If each person contacts a minimum of twenty people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Maybe it is time.

THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS!!!!

Weekend Humor

A Spanish teacher was explaining to her class that in Spanish, unlike English, nouns are designated as either masculine or feminine.

"House" for instance, is feminine: "la casa."

"Pencil," however, is masculine: "el lapiz."

A student asked, "So What gender is 'computer'?"

Instead of giving the answer, the teacher split the class into two groups, male and female, and asked them to decide for themselves whether "computer" should be a masculine or a feminine noun.

Each group was asked to give four reasons for its recommendation. The men's group decided that "computer" should definitely be of the feminine gender ("la computadora") because:

1. No one but their creator understands their internal logic.

2. The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else.

3. Even the smallest mistakes are stored in long term memory for possible later retrieval; and (drum roll please!)

4. As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

(THIS Of course Gets Better!)
The women's group, however, concluded that computers should be masculine ("el computador") because:

1. In order to do anything with them, you have to turn them on.

2. They have a lot of data but still can't think for themselves.

3. They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time, they ARE the problem; and

4. As soon as you commit to one, you realize that if you had waited a little longer, you could have gotten a better model.

The women won.


HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND FOLKS!

Keith's Favorite Quotations

This was sent to me as one of those endless office e-mails that your friends always have time to send..This has often been attributed to comedian George Carlin...but I'm not sure if he said this or not.  There is something in this about prayer and he was an outspoken atheist, so I'm doubtful if he actually said this..but this is still words to live by. I'm going to say that the true author is unknown...This is still a fovorite of mine.


"The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.


We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.


We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.


We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.


We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.


These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...


Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.


Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.


Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.


Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.


Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.


Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.


AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:


Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

Peace!

Weekend Humor

Grandma is eighty-eight years old and still drives her own car. She writes:

Dear Grand-daughter,


The other day I went up to our local Christian book store and saw a 'Honk if you love Jesus' bumper sticker.

 I was feeling particularly sassy that day because I had just come from a thrilling choir performance, followed by a thunderous prayer meeting.


So, I bought the sticker and put it on my bumper.


Boy, am I glad I did; what an uplifting experience that followed.


I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection, just lost in thought about the Lord and how good he is, and I didn't notice that the light had changed.


It is a good thing someone else loves Jesus because if he hadn't honked, I'd never have noticed.


I found that lots of people love Jesus!


While I was sitting there, the guy behind started honking like crazy, and then he leaned out of his window and screamed, 'For the love of God!'


'Go! Go! Go! Jesus Christ, GO!'


What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus!


Everyone started honking!


I just leaned out my window and started waving and smiling at all those loving people.

I even honked my horn a few times to share in the love!


There must have been a man from Florida back there because I heard him yelling something about a sunny beach.


I saw another guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger stuck up in the air.


I asked my young teenage grandson in the back seat what that meant.


He said it was probably a Hawaiian good luck sign or something.


Well, I have never met anyone from Hawaii, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign right back.


My grandson burst out laughing.


Why even he was enjoying this religious experience!


A couple of the people were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started walking towards me.


I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I noticed the light had changed.


So, grinning, I waved at all my brothers and sisters, and drove on through the intersection.


I noticed that I was the only car that got through the intersection before the light changed again and felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after all the love we had shared.


So I slowed the car down, leaned out the window and gave them all the Hawaiian good luck sign one last time as I drove away. Praise the Lord for such wonderful folks!


Will write again soon,
Love, Grandma

Weekend Humor

A lady goes to her pastor one day and tells him, ''Bishop, I have a problem."

"Oh and what is that?" He asked

"I have two female parrots, but they only know to say one thing.'' she said

''What do they say?' the pastor asked.

"They say, 'Hi, we're hookers! Do you want to have some fun?' " she said.

''What?That's obscene!' the pastor exclaimed,

Then he thought for a moment.....

''You know," he said, ''I may have a solution to your problem. I have two male talking parrots, which I have taught to pray and read the Bible... just bring your two parrots over to my house, and we'll put them in the cage with Frankie and Pete." he said.

"My parrots can teach your parrots to pray and worship, And your parrots are sure to stop saying... That phrase... In no time."

''Oh Thank you, Bishop'' the woman responded, ''This may very well be the solution.''

The next day, she brought her female parrots to the priest's house....

As he ushered her in, she saw that his two male parrots were inside their cage holding rosary beads and praying...

Impressed, she walked over and placed her parrots in with them...

After a few minutes, the female parrots cried out in unison:
"Hi, we're hookers! Do you want to have some fun?"

There was stunned silence...Shocked, One male parrot looked over at the other male parrot and says,

''Put the beads away, Frankie,Our prayers have been answered!"

Weekend Humor

Tyrone had shingles.
Those of us who spend a lot of time in a doctor's office should appreciate this! Doesn't it seem more and more that physicians are running their practices like an assembly line? Here's what happened to my man Tyrone :

Tyrone walked into a doctor's office and the receptionist asked him what he had. Tyrone said: '' I got Shingles man.'' So she wrote down his name, address, medical insurance number and told him to have a seat.

Fifteen minutes later a nurse's aide came out and asked Tyrone what he had...
Tyrone said, ''I got Shingles. How come yall keep askin me the same question?'' So she wrote down his height, weight, a complete medical history and told Tyrone to wait in the examining room.

A half hour later a nurse came in and asked Tyrone what he had. Tyrone said, '' Like, I told the other two people who asked me,shingles..I got shingles'' So the nurse gave Tyrone a blood test, a blood pressure test, an electrocardiogram, and told Tyrone to take off all his clothes and wait for the doctor.

"What? Take my clothes off...for some shingles? Okay, whatever yall say." he said.

An hour later the doctor came in and found Tyrone sitting patiently in the nude and asked him what he had.

Tyrone said, ''Shingles man'' The doctor asked, ''Shingles??Where?''
Tyrone said, ''Outside on the truck. When I put my clothes back on, where do you want me to unload 'em??''

Weekend Humor

Rakim and his wife,Juanita were awakened at 3:00 am by a loud pounding on the door. The man gets up and goes to the door where a drunken stranger, standing in the pouring rain, is asking for a push.

"Not a chance,that cat is drawn" says Rakim, "it is 3:00 in the morning!"

He slams the door and returns to bed.

"Who was that?" asked Juanita.

"Just some drunk guy asking for a push." Rakim answers.

"Did you help him?" she asks.

"No, I did not, it is 3:00 in the damn morning and it is pouring rain out
there!" says Rakim.

"Well, you have a short memory Rakim," says his wife. "Can't you remember about three months ago when we broke down, and those two guys helped us?" she said.

"I think you should help him, and you should be ashamed of yourself Rakim"she continued.

Rakim does as he is told, gets dressed, and goes out into the
pounding rain.

He calls out into the dark, "Hey Man, are you still there?"

"Yeah" comes back the answer.

"Do you still need that push?" calls out Rakim.

"Yeah, please!" comes the reply from the dark.

"Where you at man, I can't see you?" asks Rakim.

"I'm Over here. On the swing," replied the drunk.