More Axioms of Human Interaction

Axiom #7. People are generally stupid, but most individuals you meet are pretty smart.

Axiom #8. Smart individuals can do stupid things ... just follow me around for a few days, I'll prove it to you.

Axiom #9. It may take some time to discover how smart someone might be, but stupid shows up within a matter of seconds. 

Axiom #10. People don't know they're stupid. 

Axiom #11. It might seem brutal to tell people they are stupid, but it's downright cruel to let them continue thinking they're smart. 

Axiom #12. Some stupid people are more stupid than others. 

Axiom #13. If you think it's politically incorrect to point out stupidity, you're stupid. 

Axiom #14. To tell someone to their face, or in a blog response, that they are stupid, is stupid. Just saying.

The First Six Axioms of Human Interaction

Axiom #1.  People will ignore you until there is a reason for them to do otherwise.  

Axiom #2.  Brandishing a gun in public, to offer one example, will give people a reason to stop ignoring you.  

Axiom #3.  People don’t intentionally mean to ignore you, it’s just that most are generally self-absorbed.  

Axiom #4.  Pointing a gun at a self-absorbed person will make them stop ignoring you, but may very well make them even more self-absorbed.  

Axiom #5.  There are few things more boring than a self-absorbed person.  

Axiom #6.  Self-absorbed people don’t know that they are boring, even when telling a story about the time someone pointed a gun at them.

Networking Event Etiquette

When attending a networking event, you should be aware of some behaviors that people will appreciate and some that will label you as someone to avoid. The list below is by no means exhaustive, but embracing  the spirit of these guidelines may enhance your networking experience.

 #1. This really is rule number one.  Introduce yourself to the host as soon as possible.. at least within the first few minutes of arriving.  Even if you know the host or hostess personally, and have attended dozens of similar events, make an effort to get to your host or hostess within the first few minutes to say thank you.  Yes, say "thank you for inviting me to this event."  This is an easy thing to do, but an all-too-often neglected duty.

# 2. If you are really there to network, make it a personal mission to  introduce yourself to the person standing or sitting alone.  Not everyone at a networking event is an extrovert or graced with the gift of socialization. You may not be graced as such either, but making the effort to say hello is the single most important thing  you can do, and it is always appreciated.

#3. THE BIG RULE - Do not dominate large amounts of one person's time. The purpose of a networking event is to allow as many people as possible to meet as many people as possible.  I can't tell you how many events I've attended where someone ... and normally more than one someone, simply camps out with one other person.  Guys are particularly guilty of this ... particularly with attractive women.  Now, I'm a guy so I know the temptation is to hang on to that fascinating woman that you just met, but at a networking event, you have to let go. Guess what?... She probably doesn't find you so fascinating.  So guys, by all means, get her business card, secure her cell number and a best time to call, but then get out of the way. 
Rule of thumb: After 5 minutes of conversation,  you should be finding a way to graciously say, "It is so nice to meet you.  I hope we get another chance to chat."
Ladies, you don't get off the hook here. Much the same goes for you, and I'm sorry to say, even more so.  Yes, it's nice to find a safe man with whom to attach yourself for the evening, but if he's there to network, he needs the opportunity to leave you.  As fascinating, as interesting, and as captivating that  you may be, there are other people in the room he may want to meet. Here's a thought; Maybe there are others in the room who want to meet him.  Now, here's the "more so" that I mentioned a couple of lines ago. It is very safe and comfortable to hang on to that girlfriend you met or arrived with,  but if you are really at the event to network, you need to insist on the opportunity to engage others.

#4. It doesn't matter what gender you are - if you find yourself in a situation where you are going to sit at an already occupied table, it is your obligation to introduce yourself to those already seated. That is unless there is someone making the introductions for you.  Ladies - If there are men already sitting at the table where you wish to be seated, you are obliged to introduce yourself to them... not the other way around.  Men - If there are women sitting at the table, you are obliged to introduce yourself to them. It is most rude to ignore those already seated at a table that you want to occupy.

#5. ANOTHER BIG RULE - Leave your cell phone in your pocket or purse. Texting communicates to those around you  that you are not really there to network.  If you find it  important  to talk or text someone via the cell phone, leave the room.

#6. Avoid handing out cards for the sake of handing out cards. Here's a dirty little secret:  No one wants your card, until they ask for it.

#7. Avoid conversations that involve politics and/or religion. Most networking events are professional in nature and engaging in either of these topics may be the end of the event for you. I speak from experience.  Don't go there!

#8.  Don't sit very long. Sitting in one place all night can be comfortable, but it definitely communicates a message you may not want. That message is:: "I'm not really here to network, so don't even bother trying to talk to me."  The host or hostess is the only person who should be found in the same place for most of the event. 

#9. Introduce people that you've met to other people. This is the way it's really suppose to work at a networking event.

#10. Say good night to your host or hostess, and thank them again for inviting you.  It's the one thing you can do to help ensure you're invited to the next event.

These guidelines are not set in stone, or to my knowledge even published somewhere else, but   I do hope my suggestions will help make your future networking events more enjoyable.

Darko Festin

Progressive Ideology is nothing short of the Ideology of Tyrany

“The Modern Liberal believes in the supremacy of the state, thereby rejecting the principles of the Declaration and the order of the civil society, in whole or part. For the Modern Liberal, the individual’s imperfection and personal pursuits impede the objective of a utopian state. In this, Modern Liberalism promotes what French historian Alexis de Tocqueville described as a soft tyranny, which becomes increasingly more oppressive, potentially leading to a hard tyranny (some form of totalitarianism). 

As the word ‘liberal’ is, in its classical meaning, the opposite of authoritarian, it is more accurate, therefore, to characterize the Modern Liberal as a Statist. … The Conservative does not despise government. He despises tyranny. This is precisely why the Conservative reveres the Constitution and insists on adherence to it. … For the Statist, liberty is not a blessing but the enemy. It is not possible to achieve Utopia if individuals are free to go their own way. … The Statist’s Utopia can take many forms, and has throughout human history, including monarchism, feudalism, militarism, fascism, communism, national socialism, and economic socialism. They are all of the same species — tyranny. … The Statist is not interested in what the Framers said or intended. He is interested only in what he says and he intends.”

–Mark Levin

If all men are created equal, that is final. If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final. If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final. No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions. If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people. Those who wish to proceed in that direction can not lay claim to progress. They are reactionary. Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers.  Calvin Coolidge

The Day After

On the day after the anniversary of the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, I just want to make a couple of observations concerning on the current state of affairs as they relate to that fateful day. My first observation has to do with the politically correct  and self proclaimed morally elite crowd that seems to have missed the significance of that event. The significance was the declaration of war upon America, as if we needed yet another terrorist attack to get that fact. (look at the history of Islamic terrorism over the last 30 years)  This p.c. crowd would have us offer conciliation, appeasement  and  "a measure of understanding" toward those factions and nations that supported the worst attack on American citizens in half a century. The only problem with following their direction is that it weakens America. To be sure, there are times for conciliation, especially in the face of defeat. .Appeasement is an appropriate response when trying to right a wrong, and offering a measure of understanding only works when conditions of reconciliation are present. America has nothing to be ashamed of. We have no reason to appease, conciliate, or "understand" a damn thing.  So, I'm not inclined to go along with the self proclaimed morally elite crowd that seem to show up long and often in the main stream media.
My second observation has to do with the insane argument that seems to have dominated the minds of our aforementioned p.c. crowd.  Give me a break ... what self respecting American can actually support building anything "Islamic" one block from Ground Zero.  I don't care that it's legal. I don't care that it's within the rights of the developers.  Hey, wake up folks. Gambling, prostitution, pornography, and drug use is legal in some states, but that doesn't mean any of the list is good. 
So you might say my real peeve is with the p.c. crowd, who insist on forcing their religion upon the rest of us. Yes, it is a religion; the religion of political correctness. Their god is the judicial system, of whom they depend upon for their ideology to succeed. They worship at the alter of big government and pray for an expansion of the the entitlement society. They practice their religion in hopes of gaining more power over the masses and more wealth to satisfy their indulgences.  It's a selfish religion, and a dangerous one, ... conceived and constructed solely to create divisions in society.

The Economy

I'll tell you what's wrong with our economy. Americans don't make anything anymore.  Practically everything we buy is made somewhere else. We have found that it's cheaper to buy manufactured goods made somewhere other than in the U.S.  Even your "American made" automobile isn't really made in America. Check it out for yourself.

We used to make everything ... and we were the best at making everything. And then something happened ... our American jobs started moving over-seas. I think we should be very clear and approach this subject with some intellectual honesty.
The jobs that got "shipped over-seas" got "shipped over-seas" for two reasons: inflated American wages and overbearing government taxation/regulation. We have two entities to blame: corrupt unions and big government politicians.

Do you really think American businesses just woke up on morning and decided to move? Yeah, right!  You have to ask the question ... what forces caused the greatest manufacturing base in the world to migrate to other countries?  Don't look at me ... I didn't have anything to do with it. I suspect you didn't either, did you? So, if you didn't and I didn't , and your neighbor didn't have anything to do wit it... who did?  American businesses just didn't arbitrarily pick up and move on a whim. They carefully considered the pros and cons of moving their operations over-seas.

One major consideration business make before moving its operations out of the U.S. is productivity, which is measured solely on the relationship between the cost of labor as it pertains to profit. Simply put, the cost of labor directly affects profitability. I'm afraid the corrupt union leadership doesn't understand this concept. Another consideration business must consider are the taxes and regulations imposed upon its operation. When taxes and regulations deter the profit motive, business is forced to either close up shop or or move to a more friendly environment. I'm afraid that big government proponents don't understand this concept.

In evaluating why jobs are being shipped over-seas we only have to look at the environment at which they are asked to operate.

Darko Festin

I'm Still Looking for the Hope - Got Plenty of Change

 Buyers remorse, anyone?  If not ... the cognitive part of your brain has ceased to function, and  all your mental faculties have been transferred to the affective portion of your gray matter.  Simple observation and the realization of facts should have you joining most Americans in looking forward to the day that our President Obama becomes our ex-president.  There is one other possibility;  you've been in a coma for the past two years and are just now waking up. If that's you, I will tell you that things are going to hell in a hand-basket, and you've awakened just in time to see one of the saddest debacles of a presidency that we have witnessed in our lifetime.

I don't mean to gloat ... for this is no time to be gloating, but I will say I was ringing the bell long before this joke of a president got elected. All you had to do was take him at his word, and then understand a bit of his background and voting record.
http://www.myspace.com/professorruss/blog

Well, we've seen quite a bit of change haven't we; a rise in unemployment, a deficit 10 times that of when he took office, a health-care system that Americans didn't want, a justice department on the wrong side of the law, the appointment of God-only-knows how many czars to do God-only- knows what ... yes, the change is evident. The scary thing is, he has two more years to inflict more damage.  God, help us!  No, God, PLEASE help us!

What about that hope that Obama  was talking about during his run for the White House?  The hope he was talking about  isn't the same hope I have. I hope he goes away as soon as possible. I hope Americans wake up and smell the damn coffee, because it's boiling over and causing a real mess. I hope that in November we put some adults back in Washington. I hope that Americans discover the wisdom of the Constitution and make a run back to its principles. I hope our next president offers leadership instead of excuses. I hope our next president treats our friends like friends and our enemies like enemies. I hope our next president spends less time on vacation and more time in the White House. I hope our next president stays out of local affairs and concerns himself/herself with what the Constitution prescribes for the office of president. I hope our next president understands that some folks in this world are evil, and you can't compromise with, negotiate with, nor console them. I hope this next generation embraces the reality that government is not going to solve their problems for them. I hope this next generation of voters can enjoy the same prosperity that their parents enjoyed, but thanks to this administration,  the cold hard facts indicate  that's not going to be the case.  No, I'm afraid my hopes are different than President Obama's.

Some Things Will Not Change

Some things we should learn to accept, whether we like them or not:

The sky is blue.
Water runs downhill.
Sand blows in desert wind.
Rich men can always buy companionship.
Poor men can always find a way to buy beer.
Men, rich or poor, will refuse to ask for directions.
Beautiful women will always dictate the terms or their courtship.
Desperate women will put up with tyrannical men.
Desperate men will put up with contentious women.
Women will change their minds, but not often their behavior.
Men will change their behavior, but not often their minds.
The sun comes up in the East.
The ocean is filled with salt water.
A certain Chicago baseball team will never win the World Series.