Taking Risks

I noticed over the years that many people I work with are risk takers, to some extent.

The take chances on new jobs, changing projects, moving to new places.

One evening I was sitting having drinks with 5 female co-workers. Four of us had tried sky-diving. We talked about how that may be rather unusual at an average table of women. Perhaps to have our job, you needed to be a risk taker...to a point. We had all jumped once. Once only.

I like my job. I like that it constantly changes and I learn something new all the time. I work with several different clients each year. Last year there was an internationally well-known credit company, a fortune 500 health care corporation, a large law firm, a science university and more. The year before it was a fortune 100 retail corporation and I managed a critical nation-wide project.

But, I do like working for a company that places a paycheck in my bank twice a month. A safety net. It is all about calculated risk, I suppose. One time jumping out of a "perfectly good plane" is a risk. Twice may be fool-hardy.

I am tired and rambling.

There is so much to do and see in a lifetime. Take a risk. But, don't squander your opportunities. Take advantage of them, use them...learn from them. Then, move on.

You will pretty much know when it is time for a new risk/opportunity.

LIFE is a SERIES of SNIPPETS: Memories of the Passed...#1 - Martin Norstebon

LIFE is a SERIES of SNIPPETS: Memories of the Passed...#1 - Martin Norstebon

Memories of the Passed...#1 - Martin Norstebon

Arlyn & I, maybe Brenda, will go to (maternal) Aunt Cleo's (Fuller) funeral in Baudette Monday. It seems so unreal. I am so sorry for her children. Sometimes, you just think people will be around forever. I recall having a hard time after grandpa died. His sweater hung on the hook and his chair stayed in his favorite spot for years...I imagined he was just in the next room.

Paternal grandfather - Grandpa Martin Norstebon: immigated from Norway in 1910 - My Memory Snippet:

I was in my 20's when grandpa passed away (he lived in Perham, MN). He & grandma were my intial/key ties to the Perham area (I also had aunts & uncle's in the area). I always remembered him as a short, chubby, balding man who enjoyed playing accordian & cards. One day grandma pointed out a picture of him in his WWI uniform...he looked like Tony Curtis (kind of)! "That's grandpa!?" I exclaimed, I had never known who that was in the faded, sepia photograph.

Grandpa Martin & grandma Emma Norstebon lived in Roseau until 1951, I believe. (Exact history can be provided by cousin Gary Kirckoff). They moved to the Richville, MN area and lived on a farm east of Dent. My earliest memory of visiting them was being packed into a '51 Ford by mom & dad and driving from Ross (Roseau area) to Richville. That seemed like such a loooong drive. I played in the barn with my brother Richard and uncles Allen (deceased now) and Milton. They probably just kindly tolerated me. I was 5 or younger.

They eventually sold the farm and moved to Perham

Grandpa was in WWI. One day I was sitting in Perham at his house and he started telling me about his experience in France.

"I vas gassed in France. It vas a hot day, and ve vere told to alvays keep our gas masks on...but da guy who vas vit me and I...ve vas vorking on a bridge. It vas so hot, so ve laid our gas masks on one end of da bridge...and ve vere verking on the other...den he yelled, "gas, get your mask on"! Ve ran and put our masks on...den I vas in da hospital. I never knew vat happened to him. I can still taste da gas in my mout sometimes."

At this point, grandma scoffed him (something I never heard her do). "Dat is yust yer imagination!"

He flatly retorted, "I do", but then he stopped talking about his experience. I am sorry I never followed up. I understood and believed him because I had been in a situation where I tasted blood in my mouth for years after an accident (I understood it was totally psychological).

More to come...not sure when.

Virtual shopping trips, and more

I was sitting here thinking how much I appreciated Karen picking out a few new items for me from the Talbot's catalog and it was fun to help choose Becky's new purse yesterday, all done virtually.

I love the 2 jackets and "rosette & ruffle top" blouse Karen picked out for me. The fabric in the turquoise "double breasted faille jacket" looks exquisite. While they cost quite a bit, anything else I purchase will be sale items or from a discount rack. Except I MAY have to get those "Snake embossed lucite-heel city sandals" (on sale).

I also found a lot of items in the Talbot's Outlet. I had kicked myself because I did not buy another wool jacket like the pink one I bought last fall, as it fit so nice. ...and there it was in the Outlet for about 70% off, yellow, gray or blue. Probably gray or blue would be a better choice.

I now have 28 items in my WISH LIST and will go in and start prioritizing in a few minutes.

***********OHNoooo******** this is too hard!***********

I am unable to take anything off my list.

Who can be trusted in the big business of charity?

I recently started researching how Haiti was helped after the devastating 2010 earthquake. I wanted to be assured I had as many facts as possible before I made a public statement.

What I have found out shocked and surprised me. People of the world opened their pocketbooks and hearts, believing they would be providing medical care, food, clothing and safe new homes for the homeless in Haiti. It appears that has not been the result of over $2 billion in charitable giving.

First, a few facts:

Haiti population: 9,719,932 (2010)
Republican government.
Chief of state: President Rene PREVAL (since 14 May 2006) - supposed to be elected for 4 years only, he is acting as interim president now.
Head of government: (appointed by President) Prime Minister Jean-Max BELLERIVE (since 7 November 2009)
- All cabinet members appointed by Preval.
The unemployment rate in Haiti is around 70-80%.


Haiti 2010 earthquake background:

• January 12, 2010


• 7.0 earthquate and 52 aftershocks


• killed: 92,000-316,000 (higher report is per Haitian gov't), 250,ooo per another source.


• injured: 300,000


• homeless: 1-1.8 million


• commercial buildings: 30,000


• Other buildings/homes: 250,000

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Haiti_earthquake

http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=1186


Donations collected & spent:

• Overall collected: $1,400,000,000 from AMERICANS. Yes, 1.4 billion. Spent: Just over 1/3. Another figure states 2.1 billion has been collected (world-wide).
• Red Cross: collected: $479, 000,000 (per RC), spent: $245,000,000 [investigator could not determine what $ was spent on, see video link below]
• The World Bank says that Haiti has more aid groups per capita than any nation, perhaps as many as 10,000.
• About 40 countries (including the U.S.) and international institutions have pledged $5.27 billion, over the next 2 years, for Haiti's reconstruction.
• Haiti says it will take $12 billion to rebuild their country
  

What has been built in Haiti:

• 300 homes per one investigation


• tent/tarp compounds


• According to a report by the charity Oxfam, nearly 1 million people are still displaced one year after the earthquake. Only 15% of the temporary housing has been built, less than 5% of the 20 million cubic meters of rubble has been cleared and few permanent water and sanitation facilities have been built.
  

Investigations/videos done to date (sample):

Negative:

Investigation: Red Cross funds - Where did they go (lots of videos on youtube): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trSfACmrc_E&feature=player_embedded

http://articlesreloaded.com/news-and-society/causes-organizations/haiti-one-year-later-%E2%80%93-where-did-all-the-donations-go/

Where did the money go? (Charity Navigator): http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=1194

Positive:
Red Cross Haiti site: http://www.redcross.org/haiti

General Resources - (More research needed)

WORLD FACTS (Haiti):

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.html

Conclusion:

Bruce probably said it best this morning, when a lot of money is given, corruption ensues.

My cousin John and his wife Karen are involved in a Honduras relief effort through his church. Every year they go with a group of Doctors, nurses, dentists and many various people with other skills to the Honduras and provide free medical, dental, eye glasses and help build/improve a community. They see where their money is going. They physically do the work to help the community.

While I believe there are good intentioned people in many of these organizations, and it is very possible their hands were tied by a corrupt Haitian goverment, I am now questioning funneling our donations through "centralized huge charities" vs. smaller organizations with transparent finances and dedicated people providing "hands on" support for the needy that can be seen and measured. One suggestion was made that an island could have been purchased and 500,000 people could have been relocated and set up financially (businesses, etc.) for only a part of the money collected to date.

I am saddened that this time I have not sent $ to the Red Cross for Japan. I want to help, but the trust has been broken. I am now questioning: who can be trusted in the big business of charity? Maybe it is ok to send to Japan, they do not have the corrupt government Haiti has that taxes charitable giving so terribly that brand new donated pickups sit in weeds at the airport because charities cannot afford to pay the "extortion fees" (my title).

A reource site: http://www.charitynavigator.org/ may help "somewhat". Charity Navigator, America's premier independent charity evaluator, works to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of over 5,500 of America's largest charities. I checked it out briefly. It has interesting info, but I am concerned they would have a hard time battling "the big business of charity" and stay in business themselves.

Seven questions to ask charities before donating: http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=content.view&cpid=1209

Other Haitian news:

The elections is a mess; Baby Doc returning - wasn't he called/proven a cannibal [really!] when he was in office?? he was exiled for 25 years. President Preval just froze his bank accounts.) http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com/index.php?article=31987.

Oh, and what about the millions that american singer raised (Wyclef Jean) and said he was going to run for president of Haiti (he couldn't even speak French or creole, per what I read. Even his best friend was on Gayle King one night and said he just could not support him!)

A person can get all wound up looking into politics, world affairs and especially when peering into THE COOKIE JAR.

I hate to be negative, as I have always respected the Red Cross. I want to be proven totally, entirely wrong...and that these videos and statistics are biased.

What I do think is The RC and others do some good work, but not as much as should be done. Unfortunately, they cannot topple a regime. The Haitian government may be more to blame for the current plight of their people and country. HOW CAN THEY (Haitan politicians) EXIST with only 30% of the people working? They must be using monies from the outside to subsidize their personal lives. That's the only conculsion I can come to.

Today I am sad.

Today two people I loved died or are near death.

I maintain a network of "friends" from old jobs. We e-mail occasionally, send a Christmas card, share happy thoughts and sometimes challenges. A special person from Washington who had an impact on my life has been one of those friends. We worked side by side and had so much in common. She came to my wedding, Bruce and I went to hers...she finally found true love at age 36.

After I left WA, she was at a conference in Seattle and collapsed. By the time her co-workers found her in her room, it was too late for Dr's to do anything. She had a massive stroke and would be paralyzed the rest of her life, at age 37.

We always kept in contact. She maintained a positive outlook and even did wheelchair runs. I hadn't heard from her in a while and was wondering why she hadn't responded to my Christmas note this year. This morning I came across her FaceBook page. The top comment said, "Kathy, it has been a year. We miss you so much and know you have wings in heaven."

To say I was shocked is the least. I read all the comments. She had wrote her own eulogy. People said it was a beautiful service. Her devoted husband was devastated. She impacted so many lives. Kathy, my dear, long distance, occasional email friend, was dead at 54. Even though she died a year ago, to me she died this morning.

Then mom called. Aunt Cleo was in the hospital. She didn't know much more.

I went to my Dr's appointment. He was 1 1/2 hours late because of an early delivery (baby). I got groceries. My phone was dead, but I saw Leroy and Duane had tried to call me. Brenda calls. Aunt Cleo is dying. I plugged my phone into the car and Leroy tells me Aunt Cleo, 10 years younger than my mom, had a massive brain hemorrhage or clot and half her brain was black. They had taken her off life support. I got home and there were 5 distraught messages from my mother. "Where are you..."

I felt so bad, I called mom immediately. She has lost her younger sister - it will probably only be a matter of hours or days.

Before I left home in 1978, I had spent a lot of time with Aunt Cleo. I used to babysit her kids. During my first marriage, I spent a lot of time with her and Bob.

We grew apart, but I had been at her last birthday party: we celebrated hers and mom's together. She was a good woman who helped her kids a lot.

I am grateful I knew both Kathy & Cleo. They made a difference in my life.

I am grateful, but I am sad today.

My top 2 strengths...Input & Futuristic

According to Strengthfinders 2.0:



INPUT - My top strength is "input". It fits.



I collect information. I collect books, probably because they contain information. I find so many things interesting. Like I told Becky, I am fascinated with the child birthing and rearing info she shares. I will never use that info. It is probably pretty much useless to me, but I love getting it. It's new, it's shiny and I have never had that info before.



I collect web sites filled with data that I "might use" someday and save to "favorites". I know more about my clients than they know about themselves. I collect a network of friends from all my jobs: they have knowledge I don't have and they will always share information with me. My head is filled with useless but delightful tidbits of information.

I am probably the fastest manual search engine you will ever know.

FUTURISTIC: Strength #2



My, does that ever fit with INPUT. The future fascinates me. I read science fiction voraciously when I was a teen. I have a subscription to Popular Science, and I read every issue I could get my hands on when I was a kid (it's not so futuristic anymore). I am gleeful if I can sit with a group of like-minded people and talk about INVENTIONS, IDEAS for the future. I am energized. Yes, I am a dreamer and visionary. I can walk into a client's office and listen to their pain points/ issues and envision their future in a heartbeat. I can take a team that is giving up and make them see their potential for greatness. Another Goal: I need to find a futuristic friend to have coffee with once a month.

I can paint a dream and make it real.

Kindle for Droid, motivation, art, and stuff

(Mary Irwin, artist from Raymond, WA: "Birdhouse Row")www.http://maryirwinwatercolors.com/collections/34106

Kindle for Droid: Today I started reading "Pride and Prejudice" again (free book) using my Kindle Android App. A Droid is a bit small, but not bad.

Motivation: I saw an ad for John Maxwell this morning on FB - he is my favorite motivational speaker. Being a speaker in his organization would be a rewarding job, truly making a difference in the lives of others (I presume there are such jobs). Then again, it would probably be a lot of travel. If you were going to pick one of his motivational (CDs/MP3, books, whatever) I would recommend "The Difference Maker". I think I gave most of mine away to someone who needed them. You can buy a used CD for as little as $7.63 on Amazon, hardcover used book is $3.49. http://www.amazon.com/Difference-Maker-Making-Attitude-Greatest/dp/0785260986/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299504542&sr=8-1.

One day I will write a few blogs on motivation. I have motivation for everything except exercise and cutting back on calories. I now believe it is genetics from my father's side of the family and I have very little control over my destiny.

ART. I just purchased Picasso's "the Bathers" today. (Yes, my bonus was a good one!) I love ART...all kinds of art. Maybe I should write a blog on art (without being artsy-fartsy). Carol and I could write together, she knows more about art than I do. We both share a passion for art. (Lightbulb over head, shining brighter!)

Wine for Breakfast...

"Sounds like a country song to me..." Do you remember the old guy in the red Michael Jackson jacket saying that in "The Wedding Singer"?

Anyway, this poster was kind of cute. I have never had wine for breakfast, but I do recall having one too many Bloody Mary's in Minneapolis somewhere back in the '80's. Really stupid. I took off driving and left my 2 friends carless for (an hour?). Unconscionable. Drinking does that to a person. Well, "over-drinking". It is sometimes hard to know when to stop, cuz it's feeling so good. You are the life of the party. Oh wait...is that picture really you? You thought you were looking so hot!

So much for "six with breakfast". So very NOT recommended. Just rambling.