I love Half Price Books. A regular bookstore where everything is half price or better. What a brilliant idea. To top it off, they even let you sell your old books to them for cash. I thought this might be a good way to clean up the old home library. We have collected several books we rarely touch, and even more rarely think about or read.
I packed up a box full of books and headed to the local Half Price Book Store. It is only 10 minutes away and easily accessible to the freeway. I hoped to get at least $50 for my box of books, which I thought was extremely low considering several of the books cost at least $30 or more. However, $50 would have been worth the trip.
The way it works is that you take your books to the counter, and while they are tabulating your box of books, you can wander around looking for new books to spend your cash on. They told me that once they tabulated everything they would make an offer and I could accept or decline. I had come in with the intention to take whatever offer they gave me.
I left with the whole box of books. Not only was the offer well below my expectations ($26), I wouldn't even be able to buy the new books I had picked up while wandering around the store. I was incredulous. Still am. Now I know that if I want to sell enough books to buy a few new books, I have to bring my whole bookcase. Crazy!
I decided to check out a couple websites that offer to buy books from you. One is Cash 4 Books, which would only take 6 of the books I was offering for $45. The other website, Powell's Books, Offered me $7 for 3 other books. This is totaling $52 (or twice as much as Half Price) for only 9 books of the offered 20-30. Not bad. Good thing I didn't take Half Price's offer. It's a rip off.
In Half Price's defense, I'm sure that they have seen an influx of people bringing in old books due to the economy. They were the only place I checked out that would actually take all of the books. Based on simple principles of supply and demand, I can't really imagine that they are offering top prices in this economy. It is still surprising though that I can get double their offer with a third of the books.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Vote "No" on Issue 9
So I just started a class in the Planning Department of the University of Cincinnati. The class is called organizational theory, and will be fascinating (call me weird). On the first day we were told about how the class would go etc. We were given a service learning assignment to be completed by November 3rd - election day. It is focused on the election and we have to volunteer at least four hours toward an organization or cause that is directly related with the elections. I wanted to do something I was interested in so that my volunteering wouldn't feel so much like volunteering. I decided to check out the Hamilton County Board of Elections to see what issues are up for the vote.
One of the biggest ones right now is the issue on Casinos. I could easily join the cause against the casinos, but I thought I better check out the other issues first. Then issue 9 stuck out. Of course! This is the issue I've been preaching for years, and now it is up for vote!
Issue 9 deals with the streetcar debate in Cincinnati. Many people think that a streetcar system is a waste of money. I however, totally disagree. I think it is the first step of many toward a stupendous public transportation system around Cincinnati. Few Ohioans realize the powerful benefits of a solid public transportation system. Why, Because Ohio has no good public transportation systems. Cincinnati would be the first. Let me give you a little background on where I come from on this matter.
From July 2001 I moved to Bairnsdale, Australia. Bairnsdale is 3 hours east of Melbourne and 8 hours south of Sydney. Despite the distance from Melbourne, I could hop on a train and ride into the city. Once in the city, I could hop on numerous trams to go all around downtown and see the sights, or take the trams straight into some of the near suburbs. It was wonderful. It greatly reduced the reliance on cars to get everywhere, and made it easy for me to check out Australia without a chaperon (I wasn't allowed to drive while I was there).
In July 2002 I moved back home. It was so sad to be 45 minutes away from downtown Columbus Ohio and not even capable of catching a bus into the city. The closest bus stop was halfway into the city. At that point, taking the bus was pointless. Then in 2003 I moved to Salt Lake city. Anybody familiar with Salt Lake will agree that traffic on I-15 can be a burden. For the 2002 Olympics, Salt Lake City installed a light rail system that paralleled I-15. It greatly reduced the congestion on I-15 and continues to be a boon to the city out there.
Then I moved back to Ohio, this time to Cincinnati. Here is a town that has an extensive rail network, much bigger than that of Columbus or Salt Lake City. Many of these rail corridors are no longer in service, but they still exist. Although the bus system is better than Columbus, it is still ridiculously slow. Now the Mayor and several other key groups want to get funding for a Tram system downtown. I think it is a brilliant idea.
I hate to pay for parking. I will park 8 blocks away at the University of Cincinnati just to ensure I get free parking. That is by far the worst part for me of going downtown. If it was possible to get free parking (it is) and then hop on a tram into the heart of downtown (not yet) I would visit downtown significantly more often. It would make it much easier to see a Reds game too. I've uploaded a map of the proposed corridors.
The key to remember here too is that this is phase 1 of a much bigger plan. Later phases of the plan would implement light rail all around the city, mostly on preexisting rail corridors. The real scary thing about issue nine isn't that it bans street cars. Issue 9 changes the city charter to ban any "passenger rail transportation." This seems a little extreme for the people against a Trolley system. Hey if you love hanging out on I-75 for an hour on your way home from work, be my guest. I won't lie and say that a rail system will reduce your commute time. It might and it might not, but it will reduce your commuting stress. I would much rather hop on a train and read the newspaper for that same hour. You can't read the newspaper and drive, finish that big project for work and drive, or even safely talk on the phone and drive at the same time.
Don't vote yes. Cincinnati has a great opportunity with it's preexisting corridors to become one of the best public transportation cities in the country. Why would we want to ruin that forever. By the way, I'm not even going to count this blog post toward my four hours of service requirement.
One of the biggest ones right now is the issue on Casinos. I could easily join the cause against the casinos, but I thought I better check out the other issues first. Then issue 9 stuck out. Of course! This is the issue I've been preaching for years, and now it is up for vote!
Issue 9 deals with the streetcar debate in Cincinnati. Many people think that a streetcar system is a waste of money. I however, totally disagree. I think it is the first step of many toward a stupendous public transportation system around Cincinnati. Few Ohioans realize the powerful benefits of a solid public transportation system. Why, Because Ohio has no good public transportation systems. Cincinnati would be the first. Let me give you a little background on where I come from on this matter.
From July 2001 I moved to Bairnsdale, Australia. Bairnsdale is 3 hours east of Melbourne and 8 hours south of Sydney. Despite the distance from Melbourne, I could hop on a train and ride into the city. Once in the city, I could hop on numerous trams to go all around downtown and see the sights, or take the trams straight into some of the near suburbs. It was wonderful. It greatly reduced the reliance on cars to get everywhere, and made it easy for me to check out Australia without a chaperon (I wasn't allowed to drive while I was there).
In July 2002 I moved back home. It was so sad to be 45 minutes away from downtown Columbus Ohio and not even capable of catching a bus into the city. The closest bus stop was halfway into the city. At that point, taking the bus was pointless. Then in 2003 I moved to Salt Lake city. Anybody familiar with Salt Lake will agree that traffic on I-15 can be a burden. For the 2002 Olympics, Salt Lake City installed a light rail system that paralleled I-15. It greatly reduced the congestion on I-15 and continues to be a boon to the city out there.
Then I moved back to Ohio, this time to Cincinnati. Here is a town that has an extensive rail network, much bigger than that of Columbus or Salt Lake City. Many of these rail corridors are no longer in service, but they still exist. Although the bus system is better than Columbus, it is still ridiculously slow. Now the Mayor and several other key groups want to get funding for a Tram system downtown. I think it is a brilliant idea.
I hate to pay for parking. I will park 8 blocks away at the University of Cincinnati just to ensure I get free parking. That is by far the worst part for me of going downtown. If it was possible to get free parking (it is) and then hop on a tram into the heart of downtown (not yet) I would visit downtown significantly more often. It would make it much easier to see a Reds game too. I've uploaded a map of the proposed corridors.
The key to remember here too is that this is phase 1 of a much bigger plan. Later phases of the plan would implement light rail all around the city, mostly on preexisting rail corridors. The real scary thing about issue nine isn't that it bans street cars. Issue 9 changes the city charter to ban any "passenger rail transportation." This seems a little extreme for the people against a Trolley system. Hey if you love hanging out on I-75 for an hour on your way home from work, be my guest. I won't lie and say that a rail system will reduce your commute time. It might and it might not, but it will reduce your commuting stress. I would much rather hop on a train and read the newspaper for that same hour. You can't read the newspaper and drive, finish that big project for work and drive, or even safely talk on the phone and drive at the same time.
Don't vote yes. Cincinnati has a great opportunity with it's preexisting corridors to become one of the best public transportation cities in the country. Why would we want to ruin that forever. By the way, I'm not even going to count this blog post toward my four hours of service requirement.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Tom Peters on Leadership
Here is a little video from Tom Peters about Leadership, that I thought I would share.
The hand movements are a little exaggerated, but the point is good.
The hand movements are a little exaggerated, but the point is good.
Tom Peters on the Definition of Leadership from Tom Peters on Vimeo.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Two Views of Freedom - Which one is better?
I've recently understood a gospel topic in a new way. The issue has confused me a few times in the past, and I think I've finally been able to wrap my head around the idea and embrace it. (Sounds painful doesn't it.)
The issue is this. Many critics of the Latter-Day Saints or Christians in general, claim that they would be "limited" to be bound by so many rules and obligations. They feel that there is much more freedom in just living life how you want to, regardless of what God has commanded. On the other hand Brigham Young said (and I paraphrase) to really understand true freedom, one must keep the commandments of God, because as we keep the commandments our ability to exercise our agency gets enhanced and expands. (I wish I could find this quote again)
You might be able to see where the confusion lies. Both sides of are claiming greater freedom but through opposing means. As usual, reading the scriptures really helped expand my understanding. The Book of Mormon is full of great imagery that helps explain key principles. 2 Nephi 28:19-28 helped explain this principle to my mind. In these verses, there is imagery of chains as well as imagery of the rock foundation or the sandy foundation. Let me explain how this helped.
When people build their life's foundation on the sand (in the world), they may feel that they have more freedom than those who build upon the rock (in Christ). This is because those on the rock cannot move their feet from the rock while those on the sand can move around on the sand and change their foundation as the sand shifts. However, those on the rock know that there is more to freedom than where to put your feet. There is growth upward and out. Like a good tree with a strong foundation, there is no end to its height or the broadness of it's leaves. Those in the sand may feel that they have more freedom, but they are looking down at their feet. While they are paying so much attention to their feet and bragging about the freedom they have, Satan is layering chains over top of them. When at some point they look up they will realize that those chains are holding them to the sand.
We try and point out those chains to the ones in the sand. If at some point they try and balk at the lack of freedom others suggest is there, they are quickly reassured that they can still move their feet. Deeper and deeper into the sand they go as the weight of their chains hold them down. You hear advice that if you're stuck in quicksand the best thing to do is hold still. Those that balk will wiggle their feet to get reassured of their "freedom." That is when they sink down further into their sandy foundation until one day they can no longer even feel their toes. At this point they may realize that they made a mistake, they may also feel that there is no more hope. That is where those on the rock come in.
The ones on the rock slowly grow bigger and feel freer as they explore the open atmosphere of the world and "the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." Even though their feet are planted firmly, they know the true freedom comes from above. Invariably, one of the truly righteous trees hang very closely over one who is trapped in the sand. If the one in the sand decides to admit that he needs help. If he quits wiggling (committing sin) to prove that he has "freedom," then he may look up and see the branch of his former friend reaching out to him. The main role of the ones on the rock is to be an example to all around.
How do we get onto the rock? Satan tells us that we must first dig ourselves out of our mess by ourselves, and then drag ourselves onto the rock of our salvation. This route seems so difficult that many will give up or quit, which is what Satan wants. What does the Savior say? "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Christ, having "descended below all things," works his miracles from below rather than above. The individual must decide to begin exercising his "freedom" to get onto a sure foundation, a "foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." Once the decision is made, he stops wiggling (which is what got him into the mess in the first place), and trusts in the Savior.
As the individual in the sand exercises his freedom to be "limited" by keeping the commandments, they see that Satan's chains begin fading and breaking. After a season of faith, repentance, etc., the individual in the sand makes a huge discovery. While they have been looking skyward and keeping their feet firmly planted in the right, Christ has turned their sandy foundation into sandstone! Without realizing it, they are free from the chains of Satan and can grow ever upward and outward with a better understanding of what true freedom means. Then they understand what the God-fearing people meant all the time by having more freedom through righteous living.
Marty, Scott, Cassie, and Austin: The branch is there. I might not be the best at reaching out to you, but I do love you. I'm ready to help when you are ready for it. Please stop wiggling, let the Savior transform your foundation, and come find the freedom in the so-called "limited" path. You will be amazed.
The issue is this. Many critics of the Latter-Day Saints or Christians in general, claim that they would be "limited" to be bound by so many rules and obligations. They feel that there is much more freedom in just living life how you want to, regardless of what God has commanded. On the other hand Brigham Young said (and I paraphrase) to really understand true freedom, one must keep the commandments of God, because as we keep the commandments our ability to exercise our agency gets enhanced and expands. (I wish I could find this quote again)
You might be able to see where the confusion lies. Both sides of are claiming greater freedom but through opposing means. As usual, reading the scriptures really helped expand my understanding. The Book of Mormon is full of great imagery that helps explain key principles. 2 Nephi 28:19-28 helped explain this principle to my mind. In these verses, there is imagery of chains as well as imagery of the rock foundation or the sandy foundation. Let me explain how this helped.
When people build their life's foundation on the sand (in the world), they may feel that they have more freedom than those who build upon the rock (in Christ). This is because those on the rock cannot move their feet from the rock while those on the sand can move around on the sand and change their foundation as the sand shifts. However, those on the rock know that there is more to freedom than where to put your feet. There is growth upward and out. Like a good tree with a strong foundation, there is no end to its height or the broadness of it's leaves. Those in the sand may feel that they have more freedom, but they are looking down at their feet. While they are paying so much attention to their feet and bragging about the freedom they have, Satan is layering chains over top of them. When at some point they look up they will realize that those chains are holding them to the sand.
We try and point out those chains to the ones in the sand. If at some point they try and balk at the lack of freedom others suggest is there, they are quickly reassured that they can still move their feet. Deeper and deeper into the sand they go as the weight of their chains hold them down. You hear advice that if you're stuck in quicksand the best thing to do is hold still. Those that balk will wiggle their feet to get reassured of their "freedom." That is when they sink down further into their sandy foundation until one day they can no longer even feel their toes. At this point they may realize that they made a mistake, they may also feel that there is no more hope. That is where those on the rock come in.
The ones on the rock slowly grow bigger and feel freer as they explore the open atmosphere of the world and "the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." Even though their feet are planted firmly, they know the true freedom comes from above. Invariably, one of the truly righteous trees hang very closely over one who is trapped in the sand. If the one in the sand decides to admit that he needs help. If he quits wiggling (committing sin) to prove that he has "freedom," then he may look up and see the branch of his former friend reaching out to him. The main role of the ones on the rock is to be an example to all around.
How do we get onto the rock? Satan tells us that we must first dig ourselves out of our mess by ourselves, and then drag ourselves onto the rock of our salvation. This route seems so difficult that many will give up or quit, which is what Satan wants. What does the Savior say? "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Christ, having "descended below all things," works his miracles from below rather than above. The individual must decide to begin exercising his "freedom" to get onto a sure foundation, a "foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." Once the decision is made, he stops wiggling (which is what got him into the mess in the first place), and trusts in the Savior.
As the individual in the sand exercises his freedom to be "limited" by keeping the commandments, they see that Satan's chains begin fading and breaking. After a season of faith, repentance, etc., the individual in the sand makes a huge discovery. While they have been looking skyward and keeping their feet firmly planted in the right, Christ has turned their sandy foundation into sandstone! Without realizing it, they are free from the chains of Satan and can grow ever upward and outward with a better understanding of what true freedom means. Then they understand what the God-fearing people meant all the time by having more freedom through righteous living.
Marty, Scott, Cassie, and Austin: The branch is there. I might not be the best at reaching out to you, but I do love you. I'm ready to help when you are ready for it. Please stop wiggling, let the Savior transform your foundation, and come find the freedom in the so-called "limited" path. You will be amazed.
Monday, August 24, 2009
I Got a Name
I'm a little young to remember Jim Croce. In some ways I wish I had seen his story. He died ten years before I was born, but left a legacy of music that is still alive today. Here are a couple highlights from his biography on starpulse.com:
"Croce appealed to fans as a common man, and it was not a gimmick -- he was a father and husband who went through a series of blue-collar jobs. And whether he used dry wit, gentle emotions, or sorrow, Croce sang with a rare form of honesty and power. Few artists have ever been able to pull off such down-to-earth storytelling as convincingly as he was."
My most favorite song from all artists in all time periods is Jim Croce's I Got a Name. This simple ballad is inspiring to me. Here is a man who had his fair share of difficulties in living his dream, but he did it. In the song he states that 1) he carries his name and is "living the dream", 2) he sings his song proud, and 3) he will share his road with anyone who is "going [his] way". How do these things apply to leadership?
1) "I Got a Name... and I carry it with me like my daddy did, but I'm livin' the dream that he kept hid." - Everything in life has a name, it's how we carry that name that matters. Jim points out that his "daddy" carried the same name, but did so while hiding his dreams. There are some names that carry weight with them: Colin Powell, Jack Welch, and Warren Buffet for example. I don't think it is because their parents just happened to name them well. It is because they carried their name and lived their dream.
2) "I Got a Song... and I sing it loud. If it gets me nowhere, I'll go there proud." This tidbit of the song entails two things. What is your song? and How can you sing it loud and proud? The answer to the first question takes soul searching. It is what makes you a leader. It takes desire and commitment to find, but once found it will fuel your song until the day you die. The answer to the second question may be more difficult, but remember it took Jim Croce years of "blue-collar" jobs as a father before he was able to find the how.
3) "Like the fool I am and I'll always be, I've got a dream... I know I could share it if you want me to. If you're going my way I'll go with you." Leadership is all about helping others become their own singers and songwriters. As a leader you have the opportunity of sharing your dream with those who desire to "go with you." You also have a duty to help those you serve as a leader carry their name, sing their song, and live their dreams!
There is one more tidbit in the middle of the song that I think is very applicable to what I have said today. Just after the guitar solo and before the last stanza, Jim sings, "And I'm gonna go there free." It is free. We can all pursue our dreams. What is stopping you? Just so you know, this song was released on the album titled "I Got a Name" three months after Jim died in a plane crash. He lived his dream beyond his death. How are you going to live yours?
I Got a Name - Jim Croce
Like the pine trees linin' the windin' road
I've got a name, I've got a name
Like the singin' bird and the croakin' toad
I've got a name, I've got a name
And I carry it with me like my daddy did
But I'm livin' the dream that he kept hid
Movin' me down the highway
Rollin' me down the highway
Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by
Like the north wind whistlin' down the sky
I've got a song, I've got a song
Like the whippoorwill and the baby's cry
I've got a song, I've got a song
And I carry it with me and I sing it loud
If it gets me nowhere, I'll go there proud
Movin' me down the highway
Rollin' me down the highway
Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by
And I'm gonna go there free
Like the fool I am and I'll always be
I've got a dream, I've got a dream
They can change their minds but they can't change me
I've got a dream, I've got a dream
Oh, I know I could share it if you want me to
If you're going my way, I'll go with you
Movin' me down the highway
Rollin' me down the highway
Movin' ahead so life won't pass me by
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Beware of the little things!!
I recently had a job working at a small rail yard. Few people realize how large and heavy trains actually are. We transferred product from railcar to semi trucks every day. The length of an 18 wheeler from bumper to bumper is about the length of your average railcar. A standard railcar can haul about 4 - 4.5 times the amount a semi truck can legally haul. A modern railcar can have a max weight (including the empty weight) of about 286,000 pounds. (about 129.7 metric tons). To give it some perspective, if you were to make those cute holiday model trains that go around the christmas tree perfectly to scale, one of those model train cars would weigh about 3,000 pounds. The typical train engine that would service our yard could push 50 fully loaded cars with ease! Trains are big!
No matter how big trains can be though, it really doesn't take much to get them off course. We had some deep gouges in the asphalt next to one of our lines where a train had derailed. The story was that while the de-railer was in place, the conductor accidentally switched the train to the wrong track. With all the momentum of a heavy train it wasn't quick to stop, even going 5 miles per hour. When the conductor realized his mistake he called for the brakes to be put on, but it was too late. Within seconds, the de-railer lifted the fully loaded railcar off the tracks and sent it loose. The gouges were only about 20 feet long, and there was very little harm done to anything except the conductor (after his boss talked to him)! The thing that amazed me is that the de-railer is portable! I don't just mean that you can move it with a forklift, or car, but that I can pick it up with one hand! It amazed me how a well designed 40 pound piece of metal could derail a train with millions of pounds of momentum and be reusable. It is also incredible that if the conductor had thought ahead, he could have removed the de-railer by hand and avoided the whole mess.
The point is this. The de-railer did its job and knocked a moving train off course. Do we see Satan's de-railers in time? He is trying to set up those well designed diversions to really knock us off course, no matter how much momentum we have. Satan knows our weak spots, and he has designed these de-railers for each and every one of us. It is up to us to plan appropriately so we don't switch into the wrong track to begin with. If we skirt the boundaries of disaster, we may just get disaster.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
How Service Affects Leadership
For those of you who may have seen the recent BYU alumni Magazine, there was an article in there about service. While I am not a BYU alum, my wife is and I will often peruse her alma mater's magazine. the article was called Why Giving Matters by Arthur C. Brooks. He had an interesting tidbit in there about leadership, which is what I am going to school for at the University of Cincinnati. I downloaded the forum from BYU's website and spliced the leadership tidbit out for you to see.
I find this little tidbit very interesting. I guess if any of us aspire to be leaders, then we should step up to the plate and give.
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