Acres of Diamonds

Legend has it a young farmer and his family enjoyed a great life in Africa.  He had his health, a wonderful family, good friends, enough food and a life he enjoyed. 

One day a village elder stopped by his house to chat.  As they spoke, the elder talked about the wonders of diamonds; the power and riches they brought to any man who possessed them.  "Why, if you had only one diamond no bigger than the size of my thumb," the elder said, "you could buy this entire village. And if you had a diamond the size of my fist, you could own this country."

That night after the village elder left him, the young farmer tossed and turned in bed thinking of diamonds. When he awoke the next morning, he was sad because he didn't have any diamonds. Before the day was over, he made arrangements to sell his farm and send his family to live with relatives. When everything was settled, the next day he left his farm to go in search for diamonds.

He traveled all over south Africa - but found none; then to north Africa and still none.  Eventually he sailed to southern Europe, but no matter where he went - Italy, Greece, Spain - he found none. While in Spain, he found himself emotionally, physically and financially drained. 

So disheartened with how he wasted his wonderful life and his life-long savings, he decided the best thing to do was to climb a high mountain and jump into the Barcelona River, which he did.

The same day the young farmer committed suicide, the  man who bought his farm back in Africa was out watering his herd of cattle.  As the cows stood drinking in a small stream that ran through the farm, the rays of the early morning sun were shining on a stone on the west side of the shore. The stone sparkled like a rainbow.  Impressed by its look, the new farmer waded over and picked up the large rock. This stone was so beautiful he thought it would look perfect on the fireplace mantle. So when he arrived back home, he placed it on his mantle and smiled.

Later that evening the village elder stopped by to talk with the new farmer.  While in the house, the elder noticed the sparkling stone on the mantle.  He immediately asked if the old owner had returned.  "No, why do you ask?"

The elder replied, "Because of that beautiful diamond you have on your mantle."

The new farmer laughed and said, "You must be mistaken. That's not a diamond; its just a pretty stone I found along the  stream this morning. Come, I'll show you there are lots of stones just like this."  Together they went down to the stream and picked up dozens of stones lying on the ground. 

The Village elder said, "I can recognize a diamond  anytime I see one."  Then he asked if he could send a few samples to the big city for analysis. When the gemologist's report came back a few weeks later, it stated all the stones sent to him were high grade diamonds.

It turns out the new farmer purchased a farm littered with  diamonds - in fact acres of diamonds.  It was on this farm in the Mbuji-Mayi District of Zaire, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, that the Millenium Start - the largest diamond ever was discovered.

Always remember that there are diamonds all around - opportunities that can change our lives; however, most of us don't always recognize them.

What Ever Happend to the Men Who Signed the Declaration of Independance?

With the Fourth of July holiday tomorrow, it might be a good time to ask this question, Have you ever wondered what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Here is what history tells us.
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died.

Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.

Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army; another had two sons captured.

Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or hardships of the Revolutionary War.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

What kind of men were they?

Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.

Eleven were merchants.

Nine were farmers and large plantation owners.

They were men of means, well educated, but they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that the penalty would be death if they were captured.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British Navy.

He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.

He served in Congress without pay and his family was kept in hiding.  His possessions were taken from him and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters.  He quietly urged General George Washington to open fire.  The home was destroyed and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill were laid to waste. For more than a year, he lived in forests and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his children vanished.

So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and silently thank these patriots.  It's not much to ask for the price they paid.

Remember: The Freedom we enjoy wasn't free!

Who Gets the Chair?

During the late 1700's, few American colonists lived on big plantations.  Most eked out extremely meager existences in one-room wooden houses.  Because their houses were so small, family dining generally took place on a table pushed close against one wall.  The young children sat on a long wide board which folded down from the wall while the bigger children and wife sat on a rough sanded bench on the other side. 

Most households only had one chair which was generally very ornate in design.  During the day the wife would use this chair to tend to the children, crochet, knit or mend clothing. However, the chair was always reserved for the man of the house when it was time to eat.

Should a special guest be over when  a meal was served, that special guest was normally offered the chair to sit in while they ate their meal while the rest of the family, including the man of the house, would sit on the board attached to the wall or on the wooden bench.  Consequently, for someone to be asked to sit in the chair meant they were important - either an honored guest or perhaps someone in charge of something. 

The person to sit in the chair was commonly referred to as the 'Chair man' or 'Chair person'.  Today, this same expression or title is used in all levels of government - Federal, State and Local.  We use the word 'Chairman' or 'Chairperson' to signify who is in charge of our board and committee meetings in government.

Climbing the Corporate Ladder - - What's the purpose of it?

A large tourist ship dropped anchor off the shore of a tiny Greek island and several American tourists decided to go to shore. While on the island, the Americans were invited to enjoy a delicious lunch served by a local fisherman's family.   When lunch was finished, they asked, "How long did it take you to catch all these wonderful fish?"

"Not very long," was the reply.  

 

"Wow! That's wonderful.  Why don't you guys stay out longer and catch more fish?"  The fishermen explained their small catches were more than sufficient to meet both their needs and those of the occasional tourists such as us who drop by. 

"But what do you do with the rest of your time all day?" asked another American.  

 

"We sleep late, fish a little, play with our children, and take a long siesta with our wives.  In the afternoons, we have a little snack and lay on the beach and watch the waves.  Many times we go into the village and visit our friends or maybe we go to a local pub and drink a little Ouzo and dance the afternoon away.  In the evenings after supper, we go to a local tavern and play the bouzouki, drink a little more Ouzo and sing a few songs with our friends."

Another American tourist interrupted, "Well, I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you.  You should start fishing longer each day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch and with the money you make, you can buy a bigger boat."

"And with a bigger boat, you can make even more money and you can buy a larger third boat, and fourth boat and so on until you have an entire fleet of new trawlers."

"Then, instead of selling your fish to a middle man at the local market, you can negotiate directly with the food processing plants on the mainland and in a few years, you can open your own food processing plant and distribution center.  With all the money you make, you can leave this little village and move to Athens and from there you can direct your huge new enterprise by cell phone and computer."

 
"How long would that take?" asked the Greek Fisherman. 

 

"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the tourist.

"And after that, then what?"  asked the Greek Fisherman.

 

"After that my friend is when it really gets interesting," answered the American.  "When your business gets really big in about 25 years, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"

"Millions?  Really?"  replied the fisherman.  "Yes and after that, then what?" asked the Greek fisherman.

"After that you will be able to sell off all your boats, properties and investments and retire.  You can move to a tiny village near the coast or perhaps to one of the beautiful islands where you can sleep late, play with your grandchildren, catch a few fish, take a siesta in the afternoon with your wives and spend days with your friends and your evenings drinking Ouzo and singing and dancing," said the American. 

The Secret to Success --- is simple!

One day, a young man approached Socrates ... the Great Greek Philosopher and asked, “Sir, I have come to seek your wisdom.  Will you help me?”

 

Socrates looked at the lad and replied, "How can I be of assistance son?”

 

The young man responded, “Socrates, I want to be a great success. Will you teach me all I need to know so I can be a great success?”

“Certainly, my son,” replied Socrates. “Walk with me”.  Socrates started to walk towards the sea. Once on the sand, Socrates continued walking right into the water as the young man followed. When they were both chest deep in the ocean, Socrates reached up placed his hands on the young man's head and pulled it down, forcing the young man's head under the water.

After about ten seconds, the young man fought his way to the surface and began to gasp for air. Socrates released the boy’s head, turned around and started to walk away.

The young man was appalled. He had traveled a great distance to meet with this scholar.  Socrates was a man of wisdom whom he admired and respected and all he did when he asked for the secret of success was to put his head under water. Never again, vowed the young man, would he seek the advice of Socrates.

Time, however as we know, has a way of healing wounds and after a week, the young man thought maybe he did something to upset Socrates. So back he went to visit the great scholar.  Again he beseeched Socrates to teach him all he needed to know to be a great success.

Socrates smiled and once again willingly agreed.  He asked the young man to follow him and again he began to walk toward the ocean.  Just like before, Socrates walked into the water and when the water was chest high, Socrates grabbed the young man by his head and dunked him under water.

This time, however, the young man was ready.  Before going under he took a big gulp of air and was able to hold his breath; almost for thirty seconds passed before he had to come up gasping for air. As he wiped the water from his eyes, he saw Socrates walking away.

Now the young man was furious. Twice he had asked this  scholar for the knowledge he needed to become a great success and twice Socrates took him to the ocean and dunked his head. Never, ever again would this young man return to Socrates and be insulted and humiliated.

Well, thirty days passed and the young man had a lot of time to reflect. He truly wanted to be a great success and decided to go see Socrates one final time. Upon arriving at Socrates’ home, he wrapped on the door. When Socrates appeared, the young man said, "I hope you remember me?”

 

Socrates smiled and said, “Certainly, I do. You’re the young man who wants to be a great success.” Socrates once again started walking toward the ocean with the young man following in step.

This time the young man was extremely prepared; as soon as Socrates grabbed his head the young man took a deep swallow of air and held his breath for almost two minutes. When he finally surfaced gasping for air, Socrates was already back on the shore walking back home.

The young man, now livid, ran after Socrates.  When he was a few feet from Socrates he shouted, “Socrates, why is it every time I come to you and ask for wisdom on how to be a great success all you do is walk me out into the ocean and dunk my head under the water?”

Socrates turned around - faced the boy and said, “Young man, three times now I have tried to teach you the secret to be a success.  The secret is simple: When you want to succeed as much as you want to breathe, I assure you you will be a great success.”
 

Quitters Never Win

This is an old story which I hope you enjoy and find of value.


When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're traveling seems all uphill,
When funds are low and debts are high,
When you want to smile, but can only cry,
When life is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must ... but please don't quit.

Life is strange with its twists and turns,
As every individual eventually learns.
And many a person has turned about
When they might have won had they stuck it out.
Don't give up when the pace gets slow;
You might succeed with just another blow.

Often strugglers will quit and give up
When they might have captured the Victor's cup.
Then they learn when the sun goes down,
How close they were to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out -
So stick to fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst, you mustn't quit.

Memorial Day Will Be Here Soon

Please take a moment to look at this picture.

The only person standing as "Old Glory" comes down the street is ...

The old man in the wheel chair.

The County / City Administrator's (Managers's) Story

It's not the County (or the City) Administrator's/Manager's place to run the train and the whistle he or she cannot blow;

It's not in his or her place to say how far the train is allowed to go.

It's not the County (or City) Administrator's/Manager's place to shoot off any steam; or even cling the bell;

But should the damn thing jump the track, just see who catches hell.

Two Qualities Every Local Public Official Should Aspire To Possess

There are two qualities that every local public official should aspire to possess:

Patience and Wisdom

Thomas Edison's Light Bulb Test

Thomas Edison, the inventor of the incandescent bulb, was an incessant inventor.   When he needed to expand his staff, he  employed an unusual technique for interviewing the engineers for positions on his staff.  Every prospective  applicant who came in for an interview was handed a light bulb.  Edison then asked the engineer to determine the exact amount of water the bulb could hold.

Edison knew very well that there were two basic ways an applicant could determine the correct answer to his question.

The first, was to apply several engineering gauges and mathematical protractors to each of the complex angles of the glass bulb. Then, using a slide ruler and applying basic logarithmic formulas, the applicant could calculate the inside surface area of the light bulb which would allow him to determine the total volume of the glass bulb. This approach would take an experienced engineering applicant approximately twenty minutes to solve the answer.

The second method an applicant could use to find the answer was to remove the brass base from the bulb and then fill the bulb with water.   Once the bulb was filled with water, its contents could easily be poured into a measuring cup or laboratory beaker mug to determine the exact amount of water it could hold.   This method generally took less than two minutes.

Nearly all the engineers who used the first method to calculate the volume of water a light bulb could hold were politely thanked for their time and sent on their way. However, the applicants who used the second method were greeted warmly by Mr. Edison who asked, "When can you start?"