THE KEYS TO THE UNIVERSE

This cartoon idea came from an art class.  The art instructor, Betsy, promised to give us the “Keys to the Universe”.   The class focused on getting your logical, problem-solving left brain out of the way to open up the creativity of your right brain.

I have always recognized my strong creative side but it’s often in conflict with the logical side of my brain.  I like to fiddle with stuff and try to repair things I know nothing about.  Therein lies the problem.

For example, when I was a kid living in Colorado Springs, Colorado, I had an old balloon tire bike with coaster brakes.  The brakes were a little sluggish and in Colorado that’s a problem!  Knowing nothing about bicycle brakes, I decided to take it apart and fix it.

Taking it apart was a snap… It was the putting it back together that presented the challenge.  The problem, as often is the case in my “repair” efforts, was the parts I had left over.  More specifically, were they important to the issue of stopping?  I was smart enough to try them out on level ground and… They worked!

I owned that bike for another 2-3 years.  I never got to the the place where I fully trusted the brakes.  Was it just a matter of time until they failed?  Like I said earlier, in Colorado, a brake problem is a BIG problem.  The bike eventually solved my dilemma by lying down behind my Dad’s car and getting run over in the driveway.  Stupid bike!

That brings us back to the original question.  Is being creative a hindrance when the situation requires logic?  I figure the person that knows the answer to that question invented Duct Tape to bridge the gap.  There ain’t nothin’ that Duct Tape can’t fix!  It doesn’t have to be logical.  Slap on the Duct Tape and you’re good to go… Ask any guy.

 

 

 

MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES… WITH UNIFORMS?

I overheard a conversation between two contractors discussing how to get more production out of their workers.  The preferred method of motivation appeared to be “a swift kick in the butt…”.

I used to work for a company that seemed to think the only way to look businesslike was to emulate a penguin when dressing for work.  “Look professional” was the reason given at the time.  I always wondered about that.  It seemed to me, looking intelligent would be better.

In hot, humid weather, wearing a black wool suit and tie while visiting a farmer’s barn didn’t seem very intelligent… nor professional.  More like stupid.  I imagined what the company would come up with if they adopted the attitude of the contractors and devised a “motivational uniform” for their workers.  A cartoon idea was born…

I know for a certainty, the term “team player” would come up somewhere in the introduction of the new rules.  Then, true to corporate form, they would drum up an award ceremony to recognize those who complied.  What I’ll never understand is that it seems to work… for some people.  The others are probably self employed.  Either way, it  still requires a certain amount of “kicking butt” to get it done!

 

 

SHARED SACRIFICE?… Define “shared”

We’re hearing a lot of talk these days from Washington about “Shared Sacrifice” and “Government Transparency” .  What we’re hearing and what we are seeing are two very different things… Just ask anyone on Main Street.

The Government’s use of the terms “shared”, “sacrifice” and “Government Transparency” seem to be contradictory.  I think they are coming from a Corporate mindset where there are shareholders and there are SHAREHOLDERS.  For example, owning one share in BP makes you a “shareholder”.  Owning millions of dollars worth of BP stock makes you a “SHAREHOLDER”.  To think the shareholder gets the same treatment as a SHAREHOLDER is folly.

So, in the spirit of “transparency in Government”,  I’ll translate what we’re hearing.  If you are a taxpayer and fall into the category of Middle Class, Senior Citizen, Poor, or to tell it like it really is, NOT RICH… you’re a shareholder.  If you are a “Special Interest” or Politician, you are a SHAREHOLDER.  (By the way, why do we refer to them as “SPECIAL” interests?  That should tell you something right there!)  Therein lies the rub.  The SHAREHOLDERS are sacrificing the shareholders.  We ALL share the consequences of decisions made by our government… just not equally.

The cartoon is a result of my perception about inequalities in the concept of “Shared Sacrifice”.  You know what the GOOD NEWS is?… If all shareholders  stood together, the SHAREHOLDERS would be powerless to make us sacrifice everything for their benefit.  WE HAVE A LOT MORE VOTES!  What kind of laws do you think would be passed if SHAREHOLDERS had to take the same benefit or penalty as everyone else?  Rather than “Shared Sacrifice”, lets demand  a “SHARED LOAD”… Corporations and people earning most of the income should be expected to share the load proportionately, instead of sacrificing the shareholders… WE, THE PEOPLE should expect nothing less.

THE RAINBOW DIET IN SCHOOL LUNCHES.

I got this cartoon idea listening to some people talking about the Rainbow Diet.  The general drift of the conversation seemed to be: “Color is more important than nutritional value”.  One of them was saying, “Green is green… it counts the same if you have Iceberg Lettuce or eat Kale.”  I will never be accused of being a nutritional genius but even I know that’s not true!  There is a BIG difference in the nutritional value of Iceberg Lettuce vs. Kale…. and, these were adults talking!  I’ve decided “Older is NOT necessarily wiser…”

I began to speculate what they were teaching their kids and only had to guess how their kids viewed nutrition.   In the cartoon, I visualized Timmy as their son.  The fact he is portrayed as a little portly is intentional.  (My attorney encouraged me to point out  Fruit Loops and M&M’s are not necessarily the villain here. He’s right.)  Eating what I call “Food Substitutes” is the real villain.  Highly processed food, with vitamins and artificial coloring added is the problem.  Nature Knows Best…  Teach kids to eat  fresh, whole food as the healthy FIRST choice… not the alternative.

Recently, with this in mind, I wrote and illustrated a Children’s book, “Discover the MAGIC of Rainbows”  to encourage kids to think about eating a true Rainbow Diet of Fruits and vegetables.  Lets engage our kids in conversation about their diet and the need for daily exercise… their lives truly depend on it!

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