Blichten

You decide. O'Reilly put on a story about an illegal alien drunk driving incident. He was preparing to launch a campaign against illegal alien criminals, and to connect this to the immigration civil rights movement, and Geraldo stopped him. That's what this is in my opinion - Brian D. Lichtenstein

Craig Ferguson: I want to sit in this audience if I go to see my brother in California.

Office Depot Commercial.

A huge sell-off lately. IFN (India Fund) down -3.5% to almost 43. I think it is about to tank. I would say buy at 33, or if it doesn't go that low buy at 38. I am giving myself one or two more times to dip into this, and then it is gone. The BRIC index (EEB) is still doing well, but it is down again, I will probably buy more soon. Although the best position I am in right now, far and away, is the EBASX (Eaton Vance Asian Small). It is the only position that I have that I think has unlimited long term potential. They are cracking down on everybody at work. That is bad for me, but its also good that it is everybody, and not just me.

Craig Ferguson

I want to incorporate these words into this article: nuances, talk, don't talk, ask, don't ask, savvy, spin, lie, don't lie, imply, indicate, subliminal, dumb, smart, rich, poor, old money, new money, memory, memorize, social climber, racism, rich, white, elite, the code, the ambiance, the cults, the social clubs, who you are, what you are.

It is the person who can combine the above facets who can succeed in the business world. There are some people who can make it to the top without always asking for things, but once you are at the top, how do you get anything to do anything without asking? Once people reach the top, they are no longer accountable to anyone unless they see fit. But most people are not at the top.

To work your way up from the bottom to the top, is very difficult, and almost impossible. It starts with education, during which time you must be totally accountable, financially independent, and must blot out any fears of doubt, or else you will be left with nothing, and will be back on the bottom.

Many people from the bottom don't learn what the people at the top already know, because they are too busy doing what they need to do. Poor people know nothing of savvy, an usually learn to walk the walk before they learn to talk the talk. Whereas, people who start higher up have been learning to talk the talk, but may never learn to walk the walk.

I am trying to understand whether talking, or walking, is most helpful. Most of these thoughts are right now related to the Apprentice show on NBC. Each show the person who comes from the lower social circle is fired, regardless of ability or talent. As time goes on, I seem to notice that the rich white contestants are favored against the contestants who are less arrogant, and less inclined to dominate socially. What I'm finding is that to work for Donald Trump, you must speak the Trump language. A language with which I have been familiar my whole life. Growing up around market-makers, business people, real estate people, lawyers, and the doctors that cleaned out my ear gunk when I was a kid, I learned a lot about how the upper-class conduct themselves. At this point, those people are now considered old money. Donald Trump is old money, and he speaks the old money language, which is something like this:

1. Don't speak unless your spoken to.
2. You should know when to speak without me asking you.
3. Always be in control.
4. Alienate people who are smarter than you.
5. Don't ever ask me for something, if you want something from me.
6. Talk like a lawyer.
7. Team up against the weak people, and only work with people who are like you.
8. Talk with a lot of financial jargon.
9. Ignore things that are not in your best interest.
10.And don't you ever say too much.

I would that many of the contestants who found success before coming to the Apprentice found it be embracing a more intellectual, and/or new money approach, which is something like this:

1. Do what you are supposed to do.
2. Say what you are supposed to say.
3. Problem solve and formulate ideas.
4. If you don't ask, you don't get.
5. Work at least 8-10 hours a day.
6. Finish your education.
7. Work and acquire money.
8. Start you own business, using your knowledge and skill set.
9. Expand, and dominate, using what you have and making it bigger.
10.Learn to think and act like old money, so that nobody steals your new money.

Gag Reel.

I would say, that of the last 6 years, the biggest scandal has been this recent publicity of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. This includes WMDs, the war, Cheney shooting a man in the face, and the media's coverage of all of this.

First let me say that Hillary Clinton is as much of a degenerate as her husband. I would also say that Barack Obama is a good man. I would also say that neither of these people are presidential candidates.

I don't know much about Barack Obama, except that he is or was an Illinois Senator. I'm from Illinois so I like Obama. I also know that his middle name is Hussein. When I think of destiny, and the fact that Obama's middle name is Hussein, I think of three things:

1)Obama's middle name being Hussein will be the only thing that will stop Americans from voting for Obama.
2)Electing a man with the name Hussein will end up looking like we are as low, or in some way parallel to the Iraqi people.
3)Having a President with the name Hussein will be our greatest defense to the world, because it will catch the international community's attention so much that no one will attack us.

I'm sorry, but I have to go with the first 2, even though I'm from Illinois. The problem I have with Obama is that he seems to be inexperienced, unqualified, and does not have the ability to control a tough government, and a tough world. Very simple, nothing too complicated, I just don't think he knows enough to be President. As far as having a black president, that's fine, but I don't see the point of electing a black president just so that we can have the first black president.

The same goes with Hillary, the first women president. A woman president someday? Fine. But not Bill Clinton's wife. I believe that most Americans think of Bill Clinton, and his wife, as old news. Bill Clinton was an illegitimate President, and his wife is an illigitimate candidate. But the press will convince you that this is not what American's think. I would say that the press is wrong, both liberal and conservative.

I would say that at this point, the biggest fans of Hillary and Obama are definetely are the conservative media. Yes, the Conservative media. I mean what 2 people could be the most perfect unelectable candidates other than Hillary and Obama? They are so perfectly unelectable that the conservative media loves to promote them. The amazing thing is that the liberal media promotes them even more. Why do they do this?

They obviously have no choice. Its great for their ratings, and its also great for their ratings. What I find interesting is that the liberal media actually thinks that they can convince Americans to vote for Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama! This is just like the thing with Howard Dean, where the smart media people knew that John Carey would actually end up being the candidate. And that leads me to John Edwards.

John Edwards is the only real Democratic candidate. If their was anything presidential about John Carey's campaign, it must have been John Edwards. I would say that Edwards may be a bit of a wise guy, but at least he has the balls, and the heart to run on poverty. I mean, what Presidential Candidate would not run on poverty at this point. The media seems to think that average Americans do not care about poverty. That's funny considering the fact that all average Americans are poor. I think the conservative media is scared to death of John Edwards.

Here's his website:
http://johnedwards.com/about/john/

Borat Jokes.

Ninety-Nine Percent is not enough. Unless, you're able to "not take it." A month ago I believed that Donald Trump was erroneous, and that his style is not the way to do business. Belligerent, abrupt, never taking it, never giving in. During the Rosie O'Donnell thing, Trump told Bill O'Rielly there are two kinds of people in this world, people who take it, and people who don't take it. I thought this was overstated, because I felt that if you are able to be a good person and a good employee 100% of the time, you will not put yourself in a situation where you will be challenged.

One hundred percent, maybe, but if you're not one hundred percent, you better be able to defend yourself, because employers will only be willing to put up with 99% for so long. Let me bring this into context:

1) When I first got hired at Office Depot, it was just an idea, I was a walk-in applicant. But I felt that there was something about that store that suited me. It was low-profile, low-volume, understaffed, less awkward that working for a supermarket, or Walgreens, or Walmart. A store that was a business store, an office store, with a certain among of basic positions open, that did not require too much skill.

2) The first manager was an anxious prick. He liked me because I interviewed well. He put me in copy and print center, where I trully paid my dues. It was a hard position, and at the time where I could no longer take it, I was moved to cashier because they needed a cashier at the time. Since then, I have been the only cashier, except our main cashier who works in the morning. You heard it right, thats two cashiers, and that's for about the last 2 years.

3) The first manager pushed my to smile, and smile, and ask for the rewards card. At that point I was unable to do any of these things becuase I was very much disturbed at this point. Stuck living at home, still recovering from past experiences.

4) The first manager left.

5) The second manager was a Home Depot guy. A tall guy, less business oriented, more of a floor guy. He was stupid. Since he was stupid, he was unable to realize that I was smart, and that created a problem for me. I was able to drag myself through my first year's review be convincing them that I was smiling and asking for the rewards.

6) The second manager left.

7) The third manager was another anxious prick. A carbon copy of the first manager, only a little more personable, and a little bit better. He is not stupid. This was good for me, as he was able to recognize that I had already been previously disciplined, and that I was the only cashier on the night shift. Since he has been here I have given about 99%, and that was great, until it wasn't great.

8) I recently got scammed on a $1,000 credit card purchase. The manager chose NOT to write me up. Yes, he chose not to write me up. The other day I made a key error, that caused an item to be retured twice, one time at .09, and one time at $187.99. The .09 was because I meant to mark the item as Saleable (9-saleable), and I forgot to delete the nine cents. I realized what I had done, and consulted with one of the managers on duty, who did not do anything about it, or at least until he was asked to once corporate caught the mistake. So now, I'm written up. Not for the credit card fraud, but for the returned merchandise. It also showed that I sold a donation item on my employee number, but it couldn't have possibly been me. I pretty much took the blame for the penny item, even though it was not my fault. But I'll tell you what I didn't do:

9) I didn't "take it." Instead of cowering in my corner, and allowing the manager to threaten to take me off the register (which he might end up doing if I don't give 100%), I told him that I have a review next month in February, and that I think my job performance is SO much better than the previous year. I also told him dead to his face, that I am the only employee who asks for the rewards, and that I am the only employee who stays at the register. As I went on with this 30 second rant, I told him that just because I'm being oppositional, doesn't mean I'm not listening, and that I thought I could easily do what he was asking. What I basically did, as Don the front end manager watched in awe, was that I told the store manager that I can do what he's asking me to do, but also that I have been doing all of the other things that I have been asked to do in the past. I told him that I ask for the rewards card 99% of the time.

10) Was me using the 99 percent language taking it too far? Or was I just successfully "not taking it." I saw on the apprentice, one of the girls told Donald Trump that she was doing a certain task 99% of the time. She was not fired. Also this is a different situation because I have consistently been up-selling for the past year, whereas this girl on the Apprentice was asked to do something for 1 day.

11) The conclusion that I can come to is that the 99 percent excuse will work, as long as I give 100% from here on in.

12) Because of my father always giving 110%, I have only had to give about 90% for most of my life, but things change.

13) Also, my father went to visit my little brother at one of his games, and my mother blasted him in public. Should my father take this? or not take this? I would have to say that I have absolutely no idea.