Download your county school calendar!!
Bartow
Cherokee
Clayton
Cobb
Coweta
Dekalb
Douglas
Faytette
Forsyth
Fulton
Gwinnett
Hall
Henry
Paulding
Rockdale
Walton
"We'll see."
One of my friends is named Chad. I call him a friend even though I have not talked to him in a while. He used to work for me. That’s how I met him. He is one of the most gifted mechanical engineers that I have ever met. He moved away to be closer to home and the company that hired him went under shortly after his arrival. That started the job search again and he ended up working for NASA (as a sub contractor I think) but he is very gifted. This story is about one thing I remember about him.
Chad bought a house. He was single and wanted to make a good investment and he bought a house that needed some work. A short time after he purchased it we were talking and he said “I was laying on the couch last night watching TV and I wondered what I could get done if I turned it off. So I got up and I turned it off.” I asked him “Well, what did you get done?” and his response was “We’ll see.”.
To make a long story shorter the list as I know it was that he finished the basement, got his pilots license and started riding bicycles again. I suspect there was a lot more that he got done but I don’t know what all of it is. I admire Chad for sticking to the plan of turning off the TV.
Seth Godin just wrote an article that talks about all the things that are getting done today because the TV has been turned off. Check it out. I think you might find it interesting.
One more article that I have read was by Andy Andrews and this one talks about how much we watch and what we watch. Check it out too and let me know if any of the rest of you is going to turn off the TV like Chad did. I would love to hear what you got done.
It’s a Good Life!
Jerry Robertson
First B2B Mixer was great!!
It was perfect! 7:00am is a bit early but lots of folks showed up and we had a great breakfast (thanks Jenna and Chris) and we made some new friends. I just wanted to thank every one that turned out for the meeting and based on the feedback so far this is going to be a monthly event. How does the last Tuesday of the month sound? That makes the next one on the 26th of August. I’ll get the invitations out and we’ll do it again. If you missed this one then make sure you save the date for the next one. Here are a few pictures to capture the event.
If you missed this and want to get in on the next one just email me. You can come check out the directory by coming to www.referrals.HomeShowGA.com.
It’s a Good Life!!
Jerry Robertson
Technology Update – 21 July 2008
39 years plus 1 day. It was 39 years plus 1 day ago that Neil Armstrong (photo left) stepped foot on the moon. The other man who walked on the moon that day was Buzz Aldrin (photo center) and Michael Collins (photo right) who stayed in the command module during the mission. (photo: Associated Press)
So, what’s next? Most of us did not even mention the moon landing yesterday. It is simply not news anymore unless something goes wrong. It is not a surprise to us that we can now launch men into space and use the technology that resulted in the ways that we do today. My question again. So, what’s next? Do we have a dream? A common goal that is worth sacrificing for? That goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him home before the end of the decade mobilized a whole nation and many industries to meet that goal. We almost felt it was a requirement for survival. After all, if we did not get it done the Russians would and that would just not do. Well, what’s next? It is up to us after all, isn’t it?
Well, enough of a walk down memory lane. Here are a couple of great items I found this week.
DaVinci – I guess I am still on memory lane a bit but I loved these sketches. Check out http://www.drawingsofleonardo.org/ for some great pictures of his work.
Vonage- I was an early adopter of Vonage for my home telephone service. I switched about 4 years ago. It works great for me and I was able to keep my original number and save money besides. Since I signed on they have made lots of improvements and I find it is a great alternative to Ma Bell. I have a referral deal for you too. Go to www.Vonage.com/friend, enter my number (678-343-6879) and you get up to two months free service. I think I get something too (maybe a free month) but for $25 a month with no junk fees it is a great deal and I can say I have never regretted making the switch.
There are lots of different types of files out there and sometimes you just want to convert one to another so you can use it on your Ipod or mp3 player. I found a great applications that does lots of conversions from one thing to almost anything else and the best part is that it is free. Check out http://www.formatoz.com/ for a copy for yourself.
Alright, that’s enough for today. As always, if I can do anything to help you or your friends (business or beyond) just let me know. I will do all I can to help.
It’s a Good Life!!
Jerry Robertson
"Seven Blunders of the World"
1. Wealth without work
2. Pleasure without conscience
3. Knowledge without character
4. Commerce without morality
5. Science without humanity
6. Worship without sacrifice
7. Politics without principle
—Mahatma Gandhi
545 People
545 PEOPLE
By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered why, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered why, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don’t propose a federal budget. The president does.
You and I don’t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don’t write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don’t set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don’t control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does .
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don’t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator’s responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appro priations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? She is the leader of the majority party.. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted — by present facts — of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can’t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it’s because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it’s because they want it in the red.
If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ, it’s because they want them in IRAQ.
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it’s because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like ‘the economy,’ ‘inflation,’ or ‘politics’ that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
What you do with this article now that you have read it is up to you, though you appear to have several choices.
1. You can send this to everyone in your address book, and hope they do something about it.
2. You can agree to vote against everyone that is currently in office, knowing that the process will take several years.
3. You can decide to run for office yourself and agree to do the job properly.
4. Lastly, you can sit back and do nothing, or re-elect the current bunch.
YOU DECIDE, BUT AT LEAST SEND IT TO EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK, MAYBE SOMEONE IN THERE WILL DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
Technology Update
Happy Monday everyone!! I hope you had a great weekend. This weeks update has some great places too save some money and some ideas about managing your money well.
www.abebooks.com is a great site to find a good book for a great price. Just enter the book by title or author that you want and it will find it for you for the cheapest price.
Getting the freshest bread for your money. Go to http://www.wildcrazy.com/facts6bread.htm to see what the color codes on the bread you buy mean.
You probably know how much I love free software. Here are some great tools for you that are really free. Go to http://en.onsoftware.com/5-free-alternatives-to-adobe-products/ and check it out.
Credit card contracts are packed with fine print tricks and traps to increase the likelihood of paying fees and penalties. You will be hard pressed to find a credit card without these terms – at least until our government outlaws them – but if you’re informed and cautious, you have a better chance of steering clear of the traps and saving money. Click Here for the whole article.
Have a great week and be sure to call me if I can help you in any way, business or otherwise. Just let me know what I can do for you.
It’s a Good Life,
Jerry Robertson
678-231-1578
I passed!!
Just wanted to let ya’ll know I passed the broker exam!! Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. The test took over two hours and was about what I expected. I have to say that I had a great instructor (Thanks Tripp!!) and was well prepared to take the exam.
I look forward to working as an Associate Broker with Keller Williams and being there to help all of you when you need me. Call me anytime I can help you, business or otherwise. Just let me know what I can do for you.
It’s a Good Life!!
Jerry Robertson
Happy 4th of July!!
I hope you all had a great celebration and enjoyed some time with friends and family. Just a reminder that we all need at times is that freedom is NOT free. I suspect everyone who reads this loves our country and all that it brings with it. I sometimes get frustrated that not everyone sees the future the same way I do (yes, that includes my wife Susan 
) but I pray we can all agree that this is the best place on earth to live today. We enjoy more prosperity and wealth than anywhere else.
Yes, gas costs a lot. Food costs a lot. Housing markets are not what they were a few years ago. Politics gets in the way of doing the right thing but we are blessed and I believe blessed by God. I believe God blesses us but he also blesses others and in the end we are all the same and we will all bless God when he finally comes back.
Take a few minutes to make a list of your blessings and get up tomorrow and be thankful for all that you have. Focus on what you have, not what you don’t have. I think your day will go better if you do.
It’s a good life,
Jerry Robertson
Technology Update
It’s a holiday weekend and I am off today but I wanted to get the update done as Monday will be a busy day for me. I have my real estate broker test to take and it will be an all morning event. I have been studying for almost the whole month of June and I have to say I am glad it is about over. Think of me on Monday morning if you get a chance and say a little prayer that the test goes well. Now, on to the update!
The first thing is a language translator website. Type in English and get out Spanish, Russian or lot of other languages. It works the other way too so check out http://www.online-translator.com/text_Translation.aspx to see what I mean.
Next is how to use a barometer to determine the height of a building. Check out http://www.short-funny-stories.com/funny-stories/story-88.html if you need a quick laugh and some basic science reminders.
Whether you are a student or not (and I think we should all be students our whole lives) here is a productivity website for students. Check out http://streamlinedmind.com/2008/05/27/25-worthwhile-student-productivity-websites/ for some ideas of ways to be more organized and get more done.
Did you ever get into a situation that you needed to get to a meeting or to the top of a tall building in a real hurry? You know how frustrating it is when you are late or running for a travel connection and you are stuck on a slow elevator. Next time going to this website might help. Check out http://www.wikihow.com/Make-an-Elevator-an-Express-Elevator but please use the information responsibly.
Hope you had a great 4th of July holiday and get to see some great fireworks. I know I did!!
It’s a good life,
Jerry Robertson
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