Life Blender - Balance for Life

New Publisher Wants You!

2009-07-09T18:57:00.004-05:00

Dreamz-Work Productions - A Value Added Publisher, my new company with 3 titles under our belt, is looking for short, non-fiction works (manuals and booklets) in the metaphysical area and fantasy fiction works. (New authors are encouraged as well) For more details or to send a sample, email me (Matt) at Dreamz-Work Productions, matovo@comcast.net

This is a new concept in publishing and we have some unique angles!

My two new spiritual books!

2009-07-04T13:46:00.005-05:00

Hi folks!

I am pleased to announce that I have just published my first two books. They are now availabe on Scribd and LuLu.

Please check them out at:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/17092236/Astrology-Series-Book-I
http://www.scribd.com/doc/17088854/Jedi-Manual-Basic

http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=4381381

Happy Indepedence Day!

–Matt

Order of the Jedi

2009-06-22T16:49:00.001-05:00

Jedi is recognized as an official religion in Canada

Starting a religion and being recognized as such in Canada is not the same as what we are used to in the United States. There are more barriers to entry to get this done. In the United States, pretty much, if you say you are a religion, you are, and it’s not too difficult to go through the process of getting 501c3 status as a non-profit religious organization.

The leaders of what is now “Order of the Jedi, Inc.,” were extremely happy to announce in February, that on January 12th 2009, they became officially recognized by the Canadian government as a religious body.

According to their website, “in Canada the government must give approval before the Provinces will even consider recognizing you. We now Move forward in our goals to complete our recognition within each province.” (1)

Although fractious among many groups, the Jedi movement is world wide and has been growing steadily since George Lucas made the fictional Wizards famous in his Star Wars movies saga that began in the 1970’s. The groups differ in their approach, some emphasizing the religious aspects of Jedi philosophy, while other’s take a more hands-on approach, teaching and training in energy work and mysticism.

The order of the Jedi Canada takes the former approach, and while they do not rule out the abilities of some to manipulate mystical forces, they focus on ethical and moral teachings. They are currently working steadily on a body of Jedi scripture based on the writings of George Lucas and the Star Wars franchise.

Most of those who call themselves Jedi or associate with it, are quick to point out that all religions are at the core, based on literature, and Jedi is no different in this respect. I’ve said it myself, that Lucas put a fictional framework around universal truths and good moral philosophies that have been around since the beginning of time. He gave them a name; Jedi and “The Force.”

Citations:

1. http://www.orderofthejedi.ca/118612/html/page.html

Obama Open to Different Religions and Spiritual Views

2009-06-04T20:38:00.004-05:00

U.S. President Obama meets regularly with leading figures of all religious traditions as he fulfills the promise of creating more tolerance and healing among feuding factions throughout the USA and world.

Obama consults with the likes of Deepak Chopra, Jean Houston, Marianne Williamson, and many other New Age gurus, as well as leaders of traditional religions such as the Greek spiritual leader, Varfolomei and Imam Hassan Qazwini, who has close ties with the spiritual leader of Hezbollah. Obama is drawing fire from China for his plan to meet with the Dalai Lama in October.

A firm believer in the importance of science and separation of church and state, Obama has at once become the object of speculation as to the authenticity of his own religious beliefs while giving hope to those who are members of minority religions that their government is not becoming something of a puppet of the dominate religions of the land, namely, right wing Christian sects.

Today, President Obama has just given a speech in Cairo, Egypt where he was warmly received by a crowd as he talked of Middle East peace and the great contributions of the Islamic religion. He even received a standing ovation as he drew a stark line between the peaceful religion of Islam and the extremist factions such as “al Qaeda as a common enemy to both the U.S. and Muslim nations.” (1) Reaction from Israel has been mixed; some taking the speech as a good step towards peace, and other’s, like those who are settled on the west bank, saying that Obama wants to throw them out of their homes.

In response to President Obama’s request to learn what is happening to our earth and its inhabitants, many New Age spiritual leaders are creating a petition to send to the U.S. President. The group identified eight “opportunities for action,” including restoring ecological balance, encouraging conscious media, building global community, and working for integrity in commerce. (2).

Combined, these acts, attitudes, and policies by the new U.S. President are rare, hopeful signs of good things happening and better things to come.

Sources:

http://www.topix.com/world/turkey/2009/04/u-s-president-meets-with-spiritual-leader-of-greek-community-in-turkey

http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/05/barack-obama-meets-secretly-with.html

http://blog.taragana.com/n/china-says-obama-should-not-meet-with-the-dalai-lama-in-octoberl-34994/

WTOP News Radio Washington, DC

Citations:

(1) http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124409999530984503.html
(2) http://loveasalifesyle.ning.com/forum/topics/obama-open-to-spiritual

THE COFFEE OR THE CUP

2007-12-26T23:31:00.000-05:00

I feel 'stressed' . . .

A group of alumni, highly established in

Their careers, got together to visit their

Old university professor. Conversation

Soon turned into complaints about stress

In work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor

Went to the kitchen and returned with a

Large pot of coffee and an assortment of

Cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal,

Some plain looking, some expensive,

Some exquisite - telling them to help

Themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of

Coffee in hand, the professor said:

'If you noticed, all the nice looking

Expensive cups were taken up, leaving

Behind the plain and cheap ones. While

It is normal for you to want only the

Best for yourselves, that is the source of

Your problems and stress. Be assured

That the cup itself adds no quality to the

Coffee. In most cases it is just more

Expensive and in some cases even hides

What we drink. What all of you really

Wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you

Consciously went for the best cups...

And then you began eyeing each

other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the

Jobs, money and position in society are

The cups. They are just tools to hold and

Contain Life, and the type of cup we

Have does not define, nor change the

Quality of life we live. Sometimes, by

Concentrating only on the cup, we fail

To enjoy the coffee provided us.'

Brew the coffee, not the cups .. Enjoy

Your coffee!

'The happiest people don't have the best

Of everything. They just make the best

Of everything.

A related Link: http://storyofstuff.com

Ghost Stories

2007-10-29T07:57:00.000-05:00

I live just outside of our nation's capitol, and haunted buildings are a part of the rich history of Washington DC. One such is the Octagon House, "built between 1798 and 1800, by Dr. William Thornton, the architect of the U.S. Capitol...for John Tayloe...at the prompting of George Washington."

In grade school, after a field trip to the place, my friends came back with some stories. One told me that he felt a chill breeze and odd smell where they should not have been. But the weirdest, was story of the door to a library, which was always kept locked. When the tour passed by, the door opened on its own. The guide quietly stopped, walked over, and closed the door, relocking it. When asked, she just said, "That happens sometimes."

Most haunted places have some history of tragedy, and the Octagon House is no exception. "Tragedy struck the Tayloe family before the War of 1812. One of the colonel's daughters had fallen in love with a British officer, but Tayloe had denied permission for a marriage. After an argument, the daughter stormed up the spiral staircase. She never reached her room. Whether she threw herself down or slipped is not known, but the family heard her scream. She fell through the stairwell to the floor below, where she died."

"A second Tayloe daughter died in the same place, in similar circumstances, after the war. She also clashed with her father over marriage, but this sibling ignored her father and eloped. According to legend, she was pleading with him for forgiveness and slipped on the infamous stairs, fell and broke her neck."

Another ghost story came to me from a friend who had a not so pleasant encounter with a spirit, while parked with a girlfriend at one of the Manassas, VA (Civil War) battlefields. He told me they both felt a strong presence and added with conviction, "that thing wasn't human!" Feeling like he was having a heart attack, he drove away as fast as he could. Afterwards, for several days, he felt an energy surrounding him that others could feel too. He said, "I have a new found respect for battlefields." After informing police, they replied, "It has been a while since that thing had caused problems." I personally believe that it is the "Spirit of the Battlefield."

Sources:

Washington DC, Octagon House, Retrieved on July 17, 2007 from:
http://www.nps.gov/history/Nr/travel/wash/dc22.htm

Time Travel Channel, Spooky Cities, Retrieved on July 17, 2007 from:
http://travel.discovery.com/convergence/hauntedtravels/interactives/washingtondc/octagon.html

Parenting, Part II

2007-10-08T17:47:00.000-05:00

By Matt Vossler

Life in this Century just seems to get more and more and more complicated. The Internet has made so much available to so many people including our kids. When there once were only a few drugs that could mess up our children's lives, now there are dozens. And every time you blink, it seems a new kind of disease is being declared, along with a host of drugs and other treatments for it.

This brings me to my subject. My son really likes his Nintendo, I mean he really, really likes it. He is only six years old; could he be addicted to video games? I heard on the news a few weeks ago, that video games addiction is a new problem for kids.

Then I wonder if this is so different from the old days, when as a kid, I didn't want to come inside for dinner because I was having so much fun playing with the neighborhood kids. I guess that video games are the new "kick the can." We got exercise playing outside for hours, so what do these new kinds of games give to our children? A quick Google asking this question, got the following, from http://dede.essortment.com/kidsvideogames_rayj.htm:

"Video games have many benefits to children which most of us never even think of. Video games promote good eye-hand coordination, problem solving skills, critical thinking and competition. There is always competition in a video game, whether it be against the computer, another player or your own self. Competition is healthy in urging us to do our best and succeed. Critical thinking skills are important in school as are problem solving skills. Video games are also beneficial in introducing children to computers and while not the most popular games among children, there are many educational games."

The advice given at that web-site is quite predictable. To limit the amount of time your child has for playing video games and watching T.V., and that if you child shows irritation at being told to stop playing, then they are probably spending too much time with them.

Every parent has to work out limits for their kids, and this is not a new challenge. The new challenge I think we have today is that so much is available to kids now, including information, cheep toys, sexual enticements, drugs, guns, gangs, we end up playing a new game of our own, called wack-a-mole.

I remember my parents having to tell us not to play ball in the house over and over again, and yes, there were a lot of ways we could get ourselves into trouble, but I don't think they had to worry about online predators, huffing and dozens of other drugs, teens talking on cell phones while driving, making sure your child is not text messaging their friends all night, and I know I've just mentioned the tip of the ice-burg.

Long story short, the new Century is fraught with many new challenges for parents, and I believe that any and all ideas that can give us an advantage as parents, should be considered, including the stay-at-home mom or even dad model or any other. I encourage you to do a Google on parenting resources and see what you come up with. It's easy, and you just might find something pertinent to your own situation.

Parenting I

2007-09-11T19:43:00.000-05:00

Parenting, without a doubt, is the single most important task given to us on this planet, and one of the most difficult. Forget the "Mommy Wars," that's just unproductive bickery born of guilt and blame. Two things we don't want to perpetuate and sets a poor example for the kids.

The SAHD (stay-at-home dad) model is one way to bring up kids well, and I think it is a good way, personally. Here I am in the roll of a SAHD, and I am realizing that this is really what it all about...for me. To be a dad, to be the best dad I can possibly be!

Someone wrote, "It takes a Village." I can't argue with that, but I would add that a loving home with caring parent(s) can make all the difference in the world, in a world that really needs a difference to be made in.

Back to School

2007-09-07T08:27:00.000-05:00

Back to School

The summer was good for the kids and I. We went to the beach, went sailing, took a nature cruise, held a regular playgroup, did horseback riding, martial arts and even enjoyed the Renaissance Festival. So I was surprised, albeit pleasantly, that both of my children were excited about going back to school. Needless to say, I too was greatly looking forward to having time to get a lot of things done that were backing up, or at least having been put on the back burner.

Getting ready, of course is hectic to say the least, but I am moving into the new school year with renewed hope. Martin's teacher has many years of experience and Victoria is getting the extra help she needs. I will be coaching Victoria's soccer team and will be keeping up with the martial arts that Martin and I have been involved in.

I hope all of you readers who are parents are having similarly good experiences with your children, whether it's back to school, taking care of a new baby, or sending a young one off to college.

If you are having any trouble, talk about it with other parents, don't sweep it under the rug.
Denial is only a way to delay getting help and can make matters far worse in the long run. There now, I've gotten preachy. Sorry! Have a great school year!

Be Scared!

2007-08-13T13:13:00.000-05:00

Separation of Church and State in 2007

I do not have a JD, nor am I thoroughly versed in the all of the arguments for or against issues involving the separation of church and state. I do have some observations in regards to our first amendment provision that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or the free exercise thereof.” It seems to me that for a people to be free, this is an essential ingredient to have built into the Government. Much of the U.S. Constitution deals with preventing abuses of power, and nothing scares me more that the thought of a Government that can wield the power of a religion over its people. The Taliban comes to mind.

So where do we draw the line when it comes to how far our Government can go in promoting, or even allowing religious expression in the public arena? I believe it is important to keep in check, those whose agenda may go far beyond allowing prayer in public school, or holding official, high-level meetings in Government buildings where discussions of a religious nature are the focus (this is happening under the current executive administration). It may be a cliché, but it really is a slippery slope. What does it say about our democracy, if we put children in our public schools in a position of being with a group of peers who are praying to a certain God, and in a certain way, that goes against the child’s home religious life or personal beliefs?

It is immaterial that I believe that prayer is a positive thing for individuals and society. To me, the idea of respecting each person’s freedom to express or not to express a faith or believe or not to believe in a Deity, trumps my any of my own subjective framing. More troubling, is that introducing such a precedent in our society gives fuel to those who would, given enough power, eventually change the U.S. from a democracy to a theocracy. And, believe it, there are those who would! This would mean the death of what the Founding Fathers had in mind for the United States. So the next time you see atheists on T.V. defending their rights to not believe in God, you might be wise to consider, that in a round about way, they are also defending your right to believe in your God.

On Werewolves

2007-07-30T23:46:00.001-05:00

Being a full moon tonight, I thought a little about werewolves to be apropos.

In the Middle Ages some accounts held that "in Prussia, Livonia, and Lithuania, although the inhabitants suffer from (common) wolves...this is not regarded by them as much as what they endure from men turned into wolves." The men turned into wolves, would inflict terrible atrocities upon both citizens and their ungulates. They were differentiated from natural wolves partially by the drinking of beer from the cellars and their piling "up the empty casks one above another in the middle of the cellar"

Here is another account of the were: "The wife of a nobleman in Livonia expressed her doubts to one of her slaves whether it were possible for man or woman thus to change shape. The servant at once volunteered to give her evidence of the possibility. He left the room, and in another moment a wolf was observed running over the country. The dogs followed him, and notwithstanding his resistance, tore out one of his eyes. Next day the slave appeared before his mistress blind of an eye."

Legends, yes, but it does make one wonder. I for one am glad I where a silver ring.

Sources:

Gould, Sabine B. The book of were-wolves, 1865. Retrieved on 7/30/07, from: http://www.sacred-texts.com/goth/bow/bow06.htm

Recalling Summer

2007-07-30T10:03:00.000-05:00

Recalling Summer
A poem by Matt Vossler

Summer Nights and starry lights,
Full Moon rising sweet smells of flora,
Aquarius this one, its lightning strikes,
Fanciful dreams bring magickal flights.

Rich living and love abounds,
Lovely feelings and summer sounds,
Be still and know,
God makes her rounds.

Life makes her stand,
Summer's recall,
Rich is the fare,
Until the fall.

No, I won't dwell,
Drink deep from the well,
Forget the big change
Live summer's life's swell.

Yes, rich be the fare,
Fauna will thrive
Love's in the air,
Passion's alive.

Fall comes and no doubt,
With its own unique joys,
Winter be next,
Spring then makes her rout.

Forget all of this,
Summer lives thrive,
No matter what's next,
Glad I'm alive!

A Quick Reference to Increase Life Force

2007-07-29T18:47:00.000-05:00

I have been learning Kung Fu, a Chinese martial arts system, and have put together a short list of practices to aid me in my efforts. These are good practices for anyone who wants to improve their quality of life.

To Increase Qi (pronounced "chee"), the Chinese word for life force or vital force, practice the following:

• Breath from the belly
• Good diet, high in bio-photon levels (fresh fruits and vegetables, apples are good!)
• Exercise and/or work out each day
• Good regular sleep
• Meditate and practice moving meditation such as Tai Chi
• Master your movements so that every act is conscious
• Master your mind - Think Positive

Blunders of History

2007-07-16T10:35:00.001-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to speak with a history teacher, and learned some facets of history that I had not known. I believe that knowing more about history, gives a better understanding of current events by putting them in context. Knowing how history builds upon itself and often repeats itself, can give insight into why things are the way they are today, and possibly how to avoid major mistakes by those in power.

The following is a short lesson of History that I put together after my discussion. It is fascinating to me, and reminds me of how economic tensions can lead to war, kind of like what is happening today with terrorists vs. the developed world.

The way the end of WWI was handled, was perhaps one of the biggest blunders of geo-political foreign policy in history. As you will see, it set the stage for some of the saddest and most tragic events the world has seen.

Hyper Inflation in Germany right after WWI was largely the result of printing too much money in an attempt to pay reparations to England and France. US production was ramped up in anticipation of England and France's purchasing of US goods with these reparation funds, which never came. This led to surplus production in the U.S. and largely brought about the Great Depression. The great depression was essentially, a matter of too many goods being chased by too few customers or dollars. FDR's new deal made sense in that spending state monies helped sop up excess production.

The seeds of WWII were planted by how things were handled at the end of WWI.

England and France's insistence that Germany pay reparations for WWI, kept Germany's economy in a devastated state and general morale among its people low. This allowed a strong man, namely Hitler, to come to power with his message of Germany being worthy and destined to for greatness. He argued to the German people that they were not deserving of being treated so poorly by the rest of the world. And the rest, as they say, is History.

My Five Minutes of Fame!

2007-07-02T17:06:00.000-05:00

My home was recently the host of an at-home fathers play group. It also happened to be the Tuesday before Father's Day. This is traditionally the time of year that myself and my Stay-at-Home Dads group, http://www.dcmetrodads.com/ get a lot of attention from the media, whether we like it or not.

So when The Washington Post learned that we had a regular Tuesday playgroup for stay-at-home dads, they just had to send a reporter over to cover the anomaly. It happened to be such a big story, that it ended up on the front page of the nationally renowned newspaper that Sunday, and featured a picture of my son.

To view the article go to: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/16/AR2007061601289.html

You might have to register with the site, but there is no cost.

"Lucky" - A Poem

2007-04-26T08:04:00.000-05:00

"Lucky"

By Matt Vossler

At the end of an age
Is it lucky to be here?
We on razor's edge
Must admit I have fear

The bees, they are leaving
The signs are not good
They say keep believing
I know that I should

Can we keep taking rope?
Ignore every sign?
Where there's life there is hope
But I've lost some of mine.

A verse repeated in times
Have we been here before?
I think yes, but who knows?
And who's keeping the score?

At the end of an age
Is it lucky to be here?
We on razor's edge
Must admit I have fear.

Earth Day!

2007-04-22T19:31:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share what I did for Earth Day, 2007. Along with wishing everyone I talked to, a happy Earth Day, in order to remind them, and explaining to my children that it was Earth Day and what that meant, I did some planting around my house.

First, coincidentally, our tree doctor who comes and treats our two Cheery trees to prevent tent caterpillars, each year, arrived today. He treated the trees while I traditionally picked his brain on some of the plant mysteries, specific to my yard, I have been mulling over for the past year. He advised me that the two "trees" I planted earlier in the fall, were really shrubs, and that they would do better in a different part of the yard. So after he left, I transplanted them.

Also, I happened to get an offer for some free ornamental grass plants from my parents today, and I found a place to plant them in the front, where I have also been planting and tending a new flower garden. This is a first for me, as I have planted vegetables before, but not a flower garden.

Happy Earth Day All!

Is Universal Health Care is Coming?

2006-08-28T14:37:00.000-05:00

Why the Debate about Socialized Health Care may Take Care of Itself

With the coming availability of genetic information on patients, our government will likely be faced with a no-win situation. They can either facilitate the destruction of the insurance industry by banning the use of genetic information, thereby forcing them into adverse selection of patients, or they can allow the use of this information, and create a sub-class of citizens who cannot get insurance and cannot afford the healthcare themselves.

Not a good choice in my book! From a recent article in The Economist: "Indeed, genetic testing may become the most potent argument for state-financed universal health care." Like many other issues that are at first, hotly debated, state subsidized, universal health care may quite possibly become such a no-brainer that it naturally materializes, as surely as the debate evaporates.

Economic Case for Paternal Involvement

2006-08-28T11:05:00.000-05:00

From "Naked Economics," by Charles Wheelan

"The best long-term solution (to discrimination against women in the workforce) is to change behavior at the household level. If and when men assume a larger share of child-care responsibilities, it will change the "profile" of job applicants. An interviewer will no longer be able to rationally infer that female applicants are more likely to leave the firm than male applicants. Thus, the incentive for firms to discriminate against young women (based on the assumption that they are more likely to leave the firm to care for her children) in the hiring process will go away completely. At the same time, firms with a higher fraction of men leaving early for soccer practice and doctor's appointments will be more sympathetic to the challenges of balancing work and family, making the workplace more hospitable for all workers with children, male or female."

My Theory on Conspiracists

2006-08-26T16:22:00.000-05:00

Think about this. I believe that those who subscribe to theories of government conspiracies make two critical errors in their judgment about our government: 1) that the government is competent, and 2) that they can keep a secret!

........It's a joke :-)

Put this One in the Success Column!

2006-08-25T22:04:00.000-05:00

The pop star Sting may have sung about losing his faith in politicians, but here is a government bill that managed to improve things.

From Greg Mankiw's blog, I confirmed what I sort of knew already about the 1996 Welfare Reform Bill. Robert Samuuelson writes, "Welfare caseloads have plunged. From August 1996 to June 2005, the number of people on welfare dropped from 12.2 million to 4.5 million. About 60 percent of mothers who left welfare got work. Their incomes generally rose. Many qualified for the federal Earned Income Tax Credit, which subsidizes low-income workers. Finally, there were intangible benefits: work connections, self-respect.

One lesson is that what people do for themselves often overshadows what government does for them. Since 1991, for example, the teen birthrate has dropped by a third. The mothers least capable of supporting children have had fewer of them. Welfare reform didn't single handedly cause this. But it reinforced a broader shift in the social climate—one emphasizing personal responsibility over victimhood....

So we've made a stubborn problem a bit more manageable. It's pragmatic progress, not a panacea. Why can't we do the same for other pressing problems—energy, immigration, retirement spending (Social Security, Medicare)? Here, welfare reform's political lessons apply.

One is the need to overcome a bias against change. We underestimate people's ability to adapt. In 1995, one think tank forecast that the bill would throw 1 million more children into poverty. If Congress had listened, little would have happened. Today we could gradually raise Social Security and Medicare eligibility ages without causing a social catastrophe.

The 1996 bill was one of President Clinton's most significant accomplishments."

The High Cost of Obesity???

2006-08-25T19:50:00.000-05:00

Carol Graham of the Wallstreet Journal recently wrote: There is no doubt that cheap food and sedentary lifestyles play a major role in the increase of obesity. But an unanswered puzzle is the concentration of incidence in lower income groups. Obesity is largely a problem of the poor. If it's merely a story of cheap and readily available food, why then aren't the rich the fattest?

My answer is that, although there are other factors, such as greater acceptability among the poor and some minorities for being heavier, the fact that healthier food costs more, cannot be ignored. For example, you've got five dollars for dinner, are you going to buy fresh apples or frozen pizza? Junk food just packs more calories per dollar than healthy food.

The Real Reason for Soaring Healthcare?

2006-08-09T10:18:00.000-05:00

Greg Mankiw writes, "But if health insurance, rather than exogenous technological advance, is the explanation for higher health spending, the policy implications could be profound. Better designed health insurance could, perhaps, save us a bundle of money."

See Businessweek for more on the topic.

Is Biotech becoming a victim of its own success?

2006-08-06T12:17:00.000-05:00

How Start-ups in New Industries Struggle to Keep their Cutting Edge, Small Company Culture

As biotech becomes "big biotech," its companies, namely, Amgen and Genentech "grapple with a raft of new dilemmas: how to remain nimble and entrepreneurial despite a burgeoning bureaucracy and how to preserve their reputation for cutting-edge science, resisting pressure to join mainstream companies in the race to develop blockbuster drugs that could prove vulnerable to generic substitutes" (EIU, 2006).

The CEOs of these two companies are faced with what might be called a "higher level" problem; how to take advantage of their stellar growth, rather than becoming overwhelmed by it. In short form, the answer to this problem, according to these two, after commissioning an analysis of fast growing companies, is not to get complacent or arrogant. I know from experience and observation that success naturally leads to complacency and often arrogance. Leaders like Jack Welch know this and do not allow it to fester in their organizations.

The CEOs studied what differentiated themselves from big pharma, and learned that in order to stay on the cutting edge, they had to, not only attract top-notch scientists, but had to keep a creative environment in which they could flourish. This meant placing "a premium on internal communication that is stripped of ceremony and euphemism. Mr. Perimutter, who was one of Merck's top scientists before leaving for Amgen, says: "I like to joke that I get e-mail everyday that would be grounds for dismissal at Merck. We know how to spell insubordination around here" (EIU, 2006).

Genentech even goes so far as to allow its scientists to work part-time on their own scientific endeavors with the stipulation that it is pure science and not connected with the business of Genentech. Levinson, Genentech's CEO, sees little logic to the big pharma model that allows major scientific decisions to be made by the sales and marketing departments. It detracts from doing great science, says Levinson, "I'd rather drive a truck than run that kind of company" (EIU, 2006).

The EIU article points out, that "if, as some have argued, the last century was dominated by physics, the fate of 'big biotech" could yet provide conclusive evidence that the current one will be defined by biology."

References:

• Staff (2006). World healthcare: Big biotech fears becoming a victim of its own success

Turning the Tide

2006-08-05T21:06:00.000-05:00

Energy from the Restless Sea

The New York Times, Business Section, August 4, 2006:

"A group of entrepreneurs is harnessing the perpetual motion of the ocean and turning it into a commodity in high demand: energy. Right now, machines of various shapes and sizes are being tested off shores from the North Sea to the Pacific — one may even be coming to the East River in New York State this fall — to see how they capture waves and tides and create marine energy."

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As the price of oil goes up, so goes the attractiveness of even the most fanciful of alternative energy ideas...this one is fast becoming a viable new source to help usher in US energy independence and renewed economic security, not to mention a way to leave the Middle East alone. Am I wrong here?