Special Bulletin

“That on the 1st day of January, A.D. 1863, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom.

“That the executive will on the 1st day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State or the people thereof shall on that day be in good faith represented in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such States shall have participated shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State and the people thereof are not then in rebellion against the United States.”

There’s more found at:

http://www.talewins.com/Treasures/history/Emanci.htm

If you count the psychiatrists too there are 80,000,000 gun owners in the United States. On the average there are 1,500 accidental gun deaths per year — if you count all age groups and psychiatrists. Therefore, the number of accidental deaths per gun owner is .000188.

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There are only 700,000 doctors in the United States if you include psychiatrists. There are an average of 120,000 accidental deaths caused by some part of those 700,000 physicians. That means there were an average of 0.171 accidental deaths per physician if you include psychiatrists. Since everyone has at least two doctors and some people have over ten that means that some Americans get killed twice a year on the average. I just thought I’d mention that. Statistics were courtesy of the FBI and the U.S. Dept of Health and Human Services. The 4th grade math computations are courtesy of this author.

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My political advice to one and all last year was to vote on the issues, not on the character or eloquence of the candidates. However, when it came time to get into the voting booth I knuckled under to common sense and voted AGAINST McCain.

With my 20/20 hindsight I can see this was the safest course in the world for the American voter to pursue. Now if any of my friends inevitably get sour on Obama I can declare frankly, truthfully, excitedly and with great enthusiasm that I did not vote FOR him.

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One friend of mine is the only obviously black face in an office of 300. After the election, people kept coming up to her in private and asking if she was happy that Obama had won the election. “No,” she said. “I took Lin Stone’s advice and voted on the issues; MY party lost.”

I hang my head in shame and ask for more sackcloth and hot ashes.

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The Whigs did this to us. Our Constitution was perfect at first. Women told their men who to vote for and the best man became President. Washington, Adams, Jefferson — why American history rings with glory any time these names are mentioned. The next best candidate became Vice President — a thoroughly useless and thankless job — But, if El Presidente ever did collapse we had a perfectly good (and popular) candidate champing at the bit to take over the reins of government. Until that wholesome event happened he was contentedly being trained in subterfuge and obfuscation as President of the Senate.

But what happened to our perfect system? The Whigs formed a you-vote-for-me-and-I’ll-vote-for-you POLITICAL party, enhanced by the good old SPOILS SYSTEM. Soon it was party against party instead of candidate against candidate. When Lincoln won the Presidential election it was a single-minded, single-handed Douglas out there on his own expense account and - acting out of patriotic duty - telling the American people to get behind Lincoln.

Meanwhile the Republican party leaders were running poor Old Abe into the ground with their constant jockeying to make him reward someone for something. He didn’t get any peace until the war started.

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After riding with me a few times an exis friend of mine said he thought the way I drove was paranoid.  ‘Every second you are looking into a mirror as if every car on the road might be about to hit you.”

I resented that accusation so much that I pulled over and suggested he find other transportation. “And I want you to know that I am no more paranoid than those people trying to sneak up on me and ram me from behind.”

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There was some good news too though. One reader told me that (after reading my Christmas suggestion list) her whole family decided to go serve at a local soup kitchen. “We got there at eight in the morning and served until three thirty that afternoon. Our children LOVED it! They even volunteered to help wash dishes.” The only downer was that she recognized several of her friends there that had dropped out of sight some months ago. They were on the receiving end of the line that looked endless, and preferred not to be recognized.

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Some of us are luckier that others. A downsized friend of mine wrote to say: “This year, Carole was drafted into the Certified Card Carrying Consumers Club Hall Of Fame. Next stop, the poor house. I’ll write again next year, if I can afford a stamp.”

Leadership

Once upon a time a mother received a letter from the camp her son was going to that summer, asking if he was a leader, or a follower, because it would help them to arrange the housing placements.

After much consideration she had to admit that her son was a follower, and sent off that news to the camp.

Right back came another letter. “We are so glad that your son is a follower. We are overbooked and have to deny camp privileges to 27 applicants. Since your son is the only follower that has applied out of 127 boys he will be settled in the luxurious big house without incurring the usual price increase and, 27 leaders will be turned down for any housing in our camp.”

Even though every mother wants her child to be a leader, followers are a necessity.  Surprisingly enough, there are no suggestions for becoming a better follower while many rules, pointers, styles, and biographies of inspiring leaders throughout world history have been written over the years.. however, there are certain leadership ideas that we ourselves fail to recognize and realize in the course of reading those pointers and books. Here is a short list of things you thought you knew about leadership.

1. Leaders come in different flavors.

There are different types of leaders and you will probably encounter more than one type in your lifetime. Formal leaders are those we elect into positions or offices such as the senators, congressmen, and presidents of the local clubs. Informal leaders or those we look up to by virtue of their wisdom and experience such as in the case of the elders of a tribe, or our grandparents; or by virtue of their expertise and contribution on a given field such as Albert Einstein in the field of Theoretical Physics and Leonardo da Vinci in the field of the Arts. Both formal and informal leaders practice a combination of leadership styles.

· Lewin’s three basic leadership styles – authoritative, participative, and delegative

· Likert’s four leadership styles – exploitive authoritative, benevolent authoritative, consultative, and participative

· Goleman’s six emotional leadership styles - visionary, coaching, affiliative, democratic, pacesetting, and commanding.

2. Leadership is a process of becoming.

Although certain people seem to be born with innate leadership qualities, without the right environment and exposure, they may fail to develop their full potential. So like learning how to ride a bicycle, you can also learn how to become a leader and hone your leadership abilities. Knowledge on leadership theories and skills may be formally gained by enrolling in leadership seminars, workshops, and conferences. Daily interactions with people provide the opportunity to observe and practice leadership theories. Together, formal and informal learning will help you gain leadership attitudes, gain leadership insights, and thus furthering the cycle of learning. You do not become a leader in one day and just stop. Life-long learning is important in becoming a good leader for each day brings new experiences that put your knowledge, skills, and attitude to a test.

3. Leadership starts with you.

The best way to develop leadership qualities is to apply it to your own life. As an adage goes “action speaks louder than words.” Leaders are always in the limelight. Keep in mind that your credibility as a leader depends much on your actions: your interaction with your family, friends, and co-workers; your way of managing your personal and organizational responsibilities; and even the way you talk with the newspaper vendor across the street. Repeated actions become habits. Habits in turn form a person’s character. Steven Covey’s book entitled 7 Habits of Highly Effective People provides good insights on how you can achieve personal leadership.

4. Leadership is shared.

Leadership is not the sole responsibility of one person, but rather a shared responsibility among members of an emerging team. A leader belongs to a group. Each member has responsibilities to fulfill. Formal leadership positions are merely added responsibilities aside from their responsibilities as members of the team. Effective leadership requires members to do their share of work. Starting as a mere group of individuals, members and leaders work towards the formation of an effective team. In this light, social interaction plays a major role in leadership. To learn how to work together requires a great deal of trust between and among leaders and members of an emerging team. Trust is built upon actions and not merely on words. When mutual respect exists, trust is fostered and confidence is built.

5. Leadership styles depend on the situation.

How come dictatorship works for Singapore but not in the United States of America? Aside from culture, beliefs, value system, and form of government, the current situation of a nation also affects the leadership styles used by its formal leaders. There is no rule that only one style can be used. Most of the time, leaders employ a combination of leadership styles depending on the situation. In emergency situations such as periods of war and calamity, decision-making is a matter of life and death. Thus, a nation’s leader cannot afford to consult with all departments to arrive at crucial decisions. The case is of course different in times of peace and order—different sectors and other branches of government can freely interact and participate in governance. Another case in point is in leading organizations. When the staffs are highly motivated and competent, a combination of high delegative and moderate participative styles of leadership is most appropriate. But if the staffs have low competence and low commitment, a combination of high coaching, high supporting, and high directing behavior from organizational leaders is required.

Now that you are reminded of these things, keep in mind that there are always ideas that we think we already know; concepts we take for granted, but are actually the most useful insights — on leadership and virtually any other arcane topic.

Salt Spray Getaways

just dreaming about the ocean salt spray makes a holiday on an island pop into your lingering, aromatic dreams. Because islands can be found in every ocean and near every continent, island holidays can vary widely. You can lay on a beach or watch whales, study botany or shop native craft stalls. It’s all up to you when you plan your island holidays.

North American islands include the Canadian east coast islands of Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland. Island holidays to these areas will be filled with unspoiled natural beauty, cool, comfortable temperatures, and whale watching expeditions.

South of these regions is the little island of Bermuda off the eastern U.S. coast. Bermuda is surrounded with hundreds of square miles of reef formations, making snorkeling an interesting activity there. For the less adventurous, you can ride around in a glass bottom boat and view the beautiful undersea world.

Heading on south, we find the Caribbean islands. These have long been popular spots for tourists. Here the beaches are white and sandy and the weather is very warm. Up in the interior of these islands, you can find a wide variety of birds and other wildlife. Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Barbados, the Virgin Islands, and many other spots make lovely island holidays. Each island has it’s own unique flavor and feel.

Europe has islands of all types nearby which make great spots for island holidays. Visit the isles of Greece and you will see clear seas, quiet beaches, olive groves, and the simple life. Corfu is the choice of those who like up-to-date restaurants and shopping, while Lefkas is popular with wind-surfers and sailors. The Portuguese island of Madeira boasts beautiful weather and one of the lowest crime rates in the world. The Canary Islands, off the coast of Spain, are a popular tourist spot for Europeans.

A new trend in island holidays is eco-tourism. This is traveling in such a way that neither the earth nor the local people you are visiting is harmed in any way. People who are drawn to eco-tourism may enjoy bird-watching, hiking, and other island activities that do not leave an impact on the area.

Everybody dreams of taking island holidays. There are islands all over the world, each offering it’s own cultural experience and natural wonders. Many spots for island holidays are still unspoiled and secluded, while others are lively and exciting. Island holidays offer a real diversion from your everyday life.