Wednesday, August 27, 2014

1962 COMMUNIST GOALS

COMMUNIST GOALS (1962)
FROM "THE NAKED COMMUNIST"
BY W. CLEON SKOUSEN

NOTE:  The EMBOLDEN items are, in my OPINION, already have been accomplished or are well on their way to being accomplished.  Keep in mind that my OPINION is based on the 2014 World and these goals were written about in 1962!  Of course my OPINION could be wrong, that is for you to decide but I believe in my OPINION and that is the reason I prepared this list from the above book.  Deny these things have happened or are happening if you will; I believe them to be so!  (35 of the 45 are completed or being developed!)

  1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.
  2. U. S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.
  3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament by the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.
  4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.
  5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet Satellites.
  6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.
  7. Grant recognition of Red China.  Admission of Red China to the U.N.
  8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the Germany question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.
  9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the U.S. has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.
  10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.  (Simply don't know if done)
  11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind.  If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as one-world government with its own independent armed forces.  (Some  Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as Moscow.  Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)
  12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the communist Party.
  13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.
  14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent office.  (Simply don't know if done)
  15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.
  16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
  17. Get control of the schools.  Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda.  Soften  the curriculum.  Get control of teachers' associations.  Put the party line in textbooks.
  18. Gain control of all student newspapers.  (Surely not "all" but most)
  19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.  (Attack on Wall Street ring a bell)
  20. Infiltrate the press.  Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policy-making positions.
  21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV and motion pictures.
  22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression.  An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms." 
  23. Control art critics and directors of art museums.  "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive meaningless art."  (Crucifix in urine ring a bell)
  24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.
  25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio and TV.
  26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."
  27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion.  Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."
  28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."
  29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a world-wide basis.  (This one bothers me the most since our current president, President Obama, has said this very thing!)
  30. Discredit the American founding fathers.  Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man".
  31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of "the big picture."  Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.
  32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture-education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
  33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.
  34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.  (Abolished in 1974)
  35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.
  36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.
  37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.
  38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies.  Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand or treat.
  39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.
  40. Discredit the family as an institution.  Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
  41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents.  Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
  42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use "united force" to solve economic, political or social problems.
  43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.
  44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.  (Not specifically "internationalized" but U.S. control was given up by President Carter to the government of Panama.)
  45. Repeal the Connally Reservation so the U.S. cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over domestic problems.  Give the World Court jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.

Saturday, July 26, 2014

The World Only Remembers Winners!

Nuggets For The Noggin
World Only Remembers Winners!
By Jim "Gymbeaux" Brown July 26, 2014

Watched the 1960 movie, Sink The Bismark this morning.  The German Fleet Commander supposedly said, "The world ONLY remembers winners!" meaning there is no place in the world for second place finishes.

Terry Cole-Whittaker said, "What you think of me is none of my business!"

Now put the two of those quotes together and you have conflict.  Is only one true?  Of course not, they both are true but only one is important - that of Terry Cole-Whittaker.

Think about it.  People remember who won the race, who won the world series or the super bowl and people remember who won the Emmy or Oscar or the Olympic Gold Medal.  Few if any remember who came in second, third, fourth or below.  Why do you suppose that is?  Frankly, because people really do ONLY remember the winners in this world and so quickly forget those who did not win but notice I did not say "losers!"

Consider winning the Olympic Gold Medal.  Granted someone performed greatly to win the gold but what about those who competed but did not win?  Is it possible that they may have exceeded their own personal best?  My guess is that many athletes most likely did because that is what typically happens at almost all Olympics - people tend to do their absolute best.  What about the winner of the Emmy or Oscar awards?  Did these "winners" do their best or did they win because other people liked their work and voted accordingly.  In this case it is not simply running faster or jumping higher as in the case of the Olympics it is more subjective in that the winner received more votes.  That does not mean the winner had the greatest performance only that other people for whatever reason voted more for them than their competitors. 

Does that mean those Emmy/Oscar candidates who did not win did not perform at a winning level?  Absolutely not.  It is quite possible that they did and again, for whatever reason the voters voted for someone else to win.  It may be something as simple as the actor's performance was an Emmy or Oscar winning performance but the movie sucked.  Does this not happen?

So what does a person do?  Everyone should strive to do their best in all situations - forever!  No exceptions!  Always do your best.  When you do you should have no issues with your performance.  It is not about doing better than someone else, it IS about doing better than you - just you - no one else - just you!  When you do, you have won the race, the gold, the Emmy, or the Oscar!  You will have won your own best race for best salesperson, best executive, or best hamburger flipper.  It is a question of taking pride in what you do.  Striving and educating yourself to become the best you can be in every situation.  It is about learning both from your victories as well as your mistakes.

Most importantly it is NOT worrying about what someone else thinks of you.  As Terry Cole-Whittaker states, you would worry less about what other people think of you if you only knew how little they thought of you.  By "little" she does NOT mean that someone thinks ill of you only that they probably do not think of you at all if ever!  If that is true, and I believe it is, then why would you ever worry about someone else doing better than you IF in your mind you did your best?

The next question you need to ask yourself is, did you do your best?  If the answer is yes, you should be excited about your performance.  However, if you left something on the table then you have questions that need answering. 

  • Why didn't you do your best? 
  • What additional training or education do you need to insure that every performance is your best performance?  
  • What additional support do you need from those people who matter to you?
  • Who or what do you need to add to your business to insure that you perform at your best?
  • What do you need to eliminate from your performance that someone else could possibly and probably do better than you that if eliminated would result in a better performance?
  • Do you routinely solicit evaluations from those people you work for or serve to insure you are at the top of your game and if not, why not?


Unfortunately not everyone who reads this Nugget will think the Nugget applies to them.  I recently had several stays in the hospital; nothing serious but did stay overnight.  During those stays I had a constant parade of medical professionals who stopped in and who made certain I was progressing as desired.  It absolutely amazed me that the number of professionals who stopped in made it quite evident that not all took their profession as seriously or as professionally as others who stopped in.  The differences were stark and very real.  I also realized that not one of them except for my actual surgeon asked how their service was; not one.

  • How can you possibly know you are performing at your best if you don't ask? 
  • How can you possibly know where you need to improve if you don't ask? 
  • How can you possibly know what you have to do in regard to additional education or training that you might need if you don't ask?


During those inpatient stays it became very obvious to me that some medical professionals have no clue as to the value of personal relationships BEFORE the professional traits are applied.  Some explain what is about to happen and continually check to see if you are alright.  Others quietly go about their business without any explanation and without checking to see if you are alright.  In both cases, the professionals did their jobs well but only in the first case did the patient, that would be me, feel I was actually being served by someone who cared about me.  I have no doubt that both types of professionals cared but only one showed it.  The second professional may go through his or her entire career and not know how their patients actually feel about their professionalism or lack thereof because they do not ask how they performed.

No matter what profession in which you are engaged, if you are not being evaluated by your supervisor(s) - ask to be so evaluated.  If you are not evaluated by the people you service - ask to be evaluated.  You will never improve upon your performance if you know not where improvement is needed.  You will never know that you have exceeded your personal best(s) if you have no baseline from which to evaluate (notice I did not say judge).

When you know you have performed at your best and when you know the people you served are satisfied with your performance - give yourself the "gold medal".  Give yourself the sales award!  Give yourself the mental promotion you know you have earned!


Remember this:  "What I think of me is the only thing that really matters!"  What other people think of me ONLY matters when I am not doing my best AND fail to have my performance evaluated by those same people. Whenever I am not at my best, I know it; but what am I going to do about it?

Friday, June 13, 2014

The Trap

Nuggets For The Noggin
THE TRAP
By Jim "Gymbeaux" Brown, May 15, 2014


This Nugget is based on Chapter 13 in Harry Browne's book, How I Found Freedom In An Unfree World.  http://www.harrybrowne.org/.  I highly recommend reading this book.  I found it extremely interesting.  The last time I tried to find a hard cover copy it was almost impossible.  It is more readily available on http://www.Amazon.com as an eBook.  It was first released in 1973 and in my opinion is probably more appropriate now than even back in 1973.

Hunters for years have set traps for all types of animals.  They first determine what type of animal they desire to trap.  They animals' habitats are researched to determine where they would most likely pass in order to set up traps at the most optimal locations.  They also research the animals habits and routines to insure they set up traps at times when the animals would most likely pass the traps.  When all these things are done properly the hunter should be as successful as possible in trapping the desired prey.

In Chapter 13 of Browne's book he describes the types of traps that people are caught up in, why they are trapped and then provides suggestions on how to free themselves from the trap most have created for themselves.  This all started me thinking and isn't that why we read books - to think?  How do people get caught up in traps?

First I think age has a great deal to do with the traps people set for themselves and yes I said "traps people set for themselves."  In the hunters case the hunter sets a trap for his or her desired prey.  But in life most of the traps people find themselves in are set BY themselves FOR themselves.  These traps are typically set very early in life but they can also be set late in life and the circumstances that initiate the trap setting at these various stages in one's life are very different.

Let's start with the youth, ages 1 to 30.  There are opinions that suggest even a baby unintentionally has a trap set for him or her by parents (or lack of parents)  who show very little love for the child.  As much as I despise Adolph Hitler, it was his medical staff who conducted the most horrible experiments on people of all ages without their consent. It was during these experiments they discovered that babies who are prohibited from being touched and held showed a very high rate of early death.  So why should children who are brought up in a family environment but who are shown little to no love by their parents be any different?

When babies grow to the point of making decisions for themselves they also begin to make decisions both consciously and unconsciously for themselves with STRONG influence from their parents either in a positive or negative ways.  For example, children start early in life to form habits and it has been said that it takes upwards of 30 days with constant daily activities to form a habit.  Therefore parents who encourage their children to read, as compared to sitting in front of a television, are establishing a reading habit for their children that will pay valuable dividends long into their lives.  As I said earlier reading causes people to think and thinking is always good.  People who spend time reading are also learning at the same time how to write where people would want to read what they have written.  If people want to read what they have written it goes without saying that people would also want to HEAR what is spoken as well.  I would go so far as to suggest that the leaders of tomorrow come from the people who at an early age learn the value of reading as compared to the lack of value in watching mind numbing television, at least the types of programs that most children and even adults watch.

Therefore to avoid the kind of traps that people create for themselves I believe reading is critical.  In Chapter 13 referenced above, Browne refers to a "Box Trap."  People when they hear the word "box" typically envision a four sided box.   But the kind of trap people create for themselves can have many sides and I would suggest that quality education (as compared to just education) and quality reading (as compared to just reading) would be two sides of the "Box Trap" Browne refers to. 

This is how important I believe "quality education/reading" is to a person's future.  Without some form of intervention children will grow up believing what their parents believe.  That can be a good thing or a bad thing.  Whether it is religion, politics, relationships etc, what parents believe will become what the child believes unless there is some form of intervention.  As an example if parents believe in the principals or lack of principles of a certain political party, their children will also become adults believing in the same political party not based on their own research and understanding but because of their parents beliefs.  But if the same children routinely read about politics, government and history, they can formulate their own minds based on facts and not someone else's beliefs.  As an adult it takes a great deal of effort to change what you were taught as a child.  You want proof?  How could anyone think that slavery was an acceptable practice?  Someone who grew up with slavery would not question the practice until such time as they could see the injustice of slavery from a position they were not currently living; an intervention of sorts would have to take place.  If there is no intervention (reading) then they will continue on the same path as their parents.  Prejudice is the same thing and it works on both sides of the spectrum.  If a child is brought up in a home where the parents are prejudice against any specific group of people because of skin color, religion, etc., the child will most likely think the same way.  If a child is brought up in a home where the parents distrust whites the child will distrust whites, if there is a distrust of blacks, the child will distrust blacks.  Nothing will change until there is an intervention (reading or a life changing experience) to change it.

One only need look at local news coverage to see how the value of life has changed over the years.  People are being abused physically and mentally and people are being murdered and it seems like many of these murders occur for no reason whatsoever.  If people valued life they would respect the life of another.  How does one come to the point in their life were they no longer or never have valued the life of another?  It has to start in the home where the parents do not value the life of another such as each other.  Lacking some form of mental illness it is hard for me to understand how a child who grows up in a home where the parents value life could then become an adult who does not value the life of another person.  When this occurs there had to be an intervention in the wrong direction like joining gangs or watching the endless parade of extreme violence on television and in movies and now on computer games.

I once heard the quote, "You are what you are because of what you were when you were ten." Dr. Massey.  What Dr. Massey meant was that a person's values and principles were put in place by all the things that happen to them up until the age of ten.  I believe that to be true.  So if the values and principles instilled in you before you were ten were good values and principles you are indeed lucky.  But if those values and principles were based on something other than what would be considered to be good, it will then take an intervention to change them and it will take a concerted effort to change not only your existing habits but also the way you think.  You can do that by reading and researching quality educational materials with the key word being quality.

How many teenagers think about their health?  Not many I dare say.  Health in this reference means exercise, the things you eat, drugs and alcohol.  Life goes on and most teenagers do what their friends do and I would suggest that in most cases that will not lead to a long and healthy life.  With all the evidence that can be easily found on the Internet to the contrary, why do so many of today's youths use drugs, smoke and drink a lot of alcohol.  You would think that knowing that these things are hazardous to your health they would not develop such destructive habits and remember, a habit once developed is very difficult to change.  As I grow older and experience the health issues that older people experience, I can only imagine what my health would be like if I had taken drugs and abused alcohol which I did neither and still I have health issues but not the types typically associated with long term drug use, cigarette smoking and alcohol abuse.  For example, I have always been very physically active in all types of sports, did not smoke or drink and did not engage in illegal drugs yet I had to have a heart by-pass surgery.  I have been told that had I done these things I probably would have already died long ago.  That also means I probably would not have seen the birth of several of my nine grandchildren and most certainly would have missed my two great grandchildren.

So the health and diet habits created NOW in someone's youth will have long term affects in their future.  So my advice would be to research the subjects and develop WISE habits now instead of bad habits now and hope that your health turns out differently in spite of the bad habits you create.  As Dr. John Maxwell states, "Hope is not an effective strategy!"

Finances would be another side to the "Box Trap" that teenagers and young adults are building for themselves both in a good way or a bad way.  To these people I would ask these questions.  Do you see yourself living a big beautiful home with several hot cars in the garages, a pool in the back yard overlooking a lake with a boat or boats docked at your private dock on a picturesque lake front home?  What do you suppose it would take to make that happen?  Do you really know?  Most people in this age group have no idea if their parents did not tell them because they are not being taught this in school.  In fact it would be my guess that schools are teaching them that such ideas are unattainable and may even be taught that they are bad goals only of the mean and nasty "rich people", I hate that phrase as if there is something inherently wrong with being wealthy. 

The best way to teach people about such lofty goals would be to teach them to work backwards.  If someone were to have these items, what did it take to get to a position that would reward them with sufficient income to where they could purchase them?  Then simply work backwards.  What would they have to be doing in their 40's, their 30's, their 20's and right NOW that would lead them to the position they desire?  What type of career path would enable them to reach their financial goals?  Careful, that does not necessarily equate to a college degree.  I have known a lot of college graduates who are struggling financially.  I have also known a lot of college graduates who obtain degrees that if you actually thought about it would not enable them to be financially successful because all they would be able to do with that type of degree would be to teach others the same subjects and teaching usually does not relate to achieving wealth.  I am not saying it is impossible to become wealthy by teaching, only that it is difficult.  People who learn a trade typically become financially well off by eventually working toward and opening their own business.  People in sales have oftentimes, with the proper training, become very wealthy.  A lot of these occupations do not require a college education.  On a personal note I also know that not everyone is cut out to attend college and if they do, typically do not do well because they either know they do not belong there or they are pursing something that simply does not interest them. 

The point is that unless someone in this age group does not properly set their sights on what they want to happen long-term (goal setting) and then engage in quality education/reading on subjects that will enable them and put them on the proper path, their only HOPE is LUCK and we all know how that works out.

Retirement.  "I'm too young to think about retirement!"  You are never too young.  People in the 20 to 30 year old group ARE actually putting in place right now the factors that will enable them to enjoy a life in retirement or not.  How much money will they need once retired to support and continue the desired life style into their retirement years?  How will they insure that kind of money will be theirs to use?  What are they doing right now to help make that happen?  Are they doing anything in that regard?  For most people I seriously doubt it.  I know in my youth I was never taught any of these things and learned them more by accident than by design and learned them late in life, almost too late to make a difference.  Would my life be different now had I learned these lessons earlier in my life?  Without a doubt!  That is why I am writing this Nugget in hopes that maybe at least one life may be changed as a result of reading it; just one.  Maybe yours.

I write this paragraph with great hesitation.  I am not looking for sympathy and instead I want to just briefly describe what has happened to me since I set my sights on retiring within two years of my actual retirement.  Without warning, I had a 5-By-Pass heart surgery; I am doing fine.  I have had several TIA's (Transient Ischemic Attacks) and if you don't know what they are, they are referred to as mini-strokes. In fact it was the TIAs that ultimately made up my mind to retire when I did.  They would effectively render my left arm and left leg useless and my focus became blurred.  I was finally put on medication which has helped in this regard a great deal.  I have had dental surgery that I had not financially planned on and that has cost upwards of $10,000 which I had not planned on.  (Sadly when I made the decision to serve in the U. S. Armed Forces until retirement, I was promised that dental care for me and my family, if I retired, would be covered by the government as a benefit - it has not been).  It was my desire to retire, do some writing and more importantly play a lot of golf which I love.  But then about 9 months ago I started having severe pains in both legs between the knees and ankles.  I have had a lot of tests, steroid injections in my spine (that did little good) and most recently angiograms that discovered blockages in blood vessels in both legs.  It was so bad that I could not walk a block before I had to sit and rest up to continue.  And to add insult to injury, I have also been diagnosed with Diabetes.  Why am I telling you this?  Because whenever I go into a doctor's office/hospital I see people my age and older and never seem to see the same people twice.  So there are a lot of folks who have medical conditions that require treatment. We see them walking about every day everywhere we go and pay them little to no attention.  Eventually that may be you.  So if you want to enjoy your retirement, you need to plan both financially and physically long before you reach retirement age otherwise your retirement may not be as you expect.  Even WITH the proper planning which I had thought I did, you can see what CAN happen.  Still, it is far better to properly plan than to rely on hope and again, hope is not an effective strategy.  The other lesson learned was if you want to do something, do it while you can and do not wait until you retire to do it because you may not reach retirement or when you do you might not be physically able to do it.  Do it now if you can!

I could continue because there are so many sides to the "Box Trap".  My goal in this Nugget is to get the reader thinking about their life and dare to have them answer the question, "What is my life going to look like when it is finished?"  Once they answer that question, they will then know what path they need to take to get there.  Then they need to ask, "What am I doing right now that if I do it, I will or should be able to achieve the kind of life I desire?"  If they are not doing it, why not?
  
Action Steps.

I highly recommend using Joe Tye's (www.JoeTye.com) Direction-Deflection-Question (DDQ) system.  It is quite simple, almost too simple, but it works.  Once you establish what you want, you simply ask yourself this DDQ question:

IS WHAT I AM ABOUT TO SAY OR DO TAKING ME TOWARD MY DESIRED GOALS OF (INSERT YOUR GOALS)?

If yes, say or do it.  If no, don't say or do it and then say or do something that will take you towards your desired goal(s).

More food for thought.  In 1910 Wallace Wattles wrote "The Science of Getting Rich" in which he wrote, if you want to help the poor become rich.  Think about that.  No one who is poor creates jobs for those who need them or who may be poor.  The rich create jobs and opportunities, not the poor and certainly not the government.  In fact a case could be made that if someone is being supported by the government the government would desire for that person to remain poor and because of the government support, they remain supportive of the government in power so their benefits will not be reduced or eliminated.  They become dependent upon the government and that is never a good thing to happen.  So let us use the DDQ question to get rich and be more definitive:

IS WHAT I AM ABOUT TO SAY OR DO GOING TO CREATE A LIFE WHERE I CAN BE HAPPY LIVING THE LIFE I DESIRE WHILE AT THE SAME TIME HELPING TO CHANGE THE LIVES OF OTHERS BY SHOWING THEM THE WAY BY EXAMPLE?

And here is another way to use the DDQ question:

IF I TAKE THESE DRUGS WILL I BE OKAY WITH SEEING MY NAME ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE TOMORROW'S PAPER SHOWING ME BEING ARRESTED AND TAKEN AWAY IN HANDCUFFS OR WORSE - DEAD?

This is what Wallace Wattles refers to as "thinking in a certain way".  It's all about thinking and if you recall at the very beginning of this Nugget I said that reading causes you to think; "think in a certain way!"


When you are in the later years of your life and are sitting in your rocking chair on your front porch, do you own the rocking chair AND the house with the front porch where you are sitting or do you ONLY rent the rocking chair and your long lost dreams?  Now is the time to "think in a certain way" to develop either plan, a plan to only rent the chair or a plan to own the chair - the choice is yours and only yours to make.  If you want to become one of the top 5% of people in the world you must determine what it will take for you to get there.  If instead you are satisfied with being in the 95% of the rest of the people who struggle daily for existence and usually are very dependent upon others for the lifestyle they have, keep doing what everyone else is doing but don't expect different results.  Remember "Hope is not an effective strategy!"  Proper planning is!

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

After the Storm; Part 6 of 6

Nuggets For The Noggin
After the Storm; Part 6
Article by: Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, October 6, 2005

This Nugget was drafted in hopes of preparing others for what happened AFTER Katrina hit the Slidell, Louisiana area.  Some of the below items were to be expected while others came as a complete surprise.

I am not sure who said it but believe it was Zig Ziglar, “Money tends to exaggerate that what we already are!”  By this he meant that if you are caring and compassionate, with additional money in your life you become even more caring and compassionate.  But if you are a greedy SOB, you simply become an even greedier SOB.

If one thing was evident after Katrina, this theory has been proven to be correct.  Here are some of the things that have occurred since Katrina:

  • If there were Purchase Agreements in effect BEFORE Katrina and the home survived, Sellers were trying to find ways to cancel the contract, put the home back on the market because they “felt” their homes were worth more than before Katrina.
  • Purchasers were writing Purchase Agreements that included a contingency that the repairs were to be made by the Seller prior to the Act of Sale which Sellers agreed to do.  Then during the home inspection process they change their mind with the false belief that they don’t have to make repairs because if THIS buyer does not want the home “as is” there are plenty of buyers who are desperate enough to take it “as is” and probably pay more to do so.
  • Real estate agents who prior to Katrina were admired and respected are now hanging up on people, threatening everyone with law suits and have become a general pain in the neck.
  • Buyers and sellers are constantly threatening law suites when contract negotiations do not go their way.
  • Some sellers are accepting offers for less money because the purchaser has a horror story as to what has happened to them and then a second purchaser who offered more gets upset because they did not get the property.
  • Multiple offers abound so if your procedures on handling multiple offers are not in place and everyone understands how to work them, it will only lead to serious legal problems.
  • Everyone wants rental properties and if you are in an area such as Slidell where under normal conditions there are not a lot of rental properties, this becomes a nightmare.
  • Sellers think their home is now worth $20,000, $30,000 to $90,000 more than pre-Katrina prices.  Appraisers are under close scrutiny by the Federal Government NOT to let all cash sales influence their appraisal process.  Therefore the all-cash sales will not influence property values until there are sufficient numbers of cash sales where a trend can be establish.  So over the long term prices may increase but in the short term they will only increase very gradually.
  • Patience is a rare commodity on the part of everyone, buyers, sellers, agents and even Keller Williams' Realty associates.
  • Depression will set in, not if, when.  You need to know this is going to happen and be ready for it.  Traffic is a nightmare.  Slidell still has residents that have not as yet returned even after one month yet the population of our city must be at least double because of all the support workers and people that have come here to stay because their homes in other areas were destroyed.  There are lines to wait in no matter where you go.
  • If your home and business survived while so many others have been devastated, guilt creeps into your thought process, why was I spared?
  • The 80/20 Rule still applies but in reverse.  About 80% of the people accept what happened and what continues to happen and do their best to get into recovery.  The remaining 20% are impatient, rude, do what they can to get what they want when they want it and have little regard for anyone else.

This is a slice of life AFTER Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  I don’t want to paint an ugly picture because with every day there is one less pile of rubble and another business opening.  Our phones have been ringing off the hook.  Two, three and four calls coming in at the same time – that is a good thing if you can answer them all.  The real estate market, in my opinion, will be very good for some time to come.  Yes there will be shortages but the market is definitely changing.  Prices in this area have been low as compared to other parts of the country and they will most assuredly begin to rise.  There will be tremendous development and repair work ongoing for one or two years (2013 update, turned out to be years and years).  So all things are not all bad.  People are talking to people that they otherwise would not have talked to – that is a good thing.  People are helping people who before Katrina they did not even know. 

I close this Nugget with a true story.  My Call Coordinator was sitting in a line of traffic trying to get off the Interstate and get to work.  This in itself is an ordeal because it could take up to 30 minutes to get off the Interstate.  She noticed two men walking along side the off ramp; one had no shoes and was obviously in pain trying to walk on stones and everything else you see along the side of the roadways of America.  The car in front of her stopped and the driver got out, opened his trunk and handed the fellow a pair of tennis shoes.  The man began to cry on the spot.   A month ago this would not have happened.


Life has changed in Slidell and it will never be quite the same ever again.  In a great many regards, this is a very good change.  And by the way, during the next storm, there are 7 less trees to fall on my home!  And, that is a very good thing!  And if you want even more good news, there are probably a hundred less trees to get in the way of my golf ball and that is FABULOUS NEWS!

I'm Not Making This Up! Part 5 of 6

Nuggets For The Noggin
I’m Not Making This Up!  Part 5
Article by: Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, 9/16/2005


It’s late; it’s been a long drive home from the Mega Management Camp conducted by Keller Williams Realty University in Austin, Texas.  Before I tell you my story, let me preface it with a follow up on the series of articles of “After Katrina” and “What Is Important Here.”

I did not want to miss this opportunity to learn more about Keller Williams Realty so even though my Market Center was recovering from Katrina, I decided to attend Mega Camp if for no other reason than to demonstrate that life goes on and we need to get back to “normal” whatever “normal” really is.  So I went.  As I sit here at midnight I am not sure it was the right thing to do.  The training and presentations were great, no they were magnificent.  I had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Fred Grosse who I had the pleasure of meeting and hearing almost 15 years ago.  I could not believe how many of his principles and sayings I have been using over the years and had forgotten from where they came – he was worth the trip!

The real reason I wanted to attend is that if you want to walk the walk, you must first learn to talk the talk and there is no better place to learn the talk than where it is taught – at Keller Williams University.  Reading about it simply is not the same.  Hearing it, hearing others describe how they use it and how it benefits them and their market centers, how it has not only helped to retain great associates, it also has improved production and profitability.  What is IT?

It is the culture of Keller Williams.  It is not simply memorizing the WI4C2TS or the Mission, Vision and Values of the company, it is literally becoming those things in everything you do.  Walking the walk!  One of the most unique results of this session was the development of a Keller Williams Agent (I prefer Associate) Bill of Rights/Declaration of Distinction.  Everyone is going to applaud this effort when it is published.

OK, so what’s my story?  From the moment I first arrived in Austin, I quickly became overwhelmed with emotion from the outpouring of support from our Keller Williams Family Members from all parts of North America including Canada.  I cannot begin to tell you how many people said they had been praying for us.  I cannot tell you how many people said they had read my Nuggets For The Noggin and used them in their Market Centers and had not had a chance to say thank you.  One Team Leader told me that for two days she thought she would never get the opportunity to say thank you and that since we all survived, she would never let an opportunity to say thank you to anyone ever pass again.  I think that was the beginning of the end for me; emotionally speaking.

Mo Anderson asked several of us from the Gulf States Region to have lunch with her and some very special guests who donated thousands and thousands of dollars to Keller Cares.  Everyone had a chance to talk and we talked about Keller Cares and the stories from the Gulf Coast.  It was not an easy conversation.  Everyone was crying.

Then at the beginning of each session after a break, Mark Willis would ask people to come to the microphone and tell everyone their Big Aha or their Action Plan for when they get back to their Market Centers.  I wanted to use that opportunity to say thank you on behalf of my crew and the rest of the Gulf States Market Centers.  Easier said than done!  I just couldn’t get the words out.  Words simply did not do justice to what 52,000 of our team mates have been doing for the Gulf States Region.  I wanted to say just two words, thank you and they just wouldn’t come out of my mouth.  I got some semblance of “thank you” out and said that I wanted to dedicate the recovery of the Slidell Market Center to Mo Anderson.  I have learned a great deal from Dr. John C. Maxwell and he advocates that if you want to succeed at anything, dedicate the outcome to someone special and at this moment in time there is no one more special than Mo Anderson and her team of angels!

OK, I made it through that ordeal, on a scale of 1 to 10, I probably hit a minus 4 for being suave and debonair, and in fact I was more like Art Carney.  Then as if I needed it, Mo asked me to sit on a panel in front of 400+ fellow team leaders and operating partners and talk about Keller Cares and Katrina.  I sat there but I could not talk.  The entire time Mo stood beside me and rubbed my back – that was the good part – wanted to tell her she had about two hours to stop it!  Driving home I tried to remember what I said but whatever I said I am not sure people understood it.  I was a complete mess, not an easy thing to admit.

Just for the record, the attendees at this conference donated well over $200,000 for Keller Cares and they announced that our agent count is now over 52,000 – large round of applause please.

Now for those who read this and who were in attendance, let me say what I really wanted to say but couldn’t.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart and the hearts of over 700 of your Keller Williams Realty Associates most of whom you have never met but did not let that stand in the way of your contribution to their recovery.

Yes, I was emotional, OK, VERY emotional but it was not for what you think.  Yes, the stories are sad and they took their toll on me over the past couple of weeks.  I was emotional because it was just so hard to believe the emotional support, the support in supplies and the financial support that everyone was so eager to provide.  It was just overwhelming and I did not deal with it very well and for that I am truly sorry.  I wanted to tell you just how much it means to my crew as I am sure it means to the other Market Centers affected and their crews.

Because there were so many Team Leaders in the room, I wanted to tell them how helpless I felt when I heard the horror stories of my crew and that I had not prepared myself very well for. 

I wanted to tell them not to wait for a disaster to hit to get prepared.  Create a plan.  Grab your TL and MCA computers and take them with you.  Make sure you have a list of everyone and their contact numbers.  Make sure you enter everyone in the member section of your Market Center Intranet Site so you can access it from any computer with internet access.  Create a contact phone number away from the afflicted area were everyone knows to call to report in.  These are the lessons I wanted to talk about but couldn’t and it was an opportunity lost and for that I am really very sorry.

I called one of my crew who I knew was in trouble with her home to see if she had heard from Keller Cares and she said yes but that she COULD NOT TALK ABOUT IT!  She simply said, I am sure glad I am with Keller Williams!”

So back to my story.  I am driving home; not feeling very good about myself and my behavior.  Did not listen to Gary Keller, Dave Jenks or John Maxwell on this trip home, I listened to my XM Radio tuned to Watercolors and smooth jazz.  As Dr. Fred suggested, I also put the windows down and let the wind blow my hair.  You may or may not believe the rest of this story but I swear to you that it is true.

I remember telling Mo at lunch that my concern and I am sure the concern of everyone in the Gulf States Region was the uncertainty of the future.  What will the future bring?  How many of my crew will decide to go elsewhere or pack it in?  What will the market be like?

Then I remember Joe Tye who said, “Adversity is a quiet teacher.  You must probe it for the meaning it contains, and interpret the subtle answers with which it will respond.”  He also said, “Courage is to stop worrying about all the possible tomorrows and the trouble they MIGHT bring, and to give your whole attention to the one today in which you always live.”   If there is a more powerful statement I am not sure I have heard it.  The emphasis should be on MIGHT BRING, not WILL BRING!  No one knows what tomorrow will bring but if you expect the best you stand a much better chance of achieving it than if you expect the worst.

So onward I go toward Louisiana.  As I approach the Sabine River, the river that separates Louisiana and Texas, I started to think; wouldn’t it be nice to have some sort of sign that everything will be OK?  That we all will recover from Katrina and while things will never be the same, they will also not be that bad either.  Shortly after that thought what should appear in the window of my mobile university?  A beautiful and perfect rainbow – no kidding – it was there right in front of me as if it were creating an arch into the State of Louisiana.  But it did not stop there!  No sir, on the radio Richard Elliott was playing a song entitled “People make the world go round!”

So I counted my blessings:

  • My wife was safe.
  • My kids were safe.
  • My dog was safe.
  • My golf clubs were safe (I didn’t dare put that number one)
  • My KW crew was safe
  • Our Market Center was safe
  • Keller Cares was on our side in a massive turnout
  • I got a couple of hugs and kisses from Mo Anderson and that is never a bad thing
  • People all over the world prayed for our safety – prayers are always welcomed
  • Mo said we need 7 hugs a day, I had enough hugs over the last two days to take me through Christmas – 2006

Looking ahead, the storm was the easy part; it was over in a short period of time.  Now comes the recovery and there will be achievements and there will be setbacks but we will succeed, all of us in the Gulf States Region.  More importantly, every member of the Keller Williams Realty Family will be proud of their contribution to that recovery and keeping the Keller Williams family INTACT!  There is however, one daunting and impossible task that lies ahead for everyone in the Gulf States Region and that is how do you adequately say thank you?  You might as well try to get toothpaste back into the tube, you would be more successful!


Thank you!  ;-)

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

What's Important Here Part 4 of 6

Nuggets For The Noggin
What’s Important Here – Part 4 of 6
Article by: Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, 9/9/2005

Another day, another life’s lesson learned!  Just when I thought I had seen it all, comes Keller Williams International and more specifically Keller Cares.  Yesterday I attended a meeting of the Gulf States Region that consisted of those Operating Partners, Team Leaders and Market Center Administrators that could make it to Baton Rouge – that in itself was a daunting task with limited gasoline, bridges out, road blocks and what have you.   Each Market Center briefed us on how they were coping, what kind of damage they sustained and how the individual agents made out. 

I did not have a lot to offer since I have been unable to talk with most of my agents.  In fact as of yesterday, I had been able to account for only 50 of the 70 agents in the Slidell Market Center.  That was yesterday, today is today and I am in Birmingham when suddenly I have been able to contact more and more of my crew.  This has turned out to be one of the toughest days of my life emotionally.  Call after call I shared in my crews’ trials and tribulations and some of them have been severe.  Some are still missing family members, some had homes completely rendered uninhabitable, some with upwards of 4 feet or more of water in their homes and yet there was an air of optimism even in those hardest hit.

Words fail to describe how it made me feel to report to them the reason for the meeting in Baton Rouge regarding what Keller Cares has already done, is going to do and WILL do for the Keller Williams associates and Market Centers that were adversely affected by Katrina.  Briefly, every Keller Williams associate will be adopted by another associate who will help them get back on their feet.  They will serve as sort of a guide to help them wherever the help is needed.  Each Market Center will also be adopted for the same reason by another Market Center.  Keller Williams Cares has stepped up to the plate and has virtually guaranteed the salaries of all Keller Williams Realty employees and will also help cover some of the operating expenses of those Market Centers in need of help.  The goal?  The survival of every associate and each Market Center.  But it was all exceeded when Mo Anderson announced that every affected Keller Williams Realty associate who was affected by Hurricane Katrina would have $5,000 deposited in their bank account; no questions asked.  What made this promise extra special was that the Keller Cares account had only about $800,000 in the account when the promise was made.  Within the week, associates from all across the country had donated enough money to backup the promise; over $4,000,000.

Among all this news about Keller Cares was hidden another wonderful fact and that is that we as a company have just surpassed the 50,000 associate count – loud round of applause please! 

Keller Williams Realty associates and Market Centers have been providing assistance in money, supplies and facilities.  I am sure that in a short time everyone will know what everyone has been doing and I think everyone will be absolutely blown away at the response our company has provided its “family members.” 

There is one recurring thought that crosses my mind during times of crisis and that is “Oh but for the grace of God, there go I.”  I have felt that way during 9/11, the recent floods in the far east, etc.  It was always someone else, not me and for that I had been grateful.  Now it is US, my crew and the crews of the other affected Market Centers.  Words fail to describe the emotions that permeated the meeting room when Mo Anderson asked each of us to stand and hold each other’s hand while she said a prayer for us and our recovery.  It is NOT just about us – it is truly about the Keller Williams Realty family and one member of the family is hurting everyone is hurting.

I am not an emotional kind of guy or at least I thought I wasn’t.  But today when making these calls I discovered that I am not the macho man I thought I was.  I was emotionally caught off guard to first hear the voices of my crew that I had not been able to talk with for over a week.  Then to hear their stories, wow!  When I asked the Keller Williams Realty Market Center in Birmingham if I could use their space, they immediately introduced me to everyone in the office from the Operating Partner, Team Leader, Market Center Administrator to associates.  It was then I met Ken and Linda Hankins.  Ken was counting up all the nickels, dimes, quarters and bills that had been collected in coffee cans on behalf of Keller Williams Realty associates.  Linda then told me that she and Ken were donating 10% of every sale they make to Keller Cares.  I had to leave the room!  So much for being a macho kind of guy.

This is going on all over the country.  Never have I been so proud to work for a company as caring as Keller Williams.  We will all have our stories to tell in the future about Hurricane Katrina but no story will be as moving or compelling as the response that was initialed by Mo Anderson and her team of angels in Austin and other Market Centers and associates around the country.  This is one very grateful Team Leader/Broker and I think I can speak for the associates in the Slidell Market Center (and probably the other affected Centers as well) when I say thank you.  I sincerely hope that no one is ever  in the need of help as we have but if you do, your/our company will obviously rise to the occasion and respond as it has over the past week.  Everyone should pat themselves on the back – we will survive and come back stronger than ever but we could not have done it without the support of Keller Williams.


May God bless each and every one of you!

Thursday, May 22, 2014

What Is Important Here Part 3 of 6

Nuggets For The Noggin
What is Important Here – Part 3 of 6
(My thoughts immediately following Hurricane Katrina)
Article by: Jim “Gymbeaux” Brown, September 7,  2005

When something as all encompassing as Hurricane Katrina hits, one tends to lose track of time.  I had to stop and calculate not only what the date is but what day of the week it is.  Well it is Wednesday, September 7th, I am alive and well working from my battery driven laptop. 

Tuesday, I decided that while staying with my daughter and her husband and two children was a fine thing to do, I also felt I had to get back to Slidell to start repairing my home.  So at 3:30 AM, Tuesday I was on the road to Slidell.  While it was hot in Birmingham this morning was unusually cool.  I rolled down my windows and put “Watercolors” on my XM radio.  If you have traveled over a long distance and have access to satellite radio, you know it is really unique.  So I put on Watercolors, which is a smooth jazz station that I can literally listen to from one coast to the other without changing channels.  What does all this have to do with Hurricane Katrina – actually a great deal.

There I was, on I-59 south out of Birmingham, turn the volume a bit louder, and discovered really cool air on my face and in my hair.  In fact it was so cool, I had to put the heater on in the truck. Then I realized, I was keeping time with the music with my head, my hands, my feet and my mind was actually clear of Hurricane Katrina.  Hardly a thought passed for the better part of the 5 hours it took to reach Slidell.  So to people like Joe Sample, Herb Alpert, The Rippingtons, Rick Braun, Chris Botti and others, I sincerely thank you for mentally taking me to a place other than Hurricane Katrina.

There is a lesson here; your mind can not focus on two things at the same time.  Therefore, when you are really troubled, think about sitting back in your best chair, put on some music that allows you to get involved with the music and let go!  With all the trouble in New Orleans, there is nothing that I personally could do about it anyway, especially doing 70 (ok I was doing 77) on I-59 south.  So why not let go and give your mind a rest.  Not only did it rest, it was rejuvenated.  After 5 hours of smooth jazz, I was ready to kick butt and take no names let alone prisoners.

Now it is one week and two days after the devastation.  I still have not heard from 30 of my 70 agents.  I am still confident that they are OK while the same I am sure cannot be said for their homes.    Then I thought about something that occurred as recently as two weeks ago where an associate was really upset over something that happened.  I would dare say the agent has not given that incident one thought since Katrina – kind of puts things into perspective doesn’t it?  But why do we have to endure something as horrible as Katrina to realize that life’s “little” problems don’t amount to a hill of beans so why do we let them amount to a little hill of beans?  You don’t have to answer, it was just a question.

It is hot in my home. I spent the last two days cutting up fallen trees and clearing my lot and patching the hole in my roof.  At first I worked for about 2 hours and then took a 10 minute break.  Then for about an hour with a 20 minute break and you can guess where this is going.  I am not as young as my mind thought I was.  It was really hard work in a very hot sun.  You learn to appreciate not having to work that hard; that I can assure you.  You learn to appreciate the little things at times like this. For example, my home is very hot, every window is open, the sun is setting just over the top of my laptop and, yep, it was what I thought it was, a very gentle breeze cooling me ever so slightly.  When was the last time you gave thanks for a gentle breeze?  You don’t have to answer. 

So I sit here at my laptop writing about my experiences with Katrina.  I have a chocolate SnackPak pudding and of course my XM radio is on and Watercolors is playing more smooth jazz and believe it or not all is right with the world in spite of Katrina.  Sure there are people in harms’ way but there are always people in harms’ way, some beyond their control and some within their own control.  By the way, Gregg Karukas is currently on Watercolors playing a song entitled “Healing Song”, is that a coincidence or what?

I received several phone calls today and that in itself was a small miracle.  One was from Lee Shelton whom most of you probably do not know but should and the other from Joe Tye whom most of you probably do not know but should.  Lee is an extraordinary man who has had a very creative life and now speaks to large groups about such things as “Creating Teamwork” something that everyone should hear.  He called to see how his student was doing.  Then Joe Tye called also to see how his pupil was doing.  Joe’s book “Never Fear, Never Quit” seems somehow very appropriate at the moment.  It would be easy to think of giving up and doing something else or going somewhere else.  Leave it to Joe to put things into perspective. 

I mentioned to Joe that it was easy to feel sorry for yourself until you realize how miserable some people are in downtown New Orleans.  Joe reminded me that pain is pain and it is OK to not only feel your own pain but to let go and give in to how you feel.  Holding back your pain accomplishes nothing.  Once you can acknowledge how you feel, it becomes easier to really let it go and move on.  This is NOT the end of the world.  In fact, it is a new beginning.  We had BK and now we start AK (before Katrina and after Katrina). 

That noise?  Oh, that is another thing to be thankful for.  A gas generator; J   I hooked one up to a fan and now I am also thankful for a smallish hurricane that is blowing across my back.  It was off when I started this Nugget but as the sweat started to run down my arms and onto my keyboard; I thought it was time to light it off.  It was not totally selfish, my battery on my laptop was about to expire.

So what’s the lesson some 9 days after Katrina (AK)?  GIVE THANKS!

What or who should I give thanks to or for?

  • I am alive – God!
  • My home is in tack
  • I have my laptop computer and it is working
  • A gentle breeze through the screen window
  • Chocolate pudding
  • Gatorade lemonade
  • Gas generator
  • A fan that works
  • Lee Shelton
  • Joe Tye
  • Too many people to name who have called or emailed wishing me well
  • My office building is in tack
  • I still have my golf clubs


No one knows for certain what the future holds; it could be good, bad or indifferent.  It really doesn’t matter does it?   What’s important part 3? 

  • My wife Diane
  • My Miniature Schnauzer Sophie
  • The people who care about me and my well being
  • Geeze, I almost left off my golf clubs (had I not said that no one would have believed a word I said here)

But the most important lesson I have learned 9 days into Katrina is to stop and give thanks to what is important and put everything else into its proper perspective because when it comes down to it, nothing else really matters.

I have over my desk three very important papers:

  1. 7 Habits of Highly Successful People –Stephen Covey
  2. The Self-Empowerment Pledge – Joe Tye
  3. The Traveler’s Gift – Andy Andrews

These documents are very important to me and I review them on a daily basis to keep me focused on what is important.  As good as all three of these documents are, they left off one character trait I have learned as a result of Katrina and that is “to be grateful” and to “give thanks” even for the smallest of gifts like the cooling breeze over the top of my laptop when everything else seems to be falling apart around you.

P.S.  If anyone would like a copy of the three documents identified above, send me an email to JimBrown@gymbeaux.com and simply put the word “documents” in the subject line.  When everything gets back to normal, I will send them out.  No don’t do that!  I’ll just them out to everyone any way.

Oh yea, I am also very grateful to the over 400 recipients of Nuggets for the Noggin and the many comments I have received about them.  Thank you from the bottom of my heard (has anyone ever wondered where that saying comes from?  Why not the TOP of my heart?)


I worked hard today, think I’ll try the vanilla pudding – I don’t think the grandkids will miss one or two of them.