More Theft by the Government; UK Debt is Over 900% of GDP But Will Spend a Hal-Trillion Dollars on a Jubilee! Good Idea!

Kneel down before your masters, tax-slave.

The very rich Queen of England is worth $500 million dollars or more. 

On top of that, some Supporters want taxpayers to buy her a $95 million yacht!!! 

I'm often blasting the Japanese government and the US government for screwing the people over and wasting our money on taxation.


Let me make it perfectly clear: All taxation is theft.


But today I just have to blast the British Royal Family and how the government over there is just screwing the people over monstrously. This is short and won't take much explanation:


The Queen of England says that these are tough times and that we all have to pull together and cut spending and support austerity. Then she has a Royal Jubilee that cost at least $1.5 billion dollars!


This on top of the fact that Great Britain has the highest debt to GDP in the entire world - Even higher than Japan! Please refer to: Morgan Stanley Reports: Japan's Total Debt, Public, Private and Household, is More Than 600% of GDP. There you will see a chart that shows the total debt, households, government and financial in the UK is over 900% of GDP.


Yeah, but what's a half-trillion dollars for an anniversary between friends, right?


No big deal. 


The royalty have always been scum with no connection to the regular people. "Let them eat cake" attitude still persists today... The queen should tell these people who plan these things to tone them down and don't spend so lavishly (of other people's money!) We have royalty in Japan too, but they don't do things nearly as gaudy as this. Recently the emperor and empress told the government that, when they die, they are forbidden to hold separate ceremonies fo each of them. The emperor said that it would cost too much money and ordered them to have a singe ceremony for the both of them at the same time in order to save costs.


I don't expect royalty to give up their positions voluntarily, but, especially in the west, they should take a clue from the Japanese. For example, even the marriage of the Crown Prince of Japan (the next emperor) is not even close to being in the Top Ten Lavish Weddings of All Time and Japan is a rich nation.


Half a trillion dollars to celebrate some old woman being on the throne?


Kneel down (or bend over) for your masters tax slave!

-------

Finally, not being a Christian, yet well studied in the religions of the world, I leave you with this:

1 Samuel 8  Warning concerning a King

¹⁰ So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked of him a king. ¹¹ He said, “ This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots. ¹²  He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. ¹³ He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴  He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants. ¹⁵ He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants. ¹⁶ He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work. ¹⁷ He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants. ¹⁸ Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

¹⁹ Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us, ²⁰  that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” ²¹ Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people,he repeated them in the Lord’s hearing. ²² The Lord said to Samuel, “ Listen to their voice and appoint them a king.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”

Why Tourism to Japan is in the Dumps (Idiotic Government Run Campaigns)

Top Three Reasons Tourists Don't Come to Japan:

Yes! Please come to visit Japan! How's that? You're already here?

Oh, then, never mind....

It seems to me, from where I sit, that there are three obvious reasons why tourism to Japan is down in the crapper and looks like it's going to stay there for a while. They are (in order of ascending importance):


Number three: Fukushima. Nothing needs to be added here. Whether there is a risk or not, bad publicity is bad publicity.... especially if that bad publicity conjures up images of your kids growing three heads and extra tentacles after visiting Japan 


Number two: The extremely strong yen. Yep. Even before anyone had ever heard of Fukushima, the strong yen and high prices were keeping tourists away.


And the number one reason tourism to Japan is down in the crapper and looks like it's going to stay there for a while: Idiots in Japan, who can't speak English, being in charge of the travel campaigns for the idiots in the Japanese government.


(Audience laughs and claps!)


You'd be surprised at the stupid stuff I see all the time. 


Who could forget the wonderfully conceived "Visit Japan" poster campaign that enticed foreigners to come to Japan by placing posters on walls of fine dining establishments? Oops? What's that you say? The posters were only placed in restaurants inside of Japan so the only foreigners who could ever see those were already here? 


Minor details! Please refer to:

First 100 Readers of This Blog Win Free Airfare for Two to Japan - No Hidden Catches! No Gimmicks! No Basis in Reality Whatsoever Either...*

Which is much like this campaign that I've seen at my local pub recently. The posters say, "Visit Japan!" I think, "Wow! What a brilliant idea! Promote visiting Japan to people who are already here! Saves them the airfare! Brilliant!"

Well, yesterday a campaign came across my desk with a letter asking for help. The campaign was just terrible! The entire thing seemed like it was conceived and written by 4th graders. I do not exaggerate.


The main catch copy of the campaign was, "Japan Has Seven Amazings!"


Yes, folks. That's what it said. The main crux and foundational concept of this campaign was "Japan Has Seven Amazings!" Besides this Shakespearean level prose, the logo for the campaign was a rainbow... And, darn if I hadn't see a rainbow that looked just like it recently. There was some other flotsam and jetsam but I won't bore you with a description of those... Just trust me that they were of similar poor concept and execution...


The guy who sent me this stuff asked my opinion. He is an old friend so I know he wants me to say what I think and not some sugar-coated BS... He knows I usually don't beat around the bush for this sort of thing and, at 4 am, I certainly wasn't in the mood to give people English lessons. I wrote to him,

Dear Taka (not his real name)


Sorry, guy, but everything sounds stupid. Really stupid. Really.

I am often amused at this sort of thing. Why in the world would a campaign directed at foreigners have catch copy created by non-native English speaking Japanese? If I were making a campaign directed at, say, people from Mongolia, do you think I would write the catch copy for that campaign? That's just plain stupid, you know? 

Frankly speaking, all these phrases you sent me are extremely bad and sound simply terrible. They have no beauty in prose nor skill in use of the English language. They are not beautiful sentences.

If you weren't my friend, I'd ignore this letter. But since you are, I'll try to help you. You guys seem to be missing the most basic question that needs to be asked even before you start:

1) Who is your target audience? This is fundamentally a basic question that must be answered first.

I think your audience is:

a) High income, highly educated foreigners who are wealthy enough to travel to Japan. Who are these people? People 35 ~ 55 years old. Educated. Employed. With disposable income. Basically upper middle class and upper class people. 

b) People who might have an interest in Japan. (Try to steal away tourists who go to China or Hong Kong or Singapore to come to Japan instead for a few days.)

Ultimately, this is a tourism campaign, so you want tourists to come here and spend money. You don't want poor people to come, so don't write English sentences and uneducated nonsense that sound like they were written by poor people. 

Try to sound intelligent and highly educated. "Japan Has Seven Amazings!" Does not sound intelligent at all. It is incorrect grammar and spelling. My third grader son laughed when he read it...

If you guys want to capture the imaginations of upper class people then you'll need phrases that don't sound like they were written by fourth graders. 

I am not exaggerating when I say that these phrases you've sent me and this design concept is very poor. It doesn't take into consideration the target audience at all. 

The rainbow idea is incredibly bad. It looks like Obama campaign (Obama is NOT popular at all in USA anymore - or Europe). Your rainbow design looks like that:

 

Everything I see here in your mail is awful, Taka. Sorry to be so frank, but you asked.

Beautiful Japan, and the other seven phrases are just plain amateurish and terrible copy writing

Here, I'll help you guys... You seem so stuck on "7" so how's this? "The Seven Enigma's of Japan" or "The Seven Splendors of Japan"? 

Yeah, I know that none of you guys have ever heard these words, but trust that any native speaker who graduated from elementary school probably has. These words sound at least passably erudite (look up the meaning of that word, please). 

Enigma or splendor may capture the imagination... Perhaps it makes me wonder and it is obvious that it is a phrase created by a professional writer and native speaker.

That's my advice to you.

PS: The rainbow is awful. Think about branding. An image should show me immediately what it is. Whenever you see a Coca Cola logo, you know immediately what it is. Foreign image of Japan is Fuji san, Geisha, Sushi, etc. Don't try to change 500 years of Japanese image in one dumb summer tourism campaign. It won't work. 

Taka wrote back to me later. Of course, they will not take my advice. He wrote:


""Enigma" is good as you explain the meaning of it but it might sound too complicated for difficult for Japanese to understand.


And so it goes. A campaign directed at native English speakers has catch copy rejected because non-native speakers won't understand it?


Brilliant!


That's how it works here in Japan. It looks like we're stuck with "Japan Has Seven Amazings!" for this year's (2012) campaign to draw tourists into Japan. Amazings!


And it goes on and on just like this, year after year... And they wonder why people don't visit?


That's why the tourism industry in Japan has been in the doldrums for decades; we have idiots writing and directing the campaign. But not to worry... You won't be embarrassed by these posters... They'll be hanging the posters in restaurants where only the Japanese will see them anyway....


Problem solved! and the end of another brilliant campaign and waste of taxpayer money... 


What's the chances they get it right next year?

Japan's Economic Disaster is Here? Topix Hits 1983 Levels - Dow Crash Around the Corner?

Think this bodes for disaster for the Dow? Think this bodes disaster for the world economy? Think I'm right about the disaster hitting Japan this summer? I do.

Tokyo Stock Exchange (photo by me - use as you wish)

Bloomberg reports in Japan's Topix Heads for Lowest Close Since 1983 on US:

Japan’s Topix Index (TPX) plunged to the lowest level since 1983 and entered a bear market, after disappointing U.S. jobs and China services data added to evidence the global economy is slowing.

The Topix slid 2.1 percent to 694.22 at 12:40 p.m. in Tokyo, heading for the lowest close since Dec. 2, 1983, and dropping below levels last seen since the global financial crisis following the 2008 collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. About 12 stocks fell for each that rose on the measure. The Nikkei 225 Stock Average (NKY) dropped 2 percent to 8,272.00.

“This is a panic selloff,” said Koichi Kurose, chief economist at Resona Bank Ltd., Japan’s fifth-largest lender by market value. “Action from policy makers is the only thing that will calm the market. The market is pricing in a deterioration in the U.S. economy through summer.”

The Topix has fallen about 21 percent since March 27 amid a deepening debt crisis in Europe and slowing growth in China. Should the gauge close at the current level, it will have entered a so-called bear market. The decline compares with a 9.5 percent drop on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index (SPX) and a 12 percent slide for the Stoxx Europe 600. (SXXP)

Maybe there really is a reason the the SEC changed the rules for a trading shutdown in the event of a crash last Friday.

Maybe they know something that we don't?

Tomorrow night! June 5th. Free Beer in Tokyo! InterFM 6 O'Clock Yatsura party!

Tomorrow night! June 5th. Free Beer! No kidding. I'll be at Flat in Futakotamagawa from 5:30 pm doing a live FM radio report (and having a drinking party like last week's bash at Taiho). Be there and when you walk in, say, "InterFM Yatsura" and get your first beer free (or drink of your choice!)

明日！６月５日（火）１７：３０から全員集合！炭火焼「ふらっと」！二子玉川駅（田園都市線と大井町線）合い言葉："InterFM Yatsura!"を言えば最初のドリンク一杯無料サービス！

Flat　ふらっと

4-10-1 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo

東京都世田谷区玉川４−１０−１

Tel: 03-6313-1445

Map URL: http://yahoo.jp/LQhUnd

Here's information about Flat!

Mr. & Mrs. Shimodai - the folks who run Flat.

Finally! There's a new delicious Yakitori that just opened near my house. It opened on April 20th, 2012 so I went there last night to participate in the venue's fare and was quite pleased.

Flat - Look for the Akachochin (red lanterns!)

The shop's name is "Flat." It is a 5 minute walk from Futakotamagawa station on the Den-en-Toshi Line. (Two stops by express train - six by local train - from Shibuya). It is on the side of the station a few minutes walk from Takashimaya so it's a great place to go if the ladies want to go shopping too! 

Room for about 12 to seat on the first floor and a standing bar for four people or so. On the second floor, there is a tatami room that seats ten. 

Friendly staff and a spic and span cleanliness (always a must for the Gaijin Gourmet!)

The kitchen is kept spotless and anyone can easily view the food preparation. The standing bar is directly opposite the barbecue rack (to the left of this picture) so anyone can see how clean and spotless the facilities are.

It says, (ふらっと　炭火焼）"Flat Sumibiyaki" (sumibiyaki means "cooked over charcoal") 

All the cooked chicken items I had were very delicious. 

I don't like dethawed frozen meats and the menu at Flat had fresh chicken. Delicious. It is about ¥160 per piece, which is a tad bit pricy, but like I said, it is not frozen meats so the taste is superb... Good Yakitori never needs sauce and only salt. I don't even use salt so I can really taste good meat. This place has good quality chicken! Fresh!

The owner and head chef is Shimodai san. If you go there, tell him "Mike sent you!"

Flat

4-10-1 Tamagawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo

東京都世田谷区玉川４−１０−１

Tel: 03-6313-1445

(If you want to have a party of more than 4 or so, bettre call first, this place gets packed!)

Map URL: http://yahoo.jp/LQhUnd

Internet Advertising? Cars? Check... Make Money at Home? Check... Dating Shemales?... Wait! What!!!???

Probably everyone has heard the story about General Motors Automobile Company dropping all their Facebook advertising because no one clicks on Facebook ads? Yeah?

Well, perhaps it isn't a problem with Facebook. Perhaps it's a problem with what is being advertised and how it is being presented. I mean, who wants to click on an Internet ad just to see some dumb commercial that you can see on TV? Not me. I hate TV!


Well here's an ad you won't see on TV - ever! And it really caught my eye! I was just reading stuff at Zerohedge and saw an ad for, get ready for it.... Dating with Shemales!

There it is, on the left!

Now, I don't date Shemales and have nothing against anyone who does...but I have never seen any advertising like this! I might click it just to go see WTF is this????


Well, I clicked it and it's for real. It is a dating service for men and women and people who might like Shemales.... Ultimately, I gather it is a dating service for people who are very open-minded and not judgmental about what other people do in their bedrooms - quite unlike the weirdoes and fascists who think it's their business what other people do.


Well, I don't care what other people do and I am happy to see a community of people who seem to feel the same.


My thinking about this? I have enough of my own problems to worry about without having to worry about someone else's problems (or what they do inside of their own homes!) -- Especially someone I don't even know.


I hope someone can become happy through a dating service or any of the other old-fashioned ways. Lord knows we could use all the happiness we can get in this world!

Cool and Strange Music and Sunday Thoughts About Smoking, War Vets and Market Crashes (and Making People Uncomfortable)

（タバコ好きな人是非見て下さい！ビデオはした！大爆笑！）

It's a Sunday Morning in Japan. Good morning. Three things to start off your day.


First off, do you smoke cigarettes? Have you ever smoked cigarettes? If you are one of the lucky who used to smoke and quit (like me) then this first one is for you. 

Yes. That's hot and smoking Rita Hayworth!

Japan is a smokers paradise. Japan is definitely not a good place to try to quit smoking cigarettes. At the radio station I sometimes work at, there is a huge smokers room inside the building right by the front door so that when you walk in you are greeted by a huge waft of second-hand, stale cigarette smoke. Great!


I've mentioned before that I love Cool and Strange music. This song and video is for all you ex-smokers out there (congrats) and all you losers who have considered smoking but don't have the balls to do so. Watch this video and see what the rest of us are laughing at you behind your back about. This is hilarious. I don't know anyone who didn't howl with laughter on this song!:

VIKINGS - NICOTINE

Ha! Ha! Ha! Keep on smoking!

---------

The article I wrote on Lew Rockwell about my father's military burial was very warmly received. In two days, I've received about 150 emails. All but three of those were positive in their reaction. The most satisfying part of that is that almost all of the mail, I'd say well over 90%, was from former US military and combat vets.


Please refer to Used by the State, Even in Death:

I’m sorry. Dad, I love you and I am proud of you, but you didn’t go to war in Korea to protect our freedoms; you went to war over there to further US economic interests and the US empire. That you never figured that out in your lifetime is sad. But, I hope that you are in a better place and have had the chance to speak directly with a former US marine general by now.

It was satisfying to get so much praise. It is sad, though, that one guy really keep hammering at me. He said he was a combat vet and this was our discussion after the first mail where he claimed that US troops were protecting American freedoms in Korea. He wrote:

Just ask yourself how you would be faring in South Korea if the North Koreans would have won the war. Now all the South Koreans would be sharing in the "joy/gulag" that the enemies of mankind have foisted upon their people in the North.... Now, let's see, how did the US soldier protect our freedoms in Korea-apparantly (sic) the South Koreans aren't considered a part of mankind according to your vision of the world..

I answered back:

Where in the US constitution does it say that America's sons and daughter have to fight and die for Koreans? Did Americans fight for independence in the revolutionary war so that our flesh and blood could be spilled for foreigners?

You write; "Now, let's see, how did the US soldier protect our freedoms in Korea?" Yes. Let's answer that. I say that there were NO AMERICAN FREEDOMS PROTECTED IN KOREA. 

Your comments are a mass contradiction. 

You say, "apparantly (sic) the South Koreans aren't considered a part of mankind according to your vision of the world.." (I think we have a terminology problem here. I think there is a BIG difference between "mankind" and "American" in the dictionary.)

You criticize communism, yet you sound like one. Lenin once said, "All people, in all nations, are considered equal and are provided for equally, regardless of their contributions to the economy or to society."

My opinions follow in the footsteps of true Americans like George Washington who said, "The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible.... Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves, by artificial ties, in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities.

Or how about Thomas Paine? "Free trade with all and military alliances with no one."

After that, the man just resorted to ad hominem attacks as it is obvious his position is confused.


The sad thing is, though, I don't want to fight with him. That he can't logically argue his positions and resorts to name calling shows that he probably suspects that I am right; I think he knows that he was used by big Wall Street bankers in the Korean War (or any US war since 1812) and, if he admits it to himself, he realizes that so much of his youth was wasted.


I mention often that time cannot be wasted. It is the only non-renewable resource. 


That being said, I don't want to hurt his feelings. Alas, I wish I could grow up to become a wiser person someday and be able to write better so that it doesn't hurt people's feelings... But that is a contradiction too! 


Yesterday's blog about being timely might have hurt someone's feelings too... Yes, when I write about these things I am usually emotional about it. I'm trying to be that way. I want people to like my writing or hate it. No in-betweens and, therein lies the contradiction:


How to be a good writer? I can't remember who said it but it's true, "When you try to please everyone, you wind up pleasing no one!"


In my confused vision of things, I believe that if you want to become a popular writer then you need to make something bigger than just waves... You need to pull at heartstrings and create strong emotions; it's okay if those emotions make people dislike the writer. 


Comes with the territory I suppose... But hurting people's feelings isn't my intent. If it were, I'd name names. 

Rose in my garden

---------

Finally, something very strange came across my desk for you folks who are interested in the economy and, well, having a job! (And who isn't interested in that?) The SEC in the USA (you know, the guys who are supposed to regulate the Stock Market but instead watch porn on their computers?) seem to have tipped their hand that they are expecting a stock market crash soon.


Well, I do expect a stock market crash. I think this summer in Europe, Japan, the USA and China are going to be very rough! 


Anyhow, the SEC has changed the rules on stopping Dow trading in the event of a sudden drop in price. Years ago, the automatic trading would stop if there were a 30% drop; then they changed it to 20%; then 10% and, on Friday, they changed it to 7%!!! By the way, history has shown that after they change the rules, the price crashes happened.


Did the SEC just tip off everyone that a massive stock price crash is imminent?

Zerohedge reports in Did the SEC Just Hint at a 7% Market Plunge?:

...the SEC may have blundered yesterday afternoon, when it proposed yet another revision to its market-wide halt rule. And once again, instead of making traders and investors more comfortable that the SEC is capable and in control, the questions have already come pouring in: is the SEC preparing for another massive market crash?

This is what hit the tape from the SEC late yesterday:

The Securities and Exchange Commission has approved two proposals submitted by the national securities exchanges and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) that are designed to address extraordinary volatility in individual securities and the broader U.S. stock market.

...

The second initiative updates existing market-wide circuit breakers that when triggered, halt trading in all exchange-listed securities throughout the U.S. markets. The existing market-wide circuit breakers were adopted in October 1988 and have been triggered only once, in 1997. The changes lower the percentage-decline threshold for triggering a market-wide trading halt and shorten the amount of time that trading is halted. The exchanges and FINRA will implement these changes by February 4, 2013.

The key word is bolded and underlined: lower. Because as noted above, the upped market-close threshold is irrelevant: should the S&P trade down to 800 on Monday, western civilization will have far bigger problems to worry about than reversing a market crash. It is the tiniest quantized increment that is relevant. Which according to the SEC is now a "mere" 7% to enact a market holiday, either temporary or indefinite.

The market, as of today, has lost money for 2012 (not including the devaluation of the dollar's purchasing power). The Dow Jones Industrial average sits at about $12,110.


I think that, if in the next few weeks, we get hit with a plunge of 800 points in a few minutes, not only will they have to stop the trading, they better get out the life support.


Hot summer in 2012, folks.... And it's just getting started. Got gold?

--------

Yesterday I found a baby Japanese Maple tree growing in a crack in the curb. I have never seen a baby seedling Maple like this before (and had always wanted one!) It took me thirty minutes to rescue it and then I replanted it. I'm going to take care of it and make it into a beautiful bonsai if I can... Or, just grow it and have it as a house plant (trees are difficult inside of houses, but I already have two).

What a wonderful present! Thank you.

Sunday morning in Japan. The weekend in the USA. Have a great one friends!

Hug your kids - and your parents - and tell them that you love them... Give them an extra smile for me! 

It's Not Rocket Science: A Meeting Scheduled at One O'Clock Starts at One O'Clock! Not at Two Minutes Past One

Question: What is Lombardi time?

Answer: "Lombardi time became the principle that all successful people show up ten to fifteen minutes early. This shows that they have dedication to hard work and values." 

Empty wallet due to poor work habits?

Like the title of this post says, "A meeting scheduled at one o'clock starts at one o'clock! Not at two minutes past one"... or even one second past one o'clock. This is not rocket science. 


I can't believe though how incompetent people are about this.


I come from the mass media and television world. You remember when you'd see or hear the time tone on the TV or radio telling you that it is five o'clock? Guess what? That means exactly five o'clock. Not Five o-one. Not five seconds past five. Five o'clock exactly. 


Funny that.


Being from the mass media and television world, you can guess that if my TV or radio show starts at six pm and I'm not there at six pm... Then I'm not only late, I'm out of a job. One second late for a live broadcast on TV or radio and you are gone. Fired. Kaput. Goodbye!


There's a million and one people who will eagerly replace you in a minute. That's the way it is. 


Time is important. Time is money. Don't waste your time. Don't waste my time.


I am often frustrated to death with just how incompetent, useless and inconsiderate people are... That there are people who are doing poorly in their business because of their awful work habits and also their undependability (especially when it comes to time) doesn't surprise me at all. That there are so many of them does surprise me.


The very successful people I know are always on time (early, in fact) and they always do what they say they are going to do and they do it usually better than promised.


That's why they are successful. 


The unsuccessful ones always have an excuse, never surprise with quality work and are always late. They are the ones who think "meeting at one o'clock" means it's okay to be five minutes late. 


It's not okay.


I wrote about one person whose incredible incompetence can only lead someone who reads the article to shake their head in disbelief and agreement. Many have written to me and said; "Yes. I can see where that person's business isn't successful." Please refer to Earn a Bad Reputation Disrespecting Artists and Their Work.


But yesterday I met another person who wasted my time. He had asked me to help him with a project. I gave him thirty minutes. We arranged to meet at one o'clock at the train station. 


As usual, I showed up using Lombardi Time.


Did he show up at one o'clock? No. He was late by five minutes and didn't even say, "Sorry!"


Think about that. This person wants my help yet they are so incompetent that they can't even be on time! I guess they don't really need my help that much! 


I know that many people today are terrible at time management and are always late. Is there any surprise that the economy is so bad? Hasn't anyone considered that the probability of being late all the time equates with the number of poor people?


Will I put my reputation on the line to help this person who can't even be on time? No way.


I waited for them for five minutes... I should have left. When I heard the idea they wanted help with, I knew I was dealing with a rank amateur who had no idea what they were talking about.


Figured. Can't tell time or keep appointments better than a high school student, who should expect them to act and think like a professional?


May I make an announcement to the world? 


If I ask you for a favor, if you are late, then I will wait for you for hours... That makes sense to me; I ask for the favor, then I must wait.


If you ask me for a favor, and you are my friend, then I will wait for you... (But I seriously doubt my friends wouldn't call me even if they were going to be a few minutes late.) 


You know what they say about birds of a feather and all that!


If you ask me for a favor, and I don't know you well, then if you are even one second late for the engagement with me, without notifying me, you have lost the job. I will fire you as I would a TV announcer who missed his live TV show by one second. I won't be there when you show up.


That's the way it is.


Some people will read this and think, "Rogers is an jerk for being so picky about someone being even one minute late." If so, fine. I don't want to work with you at all. I'll stick to my small group of professionals who don't do that to each other. Why should I waste time with amateurs that do that?


Ever wonder why they are amateur?


It's not rocket science.


One o'clock is one o'clock... Not one o'two....