White=Surrender?

Tennis may be the pinnacle of athletics. The athletes hit the ball back and forth, not only trying to outwit and outperform the opponent but also trying to keep the ball out of the net and in the area of play, at speeds reaching and exceeding 100 mph. An athlete in his/her late 20's is thought to be old. The tension from point to point is tremendous. For over 5 hours I followed the happenings at the Gentlemen's Final at Wimbledon--Federer V. Nadal. Of course, as is tradition, the players wore at least 95% white. As I pondered the connection between sport and the color white, the first thing that came to mind was the white towel--a sign of surrender. But this match was void of surrender. It was, as wrestlers or boxers might be wont to exclaim, a war of attrition. So what other significance could white have? In Rome, candidates for a greater calling or office wore white. Many competed, but one became victor. To many people throughout history white has also been associated with the cardinal points, specifically East and West. As it corresponds to the West, white is associated with death or absence. As it corresponds to the East, white is symbolic of birth or rebirth and initiation--a rite of passage. So as one candidate--a great champion--is defeated and another one ascends, let us look forward to the rebirth of a like rivalry in a year's time.

Integrity and Honesty

I had the most frustrating and difficult week of my professional life this past week. I have been in and out of corporate America for the better part of the last decade. Which is to say nothing of my time in the United States Senate. During that time I have had occasion to be involved in all types of ethical quandaries. Some involving me directly and others I watched at arms length. During all of those situations I felt that both sides of the equation had legitimate feelings and memories of the events in question. This position lead me to the conclusion that most, if not all, of these quandaries stemmed from a misunderstanding or miscommunication by one or both of the parties involved. This is week marked the first experience I have had where I truly fell like someone just out and out lied to further their position.

For legal reasons I am not going to go into the details of what happened this week. Suffice it to say their was an accusation made by one of my clients that I had purposely shared confidential financial information in effort thwart the sale of a business for my personal gain. Even if you know nothing of professional ethics or the laws governing banks regarding the confidential nature of someone financial information, I think it easy to grasp the gravity of the accusation.

Fortunately my named was cleared of any wrong doing at the bank. The client has been made whole and more or less all is well. But as it turns out, after all the dust has settled it is very obvious that the accusations made were a complete knee-jerk reaction to something the client did not like.

So get to the point! I now have a painful experience to bolster my conviction of the need for complete honesty and personal integrity. When our lives get tested in these areas the opportunity to do right is almost never convenient or easy. Dare I suggest it is more often a decision laced with fear and self doubt. But I promise you this, when you kick against the pricks of honesty your life and the lives of others are severally altered. And most of those times the alteration is negative.

Live honestly at all costs. And pray for the strength to do so.

Gas V. Charcoal

It doesn't even matter if you're a carnivore. Using fire to cook with is a primal skill, an accompaniment to spectacle, and a sign to other species that we are superior. Why do you think tailgating is so popular at football games? Nonetheless, if you were required to choose your weapon would it be gas or charcoal?


Gas--It's convenient, easy to clean, and, some claim, the difference in taste is undetectable.




Charcoal--It's an event, a ritual even, less-expensive, and, some claim, more authentic.






I've cooked on nothing but gas until this last week when we picked up a Weber charcoal grill. It truly is an event. Put hair on my chest and burned it off again. And it taste better. Just like the bike that you payed for yourself rode a lot better than the one your aunt gave you for your birthday. O.K. Maybe the taste difference is mental. I did read, however, that in a blind taste test folks couldn't tell the difference between burgers grilled on either but preferred steaks grilled over charcoal. Choose your weapon and explain yourself.

Brother Sport

I have been (possibly) unfairly imposing Animal Collective on my family in the car and around the house lately, but they all agreed this new song is pretty good. Asa expressed his approval with his own Tektonic moves and Magnus just stayed asleep.

If you're willing to make the commitment, you'll need about seven minutes; the song deserves to be heard through.