The Most Dangerous Service….Bill Gates’ Summer Reading List….Seven Habits: The Movie….You’re Doing Better than You Think….Econ Recon: Slamming the Middle Class: Motorcycles, Marketing and Millennials

MEMORIAL DAY POST

“People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.”

Attributed to George Orwell
Author of  “1984”

“Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.”

 G.K. Chesterton

“Heroism is latent in every human soul;  however humble or unknown, they (the veterans) have renounced what are accounted pleasures and cheerfully undertaken all the self-denials – privations, toils, dangers, sufferings, sicknesses, mutilations, life-long hurts and losses, death itself – for some great good, dimly seen but dearly held.” 

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
Union Civil War General, Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient
and President of Bowdoin College

There are many ways to spend Memorial Day.
 Here’s how one family is spending theirs.

 The Most Dangerous Service

When we think of “the service” those who served in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard and Marines come to mind. Every branch of the services have endured casualties, especially during World War II. However, one non-military branch endured an unusually high casualty rate during that conflict.

The Merchant Marine ferried supplies to England and other Allies early in the war without naval escort to protect them against German submarines. (One Merchant Marine sailor had ten ships shot out from underneath him.) Relative to the number of those serving, the US Merchant Marine had a higher casualty rate in World War II than any of the military branches of the services (3.9%). (There were branches of each service that had a higher casualty rate, most notably the U.S. Navy Submarine Force with 20% casualties, but the Merchant Marine suffered the highest casualty rate as a service.)

On Memorial Day, take a minute to learn why the Merchant Marine were the unsung heroes of World War II.     ….and be sure to remember all the other Heroes who have given their lives for their country as well.

Bill Gates’ Summer Reading List

Memorial Day marks the beginning of summer and for those of you heading off to the beach, here’s what one of the world’s richest people thinks you should pack along with the sunscreen and beach umbrellas. Check out Bill Gates’ 2016 Summer Reading List.

Seven Habits: The Movie

If you don’t want to take a book to the beach, but want to be a better person at the end of the summer, take your Ipad along and watch this 7 minute video summary of Stephen Covey’s “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”     and then forward the link to a young person in your life who is headed off to college or that first job – or to anyone else who could use the inspiration to take better charge of their life!

You’re Doing Better than You Think

The ability to self-assess yourself and your situation is vital to a successful life. Here’s a list of 12 Sure Signs That You’re Doing Better Than You Think. Check it out; you may find that you don’t know how good you have it….until you think about it.

Econ Recon:  Slamming the Middle Class;  Motorcycles Marketing and Millennials

Slamming the Middle Class: Economist Brian Wesbury says  “Growth and the middle class – hot topics in an election year. The left say we need to bring back the 1950’s-60’s, the golden years of unions and the middle class dream. Donald Trump blames it on China and Mexico “stealing” jobs. We think they both have it wrong.” Find out why he thinks that “big government is slamming the middle class.”

Motorcycles, Marketing and Millennials: ITR Economics CEO Brian Beaulieu was recently one of the featured speakers at the 17th Annual Motorcycle Industry Council Communications Symposium. In an article that recaps his take on the economy for the next few years, and with some other symposium participants, offers some comments on Millennials and marketing that every C-Level executive who wants to succeed in selling both to Millennials and Boomers might do well to consider. Check out “The New Face of Motorcycling and Marketing to Millennials.”