“Motivation is simple. You eliminate those who are not motivated.”

 Lou Holtz, Former Head Football Coach, Notre Dame University

On Rights and Responsibilities

 Lane Filler lived in Spartanburg for a number of years as a columnist for the Spartanburg Herald Journal. His wry way of looking at things resulted in a hilarious book of columns entitled “Ask Mr. Smartypants.”  Lane also writes seriously, and with unique perspective and insight, on important topics. He moved on to bigger things a little over two years ago to a syndicated columnist and editorial board position with New York Newsday, the nation’s 11th largest newspaper. In a recent column he comments on The eternal tension between rights and responsibilities.  As is typical of Lane, he addresses a problem we can all identify with (in this case, gun control) from a different perspective, and then extends the discussion to other areas that are also areas where rights and responsibilities are at tension, such as education and health care. For another fabulous Lane Filler article on the health care debate, check out If only car insurance ran like health care, which Lane wrote while working for the Herald Journal.

Econ Recon: Lacking confidence in Confidence

Perhaps one of the most watched economic stats is the Consumer Confidence Index. Vistage Staff Economist and ITR Economics Principal Alan Beaulieu looks at the Consumer Confidence Index and suggests that, as presented, it is a less than helpful indicator and that  “Monthly Consumer Confidence Numbers Don’t Tell the Full Story“

Bill Gates Favorite TED Talks

Knowing what to read, or watch, is increasingly hard to determine in a world with so much to offer in both media. One way is to read reviews. Another is find out what smart people find informative. Regardless of how you feel about him, any list of Bill Gates’ book or video preferences has to be taken seriously. Gates was asked which of the terrific videos offered at TED.com were his favorites. Here is a list of his 13 “must see” videos on the TED site. By the way, his best business book recommendation is “My Years with General Motors” by Alfred Sloan, who was the driving force behind the creation of what became the world’s largest company.

A Fun Look at Badware

We’ve probably all suffered from an Internet virus at one time or another. The other day I was stopped by Google from visiting a legitimate site (a newspaper!) that had apparently been hacked and was distributing gifts that keep on giving to visitors. (Google blocks infected sites they detect until they get repaired). On the way I was directed to site I had never heard of before, “Stop Badware,” and was treated to this fun way of teaching how to avoid the more likely ways to get infected. Check out “Website Security in the Wild”  for both knowledge and entertainment.