"All a man needs to know to make money is to appraise conditions"

"And as I told you, being broke is a very efficient educational agency"

"The recognition of our own mistakes should not benefit us any more than the study of our successes."

"And when a millionaire is right his money is merely one of his serveral servants. Losing money is the least of my troubles.
A loss never bothers me after I take it. I forget it overnight. But being wrong----not taking the loss----that is what does the damage to the pocketbook and the soul."

From Remininscences of a Stock Operator, the store of Jesse Livermore
by
Edwin Lefevre

I had an airport experience of a life time yesterday flying out of Guangzhou.
The airport is about the size of a Midland or Lubbock Texas but handles the traffic of say DFW. Arriving there you are funneled into a one lane path to check bags
for society and collect a 90rmb tax. First guy you meet is the tax collector.
Then off to the ticketing desk. Where when I presented the lady said, "sorry sir
we have no record of your ticket, please go to counter 1". So I went there to find I had friends. The lady ask, "did you confirm your ticket" No I didn't well you have to go on Stand by till 1:30. The flight is at 2:15. By this time irate Iranians, Jordanians, Lebanese and every country in the world it seems is screaming there heads off. Then massive confusion: Only one checked bag and limit is 20kilos
that's 40lbs. My shoes weigh more than that. And One carry on limit 15 or so kilos. In the lobby of the ticketing area my Lebanese friend George is dumping catalogs that he had packed to take back. Massive amounts of catalogs.
Then at 1:30 they start calling out our Stand by numbers, we all made it but was some ordeal.
In June they have a new modern airport opening. I hope customer service is better.

I did a little Polling on the shuttle bus back today. I had a great visit with George Apelian from Lebanon. I ask George where he was from and he said the smallest Country, I replied Rhode Island? No he said Labanon. I asked how the people like my countries war in Iraq. He said we have international law and going it alone like the USA did was not good. Now we will pay the price of this for decades. Lebanon war has been over for 15 yrs but he said they are still paying for it to this day. Very interesting visit.

One thing you'll see when you step off the Guangzhou Metro is a sea of young Chinese men/women holding signs: English Interpreter, Francis Interpreter, German, Spanish, Japanese. Then you'll see alot of the helpful sign holders: Printing Name Card. Most people run out of business cards when they come and there's a big business in helping folks print their business cards. Every booth wants a "Name Card Please" and when you pass by 500 per day one can go through a lot of name cards.

"No man ever got very high by pulling other people down. The intelligent
merchant does not knock his competitors. The sensible worker does not work
those who work with him. Don't knock your friends. Don't knock your
enemies. Don't knock yourself."

Lord Alfred Tennyson
1809-1892, Poet

You may have heard me say, "too many goods chasing too few dollars" well I'm back in China today and its WAY TOO MANY GOODS NOW, this show is getting bigger than ever. I arrived here on Sunday morning and spent today working the show, found some really nice products and of course more than I can consume and sell. You may have a picture of China as a peasant country with farms and rice paddies: Change that, in Guangzhou, there's a Hummer dealership, Mercedes, BMW and Bentley. The Chinese have your American Dollars and they are SPENDING them. No stopping it!

I have a persistent spider. Every morning a masterfully woven web is on my drivers side review mirror, its strug between the mirror and the door with huge stands of web and weave. The spider's web is unbelievable strong, sometimes at the end of the day its still in tack. And the next day there's a new one ready. Tonight we arrived from Fredericksburg as soon as we stopped out came the spider from behind the mirror and started his work again. I'm very impressed. The strength, the persistence, the art. Proverbs said behold the aunt you sluggard--and I'm sure the spider is to be beheld. One cannot, NOT be amazed at this art from such a small creature.

Yesterday I got in the goat business. Boer Goats are the largest goats in goat land and they are very popular to raise in Texas. I bought 5 nannies--with 5 little kids. After taking them to the the ranch--one gave birth to triplets--and today Uncle Martin called and said another one had twins. So in less than 24hrs I've doubled the heard. Not a bad investment. Goats, cattle are all at record prices right now--a goat will bring $100. Cabrito is a sought after meat in South Texas/Mexico.

"Those who want the Government to regulate matters of the mind and spirit are like men who are so afraid of being murdered that they commit suicide to avoid assassination." - Harry S. Truman

The New York Times > Business > World Business > Newest Export Out of China: Inflation Fears

An American Story

A Chinese company and an American company decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.
On the big day the Chinese won by a mile.
Afterward, the American team became very discouraged and morally depressed. The American management decided the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found. A Management Team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action.
Their conclusion was the Chinese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had 8 people steering and one person rowing. So American management hired a consulting company and paid them an incredible amount of money. They advised that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.
To prevent losing to the Chinese again next year, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to 4 steering supervisors, 3 area steering superintendents and 1 assistant superintendent steering manager. They also
implemented a new performance system that would give the 1 person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder.
It was called the Rowing Team Quality First Program, with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower. Even new paddles and medical benefit incentives were promised for a winner. We must give the rower the empowerment and enrichments through this quality program.

The next year the Chinese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment.

The money saved was distributed to the senior executives as bonuses.

1. Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. Africans drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than the Americans.

CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

"Analyze the record of any person who has accumulated great fortune, and
many of those who have accumulated modest fortunes, and you will find that
they have either consciously, or unconsciously employed the Master Mind
principle."

Napoleon Hill
Author of "Think and Grow Rich"

"If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best
effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you
are ready for greater challenges."

Pat Riley
Professional Basketball Coach

China produced 1.04 billion pairs of shoes last year for the world. That's about 20% of the worlds feet got Chinese made shoes. That's about 5 pairs per American, and depending on how you divide male/female that's 10 per female. I'm making a prediction: China could sell more just to American women. The American woman based on my research has at least 25 pair of shoes. So if we say there's 100,000,000 American women that would be a market potential of 2.5 billion pair of shoes just to USA shoe consumers. This is not a scientific study and should not be used to evaluate the USA shoe business.

I head back to China the end of the month to the Canton Fair. The largest trade show in the world. This time with more contacts and some new ideas for new products. It will be much more familiar territory. Charles our bead buyer will go with me--having his eyes to sort through the massive amounts of merchandise will be great.
My friend Jeff Hudnall leaves next week for the first session, he's packing Jerky to eat. He's not a inter cultural cuisine connoisseur. Catfish and tacos is as close as he gets!

Last week I attened a speech at ACU by a former Nazi Youth Corp member. What a story! Growing up he said there was always political fighting between the Nazi socialist and the communist. To avoid conflict he told the story of how his mother had learned to salute each flag. Not saluting a flag could get one beaten or persecuted. The Nazi's also took every symbol and made it into there own, weddings, deaths, and all social cultural interactions. Dr. Casimir later became a soldier in the German Army. He and 250 soldiers were to resist the advancing Russian Army in one section of Berlin, after the fighting was over only 25 survived he was one of them. As the Russians advanced Germany fell and he met a man who was an American missionary Otis Gatewood, who taught him English--and Christ. He later came to America to study and become a missionary to Germany. When he asked Gatewood, "why do you want to help me,why are you here?" Gatewood's response, "Because my Lord told me to be here"!

"Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There
is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions.
Nothing pains some people more than having to think."

Martin Luther King, Jr.
1929-1968, Human Rights Activist and Nobel Prize Winner

"Procrastination is the passive assassin of opportunity."
Roy H. Williams

"Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford

"Those of us who refuse to risk and grow get swallowed up by life." - Patty Hansen

"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing." - Theodore Roosevelt

"What I am is good enough if I would only be it openly." - Carl Rogers

Do you have dreams? Take the advice of the great Anthony Marc White: "Pull the trigger and ride the bullet." Far more dangerous than taking that chance is not taking it.

"The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure." - Joseph Campbell

When you have little to do this is the kind of stuff you do?
From one of my retired Friends:

"Wild Bill" Hickcock's brother was named

"Tame Bill" Hickcock

Moral: I guess it's better to be shot by somebody wih a sense of humor.

On the diploma's in a box post, the end benefit is No one is turned down---now that's equal ignoance for all policy. Can it be NO one is turned down? I wonder if I per chance didn't have the funds to fund my diploma? Would I still be accepted and accredited?

I met a retired math teacher while in Las Vegas last month and I asked him how the students were in Las Vegas with math. He said most only believe they need to count to 21 since mom and dad have a decent job counting to 21 the kids believe they can to. There's not much advance math to blackjack. He was frustrated with this mentality.

Now this is the kind of e-mail I've been getting recently. Diploma's in a box.
Actual E-mail Text:

Diplomas from prestigious non-accredited universities

NO required tests, classes, books, or interviews.

Bachelors, Masters, MBA, and Doctorate (PhD) diplomas available in the field of your choice - that's right, you can become a Doctor and receive all the benefits and admiration that comes with it!

No one is turned down.