Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms

My family and I are on vacation in London this week (16 March to 21 March, 2012).  My daughter Melissa (middle child, oldest girl) is leading a study abroad program in London and her husband and our grandchildren are here with her.  On Saturday, we toured the Cabinet War Rooms located three stories below ground in Central London near the government office complex, not far from the Texas Embassy in London.

The Cabinet War Rooms are where Winston Churchill and his cabinet ran the British War effort from 27 August 1939 until the end of the War in 1945.  This is one of the most moving and vivid examples of the courage of those who lead and fought for the freedom of the world during the second world war.

The Cabinet War Rooms are located 30 feet under ground (& existing buildings) in what was in 1938 when the idea was conceived, basement storage rooms under the Office of Works and the Board of Trade.  Thought first to be temporary, the facility was quickly expanded to over 30,000 square feet to house Prime Minister Churchill, his staff and his cabinet members and protect them as much possible from German air raids for then next six years.

This is an incredible museum and a testament to incredible work, by incredible people, in extraordinary times.  The War Rooms were closed in late 1945 but are today as they were when the last soldier left them  thanks to the restoration and preservation by the Imperial War Museum of Great Britain.

When you are visiting WW II points of interest put this one right next to Pearl Harbor in authenticity and emotion.

Marc

19 March 2012

A Test of your Thinking Skills

A PRE-SCHOOL TEST FOR YOU  Which way is the bus below traveling?   To the left or to the right?

Can't make up your mind? Look carefully at the picture again.

DON't Scroll down until you have really analyzed this picture!

Still don't know? Pre-schoolers all over the United States were shown this picture and asked the same question. 92% of the pre-schooler's gave this answer. "The bus is traveling to the left."

The reason for their conclusion, you can't see the door to get on the buss!  Sometimes the easiest answer stares us right in the face!

Ever wonder what a tower climber's job is like

Folks this is pretty impressive.  Click on this link, wait for the cartoon to finish and hold on to your chair, you are not going to believe this!

Marc

AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile all claim to offer nation's 'largest 4G network'

Wow here is a shock, competing carriers making the same claim.  But if you read their fine print you realize that, if you carefully draw your circle small enough you can make any claim that you want!  For example L&W is the largest, most successful telecom consulting firm in the world!  As long as you read my fine print statement that says, "located on FM 2818 in Bryan, Texas".

Marc

Harbinger, LightSquared face investor lawsuit, $56M payment

Well it looks like troubles continue to mount for Harbinger Capital!

Last Friday, on an investor call, Phillip Falcone said, "While it is clear that the investment thesis was dead-on, going through the regulatory and political process here has been very disturbing, to say the least," Falcone said, according to the Wall Street Journal. "We are continuing to plow ahead on a number of different fronts. ... We are continuing to evaluate a number of the options we believe we have."

So let's just examine those two statements individually,  "While it is clear that the investment thesis was dead-on, going through the regulatory and political process here has been very disturbing, to say the least"  Reading this can't you imagine a White Star Line press release on April 15, 1912 saying that the maiden voyage of the Titanic was, except for that unfortunate event with that iceberg, superbly successful.  

"We are continuing to plow ahead on a number of different fronts. ... We are continuing to evaluate a number of the options we believe we have." which is clearly akin to Captain Smith on the Titanic  announcing to the passengers, "Ladies and gentlemen pay no attention to that ice on the deck, it is part of our North Atlantic cruise entertainment, please just enjoy the rest of your voyage, and by the way, drinks are on the White Star line for the rest of the trip! 

On Friday, Harbinger was sued by investors in the fund who claimed that they were misled over the "all in" investment Harbinger made in LightSquared, which has totaled more than $3 billion. Harbinger and its chief Philip Falcone "knew from the outset, or were reckless in failing to know, that LightSquared's technology interfered with GPS systems," according to the suit. The suit claims that because of LightSquared's status now, investors "stand to lose substantially all of the value of their investments." Harbinger declined to comment on the suit.

I believe that the investors are correct, do I believe they will recover their investment, not a chance!

Time will tell!

Marc

What do you get when you mate Elephants?

There seems to be a business theory going around that if Mega Corporation C mates with Mega Corporation U, the offspring of this mating process will be a new Corporation that is quick, agile, customer friendly, and provides phenomenally outstanding customer service to its customers.

Well the reality is when you mate elephants you get elephants not gazelles!  The same is true in business.  The next time you fly out of Houston on the new United Airlines remember the new elephant created is not a gazelle, in fact it isn't even an agile elephant, its more like a decrepit Mastodon!   One wonders if there might just be too much in-breeding in the airline industry these days.

If you remember the Proud Bird with the Golden Tail, that once was Continental Airlines, well you are going to be very disappointed with the new United Airline.

Such a shame, my opinion, the new United took the worst features of both airlines and created a really bad airline.   But maybe things will get better over time!

Marc

Another fascinating day of Travel in a post 9/11 world

I arrived at the airport my requisite 2 hours before flight time in Houston.  The folks who work with me think I am crazy to do this, but I don't miss many airplanes!  But the real reason I get here 2 hours early is so I have zero stress going through the security shuffle at the airport.

I have recently adopted the airline "green" initiative, as all of you know I am Mister Save the Planet, and it is really convenient to have the boarding pass on the iPhone and have one less thing to keep up with.  Been working great for the last two months.  But today in Houston things have changed again with the TSA.  Maybe it is just because this is President's day and the government employees of the TSA are just hacked off because they have to work so that we Capitalist Pigs can go on with making money and not paying our fare share of taxes.

So today I get into the line to start the security screening process bus showing my ID and placing my  electronic boarding pass on one of those new fangled electronic boarding pass readers and do my bit to save the planet.   Assuming the reader, which is powered by some fossil fuel burning power plant no doubt, actually reads your boarding pass and beeps, the TSA gate keepers ask you what your name is, which he/she just read off the reader and compared to you ID.

For the last two months once you convinced them you were you that was the end of the boarding pass, ID exam and you could put the ID and Boarding pass away, pick up the requisite number of plastic bins and start the process of taking off your shoes, your belt, emptying your pockets of all change, handkerchief, combs, business cards, pins and car keys and carefully put them in one of your carry ons while simultaneously taking out any liquids you might have in your bag, putting them in the right size baggie, then waiting for your bags to be sucked into the X-ray machine and to then be directed to either the Porno Scanner or the regular security ionization chamber.

But today if you had an electronic boarding pass, because you were serious about saving the planet as you all know I am, you were told,  by the TSA agent "hold on their fellow, where is your boarding pass?"  Me, "Uh sir it is on my phone that is now in my carry on, that has just been sucked into the x-ray machine and is patiently waiting on the other side of the scanner for me to pick it up!" TSA, "well you can't go through these machines (the scanners) without one of us looking at your boarding pass."  Me, " the guy already checked my boarding pass and ID".  TSA, "which guy?".  Me, "uh (looking around and pointing), that guy right there."  TSA, "uh okay, go ahead!"  And Shazam I am waived through the Porno scanner, and sent over to my now very lonely bag and computer case.  But boy do I now feel safer for having such a crack crew of government employees securing our airways!

Lesson learned, from now on screw the planet, I am printing the paper boarding pass, to hell with this green technology!

And because I get to the airport 2 hours before take off I am stress free and had time to do this post!

Marc