The First Law of the Body

The stately-looking gentleman in the impeccable gray suit paused for effect, then said to the table of business leaders, “We need to recognize that only a handful of people in an enterprise actually add value. This is usually the CEO and his or her direct reports. The rest of the workforce is essentially fungible.”

The definition of the word “fungible” is: “being of such nature or kind as to be freely exchangeable or replaceable, in whole or in part, for another of like nature or kind”. Hmm. “Freely…replaceable”.
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The oil depletion protocol

The energy system of any given society is also the basis of the economic system.  It’s the same with all life.  Inside each living cell is an energy system, powered by adenosine triphosphate.  Without that basic fuel, no life.  Without oil, no economy…unless we can engineer substitutes at a transition rate that matches net depletion rates.

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The disadvantage of good times

“Dear Stan,

I’m CEO of a specialty adventure touring company which I and two others founded in 2006. While I had about a dozen years of experience in the industry prior to founding this new business, I had never led an organization that had outside investors. Myself, friends, family and other people we invited put several million dollars into the company to get it going. We had great plans for multiple locations in major markets and a good return for our shareholders. With the economic challenges we are facing now, there is little chance that our expectations will be met for several more years.
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Towards a political symphony

For sheer compositional innovation in timing and phrasing, there is no composer to rival Al di Meola. There is not one lyric in any piece he’s written. The story is in the emotion of the music, conveyed by the structure, the rhythm and the surprising transitions that guide you comfortably through an aural experience you could not have prepared for, and which would have made you nervous had you the time to think about where it was taking you. Instead, you arrive where di Meola wants you to, just in time, safe and feeling fine. Refreshed by the journey. Amazed at the experience.

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