Money, Success & Happiness

Money, Success & Happiness

Good morning my fellow Rotarians.  You know some people make a really big deal out of making a lot of money, but here is my question, will lots of money make you successful and happy? 

Well, let’s go back in time and I will ask you a few questions about some successful people.  Did you know who in 1923 was:

Who was the president of the largest gas company?  That was Edward Hopson and when he died he was insane.

Who was the president of the New York Stock Exchange?  That was Richard Whitney and he was released from prison to die at home.

Who was the president of the Bank of International Settlement? The President of the Bank of International Settlement shot himself.

Who was considered the Great Bear of Wall Street? He was Cosabee Rivermore and he committed suicide.

Who was the president of the largest steel company?  That was Charles Schwab and he died broke and alone.

Many people considered these men some of the world's most successful because they all made a lot of money.

The same year, 1923, the winner of the most important golf championships, Gene Sarazan, won the U.S. Open and PGA Tournaments. He played golf until he was 97 years old and he was still solvent when he died in 1999.

So, what is the moral of this story?  Well, how about you stop worrying about business and start playing a lot more golf!  And that is the Bottom of our News on this Friday, August 24, 2012.

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Gotta Love the Olympics

Gotta Love the Olympics!
Good morning my fellow Rotarians.  As the 2012 Olympics wind down I wanted to share a few fun facts about the history of the games.    

In Ancient Greece all athletes were expected to participate in the nude.  Thus, no married women could be spectators, or they would be put to death.  Unmarried women were welcome!

At the 1904 Paris Games the winners were awarded paintings instead of medals as the French believed that they would be more valuable.

The 1936 Berlin Games were the first to be televised but it wasn't until 1960 that they were first covered by American TV, CBS.

The last time that solid gold medals were awarded to Olympic champions was at the 1912 Stockholm Games.

The Olympic Torch Relay from Olympia, Greece to the Olympic Stadium host city is not an ancient tradition. The idea was actually first introduced at the 1936 Berlin Games during the early years of the Third Reich.

Some of the events that have been dropped from the Olympic Games over the years include the Tug-of-War, Cricket, Polo, Baseball and the shooting of live pigeons.

Jamaica really did enter a bob-sledding team in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.  They were the inspiration for the film 'Cool Runnings' starring John Candy as the coach. In reality, the team competed again in France and in Norway and finally won a Gold medal at the 2000 World Games held in Monaco.

The very first champion winner of the Modern Olympics was James Brendan Connolly, a college student. He dropped out of Harvard when they refused to grant him a leave of absence to participate.  52 years later he was offered an honorary doctorate by Harvard and he turned it down flat.

And finally, what do you think the Olympics cost?  Typically, $2.5 to $4 billion.  The IOC estimated $9 billion for London.  BUT, they shot way low.  Final cost this year will run over $15 BILLION!  London had to invest heavily in the Olympic venues and other infrastructure expenses.   Hmmm, I wonder who pays for those overruns?

My salute to the 2012 games – they always stir a sense of pride and patriotism.  GO Team USA!  And that is the Bottom of our News on this Friday, August 10, 2012.

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Going Out with a Bang!

Good morning my fellow Rotarians.  Here’s a story about “creative cremation” that would have made Charlton Heston proud. 

You wouldn't need to pry the gun from his cold dead hand had he known that one day upon his death his ashes could be turned into ammunition. That's right, for $850 (plus shipping), Alabama's Holy Smoke will put your loved one's ashes into shotgun shells or pistol or rifle cartridges.

Founders Clem Parnell and Thad Holmes, state conservation officers, dreamt up the idea one night while on a stakeout to catch illegal hunters. Conversation shifted from the mundane to the existential, as it is bound to do on a late night stakeout. Parnell, had recently lost a family member and when discussing their feelings they found a mutual concern regarding traditional methods of disposing of loved ones' remains.

One can scatter ashes at sea, in pastures or from a mountain at dawn as a way of celebrating a family member's life.  Some people elect to be shot from a cannon or into space after passing. Why then, theorized Parnell and Holmes, couldn't someone with a passion for guns or hunting not be celebrated in a way that would be meaningful to them? With one pound of ashes filling as many as 250 shotgun shells, and the average body producing four to six pounds of ash after cremation, that is a lot of firepower to be remembered with.

Recently established after four years of planning, Holy Smoke has only had two clients for this unique service. But, now that the word is out Holy Smoke is now making pre-arrangements with interest from everyone from police officers, soldiers, hunters and even for beloved hunting dogs.

No guidelines have been provided on exactly how to use the ammunition once shipped, but surely respect for the dead is understood in this unique arrangement.   

To learn more, check out their website at www.holysmoke.com. 

There you go, a creative way to go out “with a bang” as the Bottom of our News on this Friday, August 3, 2012.

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