"Can't we just all go out and say things are OK?"

The segment below is from an Associated Press story about the recent financial crisis.

"Meanwhile, new details emerged of a remarkably tumultuous White House meeting on Thursday. With the session breaking up in disarray, according to two participants, President Bush issued an appeal, saying, "Can't we just all go out and say things are OK?" The group around the table, congressional leaders as well as McCain and Obama, spurned the presidential request for a publicly united front."

Someday I'd like to hear a recording, to know if that is indeed what President Bush said.

For now, I will simply say that I'd like to see more courage from our leaders.

22 miles in 15 minutes with homemade wings and a jet pack

Today "Jet Man" was successful at flying across the English Channel with his homemade jet pack and wings. OK, so he had a little help by way of the plane that he jumped out of at 8,800 feet to get started, and he had a chase plane behind him just in case something went awry, but I give the man full credit for his adventure-seeking.

What does this have to do with Libraries? Discovery, adventure, cultural events, history in the making, "wow" factor (maybe he is an avid reader of flight theory and physics, and could give talks in libraries?), etc.

Perspective about the financial choices we are facing this week

“Yet our distress comes from no failure of substance. We are stricken by no plague of locusts. Compared with the perils which our forefathers conquered because they believed and were not afraid, we have still much to be thankful for. Nature still offers her bounty and human efforts have multiplied it. Plenty is at our doorstep, but a generous use of it languishes in the very sight of the supply.

Primarily, this is because the rulers of the exchange of mankind's goods have failed through their own stubbornness and their own incompetence, have admitted their failures and abdicated. Practices of the unscrupulous money changers stand indicted in the court of public opinion, rejected by the hearts and minds of men.

True, they have tried, but their efforts have been cast in the pattern of an outworn tradition. Faced by failure of credit, they have proposed only the lending of more money.

Stripped of the lure of profit by which to induce our people to follow their false leadership, they have resorted to exhortations, pleading tearfully for restored conditions. They know only the rules of a generation of self-seekers.

They have no vision, and when there is no vision the people perish.”

Sound familiar? David Gregory (MSNBC anchor) picked this one out today, and I was thoroughly impressed. This is a passage from Franklin Roosevelt’s first inaugural in 1933.

(This entire post is from a personal email from Mark Gonzales.)

Colin Powell makes a stop in Tulsa

Yesterday I attended the morning session of a "Get Motivated" seminar in our new 18,000 seat arena downtown, the BOK Center.

The ticket was free, and I would not have gone if Mr. Powell had not been slated to speak. I wanted to hear what he had to say, this man who is a career military leader and is fond of old Volvo's.

He spoke of America's Promise, and how "we have no greater responsibility now in America than to make sure that the next generation of youngsters is ready for positions of leadership." He divulged that he is a bit of a tech geek, and is involved in a few businesses in the area of information and technology.

In his talk he noted that leadership is "all about followers and followership." Leaders need to 1) "clearly set goals" and 2) "take care of the troops." He said that passion is infectious, and a leader's task is to motivate and inspire people. He also pointed out that today's leaders need to display moral and physical courage, as well as character and integrity.

He then went into stories about his experience in the military and as Secretary of State.

Mr. Powell quickly glossed over four e's that we need to be focusing on: economics, energy, environment, and education.

He ended by saying that we need to "get back to simply American values" and "build bonds of trust," but that the US still has a strong role in leading change in the world.

Overall I was impressed with the man. He used humor effectively in his oration, and at times seemed like just another guy. There was a female voice at one point yelling at him, and he turned to that part of the arena and said, "Hello. How are you? Thank you," and moved on. The voice from the stands was not heard again.

Had he taken questions, I would liked to have asked him about sitting in front of the UN during that fateful moment in February 2003, and if he indeed thought it was his lowest point in life, how did it fit into his previous words about leadership?

He spoke for 37 minutes, and after his speech I left, sensing that the rest of the day's "Get Motivated" events would not hold much for me.

One Espresso, please

Machines are printing out-of-copyright books now, on demand and for a nominal fee (compared to buying an original copy, if you can find one).

In December I will be visiting family in Michigan, and I may just have to swing the car westbound to visit a university library in Ann Arbor. You see, I'm quite eager to buy a book from their new machine. I want to get it home and see how it looks on my bookshelf (before I start lending it out).

Why will the print-on-demand book be so unique to my bookcase? It won't really. But each book has a history of how it arrived in my world, and I find the autonomy that these machines provide rather interesting.

Speaking of the machines, apparently Canada beat the US to the punch on putting this machine in an educational institution; they decided to put their machine in a university bookstore instead of a library.

Competition will crop up for the US-made Espresso, however. An Australian company says they will enter the market at some point.

Why I will not use Google Chrome

I'm not ready to help Google make money off of my creativity- not just yet. I'm sure I'll get there someday.

This is from the Google Chrome Terms of Service:

"By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services."

The full text is below.

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11. Content license from you

11.1 You retain copyright and any other rights you already hold in Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. By submitting, posting or displaying the content you give Google a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, and non-exclusive license to reproduce, adapt, modify, translate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute any Content which you submit, post or display on or through, the Services. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling Google to display, distribute and promote the Services and may be revoked for certain Services as defined in the Additional Terms of those Services.

11.2 You agree that this license includes a right for Google to make such Content available to other companies, organizations or individuals with whom Google has relationships for the provision of syndicated services, and to use such Content in connection with the provision of those services.

11.3 You understand that Google, in performing the required technical steps to provide the Services to our users, may (a) transmit or distribute your Content over various public networks and in various media; and (b) make such changes to your Content as are necessary to conform and adapt that Content to the technical requirements of connecting networks, devices, services or media. You agree that this license shall permit Google to take these actions.

11.4 You confirm and warrant to Google that you have all the rights, power and authority necessary to grant the above license.

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