Self-Taught. User Bump. The 51. Tariffs. Four Chickens and a Coke. Celebration. Hava Nagila.
- Quote of the Week: “When people ask me if I went to film school, I tell them, ‘No, I went to films.” – Quentin Tarantino
He has been called intolerable and an egomaniac. He may be many both but Quentin Tarantino is an example of someone who took a different path, learned a trade, and created a dynamic career for himself and many others. I am not saying that all students should skip traditional school, but I think that experiencing and absorbing a trade is equally important in the learning process.
Tarantino, before moving to Los Angeles, was raised by a single mom in Knoxville, Tennessee. He dropped out of high school at the age of fifteen, never earned a GED and never attended college. As a store clerk at a video store, Tarantino watched hundreds of movies building his base of skills and knowledge to slowly develop into a top screenwriter, director, and producer. Call it on-the-job training or self-taught, but Quentin Tarantino is one of many examples of success without formal training or education.
Many posts ago, I provided a take on the lack of trade schools and more importantly, the lack of a workforce with trade skills:
“….I feel strongly that the “valorizing” of white-collar jobs has gone off the rails. We have put an emphasis on tech workers and the so-called knowledge economy. As we have all experienced, the tech world has again changed quickly, with most tech-related entities laying off workers and right-sizing their workforce, while the trade-related businesses are begging for workers to support their increasing workloads. A startling statistic from Stanley Black & Decker: In 2023, there were six hundred and fifty thousand unfilled jobs in construction-related trades in the United States, and ten million worldwide. From a personal standpoint, I had my car serviced last week. When I picked up my car, I briefly spoke to the owner of the car service and repair center. She told me that they are desperately looking for auto mechanics, offering $37 per hour, and cannot find anyone to interview…”
Better stated, here is one of my favorite quotes regarding education: “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” – Mark Twain
- In my last post I reviewed the messaging service called Signal, which was used by U.S. national security personnel to communicate a war plan. My question was what level of usage bump would Signal get from the massive amount of worldwide publicity? Here is the answer: “In Signal’s history, this is the largest US-growth moment by a massive margin,” says Jun Harada, Signal’s head of growth and partnerships. “It’s mind-blowing, even on our side.” The week’s rate of adoption has been twice that of a typical week for 2025, which in turn was twice that of a typical week the same time last year. “It happened immediately” after The Atlantic broke the story of Signal’s use in the Yemeni bombing, Harada says. “And it’s been sustained. We’ve been maintaining that rate every day.”
- Many of my friends discuss traveling outside of the United States to see the beautiful places of the world…and yes, there are many areas of this planet that are “must-sees.” After reading this article, it is obvious that you do not necessarily need to leave the United States to see magical landscapes, mountain ranges, and gorgeous lakes. I am disappointed in myself that after reviewing these fifty-one locations, I have only been to twelve. How about you? https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/most-beautiful-places-in-the-us
- Question of the Week: Thank you to all of you who provided your answers to the Question of the Week: Should the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, and other national security staffers lose their jobs due to the war plan leak that included a journalist? Here are a few of your answers:
No. Mission was successful. No US military harmed.
I find it highly amusing and rich that the left/progressives/main stream failing media are hellbent on crucifying someone for the Signal screwup. The administration owned it, acknowledged that it was a screwup, and pledged to insure it didn’t happen again. But crucify someone? Really? These are the same people who covered up for a mentally deteriorated president for four years, who did not yell bloody murder with the horrendous Afghan withdrawal. Who called for no resignations for the bullshit we were fed during Covid. Who went along with Biden, Harris, and Mayorkas all telling us the border was closed as 10 million unvetted illegal aliens came right on in and get ridiculous benefits for breaking our laws. Who now want to reinstate USAID so the likes of Stacey Abrams can get $2 billion. Really? And so much more and now they wanna hang someone over the Signal screwup.
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No we should find out how it happened and correct the problem. And the person that received the intel should have kept it to himself!! What an idiot. And another thing…….the left wingers that were all for the “GREEN NEW DEAL” that all bought TESLAS now are against the company because we have a smart person uncovering massive massive fraud and needless spending???? I am on a roll!
No, they shouldn’t lose their jobs. They should be reprimanded. In the old days, the NY Times published the plans for attacking Iraq.
Here is this week’s Question of the Week. Please take a few minutes and send me your answer. Thank you.
Will the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have short and long-term impact with the U.S. economy? How? Why?
- On the lighter side, I will go to ‘four fried chickens and a Coke.” Unbelievably, the Blues Brothers premiered forty-five years ago starring John Belushi and Dan Akroyd, a.k.a. ‘Jake and Ellwood’, and included fantastic music by rhythm and blues (R&B), soul, and blues singers James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Chaka Khan, and John Lee Hooker. The reaction from the cook when he realizes who is ordering is priceless!
- This is a special time of the year. The Passover and Easter holidays are upon us, the final round of the Masters is later today, and summer is right around the corner. Both holidays make me smile as I really enjoy the celebrations, specifically the story of the Jews escaping persecution and all the children who dress up for Easter celebrations.
The tradition of the Passover is exemplified by the Seder dinner, a special meal prepared at the beginning of Passover, celebrating the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, involving the retelling of the story, eating symbolic foods, and other traditions, including the four glasses of wine consumed at the dinner. The same goes for the traditional Easter Sunday feast, where families and friends gather for a massive meal typically made up of Easter ham, a potato dish, vegetable side dishes, deviled eggs, green beans, and dinner rolls. I have participated in both festivities – traditions that I really enjoy. I hope you do as well.
Pure Talent. We have all heard this song. A traditional song played at weddings and other festivities. It is a song that means “Let Us Rejoice, Let Us Be Happy” that everyone sings and dances to, from the elderly to the youngest of children. We have heard many versions of Hava Nagila, and this fantastic version is performed by a 13-year-old girl from Uzbekistan. She is Pure Talent.