Is it Really About the Opposition? Steinbrecher. Signal Messaging. Your Answers, Not Mine. Robots and More. The Voice of Barry White.
- Quote of the Week: “Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach their goals.” – Dorothy Height
I had to think about this quote. Does greatness always need to be measured or benchmarked against your opposition? If you are a great chef or a great public speaker, must we decide on your level of greatness based on the talents of other chefs and public speakers? I do believe in benchmarking but if you are great at something let’s not overanalyze or compare.
Greatness should not be measured by your opposition. Greatness should be determined by many things including impactful or remarkable achievements, strong character, your ability to inspire, and a desire to make a difference. I like Kobe Bryant’s definition of greatness.
- Regarding inspiration: Many people have inspired me in different ways. From people I have worked with, to my friends and family, and the many coaches I played under (especially one). One inflection point of my inspiration happened by circumstance surrounding the first Major League Soccer game played back in 1996. This inaugural match was played at the same time the United States Soccer Federation brass was in Atlanta (where I lived most of my life) for a meeting surrounding the ’96 Olympic Football Competition.
Hank Steinbrecher, at that time the U.S. Soccer Secretary General, and Alan Rothenberg, the Commissioner of Major League Soccer, were part of the group visiting Atlanta. While they were in Atlanta, the inaugural Major League Soccer game was broadcast by ESPN, and as strange as it sounds, Steinbrecher and Rothenberg’s Atlanta hotel did not have ESPN as an option. After they reached out to Rick Skirvin, who at that time ran the Georgia State Soccer Association, Rick had Steinbrecher and Rothenberg come to my home in Marietta, Georgia so they could watch the game. Both were very appreciative of me offering up my home for their viewing pleasure, and more importantly at halftime of the game, Steinbrecher spoke to me about the sport of soccer and asked me to try and get involved at all levels. It was a ten-minute discussion, but his words and ask inspired me to do many different things within the sport. As Kobe Bryant mentioned, inspiring others is one aspect of greatness.
Hank Steinbrecher passed away last week at the age of seventy-seven. I only met him for that two-hour soccer game, but in that short time he really did inspire me. RIP, Hank Steinbrecher.
- My Perspective – The Leaked War Plan
“The world found out shortly before 2 p.m. eastern time on March 15 that the United States was bombing Houthi targets across Yemen. I, however, knew two hours before the first bombs exploded that the attack might be coming. The reason I knew this is that Pete Hegseth, the secretary of defense, had texted me the war plan at 11:44 a.m. The plan included precise information about weapons packages, targets, and timing.”
This was the opening of the article by The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg that involved eighteen staffers who are part of U.S. national security. Of course, the text message communication including a member of the media was alarming. There is no doubt that missteps were taken with the group messaging discussing the plan to bomb Houthi targets in Yemen (which did happen). This has obviously wreaked havoc with government officials, the media, and in general, the American public.
On the other side of the drama, how has Signal and their messaging app benefited from this incident? While many people correlate the Signal app with a national security leak, I am sure the spin doctors at Signal are using this ‘free’ worldwide publicity to drive more downloads of their messaging app. To put this in perspective, advertisers paid $8 million for a 30-second ad spot for this year’s Super Bowl. Will Signal capitalize on their instant and ‘free’ worldwide exposure?
From BBC News: “Signal is an open-source encrypted messaging service popular with journalists and others who seek more privacy than other text-messaging services are capable of delivering.”
- Thank you for your responses to the Question of the Week. Remember that these responses are from the JustMyTake readers.
How do we move beyond the divisiveness we experience in the U.S. government? What reforms can restart a movement towards conciliation?
*The influence of money has corrupted our federal politicians, and they are ruining our country. Three ideas:
1. Term limits for all federal representatives AND their staff.
2. Balanced budget required for federal government including a requirement to reduce costs every year.
3. Eliminate lobbying and big money donations.
*The Republicans hold the power due to no solidified Democratic leadership. Biden turned out to be lame duck, Kamala was ineffective in her role to succeed. The Dems have nothing to bargain with and appealing to the Republicans to slow their roll isn’t working. Leadership is based on non-violent communication. Both sides need to agree to listen, hear each other out and find some (even minor) commonality for agreement to start. It’s not hopeless but does seem to be a long shot at present.
*Move to Mexico .
*Single line bills.
Eliminating ability to purchase/sell stocks with insider information.
Eliminate lobbying.
*All those values that you believe, live them out day to day and you will change the world, one small action at a time. Volunteer and be generous to organizations that support your belief systems, call your mom, be kind, and smile. Practice random acts of kindness toward others and yourself every day. If we all did this, the world would be a better place.
*Drop the judgement about every person, place and thing. Then, be curious about every person, place and thing. Actively listen to discover why a person believes the way they do…listen, ask more questions, then listen again.
*For heaven’s sake, stop watching the news and social media.
Get involved in this group: www.Braverangels.org whose mission is to bring Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic.
Here is this week’s Question of the Week. Please take a few minutes and send me your answer. Thank you.
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?
- Last week, on the same day that the Trump administration announced a 25% tariff on imported cars and car parts, Hyundai Motor Group debuted their ‘factory of the future’ just outside of Savannah, Georgia. In the near future the sixteen million-square-foot facility will employ over 8,000 and produce 300,000 vehicles per year. This South Korean-based conglomerate entered the U.S. market in 1986 with their Excel model. Today, Hyundai Motor America has over 750 dealers in North America.
Take a look at this video and Hyundai’s manufacturing plant. Amazing and eye-opening to say the least.
Pure Talent. I know this segment should relate to college basketball with the NCAA Sweet Sixteen this weekend, but when I heard this song yesterday…well, enough said. Barry White was Pure Talent.