Financial Armageddon

I am a financial management consultant by trade and I have been diligently looking for work lately.  I’ve had several opportunities which were sure things that slipped away with the speed of my 401k value from September 15th – this is the day Lehman Brothers filed for BK.   That changed everything.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, is locking it down right now.  Commerce is barely moving and my line of work, like so many others, is viable only when the business is working.

This financial crisis is one for the ages.  There are many tails to this conversation, but one that seems to keep popping up is whether or not we are heading for another Great Depression.  Not sure if this will happen, but certainly, if enough people think (and feel) we are going there, then it most likely will.

You see, it is one thing to think it is a possibility and to discuss it in a rational manner, but it is completely different to have everyone focus all of their energy on how bad things have gotten.  We must keep things in perspective, and more importantly for the adults out there with children relying on them to provide, we must keep our eye on the ball.

On to some really good posts this week…

Gay Liberal and Conservative Christian Marriage (A Good Husband)  Cory has a great conversation on the gay marriage debate.  I have some strong feelings on this issue and will be part of another post.

Herb Score (1933-2008) (Joe Posnanski)  Joe is simply one of the best writers I have ever read.  He is a sports writer in Kansas City and wrotes rather long posts, but he does it with my kind of humor and is always a great read.  Herb was the voice that made him feel warm inside growing up in Cleveland and listening to the Indians.  For me, it was Ernie Harwell and my hometown favorate Detroit Tigers.

6 Lessons In Manliness From James Bond (Art Of Manliness)  Huge Bond fan.  I wanted to post something since the new movie is timely at the moment, but Brett beat me to it.  Great read and a great site!

Getting Real (The Common Man)  TCM simply loses it and gives us one of his classic rants on reality TV.  Frankly, I agree with him 1000%… 

What I learned about Blogging from the U.S. Presidential Election (ProBlogger)  Darren’s articles are becoming my Norm from Cheers – always there and always adding value.  This article is another great one.

Thanks for reading and more to come…

Cuban TaeKwonDo fighter, Angel Matos, lost his mind today after being disqualified at the Olympics for taking too long on an injury timeout. He thought best to attempt to remove the referee’s head with one of his feet.  Interesting footage, don’t you think (time: 1:29)?

Apologies for the French dude narrating…I actually like it better since you can focus completely on the nutjob doing his thing on the mat.

I love the TaeKwonDo guys.  Some of them get it and understand they are not Chuck Norris.  Others firmly believe they have every right to use their skills any way they feel.  Angel is a tool.  The referee, unknowingly of course, did the complete best thing for his sport by getting rid of this insane person.

Now just get ready to see this 34,573,947,023,750 times on SportsCenter tonight.  I’m sure they will have a few better camera angles, so tune in.  The Beijing Olympics have been excellent!

On to the list…

4 Products From Back In The Day That Did More Harm Than Good.  (@Campus Sqeeze)  These guys actually took one of my ideas for a post.  They beat me to it and did an excellent job highlighting 4 “products” from yesteryear that turned out not so good afterall.

A World Of Hope. (@Persistent Illusion)  Hayden writes a fantastic blog about a very timely theme in this election year, hope.  This article dives into a story from another blogger named SanityFound (and her tales of her mother).  A very good read since Hayden is such a good writer.

Who’s Your Favorite Little Rascal? (@The Common Man)  TCM delves into the topic of spanking your children and corporal discipline in schools.  Suffice to say anyone touches my son other than me, it’s on.  Angel Matos would look downright friendly.

12 New Rules Of Working You Should Embrace Today. (@Zen Habits) Leo is quickly becoming one of my favorite bloggers.  He has legions of fans and a very popular site.  This article is one reason why.  Everything is changing and so is how people work.  Start doing these things today or risk falling behind.

What Makes For A Good Blog? (@43 Folders) Already one of my favorite writers, Merlin at 43 Folders dives into this VERY hot topic of why we blog and how to make it better.  It gave me a lot to think about in how I intend to move Return To Manliness forward.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the Beijing Olympics!  I know I am with events like TaeKwonDo still on the docket…

I’m subscribed to the site and I encourage you to check out some of his articles.  One of the things I really enjoy about his site is that he doesn’t post every day.  He writes only when he has something worthwhile to say.

I see too many sites producing posts just to have something new.  Heck, I see too many professional news outlets producing junk just to fill air time or digital real estate.  It gets to be too much information for the sake of gaining Alexa rankings and eyeballs.

Over at Get Rich Slowly, there was a recent post on Multitasking and the time sink it often leads to.  In the comment section, comment #5 from The Financial Philosopher wrote something that really grabbed me:

We consume information but do we ever stop to think of what it is that information consumes? It consumes our attention.

To be “information rich” is to be “attention poor.”

Much like a portfolio of investments, we should “allocate our attention” to overcome the poverty it would otherwise create…

Information rich = attention poor. Very interesting.  I fall into this trap of wanting to know everything I can about everything.  I subscribe to nearly 200 blogs and try to read through most of them everyday.  That is way too many and the amount of time spent is not as valuable as spending much less time on the real juicy stuff.

This is why I like the Manival so much.  Quality sites dedicated to the betterment of men, submit only their best stuff.  We want to put our best foot forward and hence, we only want content that is going to leave an impression on our readers.

The Manival was created by the good folks over at The Art Of Manliness.  They try to rotate the hosting of this carnival among several sites that participate.  Return To Manliness intends to host during the week of September 9th.  I hope you come back and check out all the great submissions at that time as well.

When reminded of his age, he was asked his secret to life.  Take a listen (only a minute).

I’m reminded of the amazing candidness that happens when you reach a certain age.  It happens at different ages for all of us, but at some point, without fail, it happens.

The time is when you simply are too old to care about being judged by others.  When young, we care more since we are always trying to get something and move ahead.  At Ernie’s age, though, it simply does not matter anymore.  So let the candidness fly.

On a sidenote:  Ernie is right on the money.  I know, it’s a sin and its embarrasing to admit.  Maybe Mr. Borgnine was being funny, but my take is that there is always a kernal of truth in every joke.

Here are some good reads this week:

10 Steps to the Perfect List Post. (@ProBlogger)  Want to know how to write the Perfect List Post?  Just follow these steps and you will not go wrong.

The Authentic Blogging Manifesto. (@Never The Same River Twice)  One of the better posts I have read in awhile on why the author got into blogging, what happened to her over time, and how she is changing her blog life by getting back to the reason why she started to begin with.  Excellent post!  I bookmarked it for future reference.

What’s Wrong With the World? Not a Damn Thing. (@ZenHabits)  Inspiration at its best.  Leo writes a fantastic site and this post on his views of how people view the world is spot on.  He essentially points out that if you are always wanting something that is impossible (in the world – not in your own life) then you will always be unhappy with the world.  This could spill over into your own life and that would suck.

Do I Make My Kids’ World Bigger Or Smaller? (@Discovering Dad)  This really got me thinking about how I want to fit into and influence my new child’s life.  Little Jackson is almost 5 months and I am already feeling like I am making mistakes all over.  I want him to live every day to its fullest, but how do you balance?  Tough topic and a great post.

Think you can afford more house in the exurbs? Think again. (@Wise Bread) The concept of “drive till you qualify” has been turned inside out with today’s ridiculous gas prices.  Gas prices are changing everything.  Remember, there are always solutions besides the obvious ones of moving freaking closer to stuff – not further away.

I will be getting back to daily postings shortly.  The content is always changing on this site and I try to put as much of my own humor in this site as I can.  I found The Authentic Blogging Manifesto extremely valuable to changing the content on this forum and getting back to what I like versus trying to convince everyone they need to listen to me because I am an expert.  Thanks for reading.

Peggy is essentially turning into a hard ass that the other women are beginning to look up to.  Sterling is back to his old womanizing ways.  And Draper is realizing his new, pretty face is looking much older in an ever-changing industry.

The two moments in Mad Men season premier that stood out were:

#1 – Draper saying, “Success is not about fitting in.  It’s about standing out.”

#2 – Draper responding to Peggy’s statement of “sex sells” by telling her “Sex doesn’t sell.  You are the product.  You feeling something is what sells.”  He then mentioned that the same people who want you to believe that “sex sells” are the same people that think monkeys can do what they do (advertising).  Classic…

Both of these comments hit me square in the forehead.  The idea of sales and marketing as a key driver to success kept playing in my head.  In any event, the show is incredible and the new season didn’t miss a step.

On to the articles…

The Key to Effective Viral Marketing is Emotional Engagement. (@DoshDosh)  Maki is hands down one of the best writers on the internet.  I follow his thoughts all over the net and continue to learn from his postings. This article compliments the Mad Men TV show perfectly.

How To Take Criticism Like Donald Trump. (@lifehack.org)  I love Trump.  He can rub you wrong at times, but you can’t argue with his success.  And he does handle criticism VERY well.  He takes it as good as he gives it – and if he doesn’t like what you have to say, he will just call you a loser and move on without a grudge.

Class Warfare and The Simple Dollar. (@ The Simple Dollar) Trent handles a commenter’s misplaced aggression by explaining the entire theory of his top-shelf website on personal finance.  Then some others folks jumped in (over 150 in the first 48 hours!).  It was clear the commenter missed the mark, but Trent handled it with the professionalism we have come to expect.

Why Boys Fear Physical Education. (@MasculineHeart) William writes a lot of good articles and he found an interesting topic from another article.  He dives into the psychological aspects of a young man and his physical presence.  At a young age, boys are taught, told, encouraged to be physical.  “It is what boys do.”  Well, it’s a little more complicated than that and this article is just the start of a much deeper conversation.  Remember Draper’s comment “Success is about standing out, not fitting in.”  There is a lot of pressure at a young age.

I subscribe to Google Alerts and receive maybe 100 emails a day on keywords appearing in blogs, news stories, etc.  This past week, the keyword “metrosexual” showed up A LOT.

Plenty of of it has to do with news concerning the Beckham and Ronaldo battle for the king of metrosexuals crown.  That doesn’t tell the whole story, though.

When Mark Simpson coined this term in 1994 and followed it up in 2002 with a story in Salon.com introducing “Becks” as the undisputed metrosexual, he solidified the word’s place in today’s lexicon.  Beckham is one of those international sport stars that transcends the sport he plays.  People know who he is – regardless if you know soccer or not.

Branding a star of this caliber with the term gives it a legitimacy it never had prior.  There have been self-proclaimed metrosexuals along the way, but it is now mainstream.  Being a metrosexual has moved from the fringes to many guy’s way of life.

Plan on seeing many more articles and discussions around this idea.  I get the feeling men want to know if this is something they should pursue, and, more importantly, what women feel about the concept.

Manliness Must Reads

Lessons In Manliness: Private Ross A McGinnis and Petty Office Michael Monsoor (@Art Of Manliness) Every news wire and blog should pick this article up.  People hear these stories in the abstract, but when a real person and a story get applied, it changes everything.  Great post!!!

Cristiano Ronaldo Is An Oompa Loompa (@The Urban Backpacker) This blogger loves his sports.  He found an interesting photo of Ronaldo that helped spur the whole “metrosexual” conversation.  Short post, but very good.

Blog Pimping, or: Who Do You Want To Delight? (@43 Folders) Merlin writes one of the best blog posts I’ve ever read on a post from Jack Shedd’s blog.  Try to answer the questions “Why start a blog?  What is my voice? Why will people read me? How do I stand out or sell out?”  Incredible post and got me thinking about what I want to accomplish with Return To Manliness.

Online College Degree Programs Offer Maximum Flexibility (@Frugal Dad) Good analysis of online degrees – pro’s and con’s.  I like the interaction of live people, but others love the flexibility.   The biggest bang for my buck has always been in person (and that goes for just about anything in my life of great importance).

On a side note, Merlin’s post on blog pimping really has me reflecting on what bloggers are trying to accomplish.  The #1 rule you hear is write about something you love.  I found it is not that easy.  Any measure of success in blogging includes readership and pushing the discussion forward.

I blog for fun and eventually money.  I watch my readership every day, but don’t obsess.  Am I looking at this incorrectly?  Do the purists have a point?

Once again, Return To Manliness was fortunate enough to make the cut with one our Manliness Trait articles.  This week’s installment of Treat The Speaker As The Most Important Person In The Room was a labor of love for me to compose.

I try to implement and live my life by all of my Manliness Traits, but at times some of the traits may contradict each other.  This one should never be overlooked.

If followed with cult-like fashion, this single trait alone will open doors you never thought existed, let alone believe you could open.  The results of this one act continues to amaze me.

On the other articles included in this week’s Manival, I suggest reading them all.  I especially appreciated the “Tuck Your Kids Into Bed” post over at The Simple Marriage Project.

I read Dr. Allan’s blog, along with pretty much everyone included in these Manivals, on a regular basis.  They provide a foundation of learning for us men that simply was not available 20 years ago.  Just think about how wonderful a resource this could have been when we were growing up!!!

I need to remind everyone at this point that Aguilar is a fiction writer.   I know the NR would like to think they are writing the facts and making good points, but…

I need to remind everyone that Aguilar is a fiction writer!!!  And for the most part, his article is mostly fiction (and funny too when you think about it).  I loved the John McClain reference.  Whenever you can weave Die Hard into a column, it seems to just work.

Regardless of your political beliefs, it is the essence of manliness to vote.  Our country wants, no needs, to have its citizens be heard.  So, remember, get to the polling booths this November 4th.  It’s on a Tuesday, as always and if you don’t plan ahead, it becomes easy to mess this up.

If you have not done them already, do these ASAP:

1. Register. If you are not already registered, visit your state’s DMV or Secretary of State and sign up.
2. Check into absentee ballot. If you’re too busy during the week or will be out of town this November, have them send you a ballot to vote by mail.  I do this sometimes just because it is so convenient.
3. Inform your employer. Tell your boss your intentions right now and put it into your Outlook calendar.  Tell them you will need just an extended lunch break that day.  If you are bold, invite them along.
4. Educate yourself. Many people don’t think it matters who wins.  Think again.  Regardless of your beliefs, if you know someone who is in Iraq, been there and come back, or went there and didn’t come back, you know elections matter!!!

This week’s standouts

How To Be Homeless (by Persistent Illusion)  Learn some good tips if you ever find yourself in this situation.  Great thoughts in the comments from readers as well.

Resureting The Lost Art Of Oratory (by Art of Maninss) Man’s ability to move mountains just with words is definately a lost art indeed.  This ties in very well with several of the Manliness Traits I have written about.

Meet Attractive Women Through Becoming Observant (by David Wygant) David is a relationship expert that is always taking the high road to this very real part of our lives.  He touches on something that I recently wrote about – Treating the speaker as the most important person in the room.

The Wink Wink, Nudge Nudge Method, Or, Blogging Is Flirting (by Problogger) The first line of the post says it all “Successful blogging takes epic diligence.“  This great post discusses some great tips to get your blog moving in the right direction.

Pepperjam Network “Meet the Affiliates” Interview #10: Introducing Problogger Darren Rowse (by PepperJam Network’s Blog)  Can’t get enough of Darren Rowse this week.  A fantastic interview with someone that has become very successful at this blogging stuff.

Have a great weekend!

Last month, the world was shocked when Tim Russert of Meet The Press fame suddenly died from a heart attack.  I wrote a post on the man and what types of incredible Manliness Traits he possessed.  My shame was that it was only in his death did I learn what an incredible person he truly was.  Now, I am feeling it all over again.

I have been watching the tributes all day on Fox and other stations of his life and career as a newsman, political hack, musician and father.  Regardless of his politics and how he viewed the world, he seemed like a genuine man with a good heart.  He seemed like a good husband, a good father, and a great role model for so many.

Again, a good man taken from us way before his time.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to all who were close to the man.

This week’s required reading

Seven Ways To Role Model Thankfulness.  Discovering Dad, early in the week, wrote a tremendous article on a future Manly Virtue post, thankfulness.  I liked him coming at this from a direction of your children and how they percieve you.

Ho Hum Marriage? 9 Ways To Add Some Spice.  Dr. Corey Allan of The Simple Marriage Project gives us another great “how-to” article on helping us with our spouses.  This one is very helpful to keep things interesting.  There are ones on the list you already should know, but there are some new ones too.

How My New Social Life Saved My Marriage.  A Good Husband.net posted his 3rd in a 3 part series on a husbands social life.  I recommend all three postings, but this one really got me thinking about my own life and where it is socially amongst other men.

How to use PR People to Build Traffic for your Blog.  ProBlogger Darren Rowse addresses how us just starting out should approach PR folks to help drive traffic to our sites.  Some good tips in here for the experts as well as the novices.

5 Exercises Computer Guy Should NOT Be Doing.  Lifehack’s Jamie posted some interesting exercise tidbits.  If you sit at a desk most of the day, which most of us do, these 5 exercises just might do you more harm than good.  Look for alternatives is what I took from it.

Essential tools for the household handyman.  Unclutterer, who are dedicated to the very wonder of simplicity, identified the essential tools that should be in your toolchest.  Every one of these tools can be used for multiple purposes (like the BFH….you gotta have a good hammer).

Becoming Debt Free: Identifying The Why.  Frugal Dad touches on a subject that every man should focus on – not just money and finances.  Identifying the “why” can have a profound affect on who you are as a man.  Practicing genuine Manliness Traits is all about identifying the why.

Till next time, stay safe and stay strong out there.

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It’s an amazing tool that a lot of users of the internet don’t know about yet – shockingly.

In any event, I discovered Theordore Roosevelt’s autobiography online as public domain and wanted to offer it as a download if you sign up for the RSS feed. I juiced it up a little with good formatting and then put into a pdf format that is searchable. Really cool.

Over time, as I read and write posts on the chapters on this true renaissance man’s book, I will add more and more value to the download by highlighting and commenting in the pdf file. Stay tuned for more lessons from one our greatest Presidents on what it meant to him to be a man and exhibit manliness.

Must reads of the week (not manliness specific)

Help, Credit Card Minimum Payments Aren’t Making a Dent. Frugal Dad explores an interesting dilemma that many people face in today’s VERY tough economic climate.

A Look at the Startup Cost – And Why It’s Usually Good to Go Cheap at First. The Simple Dollar addresses the cheap vs. frugal idea and how it plays out when you are just trying out a new activity. Also, check out my comment that identifies “ANOTHER OPTION” for the readers…

Make those giant speakers into storage. Unclutterer posted a fantastic idea for us men to do something with those blown speakers that are now just junk. Use them to store away stuff! Brilliant!

Choosing A Profitable Blog Topic. Courtney adds to his collection of videos that helps us beginners understand how to choose a profitable topic when deciding what to blog about.

Must reads of the week (the manly stuff…)

The Ultimate Man’s Guide To Fireworks.  Art of Manliness posted an epic article on exactly what to look for when attempting to blow off 3 fingers this time of year.  I love fireworks, but be careful folks.

How to talk to your daughter about sex.  Over at Dad’s House, the topic turned to something VERY important.  I loved the read and it was a topic that needs more than just one post.  Remember Juno…

What Dad’s Really Think About Quality Time.  Discovering Dad has an excellent series on what Dad’s think to Mom’s questions.  He uses some of his good friends to explore topics and have differing opinions.  What I like the most is the fact that nobody has a canned answer…

Till next time…and don’t forget to check out Teddy’s autobiography by signing up for the RSS feed.  It is a long read, but if you print it out in chapters and read when you have a few moments, WOW, what a read!!!