Google It

"...(W)hen a student fails to flourish, it is rarely the result of one party. Rather, it tends to be a confluence of confounding factors, often involving parents, teachers, administrators, politicians, neighborhoods, and even the student himself. If we could collect data that allowed us to parse out these influences accurately, then we might be able to hold not just teachers but all parties responsible. At present, however, we are light-years away from even understanding how to collect such data."

I read that this morning, in Education Weak (no, I spelled that correctly). Then I read the following this evening in My "Comments" section after the post "No Merit Against Merit Pay":

"...However, we might think of one model that has applicability on such a large data set. That is the 'Google Page Rank' algorithm that was the foundation of the world's most successful search engine... successful for being able to have a high degree of accuracy in finding true correlations between "your search query" and "the info that matches your query". Stats geeks - you figure it out.

Now, if such a system that can correlate a student's achievements with earlier teacher contributions, it will be a much better way of finding out which teachers are successful at doing the job, i.e. preparing students to go on to the next level of academics successfully."

The brilliance of My Idea...okay, of The Insider's idea found on MY blog (I'm happy now) is that it has an answer for what teachers say is an "insoluble" problem. Now I'm with The Insider on the fact that I don't know how it can be done...but would I be The Jenius if I didn't give it a stab?

How well you know Me.

--What Google--the Owner of the Internets--did with search was postulate a method by which any question could be correlated to a growing set of "inter-related data points." In contrast, what We want with "data-driven, value-added assessment" is to answer a very specific paired set of questions: How is a student progressing? and Who's teaching helps students progress more? Every other question We may wish to ask about education simply flows from these two starting points.

--Given that framework, We can begin aggregating data already in hand, from socioeconomic factors to test results and health data. Yes, it presents an incomplete picture of factors affecting education, but it starts to establish the framework and helps identify gaps that need to be filled.

--In the aggregation of data and the application of the algorithm, there is a ranking system (Google's success in taking over the  world was predicated on this point.) By playing with the data and ranking systems, We can test different methods against historical results, as in determining how closely IQ tests are related to academic success or how much weight should standardized tests have. The strength of this exploration is that We can see the end results of factors in the recent past and weigh them accordingly. The weakness is that because more data needs to be added to fill out the evaluation framework, the algorithm will not be a reliable predictor of future success for maybe several years. 

--During this "historical" assessment, We will again see how important family, health (particularly nutrition), funding levels and socioeconomic levels are to a student's ultimate success. Fine: We can them "average them out," essentially place them in the background so that the information We want to see, i.e., teacher performance, can then "rise" above the data.

--Teachers, don't get hissy about the previous paragraph: it's called "filtering" and it applies as much to search results as it does to seismic events, cardiograms and musical recordings, and so it will apply to this kind of teacher evaluation system.

--Given the amount of data and the need to capture the intangibles to improve education, coupled with the notion that by doing so the U.S. of part of A. could once again vault to the head of the (world)class and lead the way into true 21st century schooling, I'd be very surprised if Google doesn't start doing this soon--or if they might already be planning to do so. They may even have a test project going on somewhere. It makes sense that the world's leader in data analysis simplification (think about it) would want to use that power to impact the very basis of a society's future: education.

And then again, all this may come together because I had a brilliant idea...

Of expanding on The Insider's comments.

Darn.

The Jenius Has Spoken.

Off My Chest

---I've said this before, but here it is in writing: On October 24th, 2011, all Our computer screens will go blank except for an unerasable message that says: We have turned off the Internet. We will turn it back on when you pay us $1,000,000,000,000. Signed, Google.

---The Fools, in their insatiable lust to worship at the Altar of Idiocy, are exploring the use of electronic voting machines, or as the murderous moron calls them "reality checks" (because they block reality when you touch them.) Seeing as how the U.S. presidency was swindled twice through electronic "voting," what possible reason could The Fools have for using them? (I'm not näive: I'm stressing the point.) Take it from an expert programmer, Giles Bowkett:

Every story you see on the news about (electronic) voter fraud is an instance of corruption at work. There are no exceptions. The only way systems which handle such incredibly simple problems can malfunction so consistently and spectacularly is if they are designed to do so. It's like putting square wheels on a car. Fucking up something that simple is harder than getting it right. It takes effort. It can only happen deliberately.

Every single time a voting machine malfunctions, somebody has ripped you off. Manufacturing fradulently "malfunctioning" voting machines has become the new method of choice for undermining democracy. Every time it happens, you should put somebody in jail.

---Speaking of worshiping at the Altar of Idiocy, The Economist did its annual Democracy Index for 2007 and the U.S ranked 17th overall. (For the murderous moron in the Whitewash House and statehooders, that means 16 countries ranked better than the U.S. of part of A.) In two of the five categories--Electoral Process & Pluralism and Civil Liberties--the U.S. ranked dead last. amongst "Full Democracies." Dead. Last. Here's a hint, Fools: If you want to imitate a role model, pick a paladin, not a prevaricator. (F.t.m.m.i.t.W.H.a.s.: A hero, not a liar.)

---After dropping My "weekly" surf sites to less than 30 a week, I went on an Internet binge this week and added 31 new sites...and subscribed to 11 new e-zines. I can either look at this as "falling off the wagon" or "exploring new horizons." Hmmm...Wagon or Horizons? Horizons.


The Jenius Has Spoken.

Not-So-Random Thoughts

---Yes, I'm the #1 result for success starts now. (Sans quotes, as you can see.) Makes Me pause to ponder this more deeply...

---My warmest spit to Visa, whose new ad campaign extolls as a virtue the urge to shorten your life span and die in poverty all at the same time! With another whizzing-whirring cavalcade of images, Visa preaches that "Fast food needs fast money" or some such ratshit. Here's a thought, Visa: I eat good food and save money. And here's another: Eat Me.

---About the recent fatal shooting incident involving the local police, two more nauseating additions: Another unarmed citizen was shot just a few miles from My house and in a televised interview, the president of the local police union basically smiled his inane way through the questions as a defense of the policemen involved. I repeat: It's not that there's a substantial minority of legal thugs roaming Our streets, it's that so many of their "brethren in blue" protect them.

---It's about time I owned up to the fact that My predicted "four horse" (Sorry, equines...) race for governor in 2008 is missing one: Willie "Let's Sue the U.S." Miranda. He didn't cast his hat into the ring and given his age, may not get the chance in 2012. There is, however, a three horse race involving not one, not two, but three horse's asses. The more things change...

---I don't know why I bring this up: Geico has five--FIVE!--TV campaigns running simultaneously. These are the cavemen series (soon to be a TV show); the gecko series; the "average person represented by a celebrity series"; the "I just saved 15% with Geico" series and the most recent one, with the surly boy dreaming of being the Geico-sponsored race car driver. For those of you who are into this stuff, can you name any other company that featured so many distinct ad campaigns at one time? Some might say it's a waste of money, some might say it's overkill, but I see a company willing to take chances about getting their message to "stick." In any case, the five campaigns are notably creative and some ad execs can be proud of being consistently successful.

---To the acquaintance who suggested I should stop criticizing statehooders because they "know the U.S. just as well as you and don't have your 'second-class citizen' mentality," here's a response, now that you're sober: You lived in the U.S for 7 years, in Texas and visited three other states. You categorically averred that you wouldn't take the Deep South--where I lived for 10 years--because "They are hateful people." Well, here's a newsflash, Drunkie: They think worse of you. I know because I've heard, seen and discussed it with them. And what's fairly evident in the Deep South runs quietly in the Midwest, Upper West and New England. And guess who gets to approve "your" petition for statehood, if you ever descended so low as to make one? Take a hint: Crawl back into your drink and leave the thinking to those of Us who haven't killed half Our brains in alcohol.


The Jenius Has Spoken.

Selling Out (of Place)

Uh, noted: Google "deepest outhouse." Go ahead, google it.

Sigh. Just when I think I'm making progress...


Several days ago, Puerto Rico hosted an event to sell the Island as a "worthy investment." In New York City.

I feel an analogy coming on:

That's like reciting poetry to Milton. No.

That's like giving Nero a fiddle. No.

That's like selling ice to an Eskimo. Bingo!

Pause for a moment and contemplate: Do We really--I mean, REALLY--need to tell investors and venture capitalists in New York City about Puerto Rico? New York City, where there are as many Puerto Ricans as in either half of the Island? New York City, where easily 75% of the Fortune 500 companies already here have central offices?

Reciting poetry to Milton or giving Nero a fiddle actually enhances their lives, if only a tiny bit (figuratively.) But trying to sell ice to an Eskimo (no, I won't be PC about this) is to simply waste time and effort when it is obvious--obvious, I tell you--that the time and effort are better invested elsewhere.

Yes, New York City has plenty of money. Oodles and oodles of it. In fact, it has so much that whatever monies needed to find their way to Puerto Rico have either done so or will do so no matter how many fake "high-powered" events We want to burn cash on. The whole "effort" is like glossy tissue paper: Expensive, wasteful and more likely to smear than improve the situation.

The usual gang of powermongers and pathetic wannabes were behind and beneath this event, focused entirely on witless style rather than wise substance. What would have made the difference? Holding this type of event in Santiago, Buenos Aires or Río de Janeiro.

If the event were truly aimed at enhancing the investment image of Puerto Rico, it needed to go where (A) would-be investors could learn more than they already know about Puerto Rico and (B) where Puerto Rico represents a unique and/or clear advantage over other current options.

Condition A is satisfied easily, for Puerto Rico's image in South American investment circles is practically a shadow. Why? Because We make very little effort to court, explore and do business with South American markets. The primary reason is U.S. tyranny over Our economic options, a tyranny We tolerate and even foment with Our wishy-washy political spinelessness. But another primary reason is simply Our basic xenophobia, born of ignorance of the world outside Our geographically-limited borders.

Put the two together and you get a "selling" event in a market that knows Us probably better than We know Ourselves and has for at least 50 years, rather than a selling event in markets that could learn about Us as We learn about them. And that could use Our access and knowledge of the U.S market to their great advantage, which fulfills Condition B.

So We end up trying to sell ice to Eskimos rather than ice to the ice-challenged. Leave it to Our feckless "leaders" to wax ecstatic over the wrong event run by the wrong people in the wrong market for the wrong reasons. And blame Us for neither caring about this or what won't happen because of it.


The Jenius Has Spoken.

Pocket Science

As predicted by Yours Truly--the #1 Google result for "bask in my glory" meaning--retail sales in November 2006 did not show any significant increase. So, given that there was no pre-tax sales boost, that December sales were lower than expected, that January sales were a reflection of December's and that February has no incentive for retail growth (forget Valentine's Day: Think big-ticket items like furniture and cars) what are We facing?

Reality. The same reality The Fools simply cannot understand: The sales tax will reduce government revenues.

This isn't rocket science, although to The Fools, tic-tac-toe is rocket science. The sales tax reduces consumer purchases, drives marginal-but-legal activities further underground and forces--yes, forces--an increase in tax evasion.

Last point first. No one is truly "forced" into tax evasion, but if you are suddenly seeking greater opportunities for cash-based transactions that need not be reported, then the sales tax is actually encouraging people to sneak more traceless cash into their daily lives. End result: Less government revenue.

"But wait!" says The Fool in the pig-trough, "Won't that cash be used for buying things?" Some of it will, but most of it will go to areas that aren't taxed, such as services and bills. Overall, the net impact of more cash transactions is simply less government revenue. Now go snuffle up some more slop, Fool.

And what about the ethics of seeking more cash-based transactions? Isn't that wrong and thus to be avoided? We live in a country where Fools and their minions get away with tons more crap than We ever try to pull, so the ethical/moral example is "Give it a try." But on a more rational basis, a 7% sales tax in a country where the average wage makes the tax comparable to a 14-19% Stateside tax hike is a serious incentive to find ways around it.

The average local family lives one paycheck away from financial insolvency. Toss in rising utility rates, skyrocketing health costs (with deteriorating service quality) and the fact that although the 6.6% import tax was removed, prices still remain the same plus 7% and you have a scenario where finding money that can't be sliced to feed The Fools' cancerous maw makes total sense.

As for reducing consumer purchases, the proof is already in hand. By May We'll have the proof of tax evasion and reduced revenues and maybe, if someone has the wits and guts to do a professional in-depth study of Our economy, We'll see the perfection of the cash-based, underground economy in its path to greater entrenchment.

Just don't expect the Center for the New Economy to do it, as they lack both of the critical qualities. In that, they are exactly like the Old Economy Fools.


The Jenius Has Spoken.

Future Headlines

A couple of notes: To those who tuned in to the local 88.9 FM station owned by the Catholic University of Puerto Rico and expected to hear the dulcet tones of My voice, blame the station for not being organized enough to get Felipe Morales and Me on the air at the appointed time. Today's show will air next Monday, at 11:00 a.m. (The Pope is gonna hear about this.) And for those of you searching Google for "geniuses think metaphorically," notice Me as the #2 result. (I try harder.)


Some headlines I expect to see in the next few weeks:

Retail Sales Dropping More Than Expected.

Legislators Seek Amendments to Sales Tax Bills.

Governor Seeks Amendment to Sales Tax Bills. (Notice, just one amendment.)

Retailers Fall Far Behind on Sales Tax Payments.

Entrepreneurs Stymied by Additional Obstacles.

Bankers Association Lobbies for Deregulation.

Internet Sales Attracting Attention.

Government Revenues Lagging: Rumors of Shutdown Increasing.

Teachers Will Walk Immediately if Shutdown is Announced. (Hell, the moronic loafers will walk for any damn reason.)

Congress Shelves Bill for P.R. Self-Determination.

Stupid Rosselló.

Local Supreme Court Steps In Again on Sales Tax Issues.

Puerto Rico Slips Again in Regional Tourism.

Unicameral Bill Not on Legislative Agenda.


The Jenius Has Spoken.

Jenie Wishes

--Maybe I shouldn't mention this, but someone arrived at Jenius Central from a Google search for "venereal diseases that cause lips to look misaligned."

I don't know what to think about that...


Let's say that a Magic Being--a Jenie--offers Me--The Jenius--three wishes. But said Jenie tells Me that I can only use those three wishes to make changes in Our government. Seems the Jenie is some sort of retired bureaucrat-cum-lobbyist with connections to 29th century science. (Arthur Clarke's Third Law spells this scenario out for you.)

Having gotten past My disappointment on so pointless an offer (in less than a fortnight, so I'm feeling chipper), here are My three wishes:

1) I wish government workers didn't "settle" for government work, but chose it as a result of vision. From ex-governors who couldn't cut it as lawyers or are egomaniacal semi-doctors or are pampered rich girls to the average Juan and Julia in a dead-end cubicle, far too many of Our government workers are there because they have to be somewhere, right? The only passion they feel is for 5:00 p.m. and their Christmas bonus. The "eight hours a day for 30 years" mentality is seen as a life plan, when it fact it's simply calling quits on Life and burdening the rest of Us with their indifferent incompetence. And for those who switch "careers" to "make a difference," they confuse ego with talent and burden Us with their overbearing incompetence.

2) I wish government understood its limits. When your government acts like a drunken sadist in search of victims on which to inflict more pain (see Washington D.C. for recent examples), a whiff of insight into what a democratic government truly is would go far into righting the reckless Ship of State. The same can be said when the captain is mealy-mouthed and spineless, for where the drunken sadist will crash the Ship, the wimp will simply run it aground. A government has only a few basic functions: protection (laws, defense); communication of said laws and implementing plans for stability and growth. But even these functions are curtailed by two additional factors: what the government is allowed to do and what the majority additionally decides. That Our government is acting like it owns Us is the result of watching Big Bully-Boob from up north and playing "stupid monkey see, stupid monkey do." A government that understands its limits is one that will be aimed at its true functions, not one that plays fast and loose to favor a few and endanger the majority.

3) I wish the people saw government as "Us" and not "Them." It ultimately comes down to this simple precept: We are The People, therefore We are The Government. And doesn't it seem funny to you that of all three wishes, only this one doesn't require a Jenie--or a Jenius--to make come true?


The Jenius Has Spoken.

Variety Pack 002

GOOD LEADERSHIP: According to Scott Adams of Dilbert fame, all you need to know about investing can be summed up in 129 words:

1. Make a will

2. Pay off your credit cards

3. Get term life insurance if you have a family to support

4. Fund your 401k to the maximum

5. Fund your IRA to the maximum

6. Buy a house if you want to live in a house and can afford it

7. Put six months' worth of expenses in a money-market account

8. Take whatever money is left over and invest 70% in a stock index fund and 30% in a bond fund through any discount broker and never touch it until retirement

9. If any of this confuses you, or you have something special going on (retirement, college planning, tax issues), hire a fee-based financial planner, not one who charges a percentage of your portfolio.


Quoting Guinness Beer: Brilliant! In Puerto Rico, We can bring it down to 126 because making a will here is a waste of time, what with forced estate sharing and the like. But imagine following these simple rules and actually making money instead of spending it like some demented monkey. I'll allow The Master to cap this off:

"Everything else you may want to do with your money is a bad idea compared to what's on my one-page summary. You want an annuity? It's worse. You want a whole life insurance policy? It's worse. You want to invest in individual stocks? It's worse. You want a managed mutual fund instead of an index fund? It's worse. I could go on, but you get the point."


BAD LEADERSHIP: Radar Online ranks the Ten Dumbest People in Congress, actually using the word "fools" in the subtitle. I'm flattered and I'm thinking of suing. Why don't you drop by the list and learn about crass stupidity? Here's an incentive: There's a Schmidt on the list!! Go wild!!


BAD LEADERSHIP: The list of the Stupidest People in Our legislature is quite short:

1. Stupid Rosselló.

2. A 77-way tie for third place. (Oh, the irony!)


GOOD LEADERSHIP: The Jenius ranks first in the following Google searches:

*** what problem can a person face by becoming rich overnight (Uh? You askin' Me?!)

*** Jenius Ventures (Hey, I guess I DO know somethin'...)

*** psychiatrists conclusion Al Capone was a moron on their evaluation forms (I wonder where they were buried when Al found out...)


GOOD LEADERSHIP: I read this somewhere and it's been bugging Me to include it here; I don't know why:

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim quickly he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed and getting to the patient within 3 hours, which is tough. Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. But doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

1) Ask the individual to SMILE.
2) Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
3) Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently, ie: It is sunny out today)

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

In this day and age of reduced health services and decreasing quality, maybe this information will be useful to one of you or your loved ones.

Then again, ask any Fool the first two questions and s/he's fine. Ask the third and just start dialing 9-1-1!

Oh, so that's why it kept bugging Me to be included here...


The Jenius Has Spoken.

Mini-Tryptych + One

Panel The First: If you are not listening to Keith Olbermann--if you are not listening to Keith Olbermann--you are missing out on the most eloquently rational voice in the U.S. national media. Catch him on "Countdown", on MSNBC (yeah, it's still around) or over at YouTube.


Panel The Second: In the immediate wake of Federal seizure of the dead drug dealer's assets (someone might point out that I'm supposed to say "alleged": okay, I just did), the senate ethics commission--a.k.a "Three Ass-Lickers and Two Idiots"--voted 3-2 to defeat a motion to investigate Hector "Drug Dealer? Drug Dealer?! That Guy Has No Job and Owns Four Houses? Drug Dealer?!?" Martínez.

Guess who voted "No"?

Let Me help the lameculos who voted "No," a word equal in letters to their collective IQ:

---Your statehood colleague INVITED this soon-to-be-dead drug peddler to official senate events several times. Not once, not twice: several times. Your own legislative headless body has ample evidence of these ethics breaches ranging from photos taken on-site by a myriad of witnesses to the drug dealer's SIGNATURE on official documents.

---The Feds just seized several properties once-owned by the dead drug dealer and have stated that ties to local political figures are being investigated. Your very own colleague was a childhood friend and neighbor of the dead dope pusher and actually signed an official receipt to pick up a gun issued in the dead creep's name a few years ago.

Your alleged (See? I said it again.) vote seems to gurgle "Ethics? Ethics?! We don't need no stinkin' ethics!", which I can appreciate must be hard to enunciate when your tongues are dragging lickety-split over derriere. If any of you asswipes can read and think, you'd see a connection in this case worthy of at least a token investigation by your ethics-voided chamber of horrors. That you voted "No" shows you either cannot read, cannot think, have taken bribes or are implicated in the current investigation. Your pick.


Panel The Third: Took some flack for my "Labs" post. Seems a couple of teachers objected to My indirect description of their profession. Okay, here's what I should have said: Most teachers are teachers because they are too lazy or too stupid to be anything else. There are exceptions, but the majority fit My description to a proverbial T.

And One: Courtesy of Google and some folks who almost certainly wound up where they didn't expect: "is not for fools" quotes; "sell your gil" (almost didn't make it...); "taino gil"; "i hate banco popular"; "what is a nebbish"; "what happened at the grito de lares"; "the simplest way to sell your ideas"; "conflict is necessary for growth"; and remarkably, "global economy, education's role" and "schools destroy creativity".

Okay, ten. At least it contains a one...


The Jenius Has Spoken.

Leader With a Capital "L"

I begin with a few notes:

---Who's #1 in "jenius genius"? Modesty forbids mentioning Me, so I won't.

---Who's #1 for "career growth and commitment"? Modesty hell: Me.

---Who's #1 for "jenius people"? Not Me; I'm #2.

---Who's #1 for "cheat jenius"? Okay, Me, but it's not what you think. It's not.

---Who's #1 for "jenius coyote"? Moi. Make up your own Fool joke here.


What kind of leader does Puerto Rico need?

Because of the ridiculous dependence on government, if ever a Leader--one worthy of capitalization--emerges on Our island, he or she would have to be a governor, one who hearkens back to the image of Luis Muñoz Marín. (Forget politics here for a moment and think "leader." We haven't had one since.) But because history shapes the figures of its time, what kind of leader would Our 21st century demand?

1) Male: Sorry, ladies, but Puerto Rico is still rooted in testosterone and macho crap. Take comfort in the fact that it means that most of Our men are scared of you.

2) Non-Black: Who was Our last Leader with black skin? Roberto Clemente, and only for a short timespan. Think I'm wrong? Check out the power structure in government and private enterprises and remember that in the last census, 87% of Us said We were "white."

3) Under 50: Better yet, under 40. (Age, not IQ.) Though the largest voting bloc is 60+, the largest potential growth is in the under-30 crowd. And the under-30 crowd is just aching to have one of their own kick butt.

4) Mediagenic: Not necessarily handsome, but at least presentable. Preferably with a distinctive "defect" that makes him less threatening to men and endearing to women, like big ears or being slightly cross-eyed. You think I jest. Ask women if they and their friends voted for Pedro "Crookedness Is My Business" Rosselló because he actually knew something worthwhile. And he is cross-eyed, especially in the moral sense.

5) Angry: Whoever seeks to be Our Leader has to convey Our anger, not in words, but in emotions. Muñoz Marín was humble, when all We conveyed was humility. Now We're angry and scared. Our Leader has to convey that anger to allay Our fears.

6) Gregarious: Forget "the common touch": this Leader has to crave being with the people. Although this would ultimately hinder his long-term effectiveness, this Leader can only galvanize Us if he genuinely IS one of Us, not some plasticized, isolated lunkhead snuffling for cash. (By which I eliminate every current Fool from the "Leader" market.)

7) Tunnel-visioned: We can't handle visionary leadership because We are not visionaries. We have small dreams and small goals. Whatever Leader emerges has to focus on only a few areas and make those areas Our "big goals." No "transformation" or "revolution": just down-the-middle momentum. It will take a decade or so to make Us realize that We are Our enemy and thus make the effort to get out of Our Own way.

8) Short-termed: We don't need a "governor-for-life", what We need is a governor FOR Life, one who understands that Life requires renewal for growth and doesn't wish to cling to power like a leech on an ox's neck. If Muñoz Marín left a legacy, it was in his willingness to "step down." Whoever emerges as Leader must be a man who knows his time is self-limited and thus has his mind focused on results and his heart beating with urgency.

Will We see that Leader emerge? I wish I could say yes. I may be inclined to say no. But I do know that many will try and almost--almost--all will fail. I guess that means yes. I hope it doesn't mean too late.


The Jenius Has Spoken.

Four-Part Harmony

Part The First: Echoing a previous post, The Jenius once again reigns supreme in Google searches for "bat snot."

I know: you're impressed.

And for good measure, the top two results in "how to learn pessimism" mention Yours Truly. Not that they should, but they do.

Please hold your applause until the end.


Part The Second: Yesterday, an otherwise brilliant person used the following "defense" for the fecal-filled senator who invited a known drug dealer to visit prisons during official senate visits: "The guy (drug dealer) was never convicted in court, so under the presumption of innocence, there's no reason to be going after the senator."

Ha. And let me add: hogswill.

But then...it got worse. The otherwise brilliant gentleman went on to say that "The senator simply invited one of his constituents. He was representing one of his constituents and thus had the right to invite him to see the work being done."

Let's get loud: WHAT A CROCK OF ROAD APPLES.

Yes, the now-dead drug dealer was never convicted in court. But under the "Duck Corollary' (If it walks, talks and looks like a duck...) the guy was obviously a drug dealer. And in any case, his being gunned down on the street is more a "Miami Vice" murder mystery than a "Miss Marple" tea-cozy puzzler and that's exactly how the police are treating it.

Al Capone was never found guilty in a court of anything but tax evasion. I suppose that under My friend's insipidly-unreal """defense""" (the extra quotation marks are to denote sarcasm; get it?), Capone was not a gangster.

Furthermore, what is this about "inviting constituents" that can serve as a defense? Was a drug dealer the ONLY person this stupid-to-the-max senator could think of to invite to an inspection tour of prisons? No one else? Who does this fecal-filled fool represent then?

And on the matter of the relationship, let Me be blunt: Hector Martínez is a liar. He lied about not knowing the drug dealer, he lied about the "reason" for inviting him, he lied about not knowing what the drug dealer did for a "living"... He lied. Period.


Part The Third: My good friend José Rodríguez, of LasFinanzas.com fame, sent Me a link to Kiva, an organization that allows people to send money and help microentrepreneurs around the world. Kiva helps people in Africa, Asia, Central and South America to build a small business by pooling donations and tracking repayment.

Yes, repayment. Like the microbanks that launched an entreprenuerial revolution in India, Kiva looks to improve a person's or family's standard of living by providing start-up capital in the form of a low-interest loan. To you, $800 might be a couple days' worth of salary, but to someone in Ecuador, Bangladesh or Zaire, it's an immense amount of money and can literally change their lives forever.

I bring this up because if there's anything that Puerto Ricans do well (and the list, more positive than negative, is quite long) it is in providing aid to those in need where We truly set a high standard. Year after year, Puerto Ricans donate more money and goods per capita than the U.S. and other industrialized nations. (By and large, the G-8 are sorry givers, at the per capita level.) Hopefully, bringing Kiva to Our attention will help motivate that generous spirit to keep fueling a worldwide economic revolution, one microentreprenuer at a time.


Part The Fourth: You may applaud now.


The Jenius Has Spoken.

Firetime Chat

---If you Google "things 'you would do' dictator," Yours Truly is the first result that pops up. Remember that come election time.

---Caguas Mayor "Willie" Miranda suggests that Our fecal-filled legislature should work only part-time. Fool! He's asking them to actually work! To be functional! To be responsible! To make a difference! That's like asking a toadstool to sing "Il Pagliacci" while flying a stealth fighter.

Sillie Willie, your gubernatorial campaign is off to a bad start. (He's running, folks. He's just not admitting it.) Instead of focusing on what you have some say over, like your city's plans and achievements, you go populist on Us and try to curry favor by slamming the eminently slammable. (Yeah, The Jenius slams the same offal, but I ain't running for office: I'm just calling crap crap.) Suggestion, Willie Nillie: If you want to stay populist, slam the economy. It can't hit you back (yet), everyone hates it (except for The Fools who keep taxing Our asses, although if they really taxed asses, only The Fools would have to pay) and any theory you toss out is just as valid as what any economist blows in the wind.

--- For weeks, I've been saying that the sales tax was not in place of the import tax, but in addition to the import tax. Earlier this week, the press finally picked up on that point, because for some reason, the Fecal-Filled Fools didn't--uh--get around to--writing that leeeetle bit of legislation. You know, what with the crisis and everything...And now, economists are predicting a "serious, even dire impact" of the sales tax on the local economy.

Duh. And while I'm here, DUH.

On a local radio show, senate president Kenneth "Any Idea is Good Because I Don't Have Any of My Own" McClintock said that the sales tax would reduce overall prices. He described the impact of the import tax as coming at the beginning of the import-wholesale-retail chain, using a 50% markup from one step to another, as follows:


1) Product arrives in Puerto Rico, priced at 30 cents.
2) Import tax adds 6.6%, or roughly 2 cents.
3) Importer "buys" at 32 cents, sells at 48 cents (50% markup.)
4) Wholeseller buys at 48 cents, sells at 72 cents.
5) Retailer buys at 72 cents, sells at $1.08.
6) Tax "impact" equals 15 cents (additional monies to cover initial taxing.)

Under the sales tax, set at 7% and now going UP (sneaky point there, Kenny-boy), the "chain of logic" goes:

1) Product arrives in Puerto Rico, priced at 30 cents.
2) Importer sells at 45 cents.
3) Wholeseller sells at 68 cents.
4) Retailer adds 50% markup, sells at $1.02.
5) Tax "impact" equals 7 cents.

WRONG.

At $1.08, yes, the price is higher, but the original tax is 2 cents and the rest is negotiable "cost". Think I'm wrong? Ask Wal-Mart how much they pay in import taxes a year (actual transfers of money, not "accounting reports.") Better yet, ask the pharmaceuticals, who are supposed to pay, but are given pretty much carte blanche.

Once the sales tax is imposed, prices go UP. They have to: the cost of doing business is no longer negotiable. (That was one of the arguments FOR the sales tax: to get the money that was "slipping away.") Think I'm wrong? Prices for many "optional" products have already started rising because "optional" is harder to buy and selling them costs more. It doesn't take a fifth-grade education to see that, which means The Fools don't get it because they can barely think above nursery school level ("Me want!! Me want!!")

And another thing: Where the hell is the logic that a 6.6% import tax on some goods is less expensive to the consumer than a 7% sales tax on most goods? The bottom line here is that the import tax was applied willy-nilly (I read that somewhere...), had so many holes in its application that a sizeable minority of local companies paid little or no money ever and The Fools dropped a sales tax on Our heads because they have screwed Us badly and baldly for years with their mismanagement, fake crises, politicking and greed.

Now We have to pay for electing these vermin.

I say We flambé 7% of them for every month they are incompetent and stupid--which means, of course, e-v-e-r-y month. Rounding up, We can get rid of all of them in 42 months.

But!!

If We add 6.6% to the flambé rate, like they want to do to Us, We can barbecue the whole lot in only 24 months. Just in time for the elections!!

The Jenius Has Spoken.

My "To Do" List

---Thank James O'Malley, El Gringoqueño, for giving me a 1 gigabyte pen drive where I can "keep My whole Life." Thanks, Jim. -----OK!

---Pass on Jim's generosity in kind. And link to his blog!-----

---Mention Aníbal Freytes' wickedly appropriate bitch-slap to the rabid dog ex-governor, faux senator and overall piece of offal Pedro "Schizoid is My Middle Name" Rosselló. -----OK!

---Remind Yourself that you said You'd run The World's Best 10K next year. -----OK!

---Try to ignore Your body's protests as You try to get into shape for that run. -----

---Mention in passing that in a Google search for "gil puerto rico", You were the 19th result!! NINETEENTH!?!?!? Excoriate Google for being a kludgy piece of bassackwards malgorithms. -----OK!

---Trademark "malgorithms." -----

---Make a remark about governor Acevedo's $3,000 suits paid for--allegedly coughcough winkwink--with Our public monies and illegal contributions.

Why does a jellyfish need $3,000 suits? It's still a jellyfish! -----OK!

---Point out that You and 93.6% of all the wild monkeys between Cabo Rojo and Cataño have peed sounder economic notions than the Center (haha) for the New (hahahahaha) Economy (hahahahahahahaha.) -----OK! (hahahahahahahaha)

---Lighten up The Jenius: He's been sounding sour lately.

Center for the Nehahahahahahahahahaha. -----OK!


The Jenius Has Spoken.

Trouble in the Overfed Fat Cat

---KUDOS! To My Mom, who today received her Master's Degree in Education. I owe My Mom for many things, but her achievement today is a shining example of striving for knowledge and excellence, regardless of age. I love you, Mom.

---Oh, Lucy, joo got some 'splainin' to do! Go ahead and Google "brain dulled", sans quotation marks. Go ahead! Or click here. Yeah, ranking up there at Numero Uno is none other than Yours Truly. How's that for a Monday morning greeting?

---But wait! There's more! Do that Google thing with "jenius monkey", again sans quotation marks. Or, well, click here. Not only is Moi Numero Uno, He is also Numero Deux. A Top Two in jenius monkey?! I say We invade Canada and build a wall around its icy sneeringness!

---Thanks to My lovely friend, Laura Homar, for sending Me a link to a recent Economist Magazine article titled "Trouble on Welfare Island." How could you not love an article with so gentle a title as that?

Based largely on an interview with the Mayor of My birthplace (Aguadilla), Carlos Méndez, the article makes reference to the recent Brookings Institution report on the local economy. (The so-called Center for the New Economy co-authored the report, but that falls squarely in the category of "lipstick" to the Brookings Institution "pig.")

Some chosen gems from the article:

The territory's economy...has fallen further behind the national one over the past three decades. Bad government—not just locally, but also federally—is largely to blame. Yet most Americans are oblivious to the Caribbean island's problems.

Now that The Economist has made it clear, maybe you statehood pukes will grasp that The Jenius has been right about this point all along.

...Puerto Rico grew impressively in the decades after the second world war, even outperforming Asian “tigers” such as South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore (which has roughly Puerto Rico's population). Since the 1970s, however, Puerto Rico has been outpaced badly by the Asian tigers and Ireland, another place to which it is often compared. It has also diverged from the United States, losing ground even to lowly Mississippi.

The Jenius lived in Mississippi. The Jenius studied in Mississippi. The Jenius knew Mississippi. And you, Puerto Rico, are certainly no Mississippi. And as the article graphic points out (nicely titled "The Overfed Tiger"), Our GDP per person as a percentage of that of the U.S. has declined steadily since the early 70s and is now barely one-third that of Singapore. And dropping. Translation: We are sucking big time.

Puerto Rico's bloated government also bears much of the blame. Around 30% of the territory's jobs are in the public sector. Among other things, a big and coddled bureaucracy undermines Puerto Rico's educational achievements in two ways. First, nearly half those on the education department's payroll are not teachers; quality has fallen because of low accountability and mismanagement. Second, because of the small private sector, too few well-educated Puerto Ricans are gaining useful skills and experience in the marketplace.

The government directly employs almost 30% of the workforce; if you add indirect jobs, the number comes closer to 43-44%, a staggeringly overbloated festering tumor currently mismanaged by a jellyfish, hyenas, Fools and outright crooks (led by Pedro "I'm the Poster Child for Mental, Emotional and Moral Voids" Rosselló.")

And one more little factoid: teachers make up barely 50% of the (Mis)Education Department, but only 29% of its payroll. Yep, them "upper-level" swamp hogs gobble up most of the payroll, but add nothing to the classroom except static.

And here's the closing:

As he walked through Aguadilla's town hall recently, Mr Méndez boasted about each employee's university or graduate-school credentials as he introduced them. The trouble, he says, is that “All they want to do is find security only. They have no ambition...Everybody wants to work for the government.” Manuel Reyes, of the Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association, also sees little hope that the government's role will shrink. “There is no light at the end of the tunnel,” he says, “because we are still in denial.” And the rest of America is still indifferent.

Seeking "security." Lacking ambition. My people in denial. And Americans indifferent to Us. Nothing--nothing--The Jenius hasn't hammered at repeatedly. It's about time the rest of the world caught up with Me. I wonder when the rest of Us will.

The Jenius Has Spoken.

More Stray Thoughts

---When someone Googles "special things in puerto rico", where do you think The Jenius would rank? Why thank you! Actually, The Jenius ranks fourth, just behind Taínos, living and diving. I always knew I was a Top 5 Special Attraction in Puerto Rico; now I have proof.

---Less than 24 hours after My posting about the U.S. becoming a police state, the Supreme Court votes 5-4 to limit protection to government whistleblowers, even in justifiable cases. Funny how that topic was #9 on the list and how clamping down on it makes the list even more relevant. I can almost hear the jackboots goose-stepping down Main Street...

---Now that Caguas Mayor "Willie" Miranda Marín has been outed as a potential candidate, his next move is to say "Yes, if..." That's the traditional answer for would-be candidates who haven't (A) raised enough money to run, (B) don't have a finger on the pulse of the electorate and (C) are still many months away from the elections. **NOTE: Before I could post this, Willie pretty much said "Yes, if..." and of course, the bleating retarded sheep in the press went running--running, I tell you!--to tattle on Willie to the jellyfish in La Fortaleza, Aníbal Acebedo Vilá. The jellyfish's response? "It's too early to discuss candidacies at this time." Yeah. Right. (And maybe I should go back to blogging every day...)

---"If you could have either more money or more time, which would you choose?" There's a poll over at Lifehacker that you can give an answer to. My answer? More time. I can always make more money.

---Nine months to The World's Best 10K and I have yet to start training. The reason is simple: I haven't wanted to. Doesn't matter what else I say, it boils down to the simple fact that I haven't wanted to train enough to get started. Time is barely on My side here, as I am probably in the worst shape of My adult life and have never run anything near 10 kilometers at one time. Solution: Raise the stakes. Make it even more imperative to get started. Nothing like some extra pressure to make one react, right?

---Yesterday I took a car to an Inspection Center, a requirement in order to buy the car's local license sticker. known as marbete. The center was a small, cramped, garage/used car sale lot with two cars on sale and two cars in pieces. In the inspection area was a woman talking non-stop on a cell phone, a blue Ford pick-up truck idling away with the probe wand stuck in its tailpipe. On the dark-green screen, a couple of numbers rose and fell as the engine's output was measured.

With a brief pause, the woman took the car's license and propped it on the keyboard. The car I was in idled away, matching the pick-up's rhythm. I strolled around for a few minutes, listening to the woman's almost-constant chatter/whine. One of the cars was a Mazda sports car, electric blue, stick shift. Cool. More strolling. Some silence, then more chattering. I read the required sign that indicates everything to be inspected: lights, horn, wipers, brakes, door and window integrity...

Suddenly: "Here you go." The inspection certification was printed, the sixth in the last series of the day. Eleven dollars. I don't think she ever looked at the car. Standard procedure? Maybe not, but I can assure you non-Puerto Ricans out there that what I've just described is the dream scenario for a large number of My People. Should I have objected or rejected the certification? Puh-lease. I'm a Jenius, not an Ydiot. We all know the inspection is a song-and-dance only, like the doctor's examination to get your driver's license. Stupidly-implemented procedures that should be stringent, but have simply become legal scams.

Unfortunately, it seems that too many things in Puerto Rico have become legal scams, leading to a sense of anarchy. Anarchy can arise from a lack of moral and ethical values or from open contempt of laws. Personally, The Jenius became an anarchist in this case for the second reason. It can be argued that the first reason applies just as well.

Practicality? Depressing? My vote is "both."

The Jenius Has Spoken.

The Gil Schmidt Index

If you Google “Gil C. Schmidt” (and you do, right?), every result that appears refers to Me. However, I often go by just “Gil Schmidt” and if you Google that, you get—well—a mixed bag of results. So in order to straighten out the mess Google makes of this very important topic, here’s The Official Gil Schmidt Index:

Page 1:
“Gil The Jenius” listed first and second. How entertaining for Me. Must be wonderful for you, too.

The “Gil Schmidt” site is not Me, but note that this Gil Schmidt has “0 friends.” I can hear some people saying: Must be genetic.

Oh. My. Aching. Head. There’s an elected official, a constable no less, in Louisiana named Gil Schmidt. Even worse: this Gil is a Republican. His picture is available, so you can confirm it isn’t—it can’t be—Me.

How the blue blazes does one go from “Charles” to “Gil”? That’s just plain wrong. Then again, “Charles” means “manly, strong” so the connection is damn obvious. (Then again, Google “meaning gil” and this is result #1 and this is NON-result #4. I’m going to moan softly now.)

Jim O’Malley mentions Me, as does Kevin Shockey. Smart men. Maybe even Jeniuses.

And that Short Story Contest winner? Yeah, that’s Me. Allow Me to point out that I won two years in a row…

An emergency surgeon? Could have been, for I was interested in trauma surgery back when I was GCSPrank. But no, this Gil Schmidt is one of My other-dimensional aspects.


Page 2:
That Constable again! Call him at 800-675-1368 and tell him something constably.

You can see a different picture, goofy and grainy, of Gil Schmidt…but thankfully, it ain’t Me either.

The professor? Not Me. (But I had the hots for Mary Ann…)

“Gil Schmidt Cruz”? That’s Me. Good article, though dated.

Something about a Hash tree in Wikipedia—not Me. Hash tree?! And apparently the same guy did IconHandler. Appropriate as The Jenius reaches iconic status…

Global Voices quote? Me.

Gil Schmidt as a Psy. D.? I’d rather be a Republican Constable in the Deep South.

GilBob.com? Puh-lease.


Page 3:
Gil Schmidt as Winnetka Golf Crew leader: they also serve who mow and rake. Tim Schmidt is the Tennis Manager. Stinks of nepotism.

Another Dr. Gil Schmidt, this one a V.P. of Academic Affairs. I’d rather be a Psy. D.

The Colerain Alumni Association has Schmidts coming out of their wazoo, none of whom are Me.

Manning’s Eclipse in Action? Me and I’m damn proud of that project.

Hmmm…seems Charles “Gil” Schmidt moves around a lot…

Gil Schmidt owns (owned?) a Cold Stone Creamery in Arizona. I wonder if I’d get free eats, what with sharing the owner’s name and all?

How the hell does one of My articles end up on something called life(over IP) merits a Congressional investigation. Maybe the constable can do something about this travesty. I may need that Psy. D. after all. Or someone's gonna need that emergency surgeon.


Okay, since most people don’t go past three pages of results, I’ll cut this Index short of its 11 fascinating pages. But you might want to check out Page 4 (Lip-sticking and Wallo World), how I’m not the Indians coach on Page 6, how I’m not the Napa wrestling coach on Page 7 and the Mount Kilimanjaro pics of the emergency surgeon on Page 8.

The Jenius is glad We had so much fun doing this!!

The Jenius Has Spoken.

Becoming An Expert

[Brief aside: Someone--has to be a guy--actually Googled "the role of the tapeworm in educational mismanagement" and--shudder--guess what?

All I want to know is: why?

On another topic, a Greek(?) Google search for "jenius creativity" tossed up Moi as the top result. Sad to think that the greatest ancient civilization may have regressed just a leeetle bit more...]


Now back to Our regularly scheduled brilliant post:

Every once in a while, if you surf the Web often, you'll run across things you've seen before, but this time around, you see them.

Case in point: The Jenius occasionally drops by David Seah's blog to enjoy the productivity and flexibility focus David brings to managing one's resources. Several months ago, I actually downloaded his Printable CEO tool (check it out!) and am in the process of adapting for My own use.

At the time, I read--actually, scanned--one of David's posts, this one about investing about 10,000 hours in order to become an expert. In fact, as quoted from another of My sources, the DIY Planner, it isn't talent that separates the high-achievers from the average, but the amount of practice the person puts into their endeavor. Yes, talent makes it easier to do something, but excellence comes from action, not mere genetics.

I ran into the post today while researching productivity topics and this time, the post clicked in My mind. Yeah, I saw the light.

In David's own words:

"While 10,000 hours over 10 years is a daunting proposition, consider this:
---1000 hours is pretty doable. That’s a little less than a year of full-time work.
---100 hours is even more achievable…you could do that over a few months on the side, or just slam through it in a very intense couple of weeks.
---Even spending 10 hours practicing something is going to make you significantly better at it. If you spent 10 hours practicing one song, or learning how to juggle, or learning how to bowl strikes…you’re going to learn something.
---One hour? That’s worthwhile too. You could spend an hour writing your signature over and over again to make it cooler. I’ve done that at least a couple of times in my life.

The point: the ability to improve ourselves is very much within our grasp. I always knew this, but putting it in terms of accumulating hours of experience is awesome. An acquaintance of mine put weight loss in similar terms: 'Sure, it’s going to take two years to lose that much weight–it’s a drag. But you’re going to be living those two years anyway, so why not slim down at the same time?'" (Emphasis Mine.)


The time is going to by anyway, so why not do it? This heuristic applies as much to weight loss as it does to education, exercise, skill enhancement, social development and any human-based endeavor you can imagine. It's simply a matter of choice--of choosing your focus and acting upon it.

You want to make more money? Do something to improve your long-term money-making abilities.

You want to have better health? Consistently do more things that enhance your health.

You want to become a better person? Then actually be a better person. The common link here is action in the form of practicing.

As for putting in the hours: An hour a day means about 360 hours a year; that's 9 workweeks. Simply invest 2 hours a day and you reach 18 workweeks' worth of practice. Think about that. Think hard about that. How much can you accomplish with 18 workweeks of your best effort put into your focus?

Now add this thought: How many people do you know actually do this?

Final thought: If becoming an expert is so doable, and doing so puts you ahead of the pack, then when are you going to get started on your expert-making?

The Jenius Has Spoken.

Some Non-Random Points...

Seriously, I'm beginning to wonder... First of all, who would search for "retail blood suckin like creatures and vampires"? Why? And how the blue Hades does Gil The Jenius come up as the FIRST result? Here's a clue: every other result is related to music, so not only is The Jenius odd in fascinating ways, He might be unhip as well...


Over at Lipsticking, Yvonne made Me blush green. (It was St. Paddy's Day, donchaknow.) Not easy to make Me blush, in any color. Then Yvonne sent Me a notice about World Water Day, to be celebrated March 22nd. The Day is to raise awareness of the tremendous importance water has in Our lives and how desperate the lack of it can be. On a local level, some 15-18% of Our people lack consistent water services, but that's still a paradise compared to the situation lived by far too many in Africa and Asia. Please, drop by WaterPartners International and learn how you can help make a real difference to hundreds, maybe thousands of people. It doesn't take much, except the will to try.


Recently, the local statehood party (also known as "Folly Central") ejected two current Senators from the party, in a move reminiscent of backroom union politics in the seediest of towns. One of the ejected is the current Senate President. Think about that. The party's elected "leader" in the upper chamber (a synonym of "upper colon") is forced out of his own party. Well, that don't seem right, especially when you consider that he was kicked out for simply doing his job. What's next? Shooting your own friends?


Later next month, Scott Ginsberg, The Name Tag Guy, will reach 2,000 days of continuous use of his name tag. It says "Scott". (That's for all the statehooders out there who think "democracy" means "You better agree with me." Are you listening, Pedro "The Buck Sucking Leads to My Pockets" Roselló?) Why bring this up now? Because Scott's message of Approachability is the foundation for enhancing your career and your life. Think I'm joking? In Scott's latest issue of his e-zine, Building Front Porches, he estimates that he's met about 40,000 people since he started wearing a name tag. Forty thousand. Now he acknowledges that he doesn't have a personal relationship with all of them, but imagine the possibilities for positive change in your life--for finding that golden opportunity--if you had an extra 40,000 chances to make it happen. Yeah, bad things happen to good people, but GREAT things happen to good people who reach out and make positive connections.

The Jenius Has Spoken.

Jenius Results

Sigh.

Here I was, ready for a thoughtful comparison between 19th century educational goals and 21st century needs when I encountered this little tidbit: If you search for "A fool is defined as a person who repeats the same behavior and expects different results" in Google, the FIRST result is...

<sigh>

Gil The Jenius.

At least it was a 2005 post. There's hope for Me yet.

Or maybe not: Do a search in Google for "Animal Farm ignorance and apathy" and the FIRST result is...Gil The Jenius.

And what about "describing jenius"? Ditto: Me in FIRST place again. Whether that's good or bad depends, I suppose, on whether you are a spellchecker.

And what about that (in)famous FIRST place, "bat snot"? The Jenius has dropped to #5.

Sigh. Of relief.

In an attempt to correct this apparent misperception of My Jenius, I Googled "tecno sapiens" and "sociodigital".

Sigh: #4 in both.

Finally decided to try "Puerto Rico jenius". The FIRST 3 results are Me. But #4 is Kevin Shockey, he of Portal Al Exito fame.

Chuckle.

For some reason, I feel much better now.

(And Jim, don't laugh: you're #12...)

The Jenius Has Spoken.