A Father's Guts

(Tom Mullen Turns the Tables on his Son's Kidnappers)

Male Newscaster:

Good afternoon, we are interrupting this program to bring you an exclusive report. As you know, we've been following the Mullen kidnapping for about a day or so.

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Female Newscaster:

We will get back to our regular program, but right now we're going to show you something that you will only see right here: Tom Mullen, Sean Mullen's father. Mr. Mullen?

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Mullen:

The whole world now knows my son, Sean Mullen, was kidnapped for ransom three days ago. This is a recent photograph of him. Sean, if you're watching, we love you. And this [2 million dollars in cash], well this is what waits for the man that took him. This is your ransom. Two million dollars in unmarked bills, just like you wanted.

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But this is as close as you'll ever get to it. You'll never see one dollar of this money, because no ransom will ever be paid for my son. Not one dime. Not one penny. Instead, I'm offering this money as a reward on your head. Dead or alive, it doesn't matter. So, congratulations. You've just become a two million dollar lottery ticket, except the odds are much, much better. Do you know anyone that wouldn't turn you in for two million dollars? I don't think you do. I doubt it. So, wherever you go and whatever you do, this money will be tracking you down for all time.

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And to insure that it does, to keep interest alive, I'm running a full-page add in every major newspaper, every Sunday for as long as it takes. But -- and this is your last chance -- you return my son, alive, uninjured, I'll withdraw the bounty. With any luck, you can simply disappear. Understand? You will never see this money. Not one dollar.

So, you still have a chance to do the right thing. If you don't, well, then, God be with you, because nobody else on this earth will be.

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From the movie, Ramson (1996)

Mel Gibson

Getting Referrals

"Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I have not been to confession for six months. On top of that, I've been with a loose woman."

The priest sighs. "Is that you, little Tommy O'Shaughnessy?"

"Yes, Father, `tis I."

"And who might be the woman you were with?"

"I shan't be tellin' you, Father. It would ruin her reputation."

"Well, Tommy, I'm bound to find out sooner or later, so you may as well tell me now. Was it Brenda O'Malley?"

"I cannot say."

"Was it Patricia Fitzgerald?"

"I'll never tell."

"Was it Lisa O'Shanter?"

"I'm sorry, but I'll not name her."

"Was it Cathy O'Dell?"

"My lips are sealed."

"Was it Fiona Mallory, then?"

"Please, Father, I cannot tell you."

The priest sighs in frustration. "You're a steadfast lad, Tommy O'Shaughnessy, and I admire that. But, you've sinned, and you must atone. Be off with you now."

Tommy walks back to his pew. His friend Sean slides over and whispers, "What'd you get?"

"Five more good leads!" says Tommy

Ha...ha...ha...oh my dear friend, you really have sinned!!!

Fortune Telling Machine

A nun is waiting for her flight. She looked over in the corner and saw one of those weight machines that tells your fortune. So, she thought to herself "I'll give it a try just to see what it tells me." She went over to the machine and put her nickel in, and out came a card that said, "You're a nun you weigh 128 lbs and you are going to Chicago."

She sat back down and thought about it. She told herself it probably tells the same thing to everyone, but decided to try it again. She went back to the machine and put her nickel in. Out came a card that read, "You're a nun, you weigh 128 lbs., you're going to Chicago, and you're going to play a fiddle." The nun said to herself, "I know that's wrong, I have never played a musical instrument a day in my life." She sat back down. From out of nowhere, a cowboy came over and set his fiddle case down next to her. The nun picked up the fiddle and just started playing beautiful music.

Startled, she looked back at the machine and said, "This is incredible. I've got to try it again." Back to the machine. In goes her nickel, out comes the card which said, "You're a nun, you weigh 128lbs., you're going to Chicago and you're going to break wind." Now, the nun knows the machine is wrong; "I've never broke wind in public a day in my life!" Well, she tripped, fell off the scales and farted.

Stunned, she sat back down and looked at the machine. She said to herself, "This is truly unbelievable, I've got to try it one more time." She goes back to the machine, puts in a nickel and collected the card. This time the card says, "You're a nun, you weigh 128lbs., you have fiddled and farted around, and you have just missed your flight to Chicago."

Values

val·ue /ˈvælyu/ [val-yoo]:

1. To rate according to relative estimate of worth or desirability;
2. Worth in usefulness or importance to the possessor; utility or merit
3. A principle, standard, or quality considered worthwhile or desirable

"The major value in life is not what you get. The major value in life is what you become. That is why I wish to pay fair price for every value. If I have to pay for it or earn it, that makes something of me. If I get it for free, that makes nothing of me."

"All values must be won by contest, & after they have been won, they must be defended. Don't sell out your virtue and your value for something you think you want. In the New Testament, Judas got the money, but he threw it all away & hung himself because he was so unhappy with himself."

"Values were meant to be costly. If it doesn't cost much, we probably wouldn't appreciate the value. Count the cost first. Evaluate the worth. Don't pay too big a price for pursuing minor values."

- Jim Rohn

U.S. Sub-prime Woes: Is the Worst Over?

Fact #1: Financial risk has increased for mortgage lenders since last year.
Fact #2: U.S. consumers have been exposed to declining household wealth.
Fact #3: My Sengkang nest has not appreciated much for the last 5 years.

Truth is: I still say the current strains in the U.S. sub-prime mortgage market probably won't be the main reason to tip the U.S. into a recession in 2007. It has to be something else. But what? Nevermind now. My focus is on housing today.

Why Housing Won't Tip the U.S. into Recession This Year
The banking system. Yes, they are heavily exposed to real estate. But unlike previous real estate "bubbles" & subsequent bear markets, their balance sheets are strong & asset quality is generally high. The most leveraged mortgage lenders have already been heavily punished by the stock market since February. This has paved the way for private equity & venture capital firms to swoop in & scoop up any residual distressed assets. Plus, the Federal Reserve will probably also cut lending rates over the next several months to breathe new life into the real estate market.

If You Look Back at History These Sub-prime Woes Aren't that Bad
The good news for the economy and the banking sector overall is that loan delinquency rates are still low by historical standards. The number of bank failures in this economic cycle remains very low or benign. Most REITs have not crashed. Commercial mortgage-backed defaults sport even lower delinquency rates than residential property loans. Banks may have boosted their exposure to all segments of the real estate industry since 2000, but the overall loan quality remains good & booming earnings until recently have created a cash reserve for most lenders.

Housing is the Least of Our Worries
You have underestimated the banks. Most banks have sufficient capital reserves from years of strong earnings to cover their losses. There are actually other big risks that may weigh on U.S. & global financial markets in 2007 than the housing woes. These risks lie with Federal Reserve monetary policy, employment growth trends, consumer & corporate spending & systemic risk posed by hedge funds & other institutions laced with carry-trade loans & other synthetic derivatives. These are worthy opponents to worry about compare to the housing situations. The housing bear market is not a major risk to the U.S. economic cycle. The markets have largely discounted this event by hitting new all-time highs almost daily since mid-April.

However, investors should still expect a major stock market correction this year. I'm preparing for a correction because consumer spending, tied to a great extent to housing values, should eventually start to cool amid declining household wealth and possibly, rising unemployment.

Concentrate & Focus - Pay Attention!

"On the way to work, concentrate on the way - not the work."

"Pay attention. Don't just stagger through the day."

"When you work, work. When you play, play. Don't mix the two.'"

"Give whatever you are doing and whoever you are with the gift of attention."

"The best advice I ever came across on the subject of concentration is: Wherever you are, be there."

- Jim Rohn

Fatherhood

"The ultimate revelation of God, therefore, in the New Testament, is the revelation of God as Father. And the ultimate purpose of the New Testament, the very reason why Jesus Himself came, is to bring us to God...."

"When we come into the fullness of this revelation of God & into that direct relationship with God as Father, it supplies certain things which are conspicuously lacking in the emotional experience of perhaps the majority of the people in our culture. The three things which come out of this revelation & this relationship are: identity, self-worth, & security."

Derek Prince
From the book Fatherhood