By John Y. Brown III, on Mon Dec 17, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET What is the posthumous shelf-life of a human life?
(Or the length of time before it is no longer of use, or suitable for sale?)
We all would like to be immortal. Or at least avoid coming to grips with the fact that we are mortal and our time on this planet is finite.
As my first step-father shrewdly put it to me many years ago when I was in college. “Look around this restaurant (there were about 100 patrons). Everyone of here has fully accepted that everyone in this restaurant is going to die one day. Except them.”
 I thought that was very wise. I also never returned to that particular restaurant after that story.
So, now what? We aren’t immortal…but can we leave a legacy? Will people’s memory of us linger on many, many years after we pass?
I got a curt glimpse at that answer a few days ago while getting coffee and eavesdropping on two female customers at the condiment bar. It went something like this.
Lady 1: “Did you not hear? Yes, he had a heart attack and died.”
Lady 2: “Oh, no. I hadn’t heard. That is so sad. How old was he?”
Lady 1: “I think he was 58. Too young. I can’t believe it. He was in the Hawaii and just died suddenly of a heart attack, I heard.”
Lady 2: “That is just so sad. Way too young……Oh, did I tell you I was in Hawaii about 6 months ago…..”
My conservative estimate —at least for these two casual acquaintances— this unfortunate gentleman’s posthumous shelf life was about 11.2 seconds.
Sure we can leave legacies and loved ones will talk about us for longer than 11.2 seconds. But the harsh reality, it seems, is that any credit we hope to make up for in goodwill memories after we die, aren’t going to be worth much at all. And if we want to be well thought of….and have a full life, we’re better off asking what can we do today instead of banking on some pleasant lingering sentiment posthumously.
Unless, of course, we were one of the 100 people in the restaurant that night that believes this is true for everyone else alive. Except them.
By John Y. Brown III, on Mon Dec 17, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET God showing off this morning in Pireus, Greece.
What’s the point of being in Greece if you can’t come up with a little philosophy along the way?
Like eating in Italy; philosophizing in Greece is unavoidable. So here goes.
A cautionary tale:
Why is it the lessons we are taught in life—the bigger lessons; the morality tales, the ultimate life questions—are so difficult to master?
We are taught these simple lessons over and over and still over again throughout life.
First through school primers, then fairy tales, then film, music and art, then through literature, then philosophy, then theology ,and then through the life of those around us and near to us, and finally and most painfully, through our own lives.
And then the final stage of this educational process arrives and we become the teachers ourselves to those younger and less wise, when we die, having never learned these life lessons fully enough along the way.
We are born to learn and yet the less we learn the more we teach when we die.
A cautionary tale.
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“Be not afraid of being a tourist: some are born tourists, some achieve tourist status and some have have being a tourist thrust upon them–usually by their spouse.”–
Paraphrase of Shakespeare
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Are you smarter than an 8th grade slacker?
Probably.
 Today we visited–with my wife and two teen kids–the Acropolis and the Parthenon in Greece.
As we walked by where some of our civilization’s earliest and greatest minds philosophized about the nature of democracy, ethics and the the meaning of life, my mind raced to try to recall a childhood school lesson about this place’s historic significance.
I almost started my impromptu lecture before a full thought had fallen into place….but then caught myself when I realized what the full thought was. And it was this.
“Johnny and Maggie, I’m going to tell you my story about learning about the Acropolis and Parthenon. It’s funny, so you’ll like it. When I was in Mrs Hughes eighth grade world civilization class we studied these great Greece structures and their significance –and had a pop quiz one morning to name the Parthenon, Acropolis and one other structure I can’t remember.
Look, I wasn’t a really, really, really good student back then. In fact, I wasn’t even a good student. So, I hadn’t read the assignment and, although I hate to admit doing this, I was sitting next to a smart student and craned my neck straining to see the answer and copy it down myself. I rationalized it was only a pop quiz and the first two weeks of classes and I wouldn’t do it again.
What I saw written on the good student’s page looked like a foreign language. “What kinds of names are these? I wondered.
I did the best I could copying down my friend’s answers one letter at a time and hoping for the best. The next day was relieved to see I had gotten a passing grade on the quiz —but noted a written comment, “John, your spelling is terrible!!”
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“If I’d only known then what I know now about what’s important in life, I would have done things very different.”
No, you wouldn’t have. Or at least, No, I wouldn’t have. And I just realized this harsh truth fully today for the first time
 When I was 20 years old I had the opportunity of a lifetime to spend a semester abroad traveling to less developed countries and seeing these countries, their people and their cultures first hand. But it was also a low point in my life where shallowness (masquerading as existential angst) and excessive alcohol combined to cause me to miss out on taking full advantage of my brief time in these foreign countries. So I told myself for several decades.
Back then I had a Walkman I carried with me everywhere and always had my headphones on. My roommate once yelled (laughing and frustrated), “If I hear the song Rainmaker or Low Spark of High Heeled Boys again by Traffic one more time —I’m going to scream and then unravel your cassette tape!”
And so today, back in a poor foreign country for the first time in nearly 30 years, my tourism habits should have been much more structured and refined. But there I was, walking through the Acropolis in Greece and taking pictures of the Parthenon, with my ear buds in from my iPod and listening to, unbelievably, Steve Winwood singing Can’t Find My Way Home –and singing under my breath just low enough so no one will hear me. And even dancing ever-so-slightly too.
And I “got it.” No. I would never have been any different “Had I known then what I know now.” Or at least not that different. At best, I would have handled life about the same way as I did the first time around. Just maybe picked a slightly better song from a slightly different band but with the same lead singer to listen to while being irresponsible.
And not riding elephants and wearing tie-dye shirts.
(Please note today I wasn’t wearing Tie-Dye but rather a cream colored pull-over sweater from Jos. A. Banks. And long pants.)
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“With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,it is still a beautiful world.”
Desiserata -Max Ehrmann
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Vacation mindsets.
When I am on a vacation, I think of how to do as little as possible, if I think at all.
My wife, on the other hand, the consummate planner, prefers to treat vacations as an opportunity to earn extra college credit.I think she may secretly be working on her masters this trip.
I, on the other hand, am opting for the GED approach.
Which one is smarter?
I’m afraid I’m not smart enough to know the answer to that.
Oh, and who planned out this entire vacation?
That would be my wife.
Thank you, honey.
I’ll be there in a minute. Studying for my GED right now. ; )
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When trying to keep your wits about you in a remote part of the world, I’m happy to report Eric Clapton works as well as ever. Maybe better.
By Jason Atkinson, on Mon Dec 17, 2012 at 9:15 AM ET My party, the Republican Party, is stunned and wandering in the desert right now. Many just don’t understand how polls could have been wrong and how primary victories were turned into general election losses. Now that the dust has settled, most Republicans I hear from are blaming it on America’s slide toward socialism.
Let’s slow down here. We can agree America is changing, but we should look at us first. Our primaries are about who can out-conservative the other, then who can swing to the middle for the general election. It’s as if we’re telling voters we don’t even believe ourselves.
Many, many Republicans I know feel the party has left them. They believe the party is out of step, focused on fear and being the party of “no.” Whether other Republicans believe that or not isn’t the issue. Americans believe it, and they’re not voting Republican.
 Parties and federal government aside, people today are just trying to hold it all together. We’ve all got bills, health care issues, aging parents and kids with cavities. Research shows that most Americans are center right, believe in limited government and personal responsibility, and don’t think government is a good steward of tax money, but they are choosing to be unaffiliated, independent voters.
It appears to many that Republicans have forgotten that politics is about serving people. Who cares if we’re ideologically perfect to each other but not elected to office?
If my party is going to win in the future, it must do 10 things immediately:
Read the rest of…
Jason Atkinson: Advice for the GOP — Don’t be about perfection, be about service
By John Y. Brown III, on Fri Dec 14, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET The new LinkedIn Peeping Tom notification.
That’s what I’m calling it anyway.
I miss the good ole days when you could look at someone’s resume profile and not feel dirty.
LinkedIn has a new feature “Someone just viewed your profile.” And I gotta say it’s a little creepy. I don’t think I like it.
I just got a notice about somebody looking at my profile.
My first.
And I went and looked at their profile so they will be notified—notified that I know they are peeking at my profile and trying to go unnoticed. But aren’t.
I hope this is the message that LinkedIn intends for users to send. It seems a little odd, though, if you ask me.
Then again, maybe I’m being proactive. Another possible consequence of this new service is that it will become customary to “return the favor” when someone peeks (or peeps) at your profile. So that if someone peeps at you and you don’t return the favor, it could be construed as an insult –like being dissed?
Not sure I see a lot of good coming from this new LinkedIn innovation.
By John Y. Brown III, on Fri Dec 14, 2012 at 9:15 AM ET American tourists abroad.
These are some suave folks here in Europe. At least here in Italy. They just seem to be that way naturally. I do get the occasional look—part envious and part exasperated — as though to say, “You must be American.Hmmm. That would explain it.”
I think we are viewed as big, arrogant, slightly clueless rubes who have more money, confidence and power than we deserve or know what to do with. Sort of the same way we in the US view people from Texas.
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 Things I am learning in Italy and want to pass along to friends who may not know.
“The look.”
When someone addresses confidently in a foreign country in their own language, it can be an intimidating situation. They may be paying us a compliment, asking us a general question, trying to find common ground, or casting some sort of insult or warning us we are breaking the law or custom.
When this happens, the best advice is to just smile and give the person the old tried-and-true American survivalist abroad safety “look” that we offer up when someone in a foreign country says something to us and we don’t have a clue what they are saying. You know the one….It’s that look that says:
“I’m really pleased with the attention you are giving me but am confused— as usual. And I don’t speak your language. I am an American and just haven’t had time to learn it. But if I did speak your language I would try to say something now that was appropriate and would please you more or—in the event what you are saying to me has a strong negative connotation—say something to help me to not get arrested in this scary and backward (at least by American standards) foreign country. I do not want to re-live Midnight Express even if I’m not in Turkey right now. Midnight Express could have happened here, too, you know. I just want you to stop saying words to me like I know them when I don’t. It scares me and I don’t trust you that much to begin with and this is only making it worse for me and could even affect how much money I spend on your country’s economy this trip. Don’t get me wrong, I am a nice person and didn’t say bad things about your country after they didn’t join the Coalition of the Willing after 9-11. I really didn’t. ”
Seriously. In fact, I’m a Democrat. I don’t even own a gun. Please just feel both “afraid of me” and “sorry for me” at the same time – OK? Please just think of me as both a “deer-in-the headlights” but also the one deer who could be “king of the jungle.” I know that deer aren’t really kings of the jungle. That’s another animal. Like a Lions or bear. But that doesn’t matter. I’m an American and don’t have to know details like that. Just have to have a certain look at the right times.”Yes, that look! If you’ve ever traveled abroad you know it well…and probably used it daily. Even if you are a republican. (Although some from the GOP do drop 2 of the final 3 sentences and get almost the same response of exasperated pity.
And this well –honed instinctive look is what helps us have both pleasant exchanges abroad and not to relive Midnight Express. The two primary goals of most every American traveling abroad.
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 If you are in Rome and want to see the Coliseum, be sure you spell it the way they do in Rome. They use this alternative spelling, “Colosseum” Probably on purpose to keep so many people from stampeding the historic amphitheater and taking endless pictures of it. Like this family did.
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Was a little disappointed to find that pizzas here in Italy are not served with a free banana pepper.
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Things I am learning in Italy and want to pass along to friends who may not know.
“Prego,” as it turns out, does not mean pregnant.
I’m not sure what it means. I know there used to be a Prego spaghetti sauce but it doesn’t mean “spaghetti sauce” either.
I’m not quiet sure what it means….but know for sure that if someone in Italy says to you
“Prego!” you should not be offended that they are either calling you (or your wife) pregnant or asking you for spaghetti sauce. They are doing neither.
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Read the rest of…
John Y. Brown, III: An American in Italy
By Michael Steele, on Thu Dec 13, 2012 at 3:00 PM ET This morning on a teleconference moderated by LEVICK’s Michael W. Robinson, former White House special counsel Lanny Davis, and former chairman of the Republican National Committee Michael Steele nominated “Simpson-Bowles” to be TIME Magazine’s Person of The Year.
Michael stated, “It reflects the bipartisanship the American people are looking for, and would hope will emerge in Washington. At least two individuals put information in front of the American people that challenges the status quo. I highly support that and have been an advocate of the value that Simpson-Bowles brings to the debate.”
 Lanny added, “It is absolutely immoral to use credit cards to have our children pay for our debt. The one combination that won 60% in a bipartisan commission is Simpson-Bowles. This is a purple bipartisan moment. No political party has stepped up to the line. As TIME’S “Person of the Year,” this would be the moment to ask President Obama and Speaker Boehner to endorse this.”
Purple Nation Solutions is a D.C.-based strategic communications and public affairs firm founded by former White House special counsel and legal crisis management expert Lanny J. Davis and former RNC chairman, Lt. Gov. of Maryland Michael Steele. Situated in the heart of downtown Washington D.C., in proximity to Capitol Hill, the White House and federal regulatory agencies, we are a bipartisan, global, one-stop shop where law, media, and politics intersect.
LEVICK is the leading strategic communications firm that establishes and protects trust. LEVICK deploys uniquely qualified teams – armed with the instincts, influence, and experience needed to win your battles in an increasingly complex and challenging world.
By John Y. Brown III, on Thu Dec 13, 2012 at 1:30 PM ET 
#TeamJYB3
A change in strategy. The Rope-a-Dope diet.
Much like Muhammad Ali’s brilliant out-maneuvering of George Foreman in the famous Rumble in the Jungle boxing battle, I am
using Ali’s strategy to lull Jonathan Miller into a state of assumed victory (by overeating for several days).
 And then just when Jonathan Miller thinks he has it won, I will bounce from the ropes and like a man on a diet who both floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee, I will …..I will….practically starve myself for a flurry of days until I am declared the winner.
Geez. That’s a terrible strategy.
OK. Scratch that.
Guess I will eat Italian food today like Italians eat it. Not like an American eating Italian food. In other words, they don’t eat for the taste or to fill themselves up so much as because they just look really cool eating Italian food.
Hope that works.
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No other written entries today. Just a video that sums up my activities (and zeal for those activities) today. …
No further comment will be offered at this time.
By John Y. Brown III, on Thu Dec 13, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET Should it be called the new “Liger smartphone”?
I was excited about seeing the new Galaxy Note II –until I saw it, that is.
The new Samsung Galaxy Note II has the tag line: Is it a phone? Or is it a tablet?
They don’t elaborate, but could promote it adding:
Are you one of those people who is always saying, “I love my cell phone but sure do wish it were much bigger so it would be impossible to hold with one hand and comfortably carry with me.”
Or maybe you are one of those types who are fond of saying, “I love my iPad or PC tablet, but doggone it I sure do wish it was smaller so I’d have to squint to read the screen.”
Well….with the Samsung Galaxy Note II, you can finally have both!!!
That’s right, the Worst of BOTH worlds!!
Made my think of a scene from Napoleon Dynamite.
Liger: Part male lion and part tigress.
But nothing particularly special except they hadn’t been cross bread before and probably shouldn’t have been in the first place.
By Jonathan Miller, on Wed Dec 12, 2012 at 3:00 PM ET
#TeamJYB3:
I have never been to Italy in my 49 years on this planet. (Not that I have spent time on any other planet. I may have…and just not be aware of it. The point is when I say, “I have never been to Italy before in my 49 years on this planet” what I’m saying is that I’ve never been to Italy. Ever. Just a more dramatic way of sayi ng it. (Note: That’s not really true. I once spent several hours in Italy while traveling abroad about 30 years ago. But you get the point. Really, for all intents and purposes, I’ve never spent any time in Italy.)
Until today. I like it here. The people are like the French (they have style and flair for food and fashion) but they are nice too. And don’t pretend to not know how to speak English when they really do.
I don’t speak Italian. But I am learning to speak English with an Italian accent (e.g. Can-ah I-ah have-ah some-ah spaghetti-ah, please-ah? I am-ah on-ah diet-ah to, um, ah, how do you say…mmm, lose-ah 15 pounds-ah (or at least-ah 10). Or…..emmmm, if you would say here in-ah Italy I am going to lose 6.8 Kilograms (or at a least-ah 4.5 kilograms)
As for details of the diet today, it is thoroughly unimpressive.
So bad, in fact, I wondered briefly if the challenge from Jonathan Miller was exclusive to the United States and might exclude weight gaining (or losing) activities when traveling abroad, i.e. eating. In other words, if I have lost 3/10ths of a pound in the US since the challenge but gain 3 pounds in Italy, upon returning to US I would still be considered as having lost 3/10ths of a pound. I have submitted this inquiry and am awaiting an answer. I’ve also asked if that is not the case but since gaining 3 pounds in Italy is viewed as 1.4 kilogram here, the net gain (I’m arguing) should be 1.1 pounds rather than 2.7 pounds. It’s just simpler than having to do a lot of back and forth converting.
 We treat 1 Euro as about the same as 1 dollar. We should, I am arguing, do the same with the kilogram and pound. Both for simplicity sake and the larger issue of improving US and European relations. And to allow me to eat as much awesome Italian food as I want but only being penalized for about 40% of it. It’s a classic win-win-win.
Note: I did not eat ANY of these deserts. Just took a picture of them. Except I did purchase the desert on the top upper right.
But did NOT eat the entire cannoli. Just a small part of it. Perhaps several small parts of it. But not all. Promise.
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#TeamRP
 I’m not a big fan of dieting. Too often, they don’t work; or if there is a temporary effect, it is immediately reversed after the diet concludes. Additionally, “dieting” reminds me too much of what teenage girls call the rationalization of an eating disorder.
However, my literary agent passed me on a book from another of her clients. In The Dukan Diet, Dr. Pierre Dukan offers a new nutrition paradigm that involves a lot of protein and an much lighter dose of carbs and sugar. While similar in theory to the Atkins’ plans, this version is supposedly much more responsible and can lead to healthier lifestyle habits.
Anyone in the RP Nation familiar with Dukan? Any other suggestions?
By John Y. Brown III, on Wed Dec 12, 2012 at 12:00 PM ET
Obviously!
When my son was about 11 years old we were in a heated debate about something utterly trivial and I stopped us and decided this could be a great “teaching moment.”
“In life, Johnny,” I started, “We often have to decide, Do we want to be right about every little thing–even silly things– or do we want to be happy.”
I paused.
“Which would you rather be?” I asked.
Johnny shot back “Both!”
I said, “No. You can’t do that. You have to chose one….Not both. Which would it be?”
Johnny, dug in and was trying to simultaneously make a point and get the correct answer. “Well, Dad, I’d rather be right, obviously.”
“No. No…no, no, no. That’s not the right answer. You’d rather be happy.”
Johnny snapped back, “Maybe you’d rather be happy. I’d rather be right. Being right makes me happy. So I do get both.”
I haven’t checked back to see if he’s modified his position on this issue but think I will this weekend.
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