Herb, can you hear me?

I'm on a mission. Not a real one like Jason Bourne or Juarez, Mexico; a mission to open up Memphis to the 21st Century. Anyone that has taken an economics class knows that protecting your local businesses doesn't work in the long term - Memphis airline industry is a prime example. Northwest isn't even headquartered there, but because it's a hub, they'll protect it and not allow Southwest in. I stood in line to contest a ticket and talked with a local person about it, and it wasn't even worth explaining to him the long term advantages of strong competition and it's benefits to the consumer and local economy. After I drive to Jackson or Little Rock, I know my savings on the flight can be a little offset by the gas, parking, and time lost, but there's also the great feeling that I'm not getting ripped off. Memphis will learn someday. For now I'll keep doing whatever I can to show Southwest that it's worth it to look into going to Tunica, MS. Their casinos take all the Memphis people's money already, why not take some more?

Where does depression hurt?

I think the commercial says it hurts everywhere; all I know is it hurts our ears. If there's any indication of the mood of society, just look at some of the most popular songs of the recent past: Anna Nalick – breath, James Blunt – beautiful, Daniel Powder – bad day, Goo Goo Dolls – better days, etc, etc. I can't say anything because I do like those songs (when played in moderation), but I've always liked that style (especially David Gray and Damien Rice); but I worry that so many people connect so strongly to them. I think we should bring back stuff like Jason Mraz – the remedy. On top of it being an upbeat song, it also has a good story. One of his friends was diagnosed with cancer and had the best attitude about it. There's just too much to get out of life to spend it feeling down.

How do I grasp what I have in life and still hold the motivation to do better? I recently went to Borders with a friend. We were lucky enough to find an open couch, so I sat and read a book about how to end poverty. I had plenty of my own problems of the week to dwell on, but I was reading it and had to look up and realize the paved paradise I was sitting in: air conditioning, seating more comfortable than what most sleep on, free clean water, my choice of processed pastries for a small fee, and a world of available knowledge in the books that surrounded me. If we have any motivation after recognizing our own blessings, it should be to see that others have the same opportunity to enjoy the life we can enjoy, and hope that they'll eventually pass it on too.

Opportunity.org