Karl's Thoughts Sometimes Called a Blog
1. the opinions below are the authors
2. they may not necessary be correct
3. and they may be changed without notice
4. in other words this is rambling
Sunday 04 May 2008
I read an article today from the New York Times about globalization called The Cognitive Age by David Brooks. Several things he noted that I thought was interesting.
1. Globalization is real and important. It is the chief process driving our age.
2. There were once nation states, like the US and European powers, whose economies could be secured within borders. Now capital flows freely, technology has leveled the playing field - competition is global and fierce.
3. Globalization has turned out to be very convenient for politicians everywhere. It allows them to blame the foreigners for economic woes, even if part of the problem is how they have managed the country.
4. Money does flow around the world, but 90% of the capital is in fixed assets which cannot easily be moved.
5. US jobs have not been shipped overseas - the US percent of global manufacturing has actually increased slightly since 1980.
6. Employers today require fewer, but more highly skilled workers. The central process driving this is not globalization - it is the skills revolution. We are moving into a more demanding cognitive age.
7. The globalization paradigm emphasizes the fact that information can now travel 15,000 miles in an instant. But the most important part of the information's journey is the last few inches - the space between a person's eyes and the various regions of the brain. Does the individual have the capacity to understand the information and the training to utilize the knowledge?
Saturday 26 April 2008
I always get asked about my safety living in Asia. Do you feel safe there? Singaporeans are the worst. They think it is unsafe in Malaysia. I take taxis to Malaysia from the Singapore Airport, sometime for hours and they always ask me about safety.
Last weekend nine (9) people were killed in thirty six (36) shootings in Chicago. When I explain to them how unsafe it is the US they cannot believe me. Where I live in Malaysia does not have 9 people killed per year in violence, much less in one weekend. They say - well it is not on the news - I reply that only one murder is not enough to make the news - you need 9 in one weekend to make the news.
Where I went to school in Houston, (University of Houston) was in a rough area of town. You just did not plan to be there after 10 PM at night. My comfort level is much higher in most part of Asia than around the University of Houston.
My friend Bill mentioned that he noticed that petty crimes are rampant in Asia, but major crime are rare. In the US it is the opposite, petty crime are rare, but major crimes are common - Which is better?
Sunday 30 March 2008
Traveled to Singapore and Malaysia this weekend. I have an apartment in Johor Bahru Malaysia. I can fly into Johor Bahru or Singapore. My apartment is about 60 km or 36 miles from Singapore Airport, which is called Changi. It is about 20 km or 12 miles from the Johor Bahru Airport, it is called Sinai. I decided to fly into Singapore.
This weekend was a special weekend for Buddhist. During this window it is required to visit your ancestors grave. Many of the Chinese Buddhist from Singapore came from Malaysia, therefore my choice to fly into Singapore was not wise. Normally I can travel the 60 km from Changi Airport to my apartment in about one hour. This weekend it took three hours to get through Singapore Customs, so my normal one hour trip took four hours.
The worst Singapore Customs wait was in 2003 with my friend Oskar Fischer. We were going to Malaysia to play golf, but it was school holidays in Singapore, so we waited about 4 hours just for the Singapore Customs. I like Singapore Airlines, but Air Asia looks good right now due to the customs wait.
Sunday 23 March 2008
This Sunday was Easter. Easter is a Christian Holiday honoring the death of Jesus Christ.
One physiologist theory is that to understand a person you need to understand where they were at the age of five years old.
I was raised a very conservative Protestant Christian in Northwest Florida. We did not drink alcoholic, did not smoke tobacco, did not attend movies, and we did not go to dances. The women dressed conservative.
The good Christians were the ones who attended our Protestant Denomination - we called them Brother and Sister Jones. The bad Christians were the one that attended a different Protestant Denominations - we called them Mr. and Mrs. Jones. If you were not a Protestant Christian of our Denomination we questioned were you going to heaven.
In 1960, when I was 5 years old, Northwest Florida was 95% Protestant Christian, and 5% other Christians. I did not meet my first non Christian until I was 23 years old at the University of Houston. At the age of 23 what was my acceptant of non Christians? I have never met any, and did not know any - therefore I was very intolerant.
At the age of 19, I got a chance to work on the Alaska Pipeline. There were two kind gentleman that help me as I worked on the Pipeline - Both were named Frank. One Frank was about 40 and gave me good advice on how to work in a rough construction group. I came from a very conservative background, and this was a rough group of guys.
The second Frank, Frank Bush was about 55 and almost took me in as one of his sons. He was honest, hard working and cared deeply for his wife and children. One Sunday I went to church with him. It was the first time I had every been to a Catholic Church and Frank was the first Catholic I actually knew as a friend. This one gentleman changed my opinion of the Catholic Church. Before they were the bad Christians we called Mr and Mrs - but Frank was my friend - because he went out of his way to be kind to me.
The Christian history is one of intolerance, even among themselves, much less non Christians. Today there is intolerance in Ireland between Christians, the Protestants and Catholics routinely have issues living in the same region.
Today the world is filled with intolerant people. They are intolerant for any number of reasons.
1. Perhaps they were taught as a child to be intolerant and have never matured enough to review their teaching. In most subjects there is a small amount of error in what we are taught, not because there is error in the subject, but because our understanding of the subject is limited.
2. Perhaps they have never actually met good people of other faiths. This one point has changed my opinions the most. An honest, hard working, caring, loving person is the best witness of any faith. More people have been converted by good deeds than bad.
One of the worlds hero's is Mother Teresa, who converted many people to her faith due to her good deeds. She dedicated her life to feeding the poor in India, one of the poorest country in the world. There is a great quote from Erma Bombeck.
"Do not confuse success and fame. Madonna has one, Mother Teresa the other."
Many rich and famous people in the world. I do not know very many successful people. In which group are you?
Monday 17th March 2008
Asia has this great weight loss system. You each one small meal and you have no hunger pains for the next three days. I ate a small piece of chicken at a roadside stall and this one meal lasted me 72 hours. At the same time you get the benefits of a laxative. Your total digestive system has been cleaned - several times. With the added benefits of weight loss.
There are a few minor side effects of the weight loss system. You have no hunger pains, but you do have some stomach cramps. To assist the weight loss you body runs at a higher temperature to burn more calories. With just one small piece of chicken you could lose as much as 5 pounds. What a good deal.
Saturday 15th March 2008
Great quote by Abraham Lincoln -
" I don't know why he doesn't like me, I have never tried to help him"
More than once I have tried to help someone and they have turned around and bit me. Evidently Abraham has similar experiences. In my group of friends we have a saying - if you are dealing with snakes, hold them by the head and not the tail. Bite me once, shame on you - bite me twice, shame on me.
Saturday 8th March 2008
I have used kkolmetz@yahoo.com as my primary email address for the last 10+ years. Two years ago I upgraded to mail plus from yahoo to get better service. Mail plus cost about USD $10 per year.
For some reason yahoo has decided to start blocking my account for my protection. Funny I have never felt very threatened by my emails. So for the last several weeks I get messages, I had to resend this it bounced.
When they block my account it is for 48 hours. Not sure I understand why they are doing this. There is an American saying "You vote with your feet" - so I am going to vote with my feet. I am moving to another provider. It will take a few months to transition out of yahoo.
If you are having trouble contacting me please try these address. Sorry for the inconvenient.
karl@kolmetz.com
One good think that has come from yahoo blocking the account is that now I get almost no spam - you do not have to bounce very many times to the spammers and they quit sending. Hopefully some of the other junk mail will stop also.
Wednesday 26th February
Went to dinner with a group of old and new friends from Indonesia. You westerners may want to look at the food. I have been all over the world and it seems I can stay too healthy on any kind of food.
Monday 25 Feb 2008
Friend of mine, Wilma Bright sent me an email. At the end of the email was a quote from which made me think.
"Life's tough ....... it's even tougher if you're stupid"
John Wayne
Sometimes I have made my life tougher - the good thing is that you are much smarter than me.
Saturday 23 Feb 2008
Played golf this Saturday with some friend in Indonesia - Jerry and Terry. The caddies in Indonesia can be guys or girls.
17 Feb 2008
Traveled to Singapore this week and met with many friends. Chinese Lunar New Year has just passed. The Chinese have many traditions that are supposed to give you luck in the New Year. Here is wishing for good luck in the New Year.
04 Feb 2008
Three questions that say a lot about personality
1. What do you day dream about?
2. What makes you laugh?
3. What makes you cry?
Answer them truthfully to yourself - and see if you like your answers.
01 Feb 2008
31 Jan 2008 was my last day of employment with GTC Technology. I have accepted a position in South East Asia. There is a great group of people in the GTC Houston office that I have grown to like and respect. A group of them was kind enough to go to lunch with me on Friday.
There are good people everywhere - find them and make them your friends. You choose your friends, and life chooses your adversaries. Adversaries are the people who prove they are not your friends. Who your friends are, say more about you than your adversaries.
Sunday 13 Jan 2008
Great article on career builder by Rachel Zupek - 10 Ways to Sabotage your Career
1. Not having a life plan.
All very successful people have a clear life plan, whether memorized or actually written down. They create it, massage it and refer to it often. Nearly 85 percent of people who are satisfied with their life overall have a personal action plan, McKee says.
“Without a plan, we leave our success in the hands of others who may or may not have time to look after other people’s successes,” he says.
2. Not keeping your skill set current.The business landscape is ever-changing and there is more demand for jobs than supply. Not staying on par with colleagues and those vying for your job will be a deathtrap.
Companies are looking for ways to reduce expenses or get the maximum return on their investments, McKee says, including personnel. “If someone else is capable of producing a greater return, you are at risk of being replaced.”
3. Failing to deliver results.Winners in business know that it’s all about accountability. Those who harbor a sense of entitlement for simply having put forth effort, irrespective of the results of those efforts, are guaranteed to fall by the wayside.
“Many individuals simply don’t understand that business and professional fields … are becoming more like the radio business,” he says. “If one’s ‘ratings’ are going down, they get replaced.”
4. Confusing efficiency with effectiveness.Those who think that communicating via e-mail replaces the need to actually talk with people around them fail to recognize the importance of personally connecting with others in today’s highly automated and technological environment. Communicating in person is imperative for success-seekers.
5. Believing you are irreplaceable.There is no room for “divas” in the workplace. As soon as you convince yourself that you and only you can do the job “right,” your star will surely start to fall.
6. Knowing all the answers.The old adage remains true: Knowledge is power. Professing to know it all can readily stagnate a career. Winners remain unceasingly interested in learning ideas and approaches.
“The best leaders love to ask questions,” McKee says. “They stay current, get new ideas to follow up on and earn the respect of their teams. With that respect, the team members are more likely to work harder for the boss.”
7. Surrounding yourself with “brown-nosers.”Serial “labor losers” like having people tell them how smart they are, whether or not it’s true. Successful managers and other professionals accept and encourage intelligence and creativity in others.
8. Forgetting to give credit to others.Labor losers inappropriately take full credit for positive events despite the help or input received by others. Winners give credit where credit is due.
“People are becoming less likely to sit back quietly while their boss steals ideas or takes credit for great ideas which weren’t their own,” McKee says.
9. Failing to self-promote.Bragging is one thing, but letting colleagues in your industry know of your success through case studies, promotion bulletins or other such tools is another. Labor losers often fail to recognize the importance of letting others know about their successes, or they go about it in the entirely wrong way.
10. Losing perspective.Intuitive business people recognize that, despite their best attempts to do everything right, sometimes they approach roadblocks and seek the advice and perspective of a respected friend, colleague or even a business coach. Those who fail to recognize their shortcomings are destined for the unemployment line.
Tuesday 1 Jan 2008
I have been very blessed to have been helped by some good people in my life. A gift is something that is given with no expectation of return. If you give something with an expectation of return - this is call a barter.
Many good people of helped me in my life when I have had no way to return the favor.
1. Frank Bush - I was a young man working on the Alaska Pipeline. Frank Bush took me in as almost one of his sons and helped me learn cold weather construction.
2. James Richardson - At the University of Houston James T Richardson gave me a chance to become a chemical engineer.
3. William B Lotz -has been a good friend and honest advisor for 25+ years
4 Abram Kuo - Allowed me to transfer for a few months to be close to my parents to assist them.
5. Jeff Gray - Treated me with kindness when I first traveled to Malaysia and is an great advisor.
6. Chua Yen Bu - A good friend and advisor - treated me with kindness.
Of course there is the other list, but you should only try to remember the good.
Wednesday 26th Dec 2007
How was 2007 for you? Good, bad - average. I am always amazed who people choose for their advisers. Bad advice is often worse than no advice. There are several items you should look for in an adviser.
Happiness
Do not take advice from people who are not living the way you wish to live. If you want to live happy, and this person is not happy - do not follow their advice.
Financial
Do not take financial advice from poor people unless your goal is to be poor.
Credentials
What are the advisers credentials? We make sure that we go to a Doctor that has the proper credentials - but we will take political advice from actors whose only credentials are that they look good and can read a script that someone else wrote.
The next time an actor who reads their lines well, keeps their waist line thin, and has cosmetic surgery ever few months - tells you how to live your life, what charity to support, what candidate to support, or what is wrong with the world - you may want to take a few minutes and think about where the advice is coming from, and what are their credentials.
You may not be able to run very fast, you may not be able to throw a ball very hard, you may not look good on camera, but in many times you have more credentials than some of the people giving this great advice.
Employment
You employment is a major part of your time. If you are very unhappy on your job you will need to change jobs in 2008. Everyone is slightly unhappy with their job, but if you are very unhappy you will need to find new employment.
Wednesday 19th December 2007
Went to the doctor today for a physical. My first physical since 2003 - thought it was about time to get another.
Not sure about the nurse - the first two tests she did was inaccurate. The first thing she did was measure my height - I am much taller than she recorded. The second test was my weight - again this was inaccurate - if they cannot get the simple test correct - how can they get the blood work accurate.
Sunday 16th December 2007
I guess I will need to be more careful what I say in the blog. About 247 people came to the blog in November. I called an old friend and she said, I know what you are doing - I read your blog. I received a letter from an older engineer that said he mostly agreed with my opinions.
This started out as just an on line "Karl Opinions", but the web and open access makes every thing bigger than you think. I never would have guess the web site would have 10,000 visitors per month.
Sunday 02 December 2007
I am sitting on a plane with about 400 other people. Each person has multiple stories to tell. First there is the external story - their hair style, choice in clothes and jewelry. The next story may be where they are headed and their occupation. Some may be traveling because of sad news, others may be on vacation. and some travel is job related. A young lady I am setting by is returning to the US after teaching English in Korea. The real story is who they actually are and where they are headed in life - not on this plane but their true life direction.
I have mistakenly judged people by their external looks, and it is easy to do - When my son was 15, he was playing football and one of the other father's attire was radical. When I came to know him I misjudged him by his looks - he was a kind and caring father but you would never guess at first.
Your occupation is how you earn your salary and is sometimes based on the luck of the draw. In Asia this is called fate - Many things in our life we do not chose, our parents, birth country, ethic and sexual orientation. I try not to judge people on choices they do not make, but how people dress is their own choice and sometimes dressing stereo types are true.
What is a successful life? There are three types of lives. The first is survival - and most of the world lives here. Many people in the world make less than 1 USD per day - they are in the survival mode - living from hand to mouth. In south east Asia a normal greeting is have you eaten today, because they are only a few generations from food hunters and gathers. There are pictures on this blog of people that are living in the survival mode.
The second type of life is success - a small percentage of the world is successful. If you have a hand phone and a computer the group of people that make 1 USD per day would consider you rich.
The third is a life of significance. The difference between a successful life and a significant life is what you do with your resources. You cannot have a life of significance and be greedy and selfish. Only in giving to others can you move to the next level. The Charles Dickens's story a Christmas Carol is a good example of a successful person that never progressed to a life of significance. A good measure of your significance is not how much money you have, but how many friends you have? Where are you?
Friday 30th November 2007
This week we traveled to Asia to teach a course in KL and to bring a group of ConocoPhillips Engineers to visit a plant in Korea. The course in KL went very good. On Monday we had a dinner with some KLM Friends.
And on Thursday we had a dinner in Korea with some COP Friends.
Monday 12th November 2007
In Mexico this week to speak at an Engineering Conference for Pemex. This is my first time to Mexico City. The people are very polite and the conference was well organized.
Saturday 10th November 2007
A friend of mine sent me a Dilbert Cartoon that many engineers can relate to - see what you think.
Tuesday 16th October
This is one lesson, I need to learn........
RULE No. ONE:
WHEN YOU ARE IN DEEP TROUBLE, LOOK STRAIGHT AHEAD,
KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT & SAY NOTHING...
FOX HUNT
Sunday 14th October 2007
We to see my college - The University of Houston play Rice University along with my good friends Bill and Toy. UH won 58 to 49, RIce did better than I expected - the Rice quarterback was good.
The Rice Band made fun of the Cougar Mascot which lost a mock battle to the Oregon Duck Mascot early in the year. At that point a girl was the cougar mascot and the duck was a guy - I think now there is a guy in the Cougar in case there is another mock battle. The duck got suspended for a game, he got a little carried away with the mock battle.
Great Clip from Lou Holtz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mdvYyjxoAQ
Tuesday 9th October 2007
The group of guys from the GTC Technology Office took me to lunch on Monday for my birthday. George also bought me a birthday cake. There is a really good group of guys and ladies here at GTC Technology.
Saturday Oct 6th 2007
Yesterday was my birthday - I turned 52. Several of my friends send me a birthday cards and email wishes - thanks for all of them.
A good quote that was sent to me by one of my friends was from Mark Twain
" To be successful in life you need; ignorance and confidence"
He follow up the quote on the card by saying - you have lots of both. The problem is that these are my best qualities.
We had a small get together at my friends Bill and Toy Lotz's house - very informal. Here are a few pictures from the get together. My good friend Dennis Sabilla and his two daughters along with Jon and Kristi were present. It did not start out to be, but became a Karl roast.
Sunday 23 September 2007
Went to see my college, University of Houston, play Saturday Night. We won over Colorado State 38 to 27. Attached are some pictures from the game.
Saturday 22 September 2007
There is a group of people who have given me the nickname Coach. Charles Hebert tells many stories of the Coach - most everyone at Westlake still calls me Coach. I coached basketball at Phibro and Westlake with amazing results. I have about an 80% winning percentage - mostly due to the good players that I have had the privilege to coach.
What it takes to be a coach is radically different than what it takes to be a player. As a player you are focusing on your performance, as a coach you are focusing on the performance of others. A true coach rarely every plays his star performer 100% of the game, he knows that strategic rest will result in more actual points scored.
It is rare that a talented player becomes a good coach, because teams win by making the mid range players better. The stars will get their points, but time after time we have seen that stars by themselves cannot win the championship. Championships are won by team, with coaches that make all the players better.
One of the keys of coaching is that it is very hard to play and coach at the same time. When I was a Phibro I was still in my 30's and at times I was better than some of the players on the court, but I did not play, because the players under me would not get better unless they had a chance to play in the game.
Friday 21 September 2007
It is two of my sister's birthdays today. They were born seven years apart on 21 September - plus they are seven and fourteen years younger than me. You better watch that 7th year.
Went to South America this week, mostly in Venezuela with Felix a Venezuelan engineer from GTC - he is a very good engineer and a good guy.
The people are very friendly, the land is nice, and reputation of beautiful women is understated. Another small factor is that gas cost USD 0.15 per gallon. I am ready to move to Venezuela. Many of the houses are painted in bright colors.
The weather is tropical, but dry - there are cactus everywhere.
We were at one location where the wind always blew from the same direction and the trees grew with the wind.
I meet some very nice people, one in particular was smart, beautiful and polite - I wish I could be more like this.
Monday 17th September 2007
On a trip to South America to visit some refineries. This is only my second time to South America. I flew to Quito Ecuador. It is 9200 ft high. For those of you have not noticed, I am not exactly in marathon shape and at 9000 feet, 2800 meters, the air is thinner, and for us non iron men you can run out of breath quickly.
Very interesting place, even though it is on the equator, it has very high mountains that have snow. It is a very beautiful country.
Added some links to some previous Christmas / New Years Parties from the past.
Saturday 08 September 2007
Flew out of Singapore Changi Airport this morning. Normally Singapore Changi is managed very good, but I had some issues today. They have decided to split the entrance into customs into door A and door B. Door A is the old door with two policemen there to check your boarding pass and passport before you get to customs. Not sure why it is required, because about 20 feet later the customs official does the same thing, but the good thing is that each policeman handles one person and the line moves quickly.
Door B is another system. You have three policemen and each check you. In a secure area like an airport not sure why you need three policemen to check you in, one followed by the next, and then again twenty feet later customs does the same thing. One of the policemen was not polite, checking passports at an airport the person has not done a crime, so they should be polite.
I decided to complain as to why there were three policemen checking each person on door B and only one person checking each person on door A, and they were not polite. What I found out was that it was for only certain airlines and Jet Star was one of the second class airlines.
Friday 7 September 2007
We had diner with a group of friends in Johor Bahru. I am blessed to have such good friends
Thursday 6 Sept 2007
Had dinner with two of Singapore's best young men. I was able to meet Norhazry in 2001 and Wai Kiong in 2003.
25 August 2007
Went to a Musical with some old friends and then went to dinner afterward. I have known JC and Nelda Johnson since 1981. JC likes to give lifesavers candies. He gave Karen and Jonathan some in 1981, and since I did not know them I would not let my children eat the candy. We have done volunteer work together.
23 August 2007
Went to see the Houston Astros baseball team. It was the first time I have been to the new stadium. I went with my long time friends Bill and Toy Lotz, and Art Hall, and then went a second time with Bill, Joe Gentry and son.
18 August 2007
This Saturday I was invited to a long time friend - Charles Hebert's family music jam. It was south of Lafayette Louisiana. It is a yearly family reunion that is made into an open music festival. About 200 - 300 people attended. Here are some of the photos and Charles singing. Ladies Charles is single and looking.
Link to Charles Singing Part 1
Link to Charles Singing Part 2
Link to Charles Singing Part 3
Link to Charles Singing Part 4
11 August 2007
This weekend we travel to Florida to help celebrate my parent's 60th wedding anniversary - all the children and grandchildren helped celebrate.
30 July 2007
A friend of mine was recommending his new law firm - Dewy, Cheetam and Howe. What a great name for a law firm. I got taken by a Law Firm in Houston in 1993 - I will go back and find the name - they should have had this name.
19 July 2007
Here are some friends from the Singapore Office. They will miss me, but it will be a good miss.
7 July 2007
Are you an optimist or a pessimist - two ways to think about this picture
1. I am in trouble.
2. I am getting ready to catch the biggest fish of my life.
Which are you?
4 July 2007
I grew up in Northwest Florida, a small town called Crestview. We were taught that the best government was a democracy, and fifty years later I still agree, but with provisions. The Declaration of Independence which was signed on 4 July 1776, declares that all men were created equal with certain inalienable rights from their creator - life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The first provision that is necessary for a democracy to be successful is education. A majority of the voting population has to able to assess situations and reach logical conclusions.
There are many examples of misguided voters actually hurting themselves and their children, and some of the examples are in the US. The State of Louisiana routinely votes against increased spending for education and their education system is one of the lowest rated in the US.
"For a democracy to be successful the majority of the voters need adequate education to assess issues that are good for the community as a whole, and the wisdom to vote for the greater good, even when the issue is possibly not in their own best interest." Karl Kolmetz
Religious freedom is an example; all people should have the right to worship as they choose, even if what they believe it is not in agreement with your personal beliefs.
The second provision that is necessary for a democracy to be successful is an independent free press. Even if you have adequate education if you do not possess enough facts, one cannot make the logical conclusions.
The third provision that is necessary for a democracy is an independent judiciary, and this is where many countries fail. India has parts of the first and second, but their judiciary causes them to be a third world country. When I was in India last year, the press reported a case where there were 23 eyewitness and the accused was found innocent.
India has many rich and intelligent people, but they seem to lack the will to sacrifice for the greater good of the country, see the pictures from 22 April 2007 of Indian Housing. Each of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were rich and intelligent men. Many of them were punished by the British for signing the Declaration, but they did for the greater good of nation. Noble people are in short supply in the 21 Century.
If these provisions are not satisfied what is called a democracy is at best a benign dictatorship, and sometimes not very benign. One of the best ways to build a better world is to start to raise the education level. Many dictators know that this is they only way they can stay in power, so they restrict the education of their people. If none of the three provisions are in place a benign dictatorship might be better than misinformed and misguided voters.
Each of us needs to make a small yearly donation to a good non profit organization that is trying to raise the education level in the less educated areas of the world. The pen is mightier than the sword, but it seem to be moving very slowly in the correct direction.
Karl Blog Jan June 2007 Archive
