Are people always looking to sue?

Unfortunately, I may be an unwilling participant in America's litigious society -- fancy words for gosh I hope I don't get sued! How? Let me tell you...

So I was driving home during a normal commute minding my own business. A normal commute for me is driving bumper-to-bumper at an average speed of 35 miles per hour. So, I am driving on I-495 (Washington DC beltway) on the outer loop just outside of Tysons Corner. The traffic in front undergo a "brake check" unbeknownst to me. Long story short, I ran into the SUV in front of me at perhaps 15 MPH (yes, well below my average speed).

What happened next was rather comical. At least, I hope that it remains that way...

The lady I hit stayed in her car. We were in the "fast" lane and I wanted to move the cars over to the left shoulder. I put my hazard lights on and got out. As I as walking towards the car in front, cringing as I knew the damage to my car was gonna hurt, I noticed my BMW hood emblem and other artifacts on the road. Partly embarrassed, partly horror-struck, I quickly scooped up the the souvenirs and threw them in my trunk and proceeded to check on the lady and to have her move the car to the shoulder. As I approached the driver's window something seemed strange. The lady was holding a cell phone and she yelled something like "GET AWAY' and "I'M NOT COMING OUT". Now I often imagine I look like a tough guy, but I am certain I couldn't pull it off. So the lady couldn't possibly be intimidated. She sat here staring forward, wouldn't lower the window, and wouldn't even acknowledge my presence further. I stuck my hands in my pocket and tried to look natural as commuters from four lanes of bumper to bumper traffic stared. I then decided that I didn't want someone to rear end me and moved my a to the shoulder and waited for the authorities.

One ambulance, one emergency vehicle, a hook and ladder, a normal fire truck, a state police, and about 5 flares later...I stood their scratching my head thinking so that is where the tax money goes.

Apparently, the lady statue had already called 911 and yes folks claimed she couldn't move and that her neck was in pain. Luckily a witness had stopped and was kind enough to talk to the lady before the emergency workers arrived and pulled out the "jaws of life". She still would not move but my witness friend was able to at least turn on the hazard lights of the SUV.

So emergency workers strapped her neck and slowly pulled her out head first from the car and directly on to the stretcher. I was grateful this was not a serious accident but sadden to not be able to give a better show to the rubber neckers looking for blood. Although, the lady statue did put on quite a show. She wasn't so statuesque as she desperately asked for her cell phone while on the stretcher. She was either text messaging or calling someone with her arms straight in the air as she was being hauled into the ambulance. I'm sure it was her lawyer.

My car was bruised but I faired well otherwise. I was given a light ticket with no insurance implications and made friends with the officer who was a fellow Hokie and motorcycle rider. I await the call from a lawyer...

Oh, my my...US Women 0-4 Loss to Brazil

So many expectations and hopes were dashed today in the Women's World Cup 2007 in China. Well at least my hopes and expectations were not met...there seems to be a shortage of people rooting for the US these days.

If you were not aware, Women's World Cup soccer is being played in China. The 2nd semi-final match was held today between US and Brazil. Germany defeated Norway in the 1st semi-final yesterday so it will be Germany-Brazil in the finals.

As with any good soccer tournament, controversy reigned. It started the day before the US match when the US coach (called manager elsewhere in the world), Greg Ryan, picked Briana Scurry instead of Hope Solo to be the keeper. Briana hasn't played a game in a very long time and Hope has been the coach's keeper of choice for nearly 54 games. Coach Ryan's rationale was that Brianna has a better record (12-0 with eight shut outs) against Brazil. In addition, Solo did not do so well in the opening match against North Korea. It was a brave move but alas there was no joy. Briana did not play all that well and Hope had the "see I told you so pout" on the side line all game long. The team chemistry definitely did not look well mixed. But still the keeper change was a brave move and one the coach has stood behind. Let the pundits and arm chair captains throw insults and abuse at Coach Ryan.

It is so funny how things shake out. If the US had dominated Brazil and won, the coach would have looked like a pure genius. There is a very fine line that sometimes separate the great from the failures. Think about it. Babe Ruth would have have looked like an idiot if he had struck out after pointing to where he is going to hit the next ball during the 1932 World Series. But instead, he is a celebrated hero for making it happen. Misbah-ul-Haq during the very recent 20/20 Cricket World Cup would have been a hero had he succeeded hitting a "6" with that weird scoop backwards stroke. But instead he is vilified for taking that chance and losing the game for Pakistan (go India). Great ones take chances and are called great because the chance succeeds. Greg Ryan will not be called a great one. It is unfortunate considering his amazing winning record with the team.

I also find it comical how all the US haters are coming out of the wood works and saying US soccer is now dead -- for under performing in a tournament. Read the many blogs out there if you don't believe me. Do they realize the sheer quantity and quality of players coming up from the youth soccer system? No, they do not. Do they realize the US has more youth in soccer then any other country in the world? No, they do not. Brazil has beaten the US only once in the last 22 matches and this victory means that US soccer is dead? Get real people. It must be wishful thinking. They said the same thing after the last wave of great US women soccer players retired (Mia Hamm, Judy Foudy, etc.).

But, I don't want to take anything way from Brazil. The Brazilians played beautifully and demonstrated why Brazil should be feared. They played amazing defense (the prior major weakness for Brazil) and they played as a team. Individual performance had the true Brazilian flare. I am going to love watching Marta play hopefully for a very long time. She is only 21 years old and already has more goals in the World Cup then Mia Hamm had in all of her games.

So it is time for US soccer to re-tool, re-focus, and probably find another coach (which I think is the wrong answer). Chin up girls.

Excursions south of Chennai

I had the opportunity to visit two cities / towns / purams south of Chennai, India. Puram is city in Tamil (or one of the many languages in regular use in India). By the way, did you see the statistic that some 2,000 languages become extinct ever day! Unbelievable. But I digress...back to my adventure. I visited Mahablipuram now called Mamallapuram but referred to as Mahabs. It is a neat town located on the Bay of Bengal and it has a lot of history. There are many ancient temples built in the 7th century at Mahabs. One of which is the Shore Temple -- one of seven temples built by the Pallava kings. The other temples are under water just off the coast.

Upon arriving at the Shore Temple, we were immediately accosted by people selling trinkets and stuff. I assumed I was immediately categorized as a tourist (i.e., weakest of the group) given the number of people that shoved merchandise in my path. No one bothered the other members (CK and SR -- I'll talk about SR in a minute) of the group as they were "locals". I'm not sure how the merchants decided to target me given that my jeans and t-shirt were no different then their jeans and t-shirts. Things became easier once SR stepped in and shoo'ed the merchants away. BTW, "shoo'ing" is an art form that I did not master in my short stay. It takes a certain look, tone, and body language that only real Indians can perform. Maybe I shouldn't be hard on myself given that SR is an ex-policeman. SR was even more impressive later in the day and the next day. SR works in our India office and runs things with military efficiency and speed. He is an ex-guard for the previous chief minister and has a lot of knowledge about the area.

Even with SR at our side, we decided to procure the services of a tour guide, John Pasha. No really that is his name. John was unlike most other tour guides you may encounter in that he was hard to understand, seemed like he was making up facts, and didn't really want to talk too much. But he did have a name tag (that is how I knew his name -- I'm smart like that). John was interesting however and did do a good job demonstrating how Portugese sailors may have tied their ships to the docks -- he put one arm through a hole in a rock and held his hand with the other hand that was wrapped around the outside of the rock -- you had to be there.

SR also demonstrated his knowledge of protection tactics when he had to pull over and let the current chief minister's motorcade pass on the highway. He pointed out the role of each car and particularly the leading car with large antenna's. It was a signal jamming car and mine "finder". At which point I had to look on the ground around my feet to make sure my feet were not on a trigger. Hey, I've seen 24. It got a bit exciting at one point as I wanted to take pictures with my camera phone. One of the guards shouted at CK and SR (again he knew I was an ignorant tourist somehow). The quick translation was to put the cell phone away. Apparently a previous chief minister was assassinated by a bomb triggered by a cell phone. Needless to say I put my cell phone away quickly and took another glance at my feet. I wasn't feeling like Jack Bauer at this point.

During the adventure we had tea (chai) at a road side shop. I am a huge chai fan and had to take in the local color. CK guiltily ordered as the chai guy didn't understand "grande double shot soy extra hot with no water". I say guiltiliy because he rightly predicted it could cause me trouble. The decision doesn't seem too smart 10 Imodiums later! But let me live in that moment...the chai was awesome. It was made with a few drops of strong tea, hot milk, and dried ginger powered. The taste was awesome. You just had to overlook where the flies last landed.

We visited the uninteresting Pondicherry the following day and stopped at the same tea wala -- I just didn't get enough. I was still brave at that point. Pondicherry is a French influenced city and still have many French people who have emigrated to the area. It was weird seeing a white guy (I'm assuming he was French) steer a motorcycle as expertly as the Indians. We visited a museum that had archeological artifacts from the area. The museum tour guide, no it was not John Pasha, was a bit more knowledgeable but not anymore interesting.

All in all, it was a great outing and I learned a bit more...

Observations of Chennai, India

I returned to the country of my birth after 35 years of becoming totally assimilated in American life. Here are a few observations and thoughts about Chennai life.

In most of the US we definitely move life along too fast. There is always an urgency to finish something, to get to the next meeting quickly, to start the meeting on time, or just to cram in one more activity. We are always in a rush. My albeit brief stay in Chennai showed me there is considerable difference in how we handle daily life.

People in Chennai saunter -- I believe it is not just a style of walking but rather an attitude. Like what seems with everything else, the attitude is born out the practical reality. Many of the poor are bare footed throughout the day. Walking barefoot in the heat and amongst the debris on the street must require a careful and slow stride. Many people wear chappals (slippers) and you simply can’t walk fast in them. Most other people wear shoes and it is impossible to walk fast even in them. There is a thick layer of dust everywhere and feels a *little* like walking on ice. So, try as you might, you have to slow down.

Then you have what I call “people pockets”. No matter where you look at almost all times of the day, you will see 2 to 8 people just standing together. At times they are talking to each other and at other times they are simply looking around with comfort. It is as if there is nothing more important then just standing there and having a social moment. I tried it for 10 seconds once and then rushed off to a meeting.

If I were to ask you who in society should generally be alert and ready, you would probably answer the police, right? Well even they have a Laissez-faire attitude. Many were usually sitting or napping at check points. Others simply wave traffic along lazily and as if they were making an impact. The few dedicated police are usually extracting fines (bribes?) from tourists, foreigners, and young males with girlfriends. The latter is an interesting story I heard during my trip. Police at check points usually target young males on motorcycles with female passengers. The theory being the male in question is not going to argue about a fine in front of the female.

With a country with population of some 1.2 billion people, the concept of personal space simply does not exist. Everywhere you go there is just a mass of humanity going about their daily business -- whether it is urinating on the sidewalk during rush hour (yes I did unfortunately see this and others simply walked around the guy) or otherwise. I witnessed the lack of personal space at many times but none more memorable then when checking out at a bookstore. Let me tell you, the concept of lines (or queues as the British call them) does not exist despite previous British rule. So I am in line happily paying my bill when all the sudden I felt hot breathing on my neck. Unfortunately for me, I was certain it was not Aishwarya as the hot breath was accompanied with a distinct odor of Chaat and Idly/Sambar – two tasty dishes of South India. If you are not sure who is Aishwarya click here -- you will see why I was disappointed. Nevertheless, I quickly paid and left without a word to my space invader.

That is it for now...do you agree with my observations?

Traffic in Chennai, India

I returned to the country of my birth after 35 years of becoming totally assimilated in American life. Here are my observations and thoughts about the traffic conditions in Chennai.

My one word description of the traffic is “unreal”. I'm not talking about the volume of traffic per se since I am rather accustomed to interstate 66 in the Washington DC area. It is the volume combined with the type of traffic. First of all let me say that they simply waste money and time painting traffic lines (and road signs for the most part). The street is a cacophony of motorcycles, cows, cars, people, buses, bicycles, buses, and rickshaws. There are no lanes and sidewalks will do when the street is too full. Rickshaws, by the way, are three wheeled vehicles used largely as taxies. The drivers use a motorcycle-like handle bar to steer. Each rickshaw comfortably seats 2 people but since this is India, most carry 4 to 6 people.

So when we arrived, my travel companion, S2, happily jumps into the rear seat and I Gomer Pyle-like, took the front seat. You can learn who is S2 and about S2 at his blog site (http://justexpress.blogspot.com/). I should have read more into the knowing smile that only S2 can pull off. Our driver grinded the gears and plunged into the flow of traffic and I am pretty certain he didn’t not even look to see if there was an opening. If I were driving, I would still be waiting for someone to give me room to pull into the road! The ride to the hotel was interesting but it was only a precursor to the fun I would have the next day. After all, it was only Sunday when we arrived. It did however take a few minutes at the hotel to dislodge my fingers from the dash as my nails had dug in fairly deep. I still have the image of the back of one of the many the motorcycles that I swear we were going to run over.

The ride from the hotel to our office is an all urban setting and the road had two and at times three lane markings. At one time during portion of a two lane street, I counted about 5 or 6 “lanes”. Motorcycles ride handle-bar-to-handle-bar-to-side view mirror at 40-50 km/hour. Oh by the way, motorcycles typically have more then one person riding arranged in interesting ways. I saw at most 4 people on a motorcycle and yes it was what looked like an entire family. I’ll have to see if I can get my wife to ride side saddle on my motorcycle. The concept of personal space does not exist. Oh, the horn is a must. Short beeps mean I am here and prolonged beeps mean I am still here. There are pedestrians (that is such a wrong term but I can’t think of another) who walk (not run) along and across the traffic in random intervals. The cows are a bit smarter in that they walk along on the sidewalk median.

After a week of observing the traffic and how various drivers performed, I have come to the conclusion that there is a certain practicality and beauty about the arrangement. Yes, it does look chaotic -- but there is a flow. The trick is simply to “float”; don’t fight the current, don’t make sudden moves, and to remember that the guy cutting you off is not insulting you, but just taking an opportunity to, well, get in front of you. I was told there are two basic rules to follow when driving:

1. Apply the rickshaw driver technique: once the front wheel is in, the rear wheels surely have to follow; and
2. Rule of gross tonnage: the bigger guy always wins.

It is practical and simple -- you can ignore everything else.

June 2007 is Gone!!!!

Someone help me find June. As you can tell simply from my blog entries that June was rather busy. Or maybe I fell asleep at Memorial day and and woke up on my birthday (30 June). You like the way I plugged my birthday? As to my age, I am beyond the point where I freely share...

July has gone by just as fast as June, but at least it featured a nice vacation. I went to London for a week and Ireland for another week. London...been there done it. Ireland on the other hand was a first time experience and let me tell you I loved it! Guiness in Ireland is to die for....one interesting tid bit...Guiness is actually very dark red and not black. Aside from pounding Guiness daily, Ireland was just plain neat. We flew into Dublin and spent two days roaming the streets. We then took a train to Cork and rented a car and travelled to south west part of Ireland (Bantry). Spot on gorgeous.

Back to the Guiness...the brewery has been there since 1759 and Arthur Guiness leased the land (St. James Gate) in Dublin for 9,000 years...you can't find real estate deals like that any more (aside perhaps the purchase of Manhattan for a few beads). BTW, I put 2+2 together and realized that the Guiness Book of World Records is from...well...Guiness...kinda obvious now that you think of it...brilliant! The book started because of pub arguments about who is the fastest, etc.

It wouldn't be complete if I didn't tell you about the Irish people. It is 180 degrees in terms of friendliness (for the better) from the England. Everyone was extremely friendly and willing to talk about anything -- if I could only understand them. I had to remind myself that we indeed were speaking the sample language. The pubs were a lot of fun and everyone (except me of course) started singing Irish songs around 9:30 PM every night.

Dingle penninsula, Ring of Kerry (not the democrat), Bantry Bay, Skibbereen, Bandon, Dunmanway, and Kinsale are some of the towns, shires, and cities I visited.

Time for a Guiness...

Is Polling Creating a True Democracy?

Our form of government in the United States is a Republic not a Democracy. The key difference is that in a true democracy, majority rules omnipotently. In a republic we have elected representatives that, as the name implies, represent us to form laws and to generally govern. The founding fathers realized the dangers of true democracies and the monarch like powers a majority would have without checks and balances and reason.

So what does polling have to do with this? It seems that our legislators have no back bone (for either party) of their own without checking which way the wind is blowing. Everything is poll driven where the supposed will of the American people is registered. Let me ask you, have you ever been polled? Who are all these people that are our statistical equivalents? I still have not met one. So every politician reads polls. Newspapers create whole stories on the results of the poll. And the public just buys into it without understanding the questions that may have been asked, the sample of people that are polled, or the agenda or motivation of the polling or "news" organization. What is scary is that legislation, policy, and regulations are too often driven by polls and the trends that a poll may show.

So, in reality we are moving towards a true democracy where the will of the majority is driving legislation -- exactly what the founding fathers tried to avoid. Is this too much of a leap that I am making? Ask your congressman when they last voted their conscience and not which way the wind is blowing?

New Environmental Stresses...

I don't know about you but I'm getting real tired of something new to worry about every few years from environmentalist. The recent list of bans introduced by environmentalists include chlorofluorocarbons (aerosol-spray propellants, Freon, etc.), tuna (save the dolphins), DDT (save the birds), lights on beaches (protect sea turtles), and on and on and on....

Brace yourself because they are coming after the traditional incandescent light bulbs now. These wonderful staples of the 20th century are now marked as public enemy number one and will be banned from our homes in a few years if the current craze continues. What will replace our traditional light bulbs? Fluorescent lights designed to fit into normal light bulb sockets.

I continue to be baffled at the continual focus on government to solve problems. So we need laws and regulations to switch light bulbs? When will people learn that free enterprise works! If there is a market there will be a natural progression to the economical or more capable product. Take the light blub for example. We are going to be forced to switch from a $0.25 bulb to one that costs $4 for a bulb that provides poorer quality light. Hmmmm. And it will take over 2 years to realize the cost savings of the lesser power this bulb will consume.....hmmmm. Oh, did I tell you the new bulb contains mercury and will take a biohazard team from DHS to clean up broken bulbs....hmmmm. Think people!

Sometimes I wished I owned a Hummer or Humvee...

Altitude Sickness - didn't know there is such a thing!

Folks, I'm not talking about the sick feeling you have as you climb the company ladder...I'm talking about the sickness in going to 9,000+ feet above sea level.

Over my kid's spring break during the first week of April, I decided to take the family on a skiing trip to Winter Park, Colorado. It was a breath taking site seeing the Rocky Mountains as the plane approached Denver. During the entire trip the scenery was very picturesque. We had snow almost every day and it created a great atmosphere for skiing and added to the beauty of the area. If you have never been to Colorado, try to find the Coors commercial where one of the Coors family member is talking about the freshness of the water used in Coors (or something like that). The area is simply beautiful.

But I digress...so we arrived at the town home we rented and in my excitement I grabbed one of our largest suitcases and ran up the stairs to tour the new temporary home (also very picturesque). That is when it first hit me. By the time I reached the top of the long staircase, I was out of breath and my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest. I literally almost blacked out. I laid down on the couch (after I crawled there) and pondered my situation -- it felt like I was having a heart attack -- I think -- I never have had a heart attack so I'm not sure. Anyway, it was very unpleasant. Then it hit me...we landed in the mile high city and then drove 4,000 feet higher up the mountains. The oxygen was noticeably lacking.

It took several hours and a half dozen Advils to recover from my plight and I was lucky. My wife experienced it even worse. She took altitude sickness in full form...this included:

• Severe headaches
• Nausea
• Irritability
• Dehydration

In other words...it was a normal day...oops...did I say that out loud....

No, it was pretty rough for her and there is really not much you can do. They tell you to drink a lot of water, take Advils, and just simply deal with it. It literally took her three days to recover!

The kids luckily were not impacted and to them it confirmed that mom and dad are just getting old!

The trip went well otherwise...I have added a new sport to my hobby list...snow boarding! We went as high as 12,060 feet to the peak at Winter Park -- that was an awesome site. Let me put this in perspective, I, probably like most of you, live life around 500 feet above sea level or lower. Also, it occurred to me as stared down the mountain at 12,060 feet that this is nothing compared to Mt. Everest which stands over 29,000 feet. I looked up and tried to imagine something that was more then twice as high I was at that point...I couldn't imagine it...

Global Warming = Communism?

Is the global warming hysteria the new communism? It is interesting when you think about it a bit. Czech President Vaclav Klaus recently called global warming a religion and equated it to communism. It is a rather brave thing to say given the hype and counter attacks formed by the environmental lobbyist for anyone that disbelieves. Czech President Klaus said that global warming has replaced the idealogy of communism and that it threatens to place limits on freedom.

I don't know about you but that scares me. Here is someone who has first hand knowledge of what communism was all about and he is equating global warming to the horrible idealogy. So why is global warming considered a religion? Because those that believe view it as a moral issue and continue to hype it regardless of science.

Back to the communism thing...

Communism was effectively an antonym for capitalism. Global warming believers are also anti-capitalist. Their goal if they have their way is to restrict industry, place limits on what you can or cannot do, and control the distribution of wealth. If you think it is about saving the planet, read between the lines!

I wonder if Klaus would win an oscar if he made a movie....

Are you like your parents and where does the time go?

Do you ever feel like your parents or guardian? I'm sure many of you have those moments where you say something and you realize you sound like your dad or mom. Yes, it is true that you indeed become your parents in many ways. I don't have any scientific proof (nor have I seen any postulated) of this, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence.

I have a strange thought...let me see if any of you face this...

I sometimes don't think I am as wise and sage as my dad seemed at the same age that I am today? It also seems my dad had much weighty responsibilities and a heavier family burden at the same age!

I remember looking up to my dad when I was say 14 years old and the image I have of him at the time does not match my self-image today. Do you understand? At the time my father was running a business and providing a living for our immediate family as well as cousins, uncles, and aunts that happen to be immigrating to the US from India. He seemed to work hard and things seemed to come much harder to him.

I on the other hand don't feel as mature has he seemed. Mature may be too strong of a word but the right one escapes me at the moment. I wonder how my kids view me?

I may be unique and the only one with this thought and vision, however one thing seems to be certain...today's generation has it much easier on the average then the prior generation. I'm sure the same can be said about two generations ago. You all have heard the stories about our parents and grand parents walking bare foot in the snow going to school up hill both ways...

Let me use this opportunity to shift to a related topic that comes to mind...

I know there are people in all stratas of life, but in general we have to admit we live a comparably easy life. Even a good percentage of the poor in the US have TVs, VCRs, and two cars. We on the average have time for so many social activities. I had social and sports activities my parents never had and my kids today have activities that I could not have dreamed about when I was growing up.

We have so much spare time that we...

• have TV's in every room
• have video IPOD's when a TV is not available
• know the difference between 12 and 18 year old Scotch
• write Blogs
• view the 20th page on a Google search (ok, I have never done that but you know who you are!)
• watch 3 hour movies (could they not have cut some of Tom Hank's Castaway?)
• read up to seven LONG Harry Potter novels

Yet, we all tend to complain about being too busy! We all seem to want more time to get that one other activity in or to sleep that extra hour. I think it is time for all of us to figure out better ways how to USE that spare time. Clearly we have the time somewhere...don't we...let me run 24 is on...

Do you believe what you read?

Welcome to my first blog post! Ok, let me honor the name of my blog by telling the truth. I guess I said "welcome to my first blog post" so you will be kind and patient as you strive to get to the end.

My, my, what do I write?

I have always wanted to start some form of a blog as I feel I have much to say but never taken the risk to really ramble on…I suppose fear and trepidation kept me from launching a blog. On reflection, I realize that much of my life I have unknowingly embodied this quote from Abraham Lincoln:

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt"

So let's start removing the doubt…

I like the concept of the Blog sphere. It gives individuals direct access to the world to offer opinions, news, knowledge, wisdom, and anything else that may flow between the ears. I suppose I should thank the inventor of the Internet, Al Gore, for this opportunity…but…nahhh…

…truthfully, anything that bypasses organized media is a good thing.

On that note...do you realize how many people rely on the word printed in the daily newspaper or what is on the evening news for their entire knowledge base and view of the world? Sometimes I want to shout at the top of the tallest mountain to STOP READING THAT DRIBBLE. What is printed is so often wrong and driven by some agenda that it is unreal. My employer, CNSI, and every CNSI employee familiar with our Medicaid business ventures should truly understand my point. There were so many stories in the Maine press regarding the troubles our new system created for Maine's Medicaid program. Never mind that the software problems were minor in nature compared to the real problems behind the problems. Never mind that the state were not able to clearly and timely provide business information needed to be coded in the system. Never mind the thousands of hours of work (beyond what was called for) that CNSI employees put in to solve what may be close to impossible to solve. Never mind the truly creative system we have built and placed into production. Never mind it is performing better then the prior system and most systems in the country.

I'm afraid to know how many people have read the roasting our company has received in the Maine press and have at best a pessimistic view and at worst hatred for CNSI?

So why the unfair characterizations?

My friends, it is because that is what sells. Fairness is not a guiding principle for the fourth estate (i.e., the press). Facts and reality are boring. When new information is not available…no worries…just change a few words and re-cycle an old article. This happens every day, in every state, in every country...not just in Maine...and not just against CNSI.

What I find perhaps more unbelievable is that people buy the stuff and believe in it without any further research or question. The more we buy the more they believe in their righteousness. Folks stop buying and read more blogs...