In response to Daniel Edward’s post a couple of weeks ago “For all the Fella’s”. Steve Calehman with Men’s Health wrote an article about 18 things that a Grown man should Never Have. (click here). I thought that it warranted repeating. Enjoy!

1. A black eye. Unless the rim hits your face mid-dunk, your peepers should remain unblemished. You’re smart enough to talk your way out of any fight you’re going to lose.

2. A witty e-mail signature. Quotes and song lyrics should be heard during toasts and karaoke performances, respectively. Don’t let your electronic correspondence become the digital version of a motivational poster.

3. An empty refrigerator. Your larder should be amply stocked, your pantry provisioned. Always aim to be ready to create an on-the-fly, three-course dinner for her…along with breakfast in bed.

4. PlayStation thumb. When they’re relaxing, grown men can behave like children. But if you devolve long enough to cause calluses or button-shaped bruises, you’re assuredly missing out on life.

5. A key chain with a bottle opener. This bauble is both a gauche reminder of your college days and proof that you don’t know how to apply leverage using available, impromptu bottle openers: a lighter, the back end of a fork.

6. A lucky shirt. Every shirt is lucky when worn by a man who knows that the harder he works the luckier he’ll be.

7. An unstamped passport.

8. Olympic dreams. Exceptions: curling and archery.

9. Less than $20 in his wallet. Fiduciary nudity is negligence. A real man should always carry a business card and enough dough to pick up coffee, bagels, and the Sunday paper without whipping out the plastic.

10. A name for his penis. Even if it’s a really clever name.

11. Any beer that costs less than $20 a case. And no exception for the grand-slam 30-pack that crosses that price threshold.

12. The need to quote The Big Lebowski/ Caddyshack/Superbad. Reciting someone else’s lines reminds people that you haven’t the wit to write your own.

13. A futon. Sure, beds are for sleeping. But such a meager, slouchy spread has never, in the history of sex, inspired a woman to say, “Take me on your futon.”

14. Code words for ugly women. Actually, code words for anything.

15. A Nerf hoop in his living room. Keep the adolescent accoutrements where they belong: in the rec room or above the wastebasket in someone else’s office.

16. A secret handshake.

17. Drinking glasses with logos. Especially those kitschy McDonald’s Hamburglar ones.

18. A recent story with the phrase “So I said to the cop…”

Thanks so much to Steve Calechman with Men’s Health.

How many times do we find ourselves asking: What is God’s will for my life?

Several years ago i was at a Youth Speacialties Convention with Whitney Alexander of First Presbyterian Church, and i attended a siminar where Dr. Lori Salierno, founder of Celebrate Life International, was the speaker. Now, when I showed up at this siminar, I was dealing with some issues in my life about what God’s will was, and did not expect to hear what I heard. She talked about what God’s will was for you life, and how do you know.

There are certain things that we can know from reading scripture that are God’s will, these are absolutes. And, for the sake of time, I would like to quote an answer to this question which goes along what Dr. Salierno discussed:

“How can I know God’s will for my life? What does the Bible say about knowing God’s will?”There are two keys for knowing God’s will for a given situation:

1. Make sure what you are asking for or considering doing is not something the Bible forbids.
2. Make sure what you are asking for or are considering doing will glorify God and help you grow spiritually.

If these two things are true and God still is not giving you what you are asking – then it is likely not God’s will for you to have what you are asking for. Or, perhaps you just need to wait a while longer for it. Knowing God’s will is sometimes difficult. People want God to basically tell them what to do – where to work, where to live, who to marry, etc. Romans 12:2 tells us, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

God rarely gives people that direct and specific of information. God allows us to make choices regarding those things. The only decision God does not want us to make is the decision to sin or resist His will. God wants us to make choices that are in agreement with His will. So, how do you know what God’s will is for you? If you are walking closely with the Lord and truly desiring His will for your life – God will place His desires on your heart. The key is wanting God’s will, not your own. “Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37:4). If the Bible does not speak against it, and it can genuinely benefit you spiritually – then the Bible gives you the “permission” to make decisions and to follow your heart. (For more from this site click here)

I bring this up, because throughout history, people have been using the “Will of God” to manipulate the masses. This brings us into the church’s spiritual authority situation of what is and what isn’t God’s will. One of the largest examples of the abuse of the church of spiritual authority is that upon which Dr. Martin Luther wrote his 95 Theses in 1517. Occacionally, you can see hints of this type of abuse in more modern examples, such as Joseph Smith: A self-proclaimed modern prophet upon which claimed he had spiritual authority to add to the holy scriptures and is the Founder of Mormonism.

I cannot begin to express the importance of guarding your heart and testing what men/women say against the Word of God in the Bible †. Depending on you affiliation, there can be a level of checks and balance in place to test the intentions of man. For example, in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, on every level, the church is governed by a body of members, comprised of Elders, which make of the Session. This type of check and balance sytem protects a minister from over-steping his authority with his own human tendencies.

Let’s remember to follow the desires of our heart. If we are pursuing God and his will for your life, then the desires of His heart will be the desires of your heart. When asked what the greatest commandment was and which one was most important, Jesus responded in Mark 12:29-31:

“Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”

†The Bible was cannonized as scripture by about the 4th century (Click Here). As Christian’s we do not believe that anything can be added or taken away from this final compilation of writing regarded as the Holy Bible. We believe it is the infallible, inspired Word of GOD and that the rule of interpretation of Scripture is Scripture itself.

June 25th, 1876 General Custer’s troops were beaten in the Vally of Little Big Horn in southern Montana by Native American’s led by Cheifs Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull. I understand that there are two sides to this story, but what i want to focus on is the losing side, and some of the cautions that were overlooked when you overestimate your ability and under estimate whatever challenge that you face.

Long Story short, the US Government was attempting to confine the native americans to their reservations. But, when they found that gold was found on the reservation, they decided to betray any treatys and agreements, driving the tribe to join up with Chief Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. They totaled 10,000 +. Here is where is gets rough. General Custer approached the camp, and instead of waiting for reinforcements, he proceeded to attack overestimating his own ability and under estimating the challenge that laid before him. Shortly after his attack, he was overwhelmed by some 3,000 native american warriors and he and every one of his men died.

Sometimes when making decisions in life, we tend to “wing it” or “shoot from the hip”. Let’s keep in mind that humility is the key. No matter how comfortable one is in doing something or how many times he has done it; the decision needs to be weighed. When I do investment analysis, regardless of how easy the equation is, or how many times i do it, i always check and re-check to make sure that I am absolutely making the best decision and giving the best advise.

Let’s learn from Custer’s last Stand

Do you ever find yourself wondering: “How can the price of oil double with-in a year?” or “How can someone buy an apartment complex for three times what it cost to build 5-8 years ago?”…..ME TOO! Well, as i sure all of my economic friends are familiar with, i would like to share a story to stir people thinking about the economy and there place in it.

A pamphlet from the Dutch tulipomania, printed in 1637

In 1623, a single bulb of a famous tulip variety could cost as much as a thousand Dutch florins (the average yearly income at the time was 150 florins). Tulips were also exchanged for land, valuable livestock and houses. Allegedly, a good trader could earn six thousand florins a month.

By 1635, a sale of 40 bulbs for 100,000 florins was recorded. By way of comparison, a ton of butter cost around 100 florins and “eight fat swine” 240 florins. A record was the sale of the most famous bulb, the Semper Augustus, for 6,000 florins in Haarlem.

By 1636, tulips were traded on the stock exchanges of numerous Dutch towns and cities. This encouraged trading in tulips by all members of society, with many people selling or trading their other possessions in order to speculate in the tulip market. Some speculators made large profits as a result. Others lost all or even more than they had.

Some traders sold tulip bulbs that had only just been planted or those they intended to plant (in effect, tulip futures contracts). This phenomenon was dubbed windhandel, or “wind trade”, and took place mostly in the taverns of small towns using an arcane slate system to indicate bid prices. (The term windhandel is similar to the recent term vaporware: both have much the same metaphor.) A state edict from 1610 (well before the alleged bubble) made that trade illegal by refusing to enforce the contracts, but the legislation failed to curtail the activity.

In February 1637 tulip traders could no longer get inflated prices for their bulbs, and they began to sell. The bubble burst. People began to suspect that the demand for tulips could not last, and as this spread a panic developed. Some were left holding contracts to purchase tulips at prices now ten times greater than those on the open market, while others found themselves in possession of bulbs now worth a fraction of the price they had paid. Allegedly, thousands of Dutch, including businessmen and dignitaries, were financially ruined.

Attempts were made to resolve the situation to the satisfaction of all parties, but these were unsuccessful. Ultimately, individuals were stuck with the bulbs they held at the end of the crash—no court would enforce payment of a contract, since judges regarded the debts as contracted through gambling, and thus not enforceable in law.

The aftermath of the tulip price deflation led to a widespread economic chill throughout the Netherlands for a number of years afterwards, resulting in what we would describe today as a mild or moderate economic depression. (Galbraith 1990, p. 34) Story comes from Wikipedia

Please remember as you stroll through life in this economy, whether you are speculating the stock market, petroleum economics, or real estate – Please remember that a tulip is a tulip. Almost always, when something seems to good to be true, it is. When demand jumps faster than a constant growth rate, then be sure to examine the integrity or the demand growth before getting sucked up in a trend or a bubble; and verify that investing is in fact a Sound Economic Practice.

Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a comment.

People ask me all the time: “Is now a good time to buy a house?” The first answer is “Where are you thinking about buying?”. The appropriate response should be, “Baton Rouge”; in which the answer is, “Yes, now is a good time to buys a house.” The national housing market has suffered some losses due to overpricing and bad loans, but what the Louisiana Real Estate Industries message is that we are “Alive and Well.” Please take the time to read the press release from LOUISIANA REALTORS:

Baton Rouge, June 23, 2008 — Despite national trends, the housing market is thriving in Louisiana. “Louisiana’s overall economy is strong, home prices are stable and interest rates remain favorable,” said Mark Rodi, 2008 Louisiana REALTORS President and Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Affiliates in Metairie. “Throughout the state, we are seeing a very solid housing market.”

So solid, in fact, that some of the national media is beginning to take notice. In Money magazine’s recent ranking of the “100 Biggest U.S. Markets,” two Louisiana metro areas are among a handful of major local markets where home values have appreciated. New Orleans and Baton Rouge ranked second and third respectively, behind Birmingham, Alabama in a forecast of the top 25 southern markets. While homes in some parts of the region were projected to lose as much as 25% of their sale value by 2009, homes in the New Orleans area are expected to gain 2.2%, with Baton Rouge at 1.9%.

Meanwhile, a study by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight shows that the Houma-Thibodaux housing market is the fastest growing in the nation. Homes appreciated by over 11% in the one year period from April 2007 to April 2008. The same report ranks Louisiana 13th among all states in appreciation rates, with a 3.3% increase for the year. In contrast, the nationwide average fell 3.1%.

“From a national perspective, there are certainly areas of the country that are experiencing problems with overpricing and foreclosures, but this has to be viewed in perspective,” said Louisiana REALTORS Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Young. “2007 was actually the fifth best year on record and very similar to the home sales and price gains experienced in 2002, when consumers across the country were very confident about the market.”

Research by the National Association of REALTORS shows that prices nationwide are beginning to stabilize, with a modest increase in property values expected in the coming year.

“It’s true that nationally, real estate has taken a hit this year,” said Rodi. “But it is important for people in Louisiana to understand that we have weathered that storm and have actually come out on top.”

“Buying a home in Louisiana now is as good of an investment as ever, and over the past 40 years, no other investment has delivered a more consistent positive return than real estate.”

A booming oil and gas industry, low unemployment rates and key economic development projects throughout the state have contributed to the health of Louisiana’s real estate market. The development undertaken as a result of the post-Katrina Gulf Opportunity Zone (GO Zone) incentives, and the economic shift that took place after Katrina and Rita has also helped to strengthen a number of Louisiana markets.

Most published reports on the nationwide housing market focus on the growing number of foreclosures. In Louisiana however, delinquency rates remain at normal levels, and the number of foreclosures are well below what is being experienced in other parts of the country.

“Louisiana is just not seeing the same problems regarding subprime loans that are being publicized nationwide,” said Rodi.

Young suggested that while a wide disparity exists in the performance of housing markets across the country, there is a tendency to generalize real estate, often resulting in an inaccurate picture.

“It is important for buyers and sellers to understand that real estate markets are highly localized,” Young said. “What impacts one area strongly may be irrelevant someplace else.”

“Even on the state level, it is important to evaluate each locality as its own separate market in order to understand what is going on there. In observing what is happening throughout our state, our market is strong.”

Louisiana REALTORS is a member-based trade association established to assist its members in the business of real estate in Louisiana. LR represents its membership on important real estate related issues to state and federal government, while providing legal assistance, professional development opportunities, discounts and unique services for its membership. The Louisiana REALTORS Association and other industry groups work to pass legislation that is favorable to Louisiana’s real estate industry and protects private property rights.

Taken from: PRWEB

Everyone seems to be upset with our new Governor here in Louisiana because the Louisiana Legislative Pay Raise. There are several opinions on this, and currently, I have not taken one, but I just wanted to post what other State Legislator’s Pay in 2007 was so that a citizen can formulate an opinion that wasn’t spun one way or the other. This information comes from the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Updated March 2007

State	Salary	Per Diem
Alabama	$10/day (C)	$2,280/month plus $50/day for three days during each week that the legislature actually meets during any session (U).
Alaska	$24,012/year	$163 or $218 /day (depending on the time of year) tied to federal rate. Legislators who reside in the Capitol area receive 75% of the federal rate.
Arizona	$24,000/year	$35/day for the first 120 days of regular session and special session. $10/day thereafter. Members residing outside Maricopa County receive an additional $25/day for the first 120 days of regular session and special session. An additional $10/day thereafter (V). Set by statute.
Arkansas	$14,765/year	$130/day (V) plus mileage tied to federal rate.
California	$113,098/year	$162/day for each day they are in session.
Colorado	$30,000/year	$45/day for members living in the Denver metro area. $99/day for members living outside Denver (V).
Connecticut	$28,000/year	No per diem is paid.
Delaware	$42,000/year	No per diem is paid.
Florida	$30,996/year	$126/day (V) tied to federal rate. Based on the number of days in session. Travel vouchers are filed to substantiate.
Georgia	$17,342/year	$173/day (U) set by the Legislative Services Committee.
Hawaii	$35,900/year	$120/day for members living outside Oahu. $10/day for members living on Oahu (V). Set by the legislature.
Idaho	$16,116/year	$122/day for members establishing second residence in Boise. $49/day if no second residence is established and up to $25/day travel (V) set by Compensation Commission.
Illinois	$57,619/year	$125/per session day.
Indiana	$11,600/year	$137/day (U) tied to federal rate.
Iowa	$25,000/year	$118/day (U). $88.50/day for Polk County legislators (U) Set by the legislature to coincide with federal rate. State mileage rates apply.
Kansas	$84.80/day (C)	$99/day (U) tied to federal rate.
Kentucky	$180.54/day (C)	$108.90/day (U) tied to federal rate (110% Federal per diem rate).
Louisiana	$16,800/year	$138/day (U) tied to federal rate (26 U.S.C. Section 162(h)(1)(B)(ii))
Maine	$12,713/year	$38/day housing, or mileage and tolls in lieu of housing (at rate of $0.36/mile up to $38/day) plus $32/day for meals. Per diem limits are set by statute.
Maryland	$43,500/year	Lodging $116/day. Meals $41/day maximum.
Massachusetts	$58,237.15/year	From $10/day-$100/day, depending on distance from State House (V) set by the legislature.
Michigan	$79,650/year	$12,000 yearly expense allowance for session and interim (V) set by compensation commission.
Minnesota	$31,140.90/year	Senators receive $96/day and Representatives receive $77/legislative day (U) set by the legislature.
Mississippi	$10,000/year	$91/day (U) tied to federal rate.
Missouri	$31,351/year	$79.20/day (U) tied to federal rate. Verification of per diem is by roll call.
Montana	$82.67/day (L)	$98.75/day (U)
Nebraska	$12,000/year	$99/day outside 50-mile radius from Capitol. $39/day if member resides within 50 miles of Capitol (V) tied to federal rate.
Nevada	$137.90/day	Federal rate for Capitol area (U). Legislators who live more than 50 miles from the capitol, if require lodging, will be paid HUD single-room rate for Carson City area for each month of session.
New Hampshire	$200/two-year term	No per diem is paid.
New Jersey	$49,000/year	No per diem is paid.
New Mexico	None	$142/day (V) tied to federal rate and the constitution.
New York	$79,500/year	Varies (V) tied to federal rate.
North Carolina	$13,951/year	$104/day (U) set by statute. $559.00/month expense allowance.
North Dakota	$125/day (session) (C)	Lodging reimbursement up to $900/month (V).
Ohio	$58,933.56/year	No per diem is paid.
Oklahoma	$38,400/year	$122/day (U) tied to federal rate.
Oregon	$18,408/yr	$99/day (U) tied to federal rate.
Pennsylvania	$73,613/year	$129/day (V) tied to federal rate. Legislators can receive actual expenses or per diem.
Rhode Island	$13,089.44/year	No per diem is paid.
South Carolina	$10,400/year	$119/day for meals and housing for each session day and committee meeting tied to federal rate.
South Dakota	$12,000/two year term	$110/legislative day (U) set by the legislature.
Tennessee	$18,123/year	$153/legislative day (U) tied to federal rate.
Texas	$7,200/year	$139/day (U) set by Ethics Commission.
Utah	$130/day (C)	$90/day (U) lodging for each calendar day. Tied to federal rate. $54/day meals (U).
Vermont	$600.78/week (session)	Federal per diem rate for Montpelier is $88/day for lodging and $51/day for meals for non-commuters. Commuters receive $51/day for meals plus mileage.
Virginia	$18,000/year (Senate)$17,640/year (House)	House $135/day (U) tied to federal rate. Senate $140/day (U) tied to federal rate.
Washington	$36,311/year	$90/day
West Virginia	$15,000/year	$115/day during session (U) set by compensation commission.
Wisconsin	$47,413/year	$88/day maximum (U) set by compensation commission (90% of federal rate).
Wyoming	$150/day (L)	$85/day(V) Includes travel days for those outside of Cheyenne.

L = Legislative day

C = Calendar day

(V) Vouchered (U) Unvouchered

Here are some links to different articles for or against this:

Stephen Sabludowsky: When Bobby Jindal won the Louisiana Gubernatorial election and a mandate from the people of the state, we immediately felt that Louisiana had the smartest, most able individual taking the helm of state government. When he promised us that he would make Louisiana government the most transparent in its history, our hearts raced with pride with hope of a new day dawning where government would open up its doors and allow the citizens to take control of its own destiny… more

The Times-Picayune: The Louisiana Legislature adjourns today. Gov. Bobby Jindal should mark the occasion by vetoing the session’s most offensive and self-centered legislation: the 123-percent pay raise lawmakers gave themselves…more

J.R. Ball: Thursday, June 19, 2008

Well, looky here, there’s suddenly money for everyone in our ever-expanding state budget now that legislators have gotten theirs.

Just 24 short hours after our part-time public servants decided that being a member of the House or Senate is not just a job, it’s a high-paying adventure, legislators stopped watching LSU baseball’s ninth-inning heroics long enough to go on a spending spree typically reserved for drunken sailors…more

Daniel Edward’s : June 23rd, 2008:

It’s over, done with, finished. The 2008 Louisiana Regular Legislative Session wrapped up today, and not too soon.

We saw some of the good, the bad, and the ugly from our friendly lawmakers down at the house Huey built. As discussed here while back, Senate Bill 87 by Senator Buddy Shaw was originally intended to slowly phase out the state income tax. However, this ruffled some feathers in the barn yard. With a compromise, Governor Jindal agreed to repeal the Stelly Tax that we’ve all loved to hate…more

I had a conversation with Ed Middleton over the weekend…and here are some thoughts that came our of that conversation.

How many true friends do we actually have? How many people do we have in our lives that will tell us like it is whether we want to hear it at the time or not? We call them friends, but are we willing to listen to what they say, or do we just hear them?

Like, Dislike, Agree or Disagree….please bare with me as i share with you one of my philosophies on Friendships and Relationships. There are several levels of relationships.

1. The First and what I would consider the shallowest level is when two people have something material in common (i.e. play football, school, play guitar, youth group, etc.). There is a common interest which draws the two human beings together. A relationship must move past this stage.
2. The Second Level is when the two parties are dependent upon each other for survival and bound by the threat that the other will expose them. (i.e. cliques, cruelty, stealing, gangs). These relationships can be very strong, but ultimately, if a relationship does not move beyond this it is destined to come to an end.
3. The Third level is one in which one of the parties actually confide in each other, and make themselves vulnerable. It is in the context of this level of a relationship where people expose the scars, and ugliness in there life (i.e. Family situations, Past abuse, etc..) actually testing the limits of the relationship.
4. The Forth level occurs when the parties to the relationship actually serve together. Whether it is building a house together (i.e. Habitat for Humanity, PFR’s Son Servants,…), or doing International Relief like my twin sister Claire did by spending time in Africa with Samaritan’s Purse. When relationships are made at this level, they are lifelong relationships that can be picked up even after years of being apart.
5. The Fifth level of relationship is where you actually spend time talking about the Bible, and the way that God is working in the world. It is when you pray with each other. Where the relationship is centered around the saving work of the cross.

Overall, it is a little of every type of relationship level that makes a good friendship. But, lets not kid ourselves, whether the relationship is with a mom, dad, wife, colleague, young person, etc… it still takes an element of work in the form of sacrifice and flexibility to make it work. At the end of the day, commitment from both parties is the key.

It Is What It Is

Well, i am back from a busy time, and i should be blogging more.

I find myself settling for this phrase more often than not. I do not know if this is a positive thing or a negative thing. Am i settling for not digging deep to understand, or am I being content to let things figure themselves out? None the less, It is what it is… enjoy!

William Safire wrote this about the phrase in his column in th New York Times on March 5th, 2006.

By WILLIAM SAFIRE

“We went through it thoroughly yesterday,” said Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, somewhat testily after being badgered recently about the Cheney hunting accident. “It is what it is, and I think it’s time to move on.”

“I made a mistake,” said the pop icon Britney Spears, who was photographed driving with her baby son on her lap instead of strapped in a seat, “and so it is what it is, I guess.”

The coach of the U.S. hockey team, arriving at the Turin Olympics, concerned about his travel-worn players going up against a well-rested Latvian squad, said in a resigned tone, “We’re going to do the best that we can. It is what it is.”

The phrase, racing through the language, shows no sign of tiring. The first use I can find is in the Newspaper Archive, from a column by J.E. Lawrence in The Nebraska State Journal in 1949 about the way that pioneer life molded character: “New land is harsh, and vigorous, and sturdy. It scorns evidence of weakness. There is nothing of sham or hypocrisy in it. It is what it is, without apology.”

Databases show a steady buildup in usage toward the end of the 20th century. A burst of the sentence’s activity followed Billy Frolick’s movie with that title in 2001. The jam band the String Cheese Incident used it a year later. Gary Mihoces of USA Today examined a dozen uses of the cliché by sports figures in 2004. On Election Day 2004, when exit polls showed the Democrat John Kerry in the lead, Time magazine reported that President George W. Bush, avoiding any show of pessimism to his aide Karen Hughes, said only, “Well, it is what it is.”

Yahoo! (which, in the wake of its kowtowing to Chinese censors, is being punctuated Yahoo? by critics) shows 1.1 million hits to date; the sustained popularity of the phrase is remarkable. Does It is what it is have a definition that could be called definitive? No; as another student of the third-person singular, present indicative of the verb be might put it, it all depends on what the meaning of It is what it is is.

What it is not is a redundancy; the Squad Squad, constantly on guard against the unnecessary repetition of an idea in a different word, can relax. Instead, it is a deliberate tautology (the Greek tauto means “the same”) designed to define itself by repetition of itself. Because it needs a name, let’s call it a “tautophrase.” Often accompanied by a shrug, it is used to deflect inquiry with panache.

Few people say no comment anymore; that phrase was made famous by Winston Churchill in 1946, who told reporters after a White House meeting with President Truman and a U.S. diplomat: “I think ‘no comment‘ is a splendid expression. I got it from Sumner Welles.” It is rarely used by politicians today because it is too gruff a cliché, slamming the door petulantly, a brushoff by a clumsy amateur. The trick to assertive deflection is in the ducking of a question in a way that sounds forthright.

In the synonymy of tautophrasal evasion, What’s done is done implies an irretrievable action. Boys will be boys (often followed by a heh-heh) means “a natural act requires no further explanation,” and That was then, now is now means “changing circumstances make the need for a different position self-evident.” The semitautologous It speaks for itself is a way of saying “Do not look to me for amplification of the obvious.” The duplicative same-old, same-old waves off nagging questions by pretending boredom.

Not tautophrases but in the ballpark are I don’t have any more information on that, which flatly pleads ignorance, and I’ll have to get back to you on that, which gains the evader only temporary respite. Let’s move on, previously the most popular refusal to provide more fuel to a continuing embarrassment, connotes, “I don’t have time to waste on pursuit of this exhausted subject.”

For additional nuance, I turn to Joe Pickett, executive editor of the American Heritage Dictionary. “It is what it is is also a way of expressing philosophical resignation over a disappointment, of saying that the situation just has to be put up with. Athletes will say it about a missed catch or a bad call by the referee; it means that they don’t want to dwell on the situation. A variation of It is what it is is What’s done is done; you’d never say that about a person, but you can say She is what she is. It reminds me of a phrase rampant here in Boston: ‘That’s just Manny being Manny,’ to refer to the weird behavior of the Red Sox slugger Manny Ramirez. It must be a variation on ‘Let Reagan be Reagan.”‘ (That tautophrasal political slogan was based on the 1981 Let Poland be Poland.)

I.I.W.I.I., to use space-saving initialese, has another sense of a mild put-down, as if to say, “That’s all you can expect.” A Denver Broncos wide receiver who was short on receptions last year was described in the sports pages of The Denver Post as having reached the “he-is-what-he-is stage.” But another tautophrase intended to cut off further debate or questioning carries a powerful note of finality. The linguist Geoffrey Nunberg, whose book on right-wing rhetoric is coming in June, steered me to Chapter 19, Verse 22 of the Gospel according to John. The Roman Pontius Pilate, asked to amend the words he had ordered inscribed on Jesus’ cross, rejected all objection with “What I have written I have written.“

In these reflections on deflections, my favorite assertion of tautophrasal philosophy was by Popeye the Sailor Man in a 1930’s comic strip by Elzie Segar: “I yam what I yam an’ that’s all that I yam!” (That statement speaks for itself.)

Will the vogue use of It is what it is become fixed in the farrago of unresponsive responses? The answer is in its own future tense, sung inthe Spanish Que será será: “What will be will be.”

Good afternoon. I am quite a blessed fellow living down in South Louisiana. I have a great job, work with great people. I have great friends and family that would do anything for me. I have a tremendous blessing in a finance, that will very soon be my bride. And, most importantly through and in all of this, I have a faith that is real. Through much thought, I have decided to take a stab at spilling my thoughts out on the web. I have heard that one can gain alot of insight about the world, and himself by just thinking through his thoughts. Sit down, put your seat belt on, and remember to keep your hands and arms inside until the ride comes to a complete stop.

* A note must be made that the Title “William’s Writings” is a play off of Greg Mason’s original quote back in college of “William’s Wallet” (as he holds up and points to Will Adams’s wallet); which is a play off of the main Character in Braveheart, William Wallace. All of these things are to be said with a Scottish Accent.