News & Views

I (Michael Burns) completed the 200km ride from Toronto to Niagara Falls on June 11-12. There were 4,610 riders who raised $17.5 million. There were about 700 volunteers to help make sure our experience was a good and safe one.

There was so much positive energy and goodwill from everyone involved. When we started, there was a sea of yellow (the colour of our jerseys) riders ready or almost ready for our journey. We were encouraged along the way by people that waved, honked and cheered us. I passed one rider who did not have use of his legs and made the trip just with the strength in his arms. There were hundreds of riders who had yellow flags to indicate that they are cancer survivors. When we got close to the finish line, you could hear the large crowd of people welcoming us enthusiastically.

If you are looking for a more challenging ride, check out Le Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie at http://vimeo.com/24697010. The teams have to travel a circuit of 1000 km in 60 hours from the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean to Montreal.

180 View – Babies have a lot to say.

180 View – And so do our parents/grandparents.

I recommend taking a few minutes to listen to the music and remember the sacrifices made by others that allow us to live in peace.

A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward. Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite.

This is only a 1 minute, 44 second video. Make sure you read as well as listen…forward and backward.

180 View – It boggles the mind how people in power can be so arrogant, greedy and incompetent to have let this disaster happen.

In the Fall of 2008, I spent about a month at Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) fighting Multiple Myeloma. I now feel great in no small way thanks to PMH. I hope to make a small contribution to winning the war against cancer and supporting the great people at PMH.

The Ride to Conquer Cancer Benefitting the Princess Margaret Hospital is a 2-day, 200 km bike ride to raise money for cancer research and compassionate care at Canada’s leading cancer hospital. The ride will be on June 12-13, and goes from Toronto to Niagara Falls.

The above link will automatically take you to one of my team members that needs your donation the most as each team member is responsible for reaching their individual fund-raising goals. The team consists of my children (Lisa, Miriam, David and Jon), Lisa’s spouse (Randy), Jon’s girlfriend (Danielle) and me. I will know about and be grateful for sponsorship of anyone on my team.

Thanks

March 11, 2010 from Forbes – “In her campaign to become governor of California in the November 2010 elections, Meg Whitman is exercising leadership skills as well as the penchant for risk taking that she showed as chief executive of eBay…

“From the time I was a little girl, my mother encouraged me to have a bias for action. She used to say that the things that are worth doing will be hard, but if you don’t try, you’ll never know if you can do them. She said the price of inaction can be far greater than making a mistake–which you can almost always fix.”

180 View – Good advice

Leonard Cohen wrote Hallelujah in 1984 and it was released without much fanfare. Today it has become one of the most popular songs of all time. The linked version was sung by k.d. lang at the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics.  Many other versions are available on YouTube. The shrek version has incredibly been viewed by more than 20,000,000 people.

The lyrics are hard to understand. One of the articles about the Shrek version explained the lyrics in this way “In Shrek, hallelujah is a paean to the love affair between Shrek and Princess Fiona. The song itself is about love which has soured and gone stale. Cohen used a lot of religious imagery in the lyrics of Hallelujah, including references to some of the more notorious women in the bible.”  Based on one internet source, the actual meaning of Hallelujah “is a Biblical expression found only in the Book of Psalms and meaning “Praise the Lord!” – an exclamation of joy, praise, or thanksgiving.”

One of my objectives in these newsletters is to make sense about news and articles available over the internet that is relevant to our readers. But in music, it’s best left to each person to figure out for themselves or just to enjoy as is without any analysis.

Graeme hired me about 14 years ago to work as a consultant in the risk management group at Price Waterhouse, which soon became PwC. I enjoyed my years at PwC and learned a lot. I have not seen Graeme very often since I left but always considered him a friend. Out of the blue, I got a call recently from Graeme and his timing was perfect in that I had been wondering how to grow my business and realized I need help. I always consult my brother Stephen on strategic matters, and arranged a meeting. I then found out that Graeme’s office is in the same building as Stephen. Fate is knocking and I answer by asking Graeme to join me. Graeme not only brings new services to 180 Systems, but he will also be a huge help in marketing all our services. Please welcome Graeme to 180 Systems.

You have heard the music countless times by John Lennon in his classic “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”. There are a number of videos with this song available such as the one at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8jw-ifqwkM but be prepared to be saddened by all the horrible images. I don’t think John Lennon would have approved of the video. It’s too negative without enough hope (or love). I think the most important message is in the first line of the song, which is repeated – “what have you done?” Hopefully we can all answer this question positively for our small circle of friends and family. However it’s a challenge outside that small circle, and there is so much that needs to be done. I wish you health, happiness and success in the coming year.

Here are lyrics to Happy Xmas (War Is Over):

And so this is Christmas, and what have you done?
Another year over, and a new one just begun.
And so this is Christmas, I hope you have fun,
The near and the dear ones, the old and the young.

A very Merry Christmas,
And a Happy New Year.
Let’s hope it’s a good one,
Without any fear.

And so this is Christmas, for weak and for strong,
For rich and for poor ones, the road is so long.
And so happy Christmas, for black and for white,
For yellow and red ones, let’s stop all the fight.

A very Merry Christmas,
And a Happy New Year.
Let’s hope it’s a good one,
Without any fear.

So this is Christmas, and what have you done?
Another year over, and a new one just begun.
And so happy Christmas, I hope you have fun,
The near and the dear ones, the old and the young.

A very Merry Christmas,
And a Happy New Year.
Let’s hope it’s a good one,
Without any fear.

November 28, 2009 from the Globe and Mail – “Bob is in a bar, looking at Susan, who is looking at Pablo. Bob is married. Pablo is not. Is a married person looking at an unmarried person?

a) Yes
b) No
c) Cannot be determined

Most people get the problem wrong because they tend to be “cognitive misers” – they put as little mental effort as possible into solving a problem… they quickly jump to a conclusion… If Susan is married, then a married person is looking at an unmarried person (Pablo). If she is single, then Bob, a married guy, is looking at an unwed woman. Either way, the answer to the question is yes…”

180 View – Let’s not be “cognitive misers” when it comes to things that matter.

You may need to save this PowerPoint file to your computer and then run it to hear the music.

180 View – If you want to know why you should stay hungry and foolish, listen to the end of this great speech.