Large Denominations
Other than the base currency that we are all familiar with ($1 to $100), at various points in U.S. history, all before World War 2, there were large denomination bills which were used only between banks for transfers. Here are some of the large denominations of the U.S. currency that existed at one point.
$500 - William McKinley
$1,000 - Grover Cleveland
$5,000 - James Madison
$10,000 - Salmon P. Chase
$100,000 - Woodrow Wilson
Oil & Gas Prices
One barrel (42 gallons) of crude oil, when refined, yields approximately 19.6 gallons of finished motor gasoline. The remainder of the barrel yields distillate fuel oil, residual fuel oil, jet fuel, and other products. Currently the average price of gas is $3.57 and a barrel of crude oil is $101.01.
History of Crude Oil Prices vs Average U.S. Gas Prices per gallon:
I have no problems with making a profit but take a look at this list of top global companies sorted by $ of profit.
It is interesting how the top 10 includes 5 companies in the "Oil and Gas Operations" industry.
2010 – The Year of Rediscovery
2010 was quite an interesting year. A lot has changed, for better or worse, time will tell. Personally I have been accepted to NEIU MBA program and I am very excited to get going. I have rediscovered my love for music and creating music. I set up a website from which you can check out what I am working on during my rare free time at hypamusic.com. I have also lost touch with a couple friends I was close with but rekindled other relationships.
Professionally things are going okay. It is amazing to see that when there is a common goal, people work well together and things get done, especially during tough times. Our annual audit had to be moved by 3 months due to the flood but I don't expect it to be a difficult one. There is some good movement in our dental department, which I hope will get the clinic closer to self sustenance. Although it took us approximately 3 years to achieve it, I am very proud to see the increase finally happen. Now it's time to determine the next area with potential and I will move forward from there. To put it more succinctly, IWS is also rediscovering itself.
I hope to keep the momentum going in 2011 and I hope anyone who is reading this will have a wonderful new year.
--Orkun Ozkaymak
The Great Hiring Question
According to gallup polls, 31% of U.S. businesses are hiring while 18% are letting go. If we do the simple math, there is a net hiring rate of 13%.
The thing that doesn't make sense to me is that majority of the employers expect their prospective employees to be currently employed. Meaning if you are currently unemployed, you don't have a very good chance of getting a piece of that 13% pie. I understand the business strategy of this: "people who are laid off aren't the top performers and we need people to hit the ground running as soon as they are hired." Doesn't that strategy ignore the current reality of the job market that, not everyone who is unemployed deserved to be unemployed in the first place? There are in fact many bright people whom would perform greatly given the right opportunities.
The thing that makes this hiring practice even more bizarre to me is when you compare it to other realities of life such as courtship&mating. Both being employed and being married are great commitments and my next example shows how goofy hiring people who are already employed is.
Imagine a pool of candidates who are looking to get married and start a family. Their only prerequisite: their prospective spouses have to be currently married. When asked why, their response is "being successfully married demonstrates to me the great aptitude my future significant other possesses in knowing how to have a successful relationship"
Any comments?
2010 – 3rd Quarter
What a fascinating year.
Aside from some bad news about the clinic, everything else has been going just great. I just started my second semester in my MBA program and my teachers so far are great. IWS was hit with a flood but we have the knowledge and willpower to recover. With the help of our great board and auxiliary, I think the flood will be a distant memory and a once in a lifetime story to tell for all the employees.
My parents' businesses started picking up a little, and my brothers are doing great as well. My nephew will hopefully be born within a couple days!
All in all, a great summer.
I am headed to Niagara Falls in about a week and I am looking forward to getting my first stamp on my US Passport. (It's been collecting dust for nearly 8 years). I hope Emi's wedding will be everything she hopes it to be.
I am truly looking forward to the next 3 months. Hopefully there won't be too many changes, but it should be a fun 3 months to come.
Foolishness
What seems like a liability to most people can also be a great asset.
Our learned behaviors, or experiences, are often what hold us back from achieving our goals and dreams. It is due to experience that we hesitate, and a lot of times it's for good reason. But experience is the type of thing that can back-fire, and make you miss your window of opportunity.
Over the years, I have had hundreds of ideas about different products and services. Unfortunately though, my past failures had an adverse effect on my willingness to follow through. I am not 100% timid, heck, not even 50%, but my lack of desire to be foolish enough to do what I think needs to be done is a bit disheartening. Of course, I am my own worst critic. A lot of what I have accomplished in my life came at times when I was most daring, risk-taking, and foolish. I will take foolishness over jadedness any day of the week.
If you live each day as if it's your last, someday you'll most certainly be right.
A Question Without An Answer (The Turk/Turkic Union)
The European Union consists of 27 states, 23 languages and ethnicities who have been warring against each another for more than a thousand years.
How is it understanble for these distinct groups of people to form a union but not okay for countries of Turkic origin to form a union? Anytime I hear someone mention a union of Turks, I have always heard skeptics smirk. Why is this so far-fetched??
The future as it seems will not consist of countries, but of unions. Political/economic unions of Americas, Europe, Africa, Arabs, Slavs, and various Asians unions.
There are over 200 million Turks in the world and they basically don't belong in any of the aforementioned groups.
Although it is foolish to say we are all the same (speaking of Turks), we do share a common Language (for the most part), a common Culture (for the most part), and a common Religion (for the most part).
So I am looking for the trillion dollar answer.
Why can't Turks get together and form a union?
P.S. I am looking for studied and well spoken people to answer this. Please don't turn this into a flame war.
Thank you
My Worldcup 2010 Predictions
I have Germany going all the way, Brazil a very close second, and Uruguay beating Spain for 3rd. What do you think?
Infant Welfare Society of Chicago
Infant Welfare Society offers quality and accessible health care to the general public. Not only is it a 501 (c) corporation, it a very generous one for its patients.
I have been working at IWS for over 4 years and truth be told, this is a really nice place to work for. I have never seen such a well rounded organization that employs a group of people more dedicated to achieving its mission. Not only do the people of IWS work hard, they do it with passion and kindness. I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has helped IWS accomplish so much in the past 100 years from the Board of Directors to the Janitors.
Para cien años más!
3600 W. Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, IL 60647
Why Motivation Matters
Anyone who has ever worked knows this: Work requires motivation. Great work requires great motivation.
People often find themselves in slumps. The regressive wiring in our brains can make us lazy, bored and unmotivated. This is all due to people over-stressing about the current situation that they are in and not looking at the bigger picture. It could be harmless for short periods of time, heck, it may even be refreshing. However, we all need to take charge and achieve those goals that we have set for ourselves. But how?
It is really easy to stay in bed for an extended period of time, sit on the couch to watch TV or play some games for hours. Granted, we all need to take breaks or have some sort of down-time. But excessive breaking not only wastes your valuable time, it also prevents you from jump starting the things that you need to do. I am, like many of you are, a very busy person. I juggle work, grad school, a family business and social responsibilities all at the same time. It almost seems as though I have to cheat myself out of some very scarce down-time in order to do those things I need to get done. As we all know, after health, time is the most important thing in our lives. It is a resource that's not renewable. Wasting it almost seems like a crime!
So what can we do to motivate ourselves? My motivation is usually the end result. Before I start anything, I think about and picture what the end result should, and will look like. Small things like music, a memory, a certain scent can trigger additional motivation I need in order to get it done! A lot of good things in life require hard work, patience, and persistence. Without motivation, none of those things will happen.
Don't Give Up and Stay Motivated My Friends!