The Sharblog

Be Happy -- Live Longer

I recently heard a blurb on the radio while driving to work that happy people live longer. That got my curiosity up, so I decided to investigate further and thanks to the powers of the Internet and Google search, I quickly found the research information the radio piece was based on. According to a recent study in the Journal of Applied Psychology, happy people tend to live longer and experience better health than their unhappy peers. So I guess that song from several years ago, “Don’t Worry - Be Happy,” was actually an anthem for health and longevity.

The study is the most comprehensive review so far of the evidence linking happiness to health outcomes and included a review of over 160 studies of human and animal subjects. The general conclusion was that your subjective well-being, that is, feeling positive about your life, not feeling stressed out, not being depressed, contributes to both longevity and better health among healthy populations. Emphasis needs to be placed on this last point – “health populations.” Happiness isn’t going to cure you of cancer or any other serious illness. If you have a serious medical condition, you aren’t going to laugh your way to health.

But the research did show that anxiety, depression, a lack of enjoyment of daily activities and pessimism are all associated with higher rates of disease and a shorter lifespan. And lab experiments found that positive moods reduce stress-related hormones, increase immune function and promote speedy recovery of the heart after exertion. In other studies, marital conflicts and high hostility in married couples were associated with slow wound healing and a poorer immune response.

The study’s lead author said, “The overwhelming majority of studies support the conclusion that happiness is associated with health and longevity. Current health recommendations focus on four things: avoid obesity, eat right, don’t smoke and exercise. It may be time to add ‘be happy and avoid chronic anger and depression’ to the list.”

So the old advice to “chill out” takes on a whole new meaning. By staying balanced and maintaining a positive, happy outlook on life, not only will we feel better, we will live longer too. While I am not a scientist, it sounds believable to me. Many of the people I have known who have lived to a ripe old age certainly mirror this research. Most were always happy and positive on their outlook toward life.

I know from my own experience that it is sometimes difficult to stay in a positive frame of mind. But just like maintaining our weight or getting proper exercise, we have to work at it if we are going to be successful. And the effort will be worth it in the extra years we may get to enjoy our life. Not a bad bargain.

I can’t help but think of the lyrics from another song - an old Johnny Mercer tune:

“You’ve got to accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative

And latch on to the affirmative

Don’t mess with Mister In-Between”

Protecting the Public?

I was recently in Oregon for a meeting and had the need to rent a car and in turn, had the need to buy gasoline. That’s when I was reminded that in Oregon, you cannot pump your own gasoline. It is against the law. Oregon and New Jersey are the only two states in the country that have decided it is too dangerous for the public to pump their own gas. At least that is their theory. The fact that in 48 other states and the District of Columbia the public being able to handle pumping gas has not held any sway over legislators in these two states. Periodically, bills are introduced in the Oregon and New Jersey legislatures to lift the self-pump ban, but to no avail - they like being different.

That’s just part of our system of government in the United States. States are “test tubes” for trying out legislative ideas. Supposedly, this provides us with an opportunity to try different ways to legislate and regulate, and the superior ideas will be emulated in other states and the bad ideas will be discarded. But it appears there is less discarding of the dumb ideas than adding new ones. Once a state adopts something, there seems to be a tendency to maintain it, regardless of what the facts or experience of other states may show. Again, it’s part of that state pride phenomenon. “We like being different – in fact, we are proud of it.”

And the list of dumb things that might be adopted by a legislative body, all usually in the name of protecting the public, seems endless. You need examples? Here are a few from some various states, courtesy of www.dumblaws.com:

· Alaska - While it is legal to shoot bears, waking a sleeping bear for the purpose of taking a photograph is prohibited.

· California - No vehicle without a driver may exceed 60 miles per hour.

· Florida - If an elephant is left tied to a parking meter, the parking fee has to be paid just as it would for a vehicle.

· Louisiana - It is illegal to gargle in public places.

· New York - A person may not walk around on Sundays with an ice cream cone in his/her pocket.

· Oklahoma - It is illegal to have the hind legs of farm animals in your boots.

I will refrain from sharing any dumb laws in Texas and allow you to research those on your own. Suffice it to say, we are not immune from this phenomenon in the Lone Star state.

In the current environment, a lot of folks are upset about government, especially in Washington. They think it is wasteful and not in touch with its citizens. Goofy laws like those above don’t help inspire confidence that our legislators know what they are doing. I am glad I am back in Texas where I can fill my own tank. I promise to be careful!

Pay What You Can?

I recently read about a new concept being tried in the marketplace where a business asks its customers to pay what they can afford, rather than a set price. In this case, the business is Panera Bread, a publicly traded company with around 1400 company owned and franchise operated bakery-cafes in 40 states around the United States, which is operating its first nonprofit restaurant called St. Louis Bread Co. in Clayton, MO. They hope to open two more nonprofit locations in the next few months.

In this business model, the restaurant’s cashiers tell customers a “suggested” price based on the menu. According to Panera’s CEO, about 60-70 percent of customers pay in full, about 15 percent leave a little more and another 15 percent pay less or nothing at all. A handful of customers have been leaving big donations – like $20 for a cup of coffee. Some customers who otherwise might have to forgo eating a meal have been able to get one without paying.

Panera’s nonprofit model is an example of a concept called “community kitchens” where businesses operate partly as charities. Customers who need a discount, or even free food, can get it with no questions asked. Panera borrowed the idea from some other smaller, local restaurants that were operating on these lines.

Panera’s CEO had doubts at the outset whether the concept would work. Signs in the restaurant remind customers that they are on their “honor” to pay appropriately to their capabilities. After a few months of operation, the results support that people are basically honest and good, and the vast majority are not abusing the system.

Panera hopes the nonprofit chain will challenge other businesses to push their charitable/philanthropic activity beyond just writing checks. They would like to see them use their core competencies as businesses to help solve problems in our larger society – not just for the publicity, but to make a real difference.

Is this a concept that is likely to catch on and grow in the larger marketplace? Only time will tell. But I like the idea of the business community finding ways to help solve societal problems rather than always expecting the government to play the lead role and come up with the money to support them – through taxes. This is especially true today in a time period of rising government deficits and limited government resources to apply to programs. If we want less government, then the private sector has to step up and help solve some of these problems. I think the private sector is more likely to be innovative in the development of solutions and more willing to make modifications and changes to programs when the need arises. So my hat is off to Panera for giving this a try.

 

Vive la Retirement

I recently had the television on, but wasn’t really paying attention to it and then I caught out of the corner of my eye something on the news about major demonstrations in France. I was curious and wanted to find out the details. Why and what were they protesting? The war in Afghanistan? Genocide in Darfur? The gulf oil spill? Climate change?

No, when I finally was able to determine what these folks were upset about, it seems it was because the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, proposed raising the retirement age in France from 60 to 62 years of age. The French pay-as-you-go retirement system is forecast to register a deficit of $32 billion this year and by 2050, with people living longer, the shortfall is expected to rise above $100 billion. So they are looking at ways to help curb the costs, and increasing the retirement age is part of their solution.

Even with the proposed change, France would still have one of the lowest retirement ages in the industrialized world. Germany is moving from 65 today to 67 in 2029 and Britain to 68 by 2046. Here in the U.S., we have a sliding scale that increases full retirement age under Social Security depending on your year of birth. For those born in 1937 and earlier, full retirement is 65, but then increases gradually and for those born in 1960 it is 67. This change was made back in 1983 during the Reagan administration to try and solve the fiscal challenges of our Social Security program.

Increasing the official retirement age seems to make sense, since we are living longer. In the U.S., the current life expectancy is 78.24 years of age. In France, it is actually higher coming in at 81.09. This is according to the CIA website! Who knew they were interested in life expectancy other than for their own agents?

Of course, this is the overall life expectancy of the total population. Women actually live longer on average than men. And the older you get, the higher your life expectancy goes. Each year you live means that you have survived all sorts of potential causes of death. If you were born in 1942, your life expectancy at birth was about 68 years. But the good news is that you didn't die of disease, a car accident, or anything else. The average 65-year-old today can expect to live roughly another 18 years.

So what did the protesters in France have to say about the Sarkozy proposal? France’s largest labor group, the CGT union said in its statement: “This is brutal reform. For the CGT, this pension reform will obviously have to be fought.” Brutal? Really? Asking people to work an additional two years before full retirement at 62 is brutal – which is defined as savage, cruel and inhumane?

I obviously don’t understand the French way of thinking. But then again, they awarded Jerry Lewis the French Legion of Honor and voted his The Nutty Professor movie of the year. So you gotta wonder about how they see things.

Remember Those Who Died In Service

Memorial Day was this past Monday. Initially, it was called Decoration Day and was started after the Civil War to honor the Union soldiers who died in that conflict. After WWI, it was expanded to include soldiers who died in other wars and finally in the late 1960s, Congress passed a law declaring the official name of “Memorial Day” and also moved the observance to the last Monday of May from its traditional May 30 date.

I recently finished watching the multi-part series The Pacific on HBO. This Tom Hanks/Steven Spielberg production was a vividly realistic portrait of the incredible bravery of our fighting men and women who served in the Pacific theatre during WWII and the abject horror of that period. Prior to each episode, there were brief interviews with real veterans from WWII who clearly still had strong memories of that time even after 65 years. A common theme in these interviews and in the story-line of the series was the soldiers asking – why me? Why did I survive when so many of my comrades died? Their feelings of guilt over surviving were very strong, and many veterans do not like to talk about that time period as they do not want to bring back the memories.

It made me think of a CPA I knew when I was the Executive Director of the North Carolina Association of CPAs about 25 years ago. His name was Ken Spruill, and he was as fine a man as I have ever known – a true southern gentleman. Ken served as President of the NCACPA and I knew him for several years as he worked his way up in the leadership of the organization. Yet, I never knew he had fought in the Pacific until his wife mentioned it in passing when we were having dinner one night. It got my attention and I started asking Ken about it. Quickly, I recognized that he did not want to talk about it after he made some comment about it being the most horrible experience of his life and the fact that a lot of his friends did not make it back. Ken is no longer with us having passed away in 1995, but his comments and his reaction to my questioning are still clear to me today. It is understandable when you realize that according to experts, there were around 100,000 U.S. military casualties in the Pacific during WWII.

I hope that this Memorial Day we all paused and gave thanks to all the soldiers that have died in the service of our great country over our history. Yes, we have a great country, but freedom does have a price – it isn’t free. We should all thank and remember our soldiers who paid the ultimate price, so all of us can enjoy the freedom and benefits of being Americans. 

 

The Butler Almost Did it!

 

You had to be living in a cave or a monastery to not know about the Cinderella, Butler Bulldogs and their quest to win the national championship of college basketball. Their loss to Duke in the championship game this week has to go down as one of the, if not the most, exciting games in the history of the NCAA Tournament. Even people who are not normally basketball aficionados were captured by the story of this small, private university (enrollment 4200) in Indianapolis, led by their 33-year old coach, battling the big boys from the major conferences. Butler plays in the Horizon League. Quick, name two other teams that play in the Horizon League and you qualify as a true college basketball junkie or you must have attended one of them.

This story of the Butler Bulldogs could have been a fictional account written in Hollywood. Comparisons were rampant to the Hoosiers movie of fame from several years ago, based on another true account of an underdog high school team (Milan) in Indiana. In their case, they actually won the final game and the state championship.

But even though Butler did not win the final game and claim the college championship, they did one better. They won the hearts and the undying support of millions of people around the country who, until just a few weeks ago, never heard of them and had no idea where they were even located. How can that happen? Well, it’s pretty simple. We live in America. And if there is one thing that is basically part of the genetic make-up of Americans, it is to root for the underdog, especially when the underdog is so small everyone assumes they have no chance. 

We love the whole idea of someone (an individual or a group) battling against great odds, and our natural tendency is to want to support them, even if it is nothing more than yelling at a TV screen as if they can hear us. Our history is replete with examples of individuals and groups who have battled against forces or issues larger than they are, and even in defeat we admire and respect them. They become our heroes. (Remember the Alamo!)

So for the past few weeks, the Butler Bulldogs were the latest in a long line of underdogs that Americans could rally around. Their feats were not of the magnitude of soldiers or statesmen or leaders for freedom or civil rights, but they still struck the chord in American hearts that sometimes it is possible for people to beat the odds and overcome tremendous challenges. 

The Butler Bulldogs showed us that with hard work, team play and a willingness to believe in yourself, that maybe, just maybe, you could beat the big boys and go all the way. They never gave up and battled all the way to the last shot that almost went in for the win. That’s a lesson that is worth remembering when we are facing our own individual challenges and crises. 

Go Bulldogs!

Ethics in the Real World

 

This past week, I had the opportunity and the pleasure to speak to the ethics class for accounting majors at SMU. This is the required ethics cIass that was implemented in all Texas colleges and universities as a result of the Enron debacle a few years ago.

I was accompanied by Jim Smith, CPA-Dallas, who is a Past Chairman of TSCPA. This was the second year now that Jim and I have had the chance to address this class thanks to the invite of their professor Bob Rasberry. Bob thinks it is important for his class to understand the purpose of professional organizations like TSCPA and AICPA and also wanted to bring some “real life” discussion to his students. 

For those who have never heard Jim Smith speak, suffice it to say I was the “set-up man” in baseball terminology. I spent my time explaining to the class what TSCPA is, its core functions/services and why they should consider joining to enhance their professional careers. Then I got out of the way and turned it over to Jim, who shortly had the class on the edge of its seats and listening intently. Jim is sort of one part Elmer Gantry and one part stand-up comedian. He could talk about assembling a lawnmower and make it sound interesting and passionate.

Jim began to frame the discussion of ethics in real-world terms that the students could understand. He told them that while the focus on rules and regulations and theoretical discussions they were having in  class were fine, it wasn’t going to be that simple out in the workforce.  Instead, when they were faced with an ethical challenge for real, it was likely to happen when they were married with children and a house and car payments. In other words, a much bigger deal than when they are sitting in the comfort and safety of their classroom.

Jim also advised them that no one was ever going to approach them and say, “Hey, let’s commit fraud today” or “I’ve got it - why don’t we do something unethical.” Instead, he advised that the challenge would be presented by a living, breathing human being who was faced with a problem or dilemma and was looking for them to help them out of a jam. Often, it will be clients who are in trouble and as Jim explained, “as their CPA, it will be your job to help them make the right choice and do the right thing.” Jim gave the class numerous real-life examples of ethical challenges that he had faced during his career and got them discussing what would be the appropriate response or approach to deal with each one.

The class really enjoyed Jim’s comments, and they had lots of questions when he finished his formal remarks. You could tell that they were very interested in what life was going to be like when they moved from the classroom to the real world. Clearly, they were a bright group, and I am sure the future of the profession will be in good hands with young men and women like these folks coming up the line. And they will be helped in that process in no small part because of good men like Jim Smith and Bob Rasberry.

Max the WonderDog

We lost a beloved family member this past week. His name was Max and he was our dog – a Chesapeake Bay Retriever (commonly known as a Chessie). He entered our lives 15 and a half years ago as a rambunctious little puppy and he left this week a venerable old dog. For those unfamiliar with the Chesapeake breed, they are water dogs that originated in the Chesapeake Bay area of Maryland and Virginia in the 1800s. They are one of only a handful of dogs bred exclusively in America. They look somewhat like a Lab but with a wiry, waterproof coat. They are very bright dogs and very loyal to their owners. 

Max was loved by our entire family and was usually the center of attention, either because we gave it to him or he demanded it. He was always in the middle of it in our house. He was a tremendous retriever and swimmer, a real dog-athlete.

Every morning, he would go out to the sidewalk and get our newspaper and bring it back into the house. We were the envy of the neighborhood, especially on cold or inclement mornings. Neither wind, nor rain, nor snow would deter Max from going out and getting the paper. If, for some reason, the newspaper didn’t come, Max would be bummed out. It was his job and he was determined to go get it each day. 

I now realize the derivation of the word “dogged” – meaning “persistent in effort, stubbornly tenacious.” Max was a living example of it when it came to retrieving any object you threw, be it a ball, Frisbee, stick, etc. Once the item was thrown, there was no way he was not going to go get it and bring it back to you. And he would continue to retrieve it as long as you kept throwing it.

I read recently that they have concluded that dogs were first domesticated from wolves somewhere in the Middle East about 20,000 years ago. Wolves began to follow humans who at that time were hunter-gatherers. The wolves followed the humans to feed on wounded prey and at some stage, a group of smaller wolves developed a dependency on the human groups. The wolves also probably provided a warning system for the humans and eventually over time, humans began to intervene in the breeding process which led eventually to the first proto-dogs, the original ancestors to today’s canines. So a symbiotic relationship has existed between humans and dogs for a very long time.

It’s easy to understand why early humans developed a relationship with dogs, at least for anyone who is a dog lover. And we are dog people in our household. Max was not our first dog, and he probably will not be our last. But he was undoubtedly our best. He was a loyal and trustworthy companion, who gave us much love and joy.  

In the words of Neil Young - Long may you run Max. Long may you run. 

3D Dilemma

It took me a while, but several years ago I finally figured out that when it comes to technology, you can never keep up with the latest and greatest - not a chance.  I got my first inkling of that truism back in college when I invested in a great eight-track tape player and thought I was now at the head of the class looking back at inferior audiophiles who were still relegated to a turntable.   But in no more than a year, the eight-track was headed for the dustbin of history, outpaced by the cassette tape player.  And the list just goes on with things like Beta tapes being replaced by VHS; CDs being replaced by iPods and digital downloadable music; DVD players being replaced by Blu-ray players; and so on.  The list just keeps on truckin’ as they would say back in the day.

I was recently reminded of this phenomenon when I heard a news piece the other day about the – drum roll please – 3D television that is now coming to the marketplace.  Didn’t we just get HDTV?  I can remember in my youth the transition from black and white TV to color TV.  My father fought it as long as possible.  I swear, he purposely waited until after I left the house to get a color TV set.  So, as a kid I was forced to visit the neighbors to see what all the fuss was about in the second part of The Wizard of Oz where “Oz” was in technicolor.  Seeing the entire “Oz” movie in black and white just doesn’t have the same dramatic effect, but if you never knew it was supposed to change color, you really didn’t know what you were missing.

That would also be true for the new 3D TV except for one minor problem - nearly the entire world population has now seen the movie Avatar, so we know in our heads what 3D looks like.   Its one thing if you don’t know what you’re missing; it’s quite another if you know how cool it would be to see something in 3D.  So thanks to James Cameron and Avatar, we will now all be salivating about getting a 3D television.

This technology race isn’t just relegated to entertainment.   The same is true for technology in the workplace.  First, you had your mainframe computer, then you had your mini-computer, followed by the desktop computer, laptop computer, notebook, tablet, pocket, PDA, wireless with telephone, music player, and downloadable applications.  We walk around with more computing power in our hand than the world’s largest computer had just 30 years ago.  The guys who flew to the moon had less computing power than I now have in my wrist watch.

The good news in all of this is that we can do, see and hear so much more than we could just a generation ago.  Technology has certainly helped us advance as a society.  The bad news is that we often feel like we are on a treadmill where we can never catch up with whatever the latest and greatest offers.  In my case, I plan to emulate my father.  No 3D TV for me.  Now, if I can just figure out which one of my neighbors gets one of those sets…