Austin's Bombings-What is the Killer Trying to Say?

Chaos and destruction abound with Austin's serial bomber. The motivations are yet unclear as seemingly random with different types of victims. One has to wonder what the motivations are how to catch such a criminal? There are so many unanswered questions and too many places to look for clues. It is wise to look backwards from the scene and pick apart the pieces when discovered.

Such people always have a message but many times these messages are just sort of lost in the mix or you don't have enough information to evaluate them. There are times when partial insanity mixed with high skill would make these messages difficult to decipher to the rational mind. Nevertheless, there is always a meaning somewhere because all human behavior is goal directed.

If one were to investigate this I think they would look at the following things:

-Connection between victims, characteristics and locations.
-Online threats and messages.
-People in the area with military or overseas training.
-Radicals in the area.
-People who are disgruntled, lost their jobs, made threats, or have a history of anti-social behavior.
-Canvassing bomb making materials in the area and where they are being purchased from. Specifically those that are hard to get.
-Videos and pictures of people entering and leaving the area. It is possible they may have stalked the area prior to engagement.
-Recent police complaints, abuse victims, and others who may have pertinent information.
-Separatist groups and others who have a stake in chaos.
-Continual searching for clues and hidden messages in the methodologies and approaches.

Such behavior is destructive and focused on victims. If there was a connection between these people you could say cause but it seems at first light it is more of a chaos approach to put people in fear. One has to wonder if they are simply saying "look at me" and taking some sick pleasure from the media exposure. Ultimately they have a purpose but knowing what that is at this point is anyone's guess.

What bothers me about this is that people come to view the world in their way and think they should force those views on others. They are not "open to experience" and willing to accept different viewpoints of the same phenomenon. Instead they seek to push their will on others which is a sign of deeper aggression and anger.

Poem: Sailors Gathering

The dark gives hold to a new day
Figures appear that could cause fright.
Yet as the light begins to burn bright.
We see it was nothing but the night.
Cliffs and hills form in morning break.
Spring overtakes the winter.
The distance is near.
Long voyages as a daunting task.
As soon as we remove the fogs mask.
We see that sailing is smooth.
Just over the horizon to safe landing.
A resting place where sailors are brothers in banding.

China's Growing University Industry

As nations successfully compete on the global market and grow in wealth they also grow in academic stature. Likely one of the reasons why the U.S. has an academic crisis. China is becoming a destination for Asian students and fast becoming a regional intellectual power. This may also be part of the reason why they are also beginning to innovate versus just borrow and copy technology.

According to an article in Channel News Asia there are 80,000 students from Southeast Asia enrolled in Chinese Universities. That is an increase of 15 percent. The trend will likely continue as China seeks to push for regional dominance and become a super power.

Universities are a sign that an economy is doing well. When there is greater need to train the masses to fill jobs, new inventions, and intellectual activity ranging from the practical to the poetic you will find an economy growing. The height of civilization rests in the top crust of intellectual thinkers creating new and exciting things.

Most empires have a golden age that symbolizes their top. Growth in universities and growth in international students should be of concern to American leaders that we are slowly being overtaken by the large Asian nation. While it may not be a popular opinion it should spur action to do something different.

A Power Cardio Yoga Workout

Cardio power yoga is good for building your core strengths and developing greater flexibility. This is a tough little routine that will get your heart pumping and your muscles a little sore.

The Nature of Man and Social Groups

Social groups are what we exist in and comprise our friends and family. Social groups can be a sign of personal strength and they can help us feel as though we are part of a community and supported by a network of people. While most of this is good groups are also a place where people seek to obtain their needs and therefor there is both a positive and negative aspect to groups.

There is a saying that your 5 closest friends sum up who you are (or something like that). I think this to be only partially true. Certainly we attract people that similarities in interest and needs. However, as we get to know each other we change each other and impact each other's personalities.

The friends we keep do become a reflection on us and we should be sure to choose good friends when we can. Friends are for different things. Some friends are for fun, some are for closeness, some for sports, some for convenience. Knowing which friends are for what will help you navigate the pitfalls of friendship.

It is beneficial not to be naive. Good friends want what is in your best interest but most people have their own interests in mind. There may be social rules in place but there are also plenty of people who will violate those rules in order to get what they want. As these incidence occur you should adjust your friendship strategies to draw closer good people and back off those who you might consider to be toxic.

Social groups come from our deep needs to be within a community. Pre-modern man worked in small groups and tribes in order to obtain his needs. Community orientation was beneficial for survival. While we don't hunt in groups we do obtain our needs in groups. The social rules are important for social cohesion.

When someone violates these rules they are basically stating their needs are important than another person. Sometimes they are willing to violate people's boundaries to anyone they think they can get away with it. Other times it might be a specific person. Having confidence, maintaining strong social connections, and knowing when to confront or back off is important. The nature of man is good and bad all mixed up on the same person. Some lean a little more in one direction while other lean in another. The more socially skilled you become the better able you are to determine between the two. 

Combination and Conditioning Boxing Workout

This is a fairly solid kickboxing workout. What I like about it is the coordination between hands and feet. Shadow boxing is a common form of practice. I prefer working on a bag but shadow boxing can still be a solid practice and raise your heart rate while still giving you a feel for the movements. He also combines actual practice with some core strength building techniques. 

Improving Employer Satisfaction of Recent Marketing Graduates

Employers hire graduates for positions within their firms. The marketing field requires significant "hands on" experience in order to function fully. Because it is a dynamic field much of the skills will need to be learned on the job but there are a few things universities can do that will help improve student's abilities to function within new positions. Gaining actuation experience while in school and designing curriculum around employer needs are just a few. 

Employer perspectives on graduate readiness to immediately work within their field is at a mismatch (Walker, et. al., 2009). The researchers interviewed 14 graduates and 14 employers to obtain their results. There is a lack of skills to fit the organization. Specifically, this relates to obtaining and applying relevant skills. The authors recommend that students gain some level of real business case experience, develop closer business-university relations, and switch from seeing higher education as an extension of high school to an entry point for business.

Real experience could come through internships or actually working on businesses cases that reflect what they will be doing in the outside world. 

Developing stronger relationships with the business world could be found through partnerships, surveys, and actual development of a community of executives that like to review curriculum objectives. 

We think of education as an extension of knowledge. While this is ok, we way also want to ensure that we are specifically focusing for our jobs and giving the right components based on industry needs. 

Walker, I. , et. al. (2009). The development of competent marketing professionals. Journal of Marketing Education, 31 (3).