Steve Kayser's Riffs, Tiffs and What Ifs » Character

Are You Still Relevant?

Steve Kayser — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 20:41:48 +0000

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” - Alvin Toffler

I heard a couple of acquaintances talk about a person they work with that was "older" and no longer contributing to their business. This person apparently couldn't, or wouldn't, learn new skills. Or, for that matter, even keep up with the skill-set needed for the job. Age was mentioned, and not favorably. They thought this person should be "put out to pasture."

Have CERN Physicists Found Einstein’s Big TOE?

Steve Kayser — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 16:38:46 +0000

Einstein had a dream A big TOE dream. Is it possible that Tesla's little-known dynamic theory on gravity that involves the absorption of ether by matter and CERN Physicists discovery of faster-than-light particles could fulfill Einstein's dream of grand unification?

Say No to No … to Know

Steve Kayser — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:00:17 +0000

Too short. Too fat. Too dumb. No Imagination. No creativity. No skills. Face for radio. Voice for print. Too macho. Too Wimpy. Too lady-like. Too butch. Too bald. Too much fuzzy hair. Wrong color. Wrong race. Wrong sex. Out of his depth in a parking lot puddle. Neanderthal brain in a Cro-Magnon body. And … just who in the "H--E-doubLe-hockey-sticks” do you think you are?

For the Fallen – Memorial Day 2011

Steve Kayser — Sun, 29 May 2011 16:54:30 +0000

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning. We will remember them. - From “For the Fallen” by Laurence Binyon

Riding the Alligator in the Complex Sale … Hollywood Style

Steve Kayser — Wed, 18 May 2011 20:45:31 +0000

To win at the complex sale, one must be a storyteller, strategist, master tactician, cajoler, evaluator, philosopher, psychologist, bean counter and often, magician. But what about a really complex sale? Like selling your story to Hollywood and getting it made into a film? Find out with Pen Densham whose films include; Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Backdraft, Moll Flanders, Rocky II and Houdini. The films and television series Pen Densham and his partner have produced have grossed over $1 billion.

Here it Is. I’m Dead. This is My Last Post

Steve Kayser — Wed, 18 May 2011 17:17:18 +0000

That opening ... "Here it is. I'm dead. This is my last post," showed up my Google Alerts. I thought, what a great opening line for a story. The person had to be a writer. A superb one. I had no idea the opening ... was really the ending.

No Arms, No Legs … No Worries

Steve Kayser — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:13:44 +0000

Our times our piled high with difficulty and uncertainty. Stress and anxiety. Problems too big to get your arms around, Too high to climb. Unless ... you don't have legs or arms.

Portraits of the Fallen: Compassion on Canvas

Steve Kayser — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:19:18 +0000

Kaziah Hancock paints portraits of fallen soldiers free of charge for their families as part of Project Compassion. A modern-day heroine, Kaziah's paintings soothe the wounded hearts of American families who have lost to war - their children. Those wounds, although soothed, never heal. What a wonderful, selfless woman. LOOK and SEE true compassion ...

For the Fallen 2010 … We Will Remember You

Steve Kayser — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 01:37:26 +0000

Who Were These Americans?

Steve Kayser — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:25:22 +0000

THEY WERE THE LOVED AND LOST Fathers, mothers, daughters, sons, wives, husbands, cousins, nephews, nieces, all. NOT BY ACCIDENT They passed on not by accident, not by bodily deterioration brought on by the mean ravages of time, but because they had a special job.

Turning it Around

Steve Kayser — Tue, 11 May 2010 14:11:32 +0000

"I'm a Loser. I'm a Looo-ser. But I'm not what I appear to be." - John Lennon. Times are tough. If you've lost your job, your house, or your hope for a better future it's enough to make you feel like a loser. Make you feel completely alone. How to turn it around?

The Big Presentation

Steve Kayser — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 13:20:57 +0000

A "Big Presentation" always has to address the two elephants in the room. Change and commitment. All the bold, creative thinking in the world won't get you to a successful future without the courage to change—and commit to that change.

Warm Summer Sun … Shine Kindly Here

Steve Kayser — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 04:39:47 +0000

In 100 years from now … when green sod lies above, when there is no one left to mourn for you, will something you have said or done, be ...

Logan’s Lament – Who is There to Mourn?

Steve Kayser — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 17:27:30 +0000

Who is there to mourn for Logan? No one. Not one.

Tecumseh – Like a Hero Going Home

Steve Kayser — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:02:34 +0000

“He is one of those uncommon geniuses which spring up occasionally to produce revolutions, and overturn the established order of things. If it were not for the vicinity of the United States, he would, perhaps, be the founder of an empire that would rival in glory Mexico or Peru.

Overcoming Resistance: One Tribe at a Time

Steve Kayser — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 +0000

For those of you that are, at this very moment, being slowed by Resistance, taunted by Resistance, need inspiration to fight Resistance, aspire one day to defeat the evil beast of Resistance, meet a very special person …

Non Vi Sed Arte – Not by Strength, by Guile

Steve Kayser — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Is it possible to be a person of the highest character, chivalrous and honorable, retaining your humanity while fighting for the very survival of your civilization? To be a person that has the guts to stand up to a "Stand and Die" order? And if so, can people like this exist (succeed) today? Can people with all too human flaws – however borne up on the wings of honor, duty, compassion, justice and noble vision – even make it today?

The Last Post

Steve Kayser — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 05:35:19 +0000

A step ahead. A step behind. A blink of the eye at the wrong time. And … it's over. A memory bouquet to the loved and lost who faced the unfathomable unknowable on the way to their Last Post in 2008.

Shooting the Donkey in the Complex Sale … Hollywood Style

Steve Kayser — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 03:18:24 +0000

What is this thing called the Complex Sale that makes seasoned salespeople tremble at the mere mention? That causes two-to-three-year sales pipeline nightmares? What could it possibly have to do with a donkey and Hollywood? prolific Hollywood author, Skip Press, will help put it in perspective.

In Scandal or Crisis, Character is the Coin of the Realm

Steve Kayser — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:09:43 +0000

Featuring an interview with Dr. David Abshire, President of the Center for the Study of the Presidency and author of "Saving the Reagan Presidency." The story and interview that follows is not about avoiding a scandal or crisis, but how one American President through strength of character dealt with a situation that threatened his presidency, his reputation, his place in history and ... America’s credibility.

Writing is a Tough Job

Steve Kayser — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 23:12:00 +0000

Writing for a living is a tough job - depending on your perspective. This was used in a presentation for some business writers. They hated it. Some loved it. All disliked me for bringing it up. However ... it's a quick, empathetic, realistic road-map to how a writing masterpiece gets turned into a "disasterpiece." And what to take from it?