Ken Poirot's Blog, page 2
August 14, 2020
Investing: Return For Investment
.Where to invest for a 20% to 100% return on your money
Today I published a new article on Medium's platform titled, "Investing: Return For Investment."
Find out where you can invest for a 20% to 100% return over the next year!
Read more here:
Investing: Return For Investment
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Today I published a new article on Medium's platform titled, "Investing: Return For Investment."
Find out where you can invest for a 20% to 100% return over the next year!
Read more here:
Investing: Return For Investment
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
August 11, 2020
Money: Investing in Gold
My New Article Published on Medium
Today I published a new article on Medium's platform titled, "Money: Investing in Gold" highlighting "3 reasons why gold is going higher."
Find out why "When gold increases significantly, investors need to take notice..."
Read more here:
Money: Investing in Gold
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Today I published a new article on Medium's platform titled, "Money: Investing in Gold" highlighting "3 reasons why gold is going higher."
Find out why "When gold increases significantly, investors need to take notice..."
Read more here:
Money: Investing in Gold
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
July 29, 2020
Money: Investing During the Coronavirus Pandemic
My New Article Published by Data Driven Investor
Today I issued a warning for every investor and the actions you should take right now.
Find out why "I have never been more concerned about the fundamentals of the US and global economies than I am right now."
Check out my new article published in Data Driven Investor for more information:
Money: Investing During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Today I issued a warning for every investor and the actions you should take right now.
Find out why "I have never been more concerned about the fundamentals of the US and global economies than I am right now."
Check out my new article published in Data Driven Investor for more information:
Money: Investing During the Coronavirus Pandemic
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
May 4, 2020
New Screenplay: Life's Plan
About My New Screenplay: Life's Plan
I recently completed a new screenplay titled, "Life's Plan."
The premise is relatively simple: imagine taking the universally, well-known story of David and Goliath and then twisting it.
Furthermore, exploring complex philosophical and religious topics, such as:
Free Will
Fate
LIfe's Purpose
The meaning of life (and death)
Time
Parallel Universes
Now take all of those topics above and wrap them into a contemporary version of the traditional Biblical account of David and Goliath, while taking the audience on an emotional roller coaster ride (with a side of humor).
In a nutshell, that is my screenplay, "Life's Plan."
Here is the log line for Life's Plan:
An improbable awkward college freshman meets a mysterious man who takes him on a journey through love, loss, and Goliath to become King David.
"LIfe's Plan" has been copyrighted and it can be viewed here on InkTip (for InkTip members) for a limited time.
Life's Plan on InkTip
For anyone who is not a member of InkTip, for a limited time you can contact me via email through InkTip and I can send you a copy.
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
I recently completed a new screenplay titled, "Life's Plan."
The premise is relatively simple: imagine taking the universally, well-known story of David and Goliath and then twisting it.
Furthermore, exploring complex philosophical and religious topics, such as:
Free Will
Fate
LIfe's Purpose
The meaning of life (and death)
Time
Parallel Universes
Now take all of those topics above and wrap them into a contemporary version of the traditional Biblical account of David and Goliath, while taking the audience on an emotional roller coaster ride (with a side of humor).
In a nutshell, that is my screenplay, "Life's Plan."
Here is the log line for Life's Plan:
An improbable awkward college freshman meets a mysterious man who takes him on a journey through love, loss, and Goliath to become King David.
"LIfe's Plan" has been copyrighted and it can be viewed here on InkTip (for InkTip members) for a limited time.
Life's Plan on InkTip
For anyone who is not a member of InkTip, for a limited time you can contact me via email through InkTip and I can send you a copy.
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
January 25, 2020
I lost EVERYTHING…
The Abyss of Emotional Bankruptcy
I could feel the warm, moist trail drip slowly, eventually overcome inertia, then roll quickly down my nose and cheek as each drop struck my pillow.
I do not remember leaving my bed for a month, but I must have as I would eat something from time to time.
I would later write, “The worst feelings are the warm, anxious burning that portends your heart breaking followed by the wave of numbness that asphyxiates your soul.”
An apt description for that month of my life.
I stopped living and I suffered in silence.
Men are not supposed to hurt, cry, and feel emotionally bankrupt; isn’t that what our Western society tells us? We are supposed to be strong and unshakeable; how could I ever tell others I was so dead inside?
How could I share how I felt when no one else would truly understand?
Anything to End the Pain
I just wanted to be alone and I did not want to live anymore.
I thought about running my car in the garage; buying a hose, affixing it to the tailpipe, and directing the exhaust inside my car.
At least then I would be comfortable in my leather cocoon and leave this world while residing forever in the house I built.
It was not just the most recent event that completely emptied my soul, it was a culmination of what transpired over the last five years; this was the final act of betrayal that ultimately drowned me in the ocean of hopelessness.
The Happiest Day of My Life
Just one week before was the happiest day of my life.
I had finally found the love of my life.
We had spent ten magical days together culminating in our announcement that we were planning on getting married, declared during a dinner I hosted for her friends and family.
Everyone was supportive and happy for us.
Yet, the minute I left town, this girl who knew all about me, knew about my hardships, struggles, and all the hurt of my past, the girl who squeezed my hand in happiness when we announced our plans for marriage at that same dinner, abruptly and without warning cut off all communication with me.
Evil Comes in Many Forms
I found she had been playing me the whole time, recruiting her friends and family to help deceive me. They fulfilled their roles well leading me to believe I had just made many new friends.
Instead, they were all lying to me.
They all knew she had a long-term boyfriend, and this was just a game to them. It was not enough for them to just hurt me though.
When I tried to speak to her friends and family, they blocked me on social media and sent me messages laughing at me because they enjoyed the cruelty of torturing me.
She herself told me that she “got what she wanted from me.” In other words, taking out her friends and family multiple times, the gifts, my generosity, warmth, care, and all the money I found out she made off me; all her goals had been achieved and accomplished in her mind.
She had seduced everything she wanted from me, therefore, according to her, she had no need to speak to me again.
I do not know what was worse, the pain I was feeling, the calculating coldness of those who wantonly set out to harm me, or the hurt I could hear in my mother’s voice when I told her the news, simply replying, “She used you.”
My friends and family were expecting to soon be greeting a new addition to our lives; the love of my life whose wedding plans had just been announced to the support of all in her intimate close-knit circle.
No One Understands
When I did talk to people about her, they would just say, “Get over it.” They did not understand the extent of my attachment, the six to eight hours a day of constant conversations for six months, the hole that was left, not just in my life but in my soul.
Nor did they understand the culminating affect the previous five years had on my complete devastation and destruction.
The downward spiral had begun in 2008. My boss, who I had trusted, sacked me in a surprise meeting with HR.
After seven years of loyal service, working my way up to run the department and growing it exponentially by over 83% from $8.5 million to over $15.6 million in revenue, while increasing the profit margin from 27% to 37%, they fired me on the spot.
I had invested wholeheartedly in my career with the company. I had worked tirelessly, even giving up much earned vacation time to drive the success of my department.
I was recognized nationally by my peers; often I was asked to speak at different events across the country, to explain why my department was doing so well at a time when the entire industry was experiencing stagnation or contraction.
It did not matter that my company had a policy of "progressive discipline" that required a verbal warning, written warning, and then probationary period before an employee was fired. My boss and HR threw out all the rules and terminated me right there with no warning. One of the HR managers even sadistically smiled at me as they fired me.
A Career in Ruins
I would sue them and battle them for years through depositions and attorneys.
The three of them who fired me, including my boss, could not come up with a consistent, unified reason why they fired me. In the end, I would stare in my ex-boss’ eyes as she answered questions.
I finally concluded that even though the success I was having in driving growth for our department made her look good, she was jealous of my achievements.
That same department would later fall apart in my absence and the company would settle with me before we went to court.
During that time, I had found another position as a regional manager with a different bank.
My coworkers were supportive and often consulted me on important decisions. I was treated with respect and my boss would seek advice from me on pressing matters.
Unfortunately, that bank did not make it through the financial crisis, and two years later it failed.
We closed as one bank on a Friday and opened as another bank the following Monday; that was how the FDIC handled bank failures during the financial crisis.
Right before Christmas, all of us managers were given our walking papers and I, once again, found myself unemployed.
After landing a new job as a regional manager six months later, enduring the misery of working with and for a bunch of truly nasty people, those positions also disappeared.
My professional career working for others ended at that point.
Left With Nothing and More Betrayal
Unfortunately, as my wife had already left, the financial markets had eroded my lifetime savings, and my money had dried up, I was now facing an imminent foreclosure as I could not keep my house afloat.
To top it all off, I had also recently been betrayed by someone else I had loved.
Unbeknownst to me, my girlfriend had decided it was time to have a baby. She did not tell me, but she had covertly stopped taking her birth control pills. I would later learn from her friends that she had told them she wanted to secretly get pregnant on purpose, to force me into moving our relationship to the next level immediately, per her timetable.
I was happy when she showed me the sonogram and told me we were having a baby. I was going to be a father for the first and only time in my life; it was a glorious occasion.
Yet, this same girl, once she was granted the commitment she always wanted from me, would sneak off into the night and have an abortion. She changed her mind as quickly and clandestinely as she had made her original decision. The news devastated me and ended our relationship.
She would later tell me she regretted what she did and she wanted to get back together with me.
Needless to say, I told her that was not going to happen.
The Final Betrayal and All Is Lost
All the hurt and pain of those previous five years had taken its toll on me.
In spite of this, I was willing to give love and happiness a chance. I was taking the risk to trust again with a girl who professed to have a conscious, moral compass, and who promised to treat me right.
Yet instead, the love of my life, the girl with whom we had just announced our future plans for marriage in front of her friends and family, who knew about all this previous hurt and pain in my life, took great pleasure in lying, cheating, using me, and then tossing me away once she got all she wanted.
After all I had been through, and with the latest blow, I just wanted the hurt and pain to stop.
In addition, at this moment my home was soon going to be at risk. My money was dwindling and I was about to be late on my mortgage for the first time ever.
I called my bank to work with them, but to my surprise, they began an aggressive campaign to try to take my house illegally.
I contacted an attorney and tried to sell my home, but the local housing market was in turmoil.
Per the attorney, the bank finally agreed to leave me alone until a specific date, at which time if my house was not sold, I had to turn it over to them.
Unfortunately, that date came and went without a buyer. I had to get rid of everything: all my furniture, paintings, personal possessions, and anything I could not fit into my car.
I lost my house.
Everything I once had was gone except for a solitary carload consisting mostly of clothes along with my cat. In truth, if not for my cat, as sad as it sounds, I may not be here today.
What did I do next? How does the story end?
Resurrection and Reinvention of Self
There are a few things I decided during this time in my life. I focused on the successes and not the failures I had achieved over the years and I decided to reinvent myself.
I also realized I had a message of hope to share with others.
All I ever wanted to do in life was help other people. With this goal in mind, I began to write.
As I wrote in my first book, which was written at this most difficult time in my life, “At that darkest moment, while drowning in the Abyss of Emotional Bankruptcy, reflect on this universal truth: the difference between success and failure is one more time.”
I took what I learned during these difficult times, I chose to look back at the accomplishments in my life, and to do my best to be a positive influence on others. If you read my book, “Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement,” now you know where I was emotionally and mentally when I wrote it.
My sole purpose was to turn this terrible time in my life into an opportunity to have a positive impact on other people. As I wrote in the book, “I feel the reason we are all here, our purpose of being, is to help others find their little piece of happiness and heaven right here on earth.”
I do not know where you are in life or what you are going through. Some of you have difficulties greater than mine. My wish is that you can get through these hard times in your life and “Be the light that inspires others to dream.”
“Light can devour the darkness but darkness cannot consume the light.”
Once you realize that you hold the power to change your life for the better and that nothing can extinguish your light, you will realize you are ultimately in control of your destiny when you make the conscious decision to move forward.
Everyone Has Hurt and Pain In Their Lives
We all go through tough times in life. No one is immune from difficulties.
Even after everything I endured, I am better now, and more importantly, I am better for it.
Furthermore, I also know that money cannot bring happiness but I know financial problems and the stress it causes can become all consuming.
I understand because I have lived it.
Success and Overcoming Adversity
“Wisdom comes from making mistakes, having the courage to face them, and make adjustments moving forward based upon the knowledge acquired through those experiences.”
I have always been told, and it seems true, no one cares about your story until you finally make it.
When you are down and out not only does the world not seem to care, but unfortunately, there are sometimes those who actively enjoy kicking you and keeping you down.
In the end, "Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement," became a bestseller on Amazon.
Furthermore, I am now quoted every single day in social media worldwide.
Each day my words inspire people all over the world; I achieved my ultimate goal of being a positive influence on people's lives.
Maybe someone, somewhere in the world can relate to my story, hold onto the knowledge that they can and will eventually overcome all of today’s hurt and pain, then have the courage to get up one more time and turn things around.
Whatever the obstacle, you can overcome it and achieve success as long as you just keep moving forward.
I hope by sharing my story that these words find their way to inspire others to rise above their current circumstances and keep going.
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
I could feel the warm, moist trail drip slowly, eventually overcome inertia, then roll quickly down my nose and cheek as each drop struck my pillow.
I do not remember leaving my bed for a month, but I must have as I would eat something from time to time.
I would later write, “The worst feelings are the warm, anxious burning that portends your heart breaking followed by the wave of numbness that asphyxiates your soul.”
An apt description for that month of my life.
I stopped living and I suffered in silence.
Men are not supposed to hurt, cry, and feel emotionally bankrupt; isn’t that what our Western society tells us? We are supposed to be strong and unshakeable; how could I ever tell others I was so dead inside?
How could I share how I felt when no one else would truly understand?
Anything to End the Pain
I just wanted to be alone and I did not want to live anymore.
I thought about running my car in the garage; buying a hose, affixing it to the tailpipe, and directing the exhaust inside my car.
At least then I would be comfortable in my leather cocoon and leave this world while residing forever in the house I built.
It was not just the most recent event that completely emptied my soul, it was a culmination of what transpired over the last five years; this was the final act of betrayal that ultimately drowned me in the ocean of hopelessness.
The Happiest Day of My Life
Just one week before was the happiest day of my life.
I had finally found the love of my life.
We had spent ten magical days together culminating in our announcement that we were planning on getting married, declared during a dinner I hosted for her friends and family.
Everyone was supportive and happy for us.
Yet, the minute I left town, this girl who knew all about me, knew about my hardships, struggles, and all the hurt of my past, the girl who squeezed my hand in happiness when we announced our plans for marriage at that same dinner, abruptly and without warning cut off all communication with me.
Evil Comes in Many Forms
I found she had been playing me the whole time, recruiting her friends and family to help deceive me. They fulfilled their roles well leading me to believe I had just made many new friends.
Instead, they were all lying to me.
They all knew she had a long-term boyfriend, and this was just a game to them. It was not enough for them to just hurt me though.
When I tried to speak to her friends and family, they blocked me on social media and sent me messages laughing at me because they enjoyed the cruelty of torturing me.
She herself told me that she “got what she wanted from me.” In other words, taking out her friends and family multiple times, the gifts, my generosity, warmth, care, and all the money I found out she made off me; all her goals had been achieved and accomplished in her mind.
She had seduced everything she wanted from me, therefore, according to her, she had no need to speak to me again.
I do not know what was worse, the pain I was feeling, the calculating coldness of those who wantonly set out to harm me, or the hurt I could hear in my mother’s voice when I told her the news, simply replying, “She used you.”
My friends and family were expecting to soon be greeting a new addition to our lives; the love of my life whose wedding plans had just been announced to the support of all in her intimate close-knit circle.
No One Understands
When I did talk to people about her, they would just say, “Get over it.” They did not understand the extent of my attachment, the six to eight hours a day of constant conversations for six months, the hole that was left, not just in my life but in my soul.
Nor did they understand the culminating affect the previous five years had on my complete devastation and destruction.
The downward spiral had begun in 2008. My boss, who I had trusted, sacked me in a surprise meeting with HR.
After seven years of loyal service, working my way up to run the department and growing it exponentially by over 83% from $8.5 million to over $15.6 million in revenue, while increasing the profit margin from 27% to 37%, they fired me on the spot.
I had invested wholeheartedly in my career with the company. I had worked tirelessly, even giving up much earned vacation time to drive the success of my department.
I was recognized nationally by my peers; often I was asked to speak at different events across the country, to explain why my department was doing so well at a time when the entire industry was experiencing stagnation or contraction.
It did not matter that my company had a policy of "progressive discipline" that required a verbal warning, written warning, and then probationary period before an employee was fired. My boss and HR threw out all the rules and terminated me right there with no warning. One of the HR managers even sadistically smiled at me as they fired me.
A Career in Ruins
I would sue them and battle them for years through depositions and attorneys.
The three of them who fired me, including my boss, could not come up with a consistent, unified reason why they fired me. In the end, I would stare in my ex-boss’ eyes as she answered questions.
I finally concluded that even though the success I was having in driving growth for our department made her look good, she was jealous of my achievements.
That same department would later fall apart in my absence and the company would settle with me before we went to court.
During that time, I had found another position as a regional manager with a different bank.
My coworkers were supportive and often consulted me on important decisions. I was treated with respect and my boss would seek advice from me on pressing matters.
Unfortunately, that bank did not make it through the financial crisis, and two years later it failed.
We closed as one bank on a Friday and opened as another bank the following Monday; that was how the FDIC handled bank failures during the financial crisis.
Right before Christmas, all of us managers were given our walking papers and I, once again, found myself unemployed.
After landing a new job as a regional manager six months later, enduring the misery of working with and for a bunch of truly nasty people, those positions also disappeared.
My professional career working for others ended at that point.
Left With Nothing and More Betrayal
Unfortunately, as my wife had already left, the financial markets had eroded my lifetime savings, and my money had dried up, I was now facing an imminent foreclosure as I could not keep my house afloat.
To top it all off, I had also recently been betrayed by someone else I had loved.
Unbeknownst to me, my girlfriend had decided it was time to have a baby. She did not tell me, but she had covertly stopped taking her birth control pills. I would later learn from her friends that she had told them she wanted to secretly get pregnant on purpose, to force me into moving our relationship to the next level immediately, per her timetable.
I was happy when she showed me the sonogram and told me we were having a baby. I was going to be a father for the first and only time in my life; it was a glorious occasion.
Yet, this same girl, once she was granted the commitment she always wanted from me, would sneak off into the night and have an abortion. She changed her mind as quickly and clandestinely as she had made her original decision. The news devastated me and ended our relationship.
She would later tell me she regretted what she did and she wanted to get back together with me.
Needless to say, I told her that was not going to happen.
The Final Betrayal and All Is Lost
All the hurt and pain of those previous five years had taken its toll on me.
In spite of this, I was willing to give love and happiness a chance. I was taking the risk to trust again with a girl who professed to have a conscious, moral compass, and who promised to treat me right.
Yet instead, the love of my life, the girl with whom we had just announced our future plans for marriage in front of her friends and family, who knew about all this previous hurt and pain in my life, took great pleasure in lying, cheating, using me, and then tossing me away once she got all she wanted.
After all I had been through, and with the latest blow, I just wanted the hurt and pain to stop.
In addition, at this moment my home was soon going to be at risk. My money was dwindling and I was about to be late on my mortgage for the first time ever.
I called my bank to work with them, but to my surprise, they began an aggressive campaign to try to take my house illegally.
I contacted an attorney and tried to sell my home, but the local housing market was in turmoil.
Per the attorney, the bank finally agreed to leave me alone until a specific date, at which time if my house was not sold, I had to turn it over to them.
Unfortunately, that date came and went without a buyer. I had to get rid of everything: all my furniture, paintings, personal possessions, and anything I could not fit into my car.
I lost my house.
Everything I once had was gone except for a solitary carload consisting mostly of clothes along with my cat. In truth, if not for my cat, as sad as it sounds, I may not be here today.
What did I do next? How does the story end?
Resurrection and Reinvention of Self
There are a few things I decided during this time in my life. I focused on the successes and not the failures I had achieved over the years and I decided to reinvent myself.
I also realized I had a message of hope to share with others.
All I ever wanted to do in life was help other people. With this goal in mind, I began to write.
As I wrote in my first book, which was written at this most difficult time in my life, “At that darkest moment, while drowning in the Abyss of Emotional Bankruptcy, reflect on this universal truth: the difference between success and failure is one more time.”
I took what I learned during these difficult times, I chose to look back at the accomplishments in my life, and to do my best to be a positive influence on others. If you read my book, “Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement,” now you know where I was emotionally and mentally when I wrote it.
My sole purpose was to turn this terrible time in my life into an opportunity to have a positive impact on other people. As I wrote in the book, “I feel the reason we are all here, our purpose of being, is to help others find their little piece of happiness and heaven right here on earth.”
I do not know where you are in life or what you are going through. Some of you have difficulties greater than mine. My wish is that you can get through these hard times in your life and “Be the light that inspires others to dream.”
“Light can devour the darkness but darkness cannot consume the light.”
Once you realize that you hold the power to change your life for the better and that nothing can extinguish your light, you will realize you are ultimately in control of your destiny when you make the conscious decision to move forward.
Everyone Has Hurt and Pain In Their Lives
We all go through tough times in life. No one is immune from difficulties.
Even after everything I endured, I am better now, and more importantly, I am better for it.
Furthermore, I also know that money cannot bring happiness but I know financial problems and the stress it causes can become all consuming.
I understand because I have lived it.
Success and Overcoming Adversity
“Wisdom comes from making mistakes, having the courage to face them, and make adjustments moving forward based upon the knowledge acquired through those experiences.”
I have always been told, and it seems true, no one cares about your story until you finally make it.
When you are down and out not only does the world not seem to care, but unfortunately, there are sometimes those who actively enjoy kicking you and keeping you down.
In the end, "Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement," became a bestseller on Amazon.
Furthermore, I am now quoted every single day in social media worldwide.
Each day my words inspire people all over the world; I achieved my ultimate goal of being a positive influence on people's lives.
Maybe someone, somewhere in the world can relate to my story, hold onto the knowledge that they can and will eventually overcome all of today’s hurt and pain, then have the courage to get up one more time and turn things around.
Whatever the obstacle, you can overcome it and achieve success as long as you just keep moving forward.
I hope by sharing my story that these words find their way to inspire others to rise above their current circumstances and keep going.
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
February 5, 2019
Data Science Illustration: Where to Put the Next Starbucks in Manhattan?
The Emergence of Data Science
Recently I completed the coursework for the IBM Data Science Professional Certification program available online through Coursera.
Even though Data Science has been "named the best job in America for three years running" (Forbes) and "The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century" (Harvard Business Review), most people I meet on a daily basis are still unfamiliar with Data Science.
I am often asked, "What is Data Science?"
Data Science Defined
Simply, Data Science is manipulating data, looking for patterns, and coming up with solutions to drive revenue, lower expenses, and thereby increase overall business profitability.
Data Science takes the guesswork/emotions out of answering business questions by applying logic and mathematics to find better solutions.
As such, Data Science is a combination of art and science, limited only by the extent of freedom afforded the data scientist to explore coupled with their creative abilities.
For example, whenever you go to Netflix or Amazon and receive recommendations based upon what other people just like you also liked or purchased...all these recommendations came directly from Data Science.
The Importance of Data Science to Corporate America
As every industry is beginning to see the benefits data science can provide, all industries are hiring (or beginning to hire) data scientists. In fact, a recent blog post by IBM cited the following study and statistics:
I foresee the next wave of revenue growth in corporate America will come directly from Data Science. Decades from now, Americans will look back at this time, when Data Science was at its infancy, and liken its societal impact to that of the Industrial and Technological Revolutions.
The corporations that embrace Data Science will find their long-term, generational growth directly proportional to how effectively they incorporated data scientist teams into their strategic planning.
With this in mind, below is the result of my last project to earn the IBM Professional Certificate in Data Science.
What follows is an example of a problem Data Science can solve mathematically (in this case using Python and its existing mapping and machine learning libraries).
Data Science Illustration: Where to Put the Next Starbucks in Manhattan?
The following illustration was created from data obtained using the Foursquare API (Application Program Interface).
Like all Science experiments, Data Science begins with asking a question (hypothesis); in this specific illustration the question is, "Where to put the next Starbucks in Manhattan?"
In this illustration, we are making the following assumptions:
First, our marching orders from Starbucks are they want to chip away at their competitors' market share (after all, business is a war sometimes fought by squeezing out the competition).
Second, where Starbucks' competitors are most densely located in Manhattan are high foot traffic and high coffee demand areas most frequented by coffee consumers/coffee shop patrons.
Third, for this illustration we are also assuming the data provided by the Foursquare API is accurate and all-inclusive. Since the data is crowdsourced and as we know, us humans are fallible, there may be some discrepancies in the data.
For this reason, if I was working with a client, like Starbucks, I would ask Starbucks to provide their current locations to me in some written form. Therefore, Starbucks could not come back and claim their current location data is not accurate, as they would be the ones who supplied this data in the first place (and I would have the written documentation to prove it).
Below is a map I created showing the locations of Starbucks' competitor coffee shops in Manhattan (the map was made using Python, the Foursquare API data, and Python's Folium mapping library):
Here is a more close up view of the same map of Starbucks' competitors' locations so the more dense areas can be viewed with better resolution:
The map below shows Starbucks' current Manhattan locations based on the Foursquare API data:
Data Analysis of Starbucks' Competitors' Locations
The benefits of using Python for data analysis are the myriad of mathematical and machine learning algorithm libraries available.
For this particular business problem, I used the k-means clustering algorithm to find the best location for the new Starbucks in Manhattan.
Explaining in detail how the k-means machine learning algorithm works is beyond the scope of this post, however, for those who would like to explore this further here is a link with more information:
k-means Clustering Algorithm
In a nutshell, k-means puts data into groups, called clusters, based upon measuring distance between data points (coffee shop locations in this case). The data is grouped into various clusters over and over again until the center of the cluster no longer moves. The center of the clusters is then mathematically defined (the center of each cluster is called its centroid).
An assumption we have to make in order to run the k-means Clustering Algorithm is the number of clusters. From the map of Manhattan, the locations on the map, and the geography of Manhattan, the number of clusters assumed here is three (representing Lower Manhattan, Central Manhattan, and Upper Manhattan).
The three centers (centroids) for the locations of Starbucks' competitors' coffee shops were computed mathematically and plotted on the map below:
Based upon these computations, the best location for the new Starbucks in Manhattan is Lower Manhattan's Washington Square Park, with the calculation specifying, Latitude:40.731130, Longitude: -73.997801.
This above location is magnified below for a clearer view:
Starbucks' Proposed Washington Square Park Location
Obviously, Starbucks cannot put a brick and mortar coffee shop right in Washington Square Park. However Starbucks should try to find a location as close to this point as possible.
Knowing the sky high cost of opening a brick and mortar location in Manhattan (upwards of $300,000+ according to TouchBistro.com), and that vacant lease space can be difficult to find, I suggest Starbucks starts with a coffee cart.
A Starbucks coffee cart would save Starbucks the time and cost of finding/building out a location while they search for a nearby more permanent location.
Furthermore, Starbucks can either outright buy a coffee cart with an existing license (New York stopped issuing licenses for new food/coffee carts many years ago) from its current owner, or sponsor/pay a coffee cart owner to distribute Starbucks' coffee for them.
Some of the metrics and information with regard to food/coffee carts in Manhattan can be found here:
NYMag.com
Starbucks' Suggested Washington Square Park Coffee Cart Marketing Campaign
In the meantime, Starbucks can have fun with their coffee cart, generate a buzz, and some good will by engaging their customers.
I suggest enlisting the help of their patrons with an official contest to help Starbucks bird dog the best lease space for the new Starbucks brick and mortar coffee shop. Therefore, a Starbucks coffee cart in Washington Square Park could also become a great marketing campaign for Starbucks.
Additionally, a coffee cart is also a great way to test the coffee consumer market in and around Washington Square Park today for a fraction of the time/cost it will take to open/build their eventually more permanent brick and mortar location.
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Recently I completed the coursework for the IBM Data Science Professional Certification program available online through Coursera.
Even though Data Science has been "named the best job in America for three years running" (Forbes) and "The Sexiest Job of the 21st Century" (Harvard Business Review), most people I meet on a daily basis are still unfamiliar with Data Science.
I am often asked, "What is Data Science?"
Data Science Defined
Simply, Data Science is manipulating data, looking for patterns, and coming up with solutions to drive revenue, lower expenses, and thereby increase overall business profitability.
Data Science takes the guesswork/emotions out of answering business questions by applying logic and mathematics to find better solutions.
As such, Data Science is a combination of art and science, limited only by the extent of freedom afforded the data scientist to explore coupled with their creative abilities.
For example, whenever you go to Netflix or Amazon and receive recommendations based upon what other people just like you also liked or purchased...all these recommendations came directly from Data Science.
The Importance of Data Science to Corporate America
As every industry is beginning to see the benefits data science can provide, all industries are hiring (or beginning to hire) data scientists. In fact, a recent blog post by IBM cited the following study and statistics:
"According to a recent Linkedin study, the Linkedin Workforce Report, Aug. 2018, there are currently more than 151,000 data scientist jobs going unfilled across the U.S., with 'acute' shortages in New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles."
I foresee the next wave of revenue growth in corporate America will come directly from Data Science. Decades from now, Americans will look back at this time, when Data Science was at its infancy, and liken its societal impact to that of the Industrial and Technological Revolutions.
The corporations that embrace Data Science will find their long-term, generational growth directly proportional to how effectively they incorporated data scientist teams into their strategic planning.
With this in mind, below is the result of my last project to earn the IBM Professional Certificate in Data Science.
What follows is an example of a problem Data Science can solve mathematically (in this case using Python and its existing mapping and machine learning libraries).
Data Science Illustration: Where to Put the Next Starbucks in Manhattan?
The following illustration was created from data obtained using the Foursquare API (Application Program Interface).
Like all Science experiments, Data Science begins with asking a question (hypothesis); in this specific illustration the question is, "Where to put the next Starbucks in Manhattan?"
In this illustration, we are making the following assumptions:
First, our marching orders from Starbucks are they want to chip away at their competitors' market share (after all, business is a war sometimes fought by squeezing out the competition).
Second, where Starbucks' competitors are most densely located in Manhattan are high foot traffic and high coffee demand areas most frequented by coffee consumers/coffee shop patrons.
Third, for this illustration we are also assuming the data provided by the Foursquare API is accurate and all-inclusive. Since the data is crowdsourced and as we know, us humans are fallible, there may be some discrepancies in the data.
For this reason, if I was working with a client, like Starbucks, I would ask Starbucks to provide their current locations to me in some written form. Therefore, Starbucks could not come back and claim their current location data is not accurate, as they would be the ones who supplied this data in the first place (and I would have the written documentation to prove it).
Below is a map I created showing the locations of Starbucks' competitor coffee shops in Manhattan (the map was made using Python, the Foursquare API data, and Python's Folium mapping library):
Here is a more close up view of the same map of Starbucks' competitors' locations so the more dense areas can be viewed with better resolution:
The map below shows Starbucks' current Manhattan locations based on the Foursquare API data:
Data Analysis of Starbucks' Competitors' Locations
The benefits of using Python for data analysis are the myriad of mathematical and machine learning algorithm libraries available.
For this particular business problem, I used the k-means clustering algorithm to find the best location for the new Starbucks in Manhattan.
Explaining in detail how the k-means machine learning algorithm works is beyond the scope of this post, however, for those who would like to explore this further here is a link with more information:
k-means Clustering Algorithm
In a nutshell, k-means puts data into groups, called clusters, based upon measuring distance between data points (coffee shop locations in this case). The data is grouped into various clusters over and over again until the center of the cluster no longer moves. The center of the clusters is then mathematically defined (the center of each cluster is called its centroid).
An assumption we have to make in order to run the k-means Clustering Algorithm is the number of clusters. From the map of Manhattan, the locations on the map, and the geography of Manhattan, the number of clusters assumed here is three (representing Lower Manhattan, Central Manhattan, and Upper Manhattan).
The three centers (centroids) for the locations of Starbucks' competitors' coffee shops were computed mathematically and plotted on the map below:
Based upon these computations, the best location for the new Starbucks in Manhattan is Lower Manhattan's Washington Square Park, with the calculation specifying, Latitude:40.731130, Longitude: -73.997801.
This above location is magnified below for a clearer view:
Starbucks' Proposed Washington Square Park Location
Obviously, Starbucks cannot put a brick and mortar coffee shop right in Washington Square Park. However Starbucks should try to find a location as close to this point as possible.
Knowing the sky high cost of opening a brick and mortar location in Manhattan (upwards of $300,000+ according to TouchBistro.com), and that vacant lease space can be difficult to find, I suggest Starbucks starts with a coffee cart.
A Starbucks coffee cart would save Starbucks the time and cost of finding/building out a location while they search for a nearby more permanent location.
Furthermore, Starbucks can either outright buy a coffee cart with an existing license (New York stopped issuing licenses for new food/coffee carts many years ago) from its current owner, or sponsor/pay a coffee cart owner to distribute Starbucks' coffee for them.
Some of the metrics and information with regard to food/coffee carts in Manhattan can be found here:
NYMag.com
Starbucks' Suggested Washington Square Park Coffee Cart Marketing Campaign
In the meantime, Starbucks can have fun with their coffee cart, generate a buzz, and some good will by engaging their customers.
I suggest enlisting the help of their patrons with an official contest to help Starbucks bird dog the best lease space for the new Starbucks brick and mortar coffee shop. Therefore, a Starbucks coffee cart in Washington Square Park could also become a great marketing campaign for Starbucks.
Additionally, a coffee cart is also a great way to test the coffee consumer market in and around Washington Square Park today for a fraction of the time/cost it will take to open/build their eventually more permanent brick and mortar location.
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
February 5, 2018
Valentine's Day: Love is God in all...
Love is God in All
With Valentine's Day fast approaching, the topic of love is a timely one.
Throughout the years many have tried to define love and there are a plethora of quotes floating around the world with regard to love.
Love is something we cannot touch or taste, yet we all have experience with love. Whether it is the love of family, friends, pets, that special person, or our God, love is a concept and emotion to which everyone can relate.
What Does The Bible Say About Love?
When we search The Bible for the word "love" (or a derivative of the word love in different tenses), it appears in 442 verses (King James Version, KJV) and 686 verses (New International Version, NIV) respectively:
https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksea...
https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksea...
Most people are probably familiar with the Bible verses, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV):
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails...
As well as many may be familiar with the verse, 1 John 4:8 (KJV):
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
...for God is love
Therefore, if God is love (God = Love), then love is also God (Love = God), or more properly, love is the presence of God we feel inside and observe all around us.
Often non-believers inquire about relatable, tangible evidence for the existence of God. To this I would respond, please tell me about your personal experiences and observations with respect to love...
I will submit that love is the ubiquitous manifestation of God within us (and in all living things, as love is observable throughout nature, for example, animals protecting and caring for their young, the interspecies, unconditional love expressed by pets for their owners, etc...)
In other words, love is the embodiment of God that He planted in all; His enduring, telltale presence inside and surrounding us.
Interestingly, there are some fascinating science experiments which provide support for the argument that even plants and molecules of water "feel," or at least are affected by, love or the lack of love.
Considering that 71% of earth's surface is covered with water, and how we ourselves are mostly composed of water, I find it particularly intriguing that water seemingly reacts to love (continue reading for some scientific support in the section below).
The Affect of Love on Plants and Water
Many scientific experiments have been conducted with regard to speaking lovingly to a group of plants, while simultaneously ignoring a second group of plants, and speaking meanly to a third group of plants.
Here is just one such experiment (you can find many on the internet):
https://www.byoumagazine.com/power-of...
As in this specific experiment above, the plants that were spoken to lovingly grew faster and stronger than the other groups of plants: support for the supernatural power of love.
Similarly, love even appears to have an affect on water, the essential ingredient for life as we know it, as documented by the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto in Japan.
To quote a Huffington Post article:
"Emoto realized both positive and negative words can have an influence on water’s structure by changing water’s crystals.
During his study of water, Emoto came to some fascinating revelations. He came to a belief that water was the so-called 'blueprint of our reality' and our emotional energy and vibrations can change the physical structure of water.
Emoto’s tests mostly consisted of putting water in glasses and then exposing it to different words, pictures, and music and then freezing it and analyzing how water crystals look.
And through his research and analysis, he came to the conclusion that if we 'influence' water with positive words, pictures, or music that water crystals will be nicely formed.
On the other hand, if one puts water near negative influences, such as saying negative words, or if you turn on some loud heavy metal music then the results would be the total opposite.
Those water crystals will be distorted and formed in an ugly and negative formation."
The whole article can be read here:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mehdi-...
The Affect of Withholding Love on Human Development
We all come out of the womb needing love in order to grow and develop properly.
There was a shockingly cruel psychological experiment conducted on babies in the 13th century by King Frederick II. The purpose of the experiment was to see what language babies would speak if they were not spoken to or touched.
As recorded by the historian, Salimbene di Adam in 1248, babies were taken from their mothers and one group was spoken to and touched. In contrast, the second group of babies was completely deprived of these physical interactions.
This experiment was cut short because babies in the group for which physical interactions were withheld actually began to die.
For more information about this experiment see the link below:
http://www.digma.com/digma-images/vid...
We are all born with both the capacity and the need for love (God).
In fact, as this experiment shows, we all need love to live, grow, and thrive.
The Convergence of Science and Religion
Science has traditionally not been friendly toward religion, but it seems on the topic of love, there is a convergence between science and religion, whereas science is beginning to confirm the miraculous power of love (God).
As with the examples above, scientific observations are supportive of what believers already know: "...for God is love" (and therefore love is the palpable manifestation and also the irrefutable evidence of God).
There is a supernatural force within the workings of love that none of us, not even scientists, can deny.
Furthermore, it is no surprise to believers that prayer can heal people.
In fact, scientists have begrudgingly validated the positive effect of religion and prayer on health and healing. You can read more about this in the following article from WebMD:
https://www.webmd.com/balance/feature...
Scientists Search for The God Particle
In addition to providing scientific support for the power of love, prayer, and healing, scientists have also begun to confirm the existence of God's presence in everything.
All matter, whether living or non-living, is made up of atoms, which consist of smaller subatomic particles.
In their book titled, "The God Particle," Noble Prize-winning physicist Leon M. Lederman and Dick Teresi chronicle the search for the Higgs boson, a universal subatomic particle that gives mass to all forms of matter.
In other words, the Higgs boson, which Lederman nicknamed "The God Particle," is a part of absolutely everything in our world.
One has to wonder, that even by its very name, "The God Particle," did scientists just tantalizingly admit God's fingerprints on all matter in the universe?
Or to phrase this another way, in reference to God, Colossians 1:17 (NIV) states:
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
This is yet just another example of how science is once again confirming what is already known by Christians as is written in The Bible.
Conclusion: Love is God in All
For non-believers this Valentine's Day, I would ask you to observe love both within and all around your world.
...and if you are experiencing the power of love firsthand, to know that transcendental feeling you have inside which seems to transport you to another plane of existence: this is the manifestation of God embedded in your soul since birth.
To all believers, I hope love is yet just another palpable example that further strengthens your faith in God.
For this Valentine's Day and beyond, let's think more about what even science is beginning to confirm, that "Love is God in all."
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
With Valentine's Day fast approaching, the topic of love is a timely one.
Throughout the years many have tried to define love and there are a plethora of quotes floating around the world with regard to love.
Love is something we cannot touch or taste, yet we all have experience with love. Whether it is the love of family, friends, pets, that special person, or our God, love is a concept and emotion to which everyone can relate.
What Does The Bible Say About Love?
When we search The Bible for the word "love" (or a derivative of the word love in different tenses), it appears in 442 verses (King James Version, KJV) and 686 verses (New International Version, NIV) respectively:
https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksea...
https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksea...
Most people are probably familiar with the Bible verses, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV):
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails...
As well as many may be familiar with the verse, 1 John 4:8 (KJV):
He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
...for God is love
Therefore, if God is love (God = Love), then love is also God (Love = God), or more properly, love is the presence of God we feel inside and observe all around us.
Often non-believers inquire about relatable, tangible evidence for the existence of God. To this I would respond, please tell me about your personal experiences and observations with respect to love...
I will submit that love is the ubiquitous manifestation of God within us (and in all living things, as love is observable throughout nature, for example, animals protecting and caring for their young, the interspecies, unconditional love expressed by pets for their owners, etc...)
In other words, love is the embodiment of God that He planted in all; His enduring, telltale presence inside and surrounding us.
Interestingly, there are some fascinating science experiments which provide support for the argument that even plants and molecules of water "feel," or at least are affected by, love or the lack of love.
Considering that 71% of earth's surface is covered with water, and how we ourselves are mostly composed of water, I find it particularly intriguing that water seemingly reacts to love (continue reading for some scientific support in the section below).
The Affect of Love on Plants and Water
Many scientific experiments have been conducted with regard to speaking lovingly to a group of plants, while simultaneously ignoring a second group of plants, and speaking meanly to a third group of plants.
Here is just one such experiment (you can find many on the internet):
https://www.byoumagazine.com/power-of...
As in this specific experiment above, the plants that were spoken to lovingly grew faster and stronger than the other groups of plants: support for the supernatural power of love.
Similarly, love even appears to have an affect on water, the essential ingredient for life as we know it, as documented by the work of Dr. Masaru Emoto in Japan.
To quote a Huffington Post article:
"Emoto realized both positive and negative words can have an influence on water’s structure by changing water’s crystals.
During his study of water, Emoto came to some fascinating revelations. He came to a belief that water was the so-called 'blueprint of our reality' and our emotional energy and vibrations can change the physical structure of water.
Emoto’s tests mostly consisted of putting water in glasses and then exposing it to different words, pictures, and music and then freezing it and analyzing how water crystals look.
And through his research and analysis, he came to the conclusion that if we 'influence' water with positive words, pictures, or music that water crystals will be nicely formed.
On the other hand, if one puts water near negative influences, such as saying negative words, or if you turn on some loud heavy metal music then the results would be the total opposite.
Those water crystals will be distorted and formed in an ugly and negative formation."
The whole article can be read here:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/mehdi-...
The Affect of Withholding Love on Human Development
We all come out of the womb needing love in order to grow and develop properly.
There was a shockingly cruel psychological experiment conducted on babies in the 13th century by King Frederick II. The purpose of the experiment was to see what language babies would speak if they were not spoken to or touched.
As recorded by the historian, Salimbene di Adam in 1248, babies were taken from their mothers and one group was spoken to and touched. In contrast, the second group of babies was completely deprived of these physical interactions.
This experiment was cut short because babies in the group for which physical interactions were withheld actually began to die.
For more information about this experiment see the link below:
http://www.digma.com/digma-images/vid...
We are all born with both the capacity and the need for love (God).
In fact, as this experiment shows, we all need love to live, grow, and thrive.
The Convergence of Science and Religion
Science has traditionally not been friendly toward religion, but it seems on the topic of love, there is a convergence between science and religion, whereas science is beginning to confirm the miraculous power of love (God).
As with the examples above, scientific observations are supportive of what believers already know: "...for God is love" (and therefore love is the palpable manifestation and also the irrefutable evidence of God).
There is a supernatural force within the workings of love that none of us, not even scientists, can deny.
Furthermore, it is no surprise to believers that prayer can heal people.
In fact, scientists have begrudgingly validated the positive effect of religion and prayer on health and healing. You can read more about this in the following article from WebMD:
https://www.webmd.com/balance/feature...
Scientists Search for The God Particle
In addition to providing scientific support for the power of love, prayer, and healing, scientists have also begun to confirm the existence of God's presence in everything.
All matter, whether living or non-living, is made up of atoms, which consist of smaller subatomic particles.
In their book titled, "The God Particle," Noble Prize-winning physicist Leon M. Lederman and Dick Teresi chronicle the search for the Higgs boson, a universal subatomic particle that gives mass to all forms of matter.
In other words, the Higgs boson, which Lederman nicknamed "The God Particle," is a part of absolutely everything in our world.
One has to wonder, that even by its very name, "The God Particle," did scientists just tantalizingly admit God's fingerprints on all matter in the universe?
Or to phrase this another way, in reference to God, Colossians 1:17 (NIV) states:
He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
This is yet just another example of how science is once again confirming what is already known by Christians as is written in The Bible.
Conclusion: Love is God in All
For non-believers this Valentine's Day, I would ask you to observe love both within and all around your world.
...and if you are experiencing the power of love firsthand, to know that transcendental feeling you have inside which seems to transport you to another plane of existence: this is the manifestation of God embedded in your soul since birth.
To all believers, I hope love is yet just another palpable example that further strengthens your faith in God.
For this Valentine's Day and beyond, let's think more about what even science is beginning to confirm, that "Love is God in all."
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
November 27, 2017
Best Book For The New Year
New Year, New You
We are quickly nearing the new year, that time of year when we reflect on the past and think about where we want to be in the future.
Many of us will make New Year's resolutions by setting a personal goal for achievement or vowing a change we will make in our lives for the new year.
Yet, studies have shown only about 8% of people actually keep their New Year's resolution.
Keep Your New Year's Resolution
Why is it that so few people keep their New Year's resolution?
It is simply because most people lack the discipline necessary to keep their commitment to change.
Specifically, most people fail in their desire for change because they lack the personal motivation or inspiration to maintain the discipline necessary to affect change in their lives.
Through my experience coaching professionals, I have found these same three elements of motivation, inspiration, and discipline were the difference between those who achieved their goals and those who fell short.
How do you motivate yourself?
From where do you find inspiration?
How do you measure and hold yourself accountable to maintain discipline?
Once you read Mentor Me and work through the exercises within, you will be able to answer these questions above.
All three of these elements were incorporated into the writing of Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Make This Your Year
Why not make this year your year?
Why can't this year be the year you finally achieve all you want in life?
Find out how the three elements of motivation, inspiration, and discipline are purposefully packaged inside Mentor Me to help you achieve your goals.
Pick up a copy of Mentor Me here and make this your year: https://www.amazon.com/Mentor-Me-Form...
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
We are quickly nearing the new year, that time of year when we reflect on the past and think about where we want to be in the future.
Many of us will make New Year's resolutions by setting a personal goal for achievement or vowing a change we will make in our lives for the new year.
Yet, studies have shown only about 8% of people actually keep their New Year's resolution.
Keep Your New Year's Resolution
Why is it that so few people keep their New Year's resolution?
It is simply because most people lack the discipline necessary to keep their commitment to change.
Specifically, most people fail in their desire for change because they lack the personal motivation or inspiration to maintain the discipline necessary to affect change in their lives.
Through my experience coaching professionals, I have found these same three elements of motivation, inspiration, and discipline were the difference between those who achieved their goals and those who fell short.
How do you motivate yourself?
From where do you find inspiration?
How do you measure and hold yourself accountable to maintain discipline?
Once you read Mentor Me and work through the exercises within, you will be able to answer these questions above.
All three of these elements were incorporated into the writing of Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Make This Your Year
Why not make this year your year?
Why can't this year be the year you finally achieve all you want in life?
Find out how the three elements of motivation, inspiration, and discipline are purposefully packaged inside Mentor Me to help you achieve your goals.
Pick up a copy of Mentor Me here and make this your year: https://www.amazon.com/Mentor-Me-Form...
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
September 18, 2017
World Leaders Are Losing The War on Terror
The Fundamental Misunderstanding of Cause and Effect
The War on Terror is being lost because world leaders missed the most basic and fundamental lesson we all learn in grade school: the relationship between cause and effect.
Radical Islam is not the enemy nor is it the root cause; it is the effect.
World leaders have spent so much time and energy focusing their attention hunting terrorists at home and abroad (after terrorist attacks have already been committed) that they have completely overlooked the true enemy.
The real enemy has nothing to do with a small fraction of Muslims who preach a religion of hatred we call Radical Islam.
The enemy world leaders have completely missed, the cause that allows hatred to grab hold in the first place, then infect, and fester in our world has nothing to do with the Islamic faith; the real enemy is poverty .
The West is losing The War on Terror because they have failed to recognize poverty as the enemy and, therefore, come up with an effective plan to defeat it.
The Global Eradication of Poverty
Poverty is the fertile ground that allows the seed of hatred to be planted, spread, and disseminated throughout the world.
Without poverty, if there was actually prosperity in those afflicted regions of the world, if all those individuals held hope for a more promising future along with living well presently, there would be no Radical Islam and no terrorism.
After all, what person would want to blow themselves up, train for murdering their fellow human beings, or inflict misery on others if they were living a happy, fulfilling, and prosperous life?
It is time to deal with the cause, come up with a plan of attack, and defeat the true enemy: it is time for The Global Eradication of Poverty !
The Cost of a Missed Opportunity
By failing to diagnose the real problem and properly identify the enemy from the beginning, world leaders have created a self-feeding, chain reaction perpetually increasing the number of terrorists.
This misstep has created a viscious cycle that could have been truncated at its roots, but that missed opportunity has allowed millions of people worldwide (if not tens of millions) to be converted into a religion of hate.
The Cyclical Religion of Hate
As illustrated below, we are now playing a part in this viscious cycle helping to create more terrorists.
In this cycle, the terrorist leaders preach hate, recruiting poor, disenchanted individuals to perform acts of terrorism. In response to these acts of terrorism, we send bombs, which reinforces the original message of hate as a tangible basis for that hatred. Thereby, in turn, our bombs increase the conversion of new recruits indoctrinated into The Cyclical Religion of Hate.
This self perpetuating cycle proceeds through perpetuity and is best illustrated as a resultant growth curve.
That is why we are losing The War on Terror; instead of wiping out the terrorists we have given them ample fodder to increase their numbers exponentially without ever dealing with its root cause of poverty.
As a result, now the number of terrorists and their acts of terrorism are too great; we cannot avoid hunting them down to cull their present numbers.
Poverty and the Annexation of The Crimea
The enemy of poverty is not isolated to The Cyclical Religion of Hate nor is it constrained to our present world crisis.
Just as the major global issues we are dealing with today, so did poverty play a role in most major upheavals throughout history.
For example, both the French Revolution and The Bolshevik Revolution were a product of inequality among a mainly impoverished population. In fact, Communism itself was fundamentally based upon redistribution of wealth in order to provide for all people equally, thereby wiping out poverty.
In recent history, when I spoke to my friends in The Crimea, prior to its annexation by Russia, they expressed the hope for a better future and prosperity with Russia as their desire for reunification. Consequently, they were even willing to suffer more short-term for the promise of a brighter tomorrow.
In other words, if not for the poverty in The Crimea and Ukraine, Russia would have failed in its hasty Crimean annexation .
Poverty and North Korea
Even the current situation in North Korea has an impoverished population as the root cause of the problem.
Maybe the best way to end the North Korean crisis is not with more sanctions which further exacerbates the poverty of the populace?
Instead, the best way forward with North Korea is more likely meetings with their leaders about a mutually beneficial plan to create prosperity for their people.
Poverty and Domestic Crime
Furthermore, what proportion of domestic crime is committed by those who live in poverty?
I would submit our prisons and those who commit crimes in the USA are disproportionately represented by those who live or grow up in poverty.
Therefore, even domestically, the lack of hope in the attainment of prosperity among our poorest individuals leads to increased criminal activity.
As such, poverty in the USA creates a whole host of social ills.
A Plan of Attack Against a Ubiquitous Enemy
In summary, isn't it time to come up with a plan of attack against the ubiquitous world enemy of poverty?
Isn't it time to break The Cyclical Religion of Hate and end world suffering by dealing with its root cause?
Rather than just wiping out terrorists and creating exponentially more in a never ending viscious cycle, doesn't it make strategic sense to simultaneously attack its root cause of poverty?
If world leaders want to ultimately win The War on Terror then it is time for them to recognize the true enemy is poverty, and come up with a systematic plan for its annihilation.
Isn't it time for The Global Eradication of Poverty!?
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
The War on Terror is being lost because world leaders missed the most basic and fundamental lesson we all learn in grade school: the relationship between cause and effect.
Radical Islam is not the enemy nor is it the root cause; it is the effect.
World leaders have spent so much time and energy focusing their attention hunting terrorists at home and abroad (after terrorist attacks have already been committed) that they have completely overlooked the true enemy.
The real enemy has nothing to do with a small fraction of Muslims who preach a religion of hatred we call Radical Islam.
The enemy world leaders have completely missed, the cause that allows hatred to grab hold in the first place, then infect, and fester in our world has nothing to do with the Islamic faith; the real enemy is poverty .
The West is losing The War on Terror because they have failed to recognize poverty as the enemy and, therefore, come up with an effective plan to defeat it.
The Global Eradication of Poverty
Poverty is the fertile ground that allows the seed of hatred to be planted, spread, and disseminated throughout the world.
Without poverty, if there was actually prosperity in those afflicted regions of the world, if all those individuals held hope for a more promising future along with living well presently, there would be no Radical Islam and no terrorism.
After all, what person would want to blow themselves up, train for murdering their fellow human beings, or inflict misery on others if they were living a happy, fulfilling, and prosperous life?
It is time to deal with the cause, come up with a plan of attack, and defeat the true enemy: it is time for The Global Eradication of Poverty !
The Cost of a Missed Opportunity
By failing to diagnose the real problem and properly identify the enemy from the beginning, world leaders have created a self-feeding, chain reaction perpetually increasing the number of terrorists.
This misstep has created a viscious cycle that could have been truncated at its roots, but that missed opportunity has allowed millions of people worldwide (if not tens of millions) to be converted into a religion of hate.
The Cyclical Religion of Hate
As illustrated below, we are now playing a part in this viscious cycle helping to create more terrorists.
In this cycle, the terrorist leaders preach hate, recruiting poor, disenchanted individuals to perform acts of terrorism. In response to these acts of terrorism, we send bombs, which reinforces the original message of hate as a tangible basis for that hatred. Thereby, in turn, our bombs increase the conversion of new recruits indoctrinated into The Cyclical Religion of Hate.
This self perpetuating cycle proceeds through perpetuity and is best illustrated as a resultant growth curve.
That is why we are losing The War on Terror; instead of wiping out the terrorists we have given them ample fodder to increase their numbers exponentially without ever dealing with its root cause of poverty.
As a result, now the number of terrorists and their acts of terrorism are too great; we cannot avoid hunting them down to cull their present numbers.
Poverty and the Annexation of The Crimea
The enemy of poverty is not isolated to The Cyclical Religion of Hate nor is it constrained to our present world crisis.
Just as the major global issues we are dealing with today, so did poverty play a role in most major upheavals throughout history.
For example, both the French Revolution and The Bolshevik Revolution were a product of inequality among a mainly impoverished population. In fact, Communism itself was fundamentally based upon redistribution of wealth in order to provide for all people equally, thereby wiping out poverty.
In recent history, when I spoke to my friends in The Crimea, prior to its annexation by Russia, they expressed the hope for a better future and prosperity with Russia as their desire for reunification. Consequently, they were even willing to suffer more short-term for the promise of a brighter tomorrow.
In other words, if not for the poverty in The Crimea and Ukraine, Russia would have failed in its hasty Crimean annexation .
Poverty and North Korea
Even the current situation in North Korea has an impoverished population as the root cause of the problem.
Maybe the best way to end the North Korean crisis is not with more sanctions which further exacerbates the poverty of the populace?
Instead, the best way forward with North Korea is more likely meetings with their leaders about a mutually beneficial plan to create prosperity for their people.
Poverty and Domestic Crime
Furthermore, what proportion of domestic crime is committed by those who live in poverty?
I would submit our prisons and those who commit crimes in the USA are disproportionately represented by those who live or grow up in poverty.
Therefore, even domestically, the lack of hope in the attainment of prosperity among our poorest individuals leads to increased criminal activity.
As such, poverty in the USA creates a whole host of social ills.
A Plan of Attack Against a Ubiquitous Enemy
In summary, isn't it time to come up with a plan of attack against the ubiquitous world enemy of poverty?
Isn't it time to break The Cyclical Religion of Hate and end world suffering by dealing with its root cause?
Rather than just wiping out terrorists and creating exponentially more in a never ending viscious cycle, doesn't it make strategic sense to simultaneously attack its root cause of poverty?
If world leaders want to ultimately win The War on Terror then it is time for them to recognize the true enemy is poverty, and come up with a systematic plan for its annihilation.
Isn't it time for The Global Eradication of Poverty!?
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
August 28, 2017
Houston Weathers Harvey!
The Headlines Will Read "Houston Weathers Harvey!"
Even as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to pound Houston and the surrounding areas with an historic rainfall, I can tell you the headlines after the storm will read: "Houston Weathers Harvey!"
In fact, Houston will not only survive Harvey, but in the coming months and years after Harvey, Houston will flourish.
How do I know?
Because Houstonians will do what they have always done in the past...remain strong and build a bigger, better Houston.
The Great Flood
Just like the world emerged from The Great Flood of the Bible, so too will Houston recover from its great flood in the wake of Harvey.
Having been an Houstonian since 1993, after seeing my fair share of natural disasters accompanied by flooding in Houston, there is one common newsworthy theme: Houstonians helping Houstonians.
Unlike some major cities caught up in natural disasters, what you do not see in Houston before, during, or after such devastation is further destruction or widespread looting by Houstonians.
Instead, overwhelmingly the news stories are always: Houstonians lend a helping hand to their neighbors.
Houston is a city of everyday heroes
Houston is a city where people routinely go out of their way to help each other in times of need and crisis.
As has been the case in the past, and is currently playing out across our fair city, you will find everyday citizens heroically helping each other.
This is an international city where diverse groups of people regardless of race and religion live peacefully side by side.
The Hearts of Houstonians Will Prevail
Houstonians will clean up, rebuild, and make Houston even stronger after the waters from Harvey have finally receded.
I am confident the loving, friendly, giving hearts of Houstonians will prevail in the face of this terrible catastrophe our city is currently enduring.
In the end, the big story will be: Houston Weathers Harvey!
The hearts of Houstonians and our enduring spirits will overcome this...we will rebuild!
Soon Houston will become the 3rd largest city in the United States. Furthermore, Houston will continue to rise, expand, and grow rivaling Los Angeles and New York City...it is our destiny!
My thoughts and prayers are with everyone and all my neighbors affected by Harvey.
We will get through this together and show the world that nothing, not even The Great Flood of Harvey, can dampen the friendly, loving, caring hearts of Houstonians.
Nothing can contain the limitless spirit of a boundless heart.
Houston will rise and flourish in spite of Harvey...
God Bless Houston and my fellow Houstonians!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Houstonian
Even as Tropical Storm Harvey continues to pound Houston and the surrounding areas with an historic rainfall, I can tell you the headlines after the storm will read: "Houston Weathers Harvey!"
In fact, Houston will not only survive Harvey, but in the coming months and years after Harvey, Houston will flourish.
How do I know?
Because Houstonians will do what they have always done in the past...remain strong and build a bigger, better Houston.
The Great Flood
Just like the world emerged from The Great Flood of the Bible, so too will Houston recover from its great flood in the wake of Harvey.
Having been an Houstonian since 1993, after seeing my fair share of natural disasters accompanied by flooding in Houston, there is one common newsworthy theme: Houstonians helping Houstonians.
Unlike some major cities caught up in natural disasters, what you do not see in Houston before, during, or after such devastation is further destruction or widespread looting by Houstonians.
Instead, overwhelmingly the news stories are always: Houstonians lend a helping hand to their neighbors.
Houston is a city of everyday heroes
Houston is a city where people routinely go out of their way to help each other in times of need and crisis.
As has been the case in the past, and is currently playing out across our fair city, you will find everyday citizens heroically helping each other.
This is an international city where diverse groups of people regardless of race and religion live peacefully side by side.
The Hearts of Houstonians Will Prevail
Houstonians will clean up, rebuild, and make Houston even stronger after the waters from Harvey have finally receded.
I am confident the loving, friendly, giving hearts of Houstonians will prevail in the face of this terrible catastrophe our city is currently enduring.
In the end, the big story will be: Houston Weathers Harvey!
The hearts of Houstonians and our enduring spirits will overcome this...we will rebuild!
Soon Houston will become the 3rd largest city in the United States. Furthermore, Houston will continue to rise, expand, and grow rivaling Los Angeles and New York City...it is our destiny!
My thoughts and prayers are with everyone and all my neighbors affected by Harvey.
We will get through this together and show the world that nothing, not even The Great Flood of Harvey, can dampen the friendly, loving, caring hearts of Houstonians.
Nothing can contain the limitless spirit of a boundless heart.
Houston will rise and flourish in spite of Harvey...
God Bless Houston and my fellow Houstonians!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Houstonian
