Karl Ahlrichs' Uncommon Experience

A moment for Art. You know you need it. TURF in Indy.

kahlrichs — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 03:52:06 +0000

Shameless plug time. A community is known for how it supports the arts. Indy has a hidden jewel (briefly) in the heart of downtown - the IDADA Turf Installation at the Art Pavilion in the Old City Hall. I went yesterday with my son Paul – and I will return with others in the brief time it is open. This is a world class art effort – go now – it closes when the Super Bowl is over…

A link to my photos and a few movie clips – Click Here . More info at the IDADA web site www.IDADA.org.

One of the several dozens of installations that make you think...

In and Out for 2012

kahlrichs — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:51:05 +0000

Ready for the new year?

In Finance Out Accounting

In Individual Health Out Group Wellness

In Fast Feedback Out Annual Performance Review

In Rational Portions Out Super Size

In Driving in silence Out Constant Connectivity

In Flip Chart Out Powerpoint

In Personal Accountability Out Mob Behavior

In Modern Family Out Anything Kardashian

In Newt Gingrich Out Newt Gingrich

In In and Out Burger Out McDonald’s

We all need to take a longer view on things...

I wish you could have been there at 7:35am this morning…

kahlrichs — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:41:02 +0000

7:36 - the door opens and a passenger climbs down. The door closes quickly.

…in the CSX Rail yard just north of Lafayette, IN.

The Rail Yard in the morning fog.

The worker warming himself against the damp morning in his van saw something strange. The 7:30 Amtrak to Chicago suddely stopped in the middle of the yard.

The train leaves.

: 7:35 am in the Lafayette, IN rail yard, looking South. Amtrak for Chicago stops…

The worker saw the door to the last car open, and down the stairs came a tall business-looking guy in a black cashmere topcoat, a fedora and shiny shoes.

The door slams behind the passenger, who walks a short distance away from the train and takes a picture.

The Rail worker walks over to the ex-passenger and says…”Hey, mister – you aren’t supposed to be here.”

You got that right. The passenger was me…

So, here’s what happened.

Dad and Sue were heading for Alburquerque on Amtrak for Christmas. They were ticketed on the 7:30 from Lafayette to Chicago, then on to New Mexico in a sleeper car. I decided to surprise them with a gift bag of snacks and a hug as they left. Fine so far.

They were nicely surprised, and we all trooped out to the platform and the train pulled in on time. There was a crowd at the door, and the stairs were steep. I approached the conductor and said “I am not a ticketed passenger – may I help my folks to their seat and get their bags up?” The conductor said “Fine”

: Dad and Sue on the platform

As I swung Dad’s bag up, I was jolted a little as the train started moving. I was on my way with them!

I excused myself, and approached the conductor. “What is the next stop?” He shrugged and said it was two hours away. I reminded him that I was not a ticketed passenger. He slapped his forehad, said a few choice words, and said he remembered me…

The conductors held a brief powwow , with one of them asking me an important question. “If we drop you in the rail yard, can you provide your own transportation from there?”

“You bet. Just get me off this train.”

Therefore, I was quickly standing in the middle of the North lafayette CSX yard, watching a the south end of a northbound train leave in the fog.

The rail worker came over and asked if I knew where I was. I said yes. He asked if I needed a ride. I said yes. He got a nice Christmas tip.

I called the folks when I was back at the depot, and they said they were quite famous on the train for being the people with the son who got trapped…

A new tool to predict sickness – and it seems accurate…

kahlrichs — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 16:11:08 +0000

I’m always on the lookout for tools or websites that can give me an advantage in life. Here is a new one that appeared in my inbox today.

www.sickweather.com is a self-reported site of illness and infections yuck that appears like a weather map. Using it, you can see what diseases are floating around your home town, and prepare yourself for a business trip to, say, New York or wherever. A good reminder to wash your hands in airports.

I noted that it had some interesting categories beyond the usual cold and flu. Whooping cough? Chicken Pox? Fine. But Stess? Depression? Interesting. To test the accuracy, I selected Stress. The only city in the Midwest that popped up was Chicago. Fair enough. Then, I selected Depression. The results are below:

: Looks accurate to me…

So, Cleveland and Detroit came back positive for Depression.

Seems accurate. I’ll keep an eye on this one.

Notice how globalization has changed our level of crankiness?

kahlrichs — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:46:16 +0000

Hmm.

Used to be that we were really touchy about nationalism, especially here in the Midwest. I think it was mostly driven by the auto industry, but it was pretty pervasive. I recall sign demanding that any foreign car not be parked in a particular plant parking lot. My favorite was at the Connersville Ford plant, specifying that all “Non-Ford” cars be parked across the street. I happily parked my Volvo fight by the front door, only to be directed to the punishment corner…they did not care that Ford owned Volvo, at that moment. (Now the Chinese own the Swedes…)

Kokomo, Indiana was a hot spot of this thinking, at least until Chrysler went through two European owners…

: What percentage of American made is permitted?

So, it was a twinge of nostalgia that I felt when I drove past this sign at a company that recently went out of business.

How about cars from Canadian or Mexican assembly plants – all are in the Americas…

Face it. We’ve all become global – and while there are good and bad effects, it’s the way the economy is. Capitalism rewards and punishes all…

Consider using taxes to change our American eating habits

kahlrichs — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 18:47:30 +0000

Wow. Denmark is becoming the most progressive Food Nation.

On Saturday, the Danes (remember Hamlet?) introduced a “fat tax” on foods like butter and oil, with the goal of a healthier nation with higher life expectancy. With the significant issues facing American health plans, we should watch how this succeeds or fails.

The Nordic country introduced the tax Saturday, of 16 kroner ($3.00) per kilogram (2.2 pounds) of saturated fat in a product. The tax is relatively small – a spokesman for Denmark’s Confederation of Industries says the tax will increase the price of a burger by around $0.15 and raise the price of a small package of butter by around $0.40. It is probably the world’s first fat tax.

"But, look, the morn, in russet mantle clad, walks o'er the dew of yon high eastward hill." - William Shakespeare, Hamlet, 1.1

They are taking this step to fight off obesity. Their obesity rate is less than 10%, which is below the European average of 15%. We Americans are 33.8%. Hoosiers are slightly larger than that.

I am reminded of the effort in a state legislature a few years back that would have made it illegal to sell any “high fat junk food” from a “quick service restaurant” to anyone with a Body Mass Index over 30 – the threshold for obesity. It didn’t pass the full legislature and died in committee…

Full article here: http://tinyurl.com/43pt46w

Marketing Truths that apply to Wellness

kahlrichs — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 16:03:17 +0000

Fixing health care comes back to personal accountability, and changing behavior requires marketing. Marketing expert Ford Saeks (not a typo- that is his last name) made a good point this morning that applies perfectly to our world.

We often focus on the “how”. How to lose weight. How to walk more. Ford reminds us to combine the message (why) with the market (who) with the how. Then, when you have the three legs of the marketing stool in balance, you will get traction.

That will make all the difference – you will then change behaviors and help others live a healthier life.

Another step toward the Supreme Court

kahlrichs — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:22:31 +0000

Why can’t we just get there faster?

The next step in deciding the constitutionality of the key provision of Health Insurance Reform took another step this week. I was in Cincy speaking on the subject, and the Federal Court in Richmond, VA spanked the lawsuit brought by VA’s Attorney General and Liberty University and threw it out.

The full story can be read in the Richmond Paper here.

We all know that it will end up with the Supremes, and we know it will be next year. We need a faster answer – as we know, business wants to know the result, quickly. They want the punch line first, not a long, slow buildup that serves no purpose…

Business wants the answer, now.

Thoughts from watching a Scooter get towed

kahlrichs — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:34:56 +0000

No, it’s not a metaphor or the title of a book…

So, a Turquoise Blue scooter spent two weeks in a prime parking spot in our office parking lot until yesterday. Justice descended in the form of a very large and imposing tow truck, ordered to remove the offending vehicle. The driver was clearly puzzled.

He said this was his smallest job, but the one that was giving him the most trouble. His rig was designed for handling 4-heel vehicles in the 2 ton range. This was neither.

What happens when you use the wrong tool for the job...

The tow guy said his normal hookup time was around 5 minutes – “less if it’s a repo, and the owner may have a gun…” He struggled with this for almost an hour, finally driving off with the offending Vespa trussed like a chicken on his pickup fork.

The lessons?

1. Small projects are often more problematic than big ones.

2. Use the right tool for the job.

3. Learn to pick locks and just drive it to the impound yard – think outside the box…

A Dentist Offering Cookies as a Gift

kahlrichs — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:18:46 +0000

Clever? Yes. Wrong? On several levels…