Lessons in leadership

1. Courage is not the absence of fear - it's inspiring other to move beyond it
2. Lead from the front - but don't leave your base behind

3. Lead from the back - and let others believe they are in front

4. Know your enemy - and learn about his favorite sport 

5. Keep your friends close - and your rivals even closer 

6. Appearances matter - and remember to smile

7. Nothing is black or white

8. Quitting is leading too 

Nelson Mandela 

Read the entire TIME article here.

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From bentlily: one poem a day

Unkempt

I am drawn to the tidiness of proverbs
little zingers
that make you nod
and think you have gotten to the pulp
of a thing

like how you can know a person
by the books they keep

but it’s not true

you know only the stomach
of their brain
a naïve hunger that tends
to want more
of the same

it’s like thinking you know
a bird
by the wire
he sits on

life is unkempt
people die
too soon

all there is to do
is pay attention to the litter
of minutes that fling from the day
and catch some
on your tongue
like snowflakes

each one
a tiny perfect story
a life written in ice
before it melts
and returns home
to the sea.

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Coincidence?

As always, go here and commission your own work of art => Gapingvoid Gallery

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5 Tax Myths

MYTH #1: 47% of Americans do not pay taxes.

Fact: All Americans pay taxes.

MYTH #2: The American people and corporations pay high taxes.

Fact: The US has the third lowest taxes of any developed country in the world.

MYTH #3: Cutting taxes creates jobs and raises revenue.

Fact: Tax cuts reduce revenue and are not associated with economic growth.

MYTH #4: The US tax system is very progressive because wealthy individuals already pay a disproportionate amount of taxes.

Fact: At a time of growing income inequality, the US tax system is basically flat.

When you take into account all of the taxes that individuals pay, the truth is that our tax system is relatively flat. The top one percent of income earners receives 20.3 percent of total income while paying 21.5 percent of total taxes and the lowest 20 percent of income earners receive 3.5 percent of total income while still paying out two percent of total taxes.

In other words, wealthy individuals pay a high percentage of taxes because they earn a highly disproportionate amount of income. This is a consequence of growing income inequality in the United States, which is at a level not seen since before the Great Depression.

MYTH #5: The “Fair Tax” or a flat tax would be more fair.

Fact: The “Fair Tax” or a flat tax would make our tax system even more regressive.

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