Welcome... and Good-bye!

HERE'S HOW IT ALL STARTED:
(The first post...)

This is a blog about credit unions...no more, no less.  Perhaps it will provoke a dialogue, perhaps it will just provoke.  The patron saint of this blog is Thomas Paine, a designation with which he would be amused.


Here are the categories:

• B-words ...observations about our for-profit, four letter f(r)iends.
• Duke Street ...home of the NCUA.
• Egosphere ...the leadership odyssey.
• FOIA ...Freedom of Information Act. A place to look under rocks.
• FTF ...From the field. The kind of stuff which slips through spell check.
• Opinion ...yours or mine.
• Pearls ...wisdom of the ages.
• People ...profiles, mugshots and eulogies.
• Risk ...regs, capital, ALM, TDR's, FASB, GAAP, and other dull stuff.
• Zen ...Aha!! moments.
• ??? ...a search for answers.

Public comments very welcome, preferably with your name.  All comments will be prudishly screened for language and civility.   Plenty of rant sites already available, let's not do another.  Emails welcome: jimblainecreditunion@gmail.com.  Upon your request, more than willing to put forward here publicly, significant questions or to submit FOIA requests on your behalf without attribution.

"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must undergo the fatigue of supporting it."

- Thomas Paine

          ... AND WITH THAT THOUGHT,

              IS ALSO HOW THIS BLOG ENDS!

CIAO!

[jimblainenc@gmail.com]

Sunday Morning Coming Down.... Women's March Washington, D.C.

HOT NOW !

It was early. There was a wet chill in the air.  The streets were still empty...

The Cat's Meow...

She was sitting alone in the Krispy Kreme, with her pink-knitted hat drinking a cup of hot coffee, with a .....

Ethics...

Q:  "What is two plus two?"

"Common Sense"...

Thomas Paine

The pamphlet "Common Sense" was published in Philadelphia by Thomas Paine on January 10, 1776 - two hundred and thirty-nine  years ago.  "Common Sense" sold over 250,000 copies in the Colonies, which at that time had a total population of about 3 million - equivalent to selling 30 million copies today!  The pamphlet made Thomas Paine America's first 'bestseller' and "Common Sense" went on to be published with equal acclaim throughout Europe.

George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson - all acknowledged that Paine's "Common Sense" was the deciding factor in turning the tide of public opinion in favor of independence in America.....

That Alleged Russian Influence....

Great time to be a Russian history major?

The last Russian Czar was partially brought down by the alleged influence of a Russian mystic over his wife, the Czarina. His name was Grigori Rasputin....

Mr. Rasputin !

(Yeow, scary!)

Instant replay...

Alternative Capital In 2017... ?

2016...

Government of the People….?

Poor government can be
ruinous...

"The penalty good men pay for not being interested in politics is to be governed by men worse than themselves."

- Plato

Rants And Raves...

Had about given up on everybody's favorite "Rants and Raves" until a snow storm delayed copy of Spruce Pine's finest newspaper arrived over the weekend.  

The sniping around Mitchell County had grown a

bit dull of late perhaps because the Mitchell-News Journal [link] had a new editor, or November's election shock still had hold, or maybe its just harder to be snide and snarky around Christmas - who knows? But "the quality" - or whatever you call it - of the
repartee was way down! Folks were simply asleep at the squeal! Well, until this one...

*  "Is anyone missing a very unusual pet rabbit  If so, call 828-765-7045. I have it."

Now I must admit that I didn't have the nerve to call that number to find out what was "very unusual" ; but...

All Of God's Children....

"Now is the time to make real the promises
                           of democracy."

"Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children."

          - Martin Luther King, Jr.

Sometimes it's important to...

Difficult Choices

If you had to choose between drinking wine and being CEO of CUNA, which would you choose?