THE WELCH COMPANY
440 Davis Court #1602
San Francisco, CA 94111-2496
415 781 5700
rod@welchco.com


S U M M A R Y


DIARY: April 14, 2004 02:43 PM Wednesday; Rod Welch

Letter to Ross on family progress, and on Millie.

1...Summary/Objective


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CONTACTS 

SUBJECTS
SDS Official Presence at Boeing Opportunity for IBM to Correct Error                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        
0503 -                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
0503 -    ..
0504 - Summary/Objective                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
0505 -                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
050501 - Follow up ref SDS 3 0000.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
050502 -                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
050503 - Sent a letter, ref DIT 1 0001, to Ross following up our letters on                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
050504 - Ross' letter on 031020, ref SDS 3 0001, and the response that                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
050505 - disucssed the various issues Ross raised. ref SDS 3 IS3L                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
050506 -                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
050507 -    1.  How are things?  Hope everyone there is in good health, and                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
050508 -        that IBM is still meeting the payroll, at least for you.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
050509 -        ref DIT 1 0001                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
050511 -         ..
050512 -    2.  Read somewhere (maybe Drucker) that most firms collapse within                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
050513 -        50 years, because bumbling reaches critical mass and markets                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
050514 -        change, but culture resists improvement, under what Friedman                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
050515 -        calls the "Tyranny of the status quo," where the cost of                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
050516 -        bumbling eventually and overwhelms revenues.  IBM is way beyond                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
050517 -        the law of averages, thanks to your hard work, and no doubt to                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
050518 -        others as well. Just not sure how anyone can survive a decision                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
050519 -        to buy LN for $3-4B.... ref DIT 1 266F                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
050521 -         ..
050522 -    3.  Millie has suffered recurrence; here is a letter to her son,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
050523 -        ref DIP 1 0001, submitted today, ref SDS 5 0001, with some                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
050524 -        links that update her situation. ref DIT 1 266O                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
050526 -         ..
050527 -    4.  A couple of links are not active because the stuff is                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
050528 -        sensitive, but generally the letter is approved for "truck                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
050529 -        drivers."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
050531 -         ..
050532 -    5.  How is Hutch doing - have you and Claudia been over to the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
050533 -        dorm, or wherever he is staying, to see how things are going?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
050534 -        Did he get back to football, is flying jets still a goal, along                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
050535 -        with med school?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
050537 -         ..
050538 -    6.  Has Stu shot up to 6-10 yet (from 5 10 in your last letter)?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
050539 -        You're going to have plenty of help putting things away and                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
050540 -        getting them down from the top shelf in the cupboard.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
050542 -         ..
050543 -    7.  The way things are going, glad Richard is out of Iraq; but,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
050544 -        glad we are there, because otherwise they will be here, and                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
050545 -        then we'll needs Richard's expertise in Fresno, Dallas, New                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
050546 -        York, et al.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
050548 -         ..
050549 -    8.  A reporter asked the president in a news conference yesterday                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
050550 -        how long we'll be in Iraq, implying that competent leadership                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
050551 -        can estimate the duration of war and peace, with the precision                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
050552 -        of an estimate for building a bridge, or flying to Hawaii?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
050553 -        Wish George had offered up that the "price of freedom is                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
050554 -        eternal vigilance," proven by terrorist attacks in the US on                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
050555 -        010911 1304. ref SDS 2 0001  Of course "eternal" is a long time                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
050556 -        -- we must always be on guard (discussed previously in the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
050557 -        record on 940628 1255. ref SDS 1 0089), and, since a free                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
050558 -        society is open and susceptible to attack on thousands of                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
050559 -        targets, then unless we are prepared to sit back and wait to be                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
050560 -        struck, our only true defense in a nuclear age is being                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
050561 -        vigilant with proactive, preemptive offense in the enemy's                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
050562 -        theater of operations.  Iraq is in the center of that theater,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
050563 -        and so that is where we must be, until the character of the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
050564 -        culture is no longer focused on the destruction of the West.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
050565 -        Just as we have a continuing need for police here at home, and                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
050566 -        just as we don't close down the police force because a few                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
050567 -        policemen get killed in the line of duty, so too, we must                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
050568 -        remain vigilant in our current purpose.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
050569 -                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
050570 -            [On 110316 1220 letter commending Ross' son Hutch making                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
050571 -            progress in military service to stand guard because eternal                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
050572 -            vigilance is the price of freedom, with Middle East                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
050573 -            exploding into multiple revolutions. ref SDS 6 6N6J                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
050575 -         ..
050576 -    9.  Changing gears -- we've had a slight upward blip on SDS --                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
050577 -        somehow got a no cost contract for Boeing to use SDS for a                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
050578 -        year. Doesn't pay any bills, but it is a pretty big step for                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
050579 -        Boeing. There is a simmering fuss with the procurement folks                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
050580 -        under the cultural imperatives discussed above -- which                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
050581 -        hopefully will go away.  We've been there a year unofficially,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
050582 -        and now will have another year of official presence, where SDS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
050583 -        records have become the official "record" for a key part of the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
050584 -        project.  If this can be solidified by getting SDS records on                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
050585 -        the Boeing intranet, where distribution is expanded around the                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
050586 -        world and to their customer and subs, then there might be                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
050587 -        leverage to develop a revenue stream, based on feeding a                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
050588 -        continuing demand for "organizational memory."  We actually got                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
050589 -        a few SDS-type words into the contract. Seems like we're                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
050590 -        building Rome one brick at a time on this project, but maybe                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
050591 -        we're onto a path with upside opportunity.  Time will tell.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
050593 -         ..
050594 -   10.  Again, hope all is well.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
050596 -         ..
050597 -   11.  Rest is fine.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
050606 -                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
050608 -         ..
050609 -   14.  Post Script                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
050610 -                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
050611 -        If time permits, send Millie a note.  She will be taking                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
050612 -        time off work, and is talking about traveling.  Mil will be a bit                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
050613 -        tethered to treatments now, once a week with a week off, so we                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
050614 -        cannot do any long term trips, like for several weeks.  If you                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
050615 -        and Claudia feel comfortable with the idea, you might suggest she                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
050616 -        visit you in New York for a weekend.  Give it some thought.  We                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
050617 -        are, also, talking about Yosemite -- she has fond memories of our                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
050618 -        two (2) trips with you.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
050619 -                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
050620 -                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
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0507 -