Japan is turning everyday footsteps into clean electricity using piezoelectric floor tiles in busy areas like Shibuya and Tokyo Stations.
Rob Reiner as Vizzini
Continue to get up, show up, step up and do your best and sometimes luck will do the rest!
“I was convinced I would be fired at any moment. I had heard that Danny DeVito was the person they wanted, and I thought, how could I possibly compete with him? I spent every day on set thinking I was about to be sent home. That anxiety seeped into everything I did, and oddly enough, it gave Vizzini the manic edge that people now remember. It is one of life’s strangest ironies that my fear of being a failure is the very thing that made the character work.” Wallace Shawn’s words perfectly sum up his state of mind when stepping into the role of Vizzini in Rob Reiner’s 1987 fantasy adventure “The Princess Bride.”
The casting of Shawn was never straightforward. Rob Reiner had initially wanted DeVito for the part of the Sicilian criminal mastermind, a detail that haunted Shawn from the moment he arrived on set. The actor later shared that he would often lie awake in his hotel room, rehearsing lines and convincing himself that producers were already searching for a replacement. Every laugh he delivered carried the weight of his worry, yet that very nervousness translated into Vizzini’s frantic energy. The speed of his speech, the overconfident gestures, and the high-pitched exclamations all stemmed from his internal fear, which turned into comedic brilliance before the camera.
Shawn’s most famous contribution came in the form of a single word. His repeated cry of “Inconceivable!” has since become one of the most quoted lines in movie history. On screen, it was delivered with sharp conviction, yet in reality, it was fueled by the belief that he would not last another day on set. This duality gave Vizzini an authenticity that was both hilarious and oddly endearing. Reiner later praised Shawn for capturing exactly the kind of unpredictable humor the film needed, showing trust in an actor who had very little in himself at the time.
Andre the Giant, who played Fezzik, often recalled how Shawn’s nervous pacing before scenes added an extra layer of camaraderie on set. Cary Elwes wrote in his memoir about watching Shawn psych himself up, looking like a man preparing for his own dismissal, and then turning that raw tension into comedy gold. The cast admired how he never let his insecurity stop him from performing with full force, even if he was convinced he was doing poorly.
Reiner’s decision to keep Shawn was more than a practical choice; it was a recognition of how well the actor’s natural unease fit the character. Vizzini needed to be a man constantly straining for control, trying to appear brilliant while the world unraveled around him. Shawn’s interpretation captured that with precision. What he considered his weakness became the exact quality that made Vizzini unforgettable.
When asked years later about his time on “The Princess Bride,” Shawn spoke with gratitude, tinged with amusement at the irony. He explained that he had never imagined audiences would embrace a performance born out of pure self-doubt. For him, the greatest surprise was that his fear turned into laughter for millions of viewers. That laughter became part of the film’s enduring charm, proof that sometimes the most unlikely circumstances create the most lasting results.
Vizzini’s short time in the film cemented Shawn’s place in cinematic history. Although the character is defeated in the famous battle of wits, his presence lingers because of the unmatched delivery and the nervous spark that made him impossible to forget. Shawn’s own words remind us that insecurity can, at times, be transformed into art: “If you’re terrified enough, sometimes the fear itself does the work for you.”
The role that nearly slipped away instead became the performance of a lifetime, a playful reminder that even overwhelming anxiety can give birth to comedy that endures through generations.
Shawn’s terror, woven into every line, turned into pure delight for audiences, an outcome so perfectly improbable that even Vizzini might have called it inconceivable.
I’m a retired electrician
“My name’s Frank. I’m 64, a retired electrician.
Forty-two years I spent running wires through houses, fixing breakers, making sure people had light in their kitchens and heat in their winters. Never once did anyone ask me where I went to college. Mostly, they just wanted to know if I could get the power back on before their ice cream melted.
Last May, I was at my granddaughter Emily’s school career day. You know the drill — doctors, lawyers, a software guy in a slick suit talking about “scaling startups.” I was the only one there with a tool belt and work boots.
When it was my turn, I told the kids, “I don’t have a degree. I’ve never sat in a lecture hall. But I’ve wired schools, hospitals, and your principal’s house. And when the hospital generator failed during a snowstorm in ’98, I was the one in the basement with a flashlight, keeping the lights on for newborn babies upstairs.”
The kids leaned forward. They had questions — real ones. “How do you fix stuff in the dark?” “Do you make a lot of money?” “Do you ever get zapped?” (Yes, once, and it’ll curl your hair.)
When the bell rang, one boy hung back. Small kid, freckles, hoodie too big for him. He mumbled, “My uncle’s a plumber. People laugh at him ’cause he didn’t finish high school. But… he’s the only one in the family who can fix anything.”
I looked that boy in the eye and said, “Kid, your uncle’s a hero. When your toilet overflows at midnight, Harvard ain’t sending anyone. A plumber is.”
Here’s the thing nobody told me when I was young — the world doesn’t run without tradespeople. You can have all the engineers you want, but if nobody builds the house, wires the power, or lays the pipes, those blueprints just sit in a drawer.
We’ve made it sound like trades are what you do if you can’t go to college, instead of a path you choose because you like working with your hands, solving problems, and seeing your work stand solid for decades.
Four years after high school, some kids walk away with diplomas. Others walk away with zero debt, a union card, and a skill they can take anywhere in the world. And guess what? When your furnace dies in January, it’s not the diploma that saves you.
A few weeks ago, that same freckled kid’s mom stopped me at the grocery store. She said, “You probably don’t remember, but you told my son trades are important. He’s shadowing his uncle this summer. First time I’ve seen him excited about anything in years.”
That’s the part we forget — for some kids, knowing their path is respected changes everything. It’s not about “just” fixing wires or pipes. It’s about pride. Purpose. The kind that sticks with you long after the job’s done.
So next time you meet a teenager, don’t just ask, “Where are you going to college?” Ask, “What’s your plan?” And if they say, “I’m learning to weld,” or “I’m starting an apprenticeship,” smile big and say, “That’s fantastic. We’re going to need you.”
Because we will. More than ever. And when the lights go out, you’ll be glad they showed up.”
What One Billionaire Knows About Outlasting a Dollar Collapse
I’ve Got You
Every afternoon, without fail, Winston, my brindle Great Dane, performs his daily ritual. He goes to the toy basket, sifts through a dozen perfectly good toys, and pulls out one specific, old, worn-out tennis ball. He doesn’t chew it or play with it. He simply carries it in his mouth with the utmost care, finds a spot on the living room rug, and lies down, resting his big chin on it.
At first, I thought it was just a strange habit. A running joke in the family was that it was his “emotional support ball.” But the more I watched him, the more I realized it was so much more. He just cherishes it, holding onto it as if it’s the most valuable thing he owns.
A few weeks ago, I was sitting on the floor, feeling completely overwhelmed by a big project at work. I was stressed and anxious, just staring into space. I didn’t say a word, but Winston must have felt my energy. He quietly walked over to me with his tennis ball, gently nudged my hand, and nudged the ball into my palm. He looked at me with his soft, knowing eyes, and for a moment, the world felt still. He was offering me his most prized possession, a silent gesture of comfort that said, “I’ve got you.”
Some people might not believe it, but in that moment, I knew. Dogs have a way of seeing straight into your soul and offering exactly what you need, without ever having to say a single word.
THIS Is How You Change The World. Doing Your Best To Improve Things. Daniel and Daughters.
In 1985, in a quiet village in East Africa, a man named Daniel stood barefoot with his three daughters. His wife had passed during childbirth the year before. He never remarried. He didn’t have the time-or the heart. He was a farmer, a builder, a father, and a dreamer all in one.
Their home had no electricity. Some nights, dinner was just boiled roots and water. But what they had—what Daniel made sure they always had—was dignity.
Every morning before sunrise, he woke his girls and walked them two miles to the schoolhouse. He couldn’t read or write himself, but he sat outside the classroom every day, waiting in the shade, just so they wouldn’t have to walk home alone.
Sometimes he went without food so they could buy a pencil.
He sold his wedding ring to afford exam fees.
He worked three jobs during harvest season just to buy secondhand textbooks—many missing pages.
People laughed.
“They are girls,” they said.
“What future do they have?”
Daniel didn’t answer.
He just kept walking beside them.
Years passed. One by one, they graduated.
One by one, they earned scholarships.
And one by one… they crossed oceans.
In 2025, 40 years after that photo was taken, the world saw something no one expected:
A new image of the same man, standing proudly-this time in front of a hospital-with his three daughters, all wearing white coats.
Doctors.
All of them.
When asked how he felt, Daniel cried softly and whispered,
“I never gave them the world. I just never let the world take their #hope away.”
He grew crops with his hands, but he raised doctors with his heart.
And in the quiet shadow of a man the world never knew, three girls rose… and changed it.
By Harper Lily
Wise Words From Hopi Indian Chief White Eagle
Hopi Indian Chief White Eagle commented a few days ago on the current situation:
“This moment humanity is experiencing can be seen as a door or a hole. The decision to fall in the hole or walk through the door is up to you. If you consume the news 24 hours a day, with negative energy, constantly nervous, with pessimism, you will fall into this hole.
But if you take the opportunity to look at yourself, to rethink life and death, to take care of yourself and others, then you will walk through the portal.
Take care of your home, take care of your body. Connect with your spiritual home. When you take care of yourself, you take care of everyone at the same time.
Do not underestimate the spiritual dimension of this crisis. Take the perspective of an eagle that sees everything from above with a broader view. There is a social question in this crisis, but also a spiritual question. The two go hand in hand.
Without the social dimension we fall into fanaticism.
Without the spiritual dimension, we fall into pessimism and futility.
Are you ready to face this crisis? Grab your toolbox and use all the tools at your disposal.
Learn resistance from the example of Indian and African peoples: we have been and are exterminated. But we never stopped singing, dancing, lighting a fire and rejoicing.
Don’t feel guilty for feeling blessed in these troubled times.
Being sad or angry doesn’t help at all. Resistance is resistance through joy!
You have the right to be strong and positive. And there’s no other way to do it than to maintain a beautiful, happy, bright posture.
Has nothing to do with alienation (ignorance of the world).
It’s a resistance strategy.
When we cross the threshold, we have a new worldview because we faced our fears and difficulties. This is all you can do now:
– Serenity in the storm
– Keep calm, pray everyday
– Make a habit of meeting the sacred everyday.
Show resistance through art, joy, trust and love.”
Hopi Indian Chief White Eagle
Elephant Rescue
Paying Attention
How many ways do we have of saying this?
Stay in present time.
Concentrate.
Ignore distractions.
Pay attention.
Stop dwelling on the past.
Focus.
Don’t get pulled off purpose.
Stay the path.
Discipline yourself.
And how many mental techniques and administrative tools have we developed to helps us remember and do the above?
And why is all the above it necessary?
Quite simply it is because your attention is pulled out of present time and into the past by losses and moments of pain and unconsciousness.
For instance, have you ever had a disagreement or argument with a person and walked away without resolving it, continuing to stew on it?
Ever had someone say something unkind or unpleasant to you and thought about it on and off for days?
Let’s look at how this plays out in real life. Let’s say arbitrarily that you have 1000 units of attention you can apply to thinking or any other task you are doing, like driving your car.
Let’s assume that when you have an argument, disagreement or loss you lose just one attention unit from your potential maximum that you have to focus on things. Just one in a thousand. Not a lot. Just .1 of a percent.
After you look over your past life you might be forgiven for wondering how you can still function at all, considering you’ve most likely had more than 1,000 times in your life when you have hit your arm, bumped your shin, taken the skin off your knee, been invalidated by another in school, jilted romantically, not gotten the exam result, job or promotion you expected, been rebuffed by a partner… …the list of ways you can experience loss is almost endless!
In fact, one researcher estimated that the average person has only 30% of their attention units still in present time. That 70% of the average person’s attention units were encysted or trapped in past losses.
That’s a pretty sobering thought, when you consider the average person drives around with only 30% of their available attention units available to them. On the same roads as you and me!
Sort of goes some way to explaining some of the things you see when out and about. That and a lack or personal ethics. But that’s another story for another day.
You may have even seen somebody do something pretty wild and wondered to yourself, or even out loud, “What in heaven’s name does he think he’s doing? Where IS he?” Meaning he is not here, accurately observing his environment as it is in present time.
Truth is, he actually IS someWHEN else as well as someWHERE else. Too many of his attention units are not here in present time, where he is now. They are stuck back in time and at a place where he experienced a loss.
This all seems pretty grim until you learn there is a way you can recover these attention units from the past and place them at your disposal in present time.
In a simple exercise, done at home, in your own time and at your own pace that takes just 15 minutes a day. From a book that costs less than $50 including postage.
Contact me if you would like to naturally and comfortably have more attention units in present time.
Simon lets Max Fox sing for him from audience and scores Golden Buzzer
Great song, great voice and a bit of courage land a great result!