Letter from the CEO

Looking Forward

by Robert Pritchett

In a world that seems to be preoccupied with trying to destroy itself, I personally seek after that which is of Ògood report or praiseworthyÓ and bring those things to your attention here in macCompanion.

Joseph Smith Jr. wrote back in March 1842 to a John Wentworth, editor and proprietor of the Chicago Democrat, since known as the Wentworth Letter and became the 13 Articles of Faith. The last one reads;

We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul—We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

http://scriptures.lds.org/a_of_f/1

Over the years, IÕve tried to put this into practice by attempting to Òaccentuate the positive and eliminate the negativeÓ, that was sung into popularity by Bing Crosby and Johnny Mercer:

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive

Gather round me, everybody

Gather round me, while I preach some

Feel a sermon coming on here

The topic will be sin

And thatÕs what IÕm aginÕ

If you wanna hear my story

Then settle back and just sit tight

While I start reviewing

The attitude of doing right

You've got to accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative

Latch on to the affirmative

Don't mess with Mister In-Between

You've got to spread joy up to the maximum

Bring gloom down to the minimum

Have faith or pandemonium

Liable to walk upon the scene

(To illustrate his last remark

Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark

What did they do

Just when everything looked so dark)

Man, they said we better

Accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative

Latch on to the affirmative

Don't mess with Mister In-Between

No, do not mess with Mister In-Between

Do you hear me, hmm?

(Oh, listen to me children and-a you will hear

About the elininatin' of the negative

And the accent on the positive)

And gather 'round me children if you're willin'

And sit tight while I start reviewin'

The attitude of doin' right

(You've gotta accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative

Latch on to the affirmative

Don't mess with Mister In-Between)

You've got to spread joy (up to the maximum)

Bring gloom (down) down to the minimum

Otherwise (otherwise) pandemonium

Liable to walk upon the scene

To illustrate (well illustrate) my last remark (you got the floor)

Jonah in the whale, Noah in the ark

What did they say (what did they say)

Say when everything looked so dark

Man, they said we better

Accentuate the positive

Eliminate the negative

Latch on to the affirmative

Don't mess with Mister In-Between

No! Don't mess with Mister In-Between

(Harold Arlen/Johnny Mercer)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate_the_Positive

Another great song that puts life into proper perspective was one created by Terry Gilkyson http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Gilkyson for Disney Studios and became famous in the Disney version of The Jungle Book and sung by the bear Balou;

http://www.niehs.nih.gov/kids/lyrics/bearnec.htm

The Bare Necessities

Look for the bare necessities

The simple bare necessities

Forget about your worries and your strife

I mean the bare necessities

Old Mother Nature's recipes

That brings the bare necessities of life

Wherever I wander, wherever I roam

I couldn't be fonder of my big home

The bees are buzzin' in the tree

To make some honey just for me

When you look under the rocks and plants

And take a glance at the fancy ants

Then maybe try a few

The bare necessities of life will come to you

They'll come to you!

Look for the bare necessities

The simple bare necessities

Forget about your worries and your strife

I mean the bare necessities

That's why a bear can rest at ease

With just the bare necessities of life

Now when you pick a pawpaw

Or a prickly pear

And you prick a raw paw

Next time beware

Don't pick the prickly pear by the paw

When you pick a pear

Try to use the claw

But you don't need to use the claw

When you pick a pear of the big pawpaw

Have I given you a clue?

The bare necessities of life will come to you

They'll come to you!

So just try and relax, yeah cool it

Fall apart in my backyard

'Cause let me tell you something little britches

If you act like that bee acts, uh uh

You're working too hard

And don't spend your time lookin' around

For something you want that can't be found

When you find out you can live without it

And go along not thinkin' about it

I'll tell you something true

The bare necessities of life will come to you

(Reprise)

Look for the bare necessities

The simple bare necessities

Forget about your worries and your strife

I mean the bare necessities

Old Mother Nature's recipes

With just the bare necessities of life

As we begin a new school year here in the US and wait expectantly for the next Mac OS X from Apple in the spring of 2007, we can think positive and continue to seek after those things of good report.

Personally, I think Apple helps get the Òbare necessitiesÓ of life by helping us forget our worries and our strife – and isnÕt that why we continue to seek out what is praiseworthy in the Mac community?

Now for some more good news. Take a 2-minute survey at http://www.tinyurl.com/zo476 for a discount on a new glossy Mac quarterly magazine planned to be released soon.