Random Thoughts

The ethical standards of an organization can be measured by the extent to which its leadership attempts to excuse the inexcusable. Much of television reflects two experiences: being stranded in a bar with loud drunks who think they're clever and the repeated watching of an 8th grade play. Fall, not Spring, brings a promise of renewal. Priorities and missions are not always self-evident. There used to be a cozy thought that if you only knew people better, you'd like them. The Internet has pretty much killed that theory. The world frequently reminds us that weakness is provocative, especially to evil people. There are gentle warriors and vicious pacifists. Shining your shoes is an art and a pleasure. It can take years to get a customer and seconds to lose one. If you want to destroy a nation, teach its children to be embarrassed of patriotism.  I wonder if the new methods for teaching math will produce a wave of math-phobia. Some political movements are suicidal. Why are supervisors upset because an incompetent employee has a lousy attendance record? Lack of sleep delivers frequent invoices. Generalists and specialists tend to envy one another. Allies promote focus while adversaries promote distraction. Drugstores become much more interesting as one grows older. Clarity and candor are key elements for effective teams and should become core values.  No level of joy surpasses that of an academic who has discovered a rival's error. Never stop asking about how things work.