Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Bovine Buccaneers
Court opinions are often dry but read the rest of Justice Musmanno's dissent in the case of Bosley v. Andrews.
Generations of law students have smiled whenever assigned to read one of Musmanno's opinions.
[Photo by Theo Laconte at Unsplash]
Generations of law students have smiled whenever assigned to read one of Musmanno's opinions.
[Photo by Theo Laconte at Unsplash]
Deepfake
It's Halloween and if you really want to get scared, check out the "Deepfake" video at Cultural Offering.
[Photo by Beth Teutschmann at Unsplash]
Tuesday, October 30, 2018
Mantle's Numbers
During my 18 years I came to bat almost 9,000 times. I struck out almost 1,700 times and walked maybe 1,800 times. You figure a ballplayer will average about 500 at-bats a season. That means I played seven years in the major leagues without even hitting the ball.
- Mickey Mantle
Monday, October 29, 2018
Bock's Assignments
Catching up on Wally Bock's weekend leadership reading. It will be time well spent.
[Photo by Philippe Bout at Unsplash]
After the Pittsburgh Synagogue Attack
Washington wrote. “May the children of the stock of Abraham who dwell in this land continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants — while every one shall sit in safety under his own vine and fig tree and there shall be none to make him afraid.”
That final phrase, taken from the prophet Micah, was violated in the most obscene way on Saturday. But the story of America is a story of a country that has indeed served as vine and fig tree for the world’s most beleaguered peoples.
Read the rest of John Podhoretz in the New York Post.
That final phrase, taken from the prophet Micah, was violated in the most obscene way on Saturday. But the story of America is a story of a country that has indeed served as vine and fig tree for the world’s most beleaguered peoples.
Read the rest of John Podhoretz in the New York Post.
Support
General Sherman in a letter to General Grant:
"I knew wherever I was that you thought of me, and if I got in a tight place you would come, if alive."
First Paragraph
"I couldn't sleep last night, so I slipped downstairs and started watching Terminator 2 on television. It was so late it seemed like no one else was awake anywhere. From my living room, high in Beverly Hills, the glitter of Los Angeles below felt like key lights burning on an empty soundstage."
- From Who is Michael Ovitz? by Michael Ovitz
- From Who is Michael Ovitz? by Michael Ovitz
When Considering the Use of Words
A word can be misleading even when used as precisely as possible because the definition, although close, might not exactly describe the situation.
Watch out for that. A slight miscalculation in navigation can take us far afield and our words often serve as compasses.
[Photo by Aaron Burden at Unsplash]
Sunday, October 28, 2018
Saturday, October 27, 2018
The Quietest Little Fellow
President Lincoln telling one of his assistants about General Grant:
"Well, I hardly know what to think of him. He's the quietest little fellow you ever saw . . . He makes the least fuss of any man you ever saw. I believe two or three times he has been in this room a minute or so before I knew he was here. It's about so all around. The only evidence that you have that he's in any place is that he makes things git! Wherever he is, things move!"
- From The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace by H. W. Brands
Friday, October 26, 2018
The "Crash and Bang" versus "Knock It Off"
Althouse points to some interesting observations by Jerry Seinfeld about comedy, screwing up and "the crawl-back." An excerpt:
We know the routine: the person does something wrong. The person’s humiliated. They’re exiled. They suffer, we want them to suffer. We love the tumble, we love the crash and bang of the fall. And then we love the crawl-back. The grovel. Are you going to grovel? How long are you going to grovel? Are you going to cry? Are you going to Jimmy Swaggart? And people, I think, figured they had that coming with Louie — he owes us that. We, the court of public opinion, decided if he’s going to come back, he’d better show a lot of pain.
Execupundit note: Our society would benefit if we returned to frequent use of the "Knock it off and don't ever do that again" approach instead of escalating every slip or ill-chosen remark into a career-ending event.
[Photo by Sharon Garcia at Unsplash]
[Photo by Sharon Garcia at Unsplash]
So Often
So often, it's not an individual but a system. It's not the projects but the relationships. It's not the specific job but the overall mission. It's not the comment but the context. It's not the past but the present.
And keeping your eye on something only counts if it is the right something.
[Photo by rawpixel at Unsplash]
Thursday, October 25, 2018
On Order
I've gotten hooked on the Dingbats journals. Made in Lebanon. Excellent quality. A variety of styles. I usually keep one within reach so I can jot down thoughts.
Post-Workshop Mode
Checking and answering email. Sipping coffee milk. Making notes on class workbook changes. Reviewing PowerPoint for upcoming workshop on Trust. Notes for consulting project on how to turn around a department.
Thinking. Thinking. Thinking. Catch the thoughts before they drift away.
"The Unbearable Sameness of Cities"
New York magazine's Oriana Schwindt went to all 50 states and made a sad discovery. An excerpt:
And it wasn’t just the coffee shops — bars, restaurants, even the architecture of all the new housing going up in these cities looked and felt eerily familiar. Every time I walked into one of these places, my body would give an involuntary shudder. I would read over my notes for a city I’d visited months prior and find that several of my observations could apply easily to the one I was currently in.
[Photo by The Creative Exchange at Unsplash]
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
No Doubt About It
Click here for information on my favorite management consulting firm.
[Photo by Nick Hillier at Unsplash]
"As I Lay Kvetching"
Back by popular demand: David Sheffield's winning entry in the 2004 Faux Faulkner Contest in which he mingled the style of William Faulkner with the characters of The Three Stooges.
[Photo by Jp Valery at Unsplash]
Upcoming Programs and Seeing the Obvious
Over the next few days, I'll be teaching workshops on Equal Employment Opportunity/harassment prevention, tact in the workplace, strong and caring supervision, and trust. All of them are good and solid sessions (no bias there!) but you'll be hearing more about one in particular in the days ahead.
Thoughts and material eventually converge. It is exciting to discover an approach that has been idling on the desk - smoking, winking, and cracking jokes - for months or even years before it is noticed.
A Place to Live and Work
Even if you are not thinking of working at home, this post by The Sovereign Professional has some great examples.
[Photo by Marko Kovic at Unsplash]
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Excellent Series
Especially recommended for "Inspector Morse" fans. Season One is now on Amazon Prime.
Diversity of Opinion
One of the most pathetic—and dangerous—signs of our times is the growing number of individuals and groups who believe that no one can possibly disagree with them for any honest reason.
- Thomas Sowell
Hidden Wisdom
Be wiser than other people, if you can; but do not tell them so.
- Lord Chesterfield
[Photo by Pete Bellis at Unsplash]
Best Value Law Schools
The National Jurist's preLaw magazine has compiled a list of the "Best Value Law Schools."
Very interesting. Georgia State University's law school is number one.
[Photo by rawpixel at Unsplash]
Uniform of the Day
The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
- Romans 13:12 (King James version)
Don't hesitate to wear some shining armor today.
[Photo by Samuel Zeller at Unsplash]
Etiquette
We should restore the practice of dueling. It might improve manners around here.
- Edward Abbey
[Photo by Jens Lelie at Unsplash]
A Man at His Desk . . .
is one of the noble things in life and Kurt Harden has his windows open.
All the better to catch the scents of autumn.
By the way, great desk.
All the better to catch the scents of autumn.
By the way, great desk.
Monday, October 22, 2018
Customer Service and Flexibility
Larry Winget's story about a cookie should be shown at staff meetings.
[Photo by Erol Ahmed at Unsplash]
Distractions and Work
As you plan - and proceed through - your day, distinguish between the distractions and the work. Although some are, not all distractions are bad. They may involve learning or the nurturing of relationships, but they are not the core work that needs to be done that day.
[It is possible that an item which was a distraction one day will be part of work the next or vice-versa.]
Give the core work tasks at least 90 percent of your time. The work days that you regret are the ones where the distractions have consumed most of your time.
[Photo by rawpixel at Unsplash]
First Paragraph
"Captain MacWhirr, of the steamer Nan-Shan, had a physiognomy that, in order of material appearances, was the exact counterpart of his mind: it presented no marked characteristics of firmness or stupidity; it had no pronounced characteristics whatever; it was simply ordinary, irresponsive, and unruffled."
- From Typhoon by Joseph Conrad
- From Typhoon by Joseph Conrad
Chow Yun Fat
Tyler Cowen at Marginal Revolution on the life choices of Chow Yun Fat. An excerpt:
As reported by Jayne Stars, Hong Kong movie legend Chow Yun Fat will give his entire net worth of $5.6 billion HKD ($714m USD) to charity.
Despite his gargantuan wealth, Fat remains rather frugal. Only spending $800 HKD ($1o2 USD) per month, Fat is often seen taking public transport and doing charity work.
Sunday, October 21, 2018
Saturday, October 20, 2018
Boredom
To be bored is a way of making the least of things you often have a sneaking suspicion you need the most.
- Frederick Buechner, Listening to Your Life
Found on the Internet
It must be pretty terrifying living in the world described on the nightly news and in the pages of the New York Times and Washington Post.
- Comment by "clint" at the Althouse blog
The Difference
The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say 'no' to almost everything.
- Warren Buffett
[Photo by raw pixel at Unsplash]
Friday, October 19, 2018
"The Case Against Education"
Caplan’s subtitle promises to explain “why the education system is a waste of time and money.” He exempts the teaching of essentials like reading, writing, and basic math, and professional and vocational programs that develop in-demand job skills. As for the rest of the curriculum, forget it. “Teach curious students about ideas and culture,” he suggests. “Leave the rest in peace and hope they come around.” The core question that Caplan addresses is why employers so richly reward high school and college degrees, when the content of the coursework has so little to do with the jobs employers offer. Yet college graduates earn substantially more than high school graduates, who earn more than high school dropouts.
Read all of Gene Epstein's review of Bryan Caplan's new book in City Journal.
[Photo by Good Free Photos at Unsplash]