Monday, November 30, 2020
Seek Simplicity
"As soon as you are complicated, you are ineffectual."
- Maxim favored by Konrad Adenauer
- Maxim favored by Konrad Adenauer
Got Guilt?
As an old EEO officer and consultant, I cannot think of more serious threats to the cause of equal opportunity than some of the glib theories being bought by credulous corporations these days.
Coleman Hughes looks at "White Fragility."
I recommend Shelby Steele's "White Guilt" as an antidote.
Political Traps
"Boys, if they want to trap Big Jim with a beautiful blonde and a bottle of fine whiskey, why, they're going to catch him every time!"
- Big Jim Folsum, Governor of Alabama during the fiftiesCreativity
When man wanted to make a machine that would walk he created the wheel, which does not resemble a leg.
- Guillaume Apollinnaire
- Guillaume Apollinnaire
Sunday, November 29, 2020
Saturday, November 28, 2020
Election Questions?
The Spectator: pollster Patrick Basham on why the 2020 presidential election is deeply puzzling.
Throughout the media you'll find back-and-forths on various points but there are several areas which, regardless of who actually won, should be very troubling.
This is a bad time for us to have an unprofessional news industry.
Smells
Althouse points to an article on memory and the power of smells.
[I catch a whiff of Camel cigarettes and am immediately back on an Army post at five in the morning waiting to get on a Deuce-and-a-Half.]
Vanity Fair
I have not seen this but I highly recommend the novel. It has one of the greatest female villains in all of literature.
The Age of Cant
I think that we live in an era of cant. I do not say that it is the only such age. But it has never been, at least in my lifetime, as important as it is now to hold the right opinions and to express none of the wrong ones, if one wants to avoid vilification and to remain socially frequentable. Worse still, and even more totalitarian, is the demand for public assent to patently false or exaggerated propositions; refusal to kowtow in such circumstances becomes almost as bad a sin as uttering a forbidden view. One must join in the universal cant—or else.
Read all of Theodore Dalrymple's essay in City Journal.
The Greatest Detective in the World
Elaine Simpson-Long has the details.
I know this is going on my Christmas list.
[HT: Karlene Edwards]
Friday, November 27, 2020
When the Weird Becomes Fascinating
Studying Nazi police bureaucracy and weaving through the various machinations of the Sipo, Kripo, Gestapo, etc.
It's related to a project. Full report when I am finished.
The Key
In Thanksgiving conversation yesterday, one blog post came up.
Was it about leadership, management, ethics, communication, business, or government?
No, it was this one.
Celebrating Nonconformists
Jonathan Turley sees Thanksgiving as a good time to celebrate nonconformists. He also notes the ominous signs that free expression is imperiled. An excerpt:
One of the more chilling cases of this trend is Richard Stengel, the man selected to lead the transition team on media agencies and policies. He wrote a Washington Post column last year that denounced speech as a threat to harmony. He failed to convince readers that what they need is less freedom. “All speech is not equal, and where truth cannot drive out lies, we must add new guardrails. I am all for protecting thought that we hate, but not speech that incites hate,” Stengel argued.An Infantile Intolerance
Unherd: Douglas Murray writes on Jordan Peterson versus the crybullies.
It is time to fight back against moves to squelch freedom of expression. Those moves aren't just coming from campus radicals.
Advice from Adrian Savage
Over the years I have posted this advice from Adrian Savage, the leadership author and scholar:
You don't need a life plan. You don't need motivation, self-confidence, peer support or even luck. All you need is the willingness to take the most obvious step - then repeat the process again and again, regardless of how you feel. Try it. Happiness comes from seeing the results of your efforts. You don't need it before you start.
[Photo by Charl Folscher at Unsplash]
Thursday, November 26, 2020
The Pilgrim Spirit
In a selfless act of heroism, Cultural Offering has decided to forego the Swanson's TV Turkey Dinner option.
Some history from 2018.
Remember: The American Soul
We were sitting on the patio under a black, moonless sky, our faces lit by the flickering light of a few candles in the center of a large stone table. We all had iced drinks in our hands or in front of us. His interruption took the form of very slowly putting down the glass that was in his hand - so slowly and so quietly, and with such a measured, even movement that at first it seemed like some kind of ritual gesture. Everyone suddenly became quiet and looked at him, waiting. I remember listening for a long time to the waves of the bay and watching the lights of San Francisco across the water. The wind was shifting and turning cool. People were putting their collars up and hugging themselves, but no one dared get up. Foghorns were answering each other like far-off, unseen sea creatures.
Just as slowly and evenly, he angled his long, lean body back in his chair and gazed at nothing in particular. Then he turned his head as though it were a gun turret and looked directly at the husky, bearded young man who had just been speaking about the crimes of America. In the flickering candlelight, his bony face seemed wondrously alive and menacing at the same time. What he said to the young man - and of course to all of us present - was only this:"You don't know what you have here." Then, after an uncomfortable pause, "You simply don't know what you have."
- From The American Soul: Rediscovering the Wisdom of the Founders by Jacob Needleman
Happy Thanksgiving!
A holiday about gratitude. Always needed. Always great.
[Photo by Preslie Hirsch at Unsplash]
Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Class Prep
The elevated desk works well. I am going to have to move a large photo of Churchill on the wall behind me so I can squeeze in a flip chart but I'll have plenty of room for hand gestures and other elements of the performing arts.
Because every class is a performance. The presentation cannot be dry. It must be memorable.
"Service Stations"
There are days when I deeply miss what used to be called "service stations."
"Want me to check under the hood?"
And when a free glass came with a full tank of gas.
[Photo by Boston Public Library at Unsplash]
Aldous Huxley Smiles
The delayed adolescence and hyper-fear of risk-taking that have become evident in recent years makes me wonder if a sizable portion of our population would eagerly give up freedom in order to live out the rest of their days in a "Club Fed" type of prison or a very hip nursing home.
[Photo by Zacke Feller at Unsplash]
I Am The Pie Man
My sole Thanksgiving chore is picking up pies at Village Inn.
It's tough, but someone has to do it.
[And after Thanksgiving, I will be The Walrus.]
When They Seek to Destroy Freedom of Thought and Expression
Penguin Random House employees in Canada are upset about the firm publishing a new Jordan Peterson book.
[I will, of course, make a point of buying that book.]
Tuesday, November 24, 2020
True Humility
True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.
- C.S. Lewis
Appearance of Impropriety Update
The Babylon Bee: Famed archaeology professor fired after photos surface of him wearing a Nazi uniform.
Be Alert
The most dangerous ideas in a society are not the ones being argued, but the ones that are assumed.
- C.S. Lewis
Two Executives
The first executive has a lot of rough edges, is blunt to the point of rudeness and sometimes even far beyond. But this person has one saving grace: he or she produces results.
The second executive is ultra smooth and sophisticated. Picture-perfect and quite charming. But this person has one flaw: talks a great game but doesn't seem to produce very much.
You can learn a lot about an organization by seeing which one is favored.
Office Update
My home office "reformation" is progressing nicely.
The electric desk is assembled. Another, more traditional, desk arrives in early December. Both desks have large work spaces and the elevated desk will permit me to stand while teaching classes on Zoom. A reading chair, a bookcase, and a new filing cabinet also are in the pipeline.
The two desks will have very different "personalities" and will be separated with a diagonal walkway leading to a small reading area.
I know I should have addressed the matter of the floor first but that was not possible. Getting the furniture in order will be a relief and will speed up completion of some projects. The issues with the floor can wait.
P.S. Major cheers for banker's boxes and trash bags.
Monday, November 23, 2020
Put That in Your Planner
I've been using a Levenger Circa Planner for years but am always looking around.
The Silence and the Silencing
The media is virtually silent on these threats to coerce lawyers and legislators into silence. That is not viewed as a threat to the rule of law.
Read the rest of Jonathan Turley's essay here.
Confessions Matter
The New Criterion: When Princeton's systemic racism confession backfired.
[Photo by Kirubakaran Manoharan at Unsplash]
Get to the Point
Steve Layman (of A Layman's Blog) reviews a book on decision-making with an observation that could be applied to many a business book:
"This is an interesting and worthwhile book. If it was 100 pages shorter, I would have recommended it."
Do It Now or Consciously Delay
My son and I had a talk the other day about the practice of the late and great rabbi, Menachem Mendel Schneerson (often called the Rebbe) who followed a practice of immediately doing important things.
Did that mean that the Rebbe had no sense of priorities? Does that mean that his practice should always be followed?
No. It means that he knew the power of immediate action and that he was wary of the immense temptation to lapse into unnecessary delays.
I suggest keeping two people in mind:
Rabbi Schneerson with his "Do it now" approach and former Secretary of State George Shultz with his advice to "Don't just do something. Stand there."
Each can be right but not at the same time.
A Pre-Pandemic Epidemic of Loneliness
From City Journal in 2019: Kay S. Hymowitz on the problem of loneliness. An excerpt:
Loneliness, public-health experts tell us, is killing as many people as obesity and smoking. It’s not much comfort that Americans are not, well, alone in this. Germans are lonely, the bon vivant French are lonely, and even the Scandinavians—the happiest people in the world, according to the UN’s World Happiness Report—are lonely, too. British prime minister Theresa May recently appointed a “Minister of Loneliness.”
Sunday, November 22, 2020
Saturday, November 21, 2020
Sign Me Up
80-year-olds of the future
New York Post: Scientists reverse the aging process in a new study.
[Photo by Naassom Azevedo at Unsplash]
Some Key Questions for Boards
- John and Miriam Carver in The Policy Governance Model and the Role of the Board Member
Alive and Thriving on Twitter
"The most striking among Milgram's findings is the inverse ratio of readiness to cruelty and proximity to its victim. It is difficult to harm a person we touch. It is somewhat easier to afflict pain upon a person we only see at a distance. It is still easier in the case of a person we only hear. It is quite easy to be cruel towards a person we neither see nor hear."
- Zygmunt Bauman in Modernity and the Holocaust
"What Tech Calls Thinking"
City Journal: Michael Gibson reviews Adrian Daub's new book on Silicon Valley.
Friday, November 20, 2020
A Narrative Already Written
Bravo to Wired for going further into the account of the South Dakota emergency room nurse who allegedly encountered angry COVID deniers.
Questions
Thursday, November 19, 2020
Another Reason to Read Raymond Chandler
“I called him up from a phone booth. The voice that answered was fat. It wheezed softly, like the voice of a man who had just won a pie-eating contest.”
- Raymond Chandler
- Raymond Chandler
Listening to "JR"
The Guardian: Actor Nick Sullivan tells of how he brought 120 characters to life while recording the audio version of "JR."
If you've ever encountered William Gaddis's novels, you can imagine the effort behind an audiobook.
Gurri: Claims of Competence of the Elites
The financial crash of 2008 and the pandemic of 2020 have been moments of great clarity, when the claims of competence of the elites and the experts have been exposed as hollow. The rhetorical style of the industrial age was utopian: if only we mix the right amount of data with great enough power, we can fix the human condition. That illusion should have vanished when the Soviet Union went out of business but, perversely, it has clung to political debates in democratic societies. We should know by now that human knowledge is frail and limited. A little humility in elite rhetoric would go a long way towards restoring trust.
10 Rules for Thanksgiving
I wrote this post several years ago and it is now an Execupundit tradition:
- Thou shalt not discuss politics at the dinner. There is next to no chance that you'll convert anyone and any hard feelings that are generated may last long after the pumpkin pie is finished. Why spoil a good meal?
- Thou shalt limit discussion of The Big Game. This is mainly directed at the men who choose to argue plays, records, and coaches while their wives stare longingly at the silverware. The sharp silverware.
- Thou shalt say nice things about every dish. Including the bizarre one with Jello and marshmallows.
- Thou shalt be especially kind to anyone who may feel left out. Some Thanksgiving guests are tag-alongs or, as we say in the business world, "new to the organization." Make a point of drawing them in.
- Thou shalt be wary of gossip. After all, do you know what they say when you leave the room? Remember the old saying: All of the brothers are valiant and all of the sisters are virtuous.
- Thou shalt not hog the white or dark meat. We know you're on Atkins but that's no excuse.
- Thou shalt think mightily before going back for seconds. Especially if that means waddling back for seconds.
- Thou shalt not get drunk. Strong drink improves neither your wit nor your discretion. Give everyone else a gift by remaining sober.
- Thou shalt be cheerful. This is not a therapy session. This is not the moment to recount all of the mistakes in your life or to get back at Uncle Bo for the wisecrack he made at your high school graduation. This is a time for Rule #10.
- Thou shalt be thankful. You're above ground and functioning in an extraordinary place at an extraordinary time. Many people paid a very heavy price (and I'm not talking about groceries) to give you this day. Take some time to think of them and to express gratitude to your friends and relatives. Above all, give special thanks to the divine power who blesses you in innumerable ways.
Doxing, Harassment, and Certification
Jonathan Turley on an attempt to rescind certification of the Michigan results.
Miscellaneous and Fast
- Outside magazine: A guide to having Thanksgiving outdoors.
- First Things: Michael Connelly's 35th crime novel.
- The Governor of California does not dine at a laundry.
- The trailer for "Alabama Snake."
- Priorities: Strip clubs opening before churches.
- Crank it up: Beethoven's "Turkish March."
- City Journal: "Trump's Pennsylvania Long-Shot."
- Delish: Cherry Garcia brownies.
- Mediaite: New York's election train wreck.
- The Federalist: Threatening children in Michigan.
- The Paris Review: Isaac Bashevis Singer's short story: "The Murderer."
First Paragraph
Some revolutions begin with a gunshot, others with a party. This one was kicked off on a Friday night in downtown Athens, in 415 BCE. Alcibiades, a prominent Greek general and politician, had invited a small circle of friends to his villa for what was to become one of the more famous bacchanals in history. Hooded in the stolen robes of a high priest, Alcibiades swept down his marble staircase, recited a forbidden incantation, and produced an ornate decanter. Carefully, he poured a single shot of a dark liquid into each guest's glass. A few words, an exuberant cheer, and everyone drained their cups.
- From Stealing Fire: How Silicon Valley, the Navy SEALs, and Maverick Scientists Are Revolutionizing the Way We Live and Work by Steven Kotler and Jamie Wheal
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
Chief Justice Bumble?
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court says that election observers don't need to see anything, they just need to be in the room?
No, this is not an article from The Onion.
Charles Dickens would have smiled. Mr. Bumble has moved up in the world.
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Discrimination in the Name of Diversity
Commentary magazine: Christine Rosen on how Harvard discriminates against Asian Americans.
Office Remodeling
Should be done by mid-December.
The electric adjustable desk arrives this week.
The large quasi-traditional desk arrives in December.
May paint one wall bright yellow.
Just to wake me up.
Quotes for Today
A Large Regular has a great assortment of insights.
[Any collection with Christopher Hitchens and Thomas Sowell gets my attention.]
Revolution on Cat's Feet
Real Clear Books: Rod Dreher sees a quiet totalitarian revolution coming.
[Photo by Steve Harvey at Unsplash]
The Substackrati: Lions, Tigers, and Bears
Columbia Journalism Review: Clio Chang on Substack and its writers. Clio soon lets us know her take:
But as you peruse the lists, something becomes clear: the most successful people on Substack are those who have already been well-served by existing media power structures. Most are white and male; several are conservative. Matt Taibbi, Andrew Sullivan, and most recently, Glenn Greenwald—who offer similar screeds about the dangers of cancel culture and the left—all land in the top ten. (Greenwald’s arrival bumped the like-minded Yascha Mounk to eleventh position; soon, Matthew Yglesias signed up for Substack, too.)My First Class on Zoom
As part of my management consulting practice, I have been teaching a workshop on "Equal Employment Opportunity" for decades.
Decades.
Equal Employment Opportunity is a fascinating subject. The various types of discrimination are discussed via fast-paced case examples and there is always one goal: to provide practical information that is easy to understand and which can be put to immediate use.
Well, the bad news is that when the pandemic hit, all of my workshops began to evaporate. My coaching practice continued but marketing in-person training became next to impossible.
But now there is good news. I will be teaching my first EEO workshop via Zoom in December.
I look forward to scheduling many more.
[Photo by Jon Tyson at Unsplash]
Pie Tip
You're in a hurry. You're supposed to bring pie to Thanksgiving.
It is hard to beat the quality, variety, and convenience of Village Inn.
[I especially recommend the French Silk.]
Monday, November 16, 2020
Slanty Toilets?
Political Calculations has the story of a new toilet design that may have been crafted with evil intent.
The Chump Effect
That father was expressing an emotion growing more common these days: he felt like a chump. Feeling like a chump doesn’t just mean being upset that your taxes are rising or annoyed that you’re missing out on some windfall. It’s more visceral than that. People feel like chumps when they believe that they’ve played a game by the rules, only to discover that the game is rigged. Not only are they losing, they realize, but their good sportsmanship is being exploited. The players flouting the rules are the ones who get the trophy. Like that Iowa dad, the chumps of modern America feel that the life choices they’re most proud of—working hard, taking care of their families, being good citizens—aren’t just undervalued, but scorned.
Read all of James B. Meigs in City Journal.
Miscellaneous and Fast
- It's a Southern Thing: In defense of bologna sandwiches.
- Douglas Murray gives his thoughts on privilege.
- The Federalist: Target gets woke and drops a book.
- The trailer for "Brother Orchid."
- Jonathan Turley on efforts to target Trump's election attorneys.
- Cultural Offering: Essential mixes by Kansas.
- Glenn Greenwald: ACLU attorney cheers suppression of a book.
- The trailer for "They Shall Not Grow Old."
The Little Grey Cells
The New Criterion: Anthony Daniels on killing time with Agatha Christie.
[Photo by Hulki Okan Tabac at Unsplash]
Henny Youngman Management
The great comedian Henny Youngman once joked that when he said he couldn't afford an operation, his doctor offered to touch up his x-rays.
Many managers resemble the doctor. Rather than directly addressing a problem, they "touch up the x-rays" so they can pretend that the matter either doesn't exist or that it has been resolved.
The question for any major action: "Does this stand a reasonable chance of genuine progress or is it touching up the x-rays?"
Sunday, November 15, 2020
Saturday, November 14, 2020
"Elite Opinion is Never Wrong"
One learns to distrust fashionable opinion. When I was a boy in Washington, D.C., the best people said that Whittaker Chambers was a dreadful fellow—a sinister little fat man with bad teeth, a strange and neurotic ex-Communist, not to be trusted. Ideologically fashionable people have their standard of Not Our Class, Dear. Chambers was N.O.C.D. Alger Hiss, on the other hand, was very much Our Class—slim, urbane, the Fred Astaire of the American establishment.
Read all of Lance Morrow's essay in City Journal.
Another Reason to Read Raymond Chandler
“He sounded like a man who had slept well and didn’t owe too much money.”
- Raymond Chandler
Hiking the Trail in "Birdshooter" Boots
She cites different sources but a line from Seth Gobin lingers: "It breaks life down to its most basic elements."
Omission
With regard to the story that historian and MSNBC commentator Jon Meacham commented on a Biden speech without disclosing that he helped write it:
That revealed a sin of commission and a major screw-up by Meacham.
[As for the sins of omission where a news channel fails to cover - or only superficially covers - a significant story because the channel favors a particular candidate, well that, of course, is not news. In their world, news is not news until they determine it to be so.]
First Paragraph
Would you say there's any end in sight, Charlie?
- From Night Boat to Tangier by Kevin Barry
Friday, November 13, 2020
Binge
There are so many good posts at Cultural Offering it is difficult to know where to start.
[Photo by Food Photographer Jennifer Pallian at Unsplash]
THE Cover
Patrick Rhone provides evidence that some paper-book covers will be enshrined forever in our memories as THE cover for a particular paper-book.
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