Quote of the Day

I'm the voice of spring. I bring you little goodies from the forest.

- Jonathan Winters

Modern Life

Portlandia: Battle of the Gentle Bands.

Jonathan Winters, R.I.P.

Jonathan Winters, comedic genius as shown here, has passed away.

Miscellaneous and Fast

Wally Bock: Stories and strategies from real life.
The trailer for "42."
A Yugo in a Midas commercial.
The trailer for "Unstrung Heroes."
The trailer for "Cobb."
Cyndi Lauper: "Time After Time"
CoolTools: How to cut up a whole chicken.
The trailer for "Elysium."
Anderson Layman's Blog: A cartoon for our times.
The trailer for "Syrup."
Tanmay Vora on quality and the duty towards self.
Graeme Archer: An idea for Trafalgar Square.

Beneath the Surface on Employment

The O'Neills use a rich source of data from the Current Population Survey and the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to measure these factors, as well as scores from the Armed Forces Qualification Test. In 2008, when schooling, work experience, scores on the AFQT, age, region, hours worked and type of employer were accounted for, black men ages 35 to 43 earned 100 percent of the wages of similar white males. Hispanic males in the same category earned 97 percent of what non-Hispanic white males earned, and those between the ages of 43 and 51 earned 100 percent when these factors, along with the ability to speak English, were taken into account.

Read the rest of Linda Chavez's review of "The Declining Importance of Race and Gender in the Labor Market" here.

Modern Justice

Eclecticity has the video. Short. Sweet.

By The Window Seat

Art Contrarian looks at the design of airline cockpit windows.

Touch Base

Touch base. Send them an update. Let them know they haven't been forgotten. It doesn't have to be lengthy or eloquent. It simply has to let them know that you are not taking them for granted.

Touch base. Send them an article that might be of particular interest. Just clip on a note saying, "Hi. I thought you might like this." No pitches. Just a connection to show you were listening when they described their hobbies, challenges or frustrations.

Touch base. Not in a way that makes you a pest and certainly not in a manner that gobbles time, both theirs and yours, but sincerely just to say hello.

Why do we tell ourselves that we are being pushy when we get back with a customer or friend and silently tell them that they matter?

Quote of the Day

A man's doubts and fears are his worst enemy.

- William Wrigley, Jr.

Smartphones and Dumb Users

Who among us can truthfully say that we have never been distracted by our smartphones while driving? My solution is to wear an earset, and put the phone in the trunk. That way I can answer calls; but, I am not tempted to pick the damn thing up. *

FutureLawyer gives the above tip and points to stupid things to do with your smartphone and how to fix them.

[* Execupundit: I know of one person who has never had that problem.]