When talk turns to innovative organizations, seldom does the Italian postal service come to mind.
But as this Fortune article notes, Italy's post offices are making money, only not from the delivery of mail.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
Bias at the Beeb
Denis Boyles looks at the bias of the BBC’s World Service. (Having followed the BBC for several years, I think the examples he cites are mild. He pulled his punches.) An excerpt:
Cosmopolitans take great comfort in the World Service’s furious coverage of the conflict in Iraq. From the outset, the Beeb’s allegiance was clear: its reporting, said controller of editorial policy
Stephen Whittle, “must reflect significant opposition in the U.K. (and elsewhere) to the military conflict.”
Not a problem. The World Service swiftly found a “Middle East expert” to describe the first U.S. missile strike on Baghdad as “pure American imperialism.” The service left listeners in the dark, however, about the so-called expert’s affiliation with an Arab-funded pro-Palestinian lobby. As the war continued, and the BBC remained the sole provider of news to Iraqis, the broadcaster aired calls for suicide bombers to fight the coalition and ran interviews with angry anti-American Iraqis, sometimes without telling listeners that Ba’athist minders were on hand. When the Americans claimed to be in Baghdad, BBC reporters denied it—even as CNN carried video of tanks rolling through the capital’s streets.
Cosmopolitans take great comfort in the World Service’s furious coverage of the conflict in Iraq. From the outset, the Beeb’s allegiance was clear: its reporting, said controller of editorial policy
Stephen Whittle, “must reflect significant opposition in the U.K. (and elsewhere) to the military conflict.”
Not a problem. The World Service swiftly found a “Middle East expert” to describe the first U.S. missile strike on Baghdad as “pure American imperialism.” The service left listeners in the dark, however, about the so-called expert’s affiliation with an Arab-funded pro-Palestinian lobby. As the war continued, and the BBC remained the sole provider of news to Iraqis, the broadcaster aired calls for suicide bombers to fight the coalition and ran interviews with angry anti-American Iraqis, sometimes without telling listeners that Ba’athist minders were on hand. When the Americans claimed to be in Baghdad, BBC reporters denied it—even as CNN carried video of tanks rolling through the capital’s streets.
Perhaps Next Year You Can Get The Klan!
Cody, Wyoming is about to be subjected to a Hell’s Angels Rally and an ethical philosopher from the hills of New Hampshire weighs in with the sort of advice that any robber baron could embrace:
Theresa Lamson, who is with the chamber of commerce for Laconia-Weirs Beach, N.H., said Cody should look forward to what trade it can get, either from Hells Angels or the police in town to help keep the peace.
"Embrace it all; they're all spending money," she said. "Who cares where the money is from?"
Theresa Lamson, who is with the chamber of commerce for Laconia-Weirs Beach, N.H., said Cody should look forward to what trade it can get, either from Hells Angels or the police in town to help keep the peace.
"Embrace it all; they're all spending money," she said. "Who cares where the money is from?"
A Marvelous Couple
Tunku Varadarajan interviews economists Rose and Milton Friedman:
Mrs. Friedman settled herself in a chair, her eyes twinkling, and my questioning resumed. If they were to throw a small dinner party--indoors!--for Mr. Friedman's favorite economists (dead or alive), who'd be invited? Gone was his tonguetied-ness of a moment ago, as he reeled off this answer: "Dead or alive, it's clear that Adam Smith would be No. 1. Alfred Marshall would be No. 2. John Maynard Keynes would be No. 3. And George Stigler would be No. 4. George was one of our closest friends." (Here, Mrs. Friedman, also an economist of distinction, noted sorrowfully that "it's hard to believe that George is dead.")
Click here for the entire article.
Mrs. Friedman settled herself in a chair, her eyes twinkling, and my questioning resumed. If they were to throw a small dinner party--indoors!--for Mr. Friedman's favorite economists (dead or alive), who'd be invited? Gone was his tonguetied-ness of a moment ago, as he reeled off this answer: "Dead or alive, it's clear that Adam Smith would be No. 1. Alfred Marshall would be No. 2. John Maynard Keynes would be No. 3. And George Stigler would be No. 4. George was one of our closest friends." (Here, Mrs. Friedman, also an economist of distinction, noted sorrowfully that "it's hard to believe that George is dead.")
Click here for the entire article.
Sexy Car Ad
A racy Nissan car commercial has been banned in New Zealand.
I wonder if they run Victoria's Secret ads.
I wonder if they run Victoria's Secret ads.
Friendly Bite
Kathy Sierra recalls being attacked by a “friendly” dog. An excerpt:
It was not provoked. I was standing there, arms at my side, silent, not making eye contact. Just standing. A minute before this happened, one of the owners got the (really big) dog out of the car and said to me, "Oh, he's friendly."
Witnesses said the dog just walked up to me and lunged. The owners--a couple who've been raising Great Danes for more than a decade--were horrified. Shocked. Stunned. How could this possibly happen? "He's never done ANYTHING like this!" I believed them. "He's the sweetest dog!" I believed them. [Witnesses later kicked around the "she's-an-alien-and-only-the-dog-knows" theory as a potential explanation.]
It was not provoked. I was standing there, arms at my side, silent, not making eye contact. Just standing. A minute before this happened, one of the owners got the (really big) dog out of the car and said to me, "Oh, he's friendly."
Witnesses said the dog just walked up to me and lunged. The owners--a couple who've been raising Great Danes for more than a decade--were horrified. Shocked. Stunned. How could this possibly happen? "He's never done ANYTHING like this!" I believed them. "He's the sweetest dog!" I believed them. [Witnesses later kicked around the "she's-an-alien-and-only-the-dog-knows" theory as a potential explanation.]
Quote of the Day
"It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important."
- Sherlock Holmes
- Sherlock Holmes
Friday, July 21, 2006
Integrity
I've been reading Henry Cloud's book, Integrity. It's quite interesting because he blends ethical standards with what many of us would regard as standards of competence.
I'm not sure if I agree with the approach, but its holistic approach has an advantage over more compartmentalized frameworks.
I'm not sure if I agree with the approach, but its holistic approach has an advantage over more compartmentalized frameworks.
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