Number One? “Appearances are everything. When employees are preoccupied with staying in the office later in the evening than the boss does, fear is king. When people worry less about the quality of their work than about how they’re perceived by managers higher up the chain, you’ve got fear.”
Wow. While the “appearance is everything” mantra is king amongst green associates in big law firm cultures, I was interested to see this has now crept into other workplaces. Trust me. This is not a good sign. View the rest of the article here: Fear Based Workplaces.
According to the lawyer advising the Big 12 Conference, under the confererence by-laws the University of Colorado and the University of Nebraska failed to provide a proper two-year notice that they were leaving the conference. In theory, the by-laws call for any school who withdraws improperly to disgorge up to 80 percent of its share of conference revenue for a two-year period. It will be interesting how this mess unfolds and ultimately how the have-nots of the NCAA are affected by the changing landscape. View article here: Big 12 Conference Lawyer Comments.
I can imagine Dick Vitale announcing games in this all-white basketball league called “The All-American Basketball Alliance.” I am almost certain each of the players on the Court “brings their hard-hat” and are “blue-collar” players. I am just as certain that their “fundamental” play is matched only by their “high basketball IQ,” and that several of their fathers were themselves coaches.
According to the league announcement, “Only players that are natural born United States citizens with both parents of Caucasian race are eligible to play in the league.”
Well, will this league pass legal muster? Here’s one legal take on the proposed league: All White Hoops League Legal?
“A workplace holiday party is not really a party. In fact, it’s downright misleading to even call it a ‘party.’ It’s actually a ‘business event.’ As in, ‘work.’ Therefore, the way to successfully navigate your workplace holiday party is to treat it like work. Confuse it for a night out with old college buddies, your siblings, or even the members of your book club, and you have created a recipe for career disaster. Sounds rather gloomy and unfestive, doesn’t it? Fret not. You do still get to have (some) fun. You do still get to eat and drink (some) at the company’s expense. The trick is simple: Always remember the “work” in workplace holiday party, and you’ll be OK.” Holiday Party Not a Party.
There’s always been the common sense and legal understanding that enjoying a baseball game at the ball park includes assuming the risk that a baseball could be hit your way. That’s the reason hundreds of kids (and even adults) bring their gloves to the game–for the chance of fielding a wayward foulball and bringing it home as a souvenier.
However, a recent ruling conjures up images of netting surrounding entire areas of the nations ballparks–not just behind the plate. Team potentially liable for Home Run Ball.
So say U.C. Berkeley professors in response to a proposal to cut U.C. system employees’ pay or alternatively to institute furloughs. I read this article as my frustration over the budget issue in Hawaii increases daily. As the article’s authors opine:
“Growth has led to bloat at UC. The bloat and bureaucracy stifle creativity and productivity. The bloat is in unproductive workers and unproductive jobs. Many jobs have little to do with our core missions of teaching and research. Within jobs, there is task bloat — mission creep creates too many assignments of little import. These problems are endemic to most large organizations, but they are particular problems for one like UC, where it is almost impossible to fire an unproductive worker, whether staff or tenured professor, and always easier to hire a new one.”
While such opinion does not necessarily reflect that of the hundreds of other professors at U.C. Berkeley I would not be surprised if the message resonates throughout the campus with the majority of teachers and students alike. Academics is ultra-competitive not only at Berkeley, but at the other U.C. campuses. That message needs to be embraced elsewhere. Berkeley Profs Advocate Layoffs Over Pay Cuts.
OK. I must admit feeling somewhat better about my “upgrade” from the Blackberry Pearl to the Storm after reading this article: Apple Admits Overheating Issues.
According to the article: “Apple has issued a warning on its support pages regarding iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS overheating, marking the first time the company has officially acknowledged the problem. Reports that the iPhone 3GS is having overheating problems have surfaced last week, merely days after the devices was launched.”
Had I not dropped my Pearl in the toilet last week, accidentally of course, I would have been perfectly content to wait out the six months before Verizon had me bite on the “discount with two-year contract extension” deal. Instead, after begging and receiving from Verizon a partial discount, the last two weeks have been spent actively engaging the Storm to find whatever hidden or underrated benefits it might offer that would rival the industry standard–the iPhone. Alas, could the Storm have a brighter future? Will any (more?) killer apps come out? Will the heavier weight actually translate into a longer life? Will upgrades be made to address stability and keyboard error issues, which might convince me to buy the $70 “Documents to Go” software app? Will the Storm eventually render netbooks obsolete? We’ll see.
According to this article, “Judge Alfred Nance is known for his emphasis on courtroom decorum—and his temper, according to critics who complained about him in 2000 to a judicial conduct commission.” A teacher of mine in middle school, Mr. Bruns, fits this description. He managed his classes like a drill seargent. Fortunately, Mr. Bruns never had to pull me out of class by the collar like he did to several of my classmates. http://www.abajournal.com/news/judge_orders_spectator_jailed_for_shouting_love_you/
I recall the powerful grip that the television show “Kung Fu” had on me as a young child. The stunning visuals of the opening scene, haunting music and the mysterious Caine kicking butt kept me glued to the television. But on the passing of Carradine I’m reminded of the special qualities of that show that perhaps I never fully appreciated back then–the regular clashes between Eastern philosophies and western precepts, the taking on of challenges by Caine as he sets foot (literally) on a metaphysical and journey to find his brother, and the regular lessons (yes, cheesy at times) on how the power of the mind can overcome what appears to be the insurmountable physical obstacles. RIP David Carradine.
Did you ever get tired of passers-by mistaking you for someone famous? This person claimed he resembled Michael Jordan and sued the former NBA basketball star giving frivolous lawsuits a bad name.
