Godfather Sooner or later, everything in American life comes back to The Godfather. The horse-head scene reminds us that some stop at nothing to get their way. Playing God. Fredo. Revenge. Kickbacks. Offers you can’t refuse. White-collar criminals are the most powerful type. Hollywood rewind? This time it’s real. It’s not personal, it’s business Guessed…
Month: October 2020
Referee Effective regulators are vital in business or elections. Rules for referees: Use authority skilfully. Handle mistakes quickly. Be a team player. Remember, it’s not about you. Have goals beyond personal aggrandizement. Maintain order. For those spewing nonsense with no impulse control – use the Mute button. Or Fast Forward them out. Happy Halloween Guessed…
Attitude Attitude shift: twice as many Americans now distrust, rather than admire, billionaires. Millennials are especially suspicious of success. More Americans under age 30 would prefer to live under socialism than capitalism. The prospect of redistributing wealth is tempting to a generation that’s being robbed. Love it or hate it, but hands up! And hand…
Yale Real & fantasy workspaces must be Covid- & physically-safe: even Dr Who uses a Yale-type key to open the Tardis. 1861 Linus Yale, whose family went from Wales to New York, patented a pin-tumbler mechanism, based on ancient Egypt’s wood locks. His light, small brass keys made locks available to all, for the 1st…
Xerox Today, 22 Oct: 82 years since this 1st xerographic image in 1938. Laid off from Bell Labs, Chester Carlson studied law & got a job copying patent drawings by hand. Bored, he experimented in a makeshift lab in Astoria, NY. 10-year search before Haleoid Co turned his invention into a useful product. Haleoid became…
Oldest At 233 years, the US Constitution is the world’s oldest. A messy compromise on 4 pages of parchment, it united States with different interests, laws & cultures. Should we revere its age or its usefulness? Designed to check the power of 1 branch of government against the other, it also proves that agreements can…
Repatriate Debt & payback can span centuries, pandemics & famines. 2020: Irish donors send millions of dollars to Native American Choctaw people devastated by Covid. 1847: the Choctaw sent money to Ireland during the Great Potato Famine. Compassion & gratitude go beyond interest rates & repayment schedules Guessed the Word? …
Exaggerate Do politicians exaggerate because they think looking impressive is more important than being true? Fiction can unleash genuine emotion, which may translate to compliance, or votes. But when firms & business leaders tell it like it isn’t, sooner or later they find they’re strutting alone. No questions at this time Guessed the Word? …
Pioneer Columbus Day! Italian pioneer, Christopher Columbus ‘discovered’ America on 12 Oct 1492 while heading for the gold & spices of the Far East. His trips trading people, animals & food between Europe & America spread diseases – smallpox, measles, influenza – which decimated indigenous people, who had no immunity to them. Travel & trade…
Guess the Word and Contact Us for Prizes! Series 66 starts soon…. 1st letter of each Post Title (in a Series) spells a business word – spelt correctly or jumbled up. Previous answers: Series 65 spelt I-G-N-I-T-E-N-U-Y (INGENUITY) Series 64 spelt L-O-R-D-A-L (DOLLAR) Series 63 spelt V-I-A-G-A-T-E-N (NAVIGATE) Series 62 spelt A-I-M-X-O (AXIOM) Series 61 spelt …