CNN needs an urgent lesson in geography

You have to see this to believe it.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. You have to admire this next manager's tenacity and survivability. Skills such as these are assets in today's downsizing environment.

MOTW: Phoenix Manager

While sharing lots of DNA with Charmed Manager, Phoenix Manager is much more mobile and re-surfaces time and time again where least expected, usually following severe career implosions that no mere mortal could ever dream of living through. He/she has survival skills surpassed only by elite Armed Forces units such as the British SAS or U.S. Navy Seals. Phoenix Manager is a combination of Political Manager and Charmed Manager on steroids, with a dash of Bluff Manager thrown in for cover.

Weekend Haiku

This stupid world-
skinny mosquitoes, skinny fleas,
skinny children.

Issa (1763 - 1827)

Fortune Faded

Red Hot Chili Pepppers perform Fortune Faded live. Enjoy and happy Friday.

We dodged the bullet

Hurricane Irene has come and gone and we did not feel her wrath here in South Florida thankfully. My mother was not so lucky. She lives in Nassau, Bahamas and the island, (which is called New Providence, Nassau being the capital city) got hit.

According to her reports though it was not as bad as it could have been since the eye of the storm followed a path that took it on a more westward track. They have had significant damage to their yard with large trees down and so forth, but there was no huge storm surge and apparently the house has not suffered any structural damage. Thank goodness.

Here is a live feed from ZNS news, the Bahamas TV station.

SOBS

No, it is not sons of b.....s. It is a new medical condition diagnosed by me that assails my seven year old boy. It stands for Sudden Onset Back Syndrome and it just happens to afflict him the evening before he has P.E. at school the next day.

He complains he has back pain in the vain hope that I will tell him he doesn't have to participate in the stresses of physical education. This is odd because he is a very active boy, running around like there is no tomorrow when he is with his cousins having the time of his life. I guess there is just something about P.E. that he doesn't like, perhaps the exercises.

Into My Blood, Stolen Car & Backseat

Here is a triple dose of Carina Round.

If you like female rock and rollers then here is Carina Round belting out Into My Blood. She is the real deal and she will blow your ears back. I love this tune!

For the more mellow inclined here is a semi-acoustical version of Stolen Car.



The electric version of Stolen Car off the album, Slow Motion Addict.



And just to show you her sensitive side, here is Backseat.



Boy, do I love Carina Round. She rocks!

It's Monday

And we all know what that means.Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. Nothing new in this next manager. Not a very trusting sort, he/she populates corporations and makes many a staff member miserable.

MOTW: Micro Manager

Simply can’t leave well enough alone. Suffocates his/her staff with follow-up and minutiae until everyone is ready to revolt.

Weekend Haiku

Awake at night,
the lamp low,
the oil freezing.

Basho (1644 - 1694)

Segla på ett moln

Time for some Swedish music today. Here is Anne-lie Rydé singing Segla på ett moln live. She has a set of pipes on her and I love the way this mournful sounding tune builds. The name means sailing on a cloud. Enjoy and happy Friday.

Doorbell

Ouch!!!

425 foot Disc Golf ace

I thought I would put up this video because at the end it shows a Disc Golf highlight that made a quasi-mainstream internet sports news roundup called Out of Bounds. The host, Frank Nicotero, is quite patronizing about the whole thing, but that is the tone of the roundup in general since it picks up stories from off the grid.

At first there is a story about a basketball pickup game involving ex-Laker Shannon Brown, then a kid getting his foul ball that he caught at a Dodger game taken away from him, but if you advance the video to the 1:30 mark you will see the 425 ace in the long drive competition from this year's PDGA championship in California.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. This next type of manager is fairly common among the ranks of more inexperienced managers. It is very difficult to work for this next manager and consider oneself an adult in the process.

MOTW: Time Manager

Is obsessed with tracking all subordinates time. Is of the opinion that everyone should be able to account for every minute of the day. Not being able to do so denotes inefficiency. Bonus points are awarded to those staff members who never go to the bathroom.

Weekend Haiku

The she cat-
grown thin
from love and barley.

Basho (1644 - 1694)

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. Every company has at least one of this next manager and sometimes more. They make things interesting around the office. People wonder what makes them tick, sometimes secretly want to be like them and the jury is still out on whether they are bad or good for business.

MOTW: Psycho Manager

Jumps on tables and bursts into show tunes without warning. Sometimes wears inappropriate things on his/her head. Uses props, squints a lot and mutters under his/her breath to no one in particular. The staff is convinced he/she is an axe murderer in his/her spare time, but is too afraid to ask or find out.

Weekend Haiku

The pheasant cries
as if it just noticed
the mountain.

Issa (1763 - 1827)

Kradeva brez vere & Soba 102

The a cappella choir Perpetuum Jazzile knocks it out of the park with this medley of two of Jan Plestenjak's tunes. It's amazing to me that they create such a great sound with no instruments other than their voices. The language they are singing in is Slovenian. Enjoy and happy Friday.

Which length vacation is better?

The long or the short one. That is what this brief article addresses in the WSJ without coming to any real conclusion. It asks whether a long vacation or a series of mini-vacations relaxes us more.

I have always tried to take long vacations. I don't think you really feel as if you are on vacation if you take a series of two, three or four days off at different times. In my opinion those are just what they are called, some days off and not really a full-fledged vacation. The funny thing about this article is the perspective it has on what a "long" vacation is. Consider the question it poses at the end of the first paragraph,

"But from either a professional or a personal perspective, is it better to take lots of short jaunts or escape for a longer one or two-week stay?"

One or two weeks is a "long" vacation for the writer. There is definitely a type-A American perspective in this question. Considering that Europeans, Australians and other take 4 - 6 weeks vacation, one week seems like a drop in the bucket.

Before I became my own boss I worked for a big company. After being there for some years I was entitled to four weeks of vacation. I would usually take at least three of those weeks in one shot and felt a lot better for it. Now, I am never fully on vacation, but never quite fully at work either. I think I prefer it this way. Either way, I don't think mini-vacations really work, but that is just me.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. This next manager is related to Oliver Stone and is a very suspicious sort.

MOTW: Conspiracy Manager

Is constantly dissecting the announcements or moves the company makes to understand the implications on his /her survivability. Believes all occurrences affect him/her and wants to ensure his/her position is protected. Sees gremlins everywhere.