Another close encounter

You may recall that I posted this video of two guys snorkeling in Australia when they received a visit from a great white shark. Well, that shark came in a bit more slowly. This next encounter is in the Bahamas and a guy is filming a blue marlin that has been hooked. The video seems routine enough until all of a sudden a massive Mako shark comes buzzing in at a very fast clip. You can hear the surprise in the guy's voice and the expletive as he is jarred from his peaceful filming reverie. Wow!

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. It's hard to tell whether this next manager is good or not, but boy can he/she sure manage change.

MOTW: Keep 'Em Guessing Manager

With gymnastic like agility and constant motion, Keep ‘em Guessing Manager flits from assignment to assignment, project to project and position to position, never staying in any one place long enough for objective evaluation of his/her performance or abilities to take place. Keep ‘em Guessing manager, a philosophy major in college, became a devotee of Heraclitus during that time, and now uses the blur of motion and flux for cover purposes. He/she is terrified that if he/she stops long enough in any one place the fog will dissipate and his/her inadequacies will come to light. Quoting Parmenides to Keep ‘em Guessing Manager is the ultimate insult and can result in termination with extreme prejudice.

Weekend Haiku

In the shadow of blossoms,
voice against voice,
the gamblers.

Issa (1763 - 1827)

Run

Here is Snow Patrol's video of Run. Great song. Enjoy and happy Friday.

Quote for today

"We spend the first twelve months of our children's lives teaching them to walk and talk and the next twelve telling them to sit down and shut up."

Phyllis Diller

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. This next manager is closely related to the Energizer bunny, but is not as cute or cuddly.

MOTW: Robo Manager

He/she is everywhere at once. works 24/7 and leads by example. (Hint: Everyone should work 24/7.) Is convinced that with enough hard effort, skill, knowledge, luck and technological devices anything is possible.

Weekend Haiku

Winter solitude-
in a world of one color
the sound of wind.

Basho (1644 - 1694)

Jesus, Etc.

Here is Wilco performing Jesus, Etc. Great tune, great band. Enjoy and happy Friday.

Getting ready for the Olympics

OK, so it's an ad for P&G, but I still think it's pretty cool.

Another big bank in trouble

Lately JP Morgan has been in the news because of its big trading loss, then Barclay's because of the LIBOR rigging scandal and now here comes HSBC to join the party. Apparently their compliance department has been taking some time off. HSBC has admitted that its controls have been lacking and that the bank has been a conduit for significant money laundering operations. 

So, guess what. David Bagley, head of compliance for HSBC, has apologized. We've seen a lot of that lately too. Jamie Dimon apologized for JP Morgan's losses, the head of Barclay's apologized for its scandal and now this. Stop apologizing and focus your energy on  running your businesses properly for goodness sake.

David Bagley is stepping down from his post, but says he will remain with HSBC. Great. Irene Dorner, president and CEO of HSBC Bank USA, (where most of the damage was) after apologizing has said that the changes the bank made "'will be embedded and sustained going forward." What is that saying...oh yes, something about closing the stable door after the horse has already gotten out...or something like that. 

When you run multi-billion dollar businesses, it is not about saying "I'm sorry." Any four year old can say that and they often do after something they have done. It is about earning your salary by running your businesses effectively, efficiently, legally and ethically. Above all it is about accountability and meritocracy. These guys should have to give back the big salaries and bonuses they were paid during the period where their businesses went astray just as they reap the big rewards when their businesses are successful. And big banking in general needs a huge makeover.

American Ninja Warrior - Drew Dreschel

And he's a disc golfer too. I used to play rounds with him when he lived down here in South Florida. Even back then he was climbing trees with the greatest of ease to get our discs back when we had a wayward drive. He's come back from injury and is looking good. Way to go Drew Dreschel! What a great run. These guys are amazing athletes.

Sportsmanship at the Tour de France

I love stories like this, not the sabotage part but the sportsmanship part. It's nice to see that there are athletes out there who still hold honor and sportsmanship as values as well as competitiveness as part of their credo. It was a great gesture and the right thing to do, but how many of us in the heat of competition at such a high level would do the same? 

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. It is impossible to get a word in edgewise with this next manager so forget about offering your opinion.

MOTW: Motor Mouth Manager

Speaks any time, all the time. Overwhelms any discussion and simply cannot stop talking even when everyone gets his/her point of view. (Hint: Do not confuse with non-listening manager.)

Weekend Haiku

The old dog-
listening for the songs
of earthworms?

Issa (1763 - 1827)

Siren

Here is Nightwish performing Siren live. There is just no band better at symphonic metal than these guys. This was Tarja's last concert. What a band! Enjoy and happy Friday.

Close encounter

Check out how these Aussies keep their composure as a great white shark circles them several times during their spearfishing outing. One of the guys had a head cam on and filmed the whole encounter. The interesting thing about this video is that the guys were snorkeling, not scuba diving. This changes things immensely in favor of the shark (as if it really needs any more home field advantage) because the guys are essentially tethered to the surface for anything other than a short period of time.

I grew up spearfishing in the Bahamas where you are not allowed to use Scuba tanks or spear guns. You are only allowed to snorkel and use a Hawaiian sling when spearfishing. This is for conservation purposes as it gives the fish you are hunting much better odds than if you had tanks and a compressed air or band spear gun. It's a good rule, but it can lead to situations such as these. More than a few times, my buddies and me bunched up in a ball, dangling from the surface like a piece of bait, with our spears pointing outward and fended off the advances of a nosy shark. I don't blame the shark at all. We were after all practicing our sport/hobby in their home and it was only doing what it should, scoping out the intruders in its midst. We NEVER faced off with a great white though and I don't know how I would have reacted.

I really have to admire the composure of these two guys in the video. Their relief is obvious when they finally get into their boat. I can relate to the feeling as it is one I have had even though facing off with smaller predators, who nevertheless could easily make a meal out of one had they so desired.

The 500 greatest albums of all time?

Here is Rolling Stone Magazine's 500 greatest albums.

And here is Jim Fusilli's take at the WSJ on Rolling Stone's list. Dare we use the word bias? He does.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. While working for this next manager can be very frustrating for doers, at least the staff cannot complain about not knowing what is being contemplated.

MOTW: Indecisive Manager

While this manager may be a good human being he/she is a complete source of angst for subordinates. Unable to make even the most miniscule decision, Indecisive Manager wavers and asks for input from every life-form on the planet before contemplating any action. Staff members vie to be the last person to talk to indecisive manager on any subject since whoever does so seems to have the most influence on the “consensus course of action to be taken decided by the team” when eventually announced by Indecisive Manager.

Weekend Haiku

First snow
falling
on the half-finished bridge.

Basho (1644 - 1694)

I Walk Alone

Here is I Walk Alone from Tarja Turunen. She is wonderful. Enjoy and happy Friday.

It's Monday

And we all know what that means. Time for another MOTW, Manager of the Week. This next manager may conjure up images of invading armies trying knock down the portcullis of an enemy castle to end a long standing siege. Such efforts do not always go completely as planned.

MOTW: Battering Ram Manager

This manager becomes so enamored of the one great idea he/she has had that he/she continues to push for it in meetings long after it has been discarded as untenable by Senior Management. Not sufficiently attuned to the resounding vetoes which have met his/her insistence, Battering Ram Manager pushes even more until the only debris left from his/her continuous assault is the flotsam and jetsam of his/her own career.