The UN and other organizations are making much of the seven billionth person born into the world. This article points out that it is impossible to know or to pick which baby is actually number seven billion. Any attempt to do so is fallacious and an act of Disestimation – ”taking a number too literally, understating […]
Posted on October 31st, 2011 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 185 Comments »
It is interesting that a Scottish-Irish celebration the night before All Saints Day has become a secular event in the American calendar. There doesn’t seem to be much meaning left in Halloween other than dressing in costumes and trick or treating with emphasis on treats and not tricks. It is a symptom of the […]
Posted on October 31st, 2011 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 173 Comments »
A payoff slide kills the boring build, letting you assert first, support later. There are more than 100 ways to deliver “death by PowerPoint.” One death blow I’ve wrestled with lately is narrative flow. We tend to build a case for assertions before making them. It’s even built into the standard “problem, solution, results” case study. […]
Posted on October 28th, 2011 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 48 Comments »
This is a danger signal to anyone in politics, especially Republicans. Citizens are convinced there is inequity in wealth distribution, and they believe Republicans favor the wealthy. Class warfare has begun, and if I were a Republican Congressman, I would be worried. Lack of movement on jobs has frustrated citizens, and there is anger […]
Posted on October 27th, 2011 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 206 Comments »
The founder of WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, says the website may have to close because it is starved for cash. Assange sees the financial blockade of the site as an assault on democracy and no doubt, free speech. I cannot think of a communicator who would agree with him. What WikiLeaks proved is that there is and needs […]
Posted on October 26th, 2011 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 47 Comments »
It is often difficult in a corporation to see interconnections with the world, but in politics, links are stark — such as this case. In an effort to protect its borders, the US deports migrants to Mexico where crime is worse. Predictably, Mexico is unhappy about it because it is fighting its own war with […]
Posted on October 25th, 2011 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 190 Comments »
This kind of situation, even for an international company, is dangerous to its reputation. Excessive payments to advisers smacks of something illegal or, at least, out of bounds. Firing the CEO because he questioned the payments only looks worse. Now the FBI is involved, which means that Olympus will be under a cloud for weeks […]
Posted on October 24th, 2011 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 189 Comments »
Here is a long-term challenge for the country – students who can’t repay education loans. The challenge has created a divide between the college-trained young and the government, and it is destroying the middle class. The irony is that to do well in the US, one needs a college education, but the cost of that education […]
Posted on October 21st, 2011 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 208 Comments »
Does anyone win with personal attacks like this? The two of them are like schoolyard bullies, talking loudly and throwing verbal punches. One could argue that such taunting and reactions show voters what the two presidential candidates are like, so they have value. On the other hand, what voters see is not pleasing. The […]
Posted on October 20th, 2011 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 186 Comments »
This is a suspect strategy — deny your customer goods because you don’t like what a competitor has done. It communicates pique and arrogance. The only winner is the competitor who has the product the consumer wants. Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million would have been better off if they kept the books on their shelves […]
Posted on October 19th, 2011 by admin
Filed under: Uncategorized | 179 Comments »
