Want to Know How Business Really Works?

Check out this cartoon to find out how projects and problems are really handled in business.

I laughed out loud when I saw this. Most corporate types will tell you this is a familiar scenario in the business world.

Great instruction for all you MBA candidates.....

Watts New?

It's been awhile since I last read a book by Alan Watts. I read and enjoyed The Wisdom of Insecurity a few years ago. Watts was a writer, philosopher and an authority of comparative religion. Though his books were dated, he wrote in the 40's, 50's and 60's, his ideas are not.

I found his ideas on various topics like religion and happiness challenging and thought provoking. Listed below is one of the many paragraphs and sentences I underlined from The Wisdom of Insecurity.

"The more one studies attempted solutions in politics and economics, in art, philosophy and religion, the more one has the impression of extremely gifted people wearing out their ingenuity at the impossible and futile task of trying to get the water of life into neat and permanent packages."

Books written by Watts tend not to be easy reads. I was happy to receive a copy of The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are. Again, not an easy read, but it offers direction and unique ideas about our identity, the meaning of life and human behavior.

My fundamental religious friends may find their ideas and beliefs challenged (but in a nice way, not like Christopher Hitchens or Richard Dawkins).

Good reading for those with a more spiritual perspective than formally religious....

Bonds of Decency

Clap. Clap. So Barry Bonds broke Henry Aaron’s career home run record. I thought the most appropriate gesture that fans should have offered Bonds is what Bud Selig did when Bonds hit 755. Selig simply stood with his hands in his pockets and averted his eyes from the field.

As you can tell, I’m not a Barry Bonds fan. I’m not a fan of Mark McGuire, Jose Canseco and Sammy Sosa either. My opinion of Bonds was largely formed when I read Game of Shadows: Barry Bonds, BALCO, and the Steroids Scandal that Rocked Professional Sports by Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams a while ago. In fact, I can’t remember when I’ve read or heard anything positive about Bonds as a teammate or human being in any media.

Bonds is the current poster boy for bad athletes and that says something given recent competition from Pacman Jones, Michael Vick and Tim Donaghy.

If you want to read about a great man who was also a great ballplayer, read Clemente: The Passion and Grace of Baseball’s Last Hero by David Maraniss.

NYT to Scrap Online Fee for Op-Ed Columnists?

According to an article in the New York Post, the New York Times is reconsidering its decision to charge online viewing of their op-ed columnists. I'd gladly welcome that decision as I think the writings and thoughts of Maureen Dowd, Frank Rich and Thomas Friedman are the best parts of the paper. I never understood the decision to charge to read a fee for online viewers particularly from the view of the writers. How did they benefit? In a time where major newspapers are suffering from declining subscriptions, this didn't make a lot of sense.

Locally the Philadelphia Inquirer and Courier Post are delivered to me. Monica Yant Kinney has written some very good articles in the Inquirer. I'm not thrilled about the quality of thought, content or writing in many sections of both papers.

Change Your Thoughts- Change Your Life by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

I bought Dr. Dyer's book but I could have saved myself about $20 by just watching his PBS special last weekend on the same topic. I got more from watching his PBS special than reading the book.

Dyer examines the teachings from Tao Te Ching, written by Lao-Tzu before the age of Confucius. Tao Te Ching is described by many as the wisest book ever written. Dyer attempts to update its ancient wisdom for our use today.

I find Dyer a compelling speaker. His PBS specials are usually worth listening to. However Dyer, the author, wrote a book that was too long (389 pages) and too abstract for me. I also did not relate to many of his "Do the Tao Now" exercises.

My Two Daily Must-Reads

I can skip the sports pages. I can skip the stock and weather news. I can even ignore the headlines on the front page.

However I won't skip my daily fill of Doonesbury and Dilbert.

Fifty years from now on, when historians are looking back at the political and cultural events from the 1970's through today, they can find no better authoritative guide in Gary Trudeau's Doonesbury cartoons.

And if you want to understand the absurdities of business and corporate life, there is no better resource than Scott Adams's Dilbert.

Each cartoon is usually dead on when ridiculing hypocrisy and puncturing government and business absurdities.

Why Do Men Prefer Blondes and Other Human Nature Questions

Best article that I have read this week. It comes from Psychology Today. One of the ten politically incorrect truths about human nature suggests that a man's midlife crisis is a result of their wives being middle-aged and at the end of their reproductive cycle. The middle age man then buys a fancy car to attract younger women. Hmm...

I can't say that I necessarily agree with all the ideas presented in the article (e.g. It's natural for male politicians to risk everything for an affair) but it was thought provoking.