Allergic to peanuts or to good manners?
Hey Florida, et. al.
In my Beaver Cleaver childhood, we left our lunch outside in the cupboard. We washed our hands. These were neither politically correct nor politically incorrect. They were not compliance with the ADA. They were not political issues, social issues, legal issues, or hygiene issues: they were not issues at all. We simply left our lunches in the cupboard and washed our hands. How did normal behaviour become so controversial?
When new neighbors moved in, I asked the parents if their child had a peanut allergy. Why? Because after work, I would mix a martini, make half a peanut butter sandwich and go out into the back yard. If we met over the fence, I did not want my sandwich to be the cause of an allergic reaction.
Maybe we can resolve the dispute my falling back on that old canard: Good manners?
Regards,
Slim
mail slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright (c) 2011 Slim Fairview
Showing posts with label Etiquette. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Etiquette. Show all posts
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
CIVICS
CIVICS:
Then: “Remember, class, you may not agree with what they have to say, but they have the right to say it.”
Now: “Don’t let them forget, class. They may not agree with what you have to say, but you have the right to say it.”
Then: The right to accommodation.
Now: The right of infliction.
Slim
Mail: slimfairview@yahoo.com
From The Quotations of Slim Fairview
Copyright (c) 2011 Slim Fairview
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Frank Investment Strategies
Investing?
Here's the metaphor.
Two friends stop off at a hot dog stand. Ahead of them, they see a man order a hot dog. One says to the other, “I bet he has mustard.” His friend says, “Ketchup.” The man puts mustard on his hot dog. The first friend wins.
They follow him down the street to a pretzel stand. The first man bets that he buys a pretzel with no salt. The second says with salt. The man buys it with salt. The second man wins.
Down the street, the man stops for ice cream. The first man says, “Chocolate”. The second man says, “Vanilla”. The first man wins when the guy in front of them buys a chocolate ice cream cone.
You know all this because you are following the two men and listening in as they make their wagers.
The next thing you know, you are calling your friend on the phone and inviting him to meet you for lunch at the hot dog stand.
When you get there, you see the same two men you saw the day before. They make the same wager. You turn to your friend and say, “I bet the man on the left wins the bet.” Your friend says, “You’re on.”
You bet that the man on the left will win the wager each time.
You win two out of three bets. You come out ahead.
Do you now have some idea of how our investment industry is changing?
You win two out of three bets. You come out ahead.
Do you now have some idea of how our investment industry is changing?
Regards,
Slim
Mail: slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2011 Slim Fairview
Slimviews is an non-profit, unfunded, unsupported, and, alas, unprofitable web log by Slim Fairview
http://slimviews.blogspot.com
Commentary on Global Political and Economic Events by Slim Fairview. Read my blog today or hear it from experts in a month or two. Slim
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
More to View
Slim Fairview's PowerPoint Presentations on SlideShare.
Global Management: A Shift in the Paradigm of Corporate America.
The Future of the G-20 in Good Times and Bad
Preview: Fairviews: The Quotations of Slim Fairview
The Multiplier Effect: Illustrated
Regards,
Slim Fairview
Also available on LinkedIn.
Mail: tilden9@yahoo.com
copyright (c) 2011 Slim Fairview
Global Management: A Shift in the Paradigm of Corporate America.
The Future of the G-20 in Good Times and Bad
Preview: Fairviews: The Quotations of Slim Fairview
The Multiplier Effect: Illustrated
Regards,
Slim Fairview
Also available on LinkedIn.
Mail: tilden9@yahoo.com
copyright (c) 2011 Slim Fairview
Monday, December 20, 2010
The Fall and Rise of Empires
Empires rise and fall. The Byzantine Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and before The Soviet Union was called the Evil empire, Russia had an empire extending down into what is now Poland.
Correct my history if necessary. Russia was beaten back by the emergence of the Polish empire, which extended toward Western Europe. They were driven back by the rise of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed with WW I.
However, in each case, the empire, as it grew to include vast and divergent territories, became not merely too large to manage, but too fractious. What played well in Italy, closest to Rome, did not play well in France. Less so in Egypt and England.
In addition, we all remember, The Sun never set on the British Empire. I always wondered how that Sceptred isle set in a silver sea managed to dominate the world. India, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada...It may well have been the delegation of authority.
The Evil Empire collapsed because Eastern Europeans grew weary of a system that destroyed what they had spent centuries to build. The U.S. however, never really had an empire. Too often, we've been isolationist. We have not been networking.
Wouldn't it be lovely if nations had Linkedin accts and Facebook pages? Germany could ask Portugal to join its network on Linkedin. China could friend Brazil on Facebook. Japan could friend India. Pakistan could friend Canada.
Our problem lies not in the empire we don't have. Our problem is conspicuous: our problem is our lack of allies. Our lack of metaphorical Facebook friends. We still have an isolationist mentality.
The delegation of authority? We can't even accept the concept of the 10th Amendment in The Bill of Rights, the concept of States Rights.
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
With apologies to Charles de Gaulle:
It's a good thing we have only three political parties. We have only three kinds of cheese.*
Sincerely,
Slim
* [American, Cheddar, and Cream]
Coipyright (c) 2010 Slim Fairview
Correct my history if necessary. Russia was beaten back by the emergence of the Polish empire, which extended toward Western Europe. They were driven back by the rise of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed with WW I.
However, in each case, the empire, as it grew to include vast and divergent territories, became not merely too large to manage, but too fractious. What played well in Italy, closest to Rome, did not play well in France. Less so in Egypt and England.
In addition, we all remember, The Sun never set on the British Empire. I always wondered how that Sceptred isle set in a silver sea managed to dominate the world. India, Australia, Hong Kong, Canada...It may well have been the delegation of authority.
The Evil Empire collapsed because Eastern Europeans grew weary of a system that destroyed what they had spent centuries to build. The U.S. however, never really had an empire. Too often, we've been isolationist. We have not been networking.
Wouldn't it be lovely if nations had Linkedin accts and Facebook pages? Germany could ask Portugal to join its network on Linkedin. China could friend Brazil on Facebook. Japan could friend India. Pakistan could friend Canada.
Our problem lies not in the empire we don't have. Our problem is conspicuous: our problem is our lack of allies. Our lack of metaphorical Facebook friends. We still have an isolationist mentality.
The delegation of authority? We can't even accept the concept of the 10th Amendment in The Bill of Rights, the concept of States Rights.
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
With apologies to Charles de Gaulle:
It's a good thing we have only three political parties. We have only three kinds of cheese.*
Sincerely,
Slim
* [American, Cheddar, and Cream]
Coipyright (c) 2010 Slim Fairview
Friday, December 3, 2010
JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF A DECENT SORT TRYING TO HELP. TAKE A LOOK AT: City of Hope: A Children’s Story documents the stark life of Brazil’s favela (slums) children, and is a feature-length documentary capturing the lives of displaced children caught in a seemingly unending web of drugs, violence, prostitution, sexual slavery and deliberate acts to exterminate these unwanted children. In a country with an enlightened government, it is also a film of hope and salvation as both government and Brazil’s affluent private sector work to save these children.
Regards,
Slim
Regards,
Slim
Monday, November 29, 2010
EI v. IQ
Time was:
If you did well in school, you were "intelligent".
If you did well at sports, you were "athletic".
If you were good at painting, you were "artistic".
If you played the piano well, you were "talented".
Not anymore.
Today,
If you play the piano well, you have musical intelligence.
If you paint well, you have artistic intelligence.
If you are good at sports, you have athletic intelligence.
However, if you are good at school, well....you must have worked very hard.
Slim
copyright(c) 2010 Slim Fairview
If you did well in school, you were "intelligent".
If you did well at sports, you were "athletic".
If you were good at painting, you were "artistic".
If you played the piano well, you were "talented".
Not anymore.
Today,
If you play the piano well, you have musical intelligence.
If you paint well, you have artistic intelligence.
If you are good at sports, you have athletic intelligence.
However, if you are good at school, well....you must have worked very hard.
Slim
copyright(c) 2010 Slim Fairview
Monday, November 22, 2010
THINK INSIDE THE BOX
THINK INSIDE THE BOX! For consideration and debate
Cliches, Slogans, and Platitudes have infiltrated our culture to such an extent that we can no longer think straight; or we are not allowed to. It seems people our age are the only ones who still possess what is no longer legal to possess: Intelligence and the ability to think.
Please share what you've experienced on the subject.
The expression has evolved. Initially, it came across as a tactical manoeuvre which translates, "Surprise! Here I am, I invite myself to your house. What do you mean, you do the inviting when you entertain people in your home? You should think outside the box."
The box became a symbol of old-fashion, draconian, narrow minded, limiting, ad nauseum. Thinking outside the box became the new, hip, trendy, now, together, what's happening way of doing things. The new ways of doing things to meet the new challenges we will confront. Oh, boy!
However, as with many cliches, think outside the box is no longer actually heard anymore. It is like the part of the dialogue in a novel where we see, he said, she said. Those are fine markers for the reader, however, the reader is not actually cognisant of the he said, she said. Only what they represent.
Still, it is very interesting to hear different perspectives from different people.
Just something to consider.
Sincerely,
Slim
copyright (c) 2010 Slim Fairview
Cliches, Slogans, and Platitudes have infiltrated our culture to such an extent that we can no longer think straight; or we are not allowed to. It seems people our age are the only ones who still possess what is no longer legal to possess: Intelligence and the ability to think.
Please share what you've experienced on the subject.
The expression has evolved. Initially, it came across as a tactical manoeuvre which translates, "Surprise! Here I am, I invite myself to your house. What do you mean, you do the inviting when you entertain people in your home? You should think outside the box."
The box became a symbol of old-fashion, draconian, narrow minded, limiting, ad nauseum. Thinking outside the box became the new, hip, trendy, now, together, what's happening way of doing things. The new ways of doing things to meet the new challenges we will confront. Oh, boy!
However, as with many cliches, think outside the box is no longer actually heard anymore. It is like the part of the dialogue in a novel where we see, he said, she said. Those are fine markers for the reader, however, the reader is not actually cognisant of the he said, she said. Only what they represent.
Still, it is very interesting to hear different perspectives from different people.
Just something to consider.
Sincerely,
Slim
copyright (c) 2010 Slim Fairview
Monday, August 30, 2010
The Business of Wisdom in Global Affairs--A Fable
The Business of Wisdom in Global Affairs
About 50 years ago, my father told me a fable. I don’t know its origin. I believe it may have originated in Turkey or in the Middle East.
No doubt, he’d heard it from someone much older than he was when he heard it. And older and wiser when he shared it with me. Thank you, Dad.
A long time ago, there lived a powerful king. He ruled vast lands with firmness and fairness. However, the many city-states and principalities were ruled by selfish and greedy men. They were constantly fighting wars over petty grievances to disguise their true motive—greed. Therefore, the king issued an edict banning such unjust wars. If they defied the edict, he would send his troops in to vanquish the offender and seize his lands.
In one of the small countries, the young people had gathered to come up with a plan to better the lives of the people. They concluded that the old people were a burden and that they should all be put to death.
One young man, unable to allow his father to be killed, led him from the city in the dead of night and hid him in a cave on the outskirts of the city.
The word spread to a neighboring land where a greedy prince called his advisors together to discuss a plot to wage a war against the other land to grab their wealth. They wrote the following letter:
Five generations ago, our people lent to your people 25 units of rope woven from sand which you promised to return. Yet with each passing generation, your promise has gone unfulfilled. Therefore, we must demand return of this rope or we will be forced to send our armies to your land to retrieve it along with just restitution.
When the leaders of the council received and read this letter, they panicked. None had ever heard of the rope woven from sand nor knew anything about it.
The man who’d hid his father in the cave outside of town asked for the letter and said he would return with a solution to the problem. He went to see his father.
His father said, “Write back. Say to them, we have many coils of rope. Some are woven from sand but each is different. Send us a sample of your rope so we may match it up with the rope that is yours and do justice by returning your rope.”
The young man returned to the council and they sent just such a letter.
When the evil prince received the reply, he turned to his advisers and said, “There is still one old man left in their land. We will wait until he dies and try again.”
Regards,
Slim
Mail: slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright (c) 2010 Slim Fairview
About 50 years ago, my father told me a fable. I don’t know its origin. I believe it may have originated in Turkey or in the Middle East.
No doubt, he’d heard it from someone much older than he was when he heard it. And older and wiser when he shared it with me. Thank you, Dad.
A long time ago, there lived a powerful king. He ruled vast lands with firmness and fairness. However, the many city-states and principalities were ruled by selfish and greedy men. They were constantly fighting wars over petty grievances to disguise their true motive—greed. Therefore, the king issued an edict banning such unjust wars. If they defied the edict, he would send his troops in to vanquish the offender and seize his lands.
In one of the small countries, the young people had gathered to come up with a plan to better the lives of the people. They concluded that the old people were a burden and that they should all be put to death.
One young man, unable to allow his father to be killed, led him from the city in the dead of night and hid him in a cave on the outskirts of the city.
The word spread to a neighboring land where a greedy prince called his advisors together to discuss a plot to wage a war against the other land to grab their wealth. They wrote the following letter:
Five generations ago, our people lent to your people 25 units of rope woven from sand which you promised to return. Yet with each passing generation, your promise has gone unfulfilled. Therefore, we must demand return of this rope or we will be forced to send our armies to your land to retrieve it along with just restitution.
When the leaders of the council received and read this letter, they panicked. None had ever heard of the rope woven from sand nor knew anything about it.
The man who’d hid his father in the cave outside of town asked for the letter and said he would return with a solution to the problem. He went to see his father.
His father said, “Write back. Say to them, we have many coils of rope. Some are woven from sand but each is different. Send us a sample of your rope so we may match it up with the rope that is yours and do justice by returning your rope.”
The young man returned to the council and they sent just such a letter.
When the evil prince received the reply, he turned to his advisers and said, “There is still one old man left in their land. We will wait until he dies and try again.”
Regards,
Slim
Mail: slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright (c) 2010 Slim Fairview
Friday, April 23, 2010
Group Norms
Colloquial:
Normal; of and/or pertaining to the norms.
Norms; prevalent characteristics of a demographic subset.
Take a group of people, perhaps in a corporation or company--accounting, marketing, or the most affable of all, sales. Your choice.
Take three groups in one, or one group from each of three. Now let's take a look at what we have.
a. The group eats in the same restaurant every Friday and splits the check with each person paying his or her own share. (Sounds like the accounting department.)
b. The second group never eats in the same restaurant twice. The bill is divided evenly among the members of the group. (Sounds like marketing.)
c. In the third group, each week a different member picks the restaurant and picks up the tab for all. (Sounds like sales.)
Each group, for the purposes of this discussion, has group norms:
- how to decide where to eat
- how to divide the bill
These are the prevalent characteristics of the three demographic subsets. (My satirical remarks not withstanding.)
These are the "norms of the group".
An essential aspect to the cohesion of the groups is the individuals' embracing the norms of the group.This dos not now, nor has it ever been claimed to be, an objective right or wrong; good or bad; superior or inferior. These examples do, however, demonstrate a difference or differences. Diversity, if you will. And diversity is firmly rooted in the word diverse.
Successful management will recognize these factors and do little or nothing to disrupt them. The personnel problems arise when a member of one group moves to another group. An essential to employee orientation is to convey the concept of norms and to be certain new employees understand them.
Regards,
Slim
Mail: slimfairview@yahoo.com
Copyright (c) 2010 Slim Fairview
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)