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The Age of Politics Through the Years
Nearly 30 years ago, I was sitting in an office at Bloomberg News when Mike Bloomberg stopped by. The room, I think, had windows to the outside, but no one looked. Instead, what kept everyone’s attention was the activity beyond the full glass wall that faced the bustling center...
Credit Karma Fined by SEC for Withholding Key Information from Employees
It turns out that Credit Karma, an online company that made its fortune by handing out personal financial advice and tax assistance to 75 million people, might want to start looking around for some good advice and assistance for itself. The Securities and Exchange Commission...
Journalists Addicted to Intemperance
Yes, the time has come for each of you ink-stained wretches to park your Prius and go drive a tractor. (Oh, bring your vodka with you.) Stumbling through the internet the other day searching for something or other, I came across this small story from the June 1853 issue of The...
Facebook’s Mission Implausible
Lacking an honest mission, Facebook is heading down a perilous path. Like other tech giants, its rapid success and its hubris have led to a stunning lack of self-awareness. Much is written about mission statements. We read them. We study them. We teach them. But rarely do we...
Stop! Maybe. Well, Maybe Not.
You can learn a lot about a society by the way people drive. The problem is I’m just not sure what that is. I always found driving in New York City relatively easy. You raced up or down the avenues timing your ride to the timing of green lights. You did everything you could to...
How I Know I’m Not in New York (Part 12)
"The March" “Remus, hello! Over here!" "Hi." "How are you?” “Oh, my friend, it’s been a terrible few days. Just terrible.” “Yes, I know. It’s unbelievably sad. You were at the march on Sunday?” “Of course. Something had to be done. And thank god, 12000 of us showed up to show...
The False Semblance of Business (and its gift to entrepreneurs)
Earlier this month, I gave a lecture on critical thinking to an association of Hungarian economists in Targu Mures. At the end of the conversation, I was asked two questions: what was my first impression of business in Romania when I arrived here six years ago? And, what advice...
Moby-Dick? Sure. Look In Our Fishing Section
In business and in life, it’s the small things we take for granted that generally cause our mistakes. After all, you might wonder, what’s so hard about putting a book on a shelf? Many years ago, I was driving through the suburbs of Dallas on a quiet weekend when I saw a big...
A Woman I’m Happy Got a Plaque
Several months ago, I came across something in Bucharest that was so unexpected and so much fun that I was thinking to write a blog post about it. Until, that is, after a bit of effort, I was able to convince myself no one would find it interesting. So I eagerly and happily...
Hillary and The Otter Defense
Logical fallacies are great fun. Ok, they’re not very instructive in learning how to think critically. Like driving down a street filled with potholes, it’s a good idea to avoid them, but that’s not enough to become an F1 champion. Still, they’re fun. And when thinking of...
Swearin’ Proper
Just a few weeks ago, I introduced you here to Finley Peter Dunne - or more importantly to Mr. Dooley. Usually, I would let it go at that and know you were making the time and effort to explore his writing and his humor on your own. But it's the summer and I'm sure you're too...
Stanislavski on Politicians (Sort of)
There is an art to living well and to leading well. And whether in politics, in business, or in acting on a stage, the same ethics and same temptations can equally apply. So while delivering a speech to a captive business or political audience hardly reaches the height of...
A Conversation With Mr. Dooley
Sometimes the best thing I can write for you is what somebody else wrote first. -- “What’s wan man’s news is another man’s throubles. In these hot days, I’d like to see a pa-aper with nawthin’ in it but affectionate wives an’ loyal husbands an’ prosp’rous, smilin’ people an’...
Not-So-Small Small Change
The young woman looked at me like I was crazy. I had just handed her 21 lei to pay for groceries that cost 20.91 lei. She finished helping me bag the items, handed me my receipt and began to ring up the next customer when I interrupted her, forced an awkward smile, and asked...
How I Know I’m Not in New York (Part 11)
"A Tall Blonde" It's been a very busy spring, but after an urgent phone call from my Romanian friend Remus, we had a chance to catch up. “Hey Remus. Over here!!” “Hello, my friend.” “Hi. I’m glad you called.” “Yes, yes, I want to talk to you.” “Wait, wait, wait. Hang on a...
An unfortunate, yet strangely welcome, accident
I was walking home this evening and waiting for a green walk signal at the most dangerous intersection I encounter every day, where Calea Dorobantilor crosses Bulevardul Iancu de Hunedoara. Fooled by that sense of detached isolation that can occur behind the wheel and sucked in...
To do, or not to do. That is the list.
I love a good list. A list of rules, a list of crimes, a list for shopping, a list of favorite books, a list of favorite lists – to-do, wish, bucket, Franz. I love them all. What I don’t love is when they are compiled by amateurs and then presented as if they are the wisdom of...
Hickory Dickory Dock, The Mouse Ran Up George Enescu
Being roughly twice the age of the internet, I believe I have the right to render some judgment on this latest flash in the pan. (I mean, what are today's tablets if not essentially the equivalent of Kenner's Close 'n Play, maybe version 143.2?) My conclusion: there are no...
Seeing the World
What a gift it would be to have a friend like this - or better yet, to be a friend like this. A very short excerpt from Zorba the Greek: "Things we are accustomed to, and which we pass by indifferently, suddenly rise up in front of Zorba like fearful enigmas. Seeing a woman...
Political Corruption in Romania: The DNA Database
“Criticism by politicians and politically motivated media attacks on individual judges, prosecutors and members of their families, and on judicial and prosecutorial institutions, have been a particular concern…” European Commission (Jan. 22, 2014) By Peter H. Frank and...