tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73080832023-03-16T21:59:52.755-04:00徒然草 blades of grass upon the windmitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comBlogger587125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-80168913758185413832008-09-16T15:43:00.004-04:002008-09-16T15:49:43.161-04:00

I managed to hack back into this blog today despite not having used it since Google merged Blogger with Google Accounts. Whew.I'm here (after a year and a half) for three reasons:To say hello! to anyone who hasn't culled Tsuredzuregusa out of your blogrolls or feedreaders.To post an article on the trickle down effect of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy (since I've always used this site as an

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-6850096622186020282008-09-16T15:34:00.004-04:002008-09-16T15:43:10.382-04:00

The news about the demise of Lehman Brothers reminds me of watching the telecom meltdown of 2001, from my ring-side seat as a recruiter in the Dallas Telecom Corridor. On Monday, shocked Lehman Brothers staff were told to "move on": The mantra of Lehman Brothers was to pay its staff in stock – some 30 per cent of the bank’s equity was held by employees and many bonuses were paid in shares. Now

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1166642023644271482006-12-20T14:06:00.000-05:002006-12-20T14:13:43.686-05:00

I'm copying below the email I just received from The Green Lemon, a delightful tea shop that is one of our favourite places in Richmond. Our standard Saturday treat is to drop by, visit with the staff, and sip one of their tea selections while we savour a lavender scone with either lavender icing, rose jelly, or devonshire cream. The Japanese Garden Tea that they developed especially for Maymont

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1164991529641439742006-12-01T11:42:00.000-05:002006-12-01T11:45:29.670-05:00

Day 2 - Vancouver Blizzard 2006 - Revenge of the CommutersVancouver (Reuters)Chilled Vancouver commuters faced their second day of winter hell today, as an additional ¼ centimetre of the peculiar white stuff fell, bringing the lower mainland to its knees and causing millions of dollars worth of damage to the marijuana crops. Scientists suspect that the substance is some form of frozen water

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1163005947288931802006-11-08T12:07:00.000-05:002006-11-08T12:12:27.373-05:00

The Republicans stole Florida in 2000 by packing courthouses, city halls, and the Secretary of State's office (and all surrounding areas) with tens of thousands of volunteers. We cannot let them steal Virginia using the same tactics. Senator-Elect Jim Webb beat George Allen, and that will not change, as long as we roll up our sleeves and make a difference. What can you do?1. Keep the money coming

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1162964450907804462006-11-08T00:39:00.000-05:002006-11-08T00:40:50.933-05:00

1. There's a strong likelihood Virginia's Webb v Allen senate race will qualify for a recount.2. VA has no automatic recounts. Only losing candidate can ask for a recount, and only if margin is 1% or less of votes cast for those two candidates.If margin is .5% or less, OR, and/or if candidate who requests recount wins, the counties and cities involved in the recount pay the costs.Otherwise,

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1162920936519111612006-11-07T12:35:00.000-05:002006-11-07T12:35:36.553-05:00

After the gradual descent in gas prices in recent (i.e., pre-election) weeks, what are the chances are that prices will escalate on Wednesday?We save money every election year by making sure our gas tank is full before the polls close.Let's have a show of hands: who else is tanking up today?

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1162580143419819112006-11-03T13:55:00.000-05:002006-11-03T13:55:43.446-05:00

In response to my article on why robocalls are a necessary evil, several readers made the comment that, campaign realities be damned, they hate robocalls and they’ll withhold their votes to make a point about it.* Even Seth Godin weighed in against robocalls this week [*I hope to find time to write about the consequences of, and alternatives to, making a protest non-vote (short version:

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1160190488734823322006-10-06T23:07:00.000-04:002006-10-06T23:08:08.786-04:00

Bill Taylor, co-founder of Fast Company, and Fast Company senior editor Polly LaBarre just published a ChangeThis article that describes the changing state of business leadership and asserts that the only companies and leaders that matter are those with the guts to be distinctive and disruptive. Their advice applies just as equally to politics -- and presents a strong prescription for the

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1159564945235698162006-09-29T17:16:00.000-04:002006-09-29T17:22:25.260-04:00

How many of you are aware that we have two regional blog carnivals here in Virginia?The Virginia Blog Carnival is non-partisan blog carnival open to any Virginia Blogger. Kat, who runs the show, is looking for submission for this week's carnival, and, hosts for upcoming editions.Click here to submit your post to the Virginia Blog Carnival.Click here to contact Kat about hosting the

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1159416440061633802006-09-27T23:58:00.000-04:002006-09-28T00:11:27.596-04:00

The Stanford Prison Experiment+ The Milgram Experiment= Abu Ghraib etc. The Stanford Prison Experiment: a landmark 1971 psychological study of the human response to captivity, in particular, to the real world circumstances of prison life, conducted by a team of researchers led by Philip Zimbardo of Stanford University. Volunteers played the roles of guard and prisoner, and lived in a mock

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1158943978568942372006-09-22T12:52:00.000-04:002006-09-22T12:52:58.593-04:00

The Toronto Star reports that MBA students are likelier to cheat. According to the study “Academic Dishonesty in Graduate Business Programs: The Prevalence, Causes, and Proposed Actions:”"56 per cent of graduate business students admitted to cheating in the last year, compared with 47 per cent of non-business students." The study, which included 5,000 MBA students from 11 graduate business

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1158012687135016452006-09-11T18:09:00.000-04:002006-09-11T20:30:36.293-04:00

America defeated itself in Iraq by believing its own spin. Telling the truth is the only way back out.

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1157994544465196172006-09-11T12:52:00.000-04:002006-09-11T13:09:04.473-04:00

Today, as I post for the third time a list of "three things to do today" I originally wrote on September 11, 2004, I have finally understood what the article is about: exceeding yourself.So much advice about "appropriate" observances for today boil down to: be small. close ranks. disconnect from larger things. never forget -- to fear and hate. be the least that you can be.Instead, I'd like to

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1157984548348131592006-09-11T10:03:00.001-04:002006-09-11T12:33:02.110-04:00

In this incredibly antagonistic and hostile interview on A Current Affair, Karl Stefanovic pillories Germaine Greer for her public sentiments about television personality and animal wrangler Steve Irwin's recent accidental death. The clip illustrates the costs of holding a position outside an "official" narrative -- particularly official hagiographies:At the close of the interview, Greer asks, "

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1157764570159127102006-09-08T21:15:00.000-04:002006-09-10T15:00:41.850-04:00

Fortunately, on the fifth aniversay of the 9/11 attacks, there's so much more to look forward to than justDisney-sponsored hardcore rightwing propaganda,blaming Bill Clinton for George Bush's screw-ups,and the much-anticipated, popular-demand reprise of Bush's spectacular 2001 spoken-word performance of My Pet Goat.South Carolina Republican candidate Karen Floyd wanted to do something more

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1157237055259287092006-09-02T18:43:00.000-04:002006-09-02T18:44:15.286-04:00

Oliver at MobileCrunch has published a great write-up entitled One Call Reaches All with Pheeder -- a company that lets you run public, opt-in lists to receive broadcast phone messages (or alternatively, your own private lists). The service is free. My first reaction? -- drop your campaign robocall spam, and replace it with tailored, opt-in GOTV reminder calls through Pheeder. (My second

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1155063241117742352006-08-08T14:50:00.000-04:002006-08-08T14:54:01.140-04:00

A dear friend who going into hospital soon to deliver her second child (and trying for a VBAC -- keep your fingers crossed for her!) was asking me about pre-paid phone cards:I am thinking I need to get [a pre-paid phone card] for when I am in the hospital and need to call people to tell them I had the baby. I can make local calls from there but not long distance ones. (...) You are not allowed

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1154966400864383172006-08-07T11:56:00.000-04:002006-08-07T12:00:00.900-04:00

Apparently, today falls on National Raspberries in Cream Day, at the end of National Apple Week, during the National Month of Catfish, Peaches, and "Brownies at Brunch"......at least, according to this list of American Food Holidays.Methinks that after all the food industry lobbyists and marketers got this long list of "food days" set up, they were hungry for a holiday themselves.Today's

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1154392235459851742006-07-31T20:26:00.000-04:002006-07-31T20:30:35.553-04:00

You've always suspected it, and now the Germans have confessed... Also, don't miss the classic companion piece, which sets the Bush to music.

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1153629670747643902006-07-23T00:26:00.000-04:002006-07-23T00:41:10.800-04:00

The Curse of Comic Sans , an article by Jessica Helfand this week in the fabulous Design Oberserver blog, decries the mass culture ubiquity of the typeface Comic Sans.Now, I can't pretend to by a font snob, although I certainly work with people who are typeface professionals -- but the joy of the article lies in reading an expert writing with passion -- and snobbery!Better yet, the article

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1153334619896998572006-07-19T14:43:00.002-04:002006-07-19T14:48:15.553-04:00

Part 3 of my discussion with business guru David Maister about the future of book publishing, which orginally appeared as a comment on David's blog. Part 1 of may be found here and Part 2 here. And yes, I have written Part 3 all by myself.  [Full disclosure: David Maister is a client of my employer, stresslimitdesign.] David Maister's post Writers and Peformers is right on the money—but I’m

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1153334601817651112006-07-19T14:43:00.001-04:002006-07-19T14:48:06.593-04:00

Part 2 of my discussion with business guru David Maister about the future of book publishing, reproduced with his permission. Part 1 of this exchange may be found here. [Full disclosure: David Maister is a client of my employer, stresslimitdesign.]The following article by David Maister, entitled Writers and Performers, originally appeared on his blog on July 18, 2006. Shaula Evans, part of my

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1153334613253491202006-07-19T14:43:00.000-04:002006-07-19T14:43:33.266-04:00

Business guru David Maister and I have been involved in an extended discussion about the merits of book publishing, promotions, and Long Tail Economics over on his blog, Passion, People and Principles. With his permission, I am reproducing that exchange here in a series of posts, and I look forward to your responses. [Full disclosure: David Maister is a client of my employer, stresslimitdesign.]

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7308083.post-1151804663708521292006-07-01T21:17:00.000-04:002006-07-01T22:34:54.286-04:00

I have spent a fair amount of my adult life as an expat, and if you count my years in Quebec, even more as a language-minority. Hence I tend to bill myself as a "professional foreigner," because after all this practice, I'm getting fairly good at it.Inspired by the Canadian national anthem playing in the background of the e-card I received from the Ditzy Democrats, I want to share the story with

mitsugomihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14654401140276657942noreply@blogger.com