Bhuvana Sundaramoorthy shares a great list of typical questions you are likely to be asked in your next job interview together with suggestions on how to answer them. This is an excellent list also for those conducting such interviews. Notably absent from the list is the cliche question "What is your greatest weakness?" although it is noted in the comments that interviewers who ask this question do not know what they are doing.
Gill Corkindale shares this summary of what it takes to be a good leader:
1. Be aware. Understand yourself and your context. Know your own strengths, limitations, and development needs. If you don't have time to build your skills, bring people into your team who will complement you. Be aware of the organization and the people you are leading. If you have moved from a start-up to an established organization, for example, the people and the rules of engagement will be very different.
2. Have a plan. Know where you are going. One great definition of leadership is to have followers. If you cannot create a sense of the future, no one can follow you.
3. Build relationships. Give more of yourself. A leader has to get things done through others, so people skills are critical. Take time to get to know your peers, bosses, and subordinates. Talk less, listen more, and remember the details of what people say. Investing time to understand the roles, ideas, and personalities of those around you will yield a strong network, corporate allies, motivated staff, and personal goodwill.
4. Deliver. Get things done. Whatever your line of business, you need to show the results of your leadership. So whether it's a better product, an improved service, a higher profit or share price, make sure you deliver.
5. Have integrity. Get your values right. Your values define who you are and why others should work for you. The important point here is that values should be lived, not written down or occasionally talked about. Show by your own example that honesty, truth, transparency, respect, and sustainability matter.
1. I’ve been a pauper, a poet, a paper boy, car wash attendant, commercial bakery worker, cemetery grass cutter, book warehouseman, hod carrier, construction laborer, television delivery man, jet refueler, lavatory cleaner, ditch digger, law clerk, attorney, actor and professor
2. After a deep spiritual experience, I spent a frosty warm night in a yak-hair tent called the Hotel California at the Mount Everest base camp in Tibet.
3. I was recruited to play football at Princeton University. Otherwise, I may not have considered applying to and attending Old Nassau. What a lucky break.
4. During law school, I was in a garage band we called Permanently Band, playing for friends and ourselves original songs that I wrote in a burst of creativity that I have not experienced since.
5. Lately, I am more concerned with spiritual growth, awareness, seeking and searching than with anything else.
6. In her youth, I appeared onstage with my darling daughter, Deirdre, in three community theater productions – To Kill a Mockingbird, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Impossible Years.
7. I was tricked into auditioning for a role without knowing it in To Kill a Mockingbird when the director asked me to fill in during a rehearsal for a missing player. He then informed me that the missing player had left the production and asked if I would take over the role of Mr. Cunningham.
8. This led to a wonderful moment in the play when Scout (Deirdre) recognizes Mr. Cunningham (me) in the lynch mob and defuses a tense situation. The way we staged it, I took a couple of threatening steps toward Deirdre before dropping to my knees in front of her to speak my lines. What a wondrous memory.
9. Come to think of it, I have a lot of enduring pictures of Deirdre in my mind. One is of her playing mob or beehive soccer when she was a tyke. She was apart from the swarm twirling her pigtails and I was screaming from the sidelines, “Go after the ball!”
10. I am a third cousin of Tampa Bay Rays manager, Joe Maddon.
11. When I was growing up I knew my grandparents as “Grandma and Grandpa from Hazleton” and “Grandma and Grandpa Next Door”
12. When I was little, I read every Nancy Drew mystery I could lay my hands on.
13. My favorite author, though, was Edgar Allen Poe. What a combination.
14. I once drove the 120 miles from Princeton NJ to Scranton PA all the way without ever coming to a complete stop. The clutch in my yellow VW bug was shot and made a horrendous grinding noise if the car had to be started from a complete stop.
15. I know all the two letter state postal abbreviations by heart from years working in the book warehouse and shipping operation that my father ran as general manager.
16. We put our Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving and just took it down and put it away this week (2nd week of February). I love decorating the tree. When I open the boxes containing the ornaments, I think and say, “Hello, old friends.”
17. I have a bunch of buddies from playing pickup basketball who, for many years, I only knew by their nicknames – Sluggo, Gumby, Goober, Buzzy, Dog.
18. Despite spending most of my life now in Western Pennsylvania, I have never visited the Andy Warhol Museum, the National Aviary, or the Regional History Museum.
19. Growing up, I was a New York Yankees and New York Giants fan. Now I root for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
20. I am a fan of classic country music, even though I grew up strictly listening to rock and roll. Waylon Jennings, Patsy Cline and the rest touch my soul.
21. On the Friday before Christmas, I pulled out my axe and sang Christmas carols for the “pirohi ladies” at St. Mary’s Church in Ambridge PA while I waited for my three dozen.
22. I represented the creator of one of the first internet search engines in connection with the Initial Public Offering of the company commercializing his invention.
23. I am partially blind in one eye.
24. I am part of a loving family.
25. I am on a journey of discovery.
In this essay, Jeffrey Schrank gives a list of the techniques advertisers employ to make claims for their products. I have reprinted selections from the article and used Super Bowl ads that I believe illustrate the concepts Professor Schrank stresses:
"The 'claim' is the verbal or print part of an ad that makes some claim of superiority for the product being advertised... some are honest statements about a truly superior product, but most fit into the category of neither bold lies nor helpful consumer information. They balance on the narrow line between truth and falsehood by a careful choice of words.When the "king" in this Castrol commercial states that nothing beats Castrol Edge brand motor oil in wear protection, he is not claiming Castrol is the best motor oil or that it is better than any other, even though it seems so. Note that this commercial also demonstrates a scientific claim as explained in number 8 below. And how much more vague can you get (see number 6 below) than the tag line "It's more than just oil; it's liquid engineering."
"The reason so many ad claims fall into this category of pseudo-information is that they are applied to parity products, products in which all or most of the brands available are nearly identical. Since no one superior product exists, advertising is used to create the illusion of superiority. The largest advertising budgets are devoted to parity products such as gasoline, cigarettes, beer and soft drinks, soaps, and various headache and cold remedies...
"The first rule of parity involves the Alice in Wonderlandish use of the words "better" and "best." In parity claims, "better" means "best" and "best" means "equal to."
"To create the necessary illusion of superiority, advertisers usually resort to one or more of the following ten basic techniques. Each is common and easy to identify."Help" is on the way:
"1. THE WEASEL CLAIM
A weasel word is a modifier that practically negates the claim that follows...Words or claims that appear substantial upon first look but disintegrate into hollow meaninglessness on analysis are weasels. Commonly used weasel words include 'helps' (the champion weasel); 'like' (used in a comparative sense);...'virtually';...'can be';...'up to';...'fights';...'fortified';...'enriched';...'strengthened'...
[e.g]...'Helps control dandruff symptoms with regular use.' The weasels include 'helps control,' and possibly even 'symptoms' and 'regular use.' The claim is not 'stops dandruff....
'Leaves dishes virtually spotless.' We have seen so many ad claims that we have learned to tune out weasels. You are supposed to think spotless,' rather than 'virtually' spotless...
"2. THE UNFINISHED CLAIMWhat's G?:
The unfinished claim is one in which the ad claims the product is better, or has more of something, but does not finish the comparison...[e.g]'Magnavox gives you more.' More what?...'You can be sure if it's Westinghouse.' Sure of what?
"3. THE 'WE'RE DIFFERENT AND UNIQUE' CLAIMOther beers drink like a guy smashing into a tree:
This kind of claim states that there is nothing else quite like the product being advertised...The uniqueness claim is supposed to be interpreted by readers as a claim to superiority...[e.g]'There's no other mascara like it.'...
4. THE 'WATER IS WET' CLAIMDogs make better pets than big wild animals:
'Water is wet' claims say something about the product that is true for any brand in that product category, (for example, 'Schrank's water is really wet.') The claim is usually a statement of fact, but not a real advantage over the competition... [e.g.]'Great Lash greatly increases the diameter of every lash.'..."SKIN smells differently on everyone.' As do many perfumes.
"5. THE 'SO WHAT' CLAIMThe first diet cola for men:
This is the kind of claim to which the careful reader will react by saying "So What?" A claim is made which is true but which gives no real advantage to the product. This is similar to the "water is wet" claim except that it claims an advantage which is not shared by most of the other brands in the product category...
[e.g.]...'Campbell's gives you tasty pieces of chicken and not one but two chicken stocks.' Does the presence of two stocks improve the taste? 'Strong enough for a man but made for a woman.' This deodorant claim says only that the product is aimed at the female market.
"6. THE VAGUE CLAIMLots of candidates here - Virtually all of the Bud light commercials "only beer with just the right taste" "difference is drinkability" "Bud light is easy to drink" "Bud light has an easy drinking taste" and this one - More intelligent electricity?:
The vague claim is simply not clear. This category often overlaps with others. The key to the vague claim is the use of words that are colorful but meaningless, as well as the use of subjective and emotional opinions that defy verification. Most contain weasels...
"[e.g.]'Lips have never looked so luscious.' Can you imagine trying to either prove or disprove such a claim?...'Its deep rich lather makes hair feel good again.'...
"7. THE ENDORSEMENT OR TESTIMONIAL
A celebrity or authority appears in an ad to lend his or her stellar qualities to the product. Sometimes the people will actually claim to use the product, but very often they don't...
"8. THE SCIENTIFIC OR STATISTICAL CLAIM"For drivers who want to get the most:
This kind of ad uses some sort of scientific proof or experiment, very specific numbers, or an impressive sounding mystery ingredient...[e.g]'Special Morning--33% more nutrition.' Also an unfinished claim...
"9. THE 'COMPLIMENT THE CONSUMER' CLAIM
This kind of claim butters up the consumer by some form of flattery...[e.g]'We think a cigar smoker is someone special.'...'If what you do is right for you, no matter what others do, then RC Cola is right for you.'...'You've come a long way, baby.'
"10. THE RHETORICAL QUESTIONIsn't it time?:
This technique demands a response from the audience. A question is asked and the viewer or listener is supposed to answer in such a way as to affirm the product's goodness...[e.g]'Shouldn't your family be drinking Hawaiian Punch?'..."
"Every Communist must grasp the truth, 'Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.'
“Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy.”
“In waking a tiger, use a long stick.”
"A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another."
"Whoever wants to know a thing has no way of doing so except by coming into contact with it, that is, by living (practicing) in its environment. ... If you want knowledge, you must take part in the practice of changing reality. If you want to know the taste of a pear, you must change the pear by eating it yourself.... If you want to know the theory and methods of revolution, you must take part in revolution. All genuine knowledge originates in direct experience."
"The proletariat seeks to transform the world according to its own world outlook, and so does the bourgeoisie. In this respect, the question of which will win out, socialism or capitalism, is still not really settled… It will take a fairly long period of time to decide the issue in the ideological struggle between socialism and capitalism in our country."
"We should support whatever the enemy opposes and oppose whatever the enemy supports."
"Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed."
"Our army has always had two policies. First, we must be ruthless to our enemies, we must overpower and annihilate them. Second, we must be kind to our own, to the people, to our comrades and to our superiors and subordinates, and unite with them."
"We are advocates of the abolition of war, we do not want war; but war can only be abolished through war, and in order to get rid of the gun it is necessary to take up the gun."
"Our principles of operation are:
'(1) Attack dispersed, isolated enemy forces first; attack concentrated, strong enemy forces later…
'(4) In every battle, concentrate an absolutely superior force (two, three, four and sometimes even five or six times the enemy's strength), encircle the enemy forces completely, strive to wipe them out thoroughly and do not let any escape from the net. In special circumstances, use the method of dealing the enemy crushing blows, that is, concentrate all our strength to make a frontal attack and an attack on one or both of his flanks, with the aim of wiping out one part and routing another so that our army can swiftly move its troops to smash other enemy forces….
'(5) Fight no battle unprepared, fight no battle you are not sure of winning; make every effort to be well prepared for each battle, make every effort to ensure victory in the given set of conditions as between the enemy and ourselves.
'(6) Give full play to our style of fighting - courage in battle, no fear of sacrifice, no fear of fatigue, and continuous fighting (that is, fighting successive battles in a short time without rest).
'(7) Strive to wipe out the enemy when he is on the move…
'(9) Replenish our strength with all the arms and most of the personnel captured from the enemy. Our army's main sources of manpower and materiel are at the front.
'(10) Make good use of the intervals between campaigns to rest, train and consolidate our troops. Periods of rest, training and consolidation should not in general be very long, and the enemy should so far as possible be permitted no breathing space…"
You are invited to my free fun Frog Soda The Oscars - 81st Annual Academy Awards Pool: Anthony's Oscar Pool.
- go to the league page, http://www.frogsoda.com/awards_ceremony.php?Action=viewleague&lid=1014&aid=21
- if clicking on the link doesn't work, copy and paste it into your browser
- if you are a Frog Soda member, click "log in", if not click "Sign Up"
- Once you have created an account and are signed in, click "Join League"
- This is a private league, you will need the password to join: oscar
"Rumors have a way of slipping under our mental defenses before we think to question them. The best ones sidestep common sense entirely...Most of us don't like to think of ourselves as gullible. But we're especially likely to accept as true—and do our best to spread—tales that have several specific characteristics that take aim at our best defenses...
"1: Successful rumors needle our anxieties and emotions...Fear breeds rumor. The more collective anxiety a group has, the more inclined it will be to start up the rumor mill...we pass rumors around primarily as a means of deciphering scary, uncertain situations. Exchanging information, even if it's ludicrously false, relieves our unease by giving us a sense that we at least know what's happening...
"2: Rumors stick if they're somewhat surprising but still fit with our existing biases....If you already think liberals are waging a war on religion, you'll be more likely to buy 2008's (untrue) rumor that the new dollar coins omit the customary "In God We Trust." (It's printed along the side.)...Even when presented with evidence refuting a rumor, we often stick to our biases...
"3: Easily swayed people are more important than influential people in passing on a rumor...."It's your willingness to pass things along that matters"... Kids will believe almost anything (another long-lived schoolyard rumor claimed the "Mikey likes it" Life cereal kid died after a mixture of soda and Pop Rocks made his stomach explode), and thus rumors run rampant in schools. But the same is true of gullible adults: They're the ones who really fuel rumors...
"4: The more you hear a rumor, the more you'll buy it—even if you're hearing that it's false....
"5: Rumors reflect the zeitgeist...Rumors have the greatest chance of multiplying when the topic is something people are already pondering...
"6: Sticky rumors are simple and concrete....Examine your stockpile of offbeat conventional wisdom...We only use 10 percent of our brains. The Great Wall of China can be seen from space. People swallow eight spiders a year in their sleep. These tidbits are all simple and specific, with a vivid detail that sticks in the mind. They're also false. But they illustrate the point that tangible, easily graspable tales have an excellent chance of catching on...
"7: Rumors that last are difficult to disprove....Why do people still believe there's a giant prehistoric reptile prowling Loch Ness, even though innumerable hours of investigation have produced zero proof of such a creature? Well, it's a pretty big lake: How can we be sure she's not in there? It's tough to disprove the idea definitively...
"8: We are eager to believe bad things about people we envy.... Once someone hits a certain level of celebrity and adulation, it seems, the mill starts to churn automatically—and the more beautiful and successful the star, the more depraved the rumors. Jamie Lee Curtis is a hermaphrodite. Cher (or Janet Jackson) had a rib removed so she'd look skinnier. Catherine the Great died trying to make love to a horse..."
Some of these read like a manual for marketers.
Read more in this Psychology Today article.
Defense wins championships, but the offenses stepped up when it counted in last night's Super Bowl. When Fitzgerald scored the go-ahead touchdown, I was drained, deflated, yet hopeful.
Somehow, the Steelers have become a team that can mount a charge from behind in the final minutes of a game and win. All the same, I was sweating, "Is this one for Warner? Can the Steelers do it again?"
Mom couldn't take it. Dad said she had to go upstairs and stop watching the game after Fitz scored. I know exactly how she felt. It was a bit too exciting, a little too heart wrenching.
But how 'bout that Ben Roethlisberger? Mr. Clutch. And Santonio Holmes becoming a man right before your eyes on the big stage.
And how about that James Harrison? If that six pick was not the best play in Super Bowl history, I don't know what was. I was exhausted and exhilarated after he scored. What a game.
Rev. Joseph Lowery, a civil rights icon and a pastor known to speak his mind to power, opened his inauguration benediction with the first words of what is called the Negro National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears...
Lowery implored God to help Americans make "choices on the side of love, not hate, on the side of inclusion not exclusion, tolerance not intolerance."
He updated the famous passages from Isaiah, suggesting humanity "beat tanks into tractors." He called for a time, quoting Micah 4:4, when every man shall sit beneath his vine and fig tree and live in peace and unafraid, Amos 5:24 , "let justice will roll down like waters."
Rev. Lowery ended his benediction with a rhyme familiar to black churchgoers:
"We ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around..."
There was laughter from the enormous crowd. The 87-year-old civil rights pioneer continued:
"When yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen."
The crowd thundered, "Amen!"
"Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.'
"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
"I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
"I have a dream today!
"I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of 'interposition' and 'nullification -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
"I have a dream today!
"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; 'and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.'
"This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
"And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
'My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!'
"And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
"And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
"But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
'Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!'
From the "I have a dream" speech delivered by Martin Luther King forty five years ago today. For the complete text, audio recording and accompanying video, visit American Rhetoric: Martin Luther King, Jr. - I Have a Dream
This article from BusinessWeek offers the following cure for the ubiquitous, unproductive meetings, drawing on lessons learned from Marissa Mayer, Google's vice-president of search products.
"Mayer holds an average of 70 meetings a week and serves as the last stop before engineers and project managers get the opportunity to pitch their ideas to Google's co-founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page. Eight teams consisting of directors, managers, and engineers—all at various stages of product development—answer to Mayer.
"In a shop like Google (GOOG), much of the work takes place in meetings, and her goal is to make sure teams have a firm mandate, strategic direction, and actionable information, while making participants feel motivated and respected. Mayer's six keys to running successful meetings follow:
1. Set a firm agenda...
2. Assign a note-taker...
Google executives are big believers in capturing an official set of notes, so inaccuracies and inconsistencies can be caught immediately.Those who missed the meetings receive a copy of the notes...
3. Carve out micro-meetings.
Mayer sets aside large blocks of time that she slices into smaller, self-contained gatherings on a particular subject or project...That means if she has an employee with an issue that comes up Tuesday, he or she can schedule a 10-minute micro-meeting during Mayer's large time block, instead of waiting for her next 30-minute opening, which might not be available for two weeks.
4. Hold office hours...
5. Discourage politics, use data...
Designs are chosen based on merit and evidence, not personal relationships. Mayer discourages using the phrase 'I like' in design meetings, such as 'I like the way the screen looks.' Instead, she encourages such comments as 'The experimentation on the site shows that his design performed 10% better.' This works for Google, because it builds a culture driven by customer feedback data, not the internal politics that pervade so many of today's corporations.
6. Stick to the clock...
"Please keep in mind that these meeting techniques work well for Google. They may or may not be appropriate for your place of business. But these six keys should give you some new ideas about how to transform your meetings from a waste of time to time well spent."
Time to take a shot at updating the Steelers polka fight song (sung to the tune of the Pennsylvania polka):
Da-Da-Da-Da-Ta-Da - Charge!
We're from the town with that great football team,
We cheer the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Coach Mike and all his friends are all on the field.
Go out and get them Steelers.
Big Ben, Fast Willie, Santonio, Hines,
We love you Pittsburgh Steelers.
It's been many years in coming,
just keep that Steelers machinery humming
Defense, Defense, make them scramble, intercept that ball.
Defense, Defense, keeps the Steelers always best of all!
Po-La-Ma-Lu, do your thing against the other team,
You start from year to year, we're so glad you play here,
Now join with me, and sing the Steelers cheer-er-ER!
We're from the town with that great football team,
We cheer the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Winning's a habit, not only a dream,
Go out and get them Steelers!
Farrior and Harrison are here for the show,
and so is Big Ben's Army,
It's been many years in coming,
just keep that Steelers machinery humming.
Offense, Offense, take that football whole way up the field!
Offense, Offense, let's score and score and never ever yield!
Parker, Mewelde, can you believe we have a running game?
The Steelers are so great, and so hard to overrate,
Good things, will come, to those who work and wait.
Charge!
For more, see Steeler Songs
SWOT Analysis is a powerful technique for identifying Strengths and Weaknesses, and for examining the Opportunities and Threats you face. Used in a personal context, it helps you develop your career in a way that takes best advantage of your talents, abilities and opportunities.
What makes SWOT particularly powerful is that with a little thought, it can help you uncover opportunities that you are well placed to take advantage of. And by understanding your weaknesses, you can manage and eliminate threats that would otherwise catch you unawares.
To carry out a SWOT Analysis, check out this
mindtools.com site
There's a wonderful place that you really should see called the Land of Hatchy Milatchy. These are the opening lines to an infectious theme song whirling in a childhood memory.
According to CoalSpeak: a Dictionary of the Coal Region, Hatchy Milatchy was a popular children's show on WNEP-TV (Scranton/Wilkes-Barre) in the 1960's and 70's. Hosted by Miss Judy (real name: Lois Burns). The theme song was a popular song sung by Rosemary Clooney. Miss Judy lipsync'd to Rosemary Clooney at the beginning of each show. Another host was the fez-wearing Uncle Ted, a grey-haired man with beard and handlebar mustache. A video of Miss Judy lipsyncing away can be viewed here.
Hatchy Milatchy is the inspiration for Fundle Bundle, a fictional television show featured in in episode 2.24 of the The Office, "Take Your Daughter to Work Day".
As a child, both Michael Scott and Chet Montgomery were on the show, which was hosted by a Ms. Trudy. The clips in "The Office" show a puppet cat interviewing children about their hopes and future dreams.
Here are the lyrics in all their glory:
There's a wonderful place that you really should see
Called the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
All boys and girls love this place yes siree
Called the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
Peppermint candy and ice cream is free
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
Soda pop fountains are under each tree
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
Everyone rides on a-merry-go-round
All made of sugar and spice
Lollipops grow right out of the ground
The moon's made of strawberry ice
If you should run and you trip and you fall
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
The ground's made of rubber you bounce like a ball
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
Oh you-play the whole day and you don't go to bed
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
Mommies and Daddies are put there instead
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
Hundreds of bunnies lay Easter eggs
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
Ride on a pony with candy strip legs
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy
Each day is always a big holiday
Birthdays and parties galore
Dollies and bicycles given away
Whenever you walk in a store
When I return then I never will leave
The Land of Hatchy Milatchy
If you want to go all you do is believe
In the Land of Hatchy Milatchy.
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher provides a section-by-section analysis of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 as passed by the Senate on October 2, 2008. Before anything else, the authors focus on the all important definition of "financial institution" and troubled assets, from which all else in EESA flows.
So what does financial institution mean? It's "any institution including, but not limited to, any bank, savings association, credit union, security broker or dealer, or insurance company which is organized and regulated under United States law or the law of the states or territories, and which has significant operations in the United States." The way it is "worded, there are technically no limits on what constitutes a 'financial institution' other than that it has to be an 'institution' and cannot be a central bank or an institution owned by a foreign government." So why not GM, Ford and Chrysler?
To download the document, visit this PLI Newsletter.
For many small business owners choosing a C corp, S Corp, or Limited Liability Company (LLC) is the first step in starting a small business. This
entity comparison table from themoneyalert.com was designed as a helpful reference.
Found via this Ask The VC post.
These
guides from LearnVC include content from the LearnVC site and on external sites from leading experts in the startup community. Topics well covered include:
New Entrepreneurs
Experienced Entrepreneurs (refresher)
Future Investors (Angels or Venture Capitalists)
Students (Venture Capital Investment Competition participants and others)
"At a time when graduates from leading universities face an increasingly challenging job market, Campus Venture Network, Inc. is launching StudentBusinesses.com, a free online platform that connects young entrepreneurs with business partners, mentors and investors who can help them launch successful startups.
Since the site’s beta launch in late 2007, thousands of aspiring university innovators have joined the network; while students from over 50 top universities have profiles on the site, the two universities with the most members are Harvard and MIT...
The website also helps investors, law firms, and other service providers identify top startups. Steven Welch, a partner at DreamIt Ventures, used the StudentBusinesses.com beta version to find members for the first class of its incubator program. Welch says: “StudentBusinesses.com is an excellent tool for aspiring entrepreneurs. It provides a mechanism to network with top-caliber people of diverse backgrounds, along with valuable resources to help guide entrepreneurs through the rough waters of starting a business. It will help many aspiring entrepreneurs, now more than ever.”
See this post from Small Business Trends, from which the foregoing was quoted, for live links.
Through open courseware programs, you can access course materials from a wide range of top universities. Whether you decide to take these courses on your own time or just skim through the information, www.bschool.com compiled a list of 100 business and entrepreneurship courses you can take for free.
Here is a sampling of what is included in the list:
Accounting and Finance
These free courses can give you some tips on managing money and making sound investments in your business.
Introduction to Financial and Managerial Accounting: This course is designed to help business owners make investment decisions, access managerial performance and place a value on other firms and businesses...
Economics
Make sure you understand the larger factors that are at work in affecting your businesses profits and losses by educating yourself on economics through these classes.
Real Estate Economics: Whether you want to work directly in real estate or just need some information to help you make a better decision on purchasing office space, this course from MIT can provide instruction on real estate markets through a study of demographics, location, and government behavior....
Communication
Getting ahead in business without good communication skills can be hard, so give yours a boost with help from these top-tier courses.
No Sweat Speaking: Check out this short online seminar from Columbia University to help you overcome your fear or nervousness about public speaking. You’ll get access to a series of videos that can offer you some tips and pointers on feeling at ease in front of a group of coworkers, clients or anyone else...
Management
Management plays an essential role in keeping any business running smoothly. Ensure you and your employees are working to their full potential with some advice from these free courses.
Optimization Methods in Management Science: In this course, you’ll learn about the theory, algorithms, and applications of optimization to help you better control the logistics, manufacturing, transportation, marketing, project management, and financial issues of your business...
Leadership
These courses can help you be a better leader by teaching you important skills like working as a team, ethics, and how to work with a diverse group of people.
Cross-Cultural Leadership: This course explores what constitutes effective leadership across cultures. It can be especially valuable for business owners who are working in a global environment...
Marketing and Advertising
If you’ve got a product or service to sell, you need to get your name out there. These courses can give you some helpful ways to better market your business.
Brand Leadership/E-Seminar 1, Brand Identity and Strategy: Professor Bernd Schmitt of Columbia Business School explains the steps businesses must take when marketing themselves to develop a successful brand identity in this online seminar, using real companies to illustrate his points...
Product Development and Launch
These courses can give you some help on successfully developing new products and getting them out to your buyers.
Managing the Innovation Process: Get a handle on the research and development going on in your business through this course which analyzes the process through through five levels: individual, team, network, organizational, and industrial...
Technology
No business can run without technology these days, so ensure you have a handle on the IT technologies it takes to keep your business in good shape through these courses.
Practical Information Technology Management: If you feel you don’t have the background to make sound business decisions about IT, give this course a try. You’ll gain insight into how to implement, maintain and manage these systems to the benefit of your business...
Law
These courses can help you make sure you know the legal rights and regulations that apply to your business.
Law for the Entrepreneur and Manager: Through his course, you’ll gain a basic understanding of legal issues that corporations and businesses face when organizing, getting financing, protecting intellectual property, working internationally and more...
Field Specific
These courses cover a range of more specific business topics...
The Software Business: If you have an interest in starting a software company, this course can be a good place to get some introductory information...
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