Lorenzo's Oil

Started watching Lorenzo's Oil this evening for class.  I spaced the assignment when I had to take a day from school for doctors appointments oh well.

Acting overall is well played, I think that Nick Nolte should have received the Oscar nod at the least and was disappointed to learn that he did not.  The plot seemed weak when I read the blurb on Netflix and I was surprised about the various interplay between the Doctor played by Peter Ustinov and that of Nick Nolte.  Peter rarely gives a bad performance but this seemed lacking in feeling.  That may have been the idea as he is playing a researcher that is suppose to keep his emotions in check for the sake of the research but I'm not buying it.  Overall I'd give it a B- not the type of movie I would go see or watch on TV but if asked to watch it can be enjoyable.

And the hits keep coming....

In class last Thursday, October 13th for those of us time challenged people, Dr. Rhom was driving home the point of the mid-term set for this coming Tuesday, October 18th.  I will readily admit the material is dry, unstimulated, and repeated information from earlier course work or my own independent reading... be that as it may, there is the occasional nugget of information to be found when you go digging for it.  I'm just not sure that I really want to subject myself to three hours of reading to find said nuggets.  Yeah, three hours of reading that's what it will take for me to reread the book from cover to cover.  It is not all that long, just not presenting information in a really relevant way for my cognitive processing.

An example from page 32...
   "In reality, Greta didn't give in to her raging desire to defend herself.  After being accused of not following her own advice, at first she looked surprised, embarrassed, and maybe even a little upset.  Then she took a deep breath and said: "You know what?  We need to talk about this.  I'm glad you asked the question.  It'll give us a chance to discuss what's really going on."

At this point in the book Greta is trying to make some cost cutting changes to the organization.  One of those changes included a remodeled office that she will work out of, but that will also be used by marketing to help boost the company image and improve client confidence.  She came under attack by some of her department heads during a meeting she had called to address the resistance to the underlying cuts to other departments.

My problem with this excerpt is:

1. Greta is a rather astute CEO, she was brought in to the company to help get the costs and other expenses under control.  Much like Alan Mullany at Ford Motor Company.

2. If she is so astute, why is it that a project like this was not announced to the company as a whole as part of a new marketing campaign?  She knows that you need to spend money to make money that was part of the reasoning of allowing the expediture.

3.  Why does she not have a projected budget for the office?  Was there not a timeline to go along with this project?  Was a project manager not assigned?  All things that Greta would most likely had done in reality.  Nobody gets to be CEO and stay a CEO who does not manage potential crisises like this better.

Over all I thought Greta was a poor example of "crucial conversations".

Al Davis

Al Davis died this morning.  I never met the man, and yet I still feel that a great light has been diminished from the world.  By all accounts Al was a uncompromising bully, and yet this bully managed and lead one of the best sports franchises to world wide recognition.  We may mock phrases like "Commitment to Excellence" and "Just Win Baby", but only because we now them to be true.

The Raider organization will be much changed by his departure and I am not wholly convinced that it will be for the better.

Class 10-06

Attempted to follow the advice of my professor after class and took a alternative route home.  I do not usally pick up the kids after class, by the time I would get out to Redlands, the wife would be off and have one already so what is the point?

It was a mistake.  I have forgotten how bad traffic backs up on the causeway between Highland and Redlands, and with roads still out from last winters flooding rerouting took even worse than I remember.  What should have taken 40 minutes total took almost a hour and a half.  The weather was not a willing participate either.  Why is it that no one seems to remember to slow down and not speed when the roads are wet?  I swear if ever I get to be dictator for life when you get your license you must drive I50 between Reno and Sacramento during chain conditions.  At night.

The start of a new era at Apple...

In memory of one of the most innovative people of the 20th and 21st Centuries.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Steven Paul "Steve" Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011)

Its in the details...

Found out details of what some of the things we are to blog about the other day, and FINALLY have a few extra minutes to write down my thoughts...

My family is an older Anglo-American family. I am able to trace my father's family to as early as 1610, as this is a published family tree. My Great- Great- Great-Grandfather Gardiner Fowles is listed as a decedent of one George Fowle (ISBN: 0880820284 ). My oldest son Benjamin Gardner is named in his honor. Gentlemen farmers by trade, they included local school teachers, local politicians, shop keepers, salesmen, Congressmen, Patriots, and a United States President.

My mother's family is Polish-Germanic coming to the United States during the 1880's. It has only been the past two generations that Polish was not spoken or heard in the home. Coal miners, farmers, and laborers were what they were before they left Poland, and that is what they became after coming to America. Today my Grandmother is a retired Registered Nurse, and my Grandfather is a Professor Emeritus from University of California, Davis with Ph.D. in Botany.

My father is Protestant. My mother is Roman Catholic. I was raised Catholic, but have since stopped following the Catholic faith. I am what could be described as a recovering Catholic. This does not mean that I do not have a belief in a all mighty god. Far from it. I am simply unable to understand why a all mighty god is interested in me and my everyday life and how I treat others. I do believe that there are consequences for every action. Even if those consequences are unknown.

Education growing up was important. Reading for pleasure and for additional knowledge was encouraged as soon as we were able to comprehend what was written on the page. Consequently my reading comprehension was off the chart before middle school, and I was able to discuss advanced course work with my teachers throughout high school.

I was raised in Northern Nevada, first in the Stead area, later in Carson City. Carson City only has one high school for a population of 55,000. Also remember that Carson City is 168 square miles. San Bernardino is only 60 square miles. Lots of only space growing up, much of it state owned.