Are you a "Fat Smoker"?

Do you know what you need to do to take your business to the next level? Sure you do.

Just like a "fat smoker", we all know what we need to do - that's the obvious part. Making it happen is where the train comes off the track.

Enter David Maister (former Harvard Business professor) with his new book, "Strategy and the Fat Smoker". I just finished it. It's a decent read - it goes off track about 60% of the way through, but it's still worth finishing. If you're not the reading type, though, Maister's kind enough to offer the book as an audiobook podcast series on his site, found here. Just download the mp3's, under the podcast heading, and enjoy.

Hilarious take on the ABC "Debate" in Philadelphia this past week

Found this on LinkedIn, had to put it up here to share.
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The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 (Slight Return)
by publius

Presidential candidates Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas held this debate on April 16, 1858 at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

MODERATORS:
CHARLIE GIBSON, ABC NEWS
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS, ABC NEWS


MR. GIBSON: So we're going to begin with opening statements, and we had a flip of the coin, and the brief opening statement first from Mr. Lincoln.

LINCOLN: Thank you very much, Charlie and George, and thanks to all in the audience and who are out there. I appear before you today for the purpose of discussing the leading political topics which now agitate the public mind.

We are now far into the fifth year since a policy was initiated with the avowed object, and confident promise, of putting an end to slavery agitation. Under the operation of that policy, that agitation has not only not ceased, but has constantly augmented.

STEPHANOPOULOS: I’m sorry to interrupt, but do you think Mr. Douglas loves America as much you do?

LINCOLN: Sure I do.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But who loves America more?
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Read the rest of the hilarity here

I have to say, this debate, and the resulting fallout, was a shame. It could've been a deciding moment in the campaign. Instead, it only served to put the media on trial. Not that we don't all deserve it, to some extent or other. It is ridiculous to see the extent with which the media has made a fetish of focusing on minutiae that the rest of the electorate apparently doesn't give two cents about.

Not that the other media outlets are doing any better. For all their rancor and moral indignation, all the political bloggers are doing some level of the same. Talk radio - I don't think I need to mention what that's turned into. And newspapers have followed the conga line right into focusing on nonsense, too, mostly out of necessity (it sells papers).

Now, after initially defending its take on the debate, ABC is reportedly apologizing and offering the candidates a chance, on Monday night, to have three full minutes on prime time to speak their peace and lay out their policy differences, with "limited commercial interruption." The apology I'm for. But three minutes - with commercials? Well, I think the media just offered the American public more evidence against it.

Reporting ain't easy...