What’s Wrong With This Picture ?

I am not one who usually complains. Even my complaints are kind of mild. A lot of bloggers probably will laugh at what DOES bother me.

(1) Bloggers, some who sell their own books for example, stick little advertisements right in the middle of a page. I keep looking for a « EXIT » OR « X » to get rid of the horrid box.
(2) While bloggers may or may not go on Facebook, we must be signed-in to post there. Facebook insists on sending us « instant notices » of new posts.
(3) WordPress is a publishing platform that makes it easy for anyone to publish online, and proudly powers millions of websites. It comes in two flavors: the fully hostedWordPress.com, and the self-hosted version, whose software is available for free atWordPress.org. WordPress.com sites send blogs for you to read, like or reblog at set times….which YOU can control. WordPress.org sends new blogs whenever THEY want.
(4) The stupid bouncing logo on Goggle Search.
(5) There is no picture. That is what is wrong ?

Advertisement

Success

How I’m really feeling

Dearest Someone,

This morning as I lay in bed, my face cushioned between a pile of pillows, with the duvet pulled up over the pillows and my face, I lay there repeatedly thinking “I can’t do it, I just can’t do it.” There’s like a fiery ball of fear, anger and pain that’s made home in my stomach, creeping around my body, making my neck and my chest tight, with my legs continuously shaking – as if I’m warming up for some sort of big fight.

“I’m pathetic, this is pathetic.” I’m 22 years old, and I don’t know how to do life. I feel small, useless, wasteful, pathetic, stupid, ridiculous, dramatic and pathetic. It’s pathetic that I’m ‘struggling’ – heck I’m so fed up with that word ‘struggling’ – I shouldn’t be struggling I should just be getting on with my life. I shouldn’t be trying to hide away from the…

View original post 764 more words

Volcan Trio: @Jazz_in_Marciac

Jazz You Too

The night is unbelievably hot – it’s above 30C at 11:45 pm – we must be near a volcano!

11:30 PM 31ºC hot wind blowing!
Volcan Trio @Jazz_in_Marciac 2016 https://t.co/j2r4iTkEsG

— jazzyoutoo (@jazzyoutoo) August 7, 2016

View original post

Diana Krall: @Jazz_in_marciac 2016

Jazz You Too

It’s her first time ever on the blog. I have one or two reasons for it! Enough said! She was at Jazz in Marciac 2016.

View original post

Here’s what Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer said that really made me angry

These recent comments by Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer are the epitome of Silicon Valley arrogance, says Basecamp programmer Dan Kim.
More
This commentary originally appeared on the Signal v. Noise blog.

Recently, I read this article about Marissa Mayer . This quote infuriated me (emphasis mine):

My husband [the venture capital investor Zachary Bogue] runs a co-working office in San Francisco…And if you go in on a Saturday afternoon, I can tell you which start-ups will succeed, without even knowing what they do. Being there on the weekend is a huge indicator of success, mostly because these companies just don’t happen. They happen because of really hard work.

I read my fair share about the tech world. I haven’t encountered statements this utterly arrogant and silly in a while.

Let’s break down that quote. She’s saying…

Weekend work is a leading indicator of being a successful company
She can predict success based on the people who are physically in the office on a weekend
She can predict success without knowing anything about a company’s business

What in the actual f—?

This idea that someone could “tell you which start-ups will succeed, without even knowing what they do” is so comically arrogant, I honestly can’t tell if she was being serious.

I guess this kind of thinking from Mayer shouldn’t be all that surprising.

After all she’s the CEO who banned remote working. To her, working together in person, in the office, is the only way to do great work.

As a refresher, here’s a snippet of the leaked memo Yahoo (NASDAQ: YHOO) sent to its employees:

To become the absolute best place to work, communication and collaboration will be important, so we need to be working side-by-side. That is why it is critical that we are all present in our offices. Some of the best decisions and insights come from hallway and cafeteria discussions, meeting new people, and impromptu team meetings. Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home. We need to be one Yahoo!, and that starts with physically being together.

Because let’s not forget — being physically present means you are doing your best work! Speed and quality can only happen in person! Never mind that many other companies have been successful with remote teams.

So maybe that helps explain why Mayer believes she can walk into an office on a Saturday, survey who’s there in person, and can declare the winners.

Because to her, if you’re not there physically, you’ve already failed.

In the same article, Mayer talks about her experience at Google (NASDAQ: GOOGL):

The other piece that gets overlooked in the Google story is the value of hard work….The actual experience was more like, “Could you work 130 hours in a week?” The answer is yes, if you’re strategic about when you sleep, when you shower, and how often you go to the bathroom…For my first five years, I did at least one all-nighter a week, except when I was on vacation — and the vacations were few and far between.

While that might sound crazy to most of us, I don’t really have a problem with it.

She was making a decision for herself. She decided to work long hours, pull all nighters, and eschew vacations. That’s her call. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But it’s not OK to imply that kind of work/life imbalance is a key to success for others.

Hey, if someone wants to work themselves into the ground, that’s up to them.

But spreading the message that hard work and success can only be achieved through long hours and weekend work — that’s not OK. It’s patently false, and it’s already far too pervasive in our industry.

Look, I get it — by every objective measure of Ha Ha! Business Success™(financial, title, industry stature), Mayer is insanely successful. She has achieved far more in her professional career than I ever will.

But I also don’t work weekends. I don’t work 130 hours a week. I don’t commute to an office.

My measures of success are way different. I goof off with my kids a lot. I read. I watch movies. I eat donuts and pizza. I occasionally travel. I sleep 8 hours a night. I’m rarely stressed. I revel in being boring and old.

And I do that all while genuinely enjoying my job and the people I work with (who I rarely see in person).

In Mayer’s world, I could never be a success.

I’ve never been so f—-g happy to be a failure.

On weekdays, for about 40 hours a week, I help build Basecamp 3 and its companion Android app. And we somehow managed to build it 100% remotely.

Follow Dan Kim on Twitter @dankim.

Soulful Sunday – Power In A Name

Real Bold Truth

I don’t think I have ever felt the need to find out the true meaning of my name. It just never dawned on me until I was challenged to find out. As I was reading Leadership – The I am….Way, the book I wrote my first review on, it instructed me to find out!

READ THIS! – Leadership – The I Am…Way

Chanel (pronounced – Shanelllike the French Designer)means Canal, Channel, Pipe. At first I was far from impressed but then reached further to get additional clarity on what those things meant.

Canal – a passageway used to link or connect small vessels into larger territories.

Channel – An accessible frequency used to direct, transmit and communicate.

Pipe – A connector used to assure and maintain continual flow.

A light bulb in my spirit suddenly illuminated my soul! What revelation on those things my Savior has predestined me to…

View original post 171 more words

Muhammad Ali

Toronto proposes massive new ‘Rail Deck Park’ in city’s downtown

Toronto Mayor John Tory and Councillor Joe Cressy last week announced a plan to build a new, 21-acre park above Metrolinx tracks in the city’s downtown core.

To protect the rail corridor and build the park, the city will have to secure air rights in the area and create a plan amendment to ensure the space is developed for public use only, according to a press release issued by Tory’s office.

The city would create the park by decking over the corridor, which would create a “marquee green space” for the high-density surrounding neighborhoods and help connect the city to its waterfront, the release stated.

The park would be similar to Chicago’s Millennium Park and New York City’s Hudson Yards development, both of which transformed rail corridors into “iconic spaces,” according to Tory’s release.

“Great cities have great parks. As Toronto grows, we need to take bold action to create public space and make sure we build a city that makes future generations proud,” Tory said. “This is our last chance to secure a piece of land that could transform the way we experience our city.”

The initiative is part of Toronto’s TOCore project, which is a response to the rapid development of the city’s downtown.

No clear timeline or cost for the project has been determined as of yet, according to a CBC News report.

I Support Hillary Clinton. So Should Everyone Who Voted for Me

The conventions are over and the general election has officially begun. In the primaries, I received 1,846 pledged delegates, 46% of the total. Hillary Clinton received 2,205 pledged delegates, 54%. She received 602 superdelegates. I received 48 superdelegates. Hillary Clinton is the Democratic nominee and I will vigorously support her.

Donald Trump would be a disaster and an embarrassment for our country if he were elected president. His campaign is not based on anything of substance — improving the economy, our education system, healthcare or the environment. It is based on bigotry. He is attempting to win this election by fomenting hatred against Mexicans and Muslims. He has crudely insulted women. And as a leader of the “birther movement,” he tried to undermine the legitimacy of our first African American president. That is not just my point of view. That’s the perspective of a number of conservative Republicans.

In these difficult times, we need a president who will bring our nation together, not someone who will divide us by race or religion, not someone who lacks an understanding of what our Constitution is about.

On virtually every major issue facing this country and the needs of working families, Clinton’s positions are far superior to Trump’s. Our campaigns worked together to produce the most progressive platform in the history of American politics. Trump’s campaign wrote one of the most reactionary documents.

Clinton understands that Citizens United has undermined our democracy. She will nominate justices who are prepared to overturn that Supreme Court decision, which made it possible for billionaires to buy elections. Her court appointees also would protect a woman’s right to choose, workers’ rights, the rights of the LGBT community, the needs of minorities and immigrants and the government’s ability to protect the environment.

Trump, on the other hand, has made it clear that his Supreme Court appointees would preserve the court’s right-wing majority.

Clinton understands that in a competitive global economy we need the best-educated workforce in the world. She and I worked together on a proposal that will revolutionize higher education in America. It will guarantee that the children of any family in this country with an annual income of $125,000 a year or less – 83% of our population – will be able to go to a public college or university tuition free. This proposal also substantially reduces student debt.

Trump, on the other hand, has barely said a word about higher education.

Clinton understands that at a time of massive income and wealth inequality, it is absurd to provide huge tax breaks to the very rich.

Trump, on the other hand, wants billionaire families like his to enjoy hundreds of billions of dollars in new tax breaks.

Clinton understands that climate change is real, is caused by human activity and is one of the great environmental crises facing our planet. She knows that we must transform our energy system away from fossil fuels and move aggressively to energy efficiency and sustainable energy.

Trump, on the other hand, like most Republicans, rejects science and the conclusions of almost all major researchers in the field. He believes that climate change is a “hoax,” and that there’s no need to address it.

Clinton understands that this country must move toward universal healthcare. She wants to see that all Americans have the right to choose a public option in their healthcare exchange, that anyone 55 or older should be able to opt in to Medicare, and that we must greatly improve primary healthcare through a major expansion of community health centers. She also wants to lower the outrageously high cost of prescription drugs.

And what is Donald Trump’s position on healthcare? He wants to abolish the Affordable Care Act, throw 20 million people off the health insurance they currently have and cut Medicaid for lower-income Americans.

During the primaries, my supporters and I began a political revolution to transform America. That revolution continues as Hillary Clinton seeks the White House. It will continue after the election. It will continue until we create a government which represents all of us and not just the 1 percent – a government based on the principle of economic, social, racial and environmental justice.

I understand that many of my supporters are disappointed by the final results of the nominating process, but being despondent and inactive is not going to improve anything. Going forward and continuing the struggle is what matters. And, in that struggle, the most immediate task we face is to defeat Donald Trump.

By Bernie Sanders, Los Angeles Times