1) Woman Who Couldn’t Be Intimidated By Citigroup Wins $31 Million (Bloomberg) - I'm not quite sure how I feel about this story. On one hand, it's an inspirational tale about a woman with no education rising from bank teller to VP of Citigroup. On the other hand, she profited handsomely from biting the hand that fed her all those years. Ultimately she did the right thing, but I'd like to hear what you guys think.
2) Spain faces 'total emergency' as fear grips markets (The Telegraph) - I'm actually kinda nervous about this. I vacation in Spain every summer, and last year things were getting pretty sketchy. This year I expect it to be a lot worse. And I leave in a month. Maybe I should rent an armored car down there.
3) Software Raises Bar for Hiring (Wall Street Journal) - More and more these days your application is being eliminated before anyone even sees it. That's because more companies today are using screening software than ever before, and with the job market being what it is, some employers are being ridiculously picky.
4) The Higher Education Bubble vs. Housing Bubble (Carpe Diem) - Here's some chart porn for those who believe that the student debt bubble is mirroring the housing bubble. Pretty scary stuff, especially the part where it falls off a cliff.
5) We’re creating a culture of distraction (Joe Kraus Blog) - Could constant mental stimulation be destroying us as a society? Do you find yourself getting bored more easily these days? It could be because our brains crave stimulation in much the same way our body craves sugar - and to the same deleterious effect. Our minds are becoming obese with a steady diet of crap.
6) The Disease of More (The Good Men Project) - Remember that post I did a while back about Wall Street being chock-a-block full with psychopaths? Well, former Goldman guy Tom Matlack addresses that in this piece and he contends that it's not the case. He says the problem is everyone's insatiable desire for "more". And how it's a disease. I have a hard time disagreeing with him.
7) Follow-Up: The Tablet Really Is Killing The E-Reader (Fast Company) - I never thought I'd give up my Kindle until I got my Touchpad. Now I haven't picked up my Kindle in months. My tablet isn't a laptop replacement, but it's awfully damn close. And the Kindle app is fantastic.
8) 9 Deadliest Start-up Sins (Steve Blank) - Seems like Steve Blank has had something for us for the past several weeks, but this was just too good to pass up. Basically, don't go around thinking you know your customer. Have your customers tell you what they want.
9) The true story behind 'Heat' (Examiner.com) - I thought I'd post this after the thread on Favorite Movie Characters. I was surprised to learn that Neal McCauley was a real person who did time on Alcatraz and was hunted down and killed by a cop who was eventually played by Al Pacino. Even the coffee shop scene happened in real life. Pretty cool.
10) Kitty, 6, is Bali drug ‘orphan’ (The Sun) - This is just heartbreaking. Yes, her parents are dipshit drug dealers but this kid didn't do anything to deserve this. Her parents (both of them) are facing a Balinese firing squad and she's living with the family gardener none the wiser. Brutal.
Video of the Week:
I know Memorial Day was on Monday, but this is just a great story. This Vietnam vet, known only as "the man with the signs" does something really unique and beautiful twice a year to remember the deaths of all those who've given their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan. Not just the Americans, either. Everyone.
That's it for this week, fellas. Let me know what you think about this week's Bananas in the comments, and have a fantastic weekend!
Good Stuff !
great,,, my first time visiting Spain will be for a wedding in St. Sebastian in September ugh.
Worth the risk. San Sebastian is fucking gorgeous and it's practically France. Plus it's the Basque region, so it isn't really Spain.
The first 8 words are right. The rest is shallow and wrong.
Great bunch of posts!
1 - had more banks listened to her and people like her, they wouldn't have had to be taken over by the gov't a few years ago. That they're doing this three years after that is mind blowing. Listen, if I'm a doctor and see shitty hospital practices and sue them publicly, I'm protecting the average person, and 'screwing' a corrupt institution is their fault for creating that situation. Same with banks: they are entrusted with a rather important set of functions, if they don't want the job then go elsewhere.
3 - HR CAN SUCK MA BALLZ
4, 5, 6 - seriously, all three of these are front and center in my mind lately. Grad school to get a better job to buy better toys vs ...since when did just having a job and cheap thrills during off hours become so obsolete? Remember 'Red' from the Shawahank Redemption "the world has gone and gotten itself into a big hurry" ...I'm not sure I'm a fan. At all.
The sign guy really impressed me. While troops these days really have public favor despite bickering over the war itself, the guys from the Vietnam era really got used and shit on by America. That this man can rise above the politics, bitterness, and hate to do something like this really is excellent in so many ways. I disagree with Rand: sometimes you HAVE TO go to war, but no matter who wins, everyone loses. For a soldier from that generation to see this gives me a bit more faith in humanity.
3 - Whatever happened to training employees? I never received any training from any job I've ever had...although they did offer basic MS Office training, which I assume is for the old people of the office who ask me to change colors and insert text boxes for them. Word on the street is consulting has the best training (for general business. I imagine IB is obvious better for interest rates and such)...I'm working on getting the training materials my friend in consulting was given.
7 - Never had an eReader; always liked the multifunctionality of the iPad. And the iPad 3 is just fucking gorgeous. I can literally see the pixelization in WSJ ads designed for lower quality screens. I already take my notes in it as well using NoteTaker. If only they figured how to make a stylus that doesn't make me feel like I'm trying to write with the tip of an eraser.
If the bank had followed its own compliance guidelines (or maybe had compliance guidelines?) much earlier, shareholders would probably be much better off. Definitely needed in today's corporate environment.
Just to make it clear who's side I'm on: honestly, the amount of bullshit rules that actually don't help anyone is huge, insane, and it's getting worse literally month by month. I'd like to see politicians that have some understanding of what the hell they're making rules about, instead of just passing stuff to look like they're doing something (alla Warren and Glass Steigal + lie to Harvard adcom = kiss yo' political career goooodbye). This would free us up to really spend more time on generating business instead of covering our asses. But until then, simply rubber stamping everything is a recipe for disaster...this lesson seems to have to be relearned over and over by some firms/people, it's like they're a special ed kid.
The article on the disease of more is really interesting, really enjoyed reading it
Nope. I don't recomend you go the ad hominem route.
Whatever, dude. There's only two things I give a shit about regarding Spain:
1) That my fucking villa is ready when I get there and 2) That I'm on the right side of the trade when the country goes down the shitter
End of story.
That's legitimate. But since your only considerations are material and speculative, it makes little sense, and doesn't suit you, to jump into things you don't actually understand or care about, for no other reason than to have an opinion or shoot the shit. Thanks.
Well Eddie your comment about San Sebastian escalated quickly.
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