"We all sat composed as at a funeral”

"When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves." 

 ~ Viktor E. Frankl

TaxGrrrl, Ho, Ho, Oh No! Santa’s Office Threatened With Closure Due To Tax Woes. Well, I never understood his business model.

“Ya got the part, kid.”
It’s safe to say few journalists have rarely heard those words, at least not from Robert De Niro.
But that’s the case for New York Times reporter Diana Henriques, author of a book about Bernie Madoff’s notorious Ponzi scheme, “The Wizard of Lies.” She took a buyout from the newspaper in 2011 but still writes for it.
HBO is adapting her book, with De Niro starring as Madoff, and she auditioned with him several months ago, Chris Roush reports for Talking Biz News.

…In June, and he grilled her for two hours about his mannerisms, his laugh, his sense of humor, and his relative closeness to his two sons.

De Niro and his casting director liked how it went well enough to ask her back the next day to read a scene with him. Read more

I may run screaming back to the city. Or I may expand my list of things I love about living in the country and stay here for good. I might even learn to bake scones.  Life in the country: Six reasons I love living in the little smoke


I was reminded recently why I don't want to take a full-time job. It's way too risky. If you are in full-time employment, you have only one source of income. Should anything happen to the business and you lose your job, how would you pay for your outgoings? How would you continue to look after your dependents? What would happen if you couldn't find another similar job? It's an incredibly scary prospect, far too terrifying for me. A full-time job is a huge risk

Interview: Clive James

The prolific writer and critic, who was diagnosed with leukaemia five years ago, says the idea of death inspires him 

Policy v5.127: Could government make services like Dyson makes vacuums? Manufacturer Dyson tested 5,127 versions of their ‘Cyclone’ vacuum cleaner before it reached production.  How many times has government tried to refine our policies?

Why innovation and productivity thrive when workers get to play at work Does your org have a sandbox?

 

There are advantages in opting for a tree – or sea – change....

Long Term Forecasts 2015 – 2030
 Australian economy to remain soft for another three years, before stronger growth resumes. Media release only.

 

I don’t know what to say about the behavior of the Antipodeans. On the whole most characters are becoming more and more  irresponsible. The newspapers, without exception, are trying to mold public opinion. The news they carry is correct, but the slant they put on events is tendentious — or, most of the time, false...

News from the Profession. CPA Thought He Was Out, Gets Pulled Back In (Caleb Newquist, Going Concern).

If you were a CPA who testified in the trial of two NYPD officers dubbed the “Mafia Cops,” no one would doubt you if you said, “I could never ever, I will never ever, be a CPA again.”

But he did. It doesn’t appear to be going well.

How offices will change—for better and for worse

Thinking Outside the Cube

Julian Treasure, TED Talk. Have you ever felt like you're talking, but nobody is listening? Here's Julian Treasure to help you fix that. As the sound expert demonstrates some useful vocal exercises and shares tips on how to speak with empathy, he offers his vision for a sonorous world of listening and understanding.  Speaking Words of Wisdom: How to speak so that people want to listen Mistakes and pressure are inevitable; the secret to getting past them is to stay calm. However, most of us go about staying calm the wrong way. People who welcome the challenge of a crisis-so much so that overcoming the challenge excites them-perform far better than those who try to force themselves to be calm. Stressless: How to be calm under pressure  When you're creating something for others to use or interpret or read consider showing it to the actual users - just five, different individuals at a time. The key is to learn from a variety of people The rule of Punj - Pet - 5: a quick way to be more effective  Tight deadlines, personality clashes and office tensions are the most common reasons for tensions to run high in the workplace Deadlines ...  Macau arrests 17 in money laundering crackdown as China downturn fears grow