BookReports: Somebody's looking for a free ride this weekend...

You know who you are, I can see you poking around in Google and Yahoo (and now AOLSearch!), typing in "bookreports" and turning up my blog category by the same name.  Color yourself "busted".

First, retype your search with a SPACE: "book reports", not "bookreports".

Second, DO YOUR OWN WORK.  That means actually reading the book and using an outline, typing up a draft and writing out the actual report.  The rest of us did, you better do it too.  Cheaters don't win - ask Andy Fastow at Enron whether cheating was worth it for a life in prison.  (Okay, maybe you don't know Andy, but you can find out about him using Google).  You can look for guides to use, but you'd better do your own work.  Your teacher/professor will see through it pretty quickly and mark your work down if you don't do the work.  No sense blowing the whole weekend for a "D" now, is it?

Lastly, if the report's due on Monday, hustle your keester to the book store and get some Cliff Notes on an appropriate book, you know, the yellow-and-black-like-a-wasp-paperback book, and use that as an aid to reading.  It's the only legitimate shortcut.  Cancel your plans tonite and get crackin', I'm watching you.  (And "Men in Black" is a lousy choice for a book report -- you're not even planning on renting the video on top of it, are you?  There won't be Cliff Notes for MIB.)

Next time, don't wait until the last minute.  You know who you are.

I'm spending my weekend helping someone who waited until the last minute with their project, too.  If it's any consolation, you're not alone. 

Maybe you should ask your mom for help, too.  Ask her nicely (you know, please, thank you, manners count), what would she do if she boo-booed and forgot about doing a book report and needed to do one in a hurry?  You'd be surprised, she might actually help you out.

Worked here.

2:14:36 PM    comment []

Is a 78-year-old your first choice for a high-profile, high-stress business role?

Or is it age discriminatory to even ask this question?  I’m pondering this point after re-reading NYT’s article on Harvey Pitt’s latest debacle on his appointment of William Webster to a new accounting oversight board.

(I can’t find the age of alternate candidate, John H. Biggs.  If you find it, please drop a comment and let me know, thanks.)

Don’t get me wrong, age is not the only or largest criteria which makes Webster look unappealing.  How does running the CIA and FBI make one qualified to oversee accountants?  What could possibly assure me about Webster’s background that the man is highly proficient in FASB/GAAP reporting?  If I were the employer and he were the candidate applying for the role in my company, I certainly wouldn’t give this guy an interview when there are other better qualified candidates.  The last straw is the U.S. Technologies mess – he’s clearly indicated by experience he’s struggled with auditing concerns and making financial reporting more transparent.

The last thing we need is less transparency…frankly, now that I think about it, the CIA and FBI aren’t exactly known for their transparency, are they?

Hmmm…maybe an old dog can’t learn new tricks after all, when the dog’s only capable of one trick anyhow.

9:26:13 AM    comment []

$300,000 of taxpayer monies for better beer???

What’s up with this?  Since when is consistency in beer a taxpayer problem?  I thought beer drinking was elective, anyhow; the crapshoot of quality is something that should be borne by those who choose to drink it.

This should get the Golden Fleece Award.

I’m going to check out beer at my local pub, see if it’s radically different in quality from last week’s beer, or the beer I had this summer.  What a crock – I seriously doubt I’ll notice anything except changes in carbonation, degree of chilling or the speed of the bartender…try it yourself, see what you notice.

8:42:07 AM    comment []

Ack!!!  Another blog entry error; a post I made and submitted last night never arrived!!!  Anyone else ever had this problem???

I'll re-post it, but it's sure going to look like I'm a lush since the timing changes the context!!!

8:36:10 AM    comment []