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Showing posts from September, 2015

Would a Business Person Make a Good President?

Many people (who should know better) have got the idea that the office of President of the United States of America can best be filled by someone who has been the CEO of a large company. Nothing could be farther from the truth. The objective of a Fortune 500 CEO has nothing in common with that of POTUS, as can be ascertained by a quick glance at the mission statements of a few companies:  Chevron - At the heart of The Chevron Way is our Vision to be the global energy company most admired for its people, partnership and performance.  AFLAC - To combine aggressive strategic marketing with quality products and services at competitive prices to provide the best insurance value for consumers.  American Standard - American Standard's mission is to "Be the best in the eyes of our customers, employees and shareholders."   Citigroup - Our goal . . . is to be the most respected global financial services company. Like any other public company, we're obligated to d

Highlights(?) in the World of Science

Senator William Proxmire, was noted for bestowing t he Golden Fleece Award (1975–1988) to “those public officials in the United States who, the judges feel, waste public money.” Proxmire issued the award monthly until 1988, when he retired from the Senate. In total, he issued 168 Golden Fleece Awards. The following is a partial listing: A National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) funded project by psychologist Harris Rubin for $121,000, on developing "some objective evidence concerning marijuana's effect on sexual arousal by exposing groups of male pot-smokers to pornographic films and measuring their responses by means of sensors attached to their penises. The NSF for spending $103,000 to compare aggressiveness in sun fish that drink tequila as opposed to gin. The National Institute for Mental Health for spending $97,000 to study, among other things, what went on in a Peruvian brothel; the researchers said they made repeated vi