July 6, 2026
Good morning! Happy Running of the Bulls. (It’s been happening since the middle ages = 800+ years.) We had flash flooding in our little neighborhood this past Saturday during July the #4 events. Approximately 2 1/2″ of rain fell in just a few minutes, flooding ordinarily flat and dry streets with more than a foot of water — in some cases, four feet. Is it just my imagination or are the talking heads for the soccer games more intelligent, thoughtful, respectful, less hyperbolic, and less toxic than many of those broadcasting other U.S. sports?
- And, speaking of futbol*, it would appear some of the teams are in greater misery than others.
- Clegg and Robinson, Etc., et al. have gone to the trouble of researching the 48 teams and their relative happiness — ecstasy even — at being in the big tournament.
- These data include players as well as fans.
- Most ecstatic, according to the research: Cape Verde — Norway — Scotland — Mexico — United States — Argentina
- Have you seen the Norwegian Vikings all over the place — even at the golf game?!
- Take me home now! Get me outta here! — Turkey for sure. And maybe Belgium
- One benefit of hot & humid weather such as this is you don’t need to travel to The Bahamas, though you still need to source your conch, grouper, and/or snapper from somewhere.
- Not from Minnesota corn fields, that’s for sure… one more month to wait for Janson Corn.
- Actually, the conch are (is… there might be one left) nearly extinct — over-fished (shelled) decades ago.
- I’ve reached this conclusion: IF you tried to read all of the recommended books there would be zero time for anything else, plus…
- … it would be impossible. Fire hose people, fire hose… turn it to a trickle, please.
- Minnesota DOES have something to offer the world.
- The world’s biggest ball of twine sent its siren call to Broadway legend, Lin-Manuel Miranda who reportedly made the pilgrimage to Darwin, MN last week.
- Correction: The largest ball of twine is in Kansas, but the one here in Minnesota was rolled into a gigantic ball by ONE human.
- The one in Kansas is an ongoing group effort; in this age of collaboration maybe that makes it better?!
- As you know by now, The Smithsonian magazine rarely disappoints; I fear it might get declared illegal, but I hope not.
- It belongs to the PEOPLE of the United States of America — and maybe concurrently to the people of the world.
- This latest edition MIGHT be the best of all time — or at least among the Top Ten.
- The Dawn of Anesthesiology and other gems.
- “People don’t talk about the British or the French dream, but 200 years after Alexis de Tocqueville we still have a sense of the (United States) one. It’s a belief system, a faith even, and its gospel has been shared around the world.” (Prideaux)
- Don’t have air conditioning? (We didn’t until the great heat wave of 1988 and our 5th baby being born… such luxury!)
- Experts suggest sleeping with bags of frozen peas.
- If you are investing in artificial intelligence, follow this one rule: Treat each investment as you would a new (human) hire.
- Go through the same process of strategic alignment, imperatives to be addressed, goals, expectations, clarity, buy-in, budget, accountability, Etc.
- Be disciplined.
- Know WHY you’re making this new hire — and then monitor, support, adjust, assess…
- “You can’t have an artificial intelligence transformation that’s only about efficiency; you have to have a growth aspiration.” [i.e., vision] (Robinson)
- Love this one:
- “I am a woman in my thirties, and I am thriving… I take a mental-health walk and call my mother. I then take another mental health walk.” (Castro Varon)
- “On my calendar I have a rule — or a guideline, at least — no more than four hours of meetings a day.” (Kirby)
- “If I take a 20-minute nap I’ve accomplished more than anything else I would have accomplished in that time…
- … when you’re tired, your brain is not 100%. If you’re not 100% you shouldn’t be making decisions.” (Ibid.) [Genius!]
- The human resources function (aka, personnel) has long been relegated to the back of the organization — left to handle paperwork, policie, and payroll.
- But, in an era defined by rapid disruption, automation, and scarcity, the human resource role as a crucial value driver has never been more important.
- The human resource organization of the future is a true strategic partner, one that applies agility and data analytics to assist leaders in doing their jobs better. (Panas)
- According to the author, CEOs and other leaders should adopt a more agile approach to strengthen the human resources function between talent decisions and real organizational value. (Ibid.)
- “People don’t follow titles, they follow courage.” (Eades)
- For the first 240 years of its history, the United States was a net importer of energy — excepting during the years when firewood was the only source.
- Coal came onto the scene during the 1870s and quickly exploded as the #1 source of energy until the 1950s when… wait for it…
- … crude oil and its partner, gas, skyrocketed to prominence where they have remained dominant until today.
- Starting about ten years ago, the United States has been, statistically if not practically, what they refer to as energy independent. (U.S. Energy Information Data)
