Random Thoughts, Notes, & Incidents

Sorry there's been no postings the last few days, but I've been very busy. Sunday we were down in Los Angeles for a post-wedding reception for my brother who eloped a couple of months back. It was a lovely party, and it was great to meet all the new in-laws who came out from Utah for the event.

Since getting back, I've just been working. Wish I could say I've been up to something really incredible, but it's just been work keeping me from writing or posting anything.

Now, today, it's my birthday, and, yes, I'm writing this at work. I got to work late, as I had a medical appointment this morning. It was my first ever ultrasound. Yes, the same procedure they'd do if I were pregnant and wanted a picture of the baby. In my case, they were checking out the gall bladder and liver for stones or other damage. I don't think they'll find anything terribly wrong, it's mostly just a follow-up because of other problems I've had. Why was it scheduled for my birthday? Because it was the only date they had available during July.

Considering the many angst-filled posts that appeared here a year ago surrounding my fortieth birthday, this year is passing by with barely a glance. When I got to the office and was greeted with birthday wishes from my staff it took me by surprise. Not because I didn't they were nice enough to remember, but because I'd forgotten myself. Forty-one is no big deal.

Correction: The birthday is no big deal. The year was pretty good. Two major goals accomplished during age 40: 1) Found a good job, damn it 2) Published my book! (Have you ordered it yet? It makes a great gift!). Now I've got to come up with a good goal or two for age 41...

Here's the news:

In case you missed it, Ralph Nader wrote a column for the Washington Post (July 18) called “Corporate Socialism” - “The relentless expansion of corporate control over our political economy has proven nearly immune to daily reporting by the mainstream media,” writes Nader. “Corporate crime, fraud and abuse have become like the weather; everyone is talking about the storm but no one seems able to do anything about it. This is largely because expected accountability mechanisms -- including boards of directors, outside accounting and law firms, bankers and brokers, state and federal regulatory agencies and legislatures -- are inert or complicit.”

Nader's organization, Citizen Works, has compiled a guide to corporate scandals to help you keep track of the growing corporate crime wave, and all the corporate financial scandals of the last several months. Don't know who's going to jail without a program! Citizen Works has also compiled a list of reforms that could protect workers, investors, and stakeholders from future corporate abuses.