TransformingYourCareerTransformingYourself

  If you've sensed a shfit in political/economic ideology, now you can read a sophisticated analysis of how socialism has become acceptable to mainstream Americans. Could traditional capitalists become dinos? Here is the FT article, not behind a paywall. During the late 1960s/early 1970s counterculture there were lots of experiments with socialism. Especially in university towns such as Ann Arbor, Michigan and Madison, Wisconsin. Then the severe mid-1970s recession put the kibosh on most of that. This time, the movement might be sustainable.

  America, unlike much of Europe and Asia, is no land for small motorized vehicles. Not on the roads. Not on sidewalks. Just read the outcry against e-bikes and e-scooters in The Wall Street Journal. Yet, with the expense of owning/operating a car each month at $965 (maybe more with the Iran War) micromobility presents a cost-effective transportation solution. Also, since in myriad jurisdictions licensing and insurance aren't mandated the option is hassle-free. For aging Boomers, especially those warned to give up on driving a car, it extends independence. In retirement paradise Sierra Vista, Arizona, you can tool around on the sidewalks. Store them in the garage or apartment. Insure them with State Farm. And have road service through AAA. E-trikes are increasingly popular. Yet, even in that community, configured for the aging, there's a bias against small motorized modes of transportation, just as there is in New York City.  On the road, riders are horned.  On the sidew...

  Anyone who's operated within the university system knows it's usually rigid, arrogant,  petty about details and moves at a glacial pace.  Therefore, it's shocking that the Jason Arday hiring took place at Cambridge University in 2023. Founded in 1209, it's a model of an old-line institution of higher education.  As The New York Times documents: "The school ignored a series of warnings about his life story and his work." Specifically Arday lacked requirements for the professorial position such as a sturdy record of publications and hands-on experience guiding doctoral students.  The pressure point which diverted Cambridge from its traditional MO seems to be the diversity mandate. It wound up lost and so did Arday.  Although Arday's previous record of teaching positions in other settings was lackluster, he was placed on a high-profile international platform for academic excellence and quickly became a target for critics. The rest is history. He died on Au...

  " I wish we didn't pay for our daughter's big wedding." That's what one distraught Boomer lamented during a complimentary consultation for coaching. They, like a growing number of those who need work to pay bills, can't find it.  The Wall Street Journal  describes them as part of the "jobless boom." It looks like this: " ...  total payrolls shrank in July , the fifth time in the past 12 months. Private payroll growth has averaged a little over 50,000 per month for the last year. These sorts of trends are virtually unprecedented outside recessions." Meanwhile, companies are producing great earning. Predictions from a recent Stripe survey are for economic growth for the next five years. Very smart people are in this pickle. Perhaps it was the blind faith in their high intelligence which drove the assumption that they can live the good life to the fullest. No need to embrace financial realities. In contrast, there are the Boomers who have li...

  A joke in comments to The Wall Street Journal coverage of the University of Michigan's eliminating freshmen letter grades is this:  "A puppy on every dorm floor." But actually that might do the trick of reducing the stress of adjusting to college. Experimenting with that, instead of tossing traditional grading, could improve mental health. What every pet parent has known for years has been documented by researchers at the University of Vienna. The results, published this month in the Cell Press Journal iScience , provide concrete evidence that the border collie 1) Can read human facial expressions, such as joy or sadness and 2) Respond appropriately. About the latter, if we are up, they share the elation. If down, they move in with comfort.  So, when we are with our dogs, we can unmask. Not take on the face which warns the world not to mess with us. A public display of unease could invite predators to pounce. Yes, exploit us in an infinite number of ways. But there...

A key metric for assessing where a law firm is and where it seems to be heading is its success in recruiting star lawyers.  They, not the brandname of the firm, are what brings in business. And with the talent war increasing in intensity and money spent, that's what the media, clients and members of the legal sector monitor.  Way back in 2021 in a Bloomberg Law  interview partner/rainmaker Brad Karp explained that dynamic. Especially how critical it was to the business of practicing law. Firms without the financial resources to do that kind of high-stakes poaching could collapse. That's because they wouldn't be able to grow.  Well, this signal of a law firm's overall health is flashing positive for Paul, Weiss right now. At least in its corporate department for capital markets. Law.com reports:  "Peter Byrne [is] joining from Cooley as partner, and Tristan Van Deventer, joining as a partner from Ropes & Gray ... both based in New York ..." This ability to...