iFrom magazine

                           A silly executive decision              It was a successful respected electronic company that I frequently visited. The founder was chairman of the board and went to work  everyday. There was a president who had been with the company from the early days. Like most companies there was folklore and gossip. The gossip was the president sole role was to prevent the founder “ putting his fingers in the pie.”and causing chaos. The founder had a son who had an impressive title which I did not understand. The spoken  word was the son worked very hard and on my visits to the company he was visible. I also recall he was often paged inferring that he was some where in the company solving problems and was in demand by important people. The founder passed away a...

Here is a true story what do you make of it?  Could it be a spy story?   Mayne Island is one of the Southern Gulf Islands situated off the British Columbia coasts. Others are Saltspring,    the Penders Islands, Galiano and Saturna  Islands. Art workshops and associated   artesian pursuits abound   here. It is easily accessed by a forty minute British Columbian  ferry ride from Tsawwassen , an hour’s drive from the Vancouver area. Rich people buy cottages there and invite other rich people to visit them. Being the closest    Gulf Island to Vancouver, I am expected to write it is a popular day tripping place for people living in Vancouver, British Columbia. Well, most go once, with a community group for cycling and hiking but then tend to venture else  where, seeking more kms to cycle or more strenuous hikes. Nothing much happens on Mayne Island, which of course is appealing....

  I call it the Catholic Church Syndrome but the pattern appears in business and politics Essentially, it is a halfway attempt at democracy.  "Thank you for filling in the survey said Fr. Moore.”  It was six weeks before Christmas and the Parish Council with the assistance from the Knights of St. Columbus had prepared a survey asking if celebrating the principal Christmas Mass earlier say at 6pm or 8pm instead of midnight would be preferred. Of course there had been talk for years that a midnight service was disruptive in people’s lives but the cherubic image of the Church at 11:50pm even if it meant standing was hard to forsake until the heretical notion of fast tracking time zones began to prevail. This Parish Council was strong since two others vetoed the idea or rather did not want to approach 78 year old Fr. Moore who was probably going to made up into a Canon next year by Bishop Augustine. The Knights of St. Columbus gave legitimacy to the undertaking. “The results ...

      The cost of good tripod for taking photographs is exuberant. Can you get by with a much cheaper one? There is a low cost one and a middle cost one. Perhaps the low cost one will do the job. It does not. It is a piece of junk, so you buy the middle cost one persuading  yourself it will be a big improvement on the low cost one. It is an improvement but it is clearly not the real thing and you know there is such available. The third purchase is the  expensive one. The marketing term is   versioning. I have witnessed this with snow shoe buying, power tool purchases, software packages and holiday excursions. I have heard of  tales of low cost guided cycling holidays where the bicycles often failed the definition of bicycle. 

            I call it the Luke syndrome. It  means  you bring up an issue  that  draws attention to  your own imperfection. There is often is no need to mention the subject that inevitably  draws fire from a person or group. We do it often. It seems we all have a bit of self-destruction programmed into our psychic. This is how I first identified the Luke Syndrome and have witnessed it repeatedly. I recognize myself when I do it; usually too late to avoid the consequences.              A group of us were staying at a ski cabin near Mount Baker.The two actors  who illuminated  the Luke syndrome were Byron and Luke. Byron   is funny because he so rude. He comes from somewhere in England near Scotland where abruptness is the norm. Luke is a polite calm  individual. It was during breakfast  that  Luke casually asked Byron  when w...

     A rite of passage that all males have to  go through.     I consider myself a polite male, and my interactions with young pretty girls, to be cordial and proper. It is true that I do notice a mild endearment from waitresses when accompanied by an out of town business men. I attribute this to being   always well groomed and possible my table mate making me look good with my reticence, since some of these visitors are a little flirtatious. The away from home  syndrome perhaps? This all changed for me when I was about forty two years old. I remember the time and place. It has since been re-acted   many times but never so dramatically. It  was mid week  when I went to dinner with  Andree in Ottawa; the Glebe region to be exact. For those you unfamiliar the Glebe area it is a trendy region bordering Bronson and the Rideau Canal. It has many boutiques and its history houses beg for writers to take up residences providi...

I call it the Fleetwood Tennis Centre   annual meeting syndrome but it could be any company gathering or social club. The chairman of the committee  stands up and says how  wonderful everything is going. Some one else on the committee states that so and so contributed to the  smooth running of   the organisation. We then learn  that  the place is a marvel of success and  used as a  model  in new  regions of the  province. Some one else is noted as a key contributor and they shyly acknowledge the clapping. Membership is up and the  finances are explained with handouts  signed  by  a double C.A. No one understands a word about the finances except the delayed increase in fees approved by  in absentia  by the quorum  With in five minutes everyone on the committee has been applauded  plus  four ex members  who were instrumental in having  the place built. Of course, the only thi...