Pop Star Lunacy

In light of a recent well-known pop stars continual public melt down, the question of her mental health is becoming the talk of entertainment news shows and tabloid papers. Unless you've been living at the center of the Earth, you know we're talking about Britney Spears. No one could possibly screw up this much in public and not have some type of mental issues at play.

Allegedly, Britney calls paparazzi to clue them in on her whereabouts, she constantly shows up at local gas stations, drinks endless amounts of Frappuccinos from Starbucks, and misses court cases for custody of her children, yet recently stages a 3-hour holdup in her home with her youngest child. And don’t forget the bizarre British accent she spouts at parades of paparazzi occasionally. This is all strange behavior pop star or not.

The purpose of this post is not to add another celebrity report on Ms. Britney, but to highlight what some think is possibly postpartum depression causing her bizarre behavior. Horrific and very public incidents over the past few years of postpartum depression at its untreated extremes have had outcomes with mother of four boys, Andrea Yates drowning her sons in the bathtub.

More recently, celebrity Brooke Shields went public with her battle with postnatal depression and how she had thoughts of committing terrible acts to herself and child, but had the mindset to know that she needed help, which she eventually sought.

With all this being said, I have a different take. From reports that I've heard through the news and read in papers, I believe Britney is possibly suffering from bipolar disorder. The excessive spending-estimated in the tens of thousands per month, the blatant dismissal of custody cases, and the bizarre relationship with one of the paparazzi, and her continual bating of other paparazzi, all speaks to a person who is impulsive and destructive.

According to WebMD symptoms of Bipolar disorder can include:

• Act impulsively or do reckless things, such as go on shopping sprees, drive recklessly, get into foolish business ventures, or have frequent, indiscriminate, or unsafe sex.
• Have a very high opinion of himself or herself (inflated self-esteem).
• Feel extremely happy or very irritable.

WebMD list several other symptoms that are indicative of bipolar disorder, many of which seem to fit Britney's recent behavior. It could be true that postpartum syndrome escalated what might have been mild at one time bipolarism.

My hope is that eventually this once lofty pop star will get the right people around her to find the road to recovery. I hope this continuing story doesn't have a tragic ending.

Photo Source: WorldofBritney.com

A Search Engine For Job Seekers

At any given time there are millions of Americans searching for a new job. Whether you are a new graduate just starting out, or looking for a career change, or just a better gig, the old saying is certainly true--looking for work is like having a full-time job. However, today with the Internet, there are many options available for job seekers.Over the last decade, dozens of online job boards have sprung up offering their services to job seekers.

Two major job boards that appeared early on in the Internet boom were Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com, which are now joined by dozens of job boards offering a broad listing of openings and others that are tailored for specific careers.

While it is great that there are now many options, searching every big and small job board can be time consuming and overwhelming.Job seekers now have available to them a powerful new search engine called Indeed.com that is dedicated to extracting all those open positions from major and minor job boards and even corporate employment pages and presenting them in one location.

Visitors of Indeed.com can even leave comments and questions about a particular position or posting, which further helps visitors decide if a particular company is right for them.

After recommending Indeed.com to many of friends, I've received positive feedback on how the search engine has streamlined their job search. So the next time you’re looking for a new career, check out indeed.com. You might be surprised; your dream career could be just a click away.Image

Source: Indeed.com

Ford's Steep Climb To Move Way Forward

It's no secret that Ford is not doing well at selling its cars lately. With the decline of pickup sales due to high gas prices, long in the tooth model refreshing, and quality issues of the past that seem to repeatedly plague the manufacture, it's a wonder they still have hope that a bright light even exist at the end of the sales tunnel.

The Ford Americans have known for the past decade, has forgotten how to design desirable vehicles for the American public, putting out models that are years behind in design and quality of its competitors. The last desirable car, the Focus, was allowed to age and wither in sales, before that was the Lincoln LS.

As of late, Ford has taken measures to improve the quality and reliability of its entire vehicle line. But the question still remains, is it a little too late to save this dying American icon. While that ending is still yet to be written, Ford executives are busy cutting cost, aligning its global designs and platforms and working hard to sell off its premium brands Land Rover and Jaguar.

While these measures will go a long way to slow the hemorrhaging of sales and revenue, Ford needs the new blood of its fresh European kinetic designs along with excellent quality to bring back American customers to its dealerships. A glimmer of the possible future was shown at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show with the introduction of its Verve Sedan concept vehicle, which is still two years away.

General Motors, the world's largest automaker was in the same shape not long ago, but quickly figured out how to infuse some life into the company by dumping many of its underwhelming American models for models from its German brand Opel to renew interest.

If it sounds like I'm down on Ford, I'm not, I want the company to survive and better compete in the market. To compete, Fords way forward is going to entail scaling the Mt. Everest of American opinion.

What's Right:

• Improved Realiablity
• Lower NVH
• Microsoft Sync Technology
• Ecoboost Engine Technology

What's Not:

• Slab-Sided Designs
• Unimaginative Interior Designs
• Hard Grainy Plastic Interiors
• B-Pillar Quarter Windows
  

2008 Detroit Auto Show Begins

America puts its best foot forward with the annual Detroit Auto Show starting today. Undoubtedly this will be a big year for GM with multiple new offerings in midsize family sedans and with fresh new designs with much improved quality throughout its vehicle lineup.

Even though gas prices continue to rise, Ford and Chrysler will introduce redesigned large trucks to compete with GM and Toyota's full-size trucks. Out side of American steel, manufactures like Hyundai will possibly be introducing some very important models like their new Genesis Sedan and Tiburon sports coupe that will give us a look at their future design direction.

I'm watching much of the auto show coverage from Autoblog.com, which always provides great hi-res photos and commentary on industry news. I'll post links to many of the new models as soon as they are available.

PHOTO GALLERY

2009 Ford F-150 / Ford F-150 LIVE reveal

2009 Dodge RAM / Dodge RAM LIVE reveal

2009 Cadillac CTS-V

Cadillac CTS Coupe Concept

2008 Mazda RX-8

2010 Ford Verve

2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

2009 Hyundai Genesis

2009 Volkwagen CC (4-door Coupe)

Mercedes Benz GLK

Saab 9-4X Concept

2009 Mitsubishi Lancer Ralliart

2009 Subaru Forester (US spec)

2008 Cadillac Provoq Concept

2009 Toyota Venza

Companies That Soared and Some that Nose Dived in 2007

Here is a great article from BNET that I discovered that list 2007 companies that soared in flight or took a dive for one reason or another. After reviewing the list, I could not resist adding my two cents worth of wisdom in bold.

This week, we’re highlighting PRWeek’s very good summation of the year past in their 2007 Book of Lists. Here are their brands on the rise and brands that “sunk” in 2007:

Brands that “soared” according to PRWeek:

Apple: Thanks to the hugely successful launch of the iPhone and introduction of the iPod Touch Apple continued to be a darling of Wall Street, with its stock prices reaching an all-time company high of $192 a share.

Apple buyers are like Honda buyers--loyal to the core. Even when Apple launched it's iPhone at a ridiculous price, apple cronies defended it and bought the iPhone in droves.

TMZ: The celebrity Web site separated itself from the pack this year by launching a TV show. It also continued to break a number of stories about celebrity breakdowns, divorces, and deaths.

It was only a matter of time until the virus of salacious celebrity reporting jumped from print to the airwaves.

Nintendo: The launch of the still hard-to-find Wii gaming system at the end of 2006 set Nintendo up for an all but can’t miss opportunity to have a wonderful 2007. It didn’t miss.

Sony Playstation 3 didn't see this coming. Nintendo is resurrected from obscurity.

Wal-Mart: Aside from its usual financial dominance, the retail giant also won a slight reprieve from critics by concentrating on its environmental program to reduce waste and promote sustainability - one that has served as a model for the rest of big industry.

Hummm. Last I heard Wally World was in trouble. Going green isn't going to be enough to get back in the good graces of consumers.

Facebook: The social networking site hit its stride this year, becoming a must-join among business people. It was able to address users’ concerns about privacy swiftly and managed to preserve its loyal following, as well as snag a $240 million investment from Microsoft.

Ok...so I'm a Facebook member--they got me. What else can I say.

And those that “sunk” in 2007:

Sears Holdings: This year, the owner of the Sears and Kmart retail stores announced a 99% drop in third-quarter profits from $196 million to just $2 million year over year. It will certainly have to do better if it ever hopes to compete again with the likes of Wal-Mart and Target.

Is Kmart still around?

Mattel: While its stock price wasn’t severely damaged by this year’s toy recalls, the hit to its reputation is inevitable.

Forget talking to strangers kids. The predator is sitting right in your playroom.

Ampd Mobile: One of the worst tech collapses since the dot bomb, the cell phone company filed for bankruptcy in June, letting a $360 million investment go to waste.

Never heard of them. Maybe that's why they aren't doing so well.

Britney Spears: Spears made such a mess of her life in 2007 that a judge awarded unemployed ex-husband K-Fed custody of their kids. Lowlights include numerous panty-less exits from cars, a head shaving, and the infamous dead-in-the-eyes performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.

The image on her homepage is not one of virtue. This is one sad example of a life and career in trouble. My suggestion is to clean up your act or at least do your dirty deeds away from the cameras. Moving out of Los Angeles would be a huge step forward in restoration.

Citigroup: Getting caught up in the sub-prime fallout, it not only posted a $6.4 billion loss, but CEO Chuck Prince was forced to resign. It announced plans to lay off more than 40,000, and its stock continues to tumble.

Their websites says home loans are easy as 1, 2, 3. Maybe they gave them out a little too easily.

Article Source: BNET
Photo Source: Flickr.com

Prying Eyes on Facebook

At one time, one of the great allures of surfing the Internet was that one could do it with complete anonymity. Today, the anonymity we all enjoyed while surfing the web are long behind us.

Advertisers caught on long ago in how to increase their sales by finding out our secret search habits.Over the years, privacy issues have been a major concern for consumers and consumer advocates who look to maintain users right to privacy from marketers seeking information about every site a consumer visits.

On November 6, 2007, social networking site Facebook added a privacy-busting feature called Beacon that tracks sites that Facebook users visit. The motive is to place advertising in front of the members based on the sites they visit. Facebook has already signed up several participating companies for this program.

Originally, Beacon was deployed without the owner’s consent. Now after all the controversy, users can opt out of the feature. Even more alarming is how Beacon gives Facebook's members a heads up on participating sites their friends visit. For example, if you searched a participating site to buy your spouse a gift, your secret wouldn't be such a secret once Facebook emails friends about your purchase.

I'm amazed. Nothing seems to be sacred anymore in this age of information. Many believe the government and private sector are encroaching on the privacy of others an inch at a time. Whoever knew that Big Brother had a little brother waiting in the wings.






Photo Source: Gadgetell.com

Robert Sutton's Vision of a Civilized Workplace

Trou·ble·mak·er: a person who consciously or unconsciously causes trouble.
-Merriam-Webster Dictionary

The A-word. I didn't say it, but Robert Sutton has with his upfront perspective on ridding the workplace of bad employees. We've all experienced them--the office troublemaker that cost companies thousands of dollars in turnover and many of its employee’s sleepless nights.

BNET highlights a timely new book, "The No Asshole Rule" by Robert Sutton that guides employees and companies in how to deal with rogue employees. This book will undoubtedly strike a nerve with many hard working Americans today.

A few years ago, after venting to a close friend, not associated with the company, about the indignation I felt concerning some actions a senior manager had taken with regards to company policies, and how oblivious it seemed upper management was to their schemes, a friend made a poignant statement that he believed the worst corporate managers know how to allude getting reprimanded or even getting canned.

His observations lead me to do a little research in the areas of workplace politics and management. There is a litany of books on this topic. All had a similar conclusion that bad employees and managers are a major cause of turnover in most companies. For a more detailed posting on what the expert’s reveal, look for a follow up posting soon.

Also, see BNET Video.

Source: BNET