By Steve Rhodes
1. Who owns Danny’s?
2. “Preckwinkle has her recommendation [for a successor as alderman] ready for Mayor Daley, who will appoint someone to the plum position,” Laura Washington reports. “It’s a prominent political name.”
3. The city just spent $1.8 million revamping its website, which badly needed it. But $1.8 million? Longtime Beachwood readers know I would have done it for $1.7 billion.
Seriously, someone should look into this contract, that sounds nuts. For this.
4. “Thousands of psychiatric patients are likely to move out of nursing homes and into community-based settings in the next five years under a landmark legal agreement designed to reshape Illinois’ troubled long-term care system,” the Tribune reports.
“The agreement, expected to be filed Monday in federal court in Chicago, lays out a schedule for state officials to offer approximately 4,500 mentally ill nursing home residents the choice to move out of two dozen large facilities known as ‘institutions for mental diseases,’ or IMDs, and into smaller settings that experts say are more appropriate and less expensive.”
5. I haven’t been able to find an excerpt or find a clip but Rod Blagojevich’s slippery evasions and faulty memory of serving a cold hamburger because he was too busy politicking customers instead of waiting tables in the first challenge of Celebrity Apprentice last night was priceless; Blago melted under Donald Trump’s relentless questioning – something Blago apologists like Geraldo Rivera and Greta Van Susteren could learn from.
6. “Internal documents show the evolution of the band’s farsighted business practices, such as their decision to allow free taping.”
The Grateful Dead: Better businesspeople than many in the newspaper industry.
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Why was that so smart? For a number of reasons, including gaining the undying loyalty of its fans. And you know all this stuff about “creating community” and “brand management” and “authenticity”? Well, you can only do it successfully if you mean it.
Take the new shop manager on LA Ink. She comes from the corporate world and wants to introduce uniforms, sales targets, Employee of the Month awards, etc., to Kat’s not unsuccessful tattoo shop. In her on-camera confessional interludes, all she talks about is the various ways she’s trying to kiss various butts to get into position to take over the place. Sort of like a lot of reporters and editors in this town.
Thankfully, Kat is having none of it. Yes, she acknowledges, “there is a transaction,” but it’s not about the money. It’s about the art. Let the artists do their work. Funny thing? The money follows. In loads.
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Likewise I was talking to a friend about Toyota and it’s now-damaged worldwide brand for quality. She mentioned the Toyota Production System. And where did Toyota get its ideas for that? From my favorite management theorist/consultant W. Edwards Deming, whose 14 key principles of management included eliminating slogans, exhortations and workforce targets and whose Seven Deadly Diseases included an emphasis on short-term profits, evaluation by merit ratings or performance reviews, and running a company on visible figures alone.
And what was Toyota’s explanation for its recent troubles?
“Toyota has, for the past few years, been expanding its business rapidly quite,” company president Akio Toyoda said. “Frankly, I fear the pace at which we have grown may have been too quick. I’d like to point out here that Toyota’s priority had traditionally been the following first, safety second, quality, third volume. These priorities became confused.”
And that’s what the Grateful Dead, LA Ink, the newspaper industry and Toyota have to do with each other.
7. “Women On The Pill Live Longer: Study.”
I’ve been saying that for years! C’mon, honey, you’ll live longer!
8. “70-Year-Old Among Trio Of Burglars: Cops.”
I hope I’m still thieving when I’m 70.
9. The first dotcom was registered 25 years ago today. Twenty-five years ago! It was symbolics.com.
10. Promo in the Sun-Times on Sunday: “Looking for a great getaway for this weekend? Or maybe something a little more adventurous? Lori Rackl does the research for you, bringing back souvenirs you can use.”
More like: “Tourist destinations pay for Lori Rackl’s research in return for coverage in the Sun-Times.”
Because that’s how it works there.
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On Sunday, Dave Hoekstra’s Hawaiian trip was “sponsored” by the Maui Visitor’s Bureau. Huh, they used to call “research trips” junkets.
11. The success of Craigslist and Groupon only shows that the old model works: Classifies and coupons. It’s that folks other than short-sighted and unimaginative newspaper execs figured out how to easily adapt the old formula to the new platform. What an unbelievable advantage the industry frittered away.
12. This just in:
“Dear Rhodes,
“We’re happy to pass along this invitation to discuss Health Insurance Reform:
“The White House Office of Public Engagement is pleased to invite you to a call discussing Health Insurance Reform. It will be held this Monday, March 15 at 12:00PM Eastern Standard Time. We encourage you to dial in a few minutes early to ensure participation in the entire call.
“Note that this call is for background information only and not intended for press purposes.
“WHO: Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, and staff from the White House Office of Public Engagement and the White House Office of Health Reform
“WHAT: White House Briefing Call on Health Insurance Reform
“WHEN: Monday, March 15, 2010, 12:00 PM EDT
“DIAL: (800) 398-9386
“PASS: In lieu of a passcode, please ask the Operator for the ‘Health Care Call.'”
But it’s not intended for “press purposes.”
13. The Moral Underground: How Ordinary Americans Subvert An Unfair Economy. By The Beachwood Workplace Disobedience Affairs Desk.
14. March Sadness, by our very own Jim Coffman.
15. Like A Cloud. A mixtape far away from the dry land, and it’s bitter memories.
16. 24 Hours With The DIY Network.
17. Carl Sandburg and Marilyn Monroe:
New sculptures in light
have emerged from the archives.
In Chicagoetry.
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The Beachwood Tip Line: Disobey.
Posted on March 15, 2010