Monday, August 25, 2014
Film: The Wrestler directed by Darren Aronofsky
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1125849/
An interesting film about a washed up wrestling star struggling to make a living on the local circuit. The wrestler is really well played by Mickey Rourke. It a sad story of being past your prime, facing up to giving up the one thing you've done all your live.
None of this really gets resolved in the film, so it is a bit un-Hollywood in the ending - but that makes a pleasant change.
Book read: The places in between by Rory Stewart
You might know Rory Stewart as a conservative MP - who sometimes appears on Newsnight as an expert on the Middle Eastern/North African countries.
He always provides really balanced sensible opinion - much lacking in our woeful politicians today. But just viewing him as a politician undersells him by a huge amount - he started life a Foreign Office and overseas.
This book recounts the epic journey on foot through Afghanistan in 2002 - part of a large 6000 mile journey that took in Pakistan, India, Iran and Nepal. At this time the collation forces were fighting the Taliban and Afghanistan was not the safest of places. He visits remote villages, stays with villagers and really puts across the state of isolation in the country.
You always feel he is walking a tight rope of acceptance and often comes close to being harmed. The feudal nature of the communities is put across as each stage of the journey involves carrying recommendations from the village he was travelling from.
One interesting episode is the historic background of Britain's empire. He often gets asked about the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koh-i-Noor diamond - which was obtained by Britain under dubious circumstances.
This is the number one travel guide for Afghanistan - well deserved even though it is a limited market!
He always provides really balanced sensible opinion - much lacking in our woeful politicians today. But just viewing him as a politician undersells him by a huge amount - he started life a Foreign Office and overseas.
This book recounts the epic journey on foot through Afghanistan in 2002 - part of a large 6000 mile journey that took in Pakistan, India, Iran and Nepal. At this time the collation forces were fighting the Taliban and Afghanistan was not the safest of places. He visits remote villages, stays with villagers and really puts across the state of isolation in the country.
You always feel he is walking a tight rope of acceptance and often comes close to being harmed. The feudal nature of the communities is put across as each stage of the journey involves carrying recommendations from the village he was travelling from.
One interesting episode is the historic background of Britain's empire. He often gets asked about the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koh-i-Noor diamond - which was obtained by Britain under dubious circumstances.
This is the number one travel guide for Afghanistan - well deserved even though it is a limited market!
Friday, August 15, 2014
Soulless Cisco
So redundancy time at Cisco, senior managment thing it's "for the best".
Here's how it works:
1. Senior leaders push it down to business units after coming up with a number from the financials
2. Automated mass e-mails get sent around talking about transparency and "you might be affected"
3. A couple of months pass and the arse end of management get to deliver the bad news, after no transparency at all
4. They forget to send out an e-mail saying "all clear" - leaving someone with a conscience to do it locally.
Good luck everyone.
Here's how it works:
1. Senior leaders push it down to business units after coming up with a number from the financials
2. Automated mass e-mails get sent around talking about transparency and "you might be affected"
3. A couple of months pass and the arse end of management get to deliver the bad news, after no transparency at all
4. They forget to send out an e-mail saying "all clear" - leaving someone with a conscience to do it locally.
Good luck everyone.
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