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Contributing editor Jim Richardson is a photojournalist recognized for his explorations of small-town life. His photos appear frequently in National Geographicmagazine.

“I’m going on vacation. What lens should I take?”

Well, now, that’s a simple question, and I ought to able to give a simple answer. I never can. About once a week someone comes into our gallery, scrutinizes my collection of images from around the world, and then assumes (with scant evidence) that I know everything about photography.

Nobody assumes that buying a sauce pan will make you a chef, but many photographers seem to assume that buying just the right lens will make them into a photographer. Certainly our gallery visitors don’t want to get into a deep philosophical discussion with a cranky curmudgeon. A simple answer would do.

This question has an answer, even if it is not so simple.

Q: Why do men’s clothes have buttons on the right while women’s clothes have buttons on the left?

A: When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and worn primarily by the rich. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to
push buttons on the right through holes on the left. Because wealthy women were dressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid’s right! And that’s where women’s buttons have remained since.

Q: Why do ships and aircraft use ‘mayday’ as their call for help?

A: This comes from the French word m’aidez -meaning ‘help me’ — and is pronounced, approximately, ‘mayday.’

Q: Why are zero scores in tennis called ‘love’?

A: In France , where tennis became popular, round zero on the scoreboard looked like an egg and was called ‘l’oeuf,’ which is French for ‘egg.’ When tennis was introduced in the US , Americans (mis)pronounced it ‘love.’

Q Why do X’s at the end of a letter signify kisses?

A: In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read or write, documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented an oath
to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X and the kiss eventually became synonymous.

Q: Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called ‘passing the buck’?

A: In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called a buck, from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal. If a player did not wish to assume the responsibility of dealing, he would ‘pass the buck’ to the next player.

Q: Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?

A: It used to be common for someone to try to kill an enemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink was safe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink into the glass of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guest trusted his host, he would only touch or clink the host’s glass with his own.

Q: Why are people in the public eye said to be ‘in the limelight’?

A: Invented in 1825,limelight was used in lighthouses and theaters by burning a cylinder of lime which produced a brilliant light. In the theatre, a performer ‘in the limelight’ was the center of attention.

Q: Why is someone who is feeling great ‘on cloud nine’?

A: Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes they attain, with nine being the highest cloud If someone is said to be on cloud nine, that person is floating well above worldly cares.

Q: In golf, where did the term ‘Caddie’ come from?

A. When Mary Queen of Scots went to France as a young girl, Louis, King of France , learned that she loved the Scots game ‘golf.’ So he had the first
course outside of Scotland built for her enjoyment. To make sure she was properly chaperoned (and guarded) while she played, Louis hired cadets from a military school to accompany her. Mary liked this a lot and when returned to Scotland (not a very good idea in the long run), she took the practice with her. In French, the word cadet is pronounced ‘ca-day’ and the Scots changed it into ‘caddie.

Q: Why are many coin banks shaped like pigs?

A: Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of a dense orange clay called ‘pygg’. When people saved coins in jars made of this clay, the jars became known as ‘pygg banks.’ When an English potter misunderstood the word, he made a container that resembled a pig. And it caught on.

Q: Did you ever wonder why dimes, quarters and half dollars have notches (milling), while pennies and nickels do not?

A: The US Mint began putting notches on the edges of coins containing gold and silver to discourage holders from shaving off small quantities of the precious metals. Dimes, quarters and half dollars are notched because they used to contain silver. Pennies and nickels aren’t notched because the metals they contain are not valuable enough to shave.

So there ! Now you know why!

He scoured the web looking for examples of best company blogs in the world and here they are (alphabetically):

1. Caterpillar
2. Fiskars
3. General Electric
4. Manpower
5. Marriott
6. Patagonia
7. Southwest Airlines
8. Starbucks
9. Wegman’s
10. Whole Foods Market

It’s an interesting analysis, do read it in it’s entirety at  http://www.businessesgrow.com/2011/01/05/the-10-best-corporate-blogs-in-the-world/ where he highlights the intended goal of the blog. Do you have your own list? If so, do share!

Grand Central - Waiting for #6 (Image by Anwer Qureishi)

Here are the five leadership traits Steve Tobak describes in his blog post “Growing Up on the Streets of the Big Apple” on BNET:

1. Personality
2. Street Smarts
3. Instincts about People
4. Openness
5. Acceptance of Diversity

I encourage you to read the entire blog  http://ht.ly/3OtYv to learn why he thinks so….

Pacino on Success in “Any Given Sunday”   Success is achieved inch by inch, yard by yard, just 10 yards at a time – either in football or in life – just focus on the inches – and keep moving in the direction of your dreams.

“Ignite your Soul!”

 ”Be Great, Powerful Beyond Measure” – Best Inspirational Video Ever

Stay Young…Stay Foolish!

Steve Jobs Stanford University Commencement Address (2005)



“Overcoming Adversity”

40 Inspirational Speeches in 2 Minutes

Extraordinary Life

The Secret to You…a gift from the secret scrolls

A good book for novice recruiters or people who are considering a career in professional recruiting. It is quick read, pretty general in it’s approach and gives the reader several case studies to better understand the concepts in discussion.
Not a book suitable for an experienced recruiter, I felt it was pretty expensive for $34.00 and definitely not worth the investment since I expect a much greater in-depth discussion from a “professional recruiter’s handbook”.  I even considered returning it and would have done so half-way through had I not highlighted some pages.

(**) Two stars, don’t buy it ask your local library to loan it to you.

i embrace emerging experience.
i participate in discovery.
i am a butterfly.
i am not a butterfly collector.
~~~william stafford~~~

“you have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle,
and that is because the power of the world always works in circles,
and everything tries to be round…
the sky is round,
and i have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are the stars.
the wind, in its greatest power, whirls.
birds make their nests in circles,
for theirs is the same religion as ours… “
~~~ Black Elk (1863-1950) Oglala Sioux holy man ~~~”