Events

Former Chicago mayor Rich Daley got named to Coke's board of directors today. Coca-Cola said: "Mr. Daley brings significant public policy expertise and experience in creating sustainable growth opportunities for businesses and communities to our Company," said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Coca-Cola Company. "His experience and insights will be invaluable as we continue to work to grow our business and invest in the fabric of the communities we serve." Daley is also a senior...

Even though we still have two weeks to go, 2011 has already experienced the costliest year of weather disasters in decades: From extreme drought, heat waves and floods to unprecedented tornado outbreaks, hurricanes, wildfires and winter storms, a record 12 weather and climate disasters in 2011 each caused $1 billion or more in damages — and most regrettably, loss of human lives and property. The Illinois State Climatologist adds: We also experienced some $50 billion in total losses for the year. And...

Derp. One year ago yesterday I finished my MBA. It doesn't seem like a full year...except when it doesn't seem like only one year.

I forgot to post this photo from the Tsukiji fish market earlier:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, our friend in the Middle East, has beheaded one of its citizens on the charge of witchcraft: Amina bint Abdel Halim Nassar was executed Monday for having "committed the practice of witchcraft and sorcery," according to an Interior Ministry statement. Nassar was investigated before her arrest and was "convicted of what she was accused of based on the law," the statement said. Her beheading took place in the Qariyat province of the region of Al-Jawf, the ministry said. The...

People in the UK travel much more by train than we in the US. Still, I think office centers at train stations would be great here: Sitting in a proper office space after missing your train would certainly beat propping a laptop on your knees outside WH Smith as the pigeons wander round your feet. Regus has initiated a similar programme in France, where it is opening drop-in business centres in six stations, and it has plans for more developments in the Netherlands. It sounds like a reasonable deal for...

A client visit up in Manitowoc, Wis., ended a little earlier than planned today, so I was able to: Avoid rush-hour traffic in both Milwaukee and Chicago; Pick Parker up tonight instead of tomorrow; and Snap this photo from the roof of the Lincoln Park Whole Foods:

The loony right (and some on the loony left) have claimed recently that the Federal Reserve has made trillions of dollars of secret loans to banks in the last few years. Fortunately, this has not happened; the Fed has made thousands of overnight billion-dollar loans that everyone knows about. First, you have to use different rules of math than those of us in the reality-based community to get to the amounts anti-Federal Reserve folks have bandied about recently. Then you have to forget the salient fact...

So I thought I'd take another look at Sebastian Gutierrez' film Girl Walks Into a Bar the other day. But before the film started I saw this: Not knowing what to make of these options, I chose the two minutes of proselytizing and went to make my lunch. When I got back, the movie was on its way without interruptions, as promised. What the LDS church hopes to accomplish through this PR campaign escapes me for the moment.

If you don't know Hyperbole and a Half, set aside an hour and read every one of Allie Brosh's posts. Since it's December, though, start with this one: By the time I was done reinventing her, Mary carried a cane, walked with an exaggerated limp and was completely covered in BandAids. She was also blind. I started reading the blog last night when I got home for dinner and finally stopped 90 minutes later because my face hurt from laughing.