The Twelfth Annual South Australian Premier's Food Awards 2009

Cherchez la femme - Stefan Maguran 2009

Received in the mail the other day:
"Everyone is invited to 'celebrate the magic' on Friday 6 November 2009 as the Adelaide Convention Centre shines brightly in recognition of our amazing finalists and for the announcement of the winners of The Twelfth Annual South Australian Premier's Food Awards.
With more networking opportunities available than ever before, it is a fantastic opportunity to meet the 'magicians' who make up this State's amazing food industry.
All guests attending will be eligible to win a deluxe Hilton Adelaide accommodation for two.
Like last year's event, the Awards presentation gala dinner will be carbon neutral, taking into account environmental practices to save energy."

My heart pounded. I said to myself - this is a great opportunity and I should make sure to clean my black tie.
Then I saw the price: $150.
Well, that price sheds a different light on the word "everyone". Called my bank who was happy to talk about my mortgage repayments schedule, then tucked my black tie away for another time.
And then today I hear about the Premier being attacked at a function at the Wine Centre.
It is a very sad state of affairs when violence shows its ugly head. I hear the Premier is bruised and I wish him a speedy recovery.

Blackberry and Stalinist methods don't mix, Cher Monsieur Pellisier

In a clumsy attempt to justify the 23 suicides in France Telecom, the CFO, Gervais Pelissier makes an outrageous claim that BlackBerry is partially to be blamed for the stress of a "fragile employee with difficulties that would probably have more confusion with more mixture between personal life and professional life than in the past".
http://www.news.com.au/business/story/0,27753,26122817-31037,00.html
Cher Monsieur, BlackBerry should allow your employees to be out and about, at the Gym, a spa, having lunch and a bottle of Beaujolais, if it wasn't for the Stalinist methods used in restructuring all over the world.
For some weird reason which I dare to say is due to lack of imagination from senior management, the universal method of restructuring is creating a state of tension, pressure, terror, the old Divide et Impera so popular in the Roman Empire.
Are you sure that your company is allowing your employees to be empowered by the freedom a BlackBerry is offering? Are you sure that you are not imposing absurd restrictions on people's freedom to do their job? Are you sure you are not requiring (at least implied) that employees to spend outrageous hours at the office with no clear understanding of what the future may bring?
Why is relocation such a big part of your restructuring program, when having the tools to work from home or from anywhere in the world should make the location of your offices a non-issue?
Be honest, Mr. Pelissier - I know you are blaming BlackBerry now, but what about when your employer decides you are not longer required?