The corporate Christmas party.

The office Christmas party has ruined a few careers and made a few as well. When companies are downsizing Christmas parties, maybe we should tone down what we do at one of them. While parties are fun, the Christmas part is no place to let your hair down.


My dad told me a story that always pops into my head every time I go to a Christmas party. The story goes like this. One of the big time sales guys at my dad’s company had a few too many highballs at the company Christmas party. He made some crude jokes and used some serious vulgar language. The next week he was fired and cost him a well paying job.

Another story that I have heard from a friend is even worse. At yet another Christmas party last year, my friend’s friend and his immediate supervisor had a few cocktails too many. The supervisor needled his subordinate relentlessly. One too many needles got the supervisor a broken nose. His subordinate was fired and ended up in a cast for six weeks.

Another time, a co-worker got so drunk that the function hall had her removed by the only means they had - a wheelchair.

There was another time a co-worker and myself had been outside for 'a breath of fresh air' and then returned. As we walked across the (at the time) empty dance floor, unknown to the two of us, something fell from my jacket pocket. We sat down with friends at our table, and then a waitress came up to me and said you dropped these. And held up a pair of panties.

Here are some words to live by at the Christmas party; The first thing to keep in mind at the company party is that no matter how much you try to make it an out-of-office function, the party is an extension of work. So, a boss ordering another employee to give another worker a ride home could be liable if an accident occurs. The rule there is, be careful. So it may be best that the party not be held on company property.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that managers need to be careful about what they say. While some judges have been lenient about potentially sexist and racist comments stated during an office party, that may not stop an offended employee from bringing a lawsuit. The rules a manager follows during the day about sexual and other forms of harassment should be followed at the party as well.

If you drink, even in moderation, don't. Pass on any alcoholic beverages that may be served at the company Christmas party (You'll be surprised how favorably this will be viewed, your boss may be a teetotaler, more importantly do it for your self-image). If your drinking has caused you to misstep or behave inappropriately in the past, drinking is not even an option, not even the innocuous glass of wine. The adage "one is too many, and a thousand is not enough" should be the mantra of the evening for you if drinking alcohol in any form have caused you past behavior challenges. Don't smoke either, even if there is a designated smoking area.

The best advice I can give you at the holiday party is summed up in one statement. If you need to drink at the company party make it a beer instead of a highball. You can always milk a beer, no pun intended.

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The Internet News changes everything

The Internet News Changes Everything


...Or does it?

It changes many things, to be sure. Hyperlinks append the encyclopedia to end all encyclopedias to every article. Flash and php enable “interactive content” much more advanced than simple page-flipping. Many of the games and demos suggested today are excellent examples. The Internet also provides an unparalleled way to track how readers experience pages, articles and demos, through what they choose to click and what they post in blogs.

And yet, in the wake of the internet journalism today, I found myself mulling the question: “All that stuff is very nice, but is it journalism?”

...or, could it be journalism? More directly: are the technologies of the web going to remain supplemental material, or are they going to change the very core substance of journalism in the future?

I doubt it.

Journalists need to “have a multimedia mindset” and that should be heeded, but also taken with a grain of salt. Every story can’t be deconstructed into bits. A story is a story and it is not a quick blurb on a computer screen.

Narrative is primary. People understand the world in terms of stories; that’s what they’re looking for in news. The implicit question people ask when they pick up a newspaper or magazine (or go online in search of news) is “what’s going on?”—and the answer to that can’t always come in choose-your-own adventure form. Breaking a feature article into blurb bios, a game, and a flash animation of the relevant science destroys something valuable. The narrative, the story, is lost. Great story telling is a lost art in the news today. I do not mean a story as in a fictitious way, I mean it in a well balanced true manner.

I heard various grim statistics today about how few people will follow a link to the latter half of a story on the internet (less than 20%). Still, though, if a publication cuts all such stories, it shouldn’t be surprised by a 20% drop in readership.

People do have the patience for longer stories, even if they don’t read them much online. As I said today, I think this is largely the result of the discomfort of reading from current computer screens. I refuse to believe that the attention span for all readers has dropped to 300 words in the last ten years. I think that advances in display technology will prove that.

Just as MTV didn’t kill the feature film’s popularity, I can’t believe that the internet will reduce journalism to blurbs. People will still want someone to connect the dots for them, to tell them a story. And as with every story there will be a reaction and a counter reaction. If there isn’t we will just live in the land of the blurbs.

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Weekly Thought Bonanza Dec 13th

On Sunday/Monday, I produce a column called “The Weekly Thought Bonanza”. The column is based on all of the random thoughts that run through my head all week, and trust me there are a plethora of them. I will try to share as many of these thoughts as I can, so each one of my readers can think just a little bit extra over the coming week. After my short holiday break the “Bonanza is back.


Can you win a Nobel Peace Prize the same week you decide to send more Americans to war? Obviously you can.

Better mood this week as my beloved Patriots took care of that pesky Carolina team.

Italian Premier Berlusconi had his nose broken and cracked two teeth, when he was struck in the face by a statue of him. Remind me again why we are down on the secret service for letting un-invited guests into the White House.

Sponsors are dropping Tiger Woods faster than you can say ho, ho, ho, no pun intended. Well, maybe a little pun.

If you get a chance to see the Santa Land Diaries, do not miss the chance. It is laugh out loud funny.

I heard Lennox Lewis say, “In a heavyweight fight you want to hit your opponent.” Really Lennox, do you think so? I thought you might just want to dance with them or watch a movie with them and eat popcorn. Never knew you were supposed to hit your opponent during a fight no less. Why do the Television Networks just hire ex-jocks as commentators? Most are laughable and should not be behind a microphone.

Bank commercials make me absolutely sick to my stomach. Do the bank executives even care that they are pushing their sins on the American people. Bank of America should be renamed Bank of Dumbarse’s.

There is nothing worse than cold toes in the winter. I went to EMS Sports and found the best pair of boots I have ever tried on my feet. I just love something that works as advertised.

I have been to a bunch of these so called famous chef’s restaurants and I have to say, my dad and mom’s cooking blows all of these places away.

I do like to look at a nice Poinsettia plant. Why do we have to put them away after Christmas? I like them, I really really like them.

Coffee tip of the week. Green Mountain Coffee’s Dark Hazelnut Roast is absolutely fabulous.

The Geico Caveman commercials are really getting old. Time to moth ball them.

Has anyone played Guitar Hero and can’t not keep up on the first level besides me?

Why do people go and get themselves stranded in the middle of nowhere? How did we manage 200 years ago when hunters had no helicopter patrols to find them?

The Weekly Thought Bonanza thought of the week; Why would you run the Santa Speedo road race? I can think of better ways to raise money without wearing a speedo in December.


Please feel free to post a comment after each and every column. Click on the comments at the end of the article



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Please forward to your friends and colleagues to enjoy. The more readers I have, the more money that is raised for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.



voice 206-350-6437