Beats Belgium Any Time
Is it the “Baywatch” effect or what?
In a new survey, senior U.S. corporate executives ranked California second behind Texas when it comes to favorable business climate. But among European execs, California was a resounding No. 1.
One reason is, the state is perceived as leading the charge in the “.com” economy, said Rob DeRocker, senior vice president with Development Counsellors International, which did the survey.
“That has given California an enormous cachet overseas,” he says. “Gallo wines have become a best-selling brand in France because they market it as Californian wine. If they had marketed it as American wine, it would have tanked.”
Parking Problem
Century City Shopping Center has the cure for lost car syndrome that troubling malady in which you go to a mall and forget where you parked.
The center has trained a special contingent of security guards to help the 10 or so people who misplace their car each day.
Some people panic when they can’t find their vehicle and conclude it was stolen. It even happens to off-duty police officers.
A security official at the Century City mall recalled one incident in which a cop couldn’t find his family car after becoming confused about which door he used to enter the mall. When he figured that out, the car was right where he left it.
“His kids were moping around because they were supposed to go camping,” the official said “I told them it wasn’t stolen and would be OK.”
Laughing Matters
A Woodland Hills-based comic says he’s found a way to beat corporate stress and lost productivity humor.
Marty Fidelman of the International Institute of Humor holds workshops around the country for corporate America, teaching uptight executives how to laugh on the job.
Some of his tips: Take candid pictures of co-workers and post them on a bulletin board. (That ought to endear you to co-workers.)
Play pin the tail on the donkey, but with an employee substituting for the donkey. (Can you say sexual harassment?)
When faced with a stressful situation, imagine how a celebrity such as Roseanne or Robin Williams would handle it. (Bosses just love smart alecks.)
Fidelman says nothing is funnier than the truth. Maybe so, but try these tips and you might be looking for the humor in getting fired.
Bed Potatoes
Coming soon to a bedroom near you SkyTV.
Just when your mind was reeling with all the advances in the telecommunications industry, a Pasadena man has come up with yet another twist a contraption designed to let you watch TV while flat on your back in bed.
The system invented by James Tatoian, a defense-industry scientist, reflects images from a TV set to a suspended mirror.
Though billed as having advantages for people with back or neck problems, it’s obviously a device tailor-made for bed potatoes.
“He was just trying to find a comfortable way to watch TV in bed and this is what he did,” said Ann Tatoian, the inventor’s sister-in-law.
