graham
St. Patrick’s Day
St. Patrick’s Day Chances are, a few years down the road someone will ask you what life was like before the Internet came along. I don’t know about you, but I’ll be ready with my St. Patrick’s Day story. The story actually begins two days before St. Patrick’s Day, on March 15, 1986. I’d just arrived […]
When Change is Good
According to an article in the New York Times (February 29, 2008), “more than one in 100 American adults are behind bars.” It sometimes seems like our legislators are hellbent on turning us into a nation of jailbirds. Rocket scientists, alas, are a much rarer species. This can have embarrassing consequences for those of us […]
Dead Guys Finish Last
How important is a brand’s heritage? I’d say it depends on the product category. With automobiles, for instance, evidence indicates that a brand’s heritage does play a part in the buying decision. For a now rapidly dwindling segment of elderly car buyers who fondly recall the grand old General Motors (GM) brand in its heyday, […]
Made in Japan
Not so long ago the words Made in Japan and Japanese could be used interchangeably. When used to refer to manufactured goods, they meant practically the same thing. Not anymore. When the Japanese emerged from the rubble of World War II, Made in Japan stood for shoddy products, like toys that fell apart. Then Japanese manufacturers […]