The Week: What Caught Our Eye
October 16, 2021
As if the sky were saluting the summer gone by, a brilliant sunset adorns the season’s final bales of hay. (John Bulmer)
Good morning, Colleagues and Friends:
We’re headed to the crystal ball repair shop this morning. We knew we shouldn’t have let that thing tell us the Tampa Bay Rays would win the World Series, not when they had to go through a team managed by a guy whose playoff record before the series was 12-3 and who has never lost a postseason series as a bench coach or manager (that’s 8-for-8 if you’re keeping score at home).
Of course, it helps when your team gets bounces like this.
Regardless, Alex Cora and the Boston Red Sox now take on the Houston Astros, the team Cora served as bench coach in 2017 before moving on to Boston and leading the Red Sox to the 2018 World Series title, their fourth since 2004. The winner of that series advances to the World Series.
CATCHING INLAND WAVES: Teddy Roosevelt’s famous advice to do what you can, with what you have, where you are, comes to mind: On the churning eastern shores of Lake Ontario, where the waters of the Great Lakes basin join the St. Lawrence in a journey to the sea, a group of surfers who call themselves “The Losers” — Lake Ontario Surfing Enthusiast Revitalization Society — wedge into wetsuits, grab their boards and conquer waves few will ever see. And their members happily offer mentorship and amateur meteorological training to newcomers, a critical skill when the waves are at the whims of the winds.
PAPER’S CUTS WOUND: By now, millions of words have been written about the decline of daily print journalism and its effect on communities across the country — no one to keep elected officials on their toes, investigate wrongdoing or keep readers informed about the goings-on at city hall. But the losses are even more acute, as The Atlantic’s Elaine Godfrey writes in a poignant essay about the withering of her hometown daily in southeast Iowa. “(O)ften overlooked are the more quotidian stories, the ones that disappear first when a paper loses resources. … These stories are the connective tissue of a community; they introduce people to their neighbors, and they encourage readers to listen to and empathize with one another. When that tissue disintegrates, something vital rots away.”
TAPPED AS JAKE: Viewers of the FX series Impeachment: American Crime Story saw an episode this week that featured an actor who is part of one of the better-known families of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. And his part was highlighted in the show’s official trailer. Chris Riggi played Jake Tapper, portraying his one date with Monica Lewinsky (played by Beanie Feldstein) in 1997. He spoke with the Albany Times Union about the part, his surprise at the response and his work to forge a career in Hollywood.
MOMS RULE: Elise Stefanik is a new mom to son Sam, a member of Congress, a leader of her party and a go-to fund-raiser, and she’s determined to be all of those things exceptionally well. “I think it is important for women in a senior position in all sorts of careers to talk about that and show that,” she told The New York Post of balancing family life with a career. “I am so energetic in fighting for the future of this country because it will have an impact on Sam’s life.”
BEATLE BREAKER: For years, the debate among aficionados of a certain sound has raged — Paul or John, who broke up the Beatles? Or was it Yoko Ono? Many assumed it was McCartney, because it was he who sued to sever the business relationship, but he told the BBC it was Lennon whose four-word declaration fractured the Fab Four.
FEAR AND FURY: Lisa Peacock is one of thousands of public health officials across the country who, before 2020, was likely to be in the news only to issue the occasional boil water advisory or remind you to get your flu shot. They did their important work, like many do every day, behind the scenes, the ultimate no-news-is-good-news public servants. Then came the pandemic, and sudden prominence, the urgency of the crisis evident in the time and resources devoted to informing the public. Lately, though, many of those public servants have become the targets of emotional confrontations over mask mandates. One Michigan health director is done mincing words, fuming about the “destruction of our basic civic responsibilities to one another,” accusing elected county commissioners who oppose her school mask mandate of whipping up discord and allowing members of the public with opposing views to be talked over, shouted down and harassed in public meetings. “Taxpayer money has also been dumped down the tubes” to pay for extra security, “the public’s time and money has been spent on empty, pandering theater” and staff are burning out and quitting.
HOLD THE FISH STICKS: A customs dispute between the U.S. and Canada over methods of transport is threatening to disrupt the American supply of the Alaska pollock, commonly used in fish sticks and sandwiches.
William A. Gluesing demonstrating a radio- and voice-controlled electric locomotive for GE’s “House of Magic” at the 1939 New York World's Fair. The image is part of an exhibit on New York’s World’s Fairs at miSci in Schenectady. (miSci- Museum of Innovation & Science)
STEM BEFORE STEM WAS COOL: STEM is the new name, but science and engineering education has been going on in schools for decades. Seventy-five years ago, the world premiere of “Adventures in Jet Propulsion” drew a packed house to a junior high school auditorium. The question on every mind: Is this science or magic? Maury Thompson has the answer.
EXHAUSTED FROM CLIMBING: All those years spent working just a little later, doing just a little extra and learning just a little more may pay off with a job in the C-suite, but don’t be surprised if it takes more out of you than you might expect. A Harvard Business School professor examined records of more than 1,000 managers and other employees at General Electric starting in the 1930s and found that, on average, high-level executives died three to five years earlier than other workers at GE, linking the deaths to work-related stress. The findings were the opposite of those in studies of British public servants, which found shorter life expectancies among subordinates.
THE CRIMINAL MIND: Last year, in California, more than 300 wildfires were set by arsonists. Criminologists consider the wildland arsonist among the most dangerous criminals because, as one expert said, “they can burn down a whole town in an hour.” Now, one of their own, an academic expert on deviancy, has been charged with setting a forest ablaze.
NET LOSS: Basketball superstar Kyrie Irving has always seemed mildly eccentric and, with his injury history, as likely to dishearten his fans as he is to dazzle them. He has stood firm against being vaccinated for COVID-19, a decision that is at odds with New York City vaccine mandates and would prevent him from playing games either in Brooklyn or Manhattan, where the Knicks play. After briefly entertaining the possibility of playing him only when they could, the Nets banned Irving from the team until he’s vaccinated. Irving is defending his decision not to get vaccinated. Stay tuned.
CLEAN UP THE STREETS: Initiatives focused on stemming gun violence typically direct resources with the intent to head off violence or help victims in the aftermath. A team in Pennsylvania wondered what would happen if, instead, resources were devoted to sprucing up high-crime neighborhoods, planting grass and trees in formerly garbage-strewn lots and beautifying blighted buildings. They designed a study to test their theory that gun violence would drop in better-maintained areas, and their findings supported that to an eye-opening degree. “(S)eeing vacant lots and abandoned buildings, to me that’s a sign of neglect,” one participant said. “So I feel neglected.”
DIET DILEMMA: A study out recently found that drinks made with sucralose — a common sugar substitute that gives diet sodas their sweetness — may stimulate the appetites of some people, which obviously would defeat one of the purposes of drinking diet soda in the first place. The effect was most profound on women and people with obesity. Previous long-term research has found diet soda consumption is linked to weight gain.
GETTING PERSONAL: Gov. Kathy Hochul spent her first weeks in office raising her profile (and her polling numbers) and distancing herself from her predecessor, Andrew Cuomo. She also has shown a willingness to engage with the public on a deeply personal level, as she did when she told worshippers God wanted people to be vaccinated, and when, in signing a package of bills meant to address the opioid crisis, she shared the loss of a nephew to addiction and an overdose. “His mother found him with the needles in his arms,” she said.
COMEBACK TIGERS: Tiger Woods, whose lower right leg was shattered in a car accident last February, watched his son, Charlie, play in a golf tournament last weekend. A source told “People” magazine that Woods’ pain has become more manageable, and that he’s “optimistic that he'll be able to return to tour.” It was feared that the accident would end his competitive career. Meanwhile, the tigers that roam the wild are resurgent in northeastern China, where their number had dwindled to seven known individuals. Officials now estimate there are 55 of the big cats in the region, a rare success story in the world of conservation.
THOSE MENACING LEAF BLOWERS: The leaf blower is the bane of peace-seekers in suburbs everywhere. “It’s basically a gas- or electric-powered mosquito attached to the world’s largest megaphone, and the mosquito was already designed to produce the single most annoying sound in the world,” a columnist writes. She may be in luck, if she’s willing to move to California, which just outlawed the sale of new gas-powered lawnmowers, leaf blowers and chainsaws as early as 2024.
LIVES
PAUL PONTIFF was one of the most recognizable faces — and giving hands — in the Glens Falls-area business community for more than seven decades. A U.S. Army veteran, he came to the city by way of Brooklyn and St. John’s University and School of Law in 1962 and began his legal career at what is today Bartlett, Pontiff, Stewart & Rhodes, where he remained until retiring 57 years later. He was a dedicated volunteer and fundraiser for dozens of community organizations, including service at a legal clinic for survivors of domestic violence. He was a devoted Rotarian and a die-hard fan of every pro hockey team that called the city home. He’ll be missed at the downtown arena this season and at Glens Falls’ Gourmet Café, where he and his wife, Judy, often enjoyed a pre-game meal. He was 91.
JON GRUDEN is still alive. His career most certainly is not.
ALMOST FINAL WORDS
“The ultimate victory in competition is derived from the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your best and that you have gotten the most out of what you had to give.”
— Howard Cosell
THE SIGNOFF
GOODNESS, GRACIOUS: Parents magazine has named the Barróns of Edmond, Okla., “America’s kindest family.” They have continued the altruistic legacy of their late son, who, with another young cancer patient, started a “kindness club” while undergoing treatment, with a directive that all donations go to charity.
THANK YOU to our contributors: Bill Callen, Bill Richmond, Claire P. Tuttle, John Brodt, Maury Thompson, John Bulmer, Kelly Donahue, and Katie Alessi.
FACING OUT is what we do. We help companies, organizations and individuals work effectively with their most important external audiences – their customers, their shareholders, their communities, the government and the news media. www.behancommunications.com
Facing Out features news and other nuggets that caught our eye, and that we thought might be of value to you, our friends and business associates. Some items are good news about our clients and friends, others are stories that we hope will leave you a bit more informed or entertained than you were five minutes ago. As always, we welcome your ideas and feedback.
Let’s make it a conversation: mark.behan@behancom.com
Recent Posts
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
November 9, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
November 2, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
October 26, 2024
Facing Out: The Most Interesting News of the Week
October 19, 2024
Facing Out: The Most Interesting News of the Week
October 12, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
October 5, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
September 28, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
September 21, 2024
Facing Out: The Most Interesting News of the Week
September 14, 2024
Facing Out: The Most Interesting News of the Week
September 7, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
August 24, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
August 17, 2024
Drew FitzGerald Joins Behan as Sustainability Advisor
August 14, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
August 10, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
August 3, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
July 27, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
July 27, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
July 20, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
July 13, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
June 29, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
June 22, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
June 15, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
June 8, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
June 1, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
May 25, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
May 18, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
May 11, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
May 4, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
April 27, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
April 20, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
April 13, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
April 6, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
March 30, 2024
Facing Out: The Most Interesting News of the Week
March 23, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
March 16, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
March 9, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
March 2, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
February 24, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
February 17, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
February 10, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
February 3, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
January 27, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
January 20, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
January 13, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
January 6, 2024
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
December 16, 2023
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
December 9, 2023
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
December 2, 2023
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
November 18, 2023
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
November 11, 2023
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
November 4, 2023
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
October 28, 2023
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
October 21, 2023
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
October 14, 2023
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
October 7, 2023
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
September 30, 2023
The Week’s Most Interesting News
September 23, 2023
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
September 16, 2023
Facing Out: The week’s most interesting news
September 9, 2023
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
September 2, 2023
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
August 26, 2023
Facing Out: The Week’s Most Interesting News
August 19, 2023
August 12, 2023
August 5, 2023
July 29, 2023
July 22, 2023
July 15, 2023
July 8, 2023
July 1, 2023
June 24, 2023
June 17, 2023
June 10, 2023
June 3, 2023
May 27, 2023
May 20, 2023
May 13, 2023
May 6, 2023
April 29, 2023
April 22, 2023
April 15, 2023
April 8, 2023
April 1, 2023
March 25, 2023
March 18, 2023
March 11, 2023
March 4, 2023
February 25, 2023
February 18, 2023
February 11, 2023
February 4, 2023
January 28, 2023
January 21, 2023
January 14, 2023
January 7, 2023
December 17, 2022
December 10, 2022
December 3, 2022
November 19, 2022
November 12, 2022
November 5, 2022
October 29, 2022
October 22, 2022
October 15, 2022
October 8, 2022
October 1, 2022
“The Week What Caught Our Eye”
September 24, 2022
September 17, 2022
September 10, 2022
September 3, 2022
August 27, 2022
August 23, 2022
August 20, 2022
August 13, 2022
August 6, 2022
July 30, 2022
July 23, 2022
Ryan Moore Named CEO of Behan Communications
July 20, 2022
July 16, 2022
July 9, 2022
July 2, 2022
June 25, 2022
June 18, 2022
June 11, 2022
June 4, 2022
May 28, 2022
May 21, 2022
May 13, 2022
May 7, 2022
April 30, 2022
April 23, 2022
April 16, 2022
April 8, 2022
April 2, 2022
March 26, 2022
March 19, 2022
March 12, 2022
March 5, 2022
The Week: What Caught Our Eye 2
February 26, 2022
February 26, 2022
February 19, 2022
February 12, 2022
February 5, 2022
January 29, 2022
January 22, 2022
January 15, 2022
January 8, 2022
December 18, 2021
December 11, 2021
December 4, 2021
November 19, 2021
November 13, 2021
November 6, 2021
October 30, 2021
October 23, 2021
October 16, 2021
October 9, 2021
October 2, 2021
September 25, 2021
September 18, 2021
September 11, 2021
September 4, 2021
August 28, 2021
August 21, 2021
August 14, 2021
“The Week What Caught Our Eye”
August 7, 2021
July 31, 2021
July 24, 2021
July 17, 2021
July 10, 2021
July 3, 2021
June 26, 2021
June 19, 2021
June 12, 2021
June 5, 2021
May 29, 2021
May 22, 2021
May 15, 2021
May 8, 2021
May 1, 2021
April 24, 2021
April 17, 2021
April 17, 2021
April 10, 2021
April 3, 2021
March 27, 2021
March 20, 2021
March 13, 2021
March 6, 2021
February 27, 2021
February 20, 2021
February 13, 2021
February 6, 2021
January 30, 2021
January 23, 2021
The Week: What Caught Our Eye 1/16/21
January 16, 2021
January 9, 2021
December 19, 2020
December 12, 2020
December 5, 2020
November 21, 2020
November 14, 2020
November 7, 2020
October 31, 2020
October 24, 2020
October 17, 2020
October 10, 2020
October 3, 2020
September 26, 2020
September 19, 2020
September 12, 2020
September 5, 2020
August 29, 2020
August 22, 2020
August 15, 2020
August 8, 2020
August 1, 2020
July 25, 2020
Saving the Day: Ed Bartholomew’s Game
July 24, 2020
July 18, 2020
July 11, 2020
July 4, 2020
June 27, 2020
June 20, 2020
June 13, 2020
The Week: What Caught Our Eye 6/6/20
June 6, 2020
June 6, 2020
May 30, 2020
Coronavirus: Talking To Employees About Risk
May 26, 2020
May 23, 2020
Lake George History of Resilience
May 21, 2020
May 16, 2020
May 9, 2020
The Year The Kennedys Came to North Creek
May 8, 2020
April 25, 2020
April 18, 2020
April 11, 2020
April 4, 2020
March 28, 2020
March 21, 2020
March 14, 2020
March 7, 2020
February 29, 2020
February 22, 2020
February 15, 2020
February 8, 2020
February 1, 2020
January 25, 2020
January 18, 2020
January 4, 2020
December 28, 2019
December 21, 2019
December 14, 2019
December 7, 2019
November 30, 2019
November 23, 2019
November 16, 2019
November 9, 2019
November 2, 2019
October 26, 2019
October 19, 2019
October 12, 2019
September 28, 2019
September 21, 2019
September 14, 2019
September 7, 2019
August 31, 2019
August 24, 2019
August 17, 2019
Different Name, Same Great Experience
August 15, 2019
August 10, 2019
Noah John Rondeau: The Famous Hermit of the Adirondacks
August 9, 2019
August 3, 2019
Johnny Podres: Witherbee’s Hometown Hero
August 1, 2019
July 27, 2019
July 20, 2019
July 19, 2019
July 13, 2019
July 6, 2019
June 29, 2019
Portrait of an Adirondack Poet
June 28, 2019
June 22, 2019
June 21, 2019
June 15, 2019
Thomas Edison and The Prospect House
June 14, 2019
June 8, 2019
June 1, 2019
May 25, 2019
May 18, 2019
May 11, 2019
May 4, 2019
April 27, 2019
April 20, 2019
April 13, 2019
April 6, 2019
A Century Ago: A City on the Rise
April 4, 2019
March 30, 2019
March 23, 2019
What caught our eye - Mar 16, 2019
March 16, 2019
What caught our eye - Mar 9, 2019
March 9, 2019
What caught our eye - Mar 2, 2019
March 2, 2019
What Killed the Amazon Deal ... and What Can Be Learned
March 1, 2019
What caught our eye - Feb. 23, 2019
February 23, 2019
What caught our eye - Feb. 16, 2019
February 16, 2019
What caught our eye - Feb. 9, 2019
February 9, 2019
What caught our eye - Feb. 2, 2019
February 2, 2019
Things that caught our eye - Jan. 26, 2019
January 26, 2019
Things that caught our eye - Jan. 19, 2019
January 18, 2019
November 20, 2018
Winning the war for talent: Helping you catch rising stars
November 19, 2018
Who’s to Blame for Political Attack Ads?
November 1, 2018
October 9, 2018
Is that my pizza in a pothole?
June 14, 2018
Preparing for the Unthinkable: Schools Now Lead in Crisis Management and Communications
April 2, 2018
Great Obituaries Will Save Newspapers
March 8, 2018
New Website for Albany Diocese Created by Behan
February 7, 2018
Behan Team Helps Propel Second Statewide Referendum Victory
November 8, 2017
A Graduation Letter to My Kids
May 9, 2017
Donald Trump Is the Media’s Best Friend
May 5, 2017
United Airlines Does Not Have a PR Problem
April 13, 2017
What Do I Need in My Next Communications Chief?
April 6, 2017
Mark Behan joins board of directors of financial holding company
December 5, 2016
Your Firm Will Get Hacked — How Do You Respond?
September 9, 2016
10 Questions Every CEO Should Ask About Crisis Management
October 25, 2014
15 Tips for Effective Employee Communications
March 15, 2012