What caught our eye - Mar 16, 2019

March 16, 2019

 On this St. Patrick's Day weekend, may you find a pot of gold at the end of
your rainbow, wherever that may be. (John Bulmer)

GREEN DAY: A holy day in Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day in America has become one big party. Could that really be because St. Patrick, as he lay on his death bed on March 17 in A.D. 461, supposedly asked those gathered around him to toast his heavenly journey with a “wee drop of whiskey” to ease their pain? http://bit.ly/GreenPartyDay

Of course, no St. Paddy’s Day is complete without corned beef and cabbage. Enjoy it with a twist. http://bit.ly/CornedBeefTwist

SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS: You won’t find many farm fields more fragrant than the fertile grounds at Lavenlair Farm in Whitehall, where owners Diane and David Allen grow acres of lavender that they use to make and sell all manner of lavender-infused items. The farm has drawn thousands of visitors since opening in 2013, and more good things are on the horizon: the Allens were named the inaugural winners of the SUNY Adirondack Business Plan Competition, and they are in the running for a FedEx Small Business Grant award. http://bit.ly/AromaofSuccess

DON’T ALL CATS HAVE SUPER POWERS? Goose the cat, omnipresent in marketing for “Captain Marvel,” is, of course, not as he seems. We would say more, but that would entail some spoilers. If you’ve seen the movie and want to know more, Vox has the answers. http://bit.ly/CaptainsCat

SELF-HELP ON STEROIDS: Spring is near and you’re ready for a fresh start. Need some help? Here’s a place to start, including this little pearl of wisdom: “Ordinary people seek entertainment. Extraordinary people seek education and learning.” (Hat tip to the editor in Indianapolis who found this and shared it): http://bit.ly/LiveYourTerms

SHE WASN’T DOGGING IT: Meet Mera, a mutt who caught the attention of climbers in Nepal and accompanied them, unsupported, to a 23,389-foot peak in the Himalayas. A remarkable tale of an incredible dog and her journey to the top of the world. http://bit.ly/DogClimber

ADVICE FROM AN EXPERT: 10-year-old Alex Jacquot dreams of running his own airline. In fact, he already has the name: Oceania Express. But there are a few things he needs to learn, so he reached out to someone who should know — the CEO of Qantas. Awesomeness followed. http://bit.ly/GivingALift

SWEET TWEET: A child in Texas wanted the world to know “My dad is sad cause no one is coming to his new donut shop.” His tweet was complete with pictures of delectable donuts and a lonely figure behind the counter. More than 341,000 retweets later, dad is sad no more. http://bit.ly/ASweetTweet

FACTORY OF GLADNESS: One young fan in suburban Cleveland — whose stadium was famously labeled “Factory of Sadness” by a long-suffering fan — was just a little excited when he learned the team had acquired Odell Beckham Jr. from the Giants. http://bit.ly/StreetFan   Cleveland.com has the 911 call.

Quite a contrast from the fan who coined “Factory of Sadness” (one naughty word, but a viral epic rant that never gets old). “All we do is pay you money to put us in a bad mood every week.” http://bit.ly/FanSadness

BUILDING A RED BENCH: Democratic women emerged as a force in the 2018 midterms, helping fuel a blue wave that flipped control of the U.S. House. The Wall Street Journal looks at how GOP women, led by U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik and her E-PAC, are responding. http://bit.ly/RedBench

THE HITS, THEY KEEP ON COMIN’: It was a rough week for reputations. Boeing. Apple. Yale. USC. Celebrities. Parents. The Southern Poverty Law Center. The Mob. (And repeat winners: Sears and Volkswagen.) Alan Murray, whose Fortune CEO Daily touches on the top business news and issues of the day, scores how organizations responded. http://bit.ly/ABadWeek

ALL ABOARD FOR INSPIRATION: A train conductor noticed a mother in the British Midlands making the same trip day after day with her infant son and asked why. What she did after hearing the answer is another reminder that humanity finds infinite ways to express itself. http://bit.ly/ATrainofInspiration

Though we haven't opened a pub, we do raise a pint in appreciation to all of our readers.

The Signoff

 In honor of St. Patrick, we end with a wee touch of Irish wisdom.

 A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures.

Don’t resent growing old. Many are denied the privilege.

Don’t be breaking your shin on a stool that’s not in your way.

Men are like bagpipes. No sound comes from them unless they are full.

Hindsight is the best insight to foresight.

May your home be too small to hold all your friends.

You’ve got to do your own growing, no matter how tall your father was.

May you live to be 100 years, with one extra year to repent.

PLEASE SHARE: Feel free to pass this along to your friends and colleagues.

THANK YOU to our content contributors Colleen Potter, Lisa Fenwick, Bill Callen, Bill Richmond and John Brodt.

FACING OUT: 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