Robert Rosell
  • Books
  • Robert's Blog
  • Author Bio
  • Buy a Book

Inside Job

10/28/2011

0 Comments

 
Just watched "Inside Job", the Academy Award winning documentary on the roots of the global financial collapse. Terrifying film, in part because there is very little sense of hope for a meaningful change that will keep us from repeating this economic insanity over and over. With both political parties in the pocket of a handful of corporate financial giants, university economics departments corrupted, and regulators doing anything but regulating, where do we turn for the kind of leadership we need to establish some kind of balance between the power of a tiny minority whose limitless greed keeps sinking the economy, and everyone else. Where will we find the vision and values we need to move forward? Certainly not from the Obama administration, which rewarded the same sleazy Wall Street players who got us into all this by re-appointing them into positions of power. The cast of characters leading Congress and seeking the Presidential nomination on the Republican side are even worse. So who?
http://www.sonyclassics.com/insidejob/
0 Comments

Draconian Measures in Washington State

10/27/2011

1 Comment

 
Like most states, Washington State is in a financial crisis. The governor, a Democrat, is recommending severe cuts in all services, including prisons, education, and healthcare. This is on the heels of an earlier round of cuts that saw public education spending, including on higher education, slashed.  It’s one thing to say we need to live within our means; it’s another to start talking about letting prisoners out early and making education unaffordable. Healthcare support is the biggest issue. Since the President and Congress dropped the ball on a true universal healthcare system, opting to expand the existing mess, we’re facing the prospect of ever more people without access to basic care. In Washington, a program that provided basic healthcare for those with no other access and limited financial means is set to be eliminated. Does anyone see a problem with all this? What do we value if not the education of our children, public safety, and our health?
1 Comment

Talent Management

10/26/2011

1 Comment

 
Just heard Kevin Oakes speak about his new book, "The Executive Guide to Integrated Talent Management". Kevin is an amazing guy, a longtime leader in his field, and an excellent speaker. The good news from both his book and the presentation: there are a lot of executives out there who have made developing the abilities and careers of their employees a core value of their organizations. The bad news - they represent a small minority. Most employers, whether public or private sector, still see the people who build their organizations as a resource to be exploited at best, an expense and a source of friction and trouble at worst. In all cases they are probably right, but the reason, as Kevin and his collaborators point out in the book, has more to do with the organization itself than the people they are hiring. That one company can develop a culture that is dynamic, exciting, and supportive while another in the same industry is punitive, closed to new ideas and drives their best people away is both a source of hope and frustration. It's a leadership challenge that the best out there will continue to take up.
1 Comment

Book groups rock!

10/20/2011

0 Comments

 
I had an opportunity to speak with a book group that read "Virtually Yours, Jonathan Newman". What a wonderful experience! The conversation was insightful and their enthusiasm for Jonathan's family and story was very gratifying. I also learned a lot from their questions and observations, all of which will inform the sequel, expected out in the spring of 2012.

This group had been meeting monthly for seventeen years. That means they've discussed over 200 books! What a gift it is for a writer to be able to discuss his or her work with a group of people who have shared that kind of literary experience.

Which leads me to a new addition on the robertrosell.com site. I'm adding a Book Group page. If you are part of a group that is reading VYJN, I'd be happy to meet with you. If you're in the Seattle area, I can join your conversation about the novel in person. If you're elsewhere, I can be a virtual participant by phone or other "communicator".  I'll do as many of these as my schedule permits and look forward to exploring the world of Jonathan Newman with you.
0 Comments

    Author

    Have you read any of the Civitas Rising series? Please share your thoughts about the Great Change, the impact of technology on our lives, healthcare, the role of government, and anything else the books got you thinking about.

    Thanks!

    Robert.

    Get this Blog via Email

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    June 2013
    May 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    June 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011

    Categories

    All
    Amazon
    Authors
    Black Friday
    Book Launch
    Budget Cuts
    Commerce
    Community
    Compassion
    Default
    Dementia
    Ebooks
    E Books
    E-books
    Economic Crisis
    Economy
    Education
    Entrepreneurs
    E Publishing
    E-publishing
    Family
    Financial Crisis
    Future
    Greed
    Health
    Identity
    Inside Job
    Literature
    National Debt
    New Authors
    New Book
    Political Crisis
    Political Parties
    Public Safety
    Publishing
    Self Publishing
    Self-publishing
    Small Business
    Taxes
    Tea Party
    Thanksgiving
    Virtual Reality