Check out this SWEET new library card and keychain card I got yesterday!
Super Grizz! LOVE IT!!! I applied online for an electronic library card last month, which gave me access to some awesome resources, including 50,000+ ebooks and LinkedIn Learning. Yesterday I went to the Cossitt and upgraded it to a physical card. All I had to do was show a valid ID with a Memphis address on it. Now I can check out books from any Memphis Public Libraries branch.
After getting the cards, I took the MacBook upstairs to take advantage of the library’s Wi-Fi (and air conditioning). There was a kids’ camp up there and they were watching a presentation on the Air Force. Then they built an augmented reality module on iPads using Reality Composer. It was pretty interesting!
The CA asks, what is coffee soda? Hayes McPherson, owner of Comeback Coffee, explains.
Get ready for extremely hot and muggy weather for the rest of the week. WREG’s weather team predicts 94/78 for today, 101/81 for Thursday, and 102/79 for Friday. Those are actual temperatures, not heat indices.
The Downtown Crowne Plaza is looking for a sales coordinator.
WREG reports that there are fewer drag-racing and reckless driving incidents in Memphis this year than there were last year. Sure doesn’t seem to be the case Downtown! On Saturdays in particular I hear engines revving and tires squealing all hours of the night.
A citizen recently recorded video of a Dodge Charger doing donuts in the intersection of Ida B. Wells (formerly Fourth) and Gayoso while cops sat by in an MPD cruiser and did nothing. The video was recorded around 11 PM Sunday. Occupants of the Charger were seen hanging out of the windows.
Food & Wine named the best BBQ in every state. Downtown’s Cozy Corner represented Tennessee well, along with Midtown’s Payne’s. Less than an hour drive are Helen’s BBQ in Brownsville, TN and Jones BBQ in Marianna, AR.
The Downtown Memphis Commission is hiring an economic development coordinator.
From a site called PlayEasy that connects people with sports event organizers: How the revitalization of Memphis has transformed the city into a national sports destination
MPD is investigating a rash of car burglaries at the Chisca Apartments.
The Bike Hub at Downtown’s new Mobility Center at Front and Beale is anticipated to open August 5. Membership will be open to those who commute to their Downtown job via bike and who need additional space to store their bike. Members will have 24/7 access to the hub via a secure access card, and only members will be allowed to enter. Membership will start at $20 per calendar year and will allow members to park up to 2 bikes.
Terrible news: Former Arkansas Razorback QB Ryan Mallett has died of drowning while on vacation in Florida. Mallett was the nephew of one of my BBQ teammates on The Ques Brothers.
Members of the Sweet Cheeks BBQ team, winner of the Shoulder division at BBQ Fest this year, spoke to the CA’s Jennifer Chandler and offered some tips for grilling out with pork this July 4 weekend.
Ryan Seacrest will take over as host of Wheel of Fortune as Pat Sajak retires. Vanna will stay on the show turning the letters.
Pepsi Colachup, a ketchup flavored with Pepsi, is a thing now.
Remember, today is greens day at Blind Bear. I heard Tony say something about a special of fried catfish with cream sauce with greens for today. I also heard him say they’re rolling out a new food menu this week.
I’m about 60% through Team of Rivals, a biography of Abraham Lincoln and his closest advisors, people who were once his rivals for the 1860 presidential nomination. It is a GREAT BOOK and I have learned a lot about managing people. A couple of takeaways I’ve picked up so far:
- Lincoln was the master of “praise lavishly in public, criticize in private.” When Honest Abe did criticize his subordinates, he always left them a way out of the situation that allowed them to save face.
- Lincoln was an astute observer of people and often noticed others’ negative traits before anyone else did. However, he did not pounce at the first opportunity to address those traits. Rather, he gave public opinion time to catch up.
Monday I applied online for four remote positions. One was teaching English to foreigners. After I filled out the application, the website asked me to take a quiz to assess how well I would deal with behavior problems in a classroom full of 1st- through 4th-graders. I didn’t realize I’d be teaching kids, and no longer wanted the job. Kids are not my cup of tea.
But, just for fun, I decided to take the quiz anyway.
I’m pretty sure I aced it! And the Lincoln bio was in large part the reason I did.
I was given 14 multiple-choice questions, each involving a case of a child in my classroom exhibiting undesirable behavior. I was asked to pick from multiple options to address that behavior.
Each time, I knew to pick the option that addressed the child privately, and which have him/her a chance to correct the behavior without embarrassing the child in front of his/her classmates.
If I have any CEOs reading this, I would recommend buying a copy of Team of Rivals for every person in your company who manages people. And give them time on the clock to read the book.
That’s it. Back tomorrow with more news.