It’s amazing how the Greeks managed to create one of the most complex and nuanced languages with only 24 letters. It goes to show you that more isn’t necessarily more, but neither is it necessarily less. The Germans (and German is the cognate of English, i.e. it is the root language of English), managed to achieve their linguistic complexity through the stringing together of different words. For example, the street name on which the train station is located might well be called, “Trainstationstreetonthelefthandsideofthecity”. Hence the enormously long words on street signs that drive tourists crazy in any German city.

English on the other hand takes a more complex approach, putting together words into bundles of meaning, the meaning of which isn’t necessarily transparent, e.g. “Spiritual Materialism” is the term for someone who hides his ego under a cloak of poverty and piety, as in “I’m closer to God than you are because I’m poor, devout, pious, etc.”.  Just hearing the words Spiritual Materialism doesn’t necessarily tell you what it is. The Germans would just as soon have called the phenomenon, “I’mclosertogodthanyouarebecausei’mpoordevoutandpious”. But you get my drift.

The Greeks take a slightly different route, somewhere in between the two. They will string together two or three words, but the sum total of the net word is greater than its parts. One great such word that I love is: Koutoponiros. It is made up of two words:

Koutos: Dumb

Poniros: Cunning or sly

So in effect the word literally means Dumbsly. It is used to describe people who think they are sly but wind up outsmarting themselves. For example, I once had an employee who would routinely fudge his expense reports to make a few extra bucks. Our VP Finance would catch these (usually very minor transgressions like tips, or meter parking) and go ballistic. I would simply shrug my shoulders and say “Forget it”. I figure that every year he “took” the company for about $500. So every year, at bonus time, I would pay him $1500 less in bonuses than I had been authorized to pay out….just to balance the books. I’m sure to this day he smiles smugly thinking that he got away with something…not realizing that he got screwed for far more than he made off with!  That is a classic example of someone who is koutoponiros [noun, male].

Of course this phenomenon is very widespread and not limited to morally challenged people like my former colleague. The world is full of people looking for a “deal” or the goods to “fall off the truck”.  Almost inevitably there are few true deals and they are far between. As the Jews say: “Sevel is sevel” (junk is junk). It always pays to buy quality, stay away from status objects…and have the wisdom to know the difference. The wisdom part is the tough one!

Courtesy of Mr. Dario (retirement has its benefits, he’s now my Tonto, ear to the rails on the lookout for interesting stuff). From Elizabeth Seward’s article on Planet Green, a very simple recipe for making shaving cream. Don’t know if it’s any good, but maybe I’ll buy a bar of inexpensive glycerin soap and give it a try. Sounds uber-simple. Maybe that will be my next kick: How To Shave Like A Homeless Guy. Let’s see just how cheaply I can make shaving cream, pair it up with a Treet Blue Special blade for a dime, a cheap boar brush, and see if I can go 30 days with the same kit.

One of the most powerful, yet least publicized and understood psychological concepts, is Locus-of-Control (LOC). LOC identifies the various differences in how people experience the world, based on the extent to which an individual believes he has control over what goes on his life. People with low LOC may experience more depression and anxiety, as well as be more defensive and blaming of others for their misfortunes.

LOC isn’t fixed in stone and may be amenable to positive change. Certainly we can see the negative changes that often happen to high LOC people as they move through the life-span: It isn’t unusual for people who were high in LOC during their working lives, to become low LOC as they get older and experience various changes associated with aging such as retirement, illness, etc. The use of anti-depressants in later life is quite staggering, something the medical establishment likes to link to “chemical imbalance” because they can then prescribe their way out of a psychogenic predicament for which they really have no time, knowledge, nor alternative solutions.

Most of us function best with high, but not too high LOC, i.e. it is best to believe we have some control over our destiny, yet the maturity to also know that “bad things do happen to good people” as part of a normal life.

LOC is of particular significance to weight-loss and health. The overwhelming reason that all diets fail is that they externalize LOC to a  “diet”, “program”, or other external tool such as calorie-counting, points, etc. The idea of using such tools in the first place makes some sense (at least intellectually), i.e. the tools may help us “learn” how to be more aware of what and how much we’re eating. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way, evidenced by the now absolute scientific fact that diets do not work at sustainable weight loss.

The problem is that the moment you allow a dietary “tool” into your life, your psyche automatically shifts LOC to the tool! The psyche says to itself, “Whew, what a relief, I no longer have to worry about losing weight because this ‘program’ will do it for me”.

There is no question that it is useful to have an eating and lifestyle philosophy or model that can serve as a platform for what and how you eat. The diabetic and/or cardiac patient needs to understand Metabolic Syndrome and how that affects his disease and how he must eat to control it. The vegetarian has made a commitment to a certain ethical or health paradigm and more power to him. Whatever floats your boat!

But at the end of the day, unless you develop the LOC to know when to start and when to stop eating…the game is over before it has begun. One thing is for sure: Unless your eating fits in with your environment, you are doomed to failure or to becoming a social pariah whom no one wants to be around. Then you’ll really be depressed and need anti-depressants!

As both a Leica enthusiast since the early 1970’s, and a corporate turnaround specialist, I’ve followed Leica’s various responses to the evolution of the photography market with keen interest.

It was easier to understand Leica’s strategy while it was a public company since its financial statements and notes to shareholders were readily accessible. Since being rescued by Dr. Kaufmann a few years ago, that’s no longer the case. Private companies in trouble do have some distinct advantages, one of them being the ability to exercise the wonderful entrepreneurial privilege of “before you can make it, you have to fake it”, i.e. they can spin all kinds of great stories to inspire customer confidence while they’re getting their act together. And I’m not being facetious here; customer confidence is a crucial driver of success in any rescue (just look at what is happening to the US auto industry if you have any doubts).

Nevertheless, we can still understand even a private company’s strategy from the outside, by looking at what it is doing in the market. One thing that’s clear is that Leica has decided to reposition itself as a luxury-goods player à la Louis Vuitton, Rolex, and Zegna, among many others. You will have surely noticed the rather astronomical rise in prices for its cameras and lenses. The repatriation of its manufacturing of the X1 POS to Germany is another nail in the coffin of the understandable, if misguided, partnership with Panasonic that was an effort to play both sides of the market: The traditional Leica enthusiast, and the new digital POS user. The release of painful (to traditional Leicaphiles) cameras like the white M8.2 and the new Hermes M7 are further nods to the purposeful collectors and fashionistas.

My original reaction to all this was one of anger and disappointment as I saw Leica “speaking” less and less to traditional users like myself. But stepping away from my personal interests and looking at it professionally, it’s fairly clear that this is the right strategy for Leica – simply because there are few other options left. And ultimately, it is also the right strategy for users like me, who must swallow the bitter pill that in a market of disposable cameras, we will all have to pay a lot more for brilliant design and superb craftsmanship.

But there’s a potential fly in this therapeutic ointment. There are few (I can only think of one) luxury goods makers in the high technology market. In many ways Leica brings Danish audio and video maker Bang & Olufsen to mind. With superb design and aesthetics, wonderful sound and images, and an astronomical price, B&O is de-rigeur in the homes of the rich and famous. But a sound system isn’t a digital camera, and a Leica in particular demands photographic skill as well as the money and aesthetic sensibilities to own one. The “S” function on the M8.2 was an effort to make the camera more accessible to a less experienced segment of the market. It failed and is nowhere to be seen on the M9 (rightfully so).

The M9 will be an unqualified success because it is the Holy Grail for Leicaphiles. I bought an M8.2 new in May 2009 and already have an M9 on order. But would I buy an M9.2 or an M10 within the next 5 years? I don’t think so. The S2 is still not available and Leica’s competitors aren’t standing still. How long before Canon and Nikon have technologically competitive products for the professional, at a fraction of the price? Short product life-cycles are now the norm for technology companies. Products are generally built so well that they can last forever; the key is to keep innovating and make them technologically obsolete while bringing new stuff to market fast, in order to keep revenues flowing.

The nagging question is: Is there a sufficient upscale market for the M, the S, possibly a new R, and point-and-shoots like the X1 to sustain a company like Leica in the medium term? And will buyers shelling out thousands of dollars be interested in continuing to fork out for products that become obsolete every couple of years? An authentic Louis Vuitton bag will last a lifetime with some care. A B&O will provide pleasure for 10-20 years (I finally sold mine a couple years ago after 20 years of use). A Rolex will last several lifetimes, passed down from one generation to the next. A digital Leica? Two to four years…maybe.

One possible answer is that Leica must build upgradeability into its cameras. I would have been happy to pay a couple of thousand dollars to upgrade my M8.2 to an M9. But for the time being, I appreciate the efforts and moneys that are being invested to save a beloved company that represents values so dear to the many serious photographers that grew up with its iconic brand.

My business partner, Mr. Angelo, has a knack for inventing great quotes. Here’s one that had me laughing out loud this morning: “There’s nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequals”.

Is this the ultimate razor? The Silver Streak Rolling Razor. Donald Trump even endorses it, so it must be great!

The web site is excellent but the best part is the Testimonials section. Check it out. I tried to order one but they wanted $35 shipping to Canada for a $27 order. NOT! Anyway, if anyone ever tries one of these, let me know. I emailed the link to Leisureguy…maybe I can sucker encourage him into trying one. I did ask him if he thought it was well positioned for guys like us, to which he replied: “Debonair, successful, … oh, wait: stretch-band shorts and T-shirts. It’s a tough call”.

I haven’t worn my Mephisto Sano shoes for about two months, having switched to the MBT’s and their more aggressive curvature. The MBT’s and the Sanos are part of a new generation (some say fad) of shoes that change the dynamics of walking by increasing the curve of the sole so that you are forced to work harder on the heel-to-toe movement, thereby engaging more muscles and increasing leg strength, endurance, etc. And as far a s I can tell, they work. With my three ruptured disks and damaged sciatic nerve, they make it possible for me to walk much farther and at a faster pace.

Today I decided to wear the Sanos, mostly because they were close to hand and I was in a hurry to get dressed and take my “kids” shopping at Jean-Talon Market. To my surprise, after two months on the MBT’s, the Sanos felt great, the same feeling but much more gentle…they felt far more “normal” than the MBT’s and it was a welcome feeling. The MBT’s still leave me with a variety of aches and pains as my body tries to reluctantly adapt to their demanding design. Yin and Yang, I guess. But I will continue to wear the Sanos and may even get a dressier pair.

Today I attended the awards ceremony for the Carl Zeiss-George Zimbel Friendship Photo Contest co-sponsored with Camtec Photo in Montreal.  I am pleased to report that Mr. Italo took 3rd Prize with one of his amazing “people” shots. Mr. Italo is perhaps one of the best photographers of people in candid situations, a talent that comes from his natural ease in gaining his subject’s confidence without seeming to intrude. No massive telephoto here. In classical Leica fashion he gets in close, establishes rapport and trust, and is invited to shoot. Amazing! Here is the announcement and a look at all the winning entries.

First Prize was a large print, hand done by George Zimbel himself, of his famous image of the Kennedys in 1960 (see below).

The Rorschach Test is a series of ink blots that psychologists use to draw out clients and enable them to bring up issues of relevance to their particular problem or situation. The ink blots themselves are meaningless. One “projects” oneself into the ink blots and will “see” things that are relevant to oneself.

The Tiger Woods fiasco is just one in a long series of events that seem to capture the public fascination. For example, when Lady Di perished in a car accident a decade ago, I was fascinated not so much by her tragic end, as I was by the sheer outpouring of emotion on a global scale. People traveled from all over the world to lay a wreathe. They cried, they swooned, they were inconsolable…..all for a person they had never met and only knew through the media!

My wife and I were listening to the morning news over breakfast today and once again a majority of the news time was centered on Tiger Woods and his rapid fall from Grace.  At one point, The Kommandant, a simple and annoyingly grounded person, slowly raised her eyes from sipping her Greek coffee, looked and me and said: “Who cares!”. And in those two words my Sage of Sanguinity managed to capture the essence of the whole issue, which is not only who cares, but who cares and why?

Here’s a 33-year old golfer. A golfer! Not a Nobel Prize winning scholar of human ethics. A fu^#ing golfer for chrisakes! So he’s getting some on the side and got caught. Like thousands of other men (and women). Why does anyone care? Does this make him a worse golfer? And if we expected him to be anything other than a human being with exceptional golf skills, then whose fault is that? And what does stupidity and lack of ethics on the home front have to do with golfing ability and success?

The truth is, Tiger Woods’ demise has nothing to do with him, and everything to do with why anyone would care. If you do care or find the whole thing “riveting” ask yourself what this says about YOU. Then go and get a life and be your own hero.

I’ve been working to make my travel shave kit TSA and airline proof. I hate those 1 liter plastic bags in which you have to shove your liquids and creams and keep them separate from the rest of your gear. One of the genuinely stupidest pseduo-security measures that I have ever witnessed (and there are many…like making the poor 80-year old grandpa who can barely bend down, take off his shoes and belt).

In response I have moved to solids, wherever possible. MR GLO soap for the face, a shave stick instead of cream, solid deodorant, etc. Now if they could just come up with a solid toothpaste, face moisturizer, and cologne….I’d be bulletproof!

The shave stick (D.R. Harris) and the Simpson Wee Scot are great offsets to the Fusion…they give you the illusion that you really are getting a gourmet shave. And the Fusion, in its defense is pretty appropriate to shaving in those hotel showers without a mirror and nowhere to lay your stuff. A lot safer, faster, and fool-proof in unpredictable settings.