Catching Up

Once again I've been delinquent; being on the road a lot and playing catch-up on my return has resulted in posts that are fewer and farther between.  My apologies!

John Olson, You Rock!!!

I was a speaker at Broc Romanek's governance and disclosure program in Washington in late September.  Aside from a great program and terrific fall weather in Washington, I had the opportunity to hear John Olson of Gibson Dunn deliver opening remarks.  If I could, I'd make everyone in the corporate governance community not only read them, but also commit them to memory - and to conscience.  You can find them here.

I don't agree with John on every single point.  For example, the aphrodesiac effect of the smell of jet fuel on executives, and the sense of entitlement so many of them have with regard to their perquisites, seems to be just as prevalent today as it was when John gave the "planes, trains and automobiles" speech he referred to last month.  However, his message is very important and needs to be kept in mind by anyone who purports to be advising boards and management alike.

There are many reasons why John Olson is considered to be an elder statesman of corporate governance, and you will see those reasons very clearly after reading his remarks.

Lamm's Literary Lyceum

No great reads since last time; I did read Five Days At Memorial, by Sheri Fink, concerning what happened at Memorial Hospital in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.  It's a devastating book and one worth reading, but I found it flawed in a number of respects.

Prima La Musica (or Lammusica)

I recently listened to a recording by the young (21 or 22) British pianist, Benjamin Grosvenor.  Wow - this kid puts the "wunder" in "wunderkind."  Some more great recordings are:

• Porgy and Bess: a re-release (and re-mastering) of an old recording conducted by Lorin Maazel.  It's terrific.
• Dvorak's New World Symphony: conducted by a superstar in the making, Andris Nelsons.  It's another wonderful recording.
• Berlioz's Nuits d'Été: Conducted by Robin Ticciati, another up and comer, and sung by a fabulous Scottish mezzo, Karen Cargill.  I saw her on the broadcast of the Met's production of Les Troyens, and she's wonderful.  

I post my reviews on Amazon if you're interested.

That's all for now.