Over-50

Reality - Not Only Is It Overrated, It Tends to Be Unbearable

"It’s possible to start to prefer engaging in virtual spaces because of the accommodations that they provide. As an avatar, I can be tall and skinny, I can be whatever I want. And if we start to shift into preferring a virtual life, that may then negatively impact our ability to engage in a non-virtual life, whether it’s self-confidence or belonging or social anxiety." - Rachel Kowert, researcher at Take That, quoted in The Wall Street Journal's article "The Metaverse's Effects on Mental Helath: Trivial or Troubling?" January 9, 2022.

The experiences in the metaverse happen through technology.

But, the virtual reality created is in essence not much different from the art the cavemen put up on the walls of their dwellings.

Or how Don Draper of "Mad Men" positioned and packaged the Kodak Carousal.

And the strategy of brilliant defense lawyers.

It's all altered reality.

There have always been humans who have been effective in redirecting minds to myriad other dimensions. That is from the same-olds of daily life on planet earth.

In general, we consumers of the altered reality have been grateful to be catapulted out of the numbing routines of everyday.

That's what drove us to follow "US v Elizabeth Holmes." What the defense team from Willliams & Connolly conjured up transported us into an analogy of the experience provided by that popular television series "The Twilight Zone." The lens was unique for floating into what-ifs. 

In an interview with Super Lawyers, Paul Weiss Chairperson Brad Karp captures that process in this way:

“In difficult matters, I will think about my clients’ problems night and day until a solution emerges. I’m a big believer in late-night epiphanies.” 

"Solutions," whether they are in the legal sector or my field of blockchain marketing communications, represent reality that has been massaged. When contoured in a way that fits with what humans will accept at the time the creators are rewarded well. Those goodies range from brandnames to wealth to simply more work assignments. 

Rather than isolating us humans altered reality often creates social cohesion.

We came together during "US v Holmes."

We come together playing video games.

And most of all we come together, including in our relationship with ourselves, in creating those realities. There are few experiences more heady and more uniting than being part of a team configuring a successul influence campaign. Those can be moments of collective ecstasy.

It was poet T.S. Eliot who noted in "Four Quarters" -

"Humankind cannot bear too much reality."

Unfortunately, those who are in the current front lines of tsk-tsk  in general and about the metaverse specifically don't get it that reality tends to be way overrated.

The less I seek reality out the more professionally successful I become and the more joyful.

It could be in the public interest to file a lawsuit against those tsk-tsks for creating a public nuisance and seeking injunctive relief.

Leave us alone to imagine. 

Marketing communications for blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and much much more (including waterproofing, roofing, and shipping containers). You want results. And that’s exactly what you get partnering with Genova Communications. Fees customized for your unique budget. Complimentary consultation - janegenova374@gmail.com.

Pandemic Lessons from "Downton Abbey"

Omicron gallops.

New York City is again shut-down.

Most of us jabbed expect at least a mild case. 

And, so many experts have dailed down GDP growth for 2022.

But, there could be a silver lining. In "Downton Abbey," unhappily married Cora Crawley comes down with a severe case of the Spanish Flu. It is 1918. The irony hanging over the mansion is that the family had made it through the Great War. But it might not do so well during the pandemic.

Cora pulls through. As a new person. She resolves to do work on her relationship with her husband. And others. Part of the disconnect has been that Cora is an American and the supposed soulmate is a rigid British aristocrat.

Can we become better human beings? I've observed that happening. Those who were laid low with both COVID per se and the long-term side effects see life differently. 

Marketing communications for blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and much much more (including waterproofing, roofing, and shipping containers). You want results. And that’s exactly what you get partnering with Genova Communications. Fees customized for your unique budget. Complimentary consultation - janegenova374@gmail.com.

Remembering How We Worried If Cora Would Make It Through Spanish Flu on "Downtown Abbey"

Those now over-50 probably will vividly remember how touch-and-go it had been for Cora Crawley during the Spanish Flu. As her husband Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, observed at "Downton Abbey," folks were "falling like ninepins." Cora survived but more than 50 million hadn't.

So far, the global toll of deaths during this pandemic is lower than what had been the carnage of the Spanish Flu.

But there is that same sense of the loss of control. Maybe we will never recover our confidence in guiding our own destiny - and that of civilzation.

The Crawleys, who had made it through the Great War, were shaken to the core. They didn't know if they would be able to stand up under the pandemic which went on from 1918 through 1920.

COVID continues to be a game-changer.

Marketing communications for blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and much much more (including waterproofing, roofing, and shipping containers). You want results. And that’s exactly what you get partnering with Genova Communications. Fees customized for your unique budget. Complimentary consultation - janegenova374@gmail.com.

Harassment - Yes, It's Happening in the Metaverse

"Sexual assault and harassment in virtual worlds is not new, nor is it realistic to expect a world in which these issues will completely disappear. So long as there are people who will hide behind their computer screens to evade moral responsibility, they will continue to occur." - Tanya Basu, Technology Review (published by MIT), December 16, 2021.

Way back in October 2016, Jordan Balamire reported that he had been virtually groped while playing the game Quivr. Another player BigBro442 started that at the chest. And then it got worse. After the game creators were alerted, a fix was established. That was enacting a "V" gesture which pushed the miscreant away.

More recently, a beta tester in Meta's Horizon Worlds reported being groped virtually. Meta reponded that within Horizon Worlds there is a security feature known as "Safe Zone." When activated it envelopes the user in a protective bubble. No one can enter virtually. For some reasom the beta tester did not use Safe Zone feature. 

What experts in harassment point out is that the experience does not have to be physical: That is, its happening in the real world in-person through touch. It can be verbal. It can also occur virtually. In all the situations, those being harassed feel violated. Even traumatized.

Since producer of the "Law & Order" franchise Dick Wolf rips plot lines from the headlines, this issue could make its way into an episode of "Law & Order: SVU." Actually, given the growing popularity of Everything Metaverse, such a epsiode can be in the public interest. 

Clearly, the metaverse is not some kind of utopian dimension, free from those with evil intents. The potential for harassment has to be highlighted both on a macro level in presenting the metaverse and on an individual one. Each space in the metaverse should contain a protective process. Before entering that space users have to be made aware that it exists and tutored how to use it. 

So, what are the legal implications when someone contends being assaulted in virtual space? More to the point, are the growing number of law firms with blockchain practices equipped to analyze and manage those kinds of issues?

Most of the existing practices highlight legal issues such as securities law, IP, and licensing. They range from Blue Blockchain Law to Paul Weiss. 

Will law firms with blockchain practices have to widen the parameters of what they can do for clients? Meanwhile, though, the regulatory framework and law have not caught up with the technologies. That means the public interest essentially is left exposed. 

Here is Reed Smith's comprehensive white paper on those emerging legal matters in the metaverse. 

Marketing communications for blockchain, cryptocurrencies, NFTs, and much much more (including waterproofing, roofing, and shipping containers). You want results. And that’s exactly what you get partnering with Genova Communications. Fees customized for your unique budget. Complimentary consultation - janegenova374@gmail.com.

What We Boomers Knew and Former Theranos Employees May Not Have: Don't Be a Cry Baby

"Employees were siloed according to their duties, former workers testified, making it difficult to share information that could have allowed them to troubleshoot the technical and scientific problems hamstringing the company." - The Wall Street Journal, November 13, 2021

Testimony in the courtroom during "US v Elizabeth Holmes" by former employees may have little impact on the jurors. That's with the exception of those in the lab with authority. Such is Adam Rosendorff. He testified that he had explicitly warned Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes that the technology was not delivering. He added that she didn't address that concern. Instead she went along with the launch

The rest, including use of silos, may come across as simply a business' need to protect trade secrets and prevent unwanted collaboration. At Apple, in product development, the late Steve Jobs was notorious for keeping team members separate. That was his way. And it panned out. Had it not panned out it might have gone down in business history as nutty. But not illegal. 

In addition, the testimony about an organizational culture of fear and retaliation could be interpreted as the usual expression of discontent by former employers who lacked power and perks and resented those who had them.

The reality is that most businesses do have toxic cultures, that is, to some degree.

Intuitive guidance about your next. Drop your story line and open to extreme possibility. Sliding Scale Fees. Please make an appointment for a complimentary consultation at janegenova374@gmail.com.

What a Blessing - We Baby Boomer Women Didnt Become Famous

"The 47-year-old news anchor [Norah O'Donnell] — who muscled her way into the evening slot in 2019 as she fled a reportedly strained relationship with co-host Gayle King on “CBS This Morning” — now stands vulnerable to the network’s bean counters as her ratings have stayed stubbornly stuck in third place, according to sources close to the situation." - Alexandra Steigrad, New York Post, October 24, 2021.

In the glam world of television, it is always a struggle to hold onto everything from the markers of success to even one's job. No, do not praise famous women. 

However, O'Donnell's woes have been worsened by a number of factors. 

At the top of the list is that both David Muir and Lester Holt are ahead of her in ratings. And ratings are everything. Wobbly ones shake even solid brandnames off those prestigious platforms.

The other factor is that the organization is weathering the aftereffects of a merger. Viacom and CBS had combined.

Post-merger, across industries, it's typical to have to start cutting budgets in order to pony up the costs of the coming together. In addition there are often both reductions in force and stealth layoffs because of redundancies. For instance, the merged entity usually only need one investor relations department.

The brass at ViacomCBS is focused on cost-cutting. O'Donnell reportedly comes at a high cost: about $8 million a year. 

There is buzz about downsizing that. However, she could sitll have a position. Her role on "60 Minutes" could be beefed up.

Without being famous, many of my female colleagues and I have been enjoying satisfying careers, "good money," and even awards. My syndicated legal blog had recently been recognized as among The Top 100 legal ones. Sure there were transitions, such as shifts in stylistics or what specialties were most marketable. But we didn't have to keep wondering if we could or would lose it all tomorrow. 

Seemingly through the unattractive gossip of her book "Going There" Katie Couric could be trying to reclaim fame. But she may not get there. Pre-release sales aren't good. On Amazon, the book ranks low: 314,943. Given all the publicity the book has had the numbers should be much higher. If the book crashes and Couric is relegated to the Amazon's corridor of rankings shame, she may have an Ah-Ha Moment about fame. It might not be worth it could how she connects the dots.

Intuitive guidance about your next. Drop your story line and open to extreme possibility. Sliding Scale Fees. Please make an appointment for a complimentary consultation at janegenova374@gmail.com.

Laughing at The Rules - We Never Grow Up Totally, Do We!

“'These men shoveled thousands and thousands of dollars of foreign money to U.S. politicians, laughing about how they were breaking the law along the way,' [Aline] Flodr [Assistant US Attorney] said in the prosecution’s opening statement in the trial [of Lev Parnas, et al. ]'"  - John Gerstein, Politico, October 15, 2021.

That hubris ethos mirrors the confident values of the members Sopranos tribe, especially as they enjoyed themselves at Bada Bing. 

And that could probably what irks the prosecution: scorn for the standard rules of law. Humor is one of the most cruel and effective weapons. That observation goes back to John's Milton epic "Paradise Lost." Satan heaped humor on righteous values. Ouch.

The trial is about Parnas' alleged filtering of $100,000 from Russian businessperson Andrey Muraviev to political candidates as a kind of bribe nudge. It's contended those funds were intended to grease the wheels for Muraviev to establish a cannabis enterprise in the U.S. Parnas is connected to Rudy Giuliani.

Parnas' lawyer is Joseph Bondy who argues that his client did not know the alleged stealth agenda. Of course, ignorance of the law is no excuse.

With "The Many Saints of Newark" in movie theatres, the fascination with the Sopranos hubris is back. That could hover as presence in the courtroom.

Few of us have outgrown our adolescent love of expressing scorn for the rules. And outwitting the system. Even supposedly fully grown up, we admire the bad guys.

It would be wise for Parnas not to smirk during the trial.

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Glamorizing Hustle Culture - We Baby Boomers Started That

Our parents simply went to work. Some even were in white-collar jobs like accounting or middle management. Then they came home each evening and that was that. No bringing work home. Instead they turned on the evening news.

On the popular televsion series of the 1950s "Father Knows Best" employee in the insurance industry Jim Anderson was home for dinner every night. And he was "there." He listened to everyone's problems and shared their joys. 

Then we baby boomers came along.

Low-cost college education and the opportunities of the post-war economy unleashed in us intense ambition. There was a shot at making it big and we went for it.

Along the way The Career Advice industry emerged to guide our every move.

Yes, go for the M.B.A.

Here's how to comport yourself if you sense the boss will be fired.

Dress like those do in the position you're heading toward.

We were our work.

Parents, both males and females, weren't home for dinner. There was a struggle to hire and retain the best nannies.

Single women without children like myself were what employers wanted. We could hop on a plane without notice to solve a problem in the plant in Canada or Mexico. 

And born was what LinkedIn News calls "The Hustle Culture."

Even though many of us currentlyy are beyond normal retirement age we are still our work. We can't shake that our professional identify is the primary one.

Those of our colleagues forced to retire and who can't put a Work Next together usually wither. I have observed that when I visited former college acquaintance Kathleen Huebner in Oro Valley, Arizona. Although she had had a succesful career she opted to retire in one of those retirement communities. Mostly what I had heard was those gushing about their previous careers. There was no there in the present. 

Now, The Hustle Culture, which we made glam, is being vilified. It's been fingered for everything from burnout to an inability to connect on a deep level.

In my coaching those over-50 the focus is on simply easing up, even a little, on the compulsion to keep achieving. There is no expectation of being totally liberated from an ethos which anointed work as sacred. The irony is that those letting go even just a bit become more successful. Essentially they drop the story line of past whatever and immerse themselves in the now.

As for younger generations, they are a fragmented bunch.

Some Gen Zers have decided work will be just a part of their lives and on their terms. Those include operating remotely.

Then there are the strivers captured in "Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life." It's by former Yale Professor William Dersiewicz. That subculture within youth is trapped in a constant hustle. They fear making a mistake or getting a bad grade. Therefore, they freeze into cartoon characters chasing what they have been told are the rules for success.

The good news is that hustle can be tamed. The silver lining in the pandemic was that, with one's life on the line, there was reflection about how that life was being lived. What has resulted is a deep rethinking about work. Insider reports that recently in one month five million workers quit. They refused to do The Hustle.

Since we started The Hustle, we can be in the front lines for reducing its influence. The first step is to humanize how we work. Be kind to our employees and vendors. Find  in satisfaction in serving employers and clients/customers. And, forgive ourselves, if we didn't quite make the big time. 

Intuitive guidance about your career. Drop your story line and open to extreme possibility. Sliding Scale Fees. Please make an appointment for a complimentary consultation at janegenova374@gmail.com.

 

Material Girl, Turned 63, Turns Desperate

"Madonna wreaked havoc during her appearance on “The Tonight Show” Thursday when she crawled across host Jimmy Fallon’s desk and flashed her tush to the audience." - New York Post, October 8, 2021.

The Material Girl was there to promote her documentary "Madame X." But all she did, at age 63, is flash the message that she can handle aging. When Fallon was having none of it, she ended that caper by giving the audience a peek at her black underwear.

With so many of us now over-60 and going on about our work and our lives just fine, getting older has lost much of its stigma. However, obviously, Madonna hasn't been able to take that leap into accepting no longer being young.

Meanwhile, actress Helen Mirren, in her 70s, maintains her dignity and continues to remain employable. 

Intuitive readings about your career. Drop your story line and open to extreme possibility. Sliding Scale Fees. Please make an appointment for a complimentary consultation at janegenova374@gmail.com.

Lost and Can't Be Found - Young Tony Soprano as Portrayed in "The Many Saints of Newark"

Maybe it was the tragic and premature death of James Gandolfini. That could have shortcircuited any infatuation with the power of the mob. In so many minds of the viewers of the HBO "The Sopranos" James was Tony Soprano. We sensed James fought some of the same demons Tony had struggled with.

Therefore, it's predictable that David Chase, creator of the "The Sopranos," would cast darkness on the background of how Tony came to be. His film "The Many Saints of Newark" doesn't romanticize gangsta life.

Pain is at the root of the behavior of the young Tony, portrayed by James' son Michael Gandolfini. His mother couldn't connect. His father is a lightweight criminal who winds up in prison for four years. Also, the young Tony himself leans out of social norms. Even in grade school he's in trouble for running a numbers racket. 

The young Tony's idol and mentor is his uncle Dickie Moltisanti, played by Alessandro Nivola. Dickie had been abused by his father and witnessed his mother also being treated so badly. The rage is palpable. It breaks out and Dickie murders that father and his mistress.

Also, sure there are the big dinners around the big table. But the aura of brotherhood isn't there. It is a fellow made man who offs Dickie. That's for laughing at him when he fell on steps. 

Meanwhile, the mob has to be as worried about competition as any orthodox Fortune 50 corporation. During that turbulent time young Tony is coming of age Blacks are becoming activists. Newark is on fire during the riots of 1967. One Black man who used to work for Dickie sets up his own racket. He also has sex with Dickie's mistress. When she confessed that to Dickie, he drowns her. He is never the same after that.

Rather than fascination with how power is acquired, protected, and grown, we probably experience this film with sadness. Social workers should see "The Many Saints of Newark" to understand how people get lost and maybe cannot be found. Psychotherapy didn't help the adult Tony. 

Intuitive readings about your career. Drop your story line and open to extreme possibility. Sliding Scale Fees. Please make an appointment for a complimentary consultation at janegenova374@gmail.com.