Executive pay

From an investor advisory newsletter, don’t ask me which one: “In fact, American executives could learn a thing or two from some of their counterparts abroad. Just look at Haruka Nishimatsu, CEO of Japan Airlines Corp. for example. Each morning, Nishimatsu gets down to business immediately after his morning commute to the office – on a city bus. His desk – like those of all the other Japan Airlines employees – sits in the middle of an open office. I know this from personal experience, having sat at a desk just like that when I’ve worked in Japan over the years. He eats lunch in the company cafeteria and hopes – like all Japanese employees – that he’ll have time to eat his meal before it gets cold as he stands in line waiting to pay. This hardly sounds like the life of a corporate CEO, especially when you consider that JAL is one of the world’s top airlines. Nor does the fact that when JAL cut back and asked many of its employees to take early retirement, Nishimatsu first eliminated every one of his own corporate perks, including his own pay – which, at a mere $90,000 (U.S.), is below what JAL’s pilots get paid.” There’s something to be said for modesty and reality checks. Even the woman at left knows this. I have no clue who she is but she appears to be working hard.

When pigs fly

It has been said that if man had been meant to fly, God would have given him wings. It is true, of course. I have never seen a man fly. That doesn't mean that he can't travel inside an airplane, where it's nice and cozy. That's not what one would call real flying, though. Even if you skydive, that's not flying either. That's falling through the sky.

Aeroflot Flight 821

By now, you've heard of the crash of Aeroflot Flight 821 in Perm, Russia. The story I read said the plane didn't hit any homes when it crashed. We don't know exactly who was on board. Some years ago, a famous conductor was flying to Dallas from Mexico City in a small private plane. He was flying the plane himself. The plane developed some technical difficulty along the way and it crashed in some secluded area far from anything. He was traveling with his girlfriend. I suspected foul play. I suspect foul play here too. Who really knows why planes suddenly develop engine trouble just after they have been thoroughly checked? The scenario makes no sense. Of course, I could be way off in my suspicions too. Russian and Eastern European planes have a pretty bad safety record. Fly American Airlines, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, or Southwest Airlines next time.