Real Housewives of Atlanta’ recap, season four, episode 4: ridiculous?

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Good ol’ Phaedra Parks helped instigate the Peter/Apollo fight last week.

Tonight, she again initiated another verbal altercation, this one between Kandi Burruss and Kandi’s opinionated mom Joyce.

Why? As Phaedra noted last season, she loves the strippers. As an attorney, she even represents one (named Ridickulous) who is so big, well, he has talents that most men are incapable of. And he demonstrated this said talent at Kandi’s 35th birthday party on the rooftop of the Renaissance Hotel in Midtown.

Kandi was cool with it. And Phaedra was in heaven.

“You won’t be able to find that in your local retailer,” Phaedra drawled.

Noting that Phaedra is his attorney, Kandi cracked, “Given how big that is, he probably gets sued for damages.” (A cymbal should have went off after that clunker!)

Kandi’s mom Joyce walked away disgusted. “I don’t like no damn strippers!” she yelped.

NeNe, despite her own stripper past, acted all grossed out. by Ridickulous. “It’s disgusting,” she said, especially since people were wearing Gucci and Versace. (huh?)

“Me and Phaedra and Sheree were laughing,” Kandi explained later. “I wasn’t thinking about everybody else.” Especially her mom, who left early, cursing up a storm.

“It’s my 35th birthday,” said Kandi, chagrined, “And I feel like five.”

By the way, Kandi invited everyone to this party – except Kim, who is eight months pregnant. So the separation between Kim and NeNe continues. Sheree and Phaedra keep their distance from NeNe. Kandi said she hates being in the middle – but she invited them all there. (It’s a TV show. Everyone goes with it.)

“It’s like the Crips and the Bloods,” Phaedra notes. But no bloodshed happens. Just a big chill.

What happened to the other housewives?

- Cynthia Bailey brought her sister Malorie to see her husband Peter at his new bar Bar One, which was about to open. Since Malorie and Cynthia’s mom were so worried about Cynthia’s mental state last season before her wedding, they pondered hiding the marriage certificate. Peter found out later, probably when the episode aired. He was peeved. He thought he was cool with Malorie until then and was hurt. Malorie tried to explain to him that she protecting her sister. He didn’t really buy it. “It wasn’t your day!” he said. In frustration, he got up and left, saying it was okay, even though it wasn’t. Malorie started crying.

Later, Malorie and Cynthia got into an argument because Malorie disapproved of Cynthia even pondering helping Peter out financially with his bar. (His last one belly flopped.) Cynthia got defensive and called out Malorie on her marriage issues. They then tried to cool down but it’s obvious the issue will rear its ugly head again in the future.

- Kim Zolciak got very little airtime this week. She opened the episode meeting with Phaedra, who carried a peace offering gift basket for what happened at the baby shower with her husband and Peter. Kim appreciated it, noting that Cynthia didn’t call her to apologize. She also met with a baby consultant (despite the fact she’s had two kids already) since her third will be a boy. They queasily talked circumcision.

- Sheree Whitfield saw no progress on her new home and brought Phaedra to be her lawyer. They verbally roughed up the contractor in hopes that they don’t have to go to court down the road.

- NeNe revealed to Cynthia that she had sex with Gregg after she got back from Miami though they are still technically separated. “Greg likes it down,” NeNe said. “He can be a tiger!”

NOTABLE QUOTES (there were plenty this week!)

“Note to self: keep the ex cons and ***holes off the guest list next time.” - Kim Zolciak, about any future parties, after the Peter/Apollo dust up last week.

“I don’t know how old Peter is. 65? 75? He’s entirely too old to be yelling at a ***king baby shower.” - Kim, in classy verbal mode again.

“I was on morphine. I was on epidural. I was crazy as a vampire in sunlight!” - Phaedra, on having her baby.

“I’m turning 35 this year. I’m feeling like I’m not married. I want to have another child. It’s kind of depressing. But it is like a milestone so it’s time to party.” - Kandi, rationalizing a party when it was probably the producers’ idea.

“I think Kandi wanted a friendship and Kim wanted a hit song.” - NeNe, pondering why Kandi and Kim have grown apart since “Tardy for a Party” became a huge hit.

“When you are as low down as Sheree, hitting below the belt, trying to dig up your past, you don’t deserve the friendship of NeNe Leakes.” – NeNe Leakes, placing herself in third person like Prince or Shaq.

“I don’t want him growing up with his peepee wearing a turtleneck.” - Kim, on getting her baby circumcised.

“Cynthia needs to set boundaries” between her husband and her family.” - NeNe.

“For a black man, it’s better to see you going than coming. Having a nice donkey booty is like having a carrot and dangling it in front of a horse.” - Phaedra, who teased and threatened a contractor, often at the same time.

“I never leave home without a taser. They’d be glad I left the .357 in the car!” - Phaedra, on her self-defense methods. Watch out Mr. Contractor!

“Lawrence looks like Mr. T dipped in Wonder Woman. Super hero of the South!” - Phaedra, after seeing Lawrence at the 35th birthday party.

“I just enter and my presence takes over the room.” NeNe, modest as always.

TEASER FOR NEXT WEEK

Peter loses $40,000 from an investor for his new bar. Cynthia is thinking about chipping in herself but is not happy about it. We see ex-hubby Bob Whitfield for the first time as Sheree tries to wrangle child support from him. And “Housewives” wannabe Marlo Hampton makes her debut. The rumore: she was dating an NFL player Chris Grant that NeNe also had dated.

RATINGS

Last week, ratings were up to 3.2 million from 3 million the week before. The first three episodes were up 700,000 viewers over a year ago, averaging 3 million. I’ll update this Monday or Tuesday with the ratings from episode No. 4.

Deadline Passes For Occupy Philly Eviction

PHILADELPHIA – A deadline set by the city for Occupy Philadelphia to leave the site where it has camped for some two months passed without scuffles or arrests Sunday as police watched and protesters sang and spoke of their dreams -- while some prepared for the possibility of arrest.
The scene outside City Hall was far different from encampments in other cities where pepper spray, tear gas and police action resulted in the removal of long-situated demonstrators since the movement against economic disparity and perceived corporate greed began with Occupy Wall Street in Manhattan two months ago.

Occupy Philadelphia has managed to avoid aggressive confrontations so far, and on Sunday night there was hope the City of Brotherly Love would continue to be largely violence-free.

"Right now, we have a peaceful demonstration," said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Joe Sullivan, nearly 45 minutes after the 5 p.m. deadline. By 11 p.m., the crowd had thinned a bit, but the calm remained.

Along the steps leading into a plaza, about 50 people sat in lines with the promise that they would not leave unless they were carried out by authorities. For a time, they linked arms. But as it seemed that a forceful ouster was not imminent, they relaxed a bit. A police presence was heavier than usual but no orders to leave had been issued.

A few dozen tents remained scattered on the plaza, along with trash, piles of dirty blankets and numerous signs reading, "You can't evict an idea."

Several hundred supporters surrounded those who were prepared to face arrest for one of the Occupy movement meetings known as a general assembly.

The meeting started out with logistics -- making sure those sitting in had quarters to make calls from jail and that someone was gathering important medical information -- but it soon turned to big ideas.

The protesters described their many hopes for a better world. Among them: reparations for slavery and Native American lands, better and more inspiring schools, recognizing gay marriage, and end to homelessness, fewer TVs and better pay for artists. Some of those who spoke with hope and joined in rendition of "Lean on Me," had goggles with them, just in case pepper spray is used.

There was a sense that the occupation in front of Philadelphia's Gothic-style City Hall would soon be over, but hope that the movement would last.

"This is just baby steps," said R.W. Dennen, who said he felt a bit guilty that he wasn't preparing to be arrested.

Elsewhere on the East Coast, eight people were arrested in Maine after protesters in the Occupy Augusta encampment in Capitol Park took down their tents and packed their camping gear after being told to get a permit or move their shelters.

Protesters pitched tents Oct. 15 as part of the national movement but said Sunday they shouldn't have to get a permit to exercise their right to assemble. Occupy leaders said a large teepee loaned by the Penobscot Indians and a big all-weather tent would stay up.

The Augusta arrests came when police say people jumped a waist-high, wooden fence on the governor's mansion lawn and some climbed a portico to the building and unfurled an Occupy banner. As many as 50 protesters, some holding signs and beating a drum, gathered near the Blaine House gates.

In Los Angeles, another deadline was getting closer, too, for hundreds of demonstrators to abandon their weeks-old Occupy Los Angeles protest.

Although city officials have told protesters they must leave and take their nearly 500 tents with them by 12:01 a.m. Monday, just a handful were seen packing up Sunday.

Instead, some passed out fliers containing the city seal and the words: "By order of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, this notice terminates your tenancy and requires you to attend the Occupy L.A. Eviction Block Party," which the fliers' said was scheduled for 12:01 a.m.

Others attended teach-ins on resistance tactics, including how to stay safe should police begin firing rubber bullets or breaking out tear gas canisters and pepper spray.

Back in Philadelphia, Steve Venus was fortifying the area around his tent with abandoned wood pallets left over from those who had already packed up. He said the $50 million construction project, including a planned ice skating rink, was not a good enough reason for Occupy Philadelphia to leave the plaza.

Venus, 22, said that by enforcing the deadline, the city was essentially telling Occupy supporters "your issues are not important. The only issue that's important is the ice skating rink."

On Friday, Mayor Michael Nutter expressed support for the movement's ideals but said protesters must make room for the long-planned project, which they were told of when they set up camp Oct. 6.

Nutter was out of town Sunday, but his spokesman reiterated that "people are under orders to move."

The mayor himself had an exchange on Twitter with hip-hop impresario Russell Simmons, who asked Nutter "to remember this is a non-violent movement -- please show restraint tonight."

Nutter's response: "I agree."

Members of the governing body of Occupy Philadelphia, the general assembly, previously approved a move to a plaza across the street after union officials stressed the hundreds of jobs being created by the Dilworth reconstruction. But that vote mistakenly assumed protesters would be able to pitch tents there.

Graffiti, lack of sanitation and fire hazards, including smoking in tents, were among the city's chief concerns at Dilworth, which had about 350 tents at the height of the movement. The encampment also attracted significant numbers of homeless, although the plaza had long been frequented by that population even before the camp was established.

The city did issue a permit to an Occupy Philadelphia faction called Reasonable Solutions that planned to continue demonstrating across the street beginning Monday. However, activities are limited to between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m., and no overnight camping is allowed.

How to Use Assessment Centers to Your Business Advantage

by: BMA Editorial Team 3

To start with, let's look at it from the side of the business owner. Are you familiar with the role of assessment centers in business?

If you want to maximize the productivity of your business then you may well need to use an assessment center to make the most of it. So, why do you need the services of an assessment center?

The Value of Assessing Job Candidates Properly

First of all, an assessment center can help you decide who the right people are for a certain job. For instance, if you want to find a person that will be able to speedily execute a lot of accounting transactions in a given period of time, then you can build into the assessment center to test if they can do that.

Whilst it's possible, if you do this on your own, without testing appropriately, there is a fair chance that you will not get the right person for the job

If you get the wrong person for the job then you will have trouble running the business. You will need to go through the process of hiring someone else, just because you didn't do the job right first time!

If you don't learn from your mistakes, then, without question, you will go on in this cycle over and over again until you find the right person.

And what happens if you do not get the right person for the job? Your business will struggle and you will not be able to grow and prosper. This is why you need the services of an assessment center.

Set up well, an assessment center can readily assess whether a person is right for the job or not.

You May Already Have Great People

Second, you may need to use an assessment center within your business or organization, because apart from looking for the right person for a job, you also need to know who should be promoted. Internal assessment centers can be used for specific jobs, or even when you just want to benchmark your people along the way.

Your business or your company needs to grow and if you want to grow then you need to know which of your existing people are capable of making the company grow.

An assessment center can find out who the right people are when it comes to company growth - who has potential even, such that they will be just right for the future.

If you want to make sure that your business succeeds and grows going forward, then you need to know who to spend time with to prepare for promotion.

People Management Can Be Tricky!

Business can be very tricky because it deals with a lot of human beings. People management is part science and part artform, because human beings can be very complex creatures! If you do not know how to manage people then your business growth will suffer.

With the help of assessment centers internally, you can focus your energies where people need it most - on the people you will get the very best value out of.

By valuing the services of an assessment center to measure capabilities of internal and external people, it will give you a serious helping hand in getting the best from your people, now and in the future.

Assessment Centers - What's There To Lose?

So, if you have not considered the services of an assessment center then you might want to try it now. Do you wonder why your business is not growing, or it puzzles you why certain employees work well together and others don't in your team?

If you want to find answers to questions like this then you will definitely find value in using the services of an assessment center.

Don't wait for all your competitors to overtake you in your business or for your business to start sliding down a slope. Get the best people for now and the future.

Using an assessment center is one way you can do it!

(c) How To Win At Assessment Centers.
http://human-resources-mgt.bestmanagementarticles.com/a-43119-how-to-use-assessment-centers-to-your-business-advantage.aspx

Encouragement ..

by RHENALD KASALI – Ketua Program MM UI

Lima belas tahun lalu saya pernah mengajukan protes pada guru sebuah sekolah tempat anak saya belajar di Amerika Serikat. Masalahnya, karangan berbahasa Inggris yang ditulis anak saya seadanya itu telah diberi nilai E (Excellence) yang artinya sempurna, hebat, bagus sekali. Padahal dia baru saja tiba di Amerika dan baru mulai belajar bahasa. Karangan yang dia tulis sehari sebelumnya itu pernah ditunjukkan kepada saya dan saya mencemaskan kemampuan verbalnya yang terbatas. Menurut saya tulisan itu buruk, logikanya sangat sederhana.

Saya memintanya memperbaiki kembali,sampai dia menyerah.Rupanya karangan itulah yang diserahkan anak saya kepada gurunya dan bukan diberi nilai buruk, malah dipuji. Ada apa? Apa tidak salah memberi nilai? Bukankah pendidikan memerlukan kesungguhan? Kalau begini saja sudah diberi nilai tinggi, saya khawatir anak saya cepat puas diri. Sewaktu saya protes, ibu guru yang menerima saya hanya bertanya singkat. “Maaf Bapak dari mana?” “Dari Indonesia ,” jawab saya. Dia pun tersenyum.

Budaya Menghukum ..

Pertemuan itu merupakan sebuah titik balik yang penting bagi hidup saya. Itulah saat yang mengubah cara saya dalam mendidik dan membangun masyarakat. “Saya mengerti,” jawab ibu guru yang wajahnya mulai berkerut, namun tetap simpatik itu.
“Beberapa kali saya bertemu ayah-ibu dari Indonesia yang anak-anaknya dididik di sini,” lanjutnya. “Di negeri Anda, guru sangat sulit memberi nilai. Filosofi kami mendidik di sini bukan untuk menghukum, melainkan untuk merangsang orang agar maju. Encouragement!” Dia pun melanjutkan argumentasinya.

“Saya sudah 20 tahun mengajar. Setiap anak berbeda-beda. Namun untuk anak sebesar itu, baru tiba dari negara yang bahasa ibunya bukan bahasa Inggris, saya dapat menjamin, ini adalah karya yang hebat,” ujarnya menunjuk karangan berbahasa Inggris yang dibuat anak saya.

Dari diskusi itu saya mendapat pelajaran berharga. Kita tidak dapat mengukur prestasi orang lain menurut ukuran kita. Saya teringat betapa mudahnya saya menyelesaikan study saya yang bergelimang nilai “A”, dari program master hingga doktor. Sementara di Indonesia, saya harus menyelesaikan studi jungkir balik ditengarai ancaman drop out dan para penguji yang siap menerkam. Saat ujian program doktor saya pun dapat melewatinya dengan mudah.

Pertanyaan mereka memang sangat serius dan membuat saya harus benar-benar siap. Namun suasana ujian dibuat sangat bersahabat. Seorang penguji bertanya dan penguji yang lain tidak ikut menekan, melainkan ikut membantu memberikan jalan begitu mereka tahu jawabannya.

Mereka menunjukkan grafik-grafik yang saya buat dan menerangkan seterang-terangnya sehingga kami makin mengerti. Ujian penuh puja-puji, menanyakan ihwal masa depan dan mendiskusikan kekurangan penuh keterbukaan. Pada saat kembali ke Tanah Air, banyak hal sebaliknya sering saya saksikan. Para pengajar bukan saling menolong, malah ikut “menelan” mahasiswanya yang duduk di bangku ujian.

Ketika seseorang penguji atau promotor membela atau meluruskan pertanyaan, penguji marah-marah, tersinggung, dan menyebarkan berita tidak sedap seakan-akan kebaikan itu ada udang di balik batunya. Saya sempat mengalami frustrasi yang luar biasa menyaksikan bagaimana para dosen menguji, yang maaf, menurut hemat saya sangat tidak manusiawi. Mereka bukan melakukan encouragement, melainkan discouragement. Hasilnya pun bisa diduga, kelulusan rendah dan yang diluluskan pun kualitasnya tidak hebat-hebat betul. Orang yang tertekan ternyata belakangan saya temukan juga menguji dengan cara menekan.

Ada semacam balas dendam dan kecurigaan. Saya ingat betul bagaimana guru-guru di Amerika memajukan anak didiknya. Saya berpikir pantaslah anak-anak di sana mampu menjadi penulis karya-karya ilmiah yang hebat, bahkan penerima Hadiah Nobel. Bukan karena mereka punya guru yang pintar secara akademis, melainkan karakternya sangat kuat: karakter yang membangun, bukan merusak. Kembali ke pengalaman anak saya di atas, ibu guru mengingatkan saya.

“Janganlah kita mengukur kualitas anak-anak kita dengan kemampuan kita yang sudah jauh di depan,” ujarnya dengan penuh kesungguhan. Saya juga teringat dengan rapor anak-anak di Amerika yang ditulis dalam bentuk verbal.

Anak-anak Indonesia yang baru tiba umumnya mengalami kesulitan, namun rapornya tidak diberi nilai merah, melainkan diberi kalimat yang mendorongnya untuk bekerja lebih keras, seperti berikut. “Sarah telah memulainya dengan berat, dia mencobanya dengan sungguh-sungguh. Namun Sarah telah menunjukkan kemajuan yang berarti.

Malam itu saya mendatangi anak saya yang tengah tertidur dan mengecup keningnya. Saya ingin memeluknya di tengah-tengah rasa salah telah memberi penilaian yang tidak objektif. Dia pernah protes saat menerima nilai E yang berarti excellent (sempurna), tetapi saya mengatakan “gurunya salah”. Kini saya melihatnya dengan kacamata yang berbeda.

Melahirkan Kehebatan ..

Bisakah kita mencetak orang-orang hebat dengan cara menciptakan hambatan dan rasa takut? Bukan tidak mustahil kita adalah generasi yang dibentuk oleh sejuta ancaman: gesper, rotan pemukul, tangan bercincin batu akik, kapur, dan penghapus yang dilontarkan dengan keras oleh guru,sundutan rokok, dan seterusnya. Kita dibesarkan dengan seribu satu kata-kata ancaman: Awas…; Kalau,…; Nanti,…; dan tentu saja tulisan berwarna merah menyala di atas kertas ujian dan rapor di sekolah.

Sekolah yang membuat kita tidak nyaman mungkin telah membuat kita menjadi lebih disiplin. Namun di lain pihak dia juga bisa mematikan inisiatif dan mengendurkan semangat. Temuan-temuan baru dalam ilmu otak ternyata menunjukkan otak manusia tidak statis, melainkan dapat mengerucut (mengecil) atau sebaliknya,dapat tumbuh.Semua itu sangat tergantung dari ancaman atau dukungan (dorongan) yang didapat dari orang-orang di sekitarnya. Dengan demikian kecerdasan manusia dapat tumbuh, sebaliknya dapat menurun. Seperti yang sering saya katakan, ada orang pintar dan ada orang yang kurang pintar atau bodoh.

Tetapi juga ada orang yang tambah pintar dan ada orang yang tambah bodoh. Mari kita renungkan dan mulailah mendorong kemajuan, bukan menaburkan ancaman atau ketakutan.

Bantulah orang lain untuk maju, bukan dengan menghina atau memberi ancaman yang menakut-nakuti..

- Phillip Lahm Inc. -

CEO dalam Cracking Zone

kupikir CEO itu orang yg lulus fit&proper test, teruji managerialnya, lama pengabdiannya dibidangnya.ternyata gak cukup.CEO itu orang yg mencintai dan menikahi produk yg dia geluti shg bs lahir produk turunan baru.dan ternyata pengabdian dan percintaan yg.lama blm.tentu kawin dan lahir produk baru.inikah yg dinamakan cracking zone?!

Cracker, bukan Sekedar Leader

saat ini semakin tdk.jelas dr.mana datangnya kompetitor bisnis.Ancol dg Mall apa hubungannya?tp bs jd kompetitor.Manakala dl.team bergerak dg instruksi pimpinan yg jelas spt kompetisi kapal naga, kini butuh inisiatif masing2 individu untuk bergerak maju, krn.makin tdk.jelas dr.mana datangnya kompetitor, ibarat arung jeram, jika tdk.berinisiatif perahu akan keburu tenggelam.

Kompetisi Arung Jeram vs Kapal Naga

saat ini semakin tdk.jelas dr.mana datangnya kompetitor bisnis.Ancol dg Mall apa hubungannya?tp bs jd kompetitor.Manakala dl.team bergerak dg instruksi pimpinan yg jelas spt kompetisi kapal naga, kini butuh inisiatif masing2 individu untuk bergerak maju, krn.makin tdk.jelas dr.mana datangnya kompetitor, ibarat arung jeram, jika tdk.berinisiatif perahu akan keburu tenggelam.