Lunchtime finds
FLEA. The most basic cartoon ever (via Bloing Bloing)

Ugly sentiments sting American tourists. Interesting article about how American tourists are being perceived in Europe. Includes some tips for American tourists wanting to avoid confrontation, e.g. “Soften your speech; Americans typically overshadow their hosts in the volume department” which in itself is atypical (‘overshadow’ – what an understatement). Thankfully the article does point out that most people in Europe are against the American government and the way it portrays itself, but quite welcoming to Americans in general, I’ve heard there are a couple of them that aren’t too bad… 😉

And nicely related to the previous link is this article by Simon Schama: The Unloved American ?It is incredible how naively cocksure Americans are in their belief that they can whip any enemy whatsoever,? noted Knut Hamsun in the 1880s.

At Google, the Proof Is in the People. A meteoric rise to prominence, which cannot be denied, has been founded on the belief that employees come first. Man, I hope someone from our office reads this (think I’ll forward it on to our HR Manager anyway)