Maybe Later

I know, there have been a lot of apologies and non-apologies to talk about lately. I just haven't had the interest and time to write about them. Maybe later...

Bomb Boy Sorry

Bomb Boy is sorry. It sounds to me like his whole family situation is pretty sorry.

Here in the Triad there were more than 50 bomb threats over the course of five days starting last Thursday. Besides threats called in to businesses, there were daily calls to the airport and a death threat to the mayor of High Point.

The calls were traced to a stolen cell phone, which led to the arrest of a sixteen-year-old. The poor kid apologized twice before the judge told him he probably ought to stop talking until he got a lawyer. He declined a court-appointed attorney. He's in the Guilford County jail, where he might spend a number of years.

There is plenty there to prompt one to ask, "what was this kid thinking?"

But the story in today's News and Record helps explain where he's coming from. His mother was a drug addict and his father left the picture when he was an infant. He was raised by his grandparents until his grandmother died a few years ago. He has spent some time in group homes when not living with relatives. One can certainly imagine that the kid would be totally different had he been raised by two loving, attentive parents.

Hats off to folks who try to limit the damages of situations like his. We live in a sorry world. But where would we be if it weren't for the people that, through their jobs or volunteer work or life with extended family, look after kids with backgrounds like this?

Tracking Mr. Sun

I haven't figured out who this mysterious local blogger Mr. Sun is, but I've discovered a new clue... It surprises me as much as it will you, but apparently he was responsible for the publication of Woman's Home Companion Magazine back in the 1940's. Or maybe he just produced the covers. Earlier this week he took responsibility for a misleading issue in May 1943 that promised a future of painless childbirth and high-fashion yardwork. Now he's apologizing to women everywhere.

His Dog Ate the Magazine

Just for today, a look at apologies in the mail:

The new Penzeys catalog came today. That made me wonder why we never got a free issue of the new magazine they've been telling us about. Then I turned to Bill Penzey's page 2 note and found out why...

"MY DOG ATE THE MAGAZINE: I really do apologize for sounding like a broken record, but we are still just a couple weeks off on the magazine..." Then he explains the real reasons for the delay, letting the poor dog off the hook, I guess.

Well, I'm sure it's going to be a good magazine whenever they do get it out. Diana and I just like getting the catalog, with more spices than you can imagine, and some good recipes. Hopefully she'll try making the Ham and Spinach Soup from this issue.

Proud of Aon

In the last few hours I've seen the press release and an internal e-mail from Pat Ryan, our chairman and CEO. Though I guess I'm biased, I have to say I'm proud of the way Aon is handling this settlement. (The internal e-mail is more candid and straightforward than the press release, but I'm hesitant to toss that into the blogosphere, for reasons referenced in my previous post.)

We're acknowledging what was done wrong, and expressing regret about it. We're standing firm about what we did not do. We're making reparation for what was done wrong. And we're clearly making a commitment to doing things differently.

In the internal e-mail, we were also reminded that we work in a "great industry." Sometimes it's hard to be enthusiastic about working in insurance, but as Mr. Ryan says, "commerce couldn't exist without insurance." It's our small part in making the world go round. I'll put a link here to one of Joel's writings on that topic once I can find one.

We've taken our hits, but we fix what we can and press on.

Update: We’ve had Roch Smith do some remodeling on backporch.org, with one result being that I can now give you a direct link to the article by Joel that I mentioned: Your Work Matters.

We're Sorry Too

Well the news just came out that Aon, my employer, has reached a settlement with Eliot Spitzer. And like the deal with Marsh that I wrote about earlier, ours will also include a public apology. But the payment accompanying our apology is a lot less than theirs -- a mere $190 million. We haven’t heard anything yet internally.

(I blog this with a little bit of nervousness, having heard of people who were fired after blogging about work. But if they get mad, maybe I can come up with a lot of money and say I’m sorry but I had no control over it, and they’ll let me keep my job.)

Paris Hilton’s Privacy Has Been Invaded

Folks, we need to start respecting Paris Hilton's privacy.

Her privacy was invaded last week, so she wants to apologize to all her friends. Her cell phone was hacked into, and phone numbers and e-mail addresses that were stored on it were posted on the internet. "I don't know why this stuff always happens to me," she says.

No Olympics For You

The mayor of London is said to be hurting his city's chances of landing the 2012 Olympics by refusing to apologize for a "Nazi tirade" directed at a journalist. Tony Blair says "Let's just apologize and move on -- that's the sensible thing." But Mayor Ken Livingstone is resisting pressure from the media and others to say he's sorry when he's not. (1)

They're calling it an apology but...

... but they're not taking any responsibility for wrongdoing. Huh?

I wrote earlier that Marsh & McLennan was nearing a settlement with Eliot Spitzer. Well, they did reach a settlement and it did include a lot of cash and an "apology" (1, 2). But from what I've read, it's hardly an apology. Instead of expressing sorrow for having done wrong, they're blaming their employees. I haven't read everything that's out there, and someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think they're even taking responsibility for improper polices or oversight of the employees.

What good does it do to apologize for someone else?

JPMorgan and Slavery

JPMorgan Chase & Co. apologized today for its part in slavery. (1, 2)

Two predecessor banks in Louisiana received slaves as collateral before the Civil War, and the banks came to own about 1250 slaves as a result of defaults. The two banks merged in 1924, and the merged bank failed during the Depression. Another bank assumed some of the assets, and that bank later became part of Bank One, which was purchased last year by JPMorgan. Got it?

Anyway, because of that tie to slavery, JPMorgan has apologized and will seek to make amends by putting $5 million into a scholarship fund for African-Americans.

Here’s hoping that the Chicago politicians who applied the pressure for the research behind this move will acknowledge the apology, applaud the bank for setting up the scholarship fund, promise not to hold it against the bank, and encourage others to do the same. And they should make that promise of forgiveness just as public as the apology.

Note to self: Be careful next time I consider acquiring the assets of a defunct Louisiana bank.

For Shame?

Marketplace tonight had some interesting commentary from David Skeel, suggesting that it can be a good thing to shame corporate executives and directors who have done wrong. The main method of shaming he talks about is running newspaper ads that name these bigwigs and even include their pictures. He also gives the example of required published apologies. Some of what he says sounds all right, but isn’t there something wrong with thinking of apologies as a means of shame? Shouldn’t the purpose of an apology be restoration rather than shame?

Anna posted a comment today pointing us to a piece in which one student of life, Kimberly Appelcline, shares her thoughts on the right way make apologies, and the good that can come from them. Thanks for the link, Anna!

$600 Million Isn't Enough

Before agreeing to a settlement, Eliot Spitzer wants Marsh & McLennan to increase their offer to $750 million PLUS a "public statement of contrition."

Marsh & McLennan, an insurance broker and one of my employer's main competitors, is being sued by the New York Attorney General for bid rigging. They may be even more hesitant to make the apology than they are to fork over the three quarters of a billion dollars.

CBS MarketWatch explains it all. We'll see what happens.

Bishops Regret Consequences

U.S. Episcopal bishops have responded to the Windsor Report, in which Anglicans from other countries requested an apology. Anglicans worldwide want the Episcopal church to say they've been wrong to bless same sex unions and to consecrate a gay bishop.

According to a Reuters article:
"The 140-member House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church USA, after a two-day meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, issued a statement expressing their 'sincere regret for the pain, the hurt and the damage caused ... by certain actions of our church.' They said the apology was 'a sign of our deep desire' to remain part of the worldwide Anglican communion."

They regret the consequences of their actions but they don't regret the actions themselves. (This is even more clear in an NPR story I heard on the way to work this morning.) It sounds a lot like "I'm sorry you feel that way."

What do you do when you ask for an apology and don't get one?

Your comments are welcome.

The Prince's New Clothes

Prince Harry has said he made "a poor choice of costume" when he dressed up as a Nazi at a friend's party. The apology was released by his press office, and apparently that's not good enough for some. They want to see him on television and hear him on radio. They may even want him to say something directly to those whom he offended.

But, when he wrote the apology, he didn't seem sure who was offended, if anybody. "I am very sorry if I caused any offense or embarrassment to anyone." At last check, 93261 people had told CNN.com they found it offensive (QuickVote Results). I suppose he could start by addressing them.

At least one leader says that the apology, "having been offered, should be accepted."

And Sarah Ferguson Duchess of York gushed "his mum would be so proud."

One Randy Apologizes

Randy Johnson is apologizing for some reason. And not surprisingly, Randy Moss is not.

Johnson will be introduced as a Yankee today, and he’s already getting some heat in New York following an incident with a cameraman on a sidewalk in Manhattan. Along with their story, the local CBS affiliate has some video of the "fracas." Johnson has already apologized, but I don’t understand why. Does he?

“Regarding the unfortunate incident that happened this morning as I was on my way to take a physical, I hope that everyone will understand that the past few days have been a bit overwhelming and I wish I had handled the situation differently,” Johnson said. “I am very sorry it happened.”

Was he apologizing for asking someone not to get in his face? I don’t see anything wrong with asking people, or even telling people, not to get in your face.

Was he apologizing for telling a cameraman not to talk back to him? Yeah, that’s kind of arrogant. But if that’s it, then he should say so in his apology. “It was arrogant of me to tell someone not to talk back to me. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Was he apologizing for actually making contact? If so, then what was the point of stretching out that really long arm of his? If that is in fact what he thinks he needs to apologize for, then he should say so. “I shouldn’t have put my arm out like that.”

If he really wishes he had handled it differently, and wants us to know he’s sincere, then he should tell us how he wishes he had handled it.

I’m looking forward to seeing him on Letterman tonight.


The other Randy, on the other hand, has reason to apologize. But Randy Moss is doing nothing of the sort. My wife came into the living room a couple of times Sunday while I was watching the Vikings and Packers and said, “Look at that guy’s hair!” She hadn’t seen anything yet.

For a touchdown celebration, Moss mimed a moon for fans in Green Bay. Apparently it was an allusion to a tradition the fans there have of mooning the visiting team’s bus. Some people understood that and found it funny. The thing is, that tradition isn’t nationally televised.

At least he was just faking it. The way Joe Buck responded, I thought he had actually done it.

Still, the gesture was classless and for that he should apologize. Plus, it’s a violation of the NFL’s rule against “obscene gestures or other actions construed as being in poor taste.” Moss seems to acknowledge that it’s a violation of the rules, but doesn’t acknowledge that he ought to obey those rules. “I hope I don’t get in trouble by it, but if I do I’ll take the heat.”

“That’s Randy,” a teammate says. “You take the good with the bad.”

Really? Maybe that’s the choice the Vikings make. But, regardless of what you think about the Yankees and their insane payroll, you know they wouldn’t keep a guy like Moss around.

Apology of the Knight

Orioles pitcher Sidney Ponson, who happens to be a knight in the Order of the Dutch Royal House, has apologized for his involvement in a Christmas day fight on a beach in Aruba. From this report, it really does seem that he was remorseful for having done wrong.