I don’t think I need to say that the workplace as a concept is a very complicated thing. It is enough to ask a person how their day at work was to understand how difficult jobs can be.
After all, things like corporate culture, colleague personalities, work processes, and even our own mindsets can lead us to avoid certain topics and conversations, to be afraid of the boss man, or to simply feel bad or awkward for asking to have your needs met, whether work-related or personal.
They say that “honesty is the best policy” and the workplace is no exception to this rule
Recently, Daniel Abrahams, the CEO of Hustlr Agency, took to LinkedIn to explain why it is important to remain authentic, honest, open, and, most importantly, human, in the workplace. In response, thousands upon thousands of people joined the discussion, expressing support for this idea.
A CEO took to LinkedIn to stress the importance of honesty when asking for time off
Daniel Abrahams explained his openness with his team: he needed to go see his daughter receive an award at her school assembly, and that’s exactly what he said. He did not hide the true reason by using a business meeting or a doctor’s appointment as an excuse.
He further said he is not trying to impress anyone with how much he works. He just wants to form a transparent work culture and as a leader, it starts with him.
Why? Because we’re all human. And as humans, Daniel believes that we need to be real about our lives. Sure, things need to get done when at work, but it shouldn’t stop us from being honest and transparent with each other so as to make work a better place for everyone.
People loved the idea and joined the discussion. As of this article, the post has received over 610,000 reactions with over 14,700 comments.
Ironically, Daniel spoke about being transparent with your colleagues, but was asked why he told them about leaving early hours before the fact as opposed to more in advance, given the nature of the reason. However, that did not detract people from the point of the post.
Many employers and employees praised Daniel for his socially responsible take on work…
Would you adopt a blind cat? Adopting an animal with special needs may sound like a lot of work, and there are definitely some things you need to keep in mind when adapting your household to a blind animal’s needs, but recently one cat owner on Twitter opened up about how amazing blind cats are in their ability to adapt and be playful, affectionate companions.
The Russian-language Twitter account catunderhood, which passes the controls to a different cat owner each week to let them tell their cat’s story, featured Volodymyr Stelmakh, who lives in Kyiv, Ukraine with his two cats Jim and Leia. It was Jim who attracted the most attention for one noticeable reason: he has no eyes! Stelmakh posted a comprehensive thread answering some of the most common questions about what life is like for a blind cat.
Jim wasn’t always the happy, healthy cat he is now. Stelmakh explains that Jim and several other cats were rescued from an apartment that had been abandoned after a fire. Jim’s eyes had already collapsed due to severe infection, so his eye sockets were surgically removed and he had a long recovery in the vet clinic where he was treated. By the time Stelmakh adopted him three months later, Jim came with some lingering health problems caused by the malnutrition he suffered when he was abandoned, as well as complications following the surgery, but with attentive care and nutrition, he made an inspirational recovery.
This cat owner wrote a thread about his blind cat
Stelmakh describes how when he brought Jim home, the blind cat didn’t realize he had a whole apartment’s worth of space around him after being kept in a kennel for months, and had to be coaxed to move by touching him and encouraging him to follow, talking to him all the while. It didn’t take much guidance before he was relying on his nose and whiskers to explore his entire living space.
Jim had to relearn how to navigate after losing his eyes
Вот вам пример того, как он залезает на диван. Оцените грациозность. Заодно можно услышать, как он тарахтит pic.twitter.com/7B8TZyyyI5
“Here’s an example of how he gets onto the sofa. Note the grace. You can also hear him purring,” reads this tweet showing how Jim hops onto the couch.
Jim is very bold when it comes to getting around the apartment now
Jim doesn’t require any special supplies as far as food bowls and litter boxes go. He accidentally dips his face in his water bowl, and he had some messy habits that forced his humans to get him a covered litter box, but those minor issues are hardly unique to blind cats.
Мне удалось снять, как Джим пьёт. Правда его, видимо, замучила жажда, потому он торопился, но видно, как он зачёрпывает и жуёт воду, и как всё течёт по бороде pic.twitter.com/HCUtd4fYxA
“I managed to film how Jim drinks. He must have been terribly thirsty, because he was in a hurry, but you can see how he laps up and ‘chews’ water, and how it all flows down his beard :D”
Best of all, Jim loves to play just like any cat! The thread includes several videos of Jim playing, and you can hardly even tell that he’s using sound rather than vision to bat a toy ball around and play tag with his kitty friend Leia.
Jim is still playful at age 6
Jim and Leia are great friends and playmates
Итак, долгожданная тема игр
3. Игры
Тут, к счастью, у меня побольше видео :) Вот вам одно из моих любимых. Джим – тот что побольше pic.twitter.com/LxMYN9lE00
Cats have incredible senses of hearing, smell, and touch. They even use their whiskers to feel vibrations in the air and determine how close they are to objects. So it’s no surprise that even if a cat loses their sense of sight, they can quickly learn to use their other senses to compensate. As Stelmakh points out, blind cats need to be able to memorize their living space, so you should avoid unnecessarily rearranging your furniture, and it should go without saying that blind cats need to be indoor cats for life. Judging by how spoiled Jim looks, that seems to be fine with him!
Italian brand Cassina has presented its first complete collection of furniture for outdoor spaces, including a reissue of a classic Charlotte Perriand chair and a "love bed" by Patricia Urquiola.
The Cassina Perspective Goes Outdoor includes a comprehensive offering of furniture, lighting, rugs and accessories intended to extend the company's design approach to outdoor products.
The Doron Hotel chair is designed by Charlotte Perriand
Cassina unveiled additions to its existing collection, with archive designs by Le Corbusier and Perriand joining new products by Rodolfo Dordoni, Philippe Starck and Patricia Urquiola.
Perriand's Doron Hotel armchair was designed in 1947 for a winter sports resort in the French Alps. The new outdoor version was developed by Cassina in close collaboration with her daughter Pernette Perriand Barsac.
According to Barbara Lehmann, head of the Cassina's historical archives, the company decided to develop both indoor and outdoor versions of the chair as its design is suited to use in either context.
"The use of thick wood elements with a somewhat rough appearance underlines its natural relationship with nature and the outdoors," Lehmann told Dezeen.
The outdoor version was developed with Perriand's daughter, Pernette Perriand Barsac
Perriand loved to spend time in the mountains and was fascinated by the relationship between humans and nature. Her passion for natural materials informed the rounded forms of the tactile, teak wood frame of the chair.
Lehmaan added that the treatment of the wood directly references the context the chair was created for.
"As the model was designed for a mountain environment, its aim was to enhance the sensuality of wood and convey the idea of solidity and stability," she pointed out.
Patricia Urquiola's Love Bed is part of the Trampoline collection
Also new to the Cassina outdoor collection is Patricia Urquiola's Trampoline furniture, described by the company as "a love bed with a strong personality that becomes the hero of any outdoor space".
Its designer told Dezeen that she wanted to create a flexible product that can be used in multiple ways and doesn't impose a way of sitting on the user.
"You can be by yourself and sit or lie in different ways, whilst having the tools you need around you," said Urquiola.
"Or you can share it with your friends, your loved ones, your children. It's a sort of nest, open like an island or with a fixed canopy that transforms it into a sort of cabin."
It was inspired by the trampolines she saw outside houses in Greenland
The product, which can accommodate several users at once, was inspired by trampolines Urquiola spotted outside houses during a trip to Greenland.
In particular, its circular shape and the way the base and optional canopy are attached to the metal frame using ropes is reminiscent of how trampolines are made.
A set of three large cushions upholstered in water-repellent fabric forms the backrest. Other cushions can be added to create a playful and comfortable environment for lounging.
Outdoor versions of designs by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret are also in the collection
Both Urquiola and Lehmann told Dezeen that a recent evolution in the way people value outdoor space has prompted Cassina's decision to expand its outdoor furniture offering.
"I think that the desire for quality outdoor furniture is getting stronger because the outdoors is seen as an extension of the home," said Lehmann.
"Today, it's not just about the performance of the furniture, which is fundamental, but also the aesthetics, the comfort and the idea of creating a complete setting with a warm atmosphere."
Rodolfo Dordoni Sail Out coffee tables sit low to the ground
"We try to be in contact with nature or the outdoors as much as we can," she explained. "Outdoors, in a veranda space, we aim at recreating the feeling of nature."
"Therefore, at Cassina we are trying to answer this demand whilst remaining faithful to our principles of offering a diverse vision from different designers, focusing on research and quality rather than a styled solution."
The Cassina Perspective Goes Outdoor also includes a sofa, armchair and coffee table by Philippe Starck.
It utilises primitive forms in sandblasted teak along with a handwoven rope backrest to give it an aesthetic that the designer described as "something between daily DIY and [Marcel] Duchamp’s Ready Made".
Rodolfo Dordoni's Sail Out modular sofa recalls inflatable canvas mattresses that can be combined in endless configurations, while his Dine Out chair and armchair are made from solid teak with armrests and backrests wrapped in polypropylene rope.
Philippe Starck's Fence Nature sofa has been adapted for the outdoors
In addition to the seating designs, Urquiola has created a circular table with an aluminium base and a top in recycled waste plastic.
A table designed by Charlotte Perriand using teak and Carrara marble is also included in the collection.
As Cassina's art director, one of the tasks Urquiola undertook was updating its headquarters in Meda, introducing a wall of plants and a cylindrical meeting space clad in metal panelling.
