#1 in a continuing series:

This is a great place I visited while in Toronto.

http://www.czehoski.com/



They always have fun artwork on display. This time they had slot hockey
tables painted with caricatures of famous Canadians.







Also, this is a favorite after work hangout for the NYC office.
http://nymag.com/listings/restaurant/restaurant-forte-baden/

It's a Korean fried chicken joint in K-town. It has a German name, sells
shoju, and plays hip hop. Oh yeah, it's impossible to find from the
street since the entrance is in the back of a bodega.

--Dan Neumann

Pay it forward to the Finance Department...Don't let 'em stack up like this poor schlub...so much bad expenses karma.

Ever wonder  what kind of craziness goes on backstage? Well...what it lacks in excitement, it makes up for in seeing Connect Four again, complete with some R-rated junk talk.

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Courtesy of the Kanye West blog...

While hardly an expert on Martin Luther King, Jr. (read his Nobel Prize biography here) or a leading commentator on civil rights, I thought I'd take this moment to point out how exceptional it is that Organic closes its offices on this holiday.

At other places I've worked, MLK Day was treated as an optional holiday that a person could either take on the official federal date or as a floating holiday at another time. Needless to say, it was generally expected you would opt for the latter. While I appreciated a floating holiday, it seemed a little half-baked as a tribute to such a deserving figure in this nation's history.

I wasn't alive then. I can't really speak to the power of a speech from Dr. King, or a Civil Rights March or the pain caused by a murder that prematurely ended the life of this man. From reading Tom Brokaw's new work on the 1960's (Pretty good, actually, titled "Boom!" here at Amazon), it seems that those of my generation have nothing to compare Dr. King's influence with. Decades later, it is clear he touched nearly everyone who was alive at the time. And, for many, he helped guide them to a better world view and a more optimistic outlook.

For our era, however, I do think that race and inequality are subjects that we as Americans struggle to discuss in any productive manner, stumbling over the topic whenever a Golf Channel flub or Don Imus controversy pop up. For me, my wish would be that I could turn on "Meet the Press" on Sunday and hear the honest thoughts of Martin Luther King on our current state of affairs. Because it would lead to a more useful conversation coming from a man of his stature.

Our most difficult social and political issues have required the most impressive and towering figures of history to lead us. And it has occurred to me over the past few years that we, indeed, had just such a figure for a time. And as such, it's all the more important that this day be respected as a time to take a day to rest and reflect to keep his influence on this country alive.

--Mike Hudson

He had red eyes. And he was crouched in the grass next to an unnamed Denver-area hotel. And there were others.

Turman

CHICAGO -- Chicago is known for things that are anything but small. Look at our pizza. It’s not just a pizza, but a gastronomic event that takes many friends, and in some cases, many days to finish. Also, there’s the Chicago Spire. When finished, it’ll shoot up 150 stories to become the tallest building in North America and the tallest residential tower in the world. Oh, and let’s not forget The Oprah. Hey, no explanation needed there.

Even though we’re new to Chicago, the members of the CHIPOD, are trying to live up to the city’s reputation. So one day after work, we headed out for some drinks. To finish the night, Sean wanted to order just one more beer.

Being the jackass he is, he wanted that last beer to be poured into an oversized Stella Artois glass. Mind you, this thing looked more like a decoration than an actual receptacle for holding delicious adult beverages. You can imagine our shock when, without hesitation, the bartender reached for the vessel and filled it with an estimated seven pints of Stella Artois.

Never to back down from a challenge, three of us sipped from the glass as if we just won the Stanley Cup. When the last drop fell into our bellies, the wait staff treated us like gods, or at least our fuzzy memories tell us that’s what happened.

As for the day after, most humans would be hating life. Not us here in Chicago. Collectively, we had little or no hangover the next day. There must be something in the water here. Hmm, or maybe it’s in the beer? I guess to we’ll have partake in another CHIPOD glass of Stella Artois to find out. Darn.
 
–John T.

In our world of hyper-knowledge and control, something that comes up in
my conversations with others is a thirst to learn more about your craft,
be it creative, engineering, engagement management or any other role.
What marks a strong culture and an environment where "we" as the real
capital of a company want to be an active and enthusiastic part of it is
the investment we have in each other. Sometimes that can be based on
rank, or through a corporate policy, but mostly I find it comes from
watching and listening to each other - regardless of the discipline.
Anyone can tell someone what to do...sometimes called direction or
leadership (positive) or micromanagement and insecurity (negative).
Either way, it isn't what I would call mentoring.

I define mentoring with a two-fold description: the act of caring about
change in yourself and in others.

Being surrounded by smart, enthusiastic, eager people is a fantastic
opportunity for mentorship. While it may appear to be ideal (if
completely unrealistic) to have someone take you under their wing and
both nuture and shield you, we are all responsible for our own
development. Being open to mentorship opportunities can be difficult as
ego, personalities, and assumptions can prevent some from participating.

But I have found when I start to close down or shut off that is a yellow
flag that I have a choice to make. I can either change the flag to red
and stop listening, or I can put the flag aside and see the opportunity
to better myself. Every time I have it has paid off handsome dividends.
I am able to hear a different approach, a new way of thinking about
things, and even find myself gaining new information that I was
completely unaware of. For me learning new things is incredibly
exciting, being told I am a "knowledge worker" means I need to be
conscious that my value comes from creating opportunities to learn more.

What's my point? Well (jeez, tough crowd!), what I am proposing is that
we all take a day each week to practice, and react to things actively,
try to engage those around us and listen to their mentoring of us. It
can come from anyone, anywhere but taking the time to ask questions or
offering a platform for our collegues to talk to us will go a long way
to hearing about how others see problems, interact with their
environment and see what drives or motivates them.

This is about empathy (isn't it always?) but its empathy with
opportunity. I find myself surprised by what others hear me say, how
they react to it, how they respond both positively and negatively. Its
incredible how powerful and impactful we are to those around us, which
only reinforces how much we affect others and how we can be effected by
them.

Would love to know what others think about this - go ahead and use this
as a chance to mentor me.

DETROIT -- When the auto industry came up with the term "Flex Fuel" for engines that run on various blends of corn-based ethanol and gasoline, it settled on this badge logo to distinguish such vehicles on the road.


But when Dwayne J. emailed the DET creative department to see if anyone could pass along the "Flex Fuel" badge for a project, these showed up in his inbox for some reason. (Coming soon to a tailgate near you, no doubt)



Artwork courtesy of Cory P. (top) and Casey R. (bottom)

Hey...it worked for the "President" of Facebook.

James Crawford accepts his award mid meal and via satellite from NYC.


DETROIT -- Recently, the Magic Stick was rented out for one night of
Creative madness. The event was the first-ever Cannon Ball Awards hosted by Sam Cannon.

It was equal parts pool-hall extravaganza, Middle Eastern banquet and celebrity roast. No one left without some kind of mock award… whether it was “Most Likely to Personally Fire His Own Creative Director” (Nick Sternberg), “Best Facial Hair Designs” (Chris Arace) or “Best Sister You Never Had” (Jodi Kaiser). There was even a live satellite feed of James Crawford accepting his award while eating a hotdog on the streets of New York.

The laughter, pool scratches and iPod dance mixes went on and on.



Simultaneously, The D Show was happening down the street at the Max M. Fisher building. Several of our Creative Directors and the man himself, Sam Cannon, went over to retrieve “Best Interactive” for the Jeep® brand’s Way-Beyond Trail and “Best On-line Extension” for the Jeep® Bugs campaign.

As midnight rolled around, the collective eased out of the doors. Yes, the year was almost through. And it was even better than the last.

Thanks to everyone—in every department—for the endless stream of hard work and irreplaceable craft. It’s what makes Organic.

--Trevor Naud