We’ve sadly reached the point in history at which legends of the entertainment world are going to start passing. Someday, we’ll lose Paul, and Betty, and Mick. And the world will gasp, and mourn, and remember. This week was one of those weeks.
We lost Terry Jones, one of the founding members of Monty Python. He was a comedy genius, most famous for depicting middle-aged housewives, usually with hilariously falsetto voices. One of those housewives, Brian’s mom in Life of Brian, uttered one of the greatest lines in movie history—”He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy.”
I discovered Monty Python’s Flying Circus as a pre-teen, late at night on our local PBS station. Staying up late to watch it made me feel part of a special, subversive cult. Flying Circus is now readily available, on Netflix, BBC America, and IFC, I’m joyfully introducing it to my 11-year-old son, who loves all things silly. And above all else, Python was always silly.
And Jones’s characters were some of the silliest. The nude organ player. Cardinal Biggles of the Spanish Inquisition. Mr. Creosote, the obese and vomiting diner in Meaning of Life. Holy Grail‘s Sir Bedevere. And Brian’s mum.
Rest in peace, Terry Jones. The world is better for all of the laughs you brought through the characters you created, and skits and movies you birthed.
Here’s what I read this week.
Discrimination
- “Ban the Box” laws don’t work. So why do lawmakers love them so? — via Walter Olson’s Overlawyered
- The “harassing, stalking, disturbing, and menacing” plaintiff lost her discrimination case. Go figure. — via Eric Meyer’s The Employer Handbook Blog
- CBS #MeToo-Related Securities Suit Largely Dismisse, Though Some Allegations Survive — via The D & O Diary
- Okay Boomer at the Supreme Court and What Does That Have to do with the ADA — via Understanding the Americans with Disabilities Act
HR & Employee Relations
- It’s Perfectly Legal For Your Boss to Tell You to Drive a Nicer Car — via Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas
- Do Your Employees Trust Your Company’s Workplace Investigation Process? — via Evil HR Lady, Suzanne Lucas
- Do We Have to Allow Dogs in Our Workplace? Maybe. Maybe Not. — via Connecticut Employment Law Blog
- Generational Hiring: Wants, Needs, and Everything in Between — via HR Hero Line
- Guess What? You Might Have to Pay for Your Employee’s Medical Marijuana… — via The Emplawyerologist
- Why ‘Come to Jesus’ Chats with Employees Don’t Work — via EntertainHR
Technology
- 2019 Emoji Law Year-in-Review — via Technology & Marketing Law Blog
- SEC Staff Issues Guidance on Technology, Data & IP Risks in International Operations — via Socially Aware Blog
- 7 Ways to Get the Most Out of a Penetration Test — via Dark Reading
Wage & Hour
- Trump Labor Department gives big companies the go-ahead to exploit franchise workers — via Workplace Fairness
- Universities Are Preparing Students For The Gig Economy And The Future Of Work — via Gig Employer Blog
- Will 2020 Be the Year of the Gig Economy? — via Take It Personel-ly
- 5th Cir.: Salaried pay does not itself establish overtime exemption — via HR Dive
- Here are Ten Problems with Your FMLA Policy and Suggestions on How You Fix Them — via Jeff Nowak’s FMLA Insights
Labor
- McDonald’s says ethics claims in NLRB case don’t warrant fresh look at settlement — via Reuters
- Remember when Barstool Sports mocked unionization on Twitter? How do you think that ended? — via Eric Meyer’s The Employer Handbook Blog
- Union Corruption — via Labor Relations Institute
OSHA & Safety
- How to Address Mental Health In the Workplace — via Women’s Day
- Drug testing in the ‘20s: What employers should and shouldn’t do — via Employment & Labor Insider
- OSHA Is Raising Its Maximum Penalty Amounts, Again! — via LE Blog
- On Target: National Retailer Fined $227K by OSHA for Allowing Blocking of Emergency Exits — via Joe’s HR and Benefits Blog