I am not an expert in poverty nor in economic culture. If there are any mistakes in this post, I likely understood it incorrectly. I hope that this post inspires you to go learn more about the social groups in our society and how we can all work more effectively together. Bridges out of Poverty taught […]
The Culture of Poverty Read More »
What I love about open source is that it’s a “can†world by default. You can do anything you think needs doing and nobody will tell you that you can’t. (They may not take your patch but they won’t tell you that you can’t create it!) It’s often easier to define things by what they are
Do bribes or fines work in your work culture? When your culture changes, some of it will feel like bribes and some of it will feel like fines. It all depends on your cultural background. I was recently in a small town in Mexico and the (new) city government was explaining to us the changes
Energizer Battery Company is rewarding employees for flying coach. If employees fly coach, the company splits the difference with them – up to $2,000 for trips to Europe. This just seems really strange. Let’s put aside the fact that employees are now getting a $1,000 bonus for flying to Europe, so they may be inclined
Why do you have to pay employees to do the right thing? Read More »
The jail visitation process is obviously not made with the visitor’s convenience in mind. And definitely not with the detainee’s convenience in mind. I have to meet with someone who’s in jail. (Don’t ask. It’s not anyone I’m close to but I’ve got to talk to this person.) Actually, I’m not even sure if it’s
Meeting someone in jail: what a ridiculous process Read More »
I have several friends who are single moms "on purpose" – they got pregnant knowing there would be no dad in the picture. We actually used to debate the best way to get pregnant without involving a guy – we came up with some creative and often hilarious ideas. (Hilarious as long as they didn’t
Should single moms settle? Read More »
Rape victim gets 200 lashes. Actually, I think the punishment was for being alone with an unrelated man. This makes me: sad that some women live without the rights I take for granted, angry that the people around her have accepted and perpetuate this as normal, grateful that I have so much freedom and so
Some women are still punished for being raped Read More »
I took the quiz, and it should come as no surprise to anyone who knows where I grew up (everywhere) that I have the "default, lowest-common-denominator American accent." Here’s what they said: What American accent do you have? (Best version so far) Midland ("Midland" is not necessarily the same thing as "Midwest") The default, lowest-common-denominator
What American accent do you have? Read More »
Escape from the Cubicle Nation by Pamela Slim has a podcast by Dr. Srikumar Rao, Columbia and London Business Schools, author of Are You Ready to Succeed? My favorite quote was: I don’t have a work life and a personal life. I have one life and either it’s working or it’s not. If you are
Will our current corporate culture change? Read More »
I just read a very thought provoking article, Why Having More No Longer Makes Us Happy by Bill McKibben. The author argues that pursuing more wealth worked well in the past when we didn’t have much material wealth but now that we are a relatively wealthy nation, pursuing more and more wealth is making us
Which would you prefer, more money or more friends? Read More »