Hard to believe but cockroaches have a redeeming side. We shun them, destroy them, hate them, but it appears there is more to them. Cockroaches can save lives. A transmitter can be attached to them and since they are small enough to go anywhere, they can easily be sent through the rubble after a natural disaster and relay if there is life. There are 450 species of them—more than we need I’m sure—and of those only 4 species can be considered pests. In some countries they are pets and are part of folklore. They have and are providing inspiration for Continue reading “Cockroaches!!?”
Category: Values
Enough
During World War II Winston Churchill kept a shocked nation together, he brought out the best of Britain and of all the Allied powers. FDR when he emphasized that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself did much the same thing. They both led. During the Civil Rights era Martin Luther King, Jr. led. He preached non-violence and led blacks and whites alike out of the racial impasse the U.S. was then in. Following the dismantling of Apartheid Nelson Mandela led, he brought out the best of the people in South Africa leading them away from racial hatred and towards reconciliation. Leaders are not just the head of Continue reading “Enough”
People-Skills Wanted
Like many I keep wondering if our use of technology is replacing human skills and making them redundant. The mere idea that this may not be quite so makes me, and hopefully others, stop and take notice. The idea comes from a paper “The Growing Importance of Social Skills in the Labor Market” by David Deming who is Assistant Professor of economics at Harvard, a paper being given a more public airing by being the subject of an article in the online site fivethirtyeight.com. The paper comes from research that points out that until fairly recently, one needed hard skills in order to have Continue reading “People-Skills Wanted”
A $149 Million Mansion
Two figures from The U.S. Census Bureau’s data for 2014 provide a slice of reality: 14.8% of the U.S. population was living in poverty and the median income was $53,700. You may recall median means the point at which one half was living below $53,700, and the other half above.
Then there’s the unreal—or what seems unreal to me: A Beverly Hills mansion which was on the market for $195 million a few months ago and which has been reduced to $149 million. It was bought in 2007 for $35 million but extensive work is said to have been done. The $149 million estate includes 12 Continue reading “A $149 Million Mansion”