Archive for the ‘Cultures’ Category
Saturday, June 12th, 2010
I compiled my thoughts on the primary challenges the United States faces in the coming decade, and ways to overcome them, here: http://www.hackneys.com/docs/facingthefuture.pdf
The primary focus in this collection is on domestic challenges, although some geopolitical issues are addressed.
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Posted in Business, Cultures, Econ / Finance, Geopolitics, Media, Outside the Fishbowl, US Politics, health care reform | 2 Comments »
Monday, May 31st, 2010
As part of our effort to reintegrate into American society and its culture, we’re spending part of our summer in the air conditioned retreat of the Paramount, a faithfully restored theater originally built in 1915 to host vaudeville as the Majestic and transformed in 1930 into a Baroque Revival movie ...
Posted in Cultures, Geopolitics, Media, Outside the Fishbowl | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 25th, 2010
Yesterday, an entrepreneur told me of his father, who died at 81. The father lived in a 4th floor walkup until he was 79, when a fire in the building forced a move to a new building. The new building came with a wonderful view of the East River and an ...
Posted in Business, Cultures, Outside the Fishbowl | 1 Comment »
Monday, March 29th, 2010
Much of the story of humans and groups of humans, as well as the challenges that face America, can be told with circles.
The core of the story is an individual.
The first unit of human organization is the family.
The next unit of human organization is tribe.
Posted in Cultures, Outside the Fishbowl, US Politics | 2 Comments »
Monday, March 29th, 2010
During America’s brief tenure atop the world’s pecking order between the end of WWII and the beginning of the current era, the country enjoyed an unprecedented run of prosperity and abundance. The country was so successful while producing copious wealth and endless opportunity, it could afford to take on costs ...
Posted in Cultures, Geopolitics, Outside the Fishbowl, US Politics | No Comments »
Monday, March 8th, 2010
The United States of America enjoys many riches, inherent capabilities and positive attributes, as well as shortcomings, unresolved issues and a converging set of existential threats.
The challenge is to be aware of the upsides of the United States without becoming defiantly hostile to any discussion of specific shortcomings or ways ...
Posted in Cultures, Econ / Finance, Outside the Fishbowl, US Politics | No Comments »
Sunday, March 7th, 2010
“…our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are … testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure.” – Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
*******
The United States ...
Posted in Cultures, Econ / Finance, Geopolitics, Outside the Fishbowl, US Politics, health care reform | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010
More than 9 out of 10 patients do not change their lifestyles in response to their doctor’s recommendations.
More than 70 percent of corporate change efforts fail.
Humans hate change.
It’s a simple fact of life. There isn’t any easy way around it. In general, humans hate change.
That rule extends beyond individuals into ...
Posted in Business, Cultures, US Politics | No Comments »
Saturday, February 20th, 2010
In my book, How The World Works, entry 512 is Priorities vs. Budgets.
It reads:
“As a business management consultant I heard a lot about priorities. In the introductory meeting and group management team interviews, senior executives would drone on endlessly about the organization’s priorities. Top priority this and critical priority that; it ...
Posted in Cultures, Econ / Finance, US Politics | 4 Comments »
Monday, December 21st, 2009
Back in 2004 I wrote a holiday message about our Christmas tree titled The Seekers.
It turned out to be one of the most popular essays of that era.
We put up a Christmas tree last week for the first time since then. It was amazing to realize it had been five years since we'd either ...
Posted in Cultures, Religion, Travel | 1 Comment »