Cloud Streets

This article in the economist is pretty helpful in understanding how we’re living our lives these days. I owe Denmark a giant apology. Spain as well. Recently I figured out that one of the main reasons life has been so difficult over the past 2 years has been that we are foreigners. I know this doesn’t seem like much of a revelation, but it actually is. In the beginning of being an expat, you see yourself as “on an adventure” and it can be quite frustrating just how unadventurous figuring out how to get home heating oil delivered in your new host country can be.

But the main point here, is that I want to apologize to the people of Denmark and Spain. I can’t say I was a gracious guest. I complained all the time about how strange and difficult a place it was, (and is with regard to Spain). When in fact, it’s not difficult for Danes in Denmark, no is it difficult for Spaniards in Spain. I suppose it might be difficult for Danes or Spaniards in the USA, but I know for a fact, that most of my complaints have been not about the place where we’ve been living, but about the context of being a foreigner.

Odd, and obvious little realization. Felis Navida. Gød Jule. Merry Christmas

Beauty

Is Victoria pulling her weight at work?

Recently I posed the question to my LinkedIn network, “What do you think about an open Salary policy, total transparency in compensation at a company that is less than 40 people, is this a good idea? Or a recipe for disaster?” The response was an overwhelmingly…

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD IDEA.

But i cannot believe how much a firecracker this quesiton was.  So many people felt compelled to answer it.

It seems like people think that Salary Inequality and transparency are like Priests and child abuse scandals, let’s not talk about it, and let’s just accept that it happens.

If we address it by making it public, it will destroy us.

I find this attitude puzzling.  So do a few other people.

Alexander Kjerulf, Penelope Trunk

At Ignite, we didn’t have a total transparency policy, I mean, we didn’t post salaries on the intranet…but we did talk about them openly, and every one knew the overhead rates, and the billing rates.  I though that helped, especially when it came time to talk about pay cuts due to falling revnues.  But hey, our pay scale was pretty fair, and was closely tied to billing rates, so it was easier.  But I first thought of this 6 years ago…when the Boeing Air Traffic Management division was laid off. The  Company president went through the overhead rates in explicit detail.  I found this had a huge impact on how people felt about the decision.  It didn’ t help if you were one of the ones getting laid off, but it did make clear that the reductions were not just management whims in a stcok market slump

Besides ! Also, if Suze Orman is in favor of it, it can’t be that evil and scary ?   Actually 1 of the comments privately messaged me that it migh have a positive impact on Gender Inequality in Salary.  If that turns out to be provable, what more reason do you need.  Its not just “unfotunate” if you have Gender Inequality going on in Salary.  In the United States, it’s illegal.  Eliminating illegal practice through transparency is probably worth having to work hard to define a fair and equitable compensation strategy.

One colleuague, (a european whose family comes from a former Soviet Block state) even told me it was Communist!  Since when, did open and transparent equate to Soviet Totalitarian Communism?

–baffled.

Ryan working through things

When our baby Soren died a few years back, one of the most cathartic experiences I had was working with our friend and master carpenter to build a tiny casket from some brazillian wood, with pegs and glue only.  Rami helped me make it pretty ornately, but it was no bigger than shoe box.  I was heartned to read our friend Ryan and Sherman’s Memorial blog about Ezra who passed away this year recently where they described the funeral.  Particulary I though about carrying the casket together as a family. And having no hearse. And Ryan building the casket.

How good.  I think it must have helped with the greif.  Cella and Josiah and renee all helped with the pegs in the final part of putting Soren’s casket together and that memory will always help me when I feel sad.

http://ezrasherman.blogspot.com/2009/02/snowy-burial-day-february-26-2009.html

A dear family that we have loved for the 9 years we have known them has lost their son to lukemia this week. He died after an intense week long battle with cranial bleeding. One minute he was fine. The next his loving parents rushed him to the ER, discovered he had lukemia, then discovered he had bleeding in the brain…and one short week later he was gone. He never woke up and never knew he had a disease.

Because the ICU’s now have internet connections. Kandice and Ryan had the ability to take a cathartic and therapuetic approach and create a blog to tell friends and family about his progress during intense chemo. This led to hundreds of postings, a shrine at Ezra’s school, 1000 paper cranes, candles left on door steps and the proper kind of shared greiving that must have been common when we all lived in villages but is denied us usually in the modern age.

Everyone should have such love and it is interesting and strange how sick and hurt I feel about Ezra’s passing, leaving behind his twin brother and older sister but even stranger how comforting it is to see so many people sharing their love for this amazing family on the internet.

Read more on Ezra’s Blog

H/T to Markus Stefanko for finding this clear and concise definition of the meaning of life.

Remember me, as you pass by As you are now, so once was I As I am now, so you shall be Prepare for Death and follow me