Sanctions stopped more than just the oligarchs … for a while Tardigrades, cockroaches, ants … it seems to be generally agreed that these “lesser” life forms will be thriving and busily doing their thing long after humans are a distant memory. Well, I have one other nominee for that long-surviving…

There is more than one kind of occupying force, and more than one kind of genocide. The world is looking on in horror at the war in Ukraine, the scorched earth policy of Putin and his cronies and the incredible human suffering that has resulted from this occupation of a…

The reassurance and validation of a great metaphor Choosing the path less taken can lead to second-guessing that choice from time to time. The alternatives are so often framed as “normal” and “typical”, leading to questions from people who don’t understand, or haven’t tried to understand, other options. I’ve written…

In which the author explores the nature of the things that are bugging us right now There is a strong strain of whining in the public discourse right now. The complaints range from eye-rolling petty concerns to serious, life-altering and truly tragic: “I had to wait in line almost an…

It may not come as a news flash to you, but I’ve come to the conclusion that the fundamental corporate commitment to customer service is dead — at least in the banking industry. I reached this epiphany when I determined I no longer have the bandwidth or patience to deal…

The best day of the year is coming up fast. That’s the winter solstice — December 21 — the best day of the year, because from here on (for the next six months) the total hours of daylight start increasing each day. And up here in the great white North…

“I can’t believe this is happening” is the subject line in the email. It comes from a respected colleague, a mover and shaker and innovative thinker whose work I admire greatly. This individual regularly offers new ways to approach old problems, leading to unexpected solutions. …

Halloween and Diwali are behind us, and it appears all the stores and advertisers and websites are operating on the same schedule: it’s time for Christmas shopping. Argh. Can we just put a pin in all this consumption mania, just for once? Please????? Please, hear me out: there’s never been a better time to reconsider the suggestion that celebrating Christmas automatically signals time to buy…

Finding the right employee is a lot of work. I was reminded of this fact the last time I went through the process of advertising, screening applications, interviewing, reference checks, and finally making an offer to the successful candidate. …