Summation

Why a college degree does not means as much as people think

Getting a college degree is not truly necessary and employers should stop requiring them for most jobs.

Most jobs that require a college degree only do so because so many people go to college nowadays and employers just use it as an easy way of discriminating in-favor of the "motivated". You don't really need a college agree to be a city clerk or a salesperson or even a software developer.

Among my circles the common question is "where did you go to college?" not "did you go to college?"

yes, a degree from a good school proves that you're smart and can be a good ticket. But other than that, how essential is college? -- especially if it is not from one of the most prestigious schools?

most things you learn in college you could learn on your own, or by taking a class or a seminar, or by joining a study group … or just by reading a book or looking it up on the Internet ...

yes, college is essential if you want to be a professor and it is necessary if you want to go to grad school (though I would agree that most masters degrees are unnecessary as well)

the college experience is very important in developing people socially and increasing maturity -- and also helping increase our drinking skills. But that is only true for the more elite 4-year universities -- not commuter schools where most people get their degrees. couldn't two years of national community service be much better for most people?

skills are important to learn: nursing, mechanics, dry wall, sales, putting together my computer, writing … all those things would give people a much better living then the typical college degree does

best education I ever got was the training I got on a summer job I had right after my senior year in high school. I went door to door for the environment asking for money. I learned how to make a sale in 6 seconds. You can't learn that at no college … we don't need no education ...

Books: How We Know What Isn't So

Review of How We Know What Isn't So by Thomas Gilovich

This is a book on bias and on prejudice and stereotyping.

Everyday we all make decisions by relying on our biases -- it is human nature. We misinterpret data, assume they are better then everyone else, and we believe what we are told.

This is a masterful book that Gilovich put together and I highly recommend it. First, the book is short. Second, it is the perfect companion to Influence: The Power of Persuasion (which is one of my favorite books of all time).

To really understand humans I suggest you read Influence, the Tipping Point, How We Know What Isn't So, and Why We Buy. I haven't yet read Gladwell's new book, Blink, but I suspect that one too (on whether you should trust your gut) might join these four important books as a must read.

Ukraine elections ... the sequel

My recent blog on the Ukrainian elections has been getting a lot of hits lately -- it is very timely.   Last year I was in Georgia, this year in Ukraine.   similar situations.   will the outcomes be similar?  too early to tell but I don't think it will happen.

i'm worried.   one always worries when hundreds of thousands of people protest in the freezing cold.   in means they're serious (as Kiev can get pretty chilly this time of year).   and the Yuschenko supporters are pitching tents and staying put.  for now.

we cannot afford to let Ukraine lapse into a civil war ... and yet we cannot afford to have its citizenry feel so unempowered.   so we wait and hope the sides come to a resolution as the alternative, a civil war, is not unlikely.   

see: Questions linger about Yuschenko's illness
see: Monitoring the Ukraine Presidential Election

Brown belt and black shoes -- why fashion is stupid and makes no sense

Why does fashion matter? I mean, what does it say about a person that is fashion coordinated? Only that the person spends a lot of time thinking about fashion. Is that such a good thing???

Why can't I wear a black belt with brown shoes or visa versa? Why is this such a faux-pas? And when I do this, why does everyone chastise me to no end?

And why can't I wear my blue faded jeans? How can a good pair of Levi's go out of style?

Fashion is stupid.

Whoa!! Do I dare say that? Yes … I'll even say it again … watch out … here it comes …

FASHION IS REALLY STUPID!!

Yeah. I can understand trying to look clean and presentable but why are ALL the men wearing those diagonal stripes these days? I mean is everyone a lemming and just needs to follow the oracle of the "trend"???

Ok … something else that bugs me .. Ties. I mean, what is the purpose of a tie except to suffocate you and to land in your lunch? I just do not understand the point. I mean, how did all of western society conform to such a stupid fashion? Don't we have an sense to change this fad?

Guess what else is stupid??? Grammar. And spelling. Huh? Yeah, Spelling. And table settings.

OK. I admit it. I don't know a thing about grammar. I never learned it. And frankly … I don't care. I'm sure this post will be riddled with grammatical errors … but guess what? You'll still understand what I am talking about. You'll understand me just fine.

So what's the big deal about grammar???

I find huge joy in ending my sentences with prepositions.

And spelling. So Dan Quayle spelled potato as "potatoe" -- so what's the big deal? Is there anyone who speaks English who doesn't know what he means? Spelling is really important to avoid confusion -- and so is grammar by the way -- but beyond that it as little value except to take a whole lot of brain power and to attempt to draw class distinctions -- neither of which is really useful to society.

And … while I am on a role … who really gives a hoot about which side to set the fork??? I mean, come on!!! There might occasionally be some practical purposes (like so you do not steal your neighbor's fork), but overall, table manners is a lot of hooey. When I'm at home alone … with no one else around … I like lick my plate. I mean, I just cooked something tasty, finished it, and there is some scraps on my plate (or in a bowl). So I lick it. Delicious. But I wouldn't dare do that in front of company (or even in front of my best friends) … I'd be an outcast, a pariah, a fool.

So I sit there, sitting on my hands, staring at this delicious plate … and I bemoan things fashionable that are not purposeful …

Book: The Oligarchs: Wealth and Power in the New Russia

The Oligarchs: Wealth and Power in the New Russia By David Hoffman

David Hoffman (no relation to me) is a masterful writer and he brings to life six characters that shaped Russia from its post-Communist days -- for better and for worse.

This book is similar to The Wise Men -- the men that shaped the U.S. foreign policy in the post WWII era.

The book was originally sent to me for my birthday (in April) by Adrian Scott (CEO of Ryze) but I just got to it now. The book was fascinating and riveting. Though 500 pages, I could not put it down and it was a great addition to my trip to Ukraine.

Summation: if you are interested in the evolvement of the post-Soviet states, I highly suggest you read this book.

Robin Wolaner publishes blog

Robin Wolaner publishes her new blog on her book (due in March 2005), Naked in the Boardroom.

Robin lives in SF and was the founder of Parenting Magazine.

Book: How to Survive Dating: By Hundreds of Happy Singles Who Did & Some Things to Avoid from a Few Broken Hearts Who Didn't (Hundreds of Heads Survival Guides)

Mark Bernstein and his company, Hundreds of Heads books, came out with their newest book: How to Survive Dating: By Hundreds of Happy Singles Who Did & Some Things to Avoid from a Few Broken Hearts Who Didn't (Hundreds of Heads Survival Guides)

this is another great book and a great job of marketing by Mark. My guess is the the "How to Survive" series will become as popular as the "Dummies" books.

Books: Me Talk Pretty One Day

Link: Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

this witty book is a good read -- but i would suggest you listen to the audio book as i did one day on a drive to and from upstate new york.

Sedaris is a great storyteller and is very funny. he's also very insightful about society and picks up on extremely humorous parts of life.

Monitoring the Ukraine Presidential Election

This week there were two extremely important presidential elections. The first (Bush v Kerry) overshadowed another important election -- the Ukrainian presidential election (Yanukovich v Yushchenko).

On late night on Sunday, Oct 31, I was at a polling station in a town near Tiachiv, in western Ukraine near the border with Romania and Hungary. Me and my partner are with the OSCE (Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe) and we are international election observers. Thus far … no problems, no issues. It has been a long day and we've been to a bunch of polling stations and experienced wonderful people.

Then … someone at the polling station motions for us to come over. They get a call that there are 50 strong men blocking the entrance to the county election headquarters. My translator relays the info to us. We quickly work the phones … I find he mobile number of the county election chairman and give him a call. He confirms … no one can enter or exit the territorial election commission headquarters -- he's boxed in and asks us for help.

We hop in our car and hightail it to Tiachiv -- a 15 minute drive but get there under 10 minutes because we have Yuri -- the best driver in all of western Ukraine. And sure enough -- 50 thug-like men, all dressed in black and all big -- are blocking the entrance. The police, inside and outside, have resigned to the fact that they are no longer in control.

I walk quickly, my translator hurrying behind me. I greet the men and they huddle around me. Intimidation. I ask who is in charge and big guy -- at least three times my size -- steps forward. He tells me his name is Ivor but refuses to tell me his last name. Then the others start poking me and ask to see my documents. I smile. I show them my documents and try to shake a few more hands. Most of these men are big, but they don't look like they really want to be there. I imagine they would rather be home watching soccer.

Then they poke me some more and ask to see my bag. One of them asks if I have a bomb in my bag. Of course, I have no bomb … but I do have a big bag of potato chips which I produce for effect, Johnny Cochran style. If it doesn't fit you must acquit…

I smile and ask them all if they want some chips. This breaks the ice and they all laugh. I'm a good guy now. We all smile and few minutes later, with the help of another contact in the town (and a former student of my translator) who we met the day before, we are able to enter the commission headquarters and soon precinct results were flowing in a little faster.

Mission

We arrived in Kiev on the Tuesday before elections … it was a beautiful day and a beautiful city. As one of 650 short-term observers with the OSCE (Organization of Security and Cooperation of Europe), we packed ourselves in two hotels. The observers represented dozens of European countries and we bond quickly. I met most of the Americans in the flight from Frankfurt to Kiev -- people from a wide range of backgrounds. And unlike my mission last year to Georgia, I was not the youngest person in the group. The age ranged from a few people in their twenties to people in their seventies -- and everywhere in between. Though most of the US delegates were from DC, many were from places all around the country.

Most of the American observers spoke Russian -- though a few, like me, had little to no language ability.

The Europeans were generally more experienced in election monitoring -- many had observed dozens of elections all around the world. Luckily for me, a unilingual American, all OSCE business is done in English and it is a requirement that all election observers must be absolutely fluent in English.

When we arrive in Kiev, I finally find out where in Ukraine I will be assigned: Uzhgorod. It is a choice assignment. Uzhgorod is the very Western-most tip of Ukraine and borders Slovakia and is 20 minutes from Hungary. I will be assigned to the Tiachiv region which borders Romania. We'll be in the midst of the rolling Carpathian mountains. My guidebook says "untamed landscapes and dramatic scenery make the Carpathians a chosen destination for nature-lovers."

One of my colleagues is not so lucky. She is assigned to a town that my guidebook says "there are 500,000 people living in this city and after you visit you'll wonder why." It is a mystery how the assignments to the different regions are made, but I am not complaining.

I meet my deployment team -- we are three Germans, a Swede, a Czech, an Irishman, a Hungarian, and two Americans (including myself and someone from the US Embassy in Ukraine). The delegation is headed by a Dutchman and a Canadian.

We're a diverse bunch. The Irishman is a character. He's a former army officer who's incredibly gregarious and has a big smile. He now runs logistics for a big Irish relief agency and over the last five years has been deployed in Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, and others. He likes to poke fun at my because I am an American and we have a good time trading barbs and downing beers.

My colleague from Sweden works in the Swedish foreign ministry and used to be a TV journalist there. He specializes in the former Soviet Union and speaks fluent Russia.

My partner is a German woman from the German Ministry of Environmental Affairs. She is originally a biologist and sent many years working in and around South Africa. She has never been an election monitor before and she does not speak Ukrainian or Russian either -- so we will have a lot learning to do together.

We take a propeller flight (about 100 minutes) from Kiev to Uzhgorod that was surprisingly comfortable -- even serving sandwiches and drinks. We stay at a huge hotel in the middle of town -- probably had 450 rooms with only 50 people staying there as the tourist season ended over a month ago. The service was great -- like everywhere in Ukraine. (in fact, one of the differences between Ukraine and Georgia was the service. Generally food was served quickly … and with a smile. People were very helpful … always going out of their way to be of service.)

The next day we head to Tiachiv

My translator is Edith - she is an English teacher in the local high school. She is Hungarian by background and speaks Hungarian, Ukrainian, Russian, and English fluently. She actually did not learn Ukrainian until in 1982 when she was 25. Her two boys, 15 and 13, love computers and the Internet. Her husband, who she married just one month after meeting him twenty years ago ("it was love at first site" she told me) works full time in Moscow because he cannot find an engineering job in Ukraine. He is only able to come home once every three months and takes a 2-day train ride to save cost.

Our driver is Yuri -- 24 years old and has a great stereo system in his car. He is saving money so he can go to law school (both his parents are local lawyers).

We stay at a local hotel -- almost like a bed and breakfast. The rooms where clean and well-kept and service was again friendly. In Tiachiv we meet with local election officials and visit the polling places ahead of election day. There is very little evidence of any campaigning anywhere in Ukraine even though the election is hotly contested. We ask questions about what is happening on the round and we look around for ourselves. Since both our driver and interpreter are from the area, we have little trouble getting around.

Election Day -- October 31, 2004

I'm at polling station #89 -- the hustle and bustle of hundreds of Ukrainians exercising their democratic right. A dog enters the polling station … it is a skinny white dog with black spots .. I think it wants to vote.

Everyone has hats and coats … it is chilly .. Everyone is in good cheer.

A nice woman just sat down next to me -- she is an English teacher in the town of Rachiv and we talk. She mentions that her husband is a businessman and owns two of the local hotels and asks why I am not staying there. I mention that we are staying in Tiachiv but I'm impressed at her capitalist instincts as she is trying to get more sales.

I notice there is a disc ball hanging from the ceiling … we must be in some sort of dance hall … my kind of place.

We head to a poling station in a small church and now we are in a basketball gym in a remote village. Flowers are everywhere -- on the polling booths, hanging from the basketball hoops, and on the windows. It is 11:15 am and it is already the fifth polling place we visited.

The ballot boxes are clear so as to prevent fraud. I watch an old man who's job it is to tally everyone who votes. You can tell he takes his job really seriously.

Little kids come to vote with their parents. Many take the ballots from their daddy or mommy and place it into the ballot box. Kids are learning democracy from an early age. And they start early.

We are invited by the chair of the polling station -- a nice old lady, a pensioner and former schoolteacher -- for lunch. She is sweet but absolutely insistent. We cannot refuse. First she toasts us with some champagne that is really sweet. She shoves salami sandwiches at us and I gladly eat. One the way out she gives me a big hug and bigger kiss -- a truly wonderful grandmother.

We went to the school where my translator works as an English teacher. We waited outside while she voted and then afterwards went inside and observed, By 3pm 1800 of the 3100 precinct voters had already cast their ballots -- and the polls do not close until 8pm.

We soon follow a mobile ballot box around to the homes of people too sick to go to the polls. Most of these are very old people who grew up under Stalin -- but they still want to practice their democratic right even though many are frail.

We are at our last polling station and reading to watch the count there. It is 7:59 pm and a man comes rushing in … eager to cast his ballot before the polls close. All the polling commission claps their ends and everyone erupts with laughter. The last person in polling station #25 votes.

Book: Lexis and the Olive Tree

The Lexis and the Olive Tree by Thomas Friedman

A classic book that I had never read until now. I listened to this book on MP3 while on an overseas trip -- great book. Friedman is fascinating.

Summation: Even though some of the book's concepts are a bit dated, I highly suggest reading this book.