A little business blogging
I really do enjoy talking about business. What people do for a living, the companies they've worked for, why they had certain jobs, what is the driving force of the company, the history of the company, how they treat customers, their go to market strategy, etc. I really enjoy it all. I may not fully understand the products a comapny makes, but I know enough to kepp the conversation flowing. Why is it fascinating to me? I don't know. Maybe its the competition, the living by your wits, the last vestiage of a time were you can beat down an opponent, and that's okay. Not really, I just read that somewhere years ago by someone who thought that is why more men attained high executive positions than women. It's some sort of testosterone thing. whatever. Actually, I like the understanding the strategy of a company. It gives you insight into how they think, and that is what interests me. I like people who can be thoughtful and reasoning. I like the same thing from companies. I've never fully trusted anyone who is impulsive by nature. Implusive people are just looking for the next thing that makes them fell good.

Anyway, the reason I started writing tonight is that I've noticed a decernable split between what I call the "haves" and "have nots". The economy is picking up steam, and yet there are plenty of companies whose numbers just don't look very strong. Is the economy not really that strong, or is there something wrong with the company. I say, take a look at the competitors. Coca Cola; not doing so good, yet the competitors are doing fine. HP; not so good, yet Dell is doing well. The airlines; many are doing poorly yet Southwest is still eating their lunch.

The airline business is an intersting business, though one I'm not sure I would enjoy working in. How is it for so long now that these businesses has stayed intact and still deliver a crappy customer experience? And its all about logistics. It seems to me that the airlines know how much it costs them to fly from point A to point B, so why do they have a hard time managing their costs? Here's a radical idea, why not charge customers for a fixed percentage over cost? So, instead of charging $49 from NY to LA, but $249 from NY to Pittsburgh, why not charge more for LA and less for Pittsburgh? I understand why it doesn't work that way, competitive pressures drive the pricing, but the current system makes things confusing for the customer. "Same low price all the time", sounds like Walmart, but maybe it would work for the airlines. Its got to better than bankruptcy.

- posted by Simmering @ 8:17 PM

 
The Children of Beslan
I have been fuming for days since the children of Beslan were killed by those......those what? How can I call them monsters when that de-humanizes their evil. And yet, how can a human kill a child and not have a care? Doesn't that make the killer less than human? To be human is to value life, the promise of life, and potential for a better future, all those things that are embodied in a child. Then it seems to reason that to shamelessly snuff out a child's life is inhuman.

Bastards. That's all I can say. Bastards.

I'm so tired now, just thinking of the suffering those damn bastards put those children through. It ruined my weekend. It ruined the joy I felt after the Republican Convention. There was so much I wanted to write after the convention, and those BASTARDS through me into a black mood.

Black moods are not good. Stewing, thinking, unable to act against the Bastards, tears, and stewing. I honestly do not know what I would do if I was in the same shoes as the parents in Beslan. The logical slide of me says, "Catch the bastards, make them talk, get as much as you can, and then punish them in a court of law." The emotional side says, "Strike, take a breath, and strike again." Now that I'm a parent, I can see why there are stories about how the mother bear is the most dangerous animal in the wild. You try an come after my child, you've got another thing coming. I've been mean before, but touch my kiddo and you'll see cataclysmic shifts in the Earth. I have to believe that most parents feel this way. I know that if my child was hurt or worse, gone, I've got nothing else, and thus nothing left to lose. When Momma Bear hits, she hits hard. I'm the male version of Momma Bear.

Okay, (deep breaths, calming down)....It's been six days, and I still get worked up. It took me this long just to write about the tragedy.

Anyway, so the Statesman prints a Commentary justifying the pictures of Beslan that they used. The lead picture was of the mother, caressing her fallen child's face, obvious sorrow in a place so deep in her soul that I pray no one should ever have to feel such sorrow ever again. The picture tears me up as I write about it. The picture was appropriate, yet some readers felt it was too emotional. Too emotional!!!???? Are you frickin kidding me?!!?!?!? Nearly 400 children died, a pain and grief so strong and deep that the Earth should have been knocked off of its axis, and these people want to hide from the unpleasantness? No, I say. You people need to pull you heads out of the sand, and really look at these pictures. Understand that these children didn't do anything to deserve this attack, and anyone who tries to argue otherwise is no better than the BASTARDS who killed the children in the first place.

Here is my latest letter to the Editor of the Statesman. They haven't printed anything of mine lately. I'm not sure if this is a reflection of my poor writing, being too acerbic, or both.

Thank you for the photos you used for the hideous tragedy in Beslan. They were poignant and compelling. The fact that readers openly wept at the sight of these pictures tells me that the message is not lost. The message is that unthinkable evil walks this earth.
I challenge the readers look at these pictures again. Don't turn away, divert your eyes, or go to your "happy place" and make believe that this evil can't happen here. Let that woman's deep sorrow, a sorrow she didn't ask for or deserve, sink into you. And then the next time you hear some smart-aleck say that we are getting what we deserve, this is all about oil, or our leaders are too simplistic, you should stop and think about this woman's face. She didn't deserve this, it wasn't about oil, and it's not simplistic to call this purely evil.

As always, I wanted to write so much more, but I'm limited to 150 words. (sigh)

I think I'm now going to kiss my son's sleeping head, and head off to bed.

- posted by Simmering @ 10:37 PM