July 2006

Finally, a Hilton story that isn't about Paris (Sunday, 7/30/06)
Deena Beasley reports that Hilton Hotels has reached agreement with its union on a new labor contract.

Incidentally, when Conrad Hilton appeared on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show many years ago, Johnny asked him if there was anything he wanted to say to an audience of millions. Mr. Hilton replied, "Yes, please remember to put the shower curtain INSIDE the tub."

From ON a pedestal to UNDER a pedestal? (Thursday, 7/27/06)
Not long ago, every executive seemed to be trying to become the next Jack Welch. Recently, though, there has been evidence that Jack's approach to management may be going out of style, although, if you would like a contrary opinion, just ask Jack. Here's more for CNN's Betsy Morris in New York.

Incidentally, one of the things that business and public education may have in common is that fads often sweep through the business and education cultures with blinding speed. New policies and procedures often are instituted, not because they have been shown to be superior to the old, but because people who don't really know what to do often feel better if they do SOMETHING.

Not many years ago, American corporations were sending their executives to Japan to see "how the Japanese do it." That was when the Japanese economy was still regarded by many as "miraculous." However, it has been anything but miraculous during most of the time since the early 1990s.

What journalists are doing on the side (Thursday, 7/27/06)
Many companies have been shedding workers at fairly furious rates, and the big news organizations have not been exceptions. The New York Times reports on what some journalists are doing to prepare in case they receive the dreaded "pink slip" themselves. What kind of business is the author of this article starting? We don't know either.

Incidentally, small businesses on the side are nothing new for people in media. For instance, visit Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, and you will see many small electrical shops, and so on. Many of these businesses are owned and operated by people who work in the movie industry whenever they can, including crew members on big-budget films.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: The American Language (Saturday, 7/22/06)
Contrary to popular assumptions, Latin isn't a "dead language," it is said, because Romance languages such as Spanish, French, and Italian are really the modern versions of the Latin spoken by the common people of the Roman Empire. In fact, even during the time of Cicero, there wasn't a single dialect of Latin.

Languages evolve over time, and dialects eventually become identified as separate languages. Moreover, whether different "tongues" are regarded as different dialects or different languages can depend greatly on local circumstances. For instance, some Chinese dialects differ from one another more than English and German, both of which are Germanic languages, but because of England's special history, English also includes a fairly messy Latin "overlay." The result is a language that is hard to learn for persons whose native language is something else.

In 1921, Baltimore journalist H. L. Mencken wrote an influential book an influential book called The American Language, which is now available on the Web in its entirety.

If you see Superman walking down San Diego's streets, don't be alarmed (Friday, 7/21/06)
However, if you see him flying, perhaps you should be alarmed. The big Comic-Con convention is being held in San Diego at the moment, and it has drawn (no pun intended, but not really regretted either) cartoonists and animators who are used to a lot of Wham! and Bam! in the workplace. The convention has drawn fans by the multitude as well.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science (Thursday, 7/20/06)
We've suggested a number of times that the word "science," which has been in common use only since the latter half of the 19th century, could safely be retired, if we had a suitable substitute.

As psycholinguists often say, "Words don't have meanings; instead, people have meanings for words." Unfortunately, the meanings that many people have learned for "science" are misleading and counterproductive, suggesting, among other things, that there are alternatives to science that can be equally reliable. By definition, this isn't the way scientists understand the term "science."

So many people seem to think that "science" is defined in terms of its subject matter, when, actually, it is defined by its methods. In fact, "science" is simply another name for the most effective methods presently available for arriving at trustworthy answers to empirical questions of all kinds, whether these be referred to as "science," historical research, the gathering of evidence in court cases, journalism, or some other field.

We now know a good deal about "what it takes" legitimately to say that we "know" or to be sure about anything having to do with observable things and events in the natural world, past or present. Of course, some areas of activity require greater compromises short of "what it takes" than others; e.g., historical research vs. controlled experimentation, say, in chemistry or experimental social psychology. As a consequence, conclusions must be qualified appropriate to the compromises that are necessary. Magical thinking in any human endeavor doesn't help, though.

By whatever means, the public needs to learn far more about the nature of science in modern life. If case studies can contribute to greater public understanding, then case studies should be used. The National Center for Case Study Teaching in Science is based at New York's University of Buffalo.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: PreserveNet (Wednesday, 7/19/06)
Any member of one of the growing number of families that have contained an Alzheimer's patient know how devastating memory loss can be for an individual. Similarly, whole societies and cultures can become "demented" if they lose touch with their histories. Tangible remains from the past can act as important "reality testers" and make it less likely that truly goofy ideas will be generated by a culture and persist over long periods, even over generations. PreserveNet at Cornell University organizes people over great distances in the service of historic preservation.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: The Society for Historical Archaeology (Monday, 7/17/06)
History isn't dead. We act according to how we perceive things, and historical context has a lot do with determining our perceptions.

The kind of perspective provided by historians is important, but so is that provided by other scholars, such as geologists and astronomers. For instance, there is overwhelming evidence that the Earth was here long before humans of any kind, let alone modern humans such as ourselves, arrived. Moreover, there is a good chance that our home planet will be here long after there is any trace that humans were ever here, with the possible exception of a few fossils.

The Society for Historical Archaeology is made up of scholars and other persons interested in societies gone by that have left both physical remains and other kinds of historical evidence.

More "old media" job cuts (Saturday, 7/15/06)
A single appearance on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show" was a career-maker for many performers who were catapulted into stardom soon after, including David Letterman and Roseanne Barr, among many others. Now, young performers are likely to have to make many appearances on both Letterman's and Leno's shows, as well as others, in order to have the same impact on public consciousness.

With hundreds of cable TV channels, iPods, video games, and movie rentals all competing for home information and entertainment audiences, the number of people watching prime-time programming on over-the-air networks has eroded steadily, as has the audience for the evening television network news programs.

Then, after a slow start as an advertising medium, the Internet suddenly has slammed both traditional electronic and print media as well. Among the latest media job cuts are 120 at the Chicago Tribune and 115 at CBS Radio, including the CBS radio division's head of programming.

Meanwhile, in an effort to put a tourniquet on the hemorrhaging, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that a number of publishers are trying to make special deals with Yahoo.

It all brings to mind all of the talk about a possible alliance between General Motors and another car company that is in better financial condition, as Time magazine reports. James Healey and Chris Woodyard of USA Today report that GM CEO Rick Wagoner doesn't feel the alliance talk is very helpful. If it were to happen, his job might very well be threatened, incidentally.

Lebanon's economy may be hurt by bombing (Friday, 7/14/06)
Well, no kidding. Having things smashed all to hell may impair an economy's ability to carry on business as usual. Here's more from Jim Krane in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Meanwhile, the Council on Foreign Relations fears that "the big one" may be brewing in the Mideast, and they're not the only ones. Can $100 crude be far behind. How about $150 crude? The only good thing that one might say about a regional war in that area of the world now is that if it had occurred 25 years ago, it could have led to a nuclear exchange between the United States and the old Soviet Union, and that could have ended life on Earth as humans have known it for tens of thousands of years.

Finally, as one might expect, it's "testing time" for the American economy. James Miller writes in the Chicago Tribune about how high oil prices are putting pressure on the entire American economy and low-income families in particular. Lucia Mutikani and Alister Bull report from New York and Washington, respectively, on new University of Michigan data showing that American consumers have been losing some of their optimism as they fill their gas tanks and think about winter fuel bills in northern climates.

Incidentally, "global warming" doesn't necessarily mean mild winters from now on. The climate changes that seem to be occurring mean, among other things, more moisture in the atmosphere and greater weather extremes.

Guess who's going to be altering the political and economic landscape in the United States (Thursday, 7/13/06)
When Spain conquered or colonized large portions of the Americas, bringing Roman Catholicism and the Spanish language, as well as other aspects of its culture to the indiginous peoples of the region, its influence was greatest in Central and South America. Now, though, centuries later, Spain's influence is being felt indirectly throughout much of North America as well. Census Bureau data show that Hispanics make up the largest and fastest-growing minority group in the United States, something which politicians have noticed, and, as Stacy Perman reports, marketers have noticed as well.

Soldiers with "personality disorders" discharged (Saturday, 7/8/06)
A former Army private who had been diagnosed with "antisocial personality disorder" has been charged with the murder and rape of a young woman in Iraq. Lolita Baldor has more from Washington on the 1,000 soldiers with "personality disorders" who were discharged last year by the U.S. Army.

Incidentally, "personality disorder" is an official category in psychiatric diagnostic systems, such as DSM-IV, the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual from the American Psychiatric Association. The label can be misleading because it may sound like a general term for all kinds of psychiatric disturbances. However, it's defined by specific diagnostic criteria and contains a number of different kinds of "personality disorders," of which "antisocial personality disorder" is only one. The various types differ significantly from one another, but many seem to have in common that they are examples of arrested or distorted psychological development and its consequences during adulthood.

The "personality disorders" differ dramatically from other types of psychiatric problems, such as schizophrenia or mood disorders. Overall, the research shows that, at any particular time, about 20 percent--or 1 in 5--of adult Americans would meet diagnostic criteria for one or more psychiatric disorders. Critics see the high incidence of psychiatric disorders overall as reflecting a tendency to over-"medicalize" deviant behavior, often remarking "Heck, everybody's a little abnormal."

Not so, if an attribute becomes more widely distributed in a population, that doesn't make it "more normal." The incidence of diabetes has increased in the United States during recent years, but this doesn't mean that diabetes has become more normal. It is just as much a disease as it has always been, and medical specialists will have no difficulty distinguishing a diabetic person from an individual with normal health.

Incidentally, the increase in the incidence of diabetes has been attributed to a variety of environmental, societal, and lifestyle influences. Similarly, many cases of "personality disorder" can be traced to factors impacting on the person's early development.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: When Do Rural Roads Benefit The Poor and How? (Saturday, 7/8/06)
This is the 50th anniversary year of the American Interstate highway system, a 47-thousand-mile marvel of civil engineering, rivaled in human history by few other building projects, with the possible exception of the Great Pyramids and the Great Wall of China. Moreover, the Interstate system transformed American work and life.

Throughout history, roads have had a tremendous effect on societies and individuals. For instance, it's hard to believe that, during ancient times, the vast Roman Empire could have held together without its tremendous system of roads.

When Do Rural Roads Benefit The Poor and How? is a report written by Mermamala Hettige and sponsored by the Asian Development Bank.

China attempts to restrict Internet access again (Thursday, 7/6/06)
Recently, China has been in the news most frequently because of its blazing economic growth, but there are many sides to the contemporary Chinese picture. While large numbers of Chinese are benefitting from the economic boom, it still amounts to a small proportion of its enormous population. As a few become better off and even get rich, hundreds of millions of Chinese people are getting poorer.

The Chinese Communist Party, based in Beijing, continues efforts to maintain highly centralized control in this vast country of at least 1.3 billion persons, but that's getting harder. The rich areas, such as Shanghai, have been exerting increased political autonomy, and the poor multitudes in other regions of the country have been making their dissatisfaction known. The tens of thousands of social protests each year typically do not work their way into the international press as easily as stories about economic successes, and typically don't get into the government-controlled Chinese press at all. Nonetheless, they have been rattling whatever residual security governmental authorities in Beijing may have been experiencing.

The free flow of information is a threat to any autocratic government, and the Internet may be the greatest threat of all. When people can communicate more easily, they can also organize. Some years ago, BraveNewWorkWorld & NewWork News was among the sites that the Chinese government specifically attempted to block.

The Chinese government's latest effort to control Internet access ostensibly is an attempt to "protect" children. Here's more on the curfews that have established for "Internet cafes," of which there are thousands in major metropolitan areas.

Today's NewWork News Web Tip: Mathematics Across the College Curriculum (Thursday, 7/6/06)
First, there was "writing across the curriculum," which may have sounded like some sort of vandalism, but, instead, reflected the persistent need for writing skills in work and life, even though the culture seems to be moving away from language-based activities in the the direction of tech-based audio and video images. Now, colleges are attempting to emphasize the widespread role of mathematics in modern life and work and to prepare students by showing the importance of math in many academic and work fields. People who remain illiterate of mathematics will remain illiterate of many others things in modern life as well. Here's Mathematics Across the College Curriculum.

Have you felt it getting more crowded lately? (Monday, 7/3/06)
Not only is the U.S. on schedule for reaching a population of 300 million in October, the world now contains more than 6 1/2 billion persons, with billions more to come soon.

During the Lincoln administration and the Civil War, U.S. population was approximately 30 million, and global population reached one billion for the first time only about two decades earlier. To put things into perspective, there are still a few people living who have talked to people who knew the Lincolns before they moved from Springfield, Illinois to Washington, D. C.

Needless to say, the population explosion continues at a furious pace, and many of the world's most pressing problems, including climate change, can be traced to the fact that Earth is supporting far more persons now than during any other time in its history. David Francis has been thinking about ways that population growth might be slowed a bit.

Work vacations (Saturday, 7/1/06)
Jeffrey Gangemi tells about people who use their vacations for doing volunteer work.

It is said that Bill Frist, who is Senate Majority Leader, but also a major heart surgeon, often goes to Africa to work as a doctor when the Senate isn't in session. Former Governor and current Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean is a physician as well, although we don't know if he keeps his license current.

Frist and Dean occupy largely opposite political positions, but how would they act toward each other if they found themselves in the middle of an emergency requiring medical assistance? Even though the American political climate has gotten highly rancorous, we expect that they would cordially address each other as "Doctor" and work together closely and efficiently.

Speaking of medicine, there has been a growing shortage of nurses in the United States, and Rodrique Ngowi reports from Nairobi, Kenya that African nurses are moving to the United States in search of work. Large portions of Africa remain tortured by poverty, war, and, of course, disease, which probably means that they can't afford a "medical brain drain."

Meanwhile, Heidi Vogt and Marta Falconi write from Kebemer, Senegal about migrant workers who spend long periods of time in Europe, while leaving their families behind.