Will It Never End*

I wrote a post a while back about the economic mechanisms that have caused oil prices to fall so precipitously. Even after writing that post I wondered if those mechanisms could account for the magnitude of the decline. Now I realize they didn’t. In fact, some of the market forces I described should have brought prices down much sooner than they did. So what happened? It turns out that many of the speculators who worked for Enron were hired by investment banks to continue their activities. When the bubble they created burst, oil prices dropped seventy percent. I’m beginning to wonder if there is any aspect of our economy the investment banks didn’t significantly impact…and that’s being polite. See related post It's Marginal.

My Hero Bill*

I work out at the YMCA with a guy named Bill. He’s about six feet tall with an athletic build much like a baseball player. He’s in considerably better shape than me but that’s not why he’s my hero. He’s my hero because he’s seventy five. As I thought more about it I realized that we typically pick a hero beyond our reach like a rock star, Olympic athlete, billionaire, supermodel, etc. I think it ultimately leaves us demoralized. On the other hand, I have twenty five years to get in shape like Bill.

If You Die Tomorrow*

I once heard a story about a manager who was a Vietnam combat veteran. He called a new subordinate in his office and said, “Your first task is to train a replacement like you’ll be dead tomorrow. Your second task it to learn my job.” Unless you're in a combat zone it seems a little melodramatic, but after years of managing operations I see the wisdom.

Cops and Kids*

I was watching the TV show Cops one day when I heard my daughter say, “She better not argue with the police or she’s gonna get arrested.” This was a real shock since I didn't know she was there and my daughter argues with us constantly. I don't usually let her watch the show since she's only ten but I realized, in that moment, that she was learning an important lesson. If you get drunk, use drugs, commit a crime or argue with the police you will probably get arrested. Maybe I should let her watch after all.

Critical Thinking*

I recently read about the lack of community development in a marginalized Minneapolis neighborhood due to drug related crime. I kept waiting for the author to propose a solution or plead for help but his examination ended with a condemnation of the police. I wrote an e-mail asking about his next step to solve the problem. His response read, “I have no idea.” Well, I had a boss once who told me that if I walked in his office with a problem and no pragmatic solution, I was just complaining.