Expand Your Mind: Windows on Humanity
by Miki Saxon
The oddity of the human animal (including myself) never ceases to make me scratch my head. I thought I’d share some examples with you so you, too, could marvel at the human thought process.
Art does not imitate life—just ask any newly minted lawyer what real life is like in comparison to ABC’s new series, The Deep End. Although I can empathize with any new grad in this economy, I can’t say I’m sorry that law firms are shrinking and attitudes are changing—it’s about time.
“What has come to pass is that a law degree is not a ticket to a six-figure salary and a six-figure bonus,” said Matthew A. Feldman, a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher in New York.
Distracted driving is a hot topic with many states weighing in with new laws—but those on foot are no different.
Examples of such visits [to the emergency room] include a 16-year-old boy who walked into a telephone pole while texting and suffered a concussion; a 28-year-old man who tripped and fractured a finger on the hand gripping his cellphone; and a 68-year-old man who fell off the porch while talking on a cellphone, spraining a thumb and an ankle and causing dizziness.
The best way to sell your product and company these days is to go green—or at least be perceived as such. People seem to embrace any suggestion of green and this apparently extends to churches, which is good. Our poor planet needs all the help it can get.
A study released in December by the Barna Group, which more typically studies trends among evangelicals, said that older, mainline churches faced many challenges but that their approach to environmental issues was among several areas that “position those churches well for attracting younger Americans.”
In a lighter vein is the subject of passwords. In spite of every horror story of identity theft and trashed computers people cling to their simple passwords. And I do mean simple!
According to a new analysis, one out of five Web users still decides to leave the digital equivalent of a key under the doormat: they choose a simple, easily guessed password like “abc123,” “iloveyou” or even “password” to protect their data.
Finally, if you’re in LA some Saturday and want to something a bit out of the ordinary, you can spend $65 for a 12-stop, two-hour journey learning about “the history and origin of high-profile gang areas and the top crime-scene locations” in South LA, but book early because it sells out quickly.
Alfred Lomas, 45, a former gang member and the creator of the tour ($65, lunch included), said this drive-by was about educating people on city life, while turning any profits into microloans and other initiatives aimed at providing gang members jobs.
Image credit: pedroCarvalho on flickr
