didact's Journal

 Governance Culture—in the context of the 2012 Barclays’ bank scandal over misreporting key interest rates… “Culture is not a fluffy chimera of business how-to books or self-congratulatory corporate reports. Culture, real and unnoticed as the air we breathe, is the web of unspoken mutual understandings that frame what people expect from others and think is expected of them. This web shapes the fortunes of any organization or special group. Bob Diamond, Barclays’ disgraced ex-chief executive, knew this; he once declared “the evidence of culture is how people behave when no one is watching”. He was right, but did not act accordingly.” Culture Shocks, Financial Times, July 2012

Persuasion consists of: Reciprocation—create or repay favors Consistency—follow lead of others Social Validation—norms or standards Liking—favor requests of those we like Authority—heed legitimate authority, respect credentials Scarcity—value scare resources (“one-of-a-kind”, “limited time”, “exclusive”)

"I’m a college philosophy professor. We don’t teach “socialism” or even liberal political values. We teach critical thinking, evidence-based truth seeking, global awareness, empathy, curiosity, and humility. DeSantis [Governor of Florida, US] and others on the right face an enormous obstacle—reality itself skews left. When people become more educated, they become more acutely aware of the suffering of others, and of their own moral responsibility to do something about it. Me-first ideologies wither in the light of wisdom." Twitter, Peter Boland (College philosophy professor)

  Every   element   in the   Periodic Table   is defined by its atomic number, an integer from 1 to 118 (more will no doubt be discovered).     An element’s   atomic number   is the number of   protons   found in the   nucleus   of every atom of that element, which in turn determines how many   electrons   orbit around each of those nuclei.     It’s those electrons, particularly the outermost shell of them, that determine the   chemical properties   of the element.     The   Periodic Table   lists the elements in order by atomic number. The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe, Theodore Gra

…the first American poet of consequence was a woman, Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672), born before Shakespeare died…friends who were proud of her talent had her poems published in 1650. To My Dear and Loving Husband If ever two were one, then surely we. If ever man were lov’d by wife, then thee; If ever wife was happy in a man, Compare with me ye women if you can. … excerpted from The New Oxford Book of American Verse, chosen and edited by Richard Ellmann

In physics the taste of a substance is not a fact.   Nor, until fairly recently, was its color.   In cooking, the taste is a fact of supreme importance, and in painting, the color matters.   Physics, cooking and painting consider different things as relevant and therefore consider different things to be facts. The   Effective Executive , Peter Drucker

 Wisdom from Adversity… • You can’t know what will happen tomorrow—and it is better that way; • You can’t control what happens, just how you respond • Adversity distorts reality but crystallizes the truth • Loss amplifies the value of what remains • It’s easier to create new dreams than to cling to broken ones • Your happiness is more important than righting injustices Harvard Business Review, March 2007

Perception requires imagination because the data people encounter in their lives are never complete and always equivocal. The Drunkard’s Walk, L. Mlodinow  It is by logic we prove. It is by intuition we discover.  Henri Poincare, French mathematician

In 1454, Sheik Gemalledin Abou Muhammad Bensaid, the mufti of Aden and expounder of religious law, approved coffee as an alternative to wine and alcohol. The Art of the Table, Suzanne von Drachenfels