Letters to the Editor
StefanMuc
Published Letters: 97 Editor's Choice: 4
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Another perspective, maybe
[Read the article: I want a perfect wedding, but my in-laws are trashy]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]The Chinese think of a wedding as a joining of two families. There is more to it than that, but I believe it helps to keep in mind that it is also that. Your husband has a brother, and it's your job to establish a good relationship with him, just as your husband has to establish a good relationship with those of your relatives who are important to you.
You want your party though, and that's understandable, too. Maybe this might work: Call her up and ask her for help and advice - tell her that you told the other guests that they can't bring children to the formal event, and you are worried that they'd feel second rate if her future sister-in-law is getting special treatment. Then maybe suggest that you organize a nanny who can take care of the baby for a few hours. Maybe it's possible to organize a room close to the place where your party is, so that she (or the brother) can check on the child occassionally.
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Re: Dictatorial Elites
[Read the article: We paved paradise]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]elwin9 raises an interesting point regarding forcing lifestyles onto others. This is true - everybody has their own ideas how they want to live, and city planning affects that directly. There is no way around it though - forcing people to make room for parking spaces is also enforcing a certain livestyle - it adds to everybody's costs and leads to sprawl. Which makes it impossible to go shopping without a car.
So forcing lifestyles is not an avoidable problem - but there is no reason for that to be dictatorial. In can in fact be done democratically - by freely discussing ideas and by voting for those politicians whose ideas of city planning appeal to you.
There is no reason for anyone to stop discussing the topic and to stop pushing for their ideas, just because your preferences are different. Come up with your own ideas, and push for your own plan then.
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Divide and Conquer?
[Read the article: The workers I supervise are out of control]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]13 people seems to big for a group to have some kind of team spirit. Maybe you can try and separate it into three sub-groups, each with a group leader. Make sure that the groups are structured so that they need as little interaction with other groups as possible. Then allow for some company time, and (if there are no company funds for that) with your own money - organize some bonuses. Like send a team to a restaurant for a nice lunch, once they've completed a project. If the company is too stupid to give you a budget for that, you'll need to use some of your own money. (That's too bad, but as a manager you have enough, and that just comes with the job.) Nothing big, but things like lunch, or giving an afternoon off. Do not use dinner invitations, people like to spend their free time away from work. Always give the bonuses to a group, not to the whole team, and not to single employees. (Big groups are too impersonal to build team spirit, too much competition only creates isolation.)
If all of that fails to improve the situation, you'll at least have pushed a big part of the problem to your group leads. Less aggravation for you.
Additionally - it sounds like you need some management training. Have a look what's available - if there is nothing good offered by your company, you'll have to attend a class on your own time. Check with other managers what kind of training they recommend.
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What can we do...
[Read the article: Stop your sobbing]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]What can we do when the environmentalists have in fact succeeded, when many countries in the world have started to take action, when even Bush has turned from a denier to a do-nothing? What do we do then, acknowledge that they were right?
Of course not - we criticize them. Presumably we would have done this much better, not hurt people's feelings so much, not have had so much opposition from ignorant people. Yes, we would have done it so much better. We just never got around to doing a single thing. That's why we are the people you should listen to regarding the further course of action.
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no real advantage
[Read the article: Ask the pilot]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]You say not telling people to "remain seated with belts fastened" would offer no real advantage. I disagree - travelling by plane is so unpleasant and so undignified already - even the removal of a single useless restriction would be a relief.
Having said that - I buy into your argument that standing in the isle during taxiing could be dangerous. However why not shorten this a little, and just say "please remain seated"? If there is no point in wearing the seatbelt anymore, why not return that little bit of freedom to the passenger?
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Technical not moral
[Read the article: Earth to PETA]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Global warming is a technical problem not a moral one. It's a solvable problem, and the point is to reduce greenhouse gases. It's completely irrelevant how they are reduced, be it by alternative energy, more efficient or reduced consumption. This does not require us to reduce our consumption to zero, or to try and come close to it. Pretending it would is only helping to convince people that there is nothing they can do, or to cause them to resort to delusions ("it's a worldwide conspiracy of thousands of top scientists").
So if you think being vegetarian is morally superior - fine, you are welcome to your beliefs. However PETA's nonsense propaganda actually hurts our efforts to combat climate change, and that's not moral behaviour.
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Lasting value
[Read the article: Train-zilla ]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]That thing will have a lasting value. Why? Because Ken is a wedding planner. The couple is trying to get their gown into the guiness book, and to generate as much publicity as they can. (The 200.8 will help him to get the attention of the local press, too.) The point should be clear: he's advertising his business and thus increase his future profits. So unlike the money his customers spend - he's actually using the wedding money to build a future for his wife and himself.