Yield To Pedestrian: All the Cool, All the Time

Good Second Careers Take Some (Soul) Searching

YTP — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:55:57 +0000

: Image by kevindooley via Flickr

I was reflecting today on how many different side roads I have explored professionally in the past two and a half years. I left my very intense career in April 2007, and since that time I have physically moved three times (including the move back from Asia). Anytime you physically relocate, it sucks months out of your work flow and makes your to do list a mile long page of administration misery. I’m still cleaning things up from our last move and home purchase four months ago.

In terms of career moves, however, I’ve made at least 10 major switches in the past 31 months. Sometimes, I would only get as far as researching a career: I looked long and hard at the business of photography, from stock sites to travel writing with photography thrown in. I tried some online only jobs, only to realize how incredibly isolating they can be if done 12 hours a day. I found some work that pays incredibly well (designing sites on line in code), but makes me a jittery, annoyed wreck of a person by the end of the day. I tried diligently to start over in the hard sciences, only to realize that starting a new BA when you already have a master’s degree is beyond exhausting.

Where I am now is certainly not a final destination: I teach, I still do some website work and design, I still blog, I do a lot of academic research for publication. I enjoy the mix of topics and environments. But I am still exploring, still evolving what it is that I am making this second career be.

All that to say, don’t get caught up in the idea that there is a magic second career out there for you, if only you could figure it out. The process of searching, of learning, of recreating is as important as the work itself. Evolve with your talents and your interests, and don’t be afraid to try something new or quickly walk away from it. That’s the whole point of starting a second career: getting to try the new. Enjoy it!

The Science of Language

YTP — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 17:17:10 +0000

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One of the biggest trends in education today, especially elementary education, is language immersion. People tout the political, cultural, and intellectual benefits of learning another language almost constantly with claims like “It makes America look bad that so few people speak a second language.” “People who speak a second language are smarter.” “Learning a language as a child ensures you will speak it for life.”

What is interesting is the science behind language learning, and the science suggesting when a person should learn a second language, is nowhere near as conclusive. Consider the following:

-Much of the ability to learn a second language at all is genetic. The left Heschl’s gyrus controls the brains ability to distinguish pitch and tone, a major factor in tonal languages and even in non-tonal ones.

-There is documented evidence that learning a second language increases brain matter in the inferior parietal cortex. The younger someone learns the language, the more grey matter in the inferior parietal cortex. But as one scientist part of the study put it: “There are conflicting views about the comparative impact of language learning in different age groups, based both on findings and anecdotal evidence.” In other words, just because you learn a language at a young age does not mean you necessarily learn it well for life, or that it is better for everyone to learn a language as a young child.

-Not all languages are created equal. Just because a child speaks English as a native language does not mean that they are masters of it or even very good at it. English has one of the most complex and irregular grammar and syntax structures around. It also has more than 300,000 words. French, with a much simpler and more reliable grammar structure, has 42,000 words. Learning to write and speak quite well in English is not automatic or an inherited part of being a native speaker. It takes work.

-The infant, preschool, and elementary school years are the most formative years of a child’s development. While education is not a zero-sum game, a child’s attention span often is. So how do you choose between subjects? Do you want your child to receive less instruction in English – quickly becoming one if not the primary world language and one of the most complex – or math? How about less science, or less recess in an age where exercise has been dramatically proven as *the* most important factor in young brain development and science and technology the most profitable and dynamic research area in the world? Do you want to skip history lessons at the risk that “those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it”? When does a second language become a higher priority than these other skills?

-While it is true that learning a second language as a young child does not impede his or her ability to speak the first language well (studies of bilingual households show that while speech may be delayed by learning two languages, the long-term impact of the delay merely indicates a longer assimilation process, not any actual language development problems), speaking a language in the home is very different to devoting school time and hours to it or to one language over another.

-The idea that a second language “stimulates the brain” and thus merits learning on those grounds alone is kind of ridiculous. Many things stimulate the brain, and there are all sorts of simple exercises you can do (called Neurobics) to sharpen your brain and increase its activity. Consider these ideas from the Neurobics website:

Spend time in a new environment.
Smell new odors in the morning.
Take a shower with your eyes closed.
Try brushing your teeth with your non-dominant hand.
Learn to read braille.
Respond to a situation differently.
Find a new route to work.

-In purely practical terms, how do parents and a school board choose the second languages to teach? Do they look twenty years into the future and try to guess which language will give Americans the greatest opportunities for political collaboration (Chinese and Hindi)? For preventing future wars and understanding other cultures (Arabic, Chinese, Russian)? For doing business abroad to diversify and strengthen the U.S. economy (Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Hindi)? Or do you pick languages that do not have those strategic political, economic or security benefits but are easy enough to give students the confidence to pursue language learning (French, Italian, Spanish)? And what about those countries whose citizens have chosen not to reproduce at a replacement rate, ensuring that in fifty years there won’t be many of them left (Japan, France, Germany)? Do we stop teaching those languages altogether since there really aren’t going to be that many people (relatively speaking) left to use them? Or do we teach them for precisely that reason – to help preserve them? If so, why is it the financial responsibility of your school board to help Japan preserve its language?

These are huge and highly complex questions, which is why it surprises me that parents and school boards swallow the “learning a second language really young is great” pill so easily. Culture, economics, personal choice – all of these issues come into play even after (or if) all the brain and development issues are resolved.

In the end, we can only look at the science of brains and brain behavior, and use our own to make the best choices.

My Foray Into Qualitative Analytical Methods

YTP — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:17:43 +0000

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I have been reading several methodology texts on qualitative analysis, and am amazed at how there is no discussion of the underlying assumptions in qualitative analysis itself. For instance, the notion of “social justice” (the ultimate aim of much of qualitative analysis) itself is never really discussed as a cultural concept. Instead, it is almost taken as an “absolute value” rather than a relative one – which is no small thing in a methodology that exists to deconstruct values, ideas, and cultural practices. Social justice – the idea of individuals caring about and working hard for the equality and independence of other people they do not personally know or are not personally related to – is an inherently Judeo-Christian concept. Even the definition of justice itself that is used in qualitative studies – that individual people, views, choices, and lifestyles are equally valid and worth equal weight in society’s treatment of them – that is a Judeo-Christian notion of justice.

In Confucian societies, for instance, justice is defined quite differently, and pursuing justice for strangers is not a positive value, and in some ways, even a negative activity. If you pursue justice for strangers at the expense of your immediate or extended family, if you do so in a way that causes other negative emotions or events such as heartache, shame, or parental disgrace, then social justice is not a good thing. It’s not just Confucian societies that are different. Under Islam, “justice” is often defined in a radically different manner, emphasis on the word radical. In Hindu society, justice is caste-dependent. So it strikes me as terribly odd that a distinctly cultural and Christian notion of justice is the unquestioned basis of a type of study that seeks to root out cultural and religious – among other things – narratives and influences.

If anyone out there as a more academic background in qualitative analytical methods – specifically phenomenology and critical theory – or more knowledge of this, I’d love to hear more about why the cultural notions of the ambitions of the qualitative study itself are not questioned. I am not trying to suggest here that social justice is a bad thing; I actually think it is quite good and personally don’t have a problem with the idea that one version of social justice is better than another because I have seen the other versions of justice in practice, have lived in those societies, and know it ain’t pretty.

But for a discipline devoted to the idea that rigid definitions, practices, and power dynamics are inherently oppressive and unjust, it seems strange to me that the heavily Judeo-Christian value system that informs the goals of qualitative analysis isn’t questioned and/or defended, or at the very least, the irony implicit in its use somehow acknowledged.

The Village Contract

YTP — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:48:46 +0000

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I live in a small village nowadays, a distinctly differently feeling than living in a small town or even a tight community within a town. The village concept creates a sense of unity, and though everyone lives quite apart from each other, often deep in the woods, the identity of the village is very strong. Add to that the fact that we actually live quite close to some of the largest cities in the world, and our village almost has a deliberate sense of removal, of a group of people choosing to live in a more interrelated and amicable way (except when it comes to tax discussions, and then there is little amicable about the conversation).

So when a pretty, young mom who worked as a nurse and caretaker was murdered in her bed two nights ago in the neighboring village, and when her young daughter was rushed to the big city hospital with her left-for-dead wounds, it made headlines around here. It was the first murder in the area in over forty years. The four young men later charged with the crime were all from surrounding villages with a similar sense of community and accountability. Their arrest, and motives, have been the talk of all conversations around here.

What has been surprising to me about this is how different it feels to experience something as awful as this in the village than in the big city. I grew up in a huge city, and spent a career moving from one locale of 10 million to another. Crime comes with living in the city, and yet the crime is almost always impersonal. If you are a law-abiding resident of the city, you fear the random crimes, of being in the wrong place in the wrong time. You seek out well-lit lots and busy places and speed through the not so nice areas of town. But you also know that the crime is there, is happening, and in order to go out into the city each day you have to kind of shut off a part of your brain in order to deal with it. These are city skills.

When people move to (or stay in) the village, when they separate deliberately, they tend to leave behind the expectation that crime will be random. Crime is rare in places like this because it usually is personal; there is little anonymity to hide behind as there is in the city.

And yet the horrible crime committed in the middle of the night two days ago was just that – random. The house was chosen randomly, the victim murdered because she was in it. It was a total violation of the village contract by other members of the village. And the response has been tremendous: people are angry. Really angry, in fact, because they are taking it personally. I’ve only lived here a few months and I’m furious. I lived in cities for years and would read or hear about such awful things – even close by – and just feel terribly sad for the victims and their families. I certainly still feel the sadness, but there is something more. And I am only a new addition to the village. Some of my neighbors are still living on the land grants their ancestors received from English kings.

All that to say, I have a lot more understanding of some of the dynamics in American history now. So much of the major movements in U.S. history (and its scandals – think of the Salem witch trials) happened in the villages. We (unfortunately) use the term “small town” nowadays in a slightly condescending manner to imply lack of access to the resources and education of the city. I don’t think of the American Revolution as being hatched anywhere away from the action, but I do see how the village contract made all incursions and activities by the British feel like particularly personal violations, even when the decisions and violence were random. I never totally got it until now – it is different than being a part of a community or group within a larger city or in a small town with various families.

The village is a physical space with boundaries and lines. It has specific members. It has a distinct character. And an act of violence against someone in the village is an act of violence against the village itself. Powerful stuff.

Earth Science Current Events: Killer Waves Quite Common

YTP — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:06:48 +0000

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The Science Channel as been showing a great program about evolutions in wave theory, specifically killer or rogue wave theory. Two things about the show are particularly amazing:

1) They feature a new satellite technology that allows scientist to scan the oceans at once and detect killer waves as they happen. So what, you ask? What they found is that killer waves are not rogue waves or exceptions to the norm at all. They are quite common, even in areas of deep ocean with little strong current, which defies the traditional explanation that rogue waves form because strong current and other interfering forces like wind and landmasses create heavy opposing forces. Rogue waves are actually quite regular. Yikes.

2) The program pointed out that part of why earth science cannot explain these waves is that most wave theorists use a classical model of wave theory – linear wave theory – which derives from standard mechanical physics. Yet, when Schrodinger’s non-linear (i.e. quantum) wave theory is used to explain the wave movement, it matches exactly with the reality of how these deep ocean killer waves form. In English? Quantum mechanics operating on a massive, massive scale. Fascinating stuff. The non-linear wave theory had been ignored by science for the past several decades. It is now getting a new look.

Antiseptic Spices

YTP — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 17:50:21 +0000

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I have been plagued by the flu for the past two weeks, and am only now able to sit upright and think straight. No fun at all. As I deliriously went about life the past few days, I kept craving curry and Vietnamese pho. Curious, and bored by the constant onslaught of the Disney Channel that I and the YTP child – who was also sick - had been watching for days – I looked up the curative properties of my favorite Indian and Thai curries as well as the ingredients in pho.

Now, we hear all about the healing properties of this oil or that oil, this all-natural thing or that all-natural thing – but I can never get too excited about it all since the majority of all medication that we take are ultimately derivatives of oils and plants, just refined, measured, and tested for efficacy. In other words – pretty darn natural, just with a lot of documented science about it all and people to sue if it turns out badly (as compared to supplements, which have little regulation and no recourse if it turns out that herb you are taking causes cancer in that dosage). I once had someone recommend I give the YTP child selenium (a liver poison for children under the age of four) instead of tylenol for his aching tooth because the selenium was more natural. And while acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is a very refined derivative of coal tar (no joke), selenium is a semi-metal best known for its semi-conducting properties and ability to poison people. Let me think, a large dose of semi-conductors, or 150 years of pharmacological study and refinement plus thousands of double-blind clinical trials on coal tar. How to choose… at least it wasn’t a choice over what was more “natural”

But I digress. Anyway, so I was looking up all the properties and uses of the spices I was craving, and was blown away by how many of the stronger spices have very powerful roles in healing. I remembered some of this, but I did not realize the full extent of it all. Here is the full list assembled by UCLA.

What really impressed me about this list? How easy it would be to manage your day to day health just by tweaking your diet with spice. If you run down the list, you can really get creative as using what you eat to proactively manage how you feel in a very subtle but direct way. I printed this one out and stuck it in my on the desk file where I keep similar reference materials that I draw on throughout the day. Take a look for yourself and tell me what you think!

Bridging the Gap

YTP — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:57:41 +0000

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In the introduction to Blankets of Fire, Kenneth P. Werrell’s study of WWII U.S. strategic bombing campaigns in Japan, Werrell makes a startling comment about the lack of academic study in military history. Noting that analyses of military history are either memoirs – with their own biases and agendas, however well-intentioned – or politicized and sensationalized reports by journalists, Werrell suggests that more academic study of specific aspects of military history – like strategic bombing – would both fill an intellectual void and possibly contribute to less loss of life in the future.

I found that a compelling argument, and in general, believe that all of the apprenticeship disciplines – such as foreign policy, strategic security, military strategy, and counterterrorism – could benefit greatly from having the lens of science turned upon their historic review. By “science” here, I am referring to the value that rigorous and methodical study brings to all social sciences. Setting aside the fact that academia today is largely biased at an individual and personal level – and thus also at the institutional level – against the “military ethos” and the “study of war” (quoting Werrell here), the tools of academia and its strengths would bridge an intellectual gap that has been long neglected.

Neglected: how so, you ask?

For good reason, many of the tradecraft arts mentioned above (politics, diplomacy, military strategy) have a long learning curve, an implicit period of apprenticeship (the diplomatic corps still uses the term “junior” officers in an even more explicit sense that the military does), and an emphasis on the art of leadership and decision-making. I agree with all of those practices.

At the same time, and also for good reason, many of the activities and methods of these tradecraft arts are classified, making access to information and thorough study difficult in the present day.

However, I do still think, as Werrell argues, that there is room to look analytically at various decisions in military and diplomatic history and examine – in as apolitical a manner as possible – those decisions empirically. At the very least, such an effort would add more impartial and dispassionate voices to the largely emotional ones that currently dominate this field.

Political Strategy in Hardball Mode

YTP — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 09:03:19 +0000

: Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I generally stay out of political commentary on this blog, primarily because I believe that all politics are – in the end – personal – and to bash one politician or another is implicitly insulting someone you know, someone you work with, someone you love. Discussing a policy or a specific approach is okay, but most people do not want to really discuss anything, but use discussion as a preface to attack. Considering how made up people’s minds are, or how opted out they are of the discussion altogether, I never see the point in adding to all of that.

Political strategy, on the other hand, I can’t resist. I love it. Setting aside the judgement of whether or not I think a certain policy is wise or foolish, I find the way in which those policies are deployed, marketed, defended, and executed endlessly interesting.

With that distinction made, let me now say: wow – these past three weeks have seen some fantastic “look at the hand” strategy in action. There are several problems with the President’s health care plan’s *deployment* (I am not judging the plan here – just the strategy) and things are rapidly falling apart for them. Separately, the White House has held off for almost eight months on any investigations or recriminations into the previous Administration, mainly because it is a Pandora’s box to go that route (what will the next Administration prosecute in this one?). In fact, the time had almost passed where they could feasibly do much just in terms of logistics and statute of limitations).

And yet… just when the healthcare plan started to fray… when the economic “recovery” numbers coming out of the second quarter made clear that the road back will take about six to seven years and be a long, slow haul… Boom! Special prosecutors, investigations, and the prospect of trials a la Law and Order. The White House has a lot of bad news they are trying to keep afloat (again – not judging from where the bad news comes – just noting that it is in their lap), and this was a hard ball, come on double eights effort to keep it up.

What always *amazes* me, however, is that for all the conspiracy theories out there, for all the mainstream media’s focus on “gotcha” journalism, no one ever talks about this stuff. It is almost as if they think this kind of political strategy is dead. And this is the most interesting part!

Well, almost – the most interesting part is to see what doesn’t fly, and where it lands. Stay tuned for a fascinating f(F)all… (I can never resist a triple pun).

Mongolian Mines Open for Business

YTP — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:41:02 +0000

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I was thrilled to see that Mongolia’s political leadership decided to repeal two of the taxes which had kept mining development in the country at a near standstill in recent years.

Specifically, the parliament revoked four 2006 laws, including the ridiculous windfall profits tax, which taxed any copper sold above $2,600/ton and any gold sold above $500/ounce at 68 precent. In a world where copper trades at about $6,470/ton and gold at $960/ounce, this was a joke. They also revoked the law that automatically gave the government a huge stake in any and all new mines in the country.

This is good for several reasons:

1) Mongolia desperately needs income, and its mines are some of the largest left in the world. Estimates put the Oyu Tolgoi mine alone as home to three percent of the world’s total supply of copper. High taxes give you income, but only if companies will pay them. By lowering the taxes and the government’s stake, they are ensuring some income, which is better than none.

2) Mongolia is an amazing place with amazing people. It is a baby democracy – only officially 16 years old – so many of the decisions that come out of its leadership reflect the fact that it is still getting things together politically. This was one of them. Repealing it was a step in political maturity and good economic sense. It will help redeem the international reputation of the country and its leadership.

3) Mongolia is huge – one third the size of the continental United States – and has only two million people. That’s right. Mining there is not going to drastically disrupt the people or their environment. If anything, considering one third of them live in poverty, it will dramatically improve it.

Mongolia has a tough neighborhood – Russia to the North, China to the South, North Korea over to the East. They are tough people, with an independent spirit and sense of individualism that is rare in North Asia. Buddhist and animist in spirit and attitudes, they are hospitable people with a powerful history. Outside of the capital city, which reflects the years of Soviet influence on the country, the whole place reminds me of what the American West and the American Indians (when they weren’t warring with each other) must of been like. It is a place I hope to see succeed; this decision is certainly a step in the right direction.

Second Career Ideas

YTP — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 19:01:45 +0000

: Image by ianmunroe via Flickr

Lots of people want a second career. Everyone wants a good second career. Some are willing to go back to school for it. Some are only able to take a course or a training program in their spare time. Whatever you are willing to do, know it before you start the search. Being aware of what you can mentally, financially, and emotionally invest in the process of changing careers will save you time, money, and frustration. Most of all, remember finding good second careers is a three part process.

First, you decide you want to switch, take inventory of what you can give to the switch, and start researching options and second career ideas.

Second, you begin the training, education, or just the resume revisions needed to make the switch.

Finally, you begin the job search for a position in your new second career.

Think of your second career in this way, and you will have a much easier time managing the transition. Now, on to the second career ideas.

Nursing: huge demand, good benefits, good to excellent pay depending on the speciality.

Teaching: Elementary through high school teachers have good hours, summers off, and solid benefits. Also, if you have a BA in a subject field, it is often easy to make the switch.

Working with the Elderly: As boomers age, there is no end to the ways that you can employ yourself at their expense. Home care, exercise classes geared for older people, shopping delivery services… Use your imagination here, and target your market well.

Coaching: If you have a hobby you do well or a sport you really love, consider coaching others in it.

Want to learn more about good second careers and promising second career ideas? Businessweek has some great research they release each year on the subject. Google “businessweek” and “second career”, grab a cup of coffee, and start reading. There is a ton of valuable material on their website to help you get started. And best of all? It is totally free.

Or, if you need help figuring out what your strengths are and what kind of work you would enjoy, check out these two books. I highly recommend both.

Yield To Pedestrian: All the Cool, All the Time

Good Second Careers Take Some (Soul) Searching

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The Science of Language

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My Foray Into Qualitative Analytical Methods

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The Village Contract

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Earth Science Current Events: Killer Waves Quite Common

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Antiseptic Spices

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Bridging the Gap

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Political Strategy in Hardball Mode

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Mongolian Mines Open for Business

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