Once I read that very few people read books from the beginning to the end (I don’t remember the percentage but it was extremely low). So most people read even their favorite books just partially. At the same time we might see in the bookstores and libraries a huge number of big books. I don’t understand why people write and publishers publish large books. Perhaps they see big books as big houses. Which means that big books as big houses are the items of prestige. My all-time favorite book ‘Tao Te Ching’ has something like 5.000 words while majority of modern books have about 60.000-80.000 words (some – even more). Puzzle.

Last four days participated in Program on Negotiation for Senior Executives (Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation’s three day executive training and one day the author program). A high quality training program, lot of impressions, I very much enjoyed it and got remarkable learning experience. Continue reading “Negotiation Training for Senior Executives – the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School” →

I noticed that football (soccer) becomes more and more popular in America, especially in universities, and particularly among female students. Its popularity still far away from American football’s or baseball’s status, but the trend is quite obvious.

American universities have some large, colorful and rich ceremonies, especially graduation and inauguration (of presidents of universities) ceremonies. It seems to me that apart from some ancient European universities, not many higher educational institutions worldwide have such big ceremonies. Interesting, how and why this happened? I am trying to understand this but so far without much success. Any ideas?

From the beginning of the last century café de la Rotonde, le Dome café and some other cafes in Montparnasse in Paris played an important role in many famous writers’ and artists’ life. Especially during twenties and thirties such prominent figures as Ernest Hemingway, Gertrude Stein, Francis Scott Fitzgerald, T.S. Eliot, Sinclair Lewis, Henry Miller, Ezra Pound, Sherwood Anderson, Ilya Erenburg, Pablo Picasso, Amadeo Modiliani, Wassily Kandinsky and others created some of their well-known works in these cafes.

It seems to me that if Hemingway and Picasso were alive today they would go to Starbucks. They would be sitting somewhere in the corner with computers and working online through wireless. Indeed, Starbucks has a real fascination, an artistic atmosphere and a relaxing charm.

It seems to me that most Americans genuinely believe in goodness of freedom of information and freedom of speech. These issues are significantly presented in many public debates among different people: politicians, social activists, journalists, professors, students, etc. Exchange of information plays a big role in maintaining and developing the American society, it is one of the core mechanisms of management of the whole socio-political and economic system in the USA. Unsurprisingly, there is a strong interest in the improvement of information technologies at government, business and community levels – this is something very much suits American public spirit. There is also a huge interest in internet social networks – not only because of their practicality but also because of their compliance with the American values. (By the way, social networks became one of the fastest growing subjects of study in American Universities). Generally speaking majority of politically active people in America would support any kind of political, social, economic or other movements in other parts of the world which use and support new information technologies and freedom of information – even if they will bring some negative consequences for the current American political and economic interests (like what recently happened in some Arabic countries). Why? Because they believe that any advancement of freedom of information and freedom of speech is eventually good thing. If so, they would think, in a long term this will certainly match with the American interests.

One of the greatest things in America is the abundance of public debates. I just admire this feature of the American society and political culture. There are plenty of debates between the presidential candidates inside of the two major parties, debates between the presidential candidates of different parties, between politicians, between businesspersons, between scholars, journalists, general public, etc. Debates on TV, radio, newspapers, at University campuses, public libraries, private homes, etc. – almost everywhere. And that is wonderful for democracy, good for the individuals, essential for the political system, important for the economy, and vital for the society. In America debates are engines of social, economic and political progress, and America wouldn’t be America without such a vibrant debates. Good for America, good for the Americans, and good for the rest of the world.

When you can be free of everything?

Yes, you are right.

So don’t be hurry.

Yesterday I noticed in our University’s bookstore a sale of a nice collection of “banned books” (once banned in different countries). In fact there were some of the finest books written by human being and now are recognized as classics (like Orwell’s “1984”, Darwin’s “Origin of Species”, Nabokov’s “Lolita”, Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, Salinger’s “The Catcher in the Rye” and others). Well, obviously best books have a “better chance” to be banned. Such an irony, isn’t it?

It seems to me that Yoga became a part of American culture: in many places one can see Yoga centers, Yoga advertisements, Yoga books and Yoga magazines. It is here in the East Coast, and I am quite sure that it is even stronger in the West Coast, especially in California. Now sometimes it is easier to find the East in the West, and the West in the East.