http://www.theonion.com/articles/the-economist-to-halt-production-for-month-to-let,20090/

I haven’t read Utne since the early 90s, but I assume it’s got more depth than, say, Bicycling Magazine, which I swear runs the same content every other year. “Top 3 diet tips that will make you want to replace your perfectly functional bicycle with one of our advertiser models that’s 23 grams lighter!”

Regarding the filter-bubble … I have continuously turned off all advertising while online. I never see Google ads in my Chrome browser – or on anyone’s web-page. It’s true – the info I search for might (is) skewed to where I’ve been in the past … which is bad if you’re looking to understand the other side … but ahhhh the bliss about having no ads on any web-page or “at-home” in my GMail.

We’re doing a version of the “3 year planning game” now but it’s more along the lines of “establish standards but don’t tell anyone what they are” and “develop a project planning and management methodology but insist that it be what management thinks is important not what the staff who do the work think is important” (although that may be less of a game and more of just shitty management).

But, ZOMG, that describes my ex-employer too well. Additional games:

“Annual three-year planning” game (the organization has never, ever been able to execute its annual plan beyond April, but things will be different this time.)

“We need more visibility” game (also known as “our standards don’t apply to us,” game. Despite presenting biweekly reviews, contributing status to the weekly newsletter, posting plans to SharePoint, speaking at the company meeting, soliciting individual executive input, management can’t quite seem to get the handle on your project’s status and why, for example, taking the three senior engineers in exchange for a new hire and two consultants from a near-shoring experiment “won’t affect anything.” When the inevitable happens, it’s because you’re the complete fsck up.)

“Speaking in tongues” game (CEO reads a book on the latest management paradigm, his sycophantic underlings follow, soon everyone is talking about “Whale hunting” and “circling back to optimizing our win-win synergies vis a vis Solution Selling.”)

“Promoting from without” game (discarding employee input in favor of the consultant-of-the-month — often the one who read the latest management paradigm book before the CEO — or, in rare cases, the newly hired consultant)

But, yeah, from my better half’s report of hers, it’s not like something to look forward to. (in fact, she had one for her 40(mumble) and hadn’t gone.

However, it does make me nervous to think of an imbalance of power leading to the decision. I’d disagree with you and say there are lots of parents that still want to “power broker” their children’s marriages. To make sure they ARE equal in status (or better) and of similar culture.

Too often I read in the “Dear Abby-esque” columns of children doing things (marrying someone, staying in a marriage, NOT marrying someone) to please the parent and not the child because they (the child) buy into that paradigm.

Then there are those pushy people who’ll take advantage (or bully) a weaker partner into marriage because it benefits them in some way (eye-candy, power-over-someone else, access to power-through the relationship).

So … maybe the idea of marriage for love (which is often corrupted into physical attraction only) isn’t a good basis for a long term legal relationship. And clearly successful partnerships and lover-ships CAN happen outside traditional gender roles. So … *gasp* maybe marriage (and it’s benefits) should be based on something else? I mean, I think the European idea of Civil Marriages for everyone with religious vows/ceremonies for those wishing them might be a better model … but it’s still not the answer. Or doesn’t answer your question.

*le sigh* All that rambling from me and no good insight.