Pi-Consulting

A parable. (Not a very politically correct parable, admittedly, but you have to take parables as they come).

An old man is walking though the forest when he hears a croaky little voice. He looks down and sees a frog calling out to him. “I am not what I seem. I am really a beautiful princess” says the frog, “sexy and desirable, well-versed in the erotic arts of love. The wicked queen was jealous of my allure, and turned me into a frog. All you have to do is give me a kiss, and I will turn back into a princess. Then you will enjoy all the sensual delights of my voluptuous charms and my passionate nature”. The old man promptly reaches down and puts the frog in his pocket. The little green head sticks out, and croaks indignantly “Hey, aren’t you going to kiss me?”. “Nope”, comes the reply, “at my age you can have a lot more fun with a talking frog than you can with a raving nymphomaniac”. (more…)

An American-led “puritan work ethic” is supposed to underlie the North Atlantic societies’ attitudes to work. Work is good. Time-outs are for slackers and wasters. “You must be very busy” are words we reserve for people we esteem and admire. (more…)

Citizens of the USA still profess to believing in The American Dream, that anybody can rise to the top through his or her own efforts, if they are prepared to gamble on the hand life has dealt them. The British, by contrast, seem to harbour curious attitudes to both risk and reward. They also cling to some strange ideas about how the two interconnect. (more…)