Get Those Two Cents Stamps Out

I missed it when it came out, but postage rates are incresing Jan 8 from 37 cents to 39 cents. I remember when they were a dime, but I bet a lot of people out there can remember when it was even lower than that.

A Different Thought on Christmas

Most blogs have a Christmas greeting, a Season's Greeting, a quote from the Bible, or maybe some thoughts on Christmases past. I thought I would take a different approach and look at Christmas from an intellectual perspective.

So put aside the scripture and spirituality, and consider what Christmas represents from a religious studies perspective: God entering His own creation as one of His creations (for the sake of simplicity I am unifying the Trinity).

In various other religions God comes down as some sort of super being or other supernatural manifestation, or if He wants to simply communicate sends a messenger of some sort like an angel or prophet. In Christmas we have God entering the world as a baby. He then grows up and lives decades in the world He created not as God, but as a man, experiencing the human condition.

So if the Christian God does this, the next question is why. I leave that as a mental exercise to the reader.

Christmas Card Musings

As a kid I remember my parents doing Christmas cards. I think they traded off each year since I remember one parent or the other sitting down to the big pile of cards and a long list of people, but never together. I would wander over to whatever parent was doing them and look over their shoulder and ask "Who's that?" on a name I didn't recognize. I would get "That's someone I used to work with." "When was the last time you spoke to them?" "About 20 years ago" would come the response.

I thought that was sort of strange, sending a Christmas card to someone you hadn't spoken to in years, but now as I reach the end of my 30s, I find that I have people on my list that I haven't spoken to in nearly a decade - and they're all relatives. Cousins mostly.

My wife and I have a system: she does "her" friends and family, I do "mine". My list is a lot shorter than hers, so this is okay by me. And every year I try to cut mine a little shorter ("Do I really need to send one to my cousin in San Antonio? Nah."), but of course I end up getting a card from her, so I have to rush a card out to her before Christmas day hits, and remember not to try to cut her again next year.

The other thing that is changing is the personal note. I used to put something personal on each card I sent out, letting the receiver know that I actually thought of them when I sent the card. But as each year passes the time available for doing cards gets shorter, as do the notes. Sadly, I sent out a few cards this year that had just my signature, something I tried long to avoid.

One thing I have never done - and don't plan to do - is the yearly message/family newsletter. Long time friend Jim does this, and as he points out, it is somewhat analogous to blogging. I hadn't thought of if that way.

The last thought is that I try to send out Christmas cards, not "holiday" cards. If the card we pick out has a holiday greeting, I usually write Merry Christmas on it, even to my Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist friends. No one seems to mind - I certainly don't when I get a Hanukkah card, which I do every so often.

Where's This Flight Going?!?

Maybe this is where you join the Mile High Club?

The Other Side of Asia

I'm BACK in Asia? Wasn't" I here just a few days ago? Except on this side there are no yamulkas, but plenty of Christmas trees.

On my way here it occurred to me that I do business in three potential war zones:

1. Taiwan-China - China considers this place a break-away province and doesn't mince words about taking it back by force if necessary. I'll probably do more business on the Mainland this year, although any war would be waged all on the island.

2. South Korea - The two sides never signed a peace treaty and are technically still at war. I have actually been to the DMZ, which is the longest fortified border in the world.

3. Israel - No explanation needed here.

Think I can ask my company for hazard pay?

Overseas Tipping

There are easy ways to spot Americans overseas: the overhanging gut, the baseball cap, and throwing tips around everywhere.

As OTB points out, there are some doubts on who and what to tip in the U.S., but in most overseas countries it is pretty easy: it generally isn't done. Hotels, restaurant and service establishments in Asia add a 20% service fee to the bill - in addition to taxes - to take care of what would be considered tipping here. And taxis, doormen and the like don't expect tips - except maybe when Americans show up. I have had Japanese bellhops hang out in my room wondering if the American knows whether or not to tip. I simply smile, bob my head and say arigato, letting them know that this gaijin knows what he is doing.

But I have been around Americans who don't know what they are doing - and not used to NOT tipping - in a non-tipping country. While in Israel, one of my colleagues was told by a local point blank: Do NOT tip the taxi drivers. It is not done here. I watched over the next three days as this guy kept digging into his pocket for extra shekels for taxi drivers. I kept reminding him and he kept doing it. When I asked him why, he mumbled something about feeling guilty about not doing it. He was trained that way.

I don't have that problem, which is one reason I also don't have a problem not tipping in places in the U.S. when it is inappropriate, like at Starbucks, when I get take-out, or when I get crappy service (but will give out over 20% for stellar service). I just don't have a guilt complex when it comes to giving out my hard earned dough and believe tips should reflect the service given, not something that is done automatically.

There Goes the Neighborhood

Intel to Build $3.5B fab in Israel.

As noted before, pretty much every major U.S. tech company has at least an R&D center here, and many have production facilities. My own company notes that experienced engineers cost about half the cost of one in Silicon Valley on a fully loaded basis (i.e. including benefits, etc.), and was one of the reasons they bought a company here. Marketing and sales people are also cheaper, but apparently just not as good as the ones like me from the U.S. - at least that is what my company tells me today.