COP24 Katowice: what’s the point?

In December the COP24 global conference will take place in Katowice, Poland. Who dared chosing a country that still use coal for up to 50% of its energy consumption? Katowice is the mining city of Poland. However they’re proud of their change, after a progressive carbon detox and after developing other industries and services. The…

Central Asian sibling

Your name is Shuhrat (« shu rat »), you come from the eastern part of a very eastern country, Uzbekistan. Why did you once decide to leave Uzbekistan? -Well, I didn’t leave my country! I’m just travelling and discovering the world. -Why chosing Poland, then? -I had friends studying in Poland. I found out they have good…

I’d rather Text than Talk!

« I’d rather text than talk » has been recorded many times by Sherry Turkle, a specialist in sociology and psychology. In her last book,  Reclaiming Conversation, The Power of Talk in a Digital Age (2015), the MIT professor compares conversation vs communication. In a way, she uncovers an alarming question: will we all become sociopaths? Wikihow defines…

Are you afraid of « stans »?

There’s a place in the world where stereotypes are deeply rooted. A region between the Middle-East and Central Asia. This region is the land of « stans ». Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, but also Turkmenistan and tajik and kyrgyz neighbours. Exotic destinations, often hard to write down properly. Lost countries in the middle of nowhere, hard to spot…

Low cost snow… for sale!

First there was the polish plumber, a well-known threat for the Western Europe labour market, an unfair competitor from the East. Now time has come for the polish farmer, recycled as a « snow farmer« . According to local sources, this business would be very profitable, as snow falls for free. A great opportunity since a cold…

X-Men: superheroes or supernerds?

Here come the X-Men! Have you ever checked how they behave, beyond their gloomy style? Beyond their muscles and super powers? So what’s the inner difference between our favorite superheroes and a few street nerds? Actually, there’s a tiny difference only. Most real-life IQ superstars don’t show off regularly in front of the camera! In…

American loser

For over 40 years, the United States of America have shown a sad face to the rest of the world: a super power that lost its actual strength. Hard to forget the terrible military venture in Viet-Nam, between 1955 and 1975. Unable to fight guerillas on the field. Unable, despite chemical weapons and numerous troops,…

Is life all about « Win-Win »?

In every business school, students are being told about the prisoner’s dilemma and game theory. The principle is to study how two entities (two people or two organizations) behave together. With two kinds of outcome: either a conflict mode (the famous win/lose or lose/win) or a cooperative one (win-win). Let’s all win?!? Win-win is often…

The ‘exit’ fever

The Financial Times issued today a warning from OECD so-called experts towards the Brexit fans, in other words telling the masses across the Channel: « think twice before making a decision that you may regret till the end of your life! » In the UK, as well as in many other countries, there’s a growing passion and…