There is a freak inside each one of them (RVAFreaks)

“They live in their tiny houses, drive their tiny cars, and work in their tiny cubes” This is how Xine Bouthillier (“Xgirl”), one of the Co-conspirator of RVAFreaks.com, described many of the ordinary boring people who live without a unique lifestyle and embrace the main stream culture. For RVAFreaks it is all about “connecting the subversive cultures of Virginia together and offering them the chance to express themselves and be who they really are without limitations or restrictions of the society”. Yesterday, RVAFreaks.com had launched its unique website targeting alternative lifestyles in Virginia to express a bold statement about who they are. This brave venture allowed them to stand out in a conservative society like the one in Virginia. Freaks are not crazy. They just see the world from different perspective and like to live it their own way. Many of us are living a life that we had rejected deep inside our hearts but everyday we fight through it and ignore our anger. We are afraid to stand out and oppose the conventional wisdom and the main stream culture. We just want to be cool and fit in. There is always a freak inside each one of us waiting a special magical touch to appear. I have found out how to let mine it out. Have you?

Diversity in Corporate America

Even though the pieces of the puzzle have different shapes, they match with each other and create the whole picture.
In the last 10 year, diversity has become one of the most important subjects in the workforce. Nowadays, it is essential for any American company to implement diversity program within the workforce at every level, from the mailroom to the boardroom.

Managing Diversity is a critical issue that most American companies are trying to master. An effective diversity program should reduce ethnicity, racial and gender inequality and integrate the corporation-wide diversity plan into the business plan. Strategic diversity recruitment and retention programs help achieve this goal.

“If the diversity program is not effective in producing a diverse racial, gender, ethnic workforce, then it’s not worth the paper it’s written on.”
Bernard Anderson, Leading Diversity Expert

Companies who ignored the importance of diversity and didn’t monitor discrimination activities had to pay millions of dollars in discrimination settlements.

However, most American companies have demonstrated a strong commitment to diversity and provided minorities with equally opportunities for growth and development.

Reference:

Diversity in Corporate America: Still a Work in Progress:

Published: March 16, 2006 in Knowledge@Wharton

Red Parrot

From behind the dirty window, she looked up to the cloudy sky wondering if one day she will be able to escape. Her green eyes where reflecting buried dreams of freedom and love. She questioned herself “Do I belong here? … Where is the end of my journey?”. Her thoughts were scattered around like a puzzle and her body was tried from facing the wind. She looked into the corner of the room where the open cage is and cried. Her parrot landed on her shoulder and started playing with her hair. She grasped the parrot and hugged it while she was singing her old song about life. It is wonderful how we can engage with other creatures and transform some of our feelings into the relationships. For the second, she felt like the parrot understood her and tried to huge her back. She opened her hands and let the parrot fly around her in the room. It seems to her like the parrot was repeating her song in its own way. For her, it was a nice and quiet moment that is going to last forever. She looked at the parrot and though that it will be nice if she can open the window and let the parrot out. What an amazing adventure is awaiting the parrot out there. But for her it is going to be the final cut and her life is not going to be the same again. She can’t let the parrot fly out because she can’t afford to feel lonely again. She is like a parrot. A red one.