VOICES FROM THE INTERNET Mixed marriages The joys and challenges of mixed marriages between a Saudi and an American! These marriages can be perceived in so many ways and particularly so in a post-9/11 world. Ironically (or not) a common observation seems to be that a Saudi man who chooses an American wife is perceived by many Saudis and some Americans that he became Americanized. This can lead to false impressions and misunderstandings of the Saudi man. Never underestimate that the Saudi man regardless of how westernized or “Americanized” he may seem typically remains very proud of his heritage and culture and home. The same further applies to the American woman who has married a Saudi. Yes, if she is the one who has accompanied her husband to Saudi Arabia, chances are she will try to adapt and adjust to the new cultures and traditions. She is far from her known home and wants to fit in and be accepted by the Saudi side of the family. In turn, this can give a perception that perhaps she has become “Saudized” by Americans whether in or outside of Saudi Arabia. It is not uncommon for the Saudi/American couple to reach out to other couples of same national backgrounds and similarities. There can be the sense of isolation from one's own “people.” None of us should ever just “assume” for that leads too easily to false conclusions. So in closing this short and direct post, what is your view of Saudi-American marriages? Should there be more controls levied upon Saudi and American nationals who wish to marry? Do you think bi-cultural Saudi-American couples are more or less aware of cultural perceptions now than five years ago? – americanbedu.com People Finder for Haiti With relief efforts underway, many displaced Haitians and their friends and families around the world are deeply concerned about the safety and whereabouts of loved ones. In response to the Haitian earthquake, a team of Googlers worked with the US Department of State to create an online People Finder gadget so that people can submit information about missing persons and to search the database. You'll find this gadget on our Haiti earthquake response website as well as on the State Department website. In order to prevent the proliferation of multiple missing persons databases (a big problem during Hurricane Katrina), we've made the People Finder gadget standards-based and easily embeddable on any website. We're also helping families in the US stay connected with their loved ones in Haiti by offering free calls to Haiti for the next two weeks via Google Voice. If you don't have a Google Voice account already, request an invitation at www.google.com/voice. – googleblog.blogspot.com Donations to Haiti One of the reasons text messaging is so popular is because it's so simple. Anyone with just about any kind of mobile device can do it. And that's why it was ingenious when the Obama administration set up a special number and got the major US carriers on board to allow people to very easily donate $10 to the Red Cross to help with the disastrous situation in Haiti following a major earthquake. So far, that program has raised over $5 million from over a half million different mobile phone users. As of the last update, the number stands at $5.2 million. Of that, more than half have apparently come from AT&T users ($2.63 million), the company told us today. AT&T shared their data today after I reached out over some confusion about whether the company was actually profiting from this fundraiser. Yesterday, in a hurry to get the program going, the service was still charging users for sending this text messages, apparently. But when they realized that, they made them all free, and went back and retroactively removed any charges users may have gotten by texting for the cause. Nice move. This texting drive, being run through mGive, a non-profit working with the Red Cross, is also leveraging Twitter and Facebook to help get the word out there. Donations are said to be coming in to the tune of $200,000 each hour! – techcrunch.com What industry wants It's easy to get trapped wondering what consumers want, and then being frustrated when you can't get what you cook up in front of the people who want to buy it. It's easy to forget what industry wants. Supermarkets don't want unbranded fruits and vegetables, because handling is expensive and it's hard to differentiate and charge extra. On the other hand, they love nationally advertised packaged goods, because they bring in shoppers, they have promotional support, they come with shelf allowances (money for shelf space) and new skus can create excitement. Fashion stores don't want sensible clothes that don't change from year to year. Hard to make a living doing that. They like zingy designer names and ever-changing fashion and fads. That's how they make a living. Governments don't like buying at retail. They prefer custom stuff from high-touch organizations that can bring them the mountain, instead of the other way around. They'd rather pay 10x for an office supply that's customized just for them, instead of modifying what they want to match what the market sells. It gives them something to do. And all those salespeople! The trips, the bribes, the attention... Doctors don't like prescribing lifestyle changes or natural cures, because many patients demand a scrip and it's easily defended and it comes with a sales rep. If the industry can't make money selling what you're selling, why will they help you? You can view these things as ridiculous peccadilloes. Or you can see them as parts of the system as permanent and as important as the gatekeepers who rely on them. On the other hand, fall in love with the system and you might forget the end user. And we know how poorly that works.
