I got into an argument with a friend a few days ago over the controversial work of Henry Miller. The whole subject of the debate was whether or not his books could and should be listed in a “Quality Literature” section of a book store. I was strongly against that idea and I was trying to prove in a very puritan, “mother of twelve”, “I’m going to church every Sunday” way that his texts have so few connections with literature and so many with pornography that the choice of the book store manager should be simple: put it right between the Hustler and the Penthouse. My suggestion was met with such virulent protests by my lady friend that for a few moments I was genuinely afraid for my life: how dare I compare such trivial publication meant to amuse the masses with the subtle mélange of metaphors and vivid descriptions which … More

At a first glance it would appear that you could easily extrapolate this into a matter of how much cynical juice flows into one’s body and that’s not really that far from the truth. As a simple equation, Profit is the amount gained minus the original investment and taxes. Profit is also the name of a god that is worshiped by most CEOs and that requires constant and painful sacrifices on altars such as marketing, quality control and last but not least, Progress. Why Progress? Because this little bundle of joy usually comes to life in the shape of a cute little furry animal we generally like to call “an Idea”. … More