The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency is located in Botswana, a country in the south of Africa. The owner is Mma Ramotswe, a wealthy woman who is very proud of her country and of Africa. She had been married before but her man was very evil and hit her. She became pregnant and the hits resulted in that she lost her baby. There is one more woman working on the detective agency, the secretary Mma Makutsi. Mma Ramotswe inherited cattle from her father when he died. His last wish was that she should sell the cattle, buy a house and start a business.  She chooses to be the first boatswain lady detective. People with different kind of cases visit the detective agency. For example one case she solved was about an eleven year old boy that had disappeared.       

When I read the story I realize the different between the societies in Botswana and in Sweden, the outlook on people is different. Mma Ramotswe sees the good qualities in all people. She is a powerful woman and few people don’t dare to obey her orders. She gives the culprits a second chance. If they don’t stop she threatens them to involve the police.

Another difference is that we wouldn’t be allowed to have own detective agency here in Sweden. These sorts of cases would instead be solved by the police. We don’t do much by ourselves; instead we think the society will solve our problems. I think the people in the developing world help each other much more that we do. This is an opinion Mma Ramotswe declare in the book. Even if they have it hard they help each and everybody join the community. I think we would help each other more than we do today. Many people in our country are alone and would be happy if anybody visits them sometimes.

Many of the people that come to the detective agency have same sorts of problem that we have. Women that wonder were their husbands are and if they are unfaithful. Parents that are worry about which persons their children visits. In Sweden you have to solve this kind of problem of your own. I think that is one reason to many misunderstandings. Maybe it would be good to have persons that help us to solve these problems. Or is it to private?

In this blog assignment I have discussed some of the similarities and differences between Botswana and Sweden. Eventually I will recommend all you readers to read this book because it is really fun and worth considering.

The Story of Stuff

What will happen to the world and the whole society in the future? Can we who live in the developed countries continue to use as much stuff as we use today? I looked at a video “The Story of Stuff” where they discuss this important issue, our over consumption. If everybody in the world consume as much as they do in the United States and I suppose in other developed countries as well, we would need 3-5 more planets like ours. We don’t have that much natural raw material. We must reduce our consumption; otherwise there will be terrible consequences. Is it fair that we use that many resources when there are lots of people in the world who starve and live in huts or in tents as the people in Haiti subjected to the earthquake? I think it is a bit unfair.

Another aspect of this situation is that the people who produce most of the products we use are from the developing countries. They are exposed to most of the negative toxins and emissions that this production results in. But can the production favour them in some way? Hopefully they earn some money that can make life easier for them and their families. That’s good!

I am still a bit critical to the video and think it is a bit exaggerated. I don’t know if it really is as bad as Annie Leonard says in the video. How can she be sure, are the numbers taken from some study? Even if so, I don’t completely believe in the numbers but I think the message is important. 

I believe and hope that the world is going to be developed in a way that are good for the nature and all the people who live on the earth. But I think that we need to think more about our consumption. Do we really need everything that we buy?

Snooping Bosses

I just read an article about snooping bosses and I reflected about the power bosses have. With modern technologies your mobile phone can work as a GPS so your boss can watch you 24 hours a day. I think this is terrible. You will not have any private life. Your boss knows everything you do and where you are. Even if you don’t do anything illegal it isn’t ok to let the boss know everything. Is it for example right that the boss knows when you visit a doctor?

The increased surveillance is a question about distrust. The boss doesn’t believe the employees do a good job. I think this hurts the relationship and also the working environment. But the employees also have responsibility, when you are at work you are expected to work. If every employee works when they are supposed to, I don’t think this discussion would have ever started.

I worked at the minimarket in a camping one summer a few years ago. The boss was very suspicious and distrusted us. She installed security cameras in the minimarket to minimize the shopliftings but at the same time said: “So I can see that you are working”. It was meant as a joke but I don’t think it was really. Even if we worked as hard as we could, I was afraid that she would come and tell us to work harder.

I think this surveillance can be a good thing in some circumstances. For example, when the boss can see what webpages the employees visit and what phone calls they make during working hours. Nowadays many people work in offices in front of a computer. It will cost the company large amount of money if the employees surf the web instead of working.

The author also wrote about blogs and Facebook. My opinion is that you shouldn’t write anything on Facebook or your blog that you couldn’t say to anybody. If you don’t have the courage to say to your boss that you don’t like him or her, don’t write it on Facebook either. But I don’t think it is right that the boss can use program that track the webpages you visit at home.

When I read what I have been writing it almost sounds like I think that everybody can do everything and that this is ok. Of course not, but I think that if you do something illegal, such as downloading child pornography, outside the job it is a police case not something concerning your boss. It might result in losing your job and having problem finding a new one.