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[Guest guest]

> FWIW:

>

> <http://www.economist.com/node/21556230?frsc=dg|a>

>

> - Bill, ...AS, ...reads widely

>

I enjoyed this article, Bill. Thanks for sharing it.

Speaking very generally (as I know you know this, Bill), I think it's

important to keep in mind the folks with ASD, ADD, etc. who are valuable

to the business (and volunteer organization) community also bring

exceptional talents (as defined by business and organizations) to the

table that offset whatever difficult attributes they possess. Not

everyone has these talents, and thus it would probably not be wise to

interpret articles like this as testimonials that 'oddballs' are always

an asset, as this is just not true. Some 'oddballs' can pose a serious

detriment to the flow of a workplace or organization, adversely

affecting productivity and the ability to reach goals.

I realize that glorifying the 'oddballs' of this world can be seductive

to folks who have been unsuccessful in finding (and keeping) employment

and organizational positions of responsibility, especially if they also

resist conforming to mainstream norms. This is a position that one

adopts at their own peril, for unless they also have special talents to

balance whatever difficult attributes they possess, their presence can

pose more of a disadvantage than an advantage.

Best,

~CJ

[Guest guest]

Greetings:

I think you always have to remember the context of any given article or words.

For example. In my class on poverty we had to choose one book out of five to

read and write an 8 page report on it. It was like a book club and we had time

to discuss it among our group. The discussions were POWERFUL as we all saw the

book we choose differently.

I choose, Half the Sky, which is about the oppression of women in Africa and

Asia. The book title comes from an old Chinese proverb that says, " Women hold up

half the sky " . I ended my paper with a quote from Bill Gates Sr., who reviewed

this book for the NY Times. He said the number one question he is always asked

is, " How do you raise a successful son like Bill Gates? " His response: " Have him

listen to a strong woman " .

The media has always indentified Bill Gates with AS. He has been silent on the

issue and has just pursued his interests.

Just me.