Chasing the American Dream

Yesterday as I was sitting in traffic (Washingtonians can relate), I realized that the traffic was caused by one of many protests against the retail giant Walmart. I decided to wind the window down to hear the protesters' chants.  Entertaining or not, their message was one I'd heard before.  Walmart's newest store is embattled in the never-ending "living wage" debate.  Arguably, large retailers watch their bottom line by paying their employees minimum and sometimes below minimum wage.  Seems fiscally responsible, but does the retailer's presence REALLY help the surrounding community?  If you're not making enough money to survive,  are you making any progress? B Smart!!

Gladiators Welcome!

On last week's episode of ABC's Scandal (don't act like you didn't watch it too), Olivia represents Congresswoman Josie Marcus.   Josie tells Olivia about the baby she had back in Montana when she was 15 years old. Her mother helped her keep things a secret until she could put the child up for adoption. Not even her little sister, Candace, knows about this. But there are about six people in her small Montana hometown who do. They may talk as her political aspirations have changed.  Josie, hoping to be the first female POTUS, believes her now-grown daughter deserves her privacy. No one can ever know about it. She orders Olivia to go ahead and fix it. OK Gladiators.  This is a fictional scenario, but when seeking career advancement,  is it ever appropriate to hide private information to protect your image?