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Ugly or Not? Does it matter?

I discuss all sorts of things with a friend that is native to the Golden State and use her as a sounding board for a lot of my blog material. What is good about this colleague is that we chat about anything under the Sun and Jupiter and being from two different civilizations in our past helps posit views that can be reviewed in context.

She (another beneficial attribute to add color to the discussion) is a mutt in terms of her genetic background and I could be considered a nut. My upbringing in trying times of sorts with a barely available parent since both went to work long hours was in retrospect blog material. I was left amidst a crumbling creche inside a super crowded condo complex with 10 toilets (with 3.5 in semi working order) for 120 or more individuals with varying degrees of dysentery.

The baby - through young adult - sitting came from business savvy but dramatically under equipped team of a lady of advanced age and her woefully underage daughter as primary caregivers for what was a rambunctious, snotty collection of four to five kids under the age of ten. How we did not get kidnapped or lost is beyond me.

Anyway back to this colleague who for her part grew up in a household made of kids from two fathers and a single mother (not all at the same time) had experiencd some trauma of splintered parenting.   She tries to educate me on the American way(s) of life in San Francisco circa 1970 to modern day.   Bohemian surrounds with weed smell hanging in the air (like stench from dysentery in a crowded condo complex) she finished school in a tough neighborhood.   Here today the attention still invariably seems to be on Vanity and all manners of products that aid in achieving the full effect. 

We recently discussed how different cultures have assimilated in Silicon Valley and what they each brought to the dinner table.  Obviously we discussed peoples from non Anglo origins - which included Asia, Latin America and parts of Middle East.

Indian diaspora have spurred economies from Norway to Naples and from London to Los Angeles using their mastery of SQL or arcane accounting policies or understanding of medicine - but as far as substantially contributing to the beauty pool we came up short (notwithstanding the recent Miss America crown).

Colombia I think might get the honors here.  I mean outstanding specimen in most cases that I have encountered are also now showing up in HR and marketing roles. 

Afghanistan too has produced a good mix of talent and beauty to round out the native ethno landscape.  I mean three of my last bankers (male and female) were of Afghan origin.  So also my dental hygenist.  Go figure.

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