Mary Saunders wrote:A lot of permies end up being too cranky to work well with government on a consistent basis.
Maybe George Washington Carver was a permie before his time, and being African-American, it is a very good thing that he didn't care a whit about patenting things and all that.
Carver actually got summoned to talk about peanuts in congress, where he made an absolute sensation, then went back to Tuskegee on the train to his messy lab where other famous guys made pilgrimages to see him.
If we can call Carver a permie, he was probably the first and last humble, tactful one.
When we get to Fukuoka, we start with the cranky, not-suffering-fools-gladly type. I am at a loss to think of any well-known permies who could pass for diplomats.
Holzer, Mollison, David Blume, so many of these guys who run around the planet are kind of an acquired taste, as I see it.
I hope someone can prove me wrong on this. I love Carver, but I confess I could not stay as cool as he did, as much as I wish I could. Maybe in a future lifetime...