I know it's been a while since I've posted, but a few inspiring oldsters have convinced me to write up an entry. 107-year-old Wang Guiying is currently in the market for a husband, her first; I wish her the best -- though I hate to have that kind of competition out there, now that I'm single myself. Also, a belated congratulations to now 107-year-old Ann Nixon Cooper, who made a splash during the recent presidential election as a serious Obama supporter. She will not be attending the inauguration, but will watch it on her TV, which she usually reserves for A Price is Right viewings.
I'll post job-related stuff soon, although I fear, in this dire economy, it won't be very upbeat. Still, I hope everyone's having a good 2009 so far!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday, August 4, 2008
Interview with Santa Claus
Santa Claus may be the only man who holds it, but being Santa Claus is a job, and a big one at that. If you'd want to follow his comings and goings, you can check up with him at his blog.
1. Can you break down the criteria for ending up on the naughty and nice lists? (Not that I'm trying to game the system, but just to clear up any gray area.) While there is a fairly complex algorithm that we apply in compiling the official list, it really just boils down to the basics here: Do you treat others as you would treat yourself? Do you obey and honor your parents? Said differently, we apply the basic tenets and values of Judeo-Christian tradition.
2. How *do* you visit all those homes on a single night? The key is North Pole Time. I am not the right person to explain exactly how it works, it is far too technical for me... but I can say that because we sit at the junction of all the time zones, there are some unique capabilities we have realized in moving easily between time zones. That in and of itself is not all that remarkable. But there is something magical about how we can travel within a time zone and return to the North Pole - no matter how long we have been gone - within the same hour we left as long as we arrive and depart from the Launch pad. The Launch pad is directly on the true North Pole. Time doesn't stop so much as it "re-sets." It is this capability that we leverage to deliver to 302M homes in a 24 hour period. If you want to know how we determine how many homes, see my December 20, 2007 post.
3. How is global warming affecting the your work, if at all? Global warming is an issue that we should not take lightly; however, we have been fortunate that it has not yet affected our work in a negative manner. While it is questionable whether or not human activity is the prime contributor to the current warming trend, I believe we should operate under the assumption that it is. As such, we have made changes to become a "greener" operation. Every year we manufacture or procure several billion toys that are then distributed worldwide. It is a huge challenge to minimize the impact of those operations on the environment but it is a challenge that we are not shying away from. We are proud of the progress we have made but we are not satisified. We believe we can do more. We have set some ambitious goals and we will not rest until we meet or exceed those goals. Check out a few factoids about what we have done... or are planning on doing... to minimize our impact on the environment:
*Our worldwide distribution and business travel produces NO greenhouse gases thanks to our reindeer-powered sleighs. The sleighs' on-board electronics are all powered by solar cells.
*Our company-owned manufacturing and office facilities are all powered by wind-generated energy. Our facilities are all equipped with windmills that produce enough energy to not only offset our own usage but to also put surplus energy back into the grid.
*All of our third party partners must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and energy usage by 10% year over year for the next 10 years. Failure to do so will result in the cancellation of their contracts.
*We currently re-plant one tree for every Christmas tree we cut for use at the North Pole and/or for delivery. Our goal is to re-plant 3 trees for each Christmas Tree by 2010.
*We recycle every Christmas tree we use on North Pole Inc. property.
*We are actively sponsoring a campaign to eliminate artificial Christmas trees. While on the surface they may appear to be more environmentally friendly, 90% of those "trees" end up in landfills within 10 years.
*We recycle or re-use 70+% of our waste from toy production every year. Our goal is to be at 90+% by 2010 and at 100% by 2015.
*Our goal is to reduce waste from our toy production by 10% year over year.
*We are actively lobbying toy manufacturers to provide recycling programs for toys and batteries. By 2012, it will be a requirement for any manufacturer wishing to supply the North Pole operations.
*You can learn more about what we are doing at our website.
4. Is becoming Santa something anyone can aspire to, or do you have to be born to it? How about being an elf? There is only one Santa. At least until I pass. I was born "Santa." I don't claim to have any magical powers despite what some of the storybooks, movies, and fairy tales may lead you to believe. The only thing possibly magical about me is the fact that I'm several hundred years old and still in sound physical and mental shape. Candidly, I don't know how or why I have been blessed with such a long life and good health. Some have speculated it is the fact that Iive at the North Pole, in the middle of some 'timeless vortex'. Others have speculated that it is God's reward for living a life of giving. I don't know... I am just thankful. Assuming I may pass someday, I have set up a perpetual trust that will allow the North Pole Inc. operations to continue. Someone will be named CEO to succeed me and that person will perform the role I have today, but Santa is my name, not a title. So whoever replaces me will not, at least technically, be "Santa."
As far as being an elf, you cannot aspire to be an elf. Elves are a race. You have to be born an elf just like you are born to be Caucasian or Asian or any other race. But if you are referring to being a toy craftsman at North Pole Inc., yes, you can aspire to that. We are an equal opportunity employer. As long as you have mastered the craft of toy building, you can work at the North Pole.
5. With today's modern electronics, do you find you have to outsource some of the work, or can the elves still make everything in their workshop? We do outsource quite heavily. And have done so for a number of years indirectly in that we have contracted major manufacturers to build product on our behalf. We don't build that Nintendo Wii you got last Christmas.... we contracted with Nintendo to build it for us in mass quantities. Every year I spend much of my "off-season" negotiating rates & product availability with various manufacturers of electronics and other toys for all of the items we anticipate will have the greatest demand in the upcoming Christmas season. This past year, we established more direct outsource operations across India and China. It was not a case of laying off anyone -- all of our current employees remained in their jobs -- but rather a case of increasing capacity that we simply could not add at the North Pole due to physical constraints. Even so, it did create a lot of angst and led to a strike by the elves' union. Fortunately, we were able to resolve the dispute and the elves were back to work in time to not jeopardize the Christmas season.
6. I've never quite understood the economics of the magic of Christmas. I mean, isn't it expensive to provide gifts for all those kids? Where does the money come from for the labor, materials, and transportation? We are a non-profit operation. Virtually all of the funds come from my personal investments, though a few major corporations do donate goods and labor. My father was an exiled king. Before I was born, he had ruled a kingdom that stretches across much of what is now Germany. Soon after my mother became pregnant with me, my father's younger brother, who had been the next in line for the throne, conspired with a neighboring king to overthrow my father. Fearing for the life of my mother and me, my father fled to Norway. Despite fleeing, he remained extremely wealthy. It was my father that started the tradition. Even though we remained wealthy, we lived like paupers and my father gave away bags gold anonymously to many of our neighbors every Christmas Eve. I was well into my adult years before I even knew about the family fortune, my father's past, or his anonymous generosity. After he passed and I inherited the family fortune, I set about an even grander vision of genorisity. Having stumbled onto the flying reindeer and subsequently being introduced to the elves earlier in my life, I saw possibilities for expanding the scope of our giving to a scale that my father never dreamed possible during his lifetime.
7. How do you get down those chimneys? I just dive in. I have to stay in shape to be able to dive and catch myself at the bottom so I maintain a regular running and weight-lifting regimine. I dive head first because it is the easiest way to see any obstacles, including still smoldering coals. It is important to note that my scout team checks out the chimneys ahead of time so I know which ones are safe to dive into and which ones require me to enter the house by some other means. Even with the scouting team's work, I have been stuck more times that I care to admit. We carry retrieval equipment for those times. Please note to the children that read this.... It is IMPERATIVE that you NOT try chimney diving or any other type of chimney entry. Such activities are only for trained professionals.
8. If you couldn't do what you do, what would be your second job choice? My second job choice would be to be a school teacher. If that weren't possible, I'd want to be a coach.
1. Can you break down the criteria for ending up on the naughty and nice lists? (Not that I'm trying to game the system, but just to clear up any gray area.) While there is a fairly complex algorithm that we apply in compiling the official list, it really just boils down to the basics here: Do you treat others as you would treat yourself? Do you obey and honor your parents? Said differently, we apply the basic tenets and values of Judeo-Christian tradition.
2. How *do* you visit all those homes on a single night? The key is North Pole Time. I am not the right person to explain exactly how it works, it is far too technical for me... but I can say that because we sit at the junction of all the time zones, there are some unique capabilities we have realized in moving easily between time zones. That in and of itself is not all that remarkable. But there is something magical about how we can travel within a time zone and return to the North Pole - no matter how long we have been gone - within the same hour we left as long as we arrive and depart from the Launch pad. The Launch pad is directly on the true North Pole. Time doesn't stop so much as it "re-sets." It is this capability that we leverage to deliver to 302M homes in a 24 hour period. If you want to know how we determine how many homes, see my December 20, 2007 post.
3. How is global warming affecting the your work, if at all? Global warming is an issue that we should not take lightly; however, we have been fortunate that it has not yet affected our work in a negative manner. While it is questionable whether or not human activity is the prime contributor to the current warming trend, I believe we should operate under the assumption that it is. As such, we have made changes to become a "greener" operation. Every year we manufacture or procure several billion toys that are then distributed worldwide. It is a huge challenge to minimize the impact of those operations on the environment but it is a challenge that we are not shying away from. We are proud of the progress we have made but we are not satisified. We believe we can do more. We have set some ambitious goals and we will not rest until we meet or exceed those goals. Check out a few factoids about what we have done... or are planning on doing... to minimize our impact on the environment:
*Our worldwide distribution and business travel produces NO greenhouse gases thanks to our reindeer-powered sleighs. The sleighs' on-board electronics are all powered by solar cells.
*Our company-owned manufacturing and office facilities are all powered by wind-generated energy. Our facilities are all equipped with windmills that produce enough energy to not only offset our own usage but to also put surplus energy back into the grid.
*All of our third party partners must reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and energy usage by 10% year over year for the next 10 years. Failure to do so will result in the cancellation of their contracts.
*We currently re-plant one tree for every Christmas tree we cut for use at the North Pole and/or for delivery. Our goal is to re-plant 3 trees for each Christmas Tree by 2010.
*We recycle every Christmas tree we use on North Pole Inc. property.
*We are actively sponsoring a campaign to eliminate artificial Christmas trees. While on the surface they may appear to be more environmentally friendly, 90% of those "trees" end up in landfills within 10 years.
*We recycle or re-use 70+% of our waste from toy production every year. Our goal is to be at 90+% by 2010 and at 100% by 2015.
*Our goal is to reduce waste from our toy production by 10% year over year.
*We are actively lobbying toy manufacturers to provide recycling programs for toys and batteries. By 2012, it will be a requirement for any manufacturer wishing to supply the North Pole operations.
*You can learn more about what we are doing at our website.
4. Is becoming Santa something anyone can aspire to, or do you have to be born to it? How about being an elf? There is only one Santa. At least until I pass. I was born "Santa." I don't claim to have any magical powers despite what some of the storybooks, movies, and fairy tales may lead you to believe. The only thing possibly magical about me is the fact that I'm several hundred years old and still in sound physical and mental shape. Candidly, I don't know how or why I have been blessed with such a long life and good health. Some have speculated it is the fact that Iive at the North Pole, in the middle of some 'timeless vortex'. Others have speculated that it is God's reward for living a life of giving. I don't know... I am just thankful. Assuming I may pass someday, I have set up a perpetual trust that will allow the North Pole Inc. operations to continue. Someone will be named CEO to succeed me and that person will perform the role I have today, but Santa is my name, not a title. So whoever replaces me will not, at least technically, be "Santa."
As far as being an elf, you cannot aspire to be an elf. Elves are a race. You have to be born an elf just like you are born to be Caucasian or Asian or any other race. But if you are referring to being a toy craftsman at North Pole Inc., yes, you can aspire to that. We are an equal opportunity employer. As long as you have mastered the craft of toy building, you can work at the North Pole.
5. With today's modern electronics, do you find you have to outsource some of the work, or can the elves still make everything in their workshop? We do outsource quite heavily. And have done so for a number of years indirectly in that we have contracted major manufacturers to build product on our behalf. We don't build that Nintendo Wii you got last Christmas.... we contracted with Nintendo to build it for us in mass quantities. Every year I spend much of my "off-season" negotiating rates & product availability with various manufacturers of electronics and other toys for all of the items we anticipate will have the greatest demand in the upcoming Christmas season. This past year, we established more direct outsource operations across India and China. It was not a case of laying off anyone -- all of our current employees remained in their jobs -- but rather a case of increasing capacity that we simply could not add at the North Pole due to physical constraints. Even so, it did create a lot of angst and led to a strike by the elves' union. Fortunately, we were able to resolve the dispute and the elves were back to work in time to not jeopardize the Christmas season.
6. I've never quite understood the economics of the magic of Christmas. I mean, isn't it expensive to provide gifts for all those kids? Where does the money come from for the labor, materials, and transportation? We are a non-profit operation. Virtually all of the funds come from my personal investments, though a few major corporations do donate goods and labor. My father was an exiled king. Before I was born, he had ruled a kingdom that stretches across much of what is now Germany. Soon after my mother became pregnant with me, my father's younger brother, who had been the next in line for the throne, conspired with a neighboring king to overthrow my father. Fearing for the life of my mother and me, my father fled to Norway. Despite fleeing, he remained extremely wealthy. It was my father that started the tradition. Even though we remained wealthy, we lived like paupers and my father gave away bags gold anonymously to many of our neighbors every Christmas Eve. I was well into my adult years before I even knew about the family fortune, my father's past, or his anonymous generosity. After he passed and I inherited the family fortune, I set about an even grander vision of genorisity. Having stumbled onto the flying reindeer and subsequently being introduced to the elves earlier in my life, I saw possibilities for expanding the scope of our giving to a scale that my father never dreamed possible during his lifetime.
7. How do you get down those chimneys? I just dive in. I have to stay in shape to be able to dive and catch myself at the bottom so I maintain a regular running and weight-lifting regimine. I dive head first because it is the easiest way to see any obstacles, including still smoldering coals. It is important to note that my scout team checks out the chimneys ahead of time so I know which ones are safe to dive into and which ones require me to enter the house by some other means. Even with the scouting team's work, I have been stuck more times that I care to admit. We carry retrieval equipment for those times. Please note to the children that read this.... It is IMPERATIVE that you NOT try chimney diving or any other type of chimney entry. Such activities are only for trained professionals.
8. If you couldn't do what you do, what would be your second job choice? My second job choice would be to be a school teacher. If that weren't possible, I'd want to be a coach.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Linky Wednesday
This article in the New York Times about the strange distinctions between young adult and adult novels has been much-commented upon.
CNN Money gives us a list of locations where the job growth has been considerable. Road trip to Tooele County, Utah, anyone?
Is plastic surgery the next must-have career tool?
CNN Money gives us a list of locations where the job growth has been considerable. Road trip to Tooele County, Utah, anyone?
Is plastic surgery the next must-have career tool?
Monday, July 28, 2008
Interview with a Phone Sex Worker
In a return to a once weekly feature, I give you the following interview with A.K., who has her own blog over at Almost Chantelle. Enjoy!
1. How exactly did you get into this line of work, and what made you choose it?
When I started, I was working as a writer for a media company, writing daily on their various blogs from home. The problem was, they were a relatively new company and weren't exactly amazing at paying! It could take three months for an invoice to be answered, and in the intervening period I needed some way of bringing in money. Writing from home had made me lazy and I didn't want to go into an office, and I wanted something I could fit around my fiction writing, too. The idea just popped into my head. Work from home, choose your own hours, all you need is a phone line. And a dirty mind! It just seemed easy and being as there aren't any organised shift patterns, I could fit it in around anything and work any time of day or night.
I also liked the creative aspect; as a writer, I found the idea of inventing a "character" really appealing.
2. Is there some kind of an audition process? If there isn't, how can your employer know if you've got the chops for it?
There isn't for the company I work for. It was just send in the form, get your login details and... answer calls. There is a great online support forum where you can get tips and advice from seasoned girls. I suppose the people that don't have the guts for it will stop pretty quickly and I don't think it costs much to set a girl up - with calls being charged at £1.50 a minute, if she does ONE ten minute call, they're in profit easily. So it's worth the risk.
3. Is there any consistency to the kind of men who call you, as far as age, profession, marital status?
None whatsoever. I've talked to men who can't string a sentence together and men who, upon hearing I'm something of a history fanatic, want to chat in depth about that. I once spent an hour discussing the effects of Philip of Spain on Mary Tudor... that's my idea of a job!
I have noticed the men that become "regulars" tend to be slightly older, over 35. They're more interested in developing a relationship with "you" (well, your character). Younger guys want a... ahem... quick release.
4. Can you describe a typical call?
There is no typical call, everyone is different, right down to the terminology used. But most guys just want a graphic description of you giving them oral sex... it tends to last five minutes, then they hang up. These calls are the most regular, but that only means one or two in an eight-hour work cycle - it's all so varied.
5. What are some of the weirder requests you've gotten? Do you ever hang up feeling kind of disgusted?
One guy asked if I could go outside in my garden, find snails, and then listen to me crushing them with a stiletto - I have NO idea what that was about. I couldn't bring myself to do it so I got egg shells out of the bin instead. And as for hanging up - I'd say I hang up on one out of every five calls. It's not really disgust - this job prepares you for it all - it's more the manner of the person, the way they speak. Some I just can't stand the idea of talking to even if I earn a lot of money of their call, so I hang up.
6. What kind personality traits and skills does a phone sex worker need?
An open mind, an imagination and the ability to quell their bullshit-o-meter. When the hundredth guy says "I'm CEO of AOL" you just have to say "wow, really, I'm so impressed" and quell your inner laughter.
7. Do you get paid based on how long you keep callers on the phone?
Yep, and the longer you do, the more the money goes up. Seven minutes is the bonus time - when you go over that, you're in the excellent money.
8. How many jobs have you held in your life?
Five. I was a checkout operative while I was at school, then I did some office shifts on a gap year, then the blogging job, the sex line, and now I work for myself.
1. How exactly did you get into this line of work, and what made you choose it?
When I started, I was working as a writer for a media company, writing daily on their various blogs from home. The problem was, they were a relatively new company and weren't exactly amazing at paying! It could take three months for an invoice to be answered, and in the intervening period I needed some way of bringing in money. Writing from home had made me lazy and I didn't want to go into an office, and I wanted something I could fit around my fiction writing, too. The idea just popped into my head. Work from home, choose your own hours, all you need is a phone line. And a dirty mind! It just seemed easy and being as there aren't any organised shift patterns, I could fit it in around anything and work any time of day or night.
I also liked the creative aspect; as a writer, I found the idea of inventing a "character" really appealing.
2. Is there some kind of an audition process? If there isn't, how can your employer know if you've got the chops for it?
There isn't for the company I work for. It was just send in the form, get your login details and... answer calls. There is a great online support forum where you can get tips and advice from seasoned girls. I suppose the people that don't have the guts for it will stop pretty quickly and I don't think it costs much to set a girl up - with calls being charged at £1.50 a minute, if she does ONE ten minute call, they're in profit easily. So it's worth the risk.
3. Is there any consistency to the kind of men who call you, as far as age, profession, marital status?
None whatsoever. I've talked to men who can't string a sentence together and men who, upon hearing I'm something of a history fanatic, want to chat in depth about that. I once spent an hour discussing the effects of Philip of Spain on Mary Tudor... that's my idea of a job!
I have noticed the men that become "regulars" tend to be slightly older, over 35. They're more interested in developing a relationship with "you" (well, your character). Younger guys want a... ahem... quick release.
4. Can you describe a typical call?
There is no typical call, everyone is different, right down to the terminology used. But most guys just want a graphic description of you giving them oral sex... it tends to last five minutes, then they hang up. These calls are the most regular, but that only means one or two in an eight-hour work cycle - it's all so varied.
5. What are some of the weirder requests you've gotten? Do you ever hang up feeling kind of disgusted?
One guy asked if I could go outside in my garden, find snails, and then listen to me crushing them with a stiletto - I have NO idea what that was about. I couldn't bring myself to do it so I got egg shells out of the bin instead. And as for hanging up - I'd say I hang up on one out of every five calls. It's not really disgust - this job prepares you for it all - it's more the manner of the person, the way they speak. Some I just can't stand the idea of talking to even if I earn a lot of money of their call, so I hang up.
6. What kind personality traits and skills does a phone sex worker need?
An open mind, an imagination and the ability to quell their bullshit-o-meter. When the hundredth guy says "I'm CEO of AOL" you just have to say "wow, really, I'm so impressed" and quell your inner laughter.
7. Do you get paid based on how long you keep callers on the phone?
Yep, and the longer you do, the more the money goes up. Seven minutes is the bonus time - when you go over that, you're in the excellent money.
8. How many jobs have you held in your life?
Five. I was a checkout operative while I was at school, then I did some office shifts on a gap year, then the blogging job, the sex line, and now I work for myself.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Gen Y and the workplace
There have been a spate of news articles in the last few years about how the 70+ million members of Generation Y is going to change the workforce with their can-doism, computer savvy, and desire for work-life balance. While I don't doubt that each generation is somewhat different from the last in terms of its desires and expectations (I definitely find a lot of baby boomers' work experiences and expectations hard to relate to) I'm also extremely skeptical of articles about trends which don't have any data to back them up. I accept that there are a lot of people in their early twenties entering the workforce, and a lot of baby boomers on the verge of retirement, and that means companies are really going to need to attract these young workers. But are they going to get the shorter hours, more interesting and meaningful work, and more casual atmosphere that they reportedly want in the workplace -- indeed, the very things that everyone wants? I hope so, for all our sakes. But here are my predictions for the next ten or twenty years, based on gut instinct and reading a bunch of these articles:
1. It's all going to depend on the economy. Sure, when the economy's going good and the unemployment rate is low, employers have to be a lot more flexible in the war for talent. I remember all too well the overblown salaries, flexible schedules and snack cabinets of the dot com era. Good times. But the fact is, when the going gets tough, and we're all fighting each other over some 28K entry-level job that we have to dumb down our resumes for, your request to take your dog to work or to have Wednesdays off for your juggling group will no longer be accomodated.
2. The workplace will become more casual. In many industries people's home and work wear will completely blend. However, companies that have international clients will still be compelled to dress *somewhat* professionally.
3. Multi-tasking will become the norm. Yes, the time will come when texting someone during a meeting will no longer be considered rude, but perfectly acceptable. (Does anyone remember when call waiting was considered rude? I do.) Everyone will check Facebook and IM their friends during work (if they don't already) and companies will abandon their efforts to try to stop this.
4. If Gen Y members want to enter truly desirable professions (such as in the entertainment industry) they're just going to have to buckle down and work the crazy hours and wreck their personal lives like everybody else. Because if they're not willing, someone else their age certainly is.
5. Workers will not be judged as harshly for wanting to take a sabbatical or change their schedule to accomodate some other outside interest. But know this: those who sacrifice everything for work will still get ahead faster. Which is only fair.
6. By the time the Gen-Yers are in their thirties, they'll have tempered their expectations of what they're likely to get out of work, just like everybody else. Only the lucky ones will enjoy work so fulfilling they'd do it happily for free. Everyone else will do work they sometimes like and often don't, and sometimes suspect is utterly pointless. Because burgers will still have to get flipped, and ad copy will still have to get written, and funds will still have to get hedged. They will have to try to squeeze some meaning out of that.
Have a great weekend, everybody! Come back Monday for my Q&A with a phone sex worker. Perverts welcome!
1. It's all going to depend on the economy. Sure, when the economy's going good and the unemployment rate is low, employers have to be a lot more flexible in the war for talent. I remember all too well the overblown salaries, flexible schedules and snack cabinets of the dot com era. Good times. But the fact is, when the going gets tough, and we're all fighting each other over some 28K entry-level job that we have to dumb down our resumes for, your request to take your dog to work or to have Wednesdays off for your juggling group will no longer be accomodated.
2. The workplace will become more casual. In many industries people's home and work wear will completely blend. However, companies that have international clients will still be compelled to dress *somewhat* professionally.
3. Multi-tasking will become the norm. Yes, the time will come when texting someone during a meeting will no longer be considered rude, but perfectly acceptable. (Does anyone remember when call waiting was considered rude? I do.) Everyone will check Facebook and IM their friends during work (if they don't already) and companies will abandon their efforts to try to stop this.
4. If Gen Y members want to enter truly desirable professions (such as in the entertainment industry) they're just going to have to buckle down and work the crazy hours and wreck their personal lives like everybody else. Because if they're not willing, someone else their age certainly is.
5. Workers will not be judged as harshly for wanting to take a sabbatical or change their schedule to accomodate some other outside interest. But know this: those who sacrifice everything for work will still get ahead faster. Which is only fair.
6. By the time the Gen-Yers are in their thirties, they'll have tempered their expectations of what they're likely to get out of work, just like everybody else. Only the lucky ones will enjoy work so fulfilling they'd do it happily for free. Everyone else will do work they sometimes like and often don't, and sometimes suspect is utterly pointless. Because burgers will still have to get flipped, and ad copy will still have to get written, and funds will still have to get hedged. They will have to try to squeeze some meaning out of that.
Have a great weekend, everybody! Come back Monday for my Q&A with a phone sex worker. Perverts welcome!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Linky Wednesday
Young men who like to steal books: remember, when you're stealing Bukowski from your local used bookstore, you are in no sense sticking it to the man.
Mental health officials are deciding whether to include compulsive shopping as a legitimate disorder in the DSM. This article notes that in the U.S. avid shopping is a widely observed norm, so it's hard to distinguish avid shoppers from compulsive ones. The whole thing makes my teeth chatter.
An Indianapolis janitor finally got an apology from his union which censured him for reading a historical book on the KKK during his break. Now you know why I'm always nervous about being spotted reading books about Nazis.
A Yahoo article lists five jobs you can feel good about and still make a decent salary at. (Not that it's going to be any picnic getting them. Good luck on that nonprofit executive one. Sheesh.)
A study confirms what we already knew: high-tech gadgets are causing us all to waste our lives. According to this research, 15 to 20 percent of people can be categorized as chronic procrastinators, dramatically up since the availability of computers and mobile phones. Professor Piers Stell from Calgary University estimates that the beeps notifying the arrival of email are responsible for a .5% drop in the gross domestic product of the U.S. -- that's 70 billion a year.
No one is saying reading blogs is anything but an excellent use of your time, of course.
And..I found someone who's an even bigger cheapskate than me. A New York man pulling down six figures a year chose to live in the company paint shed without anyone knowing. I gotta say, I admire the discipline.
Mental health officials are deciding whether to include compulsive shopping as a legitimate disorder in the DSM. This article notes that in the U.S. avid shopping is a widely observed norm, so it's hard to distinguish avid shoppers from compulsive ones. The whole thing makes my teeth chatter.
An Indianapolis janitor finally got an apology from his union which censured him for reading a historical book on the KKK during his break. Now you know why I'm always nervous about being spotted reading books about Nazis.
A Yahoo article lists five jobs you can feel good about and still make a decent salary at. (Not that it's going to be any picnic getting them. Good luck on that nonprofit executive one. Sheesh.)
A study confirms what we already knew: high-tech gadgets are causing us all to waste our lives. According to this research, 15 to 20 percent of people can be categorized as chronic procrastinators, dramatically up since the availability of computers and mobile phones. Professor Piers Stell from Calgary University estimates that the beeps notifying the arrival of email are responsible for a .5% drop in the gross domestic product of the U.S. -- that's 70 billion a year.
No one is saying reading blogs is anything but an excellent use of your time, of course.
And..I found someone who's an even bigger cheapskate than me. A New York man pulling down six figures a year chose to live in the company paint shed without anyone knowing. I gotta say, I admire the discipline.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner?
My brother David sent me this link which talks about just how horrible it is to work in a poultry factory. When you're cutting into a chicken 20,000 times a day, it's no surprise that you'd be subject to serious carpal tunnel syndrome and tendinitis, but you also might be risking both life and limb. This has been going on for decades, and yet in past years these poor working conditions stopped being part of the public record. The reason is explained by an interviewee on a recent PBS special on this very subject:
AMES ALEXANDER: There used to be a column on injury logs where companies were supposed to record all repetitive motion injuries. Uh, and this essentially gave OSHA inspectors a very quick idea of how common repetitive motion problems like carpal tunnel, like tendonitis, were. Uh, and then, uh, under pressure, uh, from the industry, OSHA removed that column.
(OSHA = Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
The Charlotte Observer did a lot of coverage on this group of workers back in February. They note that over 80% of poultry workers in the Carolinas are Latino, and the majority of those are here illegally, and not in a position to officially complain about sub-par working conditions.
Although my brother correctly assessed that I'd be interested from a Workin' It standpoint, I don't think he is aware that reading about such conditions in poultry factories in a 1989 New York Times article is what prompted me to become a vegetarian, which I still am to this day. Back then, I was so horrified by both the working conditions for humans and the living conditions for the animals that I decided to sever my association with the poultry industry by no longer eating their food. Another reason was, back then, the use of antibiotics on these birds was rampant, although this practice has been somewhat phased out. This overuse led to one strain of bacteria, Campylobacter, commonly found in chickens' intestines, to become resistant to antibiotics, and led to a subsequent massive increase in the presence of this bacteria, which was passed on to humans eating this contaminated poultry. (Which is why everyone is always so concerned about cleaning everything a raw chicken touches.) In 2001 this stuff sickened one percent of the (U.S. human) population per year. This overuse of antibiotics has also seriously contributed to their ineffectiveness in a general sense.
I was planning on posting something upbeat today, since it's Monday. Sorry about that. If you don't work in a poultry plant, you can take solace from that. And, if you do, you have my sympathy.
AMES ALEXANDER: There used to be a column on injury logs where companies were supposed to record all repetitive motion injuries. Uh, and this essentially gave OSHA inspectors a very quick idea of how common repetitive motion problems like carpal tunnel, like tendonitis, were. Uh, and then, uh, under pressure, uh, from the industry, OSHA removed that column.
(OSHA = Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
The Charlotte Observer did a lot of coverage on this group of workers back in February. They note that over 80% of poultry workers in the Carolinas are Latino, and the majority of those are here illegally, and not in a position to officially complain about sub-par working conditions.
Although my brother correctly assessed that I'd be interested from a Workin' It standpoint, I don't think he is aware that reading about such conditions in poultry factories in a 1989 New York Times article is what prompted me to become a vegetarian, which I still am to this day. Back then, I was so horrified by both the working conditions for humans and the living conditions for the animals that I decided to sever my association with the poultry industry by no longer eating their food. Another reason was, back then, the use of antibiotics on these birds was rampant, although this practice has been somewhat phased out. This overuse led to one strain of bacteria, Campylobacter, commonly found in chickens' intestines, to become resistant to antibiotics, and led to a subsequent massive increase in the presence of this bacteria, which was passed on to humans eating this contaminated poultry. (Which is why everyone is always so concerned about cleaning everything a raw chicken touches.) In 2001 this stuff sickened one percent of the (U.S. human) population per year. This overuse of antibiotics has also seriously contributed to their ineffectiveness in a general sense.
I was planning on posting something upbeat today, since it's Monday. Sorry about that. If you don't work in a poultry plant, you can take solace from that. And, if you do, you have my sympathy.
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