a99kitten's Musings

I blog about a WHOLE LOT of stuff :)

This guy is in charge of the union for federal employees. The employees who our taxes pay wages and benefits for. And because they are unionized can likely never be fired for incompetence like private sector, non-union workers. The same employees who feel they are entitled to life-long (likely under-funded) pensions and benefits paid for by…hmmm….who exactly?

And what could they possibly have to go on strike about? Are the coal mines they are working in unsafe? Are they exposed to toxic chemicals or fires or armed suspects as they sit behind their desks from 9-5? Forced child labor maybe? No. Nothing like that. They marched in Washington this week to protest the proposed freeze on federal wage spending. So basically because they probably won’t get an annual pay increase and have to pay a slightly higher portion of their health insurance premium. A pretty idiotic reason to strike when the nation has a 14 TRILLION dollar deficit and almost 10% unemployment. Feel free to quit guys and gals. Pretty sure there are plenty of people who would be happy to take your place.

http://www.usdebtclock.org/

And I really hope this putz gets the same media tongue-lashing that Britney Spears got when she said “retarded” in some article. Because you know with 100% certainty that if a Republican or a company CEO said this, all of PC-hell would rain down on him and it would be ad nauseum streaming headline news on CNN and MSNBC and make the front page of the New York Times.

Unions = entitled jackasses. Union Bosses – corrupt jackasses.

I don’t have a truly informed opinion on DADT. I am not in the military and have never been, so it’s not my place to simply give my opinion other than when prefaced with “IMO” and not as anything else. Much like I believe a company’s hiring practices should be decided by the company and not the government, the decisions about the military should be decided by those who are serving. Who am I to tell them what to do? And who are you to tell me (as a private company) who to hire? But the fact is, there are laws in place telling me what I can or cannot do about hiring *in a private company* and how I can fire them even when they completely suck and take advantage of my/our generosity.

So for all the fanfare and tweets (good grief people) and news stories about DADT, I only care about your opinion if you are serving in the military, or have served, and have the knowledge to tell me what is good or not.

And when people have to be let go at my company, or when trying to find the right person to fill a position, I will try and use my (our) best judgment for what is best for us. And I don’t really care what you (the Royal You :) ) or the government think. But sadly, we don’t completely have that luxury in this land of the free.

So I don’t normally participate in the twitter, tumblr or Facebook memes or “retweet/post this message” stuff. But the recent one on Facebook was to post a cartoon picture of something you enjoyed as a child in an “effort” to get the message about childhood abuse out there. I love cartoons. So I did it. I first put up Wonder Woman as my favorite super hero cartoon as a kid. But then this weekend, I changed it to the Humble Bumble (Abominable from Rudolph.) It was a toss-up between him and Yukon Cornelius. And then I thought about Scrooge McDuck too who was a childhood favorite of mine and also my brother. I am actually going to leave Humble Bumble up for December I think though :)

Humble Bumble

Now…I’m pretty sure people know this is a very real problem in the world that does need addressing in a serious manner. And I’m also pretty sure most people know that changing their profile picture on Facebook isn’t really going to change the world or effect this issue in any real way. But so what? Wearing a pink ribbon doesn’t really change breast cancer awareness anymore, or a rainbow sticker to show solidarity with any number of gay-awareness causes, or any of the gazillion different-colored ribbons to promote stuff that we have no idea about anymore because there are so many. But by doing it, if even the 1 person you run across who hasn’t heard or thought about it (you are probably on the moon in this case) does think about it, then you did a decent thing. And hurt nothing or no one in the process.

So I was kinda shocked at seeing the amount of people on twitter and tumblr (and even some on Facebook) who went on tirades about how stupid it was, how it wasn’t going to change anything, was a waste of time and resources, etc. Wow. People…settle the hell down. It takes less than a minute to google/bing/yahoo search your favorite childhood cartoon and change your profile picture. And they are cute. And it’s kind of fun to see what your friends put up. So I don’t think anyone chose to put a cartoon picture up over donating time or money to any cause. In fact, your insults and tirades probably took more time. So just listen to Frankie…relax.

I thought maybe for some people it hit a button. And they had been abused or knew someone who was so the whole thing touched a sore spot. And maybe that’s it. But I would assume any awareness brought to a problem is good awareness. And while you think changing pictures to cartoons is stupid, the story was picked up by a lot of national news agencies that would have otherwise been reporting on how many stitches Obama has in his lip (which IS back in the news today – awesome) or what athlete Kim Kardashian is doing now. So…maybe nothing came of it all. But you don’t know.

And while I think most campaigns produce nothing much beyond their initial punch, sometimes that initial punch gets a person(s) moving. Causes them to act. Certainly not everyone. But some, even a few, is a good thing. Each person is going to have their own hot button issues. The ones they do set aside time for to help with, or donate money to, or both and more. And maybe you didn’t know it was a hot button issue until you thought about it more, and read about it more.

I mean come on – all the “Donate $$ to Haiti” tweets that were going around and around and around for a week or so. Did you really ever think about Haiti before that? Did you donate your $5 and feel like you did something? And did you ever do anything after that 3 minute cycle? Donate your time? Or more money? Probably not. But you know – that $5 might have meant a lot anyway. So do you regret doing it? Was it a bad thing that you did it? Can’t imagine you think so.

Some of the tweets and posts on tumblr were downright mean too. And some of the people who wrote them are the so-called “big names” on twitter/tumblr (which is a rather ridiculous and humorous statement in itself.) If you are on twitter or tumblr, you know the people, you probably follow at least one of them, the ones that love to self promote on Favrd or whatever that site is called where you favorite your own tweets and hope others do too in a some weird attempt to be a big name on a site most people in the world have never heard of. Yeah – they were bashing the cartoons as being stupid and ridiculous. Ummm…ok.

Also – it’s Christmas. And while I know this whole cartoon Facebook hubabub had nothing to do with Christmas, it was done around Christmas-time plus it had to with kids who should love Christmas and be extra happy at Christmas-time. That is something I am a firm believer in. *I* love Christmas. And even after a rough year, I am determined to still love Christmas. So lock away your personal Grinch for a few weeks and partake of the happy spirit known as “holiday cheer”. Smile.

And if this horrible waste of time perpetrated by obvious pure evil beings caused even 1 person to say “Oh yeah, I want to donate some money or time to fighting such and such cause as my good deed during this holiday season.” then yay.

And if you don’t want to do it, OK. No big deal either. But what does it gain to bash the people that do?

In fact, here you go – why don’t you go and put this picture up for the rest of the year…

So the Oakland Raiders player who smacked Ben Roethlisberger so hard in the head on Sunday, that Big Ben went down to the ground (and he’s a big guy), after Ben tried to break up a verbal fight between players, after the play was done got fined $25,000 by the NFL but no other penalty.

In 2003, Saints receiver Joe Horn spiked the ball after scoring a touchdown against the Giants. He then pulled a hidden cell phone out of its the padding of the upright and used it to call his children. He was fined $30,000 by the NFL.

After a score in a Monday Night Football contest against the Seattle Seahawks, Terrell Owens pulled a Sharpie out of his sock and signed the game ball which he then gave to his financial adviser, who was sitting in a seat close to the end zone. Owens was fined $20,000 by the NFL for defacing the ball.

Wes Welker was fined $10,000 for making a snow angel after scoring a touchdown during a week 16 game against the Cardinals in 2008.

Get your head out of your ass NFL. Fine egregious actions such as hitting people, on purpose, for no good reason. But end zone celebrations? Or actions that occur as a result of football moves? You guys are systematically removing any fun or ability to play while making sure to not apply rules and stiffer penalties when you should.

There have been so many fines for end zone celebrations (which hurt who exactly?) and for things that occur as a result of them actually playing football – “Hi – I’m flying through the air as I am going to tackle someone and we both move in a split second causing me to land on him and one or both of us get hurt but it’s clearly not intentional.”

But the NFL was catching a lot of gruff from the media about concussions and players getting hurt so they had to step up those fines to appear as they were reacting. But instead it’s just a large amount of over-reacting in ways that don’t even seem reasonable. But then someone goes off and does something violent on purpose?

This quote bothered me more than anything:
“All the offensive linemen, as well as some of us, were getting chippy because they were chipping after the whistle,” Oakland linebacker Quentin Groves (notes) said. “As Ben goes and tries and break the fight up, Richard reacts. That’s just a reaction that a fighter has, and that’s what he is, a fighter. To react like that is just a basic combination.”

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-raiders-seymourfined

No – this is a human with a brain and the ability to know the difference between right and wrong. You should be able to recognize that you don’t just go off and hit people and blame it on a “fighter’s reaction.” I saw the play. And then all of the replays of it. The guy just went off and hit someone for no reason. And I’m not even a fan of Ben R but this was so ridiculous.

Although if I’m going to be honest, had this been Michael Vick who was hit, I would have applauded the Oakland player.

Wow.

Democrat pollster Mark Penn appeared on MSNBC’s Hardball and said that President Clinton reconnected with his speech after the Oklahoma City bombings, and Obama needs a similar situation to do the same.

“President Clinton reconnected with Oklahoma. And the President right now he seems removed. And it wasn’t until that speech that he really clicked with the American people. Obama needs a similar kind of, yeah” said Penn.

Yes, clearly this country needs another domestic terrorist attack so that Obama can “connect” with us.

Wow.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101028/ap_on_he_me/lt_brazil_mcdonald_s_obese_manager;_ylt=Ai1qAWpBrENKEk5Hj6Srqlpv24cA;_ylu=X3oDMTQ1YzJjMmliBGFzc2V0Ay9zL2FwLzIwMTAxMDI4L2FwX29uX2hlX21lL2x0X2JyYXppbF9tY2RvbmFsZF9zX29iZXNlX21hbmFnZXIEY2NvZGUDbXBfZWNfOF8xMARjcG9zAzkEcG9zAzkEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yaWVzBHNsawNqdWRnZWZpbmVzbWM-

Unreal. And yet not really…

Fattie could have brought in his lunch (like tons of health conscious people do) if he didn’t want the “high-caloric” FREE lunches.

And “sampling” food products won’t make you gain 65 lbs. Eating the entire Big Mac and large fries every afternoon after the Big Breakfast every AM will. Let’s look up the word sampling in the dictionary shall we?

And you can quit dude…any time…

But clearly no one is ever responsible for their own condition.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703431604575522434188603198.html

I heard this on CNBC last week and finally searched for and found the WSJ story tonight . While  it does not surprise me in the least, what surprises me a little is that the politicians/aides don’t even seem embarrassed by it (at least put on a show of “oopsie” when asked.)  It’s more of “Yeah, so what?” attitude.

“The aides identified by the Journal say they didn’t profit by making trades based on any information gathered in the halls of Congress. Even if they had done so, it would be legal, because insider-trading laws don’t apply to Congress.”

Of course not – why should laws for the simple folk apply to the government? That would be silly.

“A few lawmakers proposed a bill that would prevent members and employees of Congress from trading securities based on nonpublic information they obtain. The legislation has languished since 2006.

“Congressional staff are often privy to inside information, and an unscrupulous person could profit off that knowledge,” says Vincent Morris, a spokesman for Rep. Louise Slaughter (D., N.Y.), a leading backer of the “Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act,” or STOCK Act. “The public should be outraged there is no law specifically banning this.” “

So all the fist-pounding, angry rhetoric by politicians about how evil Wall Street is and how billionaire corporate insiders and hedge fund managers have all the advantages and the little guy investor has no hope since he can’t get access to same the information is just more BS grandstanding by politicians (shocking I know) since they take advantage of the same type of insider information BUT it’s not technically illegal for them to do it (because they have made sure not to pass the law) so it’s OK…since the current law seems to exclude them.  Oh…OK…got it. (wth?)

If you work for someone who is voting on a piece of legislation that can effect an entire industry (or certain companies) you have absolutely no business profiting from that information. You cannot possibly tell me you think you aren’t acting on inside information.

And if you feel you’ve done nothing wrong, then you and your bosses have absolutely NO business being talking heads about the evils of corporate and Wall Street greed. Spare me.

This is what annoys/angers me the most. Not the fact that they did it. Most people, if they are being honest with themselves, would if they could…or at least have to think about it hard. But having to listen to and read all the anti-business crap spewed forth by politicians ever since the banking/mortgage melt-down (a melt down facilitated in part by politicians but they like to forget that little detail) is beyond ridiculous. And this is simply more evidence of just how deep that BS is up on the Hill.

From Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

Definition of HYPOCRITE

1
: a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2
: a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings

This morning on our way home from the beach, the huskies and I were waiting to cross Highway 1. It stresses me out when it’s busy and I always make sure to keep the huskies on tight, short leashes while we are near the road, especially after hearing a story of someone who didn’t :(

We went to the harbor beach today, and not Surfer’s Beach.  We have a standard place to cross Highway 1 for each beach.  As we stood there waiting for traffic to stop/clear I heard a loud CRACKBOOM! I saw a car swerve out of the oncoming northbound lane and go sideways and then saw 2 other cars in the southbound lane swerve and heard BOOM, CRASH! Very, very loud. One of the cars actually jumped up on the sidewalk/trail and was basically now sitting exactly where I would have been with the huskies had we been coming back from Surfer’s beach. Creepy. Didn’t like thinking about that.

Anyway, there was a giant truck behind the 2 cars in the southbound lane and he just drove right around the wreck and kept going. As did ALL of the cars in both lanes. Now, this was not a little fender-bender. There was car carnage all over the road that you could hear being crunched as cars drove around the accident. Like, actual fenders and pieces of cars, not tiny bits of of headlights or something.

2 of the 3 cars were sideways on the 2-lane highway. And not 1 car stopped to see if everyone was alright.  I saw 2 bicyclists stop and talk to the passenger of one of the cars.   The fire station is right across the street so I ran there and told them and they zoomed over they very quickly (they also were pretty cute and liked the huskies! Bonus!)

I remember several years ago I was driving on Highway 1 through Pacifica during a heavy rainstorm and I saw a small truck skid off and overturn. I pulled over and the lady was crawling out of her truck (which was upside down) and she seemed physically OK but obviously very shaken up. I then realized that no one else stopped. A truck just flipped over and not one other car stopped to see if the person was OK. As she was using my cell to call her husband another car pulled over and the guy said he called 911 and he stayed with us as well. But just 2 people out of countless cars during AM commute stopped to see if another person in obvious need was alright.

What the hell people? I am not the most compassionate person in the world. If you aren’t fluffy, you are pretty much on your own.  But jeez…in situations where someone could be really hurt, of course I stop or do what I can to help.  As I hope someone would stop for me. But I am actually pretty disabused of this idea and don’t look for help from others. I mean you might be late to your stripper pole exercise class, or your meeting at Starbucks with the other dorks.

I swear every time I might start forgetting how horrid most people really are, I get reminded of it.

This is BS. If an employee is loaded at work, they should be fired. You are NOT a protected class because you feel the need to be high. You are a loser. And I don’t want you answering customer service calls, working on our servers or even making my cheeseburger at the local fast food place for that matter. Let alone handling blood work at a doctor’s office, driving a school bus or working on a construction site.

Drugs and alcohol impair your ability to think clearly and make rational decisions. Rattle off all of your BS excuses as to why it’ s not bad, why it should be legal, blah, blah, blah. Doesn’t matter. Keep your impaired self at home.

You want to blaze up and kill your brain cells one by one, up to you. But stay at home.  You aren’t allowed to be doing shots at your desk or snorting coke off your cubicle and you sure as hell shouldn’t be allowed to get high on your smoke break.

California’s employee-centric, anti-business laws are already ridiculous. Let’s add another thing to make it harder for employers to get rid of non-performing employees and easier for them sue for violation of their “rights”.

California truly is the land of fruit and nuts.

“Commentary: Prop. 19 Jeopardizes Workplace Safety

(October 13, 2010) The marijuana initiative on the November ballot (Proposition 19) is more about making it illegal for employers to have a marijuana-free workplace than it is about removing criminal penalties for possession.
Allan Zaremberg

What is in the language of Proposition 19 that should cause concern for all employers? Proposition 19 creates a new protected class of workers and prohibits discrimination against marijuana users, just like age, gender and ethnicity.

Thus, even though pre-employment drug testing is not per se prohibited, an employer cannot use the results of a positive marijuana test as the reason not to hire an applicant.

Moreover, unless a local ordinance is subsequently passed in a community, it will be legal to smoke marijuana in the workplace. Employers will be prohibited from disciplining or terminating an employee who is “high” at work unless the employer can show that the use “actually impaired” the employee’s job performance.

‘Actual Impairment’ Undefined

Under current law, an employer does not need to prove actual impairment to discipline for alcohol or drug use in the workplace. If Proposition 19 passes, an employee could still be disciplined for alcohol use, but could not be disciplined for marijuana use unless the employer could prove “actual impairment.” This term is undefined and untested and an accident may have to happen first before an employer can prove actual impairment.

Other than public safety employees, Proposition 19 would apply to everyone, private or public sector jobs, such as fork lift drivers, nurses and school bus drivers.

In addition, any employer who relies on federal funds that require a drug-free workplace could have the receipt of those funds jeopardized by the passage of Proposition 19.

Most news stories discuss only whether marijuana should be decriminalized. It is important to get these workplace issues in front of the voters. I encourage California Chamber of Commerce members to spread the word about how Proposition 19 could jeopardize the safety of your workforce and lead to new employment law litigation, unless it is defeated in November.

Allan Zaremberg is president and chief executive officer of the California Chamber of Commerce.”

http://www.calchamber.com/Headlines/Pages/CommentaryProp19JeopardizesWorkplaceSafety.aspx?sp_rid=MzAyNTU2MzExOAS2&sp_mid=35878871

Just finished watching the first 2 eps of  Boardwalk Empire on HBO. I liked it. Don’t love it like I did did The Sopranos  but that’s ok.

One thing that annoyed me, but not faulting the show as they are being period-correct, was Dabney Coleman’s character and his comments about the woman’s vote.  After watching Mad Men for a few seasons, you’d think I’d be used to it. But this was even more brazen. I guess I never paid attention as it has never effected my life.

Now, I’ve experienced all sorts of sexual remarks, innuendo, blah blah. I simply don’t understand those that get (or act) offended by it. And I AM offended by women who do act offended by it. Deal with it. Who cares.  Grow up. I’ve had guys (co-workers) make blow jobs remarks to me, think I’m sleeping with my boss, stare at my chest, etc etc. Whatever. If I can’t handle that stupid high school BS, then I should find a new job. And hide in a hole.

Years ago, our VP of Engineering, who was known as a letch, was staring at my chest as he was talking to me. I snapped my fingers a few times and said “my eyes dude, up here. Look at me when we speak.” I embarrassed him. Good.

What does offend me (as shown in both Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire) is the belief that women are stupid.  Now…some are. I know that. And some are willing to act that they are.  THAT annoys the hell out of me. I would smack those women in the head if given a chance. Any day.

In this episode of Boardwalk Empire, this character asks his maid/housekeeper about world economics stuff (to prove a point about the worthlessness of a woman’s vote.) And I’m sure back then, she knew nothing about that. Nor cared. As it wasn’t “her place”.   But the arrogance about how clueless she obviously was made me want to punch him in the face. Not because it was that way back then,  but because I know there are men who believe that still now.

I find it stupid and ridiculous when people get offended and PC about stupid sexual comments. Who cares. But treat me like I’m a bimbo – I’ll smack you in the head. But the women (and men) that make it about sexual harassment…you demean me just as much.