Halloween - Employee Test Time

Yes, this weekend is Halloween. Today is the annual Employee Test given by smart managers to see who gets the lowest year end evaluation and no raise.

Years ago we had Halloween but NOBODY came to work dressed in a costume. Then slowly over time, the dumbest of staff members began to ask..."Can we dress up on Friday for Halloween?" I was sure this was a bad idea. I never dressed up for Halloween and always used this day as an informal IQ Test for my staff. Whom among you is the dumbest person working here? Today, that person will reveal himself or herself as in often the case.

If you work in a large Office you will notice a natural pecking order develop today. Clearly one person will shine as the single biggest dumb shit in the place. Then there will be others who will qualify as just plain stupid. Finally, one or two will actually come to work, without a costume. These are your all stars and they deserve the best performance review and biggest raise.

It's nice that Halloween falls this time of year. It makes employee evaluations both interesting and much simpler.

KINDLE & NOOK vrs iPAD

Look at these two devices..............One has a picture.

In USA Today they were comparing the ereaders that are available. These included: The Kindle, The Nook, The Sony eReader, The Libre, and The iPad. It seems crazy to me that they compare these devices given that the iPad is $300 more expensive and does five hundred times more things than any ereader. Then in a related news article, I read where Steve Jobs said the new "7 inch Tablets" coming to market in 2011 were dead on arrival.

There is currently nothing that compares to an iPad. Moreover, nothing I have seen "coming soon" even comes close. Period.

When they compare the iPad to other ereaders they always say it is much too expensive. They always fail to mention that it also gets email, opens WORD and XL Docs, runs games, and plays movies. To call an iPad and ereader is like calling a BMW M3 a CD player, just because it can play CDs.

This is my vision of the iPad in 2011. It will come out with Face Time and you will be able to make VoIP Video calls on your iPad to IPhone 4 users and new iPad users. Try that on your new Kindle DX.

The answer is LEADERSHIP

I was reading on-line today about the ways in which different countries are beginning to address the long term impact of the global economic mess. The BBC World Service asked me to comment about California on their nightly live radio broadcast. We discussed three examples:

"Britain's coalition government announces the biggest programme of spending cuts in decades, with thousands of public-sector jobs facing the axe. "

"French strikers impose new fuel blockades, hours after security forces clear protesters from three depots."

"NBC/WSJ poll: GOP poised for big midterm gains 'Democrats, with two weeks left, are facing very, very difficult arithmetic'."

Clearly, we face a global economic crisis. In California things are much the same as in France, the UK, and across America. There are three questions we need to answer:
• How did this happen?
• What can we do to "fix" the situation?
• Who among us will provide the Leadership to make these changes?

Our current global economic situation is a result of over spending for the past forty years. Following the end of the Second World War, global economies expanded. This growth seemed to be unending and led to overspending. The idea was that we will have more money, either higher salaries or more taxes, in the future and we can pay for everything then. This flawed thinking was fueled by the fall of communism and an additional expansion in Eastern Europe in the 90s. All of this came to a halt with the last big economic bubble in Housing.

Today, we need to face the new 21st century reality. Western economic expansion has reached its limit. Everyone in the developed countries has a car and a TV. All future growth will be driven by China, India, and Brazil. These are the growth markets for the next fifty years. The traditional Western Developed countries need to rethink their economic future and live within their means.

The idea of living within our means is painful for many. The concept requires individuals to only spend the money they currently have. This leads to reduced credit spending and reduced consumer spending going forward. Likewise, Governments must reduce spending to levels based on current revenues from Taxation and Fees. On paper this is not too difficult. The hard part comes to the prioritizing as to where to spend and where to stop spending.

On an individual basis these decisions regarding how to prioritize spending can be difficult. As Governments begin to make these decisions, the task will be nearly impossible. Britain this week announced its plan to cut the UK budget by 20%. This includes the cut of 500,000 government jobs. In France they are rioting over the decision to move the retirement age to 62 years old. Only the French would do this. The current retirement age is 60 in France and it is the lowest retirement age in the Western World. Only the California State workers, who can retire at 55, have a better deal.

The difficult decisions we face will require real Leadership. As individuals we can help ourselves by making these decisions NOW. We can also use the upcoming election process to pick the Leaders who will make these decisions for Governments going forward. The longer we wait the more painful this change will be for all of us. I'm voting for Jerry Brown to provide the Leadership we need in California. I think we are stuck with President Urkel for two more years and his version of "hope and change".

UNREASONABLE SEARCH

Today is October 6, 2010. It was 34 years ago today that Cubana Flight 455 was hijacked resulting in the death of 73 people. This event, among others, led to the practice of "AIRPORT SCREENING". I am writing this to ask each of you to demand an end to illegal searches in the name of safety. Prior to 1970, US Airports had minimal security. A series of hijackings and the bombing of flight 455 led to increased airport security in the 1970s.

Airport Screening is the popular euphemism for unreasonable [illegal] search of airline passengers. This failed process has led to the collective "ends justify the means" thinking regarding terrorist attacks. Remember, the 9/11 hijackers ALL went through the airport screening process and it FAILED to catch them. In over thirty four years of searching at a cost of trillions of dollars, the TSA and the former private screeners have not caught a single terrorist.

Worse than the illegal insult of constant search and the cost which could have sent every child in Amerika to college, Airport Screening has spawned the NEW SEARCH INDUSTRY. Today you can't go to Disneyland without being searched. Dodger Stadium searches people too. In the coming years, you will not be able to go to a grocery store or be able to take a piss unless you agree to be searched. This costly unnecessary stupid invasion of privacy has to stop.

Every holiday period, Thanksgiving at LAX comes to mind, the TV News shows some dumb lady waiting in a long line to be "screened." They only allow the lady on TV who agrees to say the following: "OH, I don't mind the wait as long as it makes it safer for everyone to fly." In reality they had to reject the 50 other people who complained that Unreasonable Search is protected by the Fourth Amendment.

The Fourth Amendment is pretty clear: " The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Amerikans fought to defend this fundament right and we need to fight again to end unreasonable search and prevent it from expanding.

Freedom of Speech

Be glad you live in Amerika.

AMSTERDAM — Dutch politician Geert Wilders appealed for freedom of expression Monday as he went on trial for alleged hate speech at a time when his popularity and influence in the Netherlands are near all-time highs.

Prosecutors say Wilders has incited hate against Muslims, pointing to a litany of quotes and remarks he has made in recent years. In one opinion piece he wrote "I’ve had enough of Islam in the Netherlands; let not one more Muslim immigrate," adding "I’ve had enough of the Quran in the Netherlands: Forbid that fascist book."

We take Freedom of Speech for granted. Many Amerikans have openly complained about Muslims and their impact on our culture. Imagine Holland with over 6% of the population being Muslim compared to Amerika with a less than 1% Muslim population. The Dutch are really fed up with the "Muslim Invasion" that has change their culture.

Now, the Dutch government, in a move of Krazy Political Correctness, has charged an out spoken critic of "Hate Crimes" for speaking out against the problem.

I wonder what would happen if they built a Mosque at Ground Zero in Amsterdam?