Month: September 2012

Good Transition

In a week I’ll transition from one great job to what has the potential to be an equally great job. After last year I doubted my ability to have a great job. Funny and annoying what one will let others do to their confidence.

I’m not one that needs to be patted on the back or even ever told I’m doing a good job. Just give me a nice place to work that embraces, professional respect and accountability. I’m a firm believer that you can have this anyplace in any business. And surprise, surprise I found it in a shipyard of all places.

The shipyard is unique because it’s real. The work is real. The people are real. I spent 15 years in the world of drama that is the creative industry. I’m not saying that the people or the work there isn’t real in the creative industry (when I hit the publish button on this post I risk – well let me say this – creative industry peeps – my apologies – do not take this personally) But really, the worry of the day there in the world of worries is, well pretty insignificant.

Shipbuilding is a dangerous business. The people there are smart, talented, focused, engaging and interested in who their co-workers are. And how their co-workers are doing. They are ready with an answer to your question and take pride in what you learn, even if they weren’t the one teaching you. They welcome the opportunity to teach you. They care about their co-workers and take pride in what they accomplish as a team and individually. They take pride in showing off their daily accomplishments. They can’t afford to think of only themselves. That can be fatal.

Their code is;

Be Smart-Be Careful-Be Productive-Be Flexible-Be Considerate

And you know what, they are. And much more.

Last year after being dropped to half time, banished to the basement (my dining room table) and leaving on a date set by employer at what I thought was my dream job (more risk here after I hit publish) for a handful of mistakes. Small mistakes they said. I doubted everything. I thought about listing some of those small mistakes. Or listing the mistakes (some similar some not so small) I saw others make as I sat in my dining room table working of the final three months at 20 hours a week. But I’m not competitive when it comes to wining, so I’m certainly not competitive when it comes to mistakes.

So to hear the things I heard last Friday from one of the General Manager’s, it’s alleviated some of the still present sting from last year. Simple professional respect and an acknowledgement of abilities I believe I possess.

In the preface of one of the books a read a few years back, “how” by Dov Seidman he writes. “Think about it. If you make stronger connections and collaborate more intensely with your co-workers, you can win. … “The tapestry of human behavior is so diverse, so rich, and so global that it presents a rare opportunity, the opportunity to out behave the competition.”

Be different out behave your co-workers, take respect and professionalism to a whole new level. Regardless of where you are.

I will miss you shipyard, but you have restored my faith in respectful, accountable profesional business.

Tags professionalism, Respect

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Me smart?

“We will never have the elite smart people on our side.”

Not any where near elite and never considered myself smart. Until I listened to this. I actually, don’t think that I’m smart in the traditional sense. But I do my best to read, read and read some more so that maybe have something behind my opinions. Maybe?

[youtube]http://youtu.be/0n5oa55EsmI[/youtube]

Santorum also claimed “the media” and “colleges and universities” would not be “on our side” because “they want to tell you what to do.”

Interesting since I’ve been reading that the Koch brothers are donating tons of money, strings attached to colleges and universities. Strings being their choice of faculty and curriculum. Telling them what to do, what to teach. Maybe Santorum isn’t on the Koch email distribution list for their updates on education?

Granted my experience working in the “media” was framed in an full summer internship while in school. As were several friends in college, during the Gulf War. If you are in the media, you see everything. Un-edited, un-filtered straight up news from the world. Video feed that comes through from where ever is not edited. It is as it happens. That lead me to this conclusion. If the media is “liberal”, it’s because they see everything. Un-edited and un-filtered. So even if they never tell the whole story or tend to lean one way or the other. Depending on the network. It’s because they see it all. If you saw it all, you might think or feel differently.

Tags conservative, Koch, liberal, Media, Santorum

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Keeping Quiet

by Pablo Neruda

English version by Alastair Reid

Now we will count to twelve
and we will all keep still.

For once on the face of the earth
let’s not speak in any language,
let’s stop for one second,
and not move our arms so much.

It would be an exotic moment
without rush, without engines,
we would all be together
in a sudden strangeness.

Fishermen in the cold sea
would not harm whales
and the man gathering salt
would look at his hurt hands.

Those who prepare green wars,
wars with gas, wars with fire,
victory with no survivors,
would put on clean clothes
and walk about with their brothers
in the shade, doing nothing.

What I want should not be confused
with total inactivity.
Life is what it is about;
I want no truck with death.

If we were not so single-minded
about keeping our lives moving,
and for once could do nothing,
perhaps a huge silence
might interrupt this sadness
of never understanding ourselves
and of threatening ourselves with death.
Perhaps the earth can teach us
as when everything seems dead
and later proves to be alive.

Now I’ll count up to twelve
and you keep quiet and I will go.

don't speak...don't speak!

Despite…

Despite our differences, I still believe in US.

Despite the hate I read, I still believe in US.

Despite the hate I hear, I still believe in US.

Despite the dissension, I still believe in US.

Despite the intolerance, I still believe in US.

Despite the inability to work together, I still believe in US.

Despite the finger pointing and blame, I still believe in US.

Despite the fact that politics will always be just politics, I still believe in US.

Despite it all. I still believe in all of US. Because we are all better than our differences, the hate, the dessension and the intolerance.

creative don't speak...don't speak! TED

I wish…

“An honorable enterprise that advances the public interests.” #42

I wish I were perfect so that I could cast stones with ease.

I wish others would think before they cast.

I wish I were smart enough so that I understood tax credits, capital gains, health care, health insurance.

I wish I knew with out reservation who was right and who was wrong, factually.

I wish I were smart enough and had the time to find fact from fiction.

I wish that I were so sure of what I believed was right, but at the same time still cared about those around me.

I wish I understood exactly what created the national debt.

I wish I understood how tax breaks created jobs.

I wish that the difference between us created dialogue and not hate.

I wish that if you didn’t watch this yesterday when I posted it that you will now.

Dare to disagree

I wish that Republican’s and Democrat’s alike, had thinking partners and not echo chambers.

I wish that when you think of our differences, or diverse ideas, that you see those as a positive not a negative.

I wish that you would and will see the good in everyone.

I wish that compassion could be a mandate and that hate wasn’t an emotion.

What do you wish?

Tags 2012, DNC, Hate, politics, RNC

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deff ears

From time to time, I have been known to post things of a political nature on Facebook. I try to leave the commentary to my “friends”, as I navigate the wonder that is “political”. I don’t know much, but I know that if I don’t read a lot I will have a skewed and possibly incorrect understanding of what I would form as an opinion. And sometimes, those “friends” have done some reading as well and have sound, factual rebuttals.

Occasionally, I respond to a “friends” post. Again, trying to be as factual as I can with all the wonder this is out there to procure that is factual. And to be a decent human being about what our differences are when I do respond. I’d also like to think that even in our difference; we can have an intelligent, insightful, respectful conversation. That’s, “I’d like to think…”.

Yeah, phew! “I know you are, but what am I.”

Mr. Tim above has every right to voice his opinion. But who is he fooling?

Last night I Goggled “did Michelle Obama ban soda”. The first two pages of the search were articles about Michael Bloomberg asking for a ban of large servings of sugary drinks in New York and Michelle Obama supporting or applauding the effort. In one article, “First lady Michelle Obama says banning big servings of sugary drinks isn’t anything she’d want to do at the federal level, but she offered some kind words Tuesday for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s effort to do just that. She later issued a statement backing away from taking a stand on New York’s controversial proposed ban.” Mr. Tim can have an opinion, but the First Lady needs to keep her mouth shut. How could she possibly care about the state of children’s health?

We don’t talk about the real issues. The core of what the problem is. We talk about the garbage barge in the river that has nowhere to go. (Ann and her therapist in, “sex, lies and video tape”)

Ann: Garbage. All I’ve been thinking about all week is garbage. I can’t stop thinking about it.

Therapist: What kind of thoughts about garbage?

Ann: I just… I’ve gotten real concerned over what’s gonna happen with all the garbage. I mean, we’ve got so much of it. You know? I mean, we have to run out of places to put this stuff eventually

Ann: The last time… I started feelin’ this way is when that barge was stranded and, you know, it was goin’ around the island and nobody would claim it. Do you remember that?

Therapist: Yes, I remember. Do you have any idea what may have triggered this concern?

Ann: Yeah. Yeah. You see, the other night John was taking out the garbage, and he kept spilling things out of the container, and that made me.. started imagining, like, a garbage can that produces garbage. And it doesn’t stop, it keeps producing garbage. And it keeps overflowing. And, you know, what would you do to try to stop something like that?

Therapist: Ann, do you see any pattern here?

Ann: What do you mean

Therapist: Well, last week we were talking about your obsession with the families of airline fatalities. Now we’re talking about your concern over the garbage problem.

Ann: Yeah… So?

Therapist: Well, if you think about it, I think you’ll see the object of your obsession is invariably something negative which you have no control over.

I truly don’t understand the hate. I truly don’t understand the level of disdain that some carry for others. There are things and people who I am diametrically opposed to. But when it comes to people I am a bit more forgiving. I hope.

Thank you for reading this far. Now here’s a twelve minute treat for you.. Please watch. http://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_dare_to_disagree.html

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Semanitcs

Semantics

I’ve been doing a little reading today. A “little bit”. I did want to enjoy my day off.

Here is my search, When did auto plant in Janesville, Wisconsin shut down?

This is just page one and two of the search results. There is no truth. Unless you can figure out from all of this who’s telling the truth if there is a truth, then I am all ears. Ping me!

http://www.politifact.com
By December 2008, when President George W. Bush authorized nearly $14 billion in loans to General Motors and Chrysler, both of which were near financial collapse, GM had already warned it might close the Janesville plant because of sagging sport-utility vehicle sales. The plant was effectively shut down on Dec. 23, 2008, when GM ceased production of SUVs there and laid off 1,200 workers. (Several dozen workers stayed on another four months to finish an order of small- to medium-duty trucks for Isuzu Motors.)

http://www.jsonline.com
The Janesville plant stopped production of SUVs in 2008 and was idled in 2009 after it completed production of medium-duty trucks.

http://cnsnews.com
The plant shut its doors for good in 2009. According to an Associated Press article in the local Rockford Register Star, the plant ceased operations of large SUVs – its main product — on December 31, 2008 and was scheduled to completely shut down several months later.

http://www.nationalreview.com
A lot of liberal bloggers are insisting that the plant was “shut down” under the Bush administration. There’s the point when the orders for new vehicles stopped coming in, and the point when the plant actually completed its orders and stopped making them. One was in the closing months of the Bush administration, the other was in the opening months of the Obama administration: “The Janesville plant stopped production of SUVs in 2008 and was idled in 2009 after it completed production of medium-duty trucks.”

http://news.firedoglake.com
After General Motors announced on June 3, 2008 that it intended to close the nearly 100-year-old plant by 2010, Ryan joined a core group of about a dozen other Wisconsin officials from both parties in the GM Retention Task Force. Their efforts were ultimately unsuccessful, and the company suspended all operations at the facility by Dec. 23, 2008, eliminating 2,400 jobs. It has been in “standby” mode since.

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com
The Detroit News noted that Obama said during a visit in early 2008 that government help and some restructuring could keep the plant open. But after the financial crisis and a collapse in demand for the SUVs the factory produced, it shut down in December 2008 in the waning days of Bush’s second term. It’s still owned by GM, but has been closed ever since.

http://www.washingtonpost.com
Let’s break down, then, the exact chronology of the Janesville plant closing; Conn Carroll of the Washington Examiner has helpfully posted one here, which I add to below. The basic takeaway, however, is this: by December 2008, the plant had reached a point of no return where the plant would be shut down regardless of federal action. Ryan was faulting Obama for an that was event that was inevitable over a month before he took office.

http://2012.talkingpointsmemo.com
In June 2008, however, GM announced that the plant would close by 2010 due to the aforementioned lack of demand for SUVs. The Bush administration, which was also promoting a move toward more fuel-efficient vehicles, described the plant closure and related moves by the company as a sign GM was “adapting well” to the shifting business climate.

http://www.freep.com
After taking office in January 2009, Obama did ask for more severe cost cuts from GM and Chrysler, but the choice of which plants would survive or close was made by GM and Fiat management, which took over Chrysler as part of the larger auto bailout.

http://www.nationalreview.com
It is easy to see why Democrats want to argue about when the plant closed and notwhy it closed. Both the crushing weight of employee benefits negotiated by unions and the failed state stimulus plan don’t comport well with their narrative.

http://mrctv.org
Let’s start with what Obama said and see if any reasonable human being who isn’t simply shilling for the President could possibly reach the same conclusion as Politifact: I know that General Motors received some bad news yesterday, and I know how hard your Governor has fought to keep jobs in this plant. But I also know how much progress you’ve made – how many hybrids and fuel-efficient vehicles you’re churning out. And I believe that if our government is there to support you, and give you the assistance you need to re-tool and make this transition, that this plant will be here for another hundred years. The question is not whether a clean energy economy is in our future, it’s where it will thrive. I want it to thrive right here in the United States of America; right here in Wisconsin; and that’s the future I’ll fight for as your President.

http://www.drudge.com
Sorry, I can’t actually really figure out what’s going on here on this page, but in an effort of full disclosure didn’t want to leave it out. jmg

http://newsbusters.org
The Romney campaign points out that there were still a few operations — it had to do with more of Isuzu Motors rather than GM that were coming out of that — after December 2008. But for all intents and purposes, that plant was pretty much closed down before President Obama took office.

http://battlegroundwatch.com
The media want to claim Ryan is blaming Obama for closing the plant. That is neither what Ryan said nor what is even implied.

http://dane101.com
The plant, which is in the Congressional district Ryan’s represented since 1999, was closed for production of GM vehicles in December of 2008, a month before Obama was sworn in. It remained open until April of 2009 to finish a subcontract the plant had with Isuzu.

http://www.therightsphere.com
So it seems workers at that GM plant in Janesville were indeed working in February of 2009. In fact, they worked on that joint GM/Isuzu project producing new vehicles until May 2009, under President Barack Obama.

I can read it, but I am not smart enough to even begin to know who’s right. Like I said, if you figure it out, I’m all ears!

don't speak...don't speak!

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