Over the past month, I've sat and read over various accounts of suggested racism, or perceived racism....within the Starbucks empire. So, my thoughts over this:
1. If you've been to as many Starbucks operations as I have....probably forty in my life (counting the airport operations, malls, and various street corners)....you've had a fair chance to notice the employees. Most are low-income minorities or college students. My guess is that those two groups make up 75-percent of the employees. The chief thing you notice is that you really don't have to be bright to make coffee. I'm not saying they are stupid, but if you had any remarkable level of clever nature, you wouldn't exactly make this a life-long career situation.
2. Pay level. If you work at most of the Starbucks operations (not NY City)....you get paid eight to eleven bucks. A manager? Somewhere between eleven and thirteen bucks. It's not bad but it's almost what you'd get flipping burgers.
3. Observing racism? Well....I've seen a lot of commentary at burger operations (unnamed) where the talk from the guys in the back....was in bad taste. But at Starbucks? No....you just don't hear that much in terms of chatty personnel, or people making bad taste comments. Oddly, I think that a majority of employees are women. Starbucks doesn't talk about the ratio, but I'd take a guess sixty percent of the employees are women.
4. Finally, if you had a pretty simple storefront, with only one single product...why would you do something stupid to suggest a racism angle? I'd be looking more at who I've hired, and if I'm making a mistake in the hiring process.
Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Monday, 28 May 2018
The Nine Out of Ten Story
I read a lot of science stuff, and dig into DNA-related science. So today, I came to this one odd feature, from Phys.Org news.
They talked to a DNA expert who has been reviewing the general path or 'life' of DNA with humans and animals. And there's this piece.
Nine out of ten species on Earth today.....counting humans and animals.....based on a study....came into being around 100,000 to 200,000 years ago.
Prior to that, the species (to include modern humans)....didn't exist.
The odds of 90-percent of animal life being 'new' and from the same odd time-period? Well....the study and the science folks can't answer that.
As you look around at various dogs, cows, horses, birds, and various cultures of humans....they didn't exist 200,000-plus thousand years ago. It basically would lead to discount both evolution and creationism, and you'd have to entertain the idea that someone just kinda dropped off various critters and humans.....and some existence started all of a sudden.
I know.....this will be hard for some folks to accept. But the problem is that the DNA stuff has reached a level where you can be fairly sure about the general path and how things progressed. It also means that the folks who arrived....had some kind of Noah's Ark of their own, and believed that the species were going to be part of a long-term plan.
Just something to think about.
They talked to a DNA expert who has been reviewing the general path or 'life' of DNA with humans and animals. And there's this piece.
Nine out of ten species on Earth today.....counting humans and animals.....based on a study....came into being around 100,000 to 200,000 years ago.
Prior to that, the species (to include modern humans)....didn't exist.
The odds of 90-percent of animal life being 'new' and from the same odd time-period? Well....the study and the science folks can't answer that.
As you look around at various dogs, cows, horses, birds, and various cultures of humans....they didn't exist 200,000-plus thousand years ago. It basically would lead to discount both evolution and creationism, and you'd have to entertain the idea that someone just kinda dropped off various critters and humans.....and some existence started all of a sudden.
I know.....this will be hard for some folks to accept. But the problem is that the DNA stuff has reached a level where you can be fairly sure about the general path and how things progressed. It also means that the folks who arrived....had some kind of Noah's Ark of their own, and believed that the species were going to be part of a long-term plan.
Just something to think about.
Saturday, 26 May 2018
Why Trump Sits at 50-Percent Approval
President Trump sits at 50-percent approval rating.
Yeah, it's a bit of a shock. Why? I'll essay my ten reasons for the standing;
1. No one reads newspapers much anymore.....or news magazines (like Time or Newsweek). Folks will scan the front page for regional news, local politics, and regional sports. But frankly, the Democratic 'thrill' potential with newspapers which existed for decades....is mostly finished. In a way, the papers 'burned bridges' as they crossed, and never saw the damage inflicted upon their own product.
2. ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS? Look around at the group of guys and gals who've been let go, terminated for sexual affairs, or simply retired. No one really cares what the networks say much anymore.
3. Hillary? For about a hundred days after the election of 2016, she had the right to talk and whine about the outcome. Public-wise, the talking probably should have wrapped up by late spring 2017. The anti-Clinton voters are simply being reminded on the positives they believed in voting for Trump.
4. Skeptical view of Senators, period. It doesn't matter if you are Republican or Democrat.....people don't believe your hype or commentary. The Sunday morning political shows are mostly there for dramatics and people appear more amused than in tune with the commentary of Senator 'Snuffy'.
5. Respect for Team-Obama. When you look at the forty-odd people who surrounded President Obama, and their continual negativity chat....it's not getting much traction. It is rather odd that the news media just two years ago could have used the people weekly on news programs or chats. Now? The respect seems diminished.
6. Promises. Typically, when some idiot is running for President.....he makes promises. Typically, at best....ten-percent of the promises are carried out. Well...Trump appears closer to the thirty-percent point, and might well accomplish fifty-percent by the time he reaches 2020. Folks seem to admire that type of action, even if negative.
7. The DNC. You would expect the national leadership of the Democratic Party to meet....talk over the upcoming mid-term election and the message or brand....that they wanted to sell the public. You see mostly three messages. One is the Bernie Sanders message of more 'free stuff', which isn't being that well received. A second message is the impeachment brand, which isn't being that well received. And the third message is odd topic like gun-control or racism....which typically aren't four-star topics for the non-urban voters.
8. The Stormy Factor. I am reminded by the recent Marvel movie....Infinity War....where Doctor Strange is forced to consider fourteen-million future scenarios, and saying there was only ONE single scenario where the Avengers won in the end. If Doctor Strange had been reviewing all options in 2015....yes, he would have likely said that only this Trump-guy could take on the 14-million situations, and oddly face some fake porn-actress in the national media, and not bow out. By November, I don't see much left for Stormy to chat about, and her full-time occupation will be pole-dancing at strip clubs.
9. The power of Breitbart. It's almost like a poker game where some Breitbart journalist walks into a room and lays down one single card....then suddenly the game is over. CNN having that effect? No. The Today show? No. Go down the list of power-players from 2005 to 2015....none have that one single card effect, except Breitbart.
10. The McCain factor. King Midas had this unique ability to touch something, and it'd turn immediately to gold. Well....Senator McCain, even here in his dying days, has the anti-midas touch, and virtually everything he touches....turns into 'pee'. More than half of Republicans will tell you that they regret their 2008 vote for him. The Democrats? They are in this awkward position where they have to show some enormous respect for McCain, which generally makes the public question the gimmick being played out. McCain, for better or worse....has aided the President in various ways, and turned the McCain 'pee' dossier into a joke.
Yeah, it's a bit of a shock. Why? I'll essay my ten reasons for the standing;
1. No one reads newspapers much anymore.....or news magazines (like Time or Newsweek). Folks will scan the front page for regional news, local politics, and regional sports. But frankly, the Democratic 'thrill' potential with newspapers which existed for decades....is mostly finished. In a way, the papers 'burned bridges' as they crossed, and never saw the damage inflicted upon their own product.
2. ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS? Look around at the group of guys and gals who've been let go, terminated for sexual affairs, or simply retired. No one really cares what the networks say much anymore.
3. Hillary? For about a hundred days after the election of 2016, she had the right to talk and whine about the outcome. Public-wise, the talking probably should have wrapped up by late spring 2017. The anti-Clinton voters are simply being reminded on the positives they believed in voting for Trump.
4. Skeptical view of Senators, period. It doesn't matter if you are Republican or Democrat.....people don't believe your hype or commentary. The Sunday morning political shows are mostly there for dramatics and people appear more amused than in tune with the commentary of Senator 'Snuffy'.
5. Respect for Team-Obama. When you look at the forty-odd people who surrounded President Obama, and their continual negativity chat....it's not getting much traction. It is rather odd that the news media just two years ago could have used the people weekly on news programs or chats. Now? The respect seems diminished.
6. Promises. Typically, when some idiot is running for President.....he makes promises. Typically, at best....ten-percent of the promises are carried out. Well...Trump appears closer to the thirty-percent point, and might well accomplish fifty-percent by the time he reaches 2020. Folks seem to admire that type of action, even if negative.
7. The DNC. You would expect the national leadership of the Democratic Party to meet....talk over the upcoming mid-term election and the message or brand....that they wanted to sell the public. You see mostly three messages. One is the Bernie Sanders message of more 'free stuff', which isn't being that well received. A second message is the impeachment brand, which isn't being that well received. And the third message is odd topic like gun-control or racism....which typically aren't four-star topics for the non-urban voters.
8. The Stormy Factor. I am reminded by the recent Marvel movie....Infinity War....where Doctor Strange is forced to consider fourteen-million future scenarios, and saying there was only ONE single scenario where the Avengers won in the end. If Doctor Strange had been reviewing all options in 2015....yes, he would have likely said that only this Trump-guy could take on the 14-million situations, and oddly face some fake porn-actress in the national media, and not bow out. By November, I don't see much left for Stormy to chat about, and her full-time occupation will be pole-dancing at strip clubs.
9. The power of Breitbart. It's almost like a poker game where some Breitbart journalist walks into a room and lays down one single card....then suddenly the game is over. CNN having that effect? No. The Today show? No. Go down the list of power-players from 2005 to 2015....none have that one single card effect, except Breitbart.
10. The McCain factor. King Midas had this unique ability to touch something, and it'd turn immediately to gold. Well....Senator McCain, even here in his dying days, has the anti-midas touch, and virtually everything he touches....turns into 'pee'. More than half of Republicans will tell you that they regret their 2008 vote for him. The Democrats? They are in this awkward position where they have to show some enormous respect for McCain, which generally makes the public question the gimmick being played out. McCain, for better or worse....has aided the President in various ways, and turned the McCain 'pee' dossier into a joke.
Trump's Orders
I noticed President Trump did three things yesterday, which should have been on President Bush and President Obama's list. All had to do with government employees.
The first episode....he issued an executive order to make it easier to 'let go' (fire) poor performing government employees. The second episode creates a federal labor relations working board to review union contracts with the federal government. The wording would make it hard for federal unions to appeal firings and to lobby Congress. The third? It's an executive order that says you were hired to do a job, and if you are some union chief or union boss...you can only spend 25-percent of your time in that function. The rest must be regular work. Part of this order also says that unions existing in federal office spaces....need to pay for it.
All will be challenged in court, but likely to stand.
As I came into the Air Force in 1977.....one of the things you noticed after a year of activity was that some civilians that were employed by the Air Force....were losers. Unlike the military where you could discharge them or punish them in some way.....you were limited in your actions.
Toward the end of my career with the military, we had this vacancy in a civilian slot that had to be filled within the organization. They brought this gal in from the states to fill the job. Within 90 days, it became obvious that she had an attitude problem and refused to take on any new work. Trying to change her job description? It was next to impossible and the union folks continually pushed back. I sat and watched her boss try to understand this behavior because they hadn't ever had a 'loser'. Over the course of three years, in terms of productive work? I'd take a guess that she never did more than 400 man-hours a year of anything productive. That means nine months of an average year were just fake work, or unproductive.
How many poor performers exist within the federal government? I would take a guess that more than 100,000 individuals exist. The Trump order? I might take a guess that within the next year.....at least 2,000 of such individuals will be brought in and the Trump-order will be used to force them out. As you get into 2020....you might actually see ten-thousand individuals shown the front door. In some ways, it might change the landscape.
The problem I see is that it'll all be forced back into court action....but if the government wins 90-percent of their cases....eventually the loser crowd will give up on legal challenges.
The other problem is....if you got fired by the US government, it's a bit hard to find anyone wanting to hire you. You might actually push yourself into a burger-flipper career.
The first episode....he issued an executive order to make it easier to 'let go' (fire) poor performing government employees. The second episode creates a federal labor relations working board to review union contracts with the federal government. The wording would make it hard for federal unions to appeal firings and to lobby Congress. The third? It's an executive order that says you were hired to do a job, and if you are some union chief or union boss...you can only spend 25-percent of your time in that function. The rest must be regular work. Part of this order also says that unions existing in federal office spaces....need to pay for it.
All will be challenged in court, but likely to stand.
As I came into the Air Force in 1977.....one of the things you noticed after a year of activity was that some civilians that were employed by the Air Force....were losers. Unlike the military where you could discharge them or punish them in some way.....you were limited in your actions.
Toward the end of my career with the military, we had this vacancy in a civilian slot that had to be filled within the organization. They brought this gal in from the states to fill the job. Within 90 days, it became obvious that she had an attitude problem and refused to take on any new work. Trying to change her job description? It was next to impossible and the union folks continually pushed back. I sat and watched her boss try to understand this behavior because they hadn't ever had a 'loser'. Over the course of three years, in terms of productive work? I'd take a guess that she never did more than 400 man-hours a year of anything productive. That means nine months of an average year were just fake work, or unproductive.
How many poor performers exist within the federal government? I would take a guess that more than 100,000 individuals exist. The Trump order? I might take a guess that within the next year.....at least 2,000 of such individuals will be brought in and the Trump-order will be used to force them out. As you get into 2020....you might actually see ten-thousand individuals shown the front door. In some ways, it might change the landscape.
The problem I see is that it'll all be forced back into court action....but if the government wins 90-percent of their cases....eventually the loser crowd will give up on legal challenges.
The other problem is....if you got fired by the US government, it's a bit hard to find anyone wanting to hire you. You might actually push yourself into a burger-flipper career.
Tuesday, 22 May 2018
Swamps
My brother brought this item up today.....some Democratic strategist has been given the new top project to cover the national Democratic Party. The idea? To drain the swamp (throw out worthless political figures).
How this works? Well....they say there was NO swamp prior to 2016, and that President Trump has become the 'swamp'.
Yeah, it's hard to say how they got this idea, and it probably did take several cases of cheap booze to format this strategy.
For a guy from Alabama....it'd mean that not only is Trump intending to drain the swamp.....but the Democrats also will be draining the swamp, and if all parties are successful.....well, there won't be any swamp.
Naturally, there's some disbelief in how this double-swamp-draining would work.
Could the Republicans themselves come out and confess that they have an agenda to drain the swamp....in effect....triple-draining the swamp? Well....yes.
Could CNN come out and confess that they work to drain the swamp? Could the Washington Post come out and confess that they'd like to drain the swamp? Is there any limit to this? No.
I think even my brother could confess that he'd like to drain the swamp as well....but then start to chat up on some special Auburn agricultural college method to draining swamps.
Monday, 21 May 2018
Ethical Behavior
After watching through the weekend on this 'chatter' that the Obama White House had a hired 'spy' within the Trump campaign.....you kinda notice this odd thing. Nothing being said by former President Obama. Yes, absolute quiet.
The logical answer that would come out? Former President Obama would say that the first time he knew about such things....was this past weekend, via CNN news.
It would be OK and without much grief, except he's used this statement on at least forty occasions over the past nine years. In some ways, he's told virtually nothing by all of his support personnel.....over and over....and it's remarkable that it's so easily accepted by the public even at this point.
Who did sign off on the pay deal with the contracted 'spy'? Unknown. It'll probably take four weeks for the investigative team to come up with the individual who signed the contract deal. The response from them will likely be that they were told that this contract was necessary, and the investigator will ask who said that? Well....it'll take another month for the name to come out, and it'll end up being someone within the White House circle to the President.
The problem here, is that you venture closer and closer to a level where the general public will absolutely go ballistic over the behavior level of the Obama White House. Whatever legacy existed.....will slide off the plate and fall to the floor. It would appear that no one was concerned about all of this ever becoming public information....which it has.....and no one cared about the damage to public confidence. Then the really harsh reality comes up.....people end up trusting President Trump more for his brutal honesty.....than President Obama with his brutal dishonesty, which he can readily claim that he just didn't know about his people being this dishonest.
All of this leads me to this odd scene at the end of a Peter Sellers movie.....Being There, where this guy who knows nothing and can't really comprehend anything....'Chance'....convinces the public of brilliance when he really didn't know much of anything.
The logical answer that would come out? Former President Obama would say that the first time he knew about such things....was this past weekend, via CNN news.
It would be OK and without much grief, except he's used this statement on at least forty occasions over the past nine years. In some ways, he's told virtually nothing by all of his support personnel.....over and over....and it's remarkable that it's so easily accepted by the public even at this point.
Who did sign off on the pay deal with the contracted 'spy'? Unknown. It'll probably take four weeks for the investigative team to come up with the individual who signed the contract deal. The response from them will likely be that they were told that this contract was necessary, and the investigator will ask who said that? Well....it'll take another month for the name to come out, and it'll end up being someone within the White House circle to the President.
The problem here, is that you venture closer and closer to a level where the general public will absolutely go ballistic over the behavior level of the Obama White House. Whatever legacy existed.....will slide off the plate and fall to the floor. It would appear that no one was concerned about all of this ever becoming public information....which it has.....and no one cared about the damage to public confidence. Then the really harsh reality comes up.....people end up trusting President Trump more for his brutal honesty.....than President Obama with his brutal dishonesty, which he can readily claim that he just didn't know about his people being this dishonest.
All of this leads me to this odd scene at the end of a Peter Sellers movie.....Being There, where this guy who knows nothing and can't really comprehend anything....'Chance'....convinces the public of brilliance when he really didn't know much of anything.
Sunday, 20 May 2018
The Opioid Crisis in Numbers
Back in January, I noted that the suggested number of folks dying DAILY from Opioids....was nearing 175. USA Today went to a number of one-million Americans who would die in 2020, if the trend continues on. If you use the current trend line....63,000 per year and trend it to 1,000,000....it means that 2,739 folks need to die daily to reach this level. The odds of this? I have my doubts that it'll happen.
The other scenario which falls into this is the magic shot for overdoses. I sat last month looking at a report, and the cost of the shot....$4,500 for one syringe of Nalonax.
If you go and figure up a weekly requirement of 350,000 syringes....it adds up to 1.5-billion weekly. Can the medical system really afford this for 'losers'? My guess is by the end of 2018.....several states will have a rule in effect of just one single Nalonax in your life.....the second time, they just let you go.
I sat watching a news piece this morning.....some town of 10,000 in Ohio. The cop was giving the reporter a ride. In an average day.....he was reacting to a minimum of five overdoses. It was eating up his legit time for crime. He threw a ballpark number out there....figuring that 500 adults and 50 teens in the community were Opioid users. The users were mostly focused on where to get their next 'hit', and how they were going to rob some house, or break into some car.....to get enough to pay for the hit.....then repeat that formula for the next day, and the next, and the next.
A zombie-like future? How would you live in some town of 10,000 where 10-percent of people were looking at your car and house daily for something to steal?
That's the thing that bothers me about the million deaths a year that the USA Today article talks about. You'd have to bring Opioids into virtually every single community and put fear into the entire nation about their neighbors. The term 'walking dead'? It would readily fit for the crowd.
The other scenario which falls into this is the magic shot for overdoses. I sat last month looking at a report, and the cost of the shot....$4,500 for one syringe of Nalonax.
If you go and figure up a weekly requirement of 350,000 syringes....it adds up to 1.5-billion weekly. Can the medical system really afford this for 'losers'? My guess is by the end of 2018.....several states will have a rule in effect of just one single Nalonax in your life.....the second time, they just let you go.
I sat watching a news piece this morning.....some town of 10,000 in Ohio. The cop was giving the reporter a ride. In an average day.....he was reacting to a minimum of five overdoses. It was eating up his legit time for crime. He threw a ballpark number out there....figuring that 500 adults and 50 teens in the community were Opioid users. The users were mostly focused on where to get their next 'hit', and how they were going to rob some house, or break into some car.....to get enough to pay for the hit.....then repeat that formula for the next day, and the next, and the next.
A zombie-like future? How would you live in some town of 10,000 where 10-percent of people were looking at your car and house daily for something to steal?
That's the thing that bothers me about the million deaths a year that the USA Today article talks about. You'd have to bring Opioids into virtually every single community and put fear into the entire nation about their neighbors. The term 'walking dead'? It would readily fit for the crowd.
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