Albert Einstein was looking for "the theory of everything". I believe I found it this week.
Riding public transportation is an epiphany all of its own. I simply don't know how bus drivers stand it. In fact, on Friday, three different bus drivers "lost it": They sailed right on past the stop and riders wanting to get off yelled "hey!". And I was one of them. Fortunately for me, it was closer to where I wanted to get off anyway. Sometimes these things work out.
Anyway, it was this week that I had an epiphany which explains everything. There have been so many times I have gone to Radio Shack with questions and they had blank stares. This has all changed in the last decade and they do have answers, but....
One day this past week an well endowed but hefty adolescent girl boarded the bus with a T-Shirt which read:
I just make up stuff
After laughing myself silly, I realized that was the proverbial "it". The Universal Constant. The Unifying Theory of Everything. The Ultimate Explanation.
I just make up stuff
It's a wonder we all could not have seen it before. Oh, we knew it was there, but... there it is!
In later postings we get into dysfunctional and how to cope, but for now we will explore this [mostly] modern phenomenon.
This is particularly relevant right now, what with national elections in the United States. It's pretty clear, the candidates "just make up stuff". It isn't real; it isn't true; but it sounds right... just like answers at Radio Shack these days: They "just make up stuff".
Let's be clear: This is not restricted to politics. It's everywhere.
Meet Tom. Tom is a good guy, the sort of which America was built. He's a great father and a most excellent worker. He's part of the crew which maintains the Tacoma Narrows Bridge under the watchful eye of the State of Washington. He's really smart too -- in his own way: He invented a tool which automates the removal of paint from the suspension cables, saving the State of Washington millions of dollars. He and four others of his crew each got an unheard of $10,000 bonus. The State of Washington just doesn't give out bonuses. He also was a part of a special King5 Television Report.
Well, time has passed and while he and his partners on the crew were supposed to get another $10,000 each last year, they didn't. Something about not filling in all the "right figures" on the paperwork to show how much the State was saved. But hope springs eternal, and promises abound that they will get $50,000 again this year collectively. That's what they've been told.
If that "right figures" stuff sounds as fishy as salmon up the Columbia River, you're right. We've heard this sort of thing before. And if things go the way I think they will:
Tom is so screwed.
I just make up stuff
Not me, the State of Washington. Not one shred of integrity there.
This extends to more than just the work place. It also extends to religion. Recently, the topic of tithing has come up. There are churches which teach that tithing is absolutely required for Christians. Some of them even declare that there are three tithes to be involved with the worship of Christ: First for the ministry and "the Work" -- whatever that is -- the second to attend the Feast of Tabernacles annually -- in the tradition of the Old Testament Christians under Levitical Law -- and the third for the fatherless and widows, in the third and sixth year of a seven year cycle. Wage earners are told that they need to give 10% of their gross income to the church.
This is unsound and unscriptural for those Biblical students interested, for reasons both esoteric and so very "Works of the Lawish". Jesus was supposed to be a sacrifice once for all but these churches want to recrucify him over and over. Moreover, this agrarian civil law was based upon the Temple System which was destroyed in 70 A.D. Never was there a Scripture anywhere that tithes are to be made on wages, only upon "The land that the Lord Your God, Giveth thee". So there.
Now you might not be much interested in all this, but this illustrates the principle of the foundation of:
I just make up stuff
Yes, dear friends, religionists and cultmeisters may very well be the ultimate source of the Corporate Lies and Deceptions, the model of which has been adopted by government and implemented badly. Where I work in local government, two managers at the same level in the IT department, directly under the director are married to each other. When I talked to the Director of HR about this, she said, and I quote, "We are watching that very carefully" and went on to explain that it was OK because the IT Director would insure that nothing untoward would happen with this couple managing 86% of the people in the IT Department.
Well, of course, something did go wrong. The local government is now paying $10 million for a new security system for which there has been no bid, no request for proposals, no project, no plan, no critera, no policies of standards, no after hours support -- in fact, no support at all. One door is going to cost $7,000 to wire up. The people in the Annex who were looking to replace their mechanical lock systems were told it would cost $600,000 to replace their locks said, "Forget it". It all started with this married couple, but as more and more people are drawn in to compromise in this outrageous situation, the government council told a protesting security vendor to keep their mouths shut if they wanted any more business at all from this government agency!
I just make up stuff
There's so much more. The court case of age discrimination which was thrown out because the plaintiffs could not prove a prima facia case, but the Feds did admit at minimum that it is "a hostile environment".
You should know that the council just passed into law a new Draconian ethics policy which begins June 1, 2008 in implementation. I've suggested to my fellow employees that we all get vendors to pay for our lunches in the next few days while we still can.
I just make up stuff
As we look at the world scene with implaccable Islamic Arab Terrorists filled with hate wanting to kill off everyone but their own particular tribe holding exactly the same belief system, as we look at greedy credit card companies increasing their rates as an incentive for people to pay off their loans, thereby making it impossible to do so, as we look at the insanity of the coming elections, as we ponder the pollution of China drifting across the Pacific Ocean to impact 30% of the air quality of U.S. West Coast cities, we watch "An Inconvenient Truth" at a time when we are facing another coming Ice Age while the Nobel prize winner pays $3,000+ a month to power his Virginia home, we can all take heart in the epiphany as everything around us becomes more and more dysfunction that the source is:
I just make up stuff
And I'm not just making this stuff up.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
2008: What's ahead?
People are interested in the future. 86% of Americans are optimistic that 2008 will be "a good year".
With crises all about, from the fall of the US $ to the mortgage crisis to the Middle East and terrorists to "natural disasters" and forest fires to the immigration problem, it's difficult to ascertain why anyone would be optimistic. Add to that the campaigning and 2008 will be painful at minimum.
Now is a good time to make drastic cutbacks and reorganize for more Spartan living. I've already done so. Maybe it will be enough, maybe not. The point is, if you go forth and simplify your life beginning now and make drastic changes to focus on priorities by eliminating the extraneous, benefits will accrue rapidly.
In this age of insanity, the major problem with people is the "noisy brain" -- the center of insanity. There are so many distractions that eventually life makes no sense at all. Those familiar with Shadow Syndromes already are familiar with the source of mental illness with the concept of the "noisy brain".
Here are a few simple suggestions which might help:
1) Insure that your outgo doesn't exceed your income, lest your upkeep be your downfall;
2) Take public transportation and leave your vehicle at home if possible or at least share a ride as often as possible;
3) Stick with an exercise program;
4) Eat healthy and, if appropriate, less;
5) Perform due diligence at home and work;
6) Make certain family and friends come first, without neglecting your duties to job and country;
7) As much as possible, live in peace and do the occasional random good work;
8) Get to sleep every night... before 10:00 PM is generally best, since the best rest of the night comes before midnight.
Outside of this, charge your radar to detect narcissists and psychopaths -- and the psychopath by day who is all "the end justifies the means", sucking in the prey: You're so better off avoiding them, and when possible, sinking them.
Don't worry: Be happy -- but also be actively objectively observant and reasonably responsive to challenges which arise, and 2008 may just be better... for you.
With crises all about, from the fall of the US $ to the mortgage crisis to the Middle East and terrorists to "natural disasters" and forest fires to the immigration problem, it's difficult to ascertain why anyone would be optimistic. Add to that the campaigning and 2008 will be painful at minimum.
Now is a good time to make drastic cutbacks and reorganize for more Spartan living. I've already done so. Maybe it will be enough, maybe not. The point is, if you go forth and simplify your life beginning now and make drastic changes to focus on priorities by eliminating the extraneous, benefits will accrue rapidly.
In this age of insanity, the major problem with people is the "noisy brain" -- the center of insanity. There are so many distractions that eventually life makes no sense at all. Those familiar with Shadow Syndromes already are familiar with the source of mental illness with the concept of the "noisy brain".
Here are a few simple suggestions which might help:
1) Insure that your outgo doesn't exceed your income, lest your upkeep be your downfall;
2) Take public transportation and leave your vehicle at home if possible or at least share a ride as often as possible;
3) Stick with an exercise program;
4) Eat healthy and, if appropriate, less;
5) Perform due diligence at home and work;
6) Make certain family and friends come first, without neglecting your duties to job and country;
7) As much as possible, live in peace and do the occasional random good work;
8) Get to sleep every night... before 10:00 PM is generally best, since the best rest of the night comes before midnight.
Outside of this, charge your radar to detect narcissists and psychopaths -- and the psychopath by day who is all "the end justifies the means", sucking in the prey: You're so better off avoiding them, and when possible, sinking them.
Don't worry: Be happy -- but also be actively objectively observant and reasonably responsive to challenges which arise, and 2008 may just be better... for you.
Saturday, December 08, 2007
The world around us in 2008
CBS 60 Minutes has an interesting segment on Millenialists: Those born in the United States between 1980 and 1995. They have entered the workplace. They are smart, tech savvy and live life on their own terms. The Millenialist Twenty-something priority is himself, followed by family and friends. He wants to be praised. If he can get a better deal, he will leave. Even though he is nice, no one should make the mistake that he is willing to sacrifice for others and he is very much determined to live his life on his own terms.
For jobs, the demand is greater than the supply, which helps contribute to mobility. The Millenialists can flit from job to job at will, often moving between as many as four jobs a year. They often live at home. This is a wise strategy: To be free of obligations while looking for the optimum situation.
For those who have grown up and served at the whim of autocratic authorities demanding dedication, this is maddening. Some of us have worked weekends for months, 10, 12, 15 hour days for weeks at a time, been on call 24 by 7 and get calls at night to solve problems. We'd really like to see the youngsters pay their dues. We call it reality.
Except it isn't.
The Europeans learned long ago that life doesn't last forever and vacations begin at 6 weeks a year. There's no overtime or weekend work -- it's against the law to demand it. It's called "quality of life".
Let's get real here: Unscrupulous gamesplaying psychopath by day managers who are incoherent twits have played the "my way or the highway", who insist that we sacrifice ourselves for the idol of the Corporation while they themselves are incapable of managing projects and publicly admit it, are dinos ready for the meteor to hit.
There isn't a lot of optimism from people for the year 2008 and 2009. For one thing, we have to tolerate all those goofy politicians who are incapable of figuring out the important matters of state. An example of this is the illegals from Mexico problem. Let's face it, the problem is simple: Work with the Mexican government to make Mexico a livable place for its people with a decent standard of living, instead of allowing the wealthy Spaniard and Portugese families who control the wealth and government to retain all the power. Of course it won't happen, so we continue to build a fence, give the illegals driver's licenses, health care, credit cards and free education -- as entitlements not available to the poor citizens of our own country.
The reasons for the lack of optimism include the fact that everything is pretty much breaking down and it's not just bad weather and forest fires. Credit Card interest rates are at 34% and higher as an incentive to pay off the cards, if you listen to the credit card companies testifying before Congress. Mortgage companies are losing their shirts in houses being turned back to them. Washington Mutual has overextended itself and is losing $2 Billion per year.
Process doesn't seem to work any more. It used to be that you did the same things under the same circumstances with the same resources and you'd pretty much get the same results. These days, blindfold yourself and throw a dart. You can have no idea where it will end up. Maybe in the ceiling.
I work for Pierce County. In Information Technology, two managers married to each other mismanage at the same level and control 86% of the people while building their ever expanding empires. The wifey has said in front of 40 to 50 of her people, "IT isn't very good at managing projects", which really means, "I'm an incompetent manager and there isn't a damned thing you can do about it". This nepotism has done significant harm to the County, but nobody speaks up, or, if they do, they are ignored and the people who have learned what is going on go their way and forget it.
One of the many ramifications of this illicit arrangement is that Pierce County has adopted the Lenel Security System with absolutely no Request for Proposals (RFP), no competition, no plan, no project, no support, no budget and no after hours support -- in complete defiance of County Rules. Thus far, IT has managed to spend $1.3 Million on just one building to get into this. It looks like $8.7 Million more to go.
The current vendor protested to the County Council and it was made clear that they would have to keep their mouths shut if they wanted any future County business. The News Tribune simply won't report either the marriage managers or this acquisition to the public because of their ties to powers that be.
During a time of shrinking public money wherein 2008 looks dismal and Draconian cuts must be made to keep the County business alive, there will be sacrifices. What will it be? The homeless, the mentally ill, the prisoners dumped at the docks in Steilicum, the elderly living on cat food? Or those potholes in back of Bates Technical College? We should name them like the New Yorkers do. Something's got to go and it won't be that $21 million dollar lawn golf course.
So as we head into the future utterly rudderless, with the economy sinking like a rock in a pond, and people refusing to be accountable for their own mess but demanding others to fix everything, the Millennialist perspective seems more reasonable and attractive all the time.
Perhaps our cat has the right idea:
My cat is 18 years old, and just 16 months from becoming a Twenty-Something.
My cat is typical of a Millennial: His priority is himself, followed by family and friends. He wants to be praised. If he can get a better deal, he will leave.
Even though he is nice, no one should make the mistake that he is willing to sacrifice for others and he is very much determined to live his life on his own terms.
It should be very clear that hard, harsh, critical, demanding, hypocritical Republican dog owning managers are not for him. He finds them beneath his interests and nothing can persuade him to submit himself to their authority.
And why should he?
It certainly would not be in his best interest.
And so it is with the generation of the Twenty-Something humans: They find most of those over thirty incoherent. How much more authoritative fools and morons in their Sixties and Seventies demanding sacrifices for no particularly good reason.
Perhaps, it is time for us oldsters to begin our own revolution following the sterling example of wisdom of the Millenialists, and maybe, just maybe, become more coherent.
For jobs, the demand is greater than the supply, which helps contribute to mobility. The Millenialists can flit from job to job at will, often moving between as many as four jobs a year. They often live at home. This is a wise strategy: To be free of obligations while looking for the optimum situation.
For those who have grown up and served at the whim of autocratic authorities demanding dedication, this is maddening. Some of us have worked weekends for months, 10, 12, 15 hour days for weeks at a time, been on call 24 by 7 and get calls at night to solve problems. We'd really like to see the youngsters pay their dues. We call it reality.
Except it isn't.
The Europeans learned long ago that life doesn't last forever and vacations begin at 6 weeks a year. There's no overtime or weekend work -- it's against the law to demand it. It's called "quality of life".
Let's get real here: Unscrupulous gamesplaying psychopath by day managers who are incoherent twits have played the "my way or the highway", who insist that we sacrifice ourselves for the idol of the Corporation while they themselves are incapable of managing projects and publicly admit it, are dinos ready for the meteor to hit.
There isn't a lot of optimism from people for the year 2008 and 2009. For one thing, we have to tolerate all those goofy politicians who are incapable of figuring out the important matters of state. An example of this is the illegals from Mexico problem. Let's face it, the problem is simple: Work with the Mexican government to make Mexico a livable place for its people with a decent standard of living, instead of allowing the wealthy Spaniard and Portugese families who control the wealth and government to retain all the power. Of course it won't happen, so we continue to build a fence, give the illegals driver's licenses, health care, credit cards and free education -- as entitlements not available to the poor citizens of our own country.
The reasons for the lack of optimism include the fact that everything is pretty much breaking down and it's not just bad weather and forest fires. Credit Card interest rates are at 34% and higher as an incentive to pay off the cards, if you listen to the credit card companies testifying before Congress. Mortgage companies are losing their shirts in houses being turned back to them. Washington Mutual has overextended itself and is losing $2 Billion per year.
Process doesn't seem to work any more. It used to be that you did the same things under the same circumstances with the same resources and you'd pretty much get the same results. These days, blindfold yourself and throw a dart. You can have no idea where it will end up. Maybe in the ceiling.
I work for Pierce County. In Information Technology, two managers married to each other mismanage at the same level and control 86% of the people while building their ever expanding empires. The wifey has said in front of 40 to 50 of her people, "IT isn't very good at managing projects", which really means, "I'm an incompetent manager and there isn't a damned thing you can do about it". This nepotism has done significant harm to the County, but nobody speaks up, or, if they do, they are ignored and the people who have learned what is going on go their way and forget it.
One of the many ramifications of this illicit arrangement is that Pierce County has adopted the Lenel Security System with absolutely no Request for Proposals (RFP), no competition, no plan, no project, no support, no budget and no after hours support -- in complete defiance of County Rules. Thus far, IT has managed to spend $1.3 Million on just one building to get into this. It looks like $8.7 Million more to go.
The current vendor protested to the County Council and it was made clear that they would have to keep their mouths shut if they wanted any future County business. The News Tribune simply won't report either the marriage managers or this acquisition to the public because of their ties to powers that be.
During a time of shrinking public money wherein 2008 looks dismal and Draconian cuts must be made to keep the County business alive, there will be sacrifices. What will it be? The homeless, the mentally ill, the prisoners dumped at the docks in Steilicum, the elderly living on cat food? Or those potholes in back of Bates Technical College? We should name them like the New Yorkers do. Something's got to go and it won't be that $21 million dollar lawn golf course.
So as we head into the future utterly rudderless, with the economy sinking like a rock in a pond, and people refusing to be accountable for their own mess but demanding others to fix everything, the Millennialist perspective seems more reasonable and attractive all the time.
Perhaps our cat has the right idea:
My cat is 18 years old, and just 16 months from becoming a Twenty-Something.
My cat is typical of a Millennial: His priority is himself, followed by family and friends. He wants to be praised. If he can get a better deal, he will leave.
Even though he is nice, no one should make the mistake that he is willing to sacrifice for others and he is very much determined to live his life on his own terms.
It should be very clear that hard, harsh, critical, demanding, hypocritical Republican dog owning managers are not for him. He finds them beneath his interests and nothing can persuade him to submit himself to their authority.
And why should he?
It certainly would not be in his best interest.
And so it is with the generation of the Twenty-Something humans: They find most of those over thirty incoherent. How much more authoritative fools and morons in their Sixties and Seventies demanding sacrifices for no particularly good reason.
Perhaps, it is time for us oldsters to begin our own revolution following the sterling example of wisdom of the Millenialists, and maybe, just maybe, become more coherent.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
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