I find it ironic how people demand freedom of choice to have sex using birth control and then get an abortion while in the same breath demanding that it be funded by others who do not hold the same values. Why is it that one group feels it can force another to violate its moral conscience. If people want to use birth control and or get an abortion why can't they pay for it on their own dime. People need to stop making other people pay for their bad choices and actions and start taking responsibility for their own actions. This ultimately is what the real issue is here, but it seems that folks who demand pro-choice don't want to hear that. Instead what they hear when subsidized funding is going to be taken is that their rights are being violated allowing them to make their own decision. But really if people want to make their own decisions then they should get to pay for them to.This was my reply:
Showing posts with label MBA school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MBA school. Show all posts
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Group Insurance and "Bogus Choices"
So here is a comment I ran into a few weeks ago on NARAL OH's page:
Monday, April 18, 2011
Music Monday: Pink Floyd - We Don't Need No Education
Pink Floyd - We Don't Need No Education
The other day, my neighbor and friend, A and I walked the long way to school, to soak up some Vit D and enjoy one of the first very nice spring days. We are both writers and I mentioned my blog and noted I had been writing about a craft project. She mentioned I had been more crafty and less ranty and philosophical, I told her to check back, I was back to ranty of late.
Today is no different.
I will first say I have a t-shirt from the Wall Concert at the Wall, or what was left of it, in Berlin, the summer of 1990. It was an amazing time to be in Europe and Berlin. There was some deep meaning, the concert happening, in a city once divided. The perils of bureaucracy.
Lately I am feeling very vexed about the state of our schools. The No Child Left Behind Act seems like a good idea on its face. I am here to say that it isn't or at least in how it is being enacted.
This Act and the States push to make sure they qualify for all the federal dollars has turn our public schools into a factory. Everyone is focused on these various achievement tests. L is now in a test taking boot camp type class on Mondays. All to boost the schools numbers and the distract standings. None of this is being done to benefit L. Sure, they will force her into a a mold, they will make her a great test taker. All of which would be great if that were her goal in life as an adult, to be a great test taker. It isn't, so how is this process in her best interests. It isn't. If anything it is lately causing her to doubt her abilities and is turning her off from learning.
News flash she is 8 years old.
What we need to be doing is encouraging our children to wonder. To question. To learn how to find the answers to questions, which interest them. They need tools. They do not need to be crammed full of "test knowledge."
When I reach out to her school - I get predictably the party line. "We have to teach the State Standards."
If I hear about the State Standards one more time, I might go postal.
Here is the deal. I was a straight A student. I graduated college cum laude, while working two, sometimes three part time jobs. I did reasonably well on the ACT/SAT or whatever bullshit we had to take to apply to college. I had an A- overall GPA during MBA school.
Currently I am an underemployed writer and a full-time mom.
Wanna know something else... no one and I mean no one ever asked me what my GPA was after I got into college. Not one employer. Not a one. No one wanted to know about my test taking skills. Now that said, I think I passed the GSE - General Securities licensing exam, in part because I had decent test taking skills and I took a study prep course.
What my employers and clients have wanted to know, is can I get the job the done. Can I deliver results. Can I think on my feet. Do I have fire in my belly. (Seriously, I was asked that in a job interview once.)
I am going to say something that will make me unpopular - with most of my friends - on both sides of the aisle. European and Asian children do better in school for some of the following reasons -
1. Teachers are better educated and better paid in many cases. Even the elementary ones. Being a teacher is tough. In Germany, becoming a high school teacher is almost as difficult as it is to become a medical doctor. They have a highly concentrated degree in the subject they teach AND a degree in pedagogy.
2. Children are grouped by ability. This does not mean kids who struggle are labeled. It means kids are grouped by learning style and talent. Some kids have an innate talent in math or science or art. I do not see the harm in allowing kids to focus. By high school, middle school even, I think you need to continue the basics, but allow kids to focus some of their learning on the areas they excel at. Let's face it, unless you want to be scientist, Advanced math or basic Calculus is probably enough. Also college is set up differently.
3. Basics are drilled. There is alot of homework for the kids in Europe and Asia. There is also, more regular time off and there is no time wasted on school based sports. If kids play a sport, it is through a local club. At the German Gymnasium I went to, there was no football team or debate club for that matter. We went to school. We got out at lunch time and sometimes went back. My host sister had tons of homework. Tons. Languages are taught sooner (yes I said languages) and the expectations are high, the classroom is also high on content.
4. Cut admin. I am sorry, there is no need for these Central Offices and over paid administrators. It is sinful that in many cases the administrators make three times what a teacher makes. Sinful and a waste of my money, which should be impacting the kids directly. At my high school there was something like 4 principals. Even today, I am hard pressed to say what any of them did of any value.
5. Teachers should be tested not just the students. Teachers should be required to pass tests in their subject area annually. They should also be paid and promoted based on merit and not seniority. There is a kindergarten teacher at L's school who is not fit to be in the classroom. Everyone knows it. Ask anyone in our area and you are likely to be told a horror story. She keeps her job because she cannot be fired. That is wrong. Most of us in the state are at will employees. Within a certain set of limitations teachers should be no different. A year to year contract for continuity, a peer review board, a chance at additional training. Notice I am not saying they are being paid too much, they aren't. They should be paid more but based on merit. Nothing puts fire in the belly like really being held accountable. I also think they should be paid more, because they do alot of prep on their own time. I certainly don't want to do work and not be paid. As a tax payer, I also do not want to pay for someone who is punching the clock. There has to be a balance.
Just as in this video, I feel that we are grinding our kids into ground beef and for what? These achievement tests are not a measure of what they know. I think a Montessori approach would bring us better results. Let the kids work on units until they get it and it sticks. For some kids in some subjects that might take a week, others a day. Have a content test. Pass the content test, move on. I am also in favor of a National minimum curriculum. Same books, same content tests and same set of basic standards in every school in every State. The fact that L is learning something completely different than her friends in the town over is silly. States rights be damned. One set of clearly defined per grade standards. Schools can supplement, once the National standards have been met.
The reason we don't do this is it would be challenging to implement. Get over it. Clearly what we are doing isn't working. It is not achieving the goals intended. Children who do not test well are getting taught how to take tests and again, if we had a bevy of jobs in this country which required superior test takers that would be great. We don't. We need people who can think and solve problems, who think outside the bubble and who know that sometimes the best solutions are not contained in answers A, B or C but sometimes the answers are somewhere in between.
We Don't Need No(ne) of this kind of education....
The other day, my neighbor and friend, A and I walked the long way to school, to soak up some Vit D and enjoy one of the first very nice spring days. We are both writers and I mentioned my blog and noted I had been writing about a craft project. She mentioned I had been more crafty and less ranty and philosophical, I told her to check back, I was back to ranty of late.
Today is no different.
I will first say I have a t-shirt from the Wall Concert at the Wall, or what was left of it, in Berlin, the summer of 1990. It was an amazing time to be in Europe and Berlin. There was some deep meaning, the concert happening, in a city once divided. The perils of bureaucracy.
Lately I am feeling very vexed about the state of our schools. The No Child Left Behind Act seems like a good idea on its face. I am here to say that it isn't or at least in how it is being enacted.
This Act and the States push to make sure they qualify for all the federal dollars has turn our public schools into a factory. Everyone is focused on these various achievement tests. L is now in a test taking boot camp type class on Mondays. All to boost the schools numbers and the distract standings. None of this is being done to benefit L. Sure, they will force her into a a mold, they will make her a great test taker. All of which would be great if that were her goal in life as an adult, to be a great test taker. It isn't, so how is this process in her best interests. It isn't. If anything it is lately causing her to doubt her abilities and is turning her off from learning.
News flash she is 8 years old.
What we need to be doing is encouraging our children to wonder. To question. To learn how to find the answers to questions, which interest them. They need tools. They do not need to be crammed full of "test knowledge."
When I reach out to her school - I get predictably the party line. "We have to teach the State Standards."
If I hear about the State Standards one more time, I might go postal.
Here is the deal. I was a straight A student. I graduated college cum laude, while working two, sometimes three part time jobs. I did reasonably well on the ACT/SAT or whatever bullshit we had to take to apply to college. I had an A- overall GPA during MBA school.
Currently I am an underemployed writer and a full-time mom.
Wanna know something else... no one and I mean no one ever asked me what my GPA was after I got into college. Not one employer. Not a one. No one wanted to know about my test taking skills. Now that said, I think I passed the GSE - General Securities licensing exam, in part because I had decent test taking skills and I took a study prep course.
What my employers and clients have wanted to know, is can I get the job the done. Can I deliver results. Can I think on my feet. Do I have fire in my belly. (Seriously, I was asked that in a job interview once.)
I am going to say something that will make me unpopular - with most of my friends - on both sides of the aisle. European and Asian children do better in school for some of the following reasons -
1. Teachers are better educated and better paid in many cases. Even the elementary ones. Being a teacher is tough. In Germany, becoming a high school teacher is almost as difficult as it is to become a medical doctor. They have a highly concentrated degree in the subject they teach AND a degree in pedagogy.
2. Children are grouped by ability. This does not mean kids who struggle are labeled. It means kids are grouped by learning style and talent. Some kids have an innate talent in math or science or art. I do not see the harm in allowing kids to focus. By high school, middle school even, I think you need to continue the basics, but allow kids to focus some of their learning on the areas they excel at. Let's face it, unless you want to be scientist, Advanced math or basic Calculus is probably enough. Also college is set up differently.
3. Basics are drilled. There is alot of homework for the kids in Europe and Asia. There is also, more regular time off and there is no time wasted on school based sports. If kids play a sport, it is through a local club. At the German Gymnasium I went to, there was no football team or debate club for that matter. We went to school. We got out at lunch time and sometimes went back. My host sister had tons of homework. Tons. Languages are taught sooner (yes I said languages) and the expectations are high, the classroom is also high on content.
4. Cut admin. I am sorry, there is no need for these Central Offices and over paid administrators. It is sinful that in many cases the administrators make three times what a teacher makes. Sinful and a waste of my money, which should be impacting the kids directly. At my high school there was something like 4 principals. Even today, I am hard pressed to say what any of them did of any value.
5. Teachers should be tested not just the students. Teachers should be required to pass tests in their subject area annually. They should also be paid and promoted based on merit and not seniority. There is a kindergarten teacher at L's school who is not fit to be in the classroom. Everyone knows it. Ask anyone in our area and you are likely to be told a horror story. She keeps her job because she cannot be fired. That is wrong. Most of us in the state are at will employees. Within a certain set of limitations teachers should be no different. A year to year contract for continuity, a peer review board, a chance at additional training. Notice I am not saying they are being paid too much, they aren't. They should be paid more but based on merit. Nothing puts fire in the belly like really being held accountable. I also think they should be paid more, because they do alot of prep on their own time. I certainly don't want to do work and not be paid. As a tax payer, I also do not want to pay for someone who is punching the clock. There has to be a balance.
Just as in this video, I feel that we are grinding our kids into ground beef and for what? These achievement tests are not a measure of what they know. I think a Montessori approach would bring us better results. Let the kids work on units until they get it and it sticks. For some kids in some subjects that might take a week, others a day. Have a content test. Pass the content test, move on. I am also in favor of a National minimum curriculum. Same books, same content tests and same set of basic standards in every school in every State. The fact that L is learning something completely different than her friends in the town over is silly. States rights be damned. One set of clearly defined per grade standards. Schools can supplement, once the National standards have been met.
The reason we don't do this is it would be challenging to implement. Get over it. Clearly what we are doing isn't working. It is not achieving the goals intended. Children who do not test well are getting taught how to take tests and again, if we had a bevy of jobs in this country which required superior test takers that would be great. We don't. We need people who can think and solve problems, who think outside the bubble and who know that sometimes the best solutions are not contained in answers A, B or C but sometimes the answers are somewhere in between.
We Don't Need No(ne) of this kind of education....
Monday, April 11, 2011
Music Monday: J. Geils Band - Centerfold
J. Geils Band - Centerfold
So I remember this song from the roller rink. I had these great, white skates with a blue swish, I think and I got from the "skate shop" these red pom-poms. I thought I was just the coolest. Also the coolest - the red creme soda. Loved that. Especially with those crushed ice pellets. Delish!
For those of you who didn't skate or aren't old enough to remember the skating rinks fashions, I found this picture online. To help with the visual.
My pom-poms were bigger and fluffier and I wore them at the base of the laces. This skate however is the correct shape.
I could skate backwards and forwards and do all sorts of fancy moves. (I know, right, the things you thought you knew about me. Last week I come out as a capitalist and this week, I am admitting to being a skating rink fashion plate. What might I reveal next week? Stay tuned.) I remember working SO hard to be able to skate backwards, because it increased your options when it came to couples skates and well, I was determined to be able to do it.
I am also pleased to announce, well pleased is the wrong word. Bemused. That seems to fit slightly better.
On Wednesday I got to be featured as Uncle Sam's centerfold. That's right, the first time I fly since the TSA (which I think stands for totally stupid assholes, and I will explain why, in just a moment.) started taking non consensual and "porn by extortion" pictures, I get to give it a try. So yeah, I had my right to say no to sexual situations violated and my constitutional rights violated all at once.
Now since I was clear about my being a capitalist, I will say, I am really ok with porn. I might be willing to sell pictures of myself, for an appropriate fee, but they stole the images of me. They have rigged the game. (I also am willing to bet that those pictures are in some database somewhere or worse yet on some porn site by now. I just don't trust their rhetoric at all.) They say, if I want to fly, then I get to be criminally violated. What they do is no different than holding a gun to your head. They have criminalized the purchase of an airline ticket. (See my related posts.)
And in the interest of candor, because your elected officials will lie to you, in fact I am convinced that is a test, you cannot run for elected office until you can prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that you will in fact lie and cheat your constituents. They do it all the time. Show me a politician that hasn't ever lied about something, and I will give you a kiss.
So in the interest of candor, I will say this, I am totally opposed to having pornographic pictures taken of me without me receiving due compensation, but that is not really what made me angry Wednesday morning.
What made me angry is that the TSA officials insulted my intelligence. When I suggested it was odd that only women were being put thru the scanner the supervisor sort said, "Nope. Nope, it is random."
Ok, let's recap. I have an MBA. As an MBA, I have recently taken not one, but two higher level stats classes. I can tell you more about random sampling than the average writer.
How was it random, when there were say 45-50 waiting at the check point and the ONLY people going thru the prono scanner? All female. Every last one of them, save the guy with the bilateral knee replacements.
Look, I get it. You want to see boobs. You are a pervert and the US government has hand delivered an easy way for you to get your kicks. You would be stupid to not avail yourself of this opportunity. So don't lie to me and insult my intelligence, simply cop to being a pervert and tell me thank you. I know I have pretty perky girls.
To make matters worse. We have this porno machine at our little airport and then in NYC, nope, nothing, nada. Just a plain old metal detector. At one of the busiest airports in the world, the metal detector is good enough. That speaks volumes.
My blood runs cold, my memory has just been...
So I remember this song from the roller rink. I had these great, white skates with a blue swish, I think and I got from the "skate shop" these red pom-poms. I thought I was just the coolest. Also the coolest - the red creme soda. Loved that. Especially with those crushed ice pellets. Delish!
For those of you who didn't skate or aren't old enough to remember the skating rinks fashions, I found this picture online. To help with the visual.
I could skate backwards and forwards and do all sorts of fancy moves. (I know, right, the things you thought you knew about me. Last week I come out as a capitalist and this week, I am admitting to being a skating rink fashion plate. What might I reveal next week? Stay tuned.) I remember working SO hard to be able to skate backwards, because it increased your options when it came to couples skates and well, I was determined to be able to do it.
I am also pleased to announce, well pleased is the wrong word. Bemused. That seems to fit slightly better.
On Wednesday I got to be featured as Uncle Sam's centerfold. That's right, the first time I fly since the TSA (which I think stands for totally stupid assholes, and I will explain why, in just a moment.) started taking non consensual and "porn by extortion" pictures, I get to give it a try. So yeah, I had my right to say no to sexual situations violated and my constitutional rights violated all at once.
Now since I was clear about my being a capitalist, I will say, I am really ok with porn. I might be willing to sell pictures of myself, for an appropriate fee, but they stole the images of me. They have rigged the game. (I also am willing to bet that those pictures are in some database somewhere or worse yet on some porn site by now. I just don't trust their rhetoric at all.) They say, if I want to fly, then I get to be criminally violated. What they do is no different than holding a gun to your head. They have criminalized the purchase of an airline ticket. (See my related posts.)
And in the interest of candor, because your elected officials will lie to you, in fact I am convinced that is a test, you cannot run for elected office until you can prove beyond a reasonable doubt, that you will in fact lie and cheat your constituents. They do it all the time. Show me a politician that hasn't ever lied about something, and I will give you a kiss.
So in the interest of candor, I will say this, I am totally opposed to having pornographic pictures taken of me without me receiving due compensation, but that is not really what made me angry Wednesday morning.
What made me angry is that the TSA officials insulted my intelligence. When I suggested it was odd that only women were being put thru the scanner the supervisor sort said, "Nope. Nope, it is random."
Ok, let's recap. I have an MBA. As an MBA, I have recently taken not one, but two higher level stats classes. I can tell you more about random sampling than the average writer.
How was it random, when there were say 45-50 waiting at the check point and the ONLY people going thru the prono scanner? All female. Every last one of them, save the guy with the bilateral knee replacements.
Look, I get it. You want to see boobs. You are a pervert and the US government has hand delivered an easy way for you to get your kicks. You would be stupid to not avail yourself of this opportunity. So don't lie to me and insult my intelligence, simply cop to being a pervert and tell me thank you. I know I have pretty perky girls.
To make matters worse. We have this porno machine at our little airport and then in NYC, nope, nothing, nada. Just a plain old metal detector. At one of the busiest airports in the world, the metal detector is good enough. That speaks volumes.
My blood runs cold, my memory has just been...
Monday, April 4, 2011
Music Monday: Howlin Maggie
Easy to be Stupid
I'm a Slut
Alchol
I saw Howlin' Maggie back in the day. They put on one amazing show. They recently came back together for a benefit for Andy Davis. They are a local band and I think they made two fantastic records. Above are three of their best known songs. At least, three of my favorites.
Today's post will likely get a few people worked up. So fair warning, if you do not want to read my frank discussion about sex, violence, capitalism, and the judgmental and I believe stupid and misguided regulation of vice, I humbly suggest you stop reading this now. Right now, move along - nothing for you to see here.
I am going to link to some works written by some folks I respect, who aim their material to those folks who are over 18. There will be a crafty post later and you should really think about coming back for that one. For this reason I am employing the cut. To protect those who choose not to stop reading. You click, you affirmatively have decided to read what I have to say. (For those of you reading on Facebook, you were warned. Stop now if you don't want to read about sex and capitalism.)
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Outside voices
The FCKH8 little video floating around facebook and twitter, dealing with repealing Prop 8 and advancing the legalization of marriage for all Americans has caused a stir. I reposted it on my Facebook because I think it is savvy and clever and spot on.
Since 2008, I have been clear that I see marriage as a social contract and ergo it is a legal convention of the State and under the US Constitution, all Americans must be afforded the same rights and protections under the law. (Here are two of my blog entries which deal with marriage: Contract of Marriage and Marriage is a Social Contract)
That said I am equally opposed to the casual use of the F-word and HATE is a banned 4 letter word in our house. In this case I think the words are being used with the gravity and brevity they both deserve. I think that the time has come to use an outside voice and speak up and speak loudly.
Let's call it as it is. Nothing short of prejudice is stopping marriage from being legally allowed for all couples who meet a baseline set of standards. It is illegal to disciminate for jobs based on a persons sexual orientation so it is not a magic leap to say it is illegal to disallow some couples from availing themselves of all the perks of marriage under the law.
Politically speaking, I think the government's job is to manage the business of running a nation and provide for smooth international relations and commerce. I think less government is better and I think the prudent management of the US check book is in order. At the moment I am disgusted with both parties and I think the lot of them should be sent packing and we should start over. A multiple party system is in order. Accountability and what not.
That said, I find it objectionable that both parties say they are defending the Constitution and clearly having marriage being the litmus test for 1000s of rights and privileges and then limited those who can participate in said Unions goes against the 1st Amendment of the Constitution. Sexual Orientation should not be a valid reason to prohibit a couple from all the tax perks (and penalties), insurance benefits, the right to transfer property with tax advantages and the right to be at a loved one's bedside in the event of a tragedy.
I shan't belabor my stance on marriage, go forth and read the links I referenced above.
That said, I think it is time to use an OUTSIDE VOICE. Being nice gets one no where and make no mistake we are at a social crossroads. Our rights are being eroded at every corner and basically we have forgotten that we are a melting pot. There should be some base line social niceties and the rest of our private lives should be that, private. If people want to practice their faith, I am fine with that, I just don't want to hear about it, be roped into participating in it and be subjected to that faith's arbitrarily designed rules. The government is secular, was designed to be secular and should remain so.
Harvey Milk said "“More people have been slaughtered in the name of religion than for any other single reason. That, my friends, that is true perversion.” The celebration of love, family and the American dream should know no color, race, gender or sexual orientation. Family units look and feel differently for everyone, but what cannot be disputed is families are the bedrock of society. We already live in a society where those units are a myriad and various as makes of automobiles, now is the time for the law to catch up with the social reality.
The other reason I thought this campaign was worth discussing is I am a MBA geek. I love thinking and writing about business and specifically marketing. I find marketing to be fascinating. I also am currently writing and thinking about social media. I attended a workshop on the use of social media in one's business model.
This campaign in the short 12 days it has existed as raised over $100,000 and has done so through the use of social media. Facebook, Twitter and You Tube. This is cutting edge. Whether you agree with the message or not, you have to admit that it is an example of what viral marketing is capable of generating. Social media, for now, is free. Set up a Facebook Fan page, a Twitter ID and You Tube channel and you are off to the races. Free.
Twitter is like a large chat room with a huge bulletin board. It never sleeps and the beauty of all social media, I think is the content is user controlled. I can say whatever I like (withing reason) and only the people who follow me or are #hastag watching will see my content. It is searchable. If you want to troll for information, it is there and totally searchable.
If for example you think I am a mouthy good for nothing blowhard, you have options. You can unfollow me, block me and go about your merry way. On the other hand, if you think I am intelligent, confident and thought provoking, you can encourage your friends to follow me, by re-posting (called retweeting) my posts or doing a follow Friday post and include me in your list.
Twitter, I think is an example of free speech at its best.
Less than 100 years ago, I was property. African American men had the right to vote before women did and in the 60s, a black man or woman could not legally marry a white man or woman. It took some loud talking to effect those changes.
When I was in college, being gay was rarely talked about.
Times change and we must change with those times. We grow in our enlightenment. Look ye across the pond. Europe, while rife with their own issues, are examples of societies which trace their roots back to Roman occupation and then further back yet. They aren't still governing the way they did 1000s of years ago. They have grown and evolved. Beheading your political opponent and enslaving his followers, is so passe.
We now must learn to grow and evolve.
Fancy that. A movement advancing the evolution of marriage and the definition of family is embracing the new marketing tool.
Ponder that.
Since 2008, I have been clear that I see marriage as a social contract and ergo it is a legal convention of the State and under the US Constitution, all Americans must be afforded the same rights and protections under the law. (Here are two of my blog entries which deal with marriage: Contract of Marriage and Marriage is a Social Contract)
That said I am equally opposed to the casual use of the F-word and HATE is a banned 4 letter word in our house. In this case I think the words are being used with the gravity and brevity they both deserve. I think that the time has come to use an outside voice and speak up and speak loudly.
Let's call it as it is. Nothing short of prejudice is stopping marriage from being legally allowed for all couples who meet a baseline set of standards. It is illegal to disciminate for jobs based on a persons sexual orientation so it is not a magic leap to say it is illegal to disallow some couples from availing themselves of all the perks of marriage under the law.
Politically speaking, I think the government's job is to manage the business of running a nation and provide for smooth international relations and commerce. I think less government is better and I think the prudent management of the US check book is in order. At the moment I am disgusted with both parties and I think the lot of them should be sent packing and we should start over. A multiple party system is in order. Accountability and what not.
That said, I find it objectionable that both parties say they are defending the Constitution and clearly having marriage being the litmus test for 1000s of rights and privileges and then limited those who can participate in said Unions goes against the 1st Amendment of the Constitution. Sexual Orientation should not be a valid reason to prohibit a couple from all the tax perks (and penalties), insurance benefits, the right to transfer property with tax advantages and the right to be at a loved one's bedside in the event of a tragedy.
I shan't belabor my stance on marriage, go forth and read the links I referenced above.
That said, I think it is time to use an OUTSIDE VOICE. Being nice gets one no where and make no mistake we are at a social crossroads. Our rights are being eroded at every corner and basically we have forgotten that we are a melting pot. There should be some base line social niceties and the rest of our private lives should be that, private. If people want to practice their faith, I am fine with that, I just don't want to hear about it, be roped into participating in it and be subjected to that faith's arbitrarily designed rules. The government is secular, was designed to be secular and should remain so.
Harvey Milk said "“More people have been slaughtered in the name of religion than for any other single reason. That, my friends, that is true perversion.” The celebration of love, family and the American dream should know no color, race, gender or sexual orientation. Family units look and feel differently for everyone, but what cannot be disputed is families are the bedrock of society. We already live in a society where those units are a myriad and various as makes of automobiles, now is the time for the law to catch up with the social reality.
The other reason I thought this campaign was worth discussing is I am a MBA geek. I love thinking and writing about business and specifically marketing. I find marketing to be fascinating. I also am currently writing and thinking about social media. I attended a workshop on the use of social media in one's business model.
This campaign in the short 12 days it has existed as raised over $100,000 and has done so through the use of social media. Facebook, Twitter and You Tube. This is cutting edge. Whether you agree with the message or not, you have to admit that it is an example of what viral marketing is capable of generating. Social media, for now, is free. Set up a Facebook Fan page, a Twitter ID and You Tube channel and you are off to the races. Free.
Twitter is like a large chat room with a huge bulletin board. It never sleeps and the beauty of all social media, I think is the content is user controlled. I can say whatever I like (withing reason) and only the people who follow me or are #hastag watching will see my content. It is searchable. If you want to troll for information, it is there and totally searchable.
If for example you think I am a mouthy good for nothing blowhard, you have options. You can unfollow me, block me and go about your merry way. On the other hand, if you think I am intelligent, confident and thought provoking, you can encourage your friends to follow me, by re-posting (called retweeting) my posts or doing a follow Friday post and include me in your list.
Twitter, I think is an example of free speech at its best.
Less than 100 years ago, I was property. African American men had the right to vote before women did and in the 60s, a black man or woman could not legally marry a white man or woman. It took some loud talking to effect those changes.
When I was in college, being gay was rarely talked about.
Times change and we must change with those times. We grow in our enlightenment. Look ye across the pond. Europe, while rife with their own issues, are examples of societies which trace their roots back to Roman occupation and then further back yet. They aren't still governing the way they did 1000s of years ago. They have grown and evolved. Beheading your political opponent and enslaving his followers, is so passe.
We now must learn to grow and evolve.
Fancy that. A movement advancing the evolution of marriage and the definition of family is embracing the new marketing tool.
Ponder that.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Of course Goldman bet...
against SOME of their clients. That is the name of the game people. This is the dirty little secret I have been telling you about for years now on this very BLOG. All brokerage firms, mutual fund companies and Investment advisers serve a variety of masters. If you think for one second that they are altruistic and looking out for your best interests - well you are SADLY mistaken.
I am not saying stock brokers, financial consultants and investment professionals are not honestly concerned about their clients and their clients' future, I am merely saying that there are lots of competing interests and human nature applies.
I am saying that it is a complicated knot and to think otherwise is foolhardy.
Goldman absolutely bet against some its clients - it always has and it always will. That they are saying publicly that that is not the case, that is not the nature of the beast, is criminal in my opinion.
Wall Street has its own agenda and that is to make money and to make money at all costs - despite the collateral damage. Look at Lehman Bros., for the gains of a few, they sunk the ship and then laugh all the way to their off shore bank as investors and lifetime loyal employees were left holding the bag.
As long as the system is set up and run based on commissions and two sided transactions, someone is going to lose and the person in the middle - he always, always in these situations stands to gain. I worked at Merrill Lynch for almost 10 years, trust me I sat in on enough meetings to know - the first few slides were on the product and how to sell it - the rest were about why this product was designed to pay you the most, even in a down economy. Trust me the sales force, they got but a tiny slice of what the overall pay out was, and the company, well they sang all the way to the bank.
Look at the banking model. The bank charges you a fee to hold your money and charges someone a fee to borrow your money, and they may offer you some nominal interest - or in today's economy not even enough to cover your fees. They just profited twice and when the chips are down - they are going to side with the customer who offers them the most lucrative profit. They would be stupid not to do that stupid and out of business fast.
Now understand, I am not passing judgment. I am merely pointing out that the executives at Goldman, who are professing to not betting against their clients are full of shit and we all know it...
The profit is always the guiding light - if you think otherwise, well mores the pity.
I am not saying stock brokers, financial consultants and investment professionals are not honestly concerned about their clients and their clients' future, I am merely saying that there are lots of competing interests and human nature applies.
I am saying that it is a complicated knot and to think otherwise is foolhardy.
Goldman absolutely bet against some its clients - it always has and it always will. That they are saying publicly that that is not the case, that is not the nature of the beast, is criminal in my opinion.
Wall Street has its own agenda and that is to make money and to make money at all costs - despite the collateral damage. Look at Lehman Bros., for the gains of a few, they sunk the ship and then laugh all the way to their off shore bank as investors and lifetime loyal employees were left holding the bag.
As long as the system is set up and run based on commissions and two sided transactions, someone is going to lose and the person in the middle - he always, always in these situations stands to gain. I worked at Merrill Lynch for almost 10 years, trust me I sat in on enough meetings to know - the first few slides were on the product and how to sell it - the rest were about why this product was designed to pay you the most, even in a down economy. Trust me the sales force, they got but a tiny slice of what the overall pay out was, and the company, well they sang all the way to the bank.
Look at the banking model. The bank charges you a fee to hold your money and charges someone a fee to borrow your money, and they may offer you some nominal interest - or in today's economy not even enough to cover your fees. They just profited twice and when the chips are down - they are going to side with the customer who offers them the most lucrative profit. They would be stupid not to do that stupid and out of business fast.
Now understand, I am not passing judgment. I am merely pointing out that the executives at Goldman, who are professing to not betting against their clients are full of shit and we all know it...
The profit is always the guiding light - if you think otherwise, well mores the pity.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Stiletto Woman
Stiletto Woman is a magazine for women by women and this month - pinch me - I am a featured contributor. I wrote an essay about my journey to complete my MBA! It was a long ten year journey complete with stops and starts, but in the end, I stuck to it and I did it. I graduated in February with an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
The program was writing intensive (evil grin) and I wrote on average a paper a week, about 1000-1500 and had to do weekly posts on specific topics.
In the end I am so proud of my accomplishment and I am doubly proud and honored to be featured in this great publication.
My message to women out there is - You can DO IT. You can, there is a way.
Alittle bit about this issue:
For more information on Stiletto Woman and this special education issue, visit their Facebook page or the Stiletto Woman web page.
The program was writing intensive (evil grin) and I wrote on average a paper a week, about 1000-1500 and had to do weekly posts on specific topics.
In the end I am so proud of my accomplishment and I am doubly proud and honored to be featured in this great publication.
My message to women out there is - You can DO IT. You can, there is a way.
Alittle bit about this issue:
Stiletto Woman Magazine (Education Issue) is now released! Susan Porter is our cover feature. She has a great story of perseverance. Dr. Mary Gatta, a Rutgers University faculty member, shares her expertise on women and education; Alyssa Trimble, once a teen mom is now a doctoral candidate, tackles the myths of motherho...od. We interviewed Kellie Greene, a rape survivor who's changing the lives of others!
For more information on Stiletto Woman and this special education issue, visit their Facebook page or the Stiletto Woman web page.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
SPAM is canned meat
In American studies 201, our Prof, Prof Martha gave us an assignment. She brought in these cans, gift wrapped and made us write about them. They were cans of SPAM. I was a practicing vegetarian then and was totally grossed out. Needless to say I did not eat it as part of the assignment. Knowing me I donated to the local food pantry or a friend who would eat it. Ugh! I can safely say, I have never and hope to never have to eat SPAM. I am thinking it can't possibly be gluten free.
Canned meat is not the topic of this post.
I have been thinking and writing a good deal about SPAM. Wanna see what else I have written? Go here.
I think the idea of SPAM email is fascinating. I just do. Recently I posted this to Twitter - which feeds my facebook...
Which gardener this comment from a friend:
And I replied:
Now my friend was teasing me and I was tongue in cheek responding, well kind of, I was serious.
I know SPAMMERS are trying to make a buck. But how in this case. How do they benefit from sending me a virus laden email, pretending to be UPS. Brown knows where my package is thank you Ms. Osma from Odessa. Brown also knows how to contact me, and frankly their English is impeccable...
Once while visiting my very good friend in Boston, SS and I took the T to Feline's. It was a decent ride. At the stop after we got on, three homeless people got on the train. Two middle aged men and an older woman. Clearly they were homeless. I am going to go with mental ill and/or struggling with substance abuse issues also.
They were hatching some kind of plan for the day for the balance of the ride. It was fascinating. In another context, in a perfect world, in suits, around a board room table these three could have ruled the world. Donald Trump cannot negotiate as well as these three. I remember being in awe of their attention to detail, their carefully constructed back up plans, evaluations of alternatives and barriers to execution.
It was an example of good business sense at its finest.
Yesterday while snowboarding with friends, I was noting that I thought the resort had not known about the school holiday and had failed to staff accordingly and that would hurt business, that good businesses know about events in the community and plan accordingly. My friend, a small business owner himself, chuckled and said, "You just can't turn it off, always thinking with the business half of your brain."
Well yes actually.
I think that is what has be so intrigued by the Vicodin SPAM and the fake UPS spam messages. The drugs I get, if you are running a bootleg pharmacy company, I can see SPAM being a viable marketing ploy, although fairly risky. Most drug dealers try to operate with a modicum of discretion. You may know which corner they are on, but it is word of mouth marketing and I can tell you there are no signs advertising why they are milling around on the corner. Vicodin email sort of makes the DEAs job that much easier I should think.
With the UPS spam it is anyone's guess I think. My anti virus software jumped on those emails like stink on a skunk. What possible economic incentive is there to sending me a virus and making my computer stop working. I cannot visit your bootleg sites if I am unable to connect to the Internet. Seriously. I doubt these folks with bad spelling but creative minds are working for the local computer repair shop. That folks makes some economic sense though, it is illegal but it makes sense to me and my MBA brain. I suppose sending me a snooping virus might make sense, but really if the virus mucks with my machine, it is not going last long, it will be found and then I am not working on the computer. As a freelance writer, that messes with my productivity and makes it less likely for me to visit your pay per click site...
What I find amazing is these folks have a handle on the business model, for the most part. They get marketing and they have an idea how the Internet works. Why not apply it to a legitimate business and work the hell out of it? Like the group on the train. They had a handle on the business model and I have no doubt that they executed their plan. I think their survival depended on it actually. It was a cold and snowy day. They had little room for miscues. So I ask the SPAMMERs out there, "Why not take this knowledge you have and apply it to a legitimate business. You have skills and creativity and that is half the battle."
I would love to have coffee with a SPAMMER. My MBA brain just cannot figure it out. In business the exchange or the balanced equation is easy - it is a trade for something of economic value... I have X and you want X and you have Y and I will exchange X for Y, it is that easy. Really, it is... it works - it has worked for years...
Canned meat is not the topic of this post.
I have been thinking and writing a good deal about SPAM. Wanna see what else I have written? Go here.
I think the idea of SPAM email is fascinating. I just do. Recently I posted this to Twitter - which feeds my facebook...
I should like to meet some Spammers to better understand what their overall goals are. I have been getting some rather inventive UPS spam.
Which gardener this comment from a friend:
The goal is to separate you from your money. How about you give me a hundred bucks and we call it even.
And I replied:
See therein lies the problem, generally in commerce the exchange is based on a good or service of value. Where pray tell is the value here?!? ;)
Now my friend was teasing me and I was tongue in cheek responding, well kind of, I was serious.
I know SPAMMERS are trying to make a buck. But how in this case. How do they benefit from sending me a virus laden email, pretending to be UPS. Brown knows where my package is thank you Ms. Osma from Odessa. Brown also knows how to contact me, and frankly their English is impeccable...
Once while visiting my very good friend in Boston, SS and I took the T to Feline's. It was a decent ride. At the stop after we got on, three homeless people got on the train. Two middle aged men and an older woman. Clearly they were homeless. I am going to go with mental ill and/or struggling with substance abuse issues also.
They were hatching some kind of plan for the day for the balance of the ride. It was fascinating. In another context, in a perfect world, in suits, around a board room table these three could have ruled the world. Donald Trump cannot negotiate as well as these three. I remember being in awe of their attention to detail, their carefully constructed back up plans, evaluations of alternatives and barriers to execution.
It was an example of good business sense at its finest.
Yesterday while snowboarding with friends, I was noting that I thought the resort had not known about the school holiday and had failed to staff accordingly and that would hurt business, that good businesses know about events in the community and plan accordingly. My friend, a small business owner himself, chuckled and said, "You just can't turn it off, always thinking with the business half of your brain."
Well yes actually.
I think that is what has be so intrigued by the Vicodin SPAM and the fake UPS spam messages. The drugs I get, if you are running a bootleg pharmacy company, I can see SPAM being a viable marketing ploy, although fairly risky. Most drug dealers try to operate with a modicum of discretion. You may know which corner they are on, but it is word of mouth marketing and I can tell you there are no signs advertising why they are milling around on the corner. Vicodin email sort of makes the DEAs job that much easier I should think.
With the UPS spam it is anyone's guess I think. My anti virus software jumped on those emails like stink on a skunk. What possible economic incentive is there to sending me a virus and making my computer stop working. I cannot visit your bootleg sites if I am unable to connect to the Internet. Seriously. I doubt these folks with bad spelling but creative minds are working for the local computer repair shop. That folks makes some economic sense though, it is illegal but it makes sense to me and my MBA brain. I suppose sending me a snooping virus might make sense, but really if the virus mucks with my machine, it is not going last long, it will be found and then I am not working on the computer. As a freelance writer, that messes with my productivity and makes it less likely for me to visit your pay per click site...
What I find amazing is these folks have a handle on the business model, for the most part. They get marketing and they have an idea how the Internet works. Why not apply it to a legitimate business and work the hell out of it? Like the group on the train. They had a handle on the business model and I have no doubt that they executed their plan. I think their survival depended on it actually. It was a cold and snowy day. They had little room for miscues. So I ask the SPAMMERs out there, "Why not take this knowledge you have and apply it to a legitimate business. You have skills and creativity and that is half the battle."
I would love to have coffee with a SPAMMER. My MBA brain just cannot figure it out. In business the exchange or the balanced equation is easy - it is a trade for something of economic value... I have X and you want X and you have Y and I will exchange X for Y, it is that easy. Really, it is... it works - it has worked for years...
Sunday, February 7, 2010
The home stretch
I did it. After about 10 years of stops and starts, I finished my MBA. Turned in my final paper minutes ago. In a week once the final grades post, I have to apply for my diploma. I could sign up to "walk" somewhere, but I have little interest in that. Scratch that, I have no interest in that.
I also wrote a piece for Stiletto Woman about the process, so once that is published, I will post a link to those reflection here.
Suffice to say, I am so glad I finished. I am proud of myself for sticking to it and seeing it through. It was a huge sacrifice in terms of time and H has been very helpful, with helping me balance school and family. There are dozens of movies I have not see, my to be read pile of books is epic. I dropped out of my book club for almost a year, as I could not keep up.
I have a few craft and sewing projects to catch up on and I aim to get back to writing my novel, now that my writing time is not being eaten up with papers.
I posted to Face book, that this feels a bit like the last mile of the half marathon, only minus the urge to throw up. I am having a party later in the month and very much looking forward to my life as an MBA and no longer an MBA student.
I also wrote a piece for Stiletto Woman about the process, so once that is published, I will post a link to those reflection here.
Suffice to say, I am so glad I finished. I am proud of myself for sticking to it and seeing it through. It was a huge sacrifice in terms of time and H has been very helpful, with helping me balance school and family. There are dozens of movies I have not see, my to be read pile of books is epic. I dropped out of my book club for almost a year, as I could not keep up.
I have a few craft and sewing projects to catch up on and I aim to get back to writing my novel, now that my writing time is not being eaten up with papers.
I posted to Face book, that this feels a bit like the last mile of the half marathon, only minus the urge to throw up. I am having a party later in the month and very much looking forward to my life as an MBA and no longer an MBA student.
Friday, February 5, 2010
February
February is always SUCH a long month, never that it has the fewest days of any month. Last years was all kinds of craziness and this year is shaping up to be the same.
Today we are getting an insane amount of snow. Always a pleasure. Luckily H is home and he has been shoveling it ever few hours. H went and collected the kids today, as school let out early.
The big news thus far in February is that H is likely being transferred to NYC to be based at LGA. For those of you who have followed me here for awhile, I might have blogged about his time being in Detroit. He was based in Detroit when E was a baby. This mean his scheduled trips begin and end in NYC and then he has to commute home. It is an added layer of complexity. No the airline does not pay for his hotel or apartment in NYC, he is on his own. That is an added expense.
It also means he is home less or potentially home less. When E was a baby it was really really hard and his mom was sick then also. Now E is almost in school full time, so hopefully this will be more manageable. I often say that as a pilot's wife, I am a single mama with husband. Starting in March that will be more so.
We have made some changes to the after school schedule and I think we are in a position to adapt.
Now February is not all gloom and doom. I am pleased to announce that I am done. I have completed my MBA with the University of Phoenix. I am writing about it for an article which will appear in an upcoming issue of Stiletto Woman. I will post a link when it is published.
Now I am looking forward to rebuilding my business and perhaps teaching.
For now, I am going to curl up and read a book and pretend that there is not going to be nearly 2 feet of snow outside my door come morning.
Today we are getting an insane amount of snow. Always a pleasure. Luckily H is home and he has been shoveling it ever few hours. H went and collected the kids today, as school let out early.
The big news thus far in February is that H is likely being transferred to NYC to be based at LGA. For those of you who have followed me here for awhile, I might have blogged about his time being in Detroit. He was based in Detroit when E was a baby. This mean his scheduled trips begin and end in NYC and then he has to commute home. It is an added layer of complexity. No the airline does not pay for his hotel or apartment in NYC, he is on his own. That is an added expense.
It also means he is home less or potentially home less. When E was a baby it was really really hard and his mom was sick then also. Now E is almost in school full time, so hopefully this will be more manageable. I often say that as a pilot's wife, I am a single mama with husband. Starting in March that will be more so.
We have made some changes to the after school schedule and I think we are in a position to adapt.
Now February is not all gloom and doom. I am pleased to announce that I am done. I have completed my MBA with the University of Phoenix. I am writing about it for an article which will appear in an upcoming issue of Stiletto Woman. I will post a link when it is published.
Now I am looking forward to rebuilding my business and perhaps teaching.
For now, I am going to curl up and read a book and pretend that there is not going to be nearly 2 feet of snow outside my door come morning.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
This and That for the New Year
Yep I know I have not been around much. Been busy, you know, so here is a bit of a random update for those of you who might or might not be curious.
Christmas Cards.
Right I know you got none. No it was not a mailing error. I decided, it is silly to send all these cards. It is a costly and time consuming task. It is not that I do not care about you. I just had so little time this year and postage is seriously expensive. Seriously.
I was torn, make no mistake. I do like writing cards. So I decided, I was not going to be a lemming, but rather, more proactive about writing random cards through out the year and less inclined to add to the Christmas madness.
MBA School
I have officially 4 weeks and 6 days left. Do I have senioritis. Hell yes I do. I just want to be done. February 8th, I am a free lady. I will have completed my masters degree. Now seeing as I officially started this process before L was born, it has literally taken years, but I am done. UOP is an efficient way to go.
I am thinking of trying to teach once I am done. It would be a good fit for my life and I think it suits me.
Speaking of working...
I am now working at Indie House Collective on Wednesdays and hopefully expanding that to Fridays once school is over. I like the energy there. I like the creative buzz and I find I am very productive. No piles of laundry. It is not home. While I do love my home office, I am sitting in it now, I also find real value not working at home. There is a balance to the process of going to work.
Upset Tummy Troubles
As many people who follow the blog know, I have really struggled with my gut for much of the year. After an agonizing glutening in April of 2009, I have struggled mightily to get back to center. My weight has been crazy weird and the gluten caused me jump nearly a dress size, even thought he scale hardly budged. Then the scale budged and I languished. On top of that - I just felt genuinely bad.
In the last 6 weeks, my weight and frankly my hormones I think, have shifted. I have lost about 6 pounds. Rapidly. My blood pressure has bottomed out a bit off and on and I have been really trying to find that gut balance point. While the weight loss is welcomed, the other issues have been a challenge. I mean a challenge.
We might be there. I am now back at my normal weight and the waist band of my pants reflect that. This is a recent development. I have to be the only person in America to lose 4 plus pounds the week of Xmas and New Years. Without even trying. I will even admit to splurging on some chocolate...
I also have moved forward with new doctor and had a serious amount of blood drawn, in order to under go some testing, in an effort to pinpoint exactly what is the trouble with my gut. Let's hope 2010 is about putting the gut issue to bed for good.
Subtraction
So for those of you, who are math challenged and childless - be happy. Be very happy. L is learning double digit subtraction with regrouping. (Like 41-29)
Now let's just say that there is no memorizing jack. It is an intuitive approach and they teach the kiddos like 7 different ways to look at adding and subtracting - then they throw the regrouping idea at them. Seriously. Then they wonder why the kiddos are confused.
I am really decent at math. I have been working extra with her. We are slowly getting there. Between this and them wanting her to finish the 2nd grade reading at least the 4th grade level, I actually wonder exactly what 3rd grade has in store for us.
Cancer Live
Mom is in a 2nd Level Chemo trial at the James. So far so good, but I have to say, they expect alot out of a woman, with cancer. Lots of appointments and running around. The side effects are manageable, but my bro and I are circling the wagons. It is very exhausting. She is in amazing hands, but it is still a long road...
Snickers
Our cat is fab. She loves us and we love her. The kids are still, 3 months in, being very responsible about her care and she has mastered the cat door. I still am convinced it was fate. She was sent to us for a reason.
This blog
I am not sure if I will continue blogging here or not. I find I have less and less time and my creative energy has been taking me in different directions of late. Needless to say, I do not want this blog to be stale and only updated once in a while. That said, nor do I want it to be filled with mindless drivel.
I am unresolved on this point. How much is enough for it to remain relevant? Useful. To what end is it.
So we shall see. I am thinking it over and will get back to ya'all!
Christmas Cards.
Right I know you got none. No it was not a mailing error. I decided, it is silly to send all these cards. It is a costly and time consuming task. It is not that I do not care about you. I just had so little time this year and postage is seriously expensive. Seriously.
I was torn, make no mistake. I do like writing cards. So I decided, I was not going to be a lemming, but rather, more proactive about writing random cards through out the year and less inclined to add to the Christmas madness.
MBA School
I have officially 4 weeks and 6 days left. Do I have senioritis. Hell yes I do. I just want to be done. February 8th, I am a free lady. I will have completed my masters degree. Now seeing as I officially started this process before L was born, it has literally taken years, but I am done. UOP is an efficient way to go.
I am thinking of trying to teach once I am done. It would be a good fit for my life and I think it suits me.
Speaking of working...
I am now working at Indie House Collective on Wednesdays and hopefully expanding that to Fridays once school is over. I like the energy there. I like the creative buzz and I find I am very productive. No piles of laundry. It is not home. While I do love my home office, I am sitting in it now, I also find real value not working at home. There is a balance to the process of going to work.
Upset Tummy Troubles
As many people who follow the blog know, I have really struggled with my gut for much of the year. After an agonizing glutening in April of 2009, I have struggled mightily to get back to center. My weight has been crazy weird and the gluten caused me jump nearly a dress size, even thought he scale hardly budged. Then the scale budged and I languished. On top of that - I just felt genuinely bad.
In the last 6 weeks, my weight and frankly my hormones I think, have shifted. I have lost about 6 pounds. Rapidly. My blood pressure has bottomed out a bit off and on and I have been really trying to find that gut balance point. While the weight loss is welcomed, the other issues have been a challenge. I mean a challenge.
We might be there. I am now back at my normal weight and the waist band of my pants reflect that. This is a recent development. I have to be the only person in America to lose 4 plus pounds the week of Xmas and New Years. Without even trying. I will even admit to splurging on some chocolate...
I also have moved forward with new doctor and had a serious amount of blood drawn, in order to under go some testing, in an effort to pinpoint exactly what is the trouble with my gut. Let's hope 2010 is about putting the gut issue to bed for good.
Subtraction
So for those of you, who are math challenged and childless - be happy. Be very happy. L is learning double digit subtraction with regrouping. (Like 41-29)
Now let's just say that there is no memorizing jack. It is an intuitive approach and they teach the kiddos like 7 different ways to look at adding and subtracting - then they throw the regrouping idea at them. Seriously. Then they wonder why the kiddos are confused.
I am really decent at math. I have been working extra with her. We are slowly getting there. Between this and them wanting her to finish the 2nd grade reading at least the 4th grade level, I actually wonder exactly what 3rd grade has in store for us.
Cancer Live
Mom is in a 2nd Level Chemo trial at the James. So far so good, but I have to say, they expect alot out of a woman, with cancer. Lots of appointments and running around. The side effects are manageable, but my bro and I are circling the wagons. It is very exhausting. She is in amazing hands, but it is still a long road...
Snickers
Our cat is fab. She loves us and we love her. The kids are still, 3 months in, being very responsible about her care and she has mastered the cat door. I still am convinced it was fate. She was sent to us for a reason.
This blog
I am not sure if I will continue blogging here or not. I find I have less and less time and my creative energy has been taking me in different directions of late. Needless to say, I do not want this blog to be stale and only updated once in a while. That said, nor do I want it to be filled with mindless drivel.
I am unresolved on this point. How much is enough for it to remain relevant? Useful. To what end is it.
So we shall see. I am thinking it over and will get back to ya'all!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
I just don't get it...
SPAM, I get alot of it, to various email addresses, but I just do not get it. Understand it. What is the point? Here is a sampling of subject lines from some recent SPAM.
If this were not bad enough - these lines from a body of one of the emails - sealed the deal for me.
When you're nervous, mating can be spoiled by the specific male problems. OR
Your shaft will never be 'sad', when you need his fervor!
Your shaft will never be SAD? Fervor? Who uses that word? I can honestly say I have been married for 10 years and that is not a word that I associate with well, sex, exactly, but it is most assuredly something from a bad romance novel.
Are you kidding me. Mind you I did not click on the links, but who writes this stuff, bad romance novel rejects? Shaft? Seriously?
Now I suppose this works, it must, because this ridiculousness keeps arriving in my INBOX.
I have no idea what they are actually selling, one would think herbs for ah, shall we say enhancement.
The MBA candidate in me wants to analyze their marketing plan just a bit. First of all, I am a woman, shocking, but true. Therefore I do not have a shaft or a lack of fervor as it were. While I might, in a fit of well meaning but misguided efforts to help my guy feel better about himself or solve an issue, MIGHT think to give this a try, but that is doubtful. Men take their fervor seriously, and therefore this is a touchy space for a welling meaning but misguided woman to travel.
Moving on.
I have read men's magazines. They do not use words like fervor or shaft. So in the "know your audience" category of marketing, these clowns are falling short.
My third and I think final observation, spelling is in fact important. Grammar maybe less so, but spelling, kinda important. These SPAM emails read like a bad translation most of the time. Clearly English is not the primary language of the SPAMMER.
While I realize this type of marketing is largely free, it has to be less than useful. You have narrowed your market, to that of bored teens, people of questionable intelligence and well maybe the occasional weirdo. (Or MBA students/writers with some time on their hands, with designs at poking fun at you.)
See, I have even given it 15 minutes of thought and I still do not get it.
- Form rod for better love
- Take and be inside her tonight
- Secret of male power
- Sustain your wooden-thing
If this were not bad enough - these lines from a body of one of the emails - sealed the deal for me.
When you're nervous, mating can be spoiled by the specific male problems. OR
Your shaft will never be 'sad', when you need his fervor!
Your shaft will never be SAD? Fervor? Who uses that word? I can honestly say I have been married for 10 years and that is not a word that I associate with well, sex, exactly, but it is most assuredly something from a bad romance novel.
Are you kidding me. Mind you I did not click on the links, but who writes this stuff, bad romance novel rejects? Shaft? Seriously?
Now I suppose this works, it must, because this ridiculousness keeps arriving in my INBOX.
I have no idea what they are actually selling, one would think herbs for ah, shall we say enhancement.
The MBA candidate in me wants to analyze their marketing plan just a bit. First of all, I am a woman, shocking, but true. Therefore I do not have a shaft or a lack of fervor as it were. While I might, in a fit of well meaning but misguided efforts to help my guy feel better about himself or solve an issue, MIGHT think to give this a try, but that is doubtful. Men take their fervor seriously, and therefore this is a touchy space for a welling meaning but misguided woman to travel.
Moving on.
I have read men's magazines. They do not use words like fervor or shaft. So in the "know your audience" category of marketing, these clowns are falling short.
My third and I think final observation, spelling is in fact important. Grammar maybe less so, but spelling, kinda important. These SPAM emails read like a bad translation most of the time. Clearly English is not the primary language of the SPAMMER.
While I realize this type of marketing is largely free, it has to be less than useful. You have narrowed your market, to that of bored teens, people of questionable intelligence and well maybe the occasional weirdo. (Or MBA students/writers with some time on their hands, with designs at poking fun at you.)
See, I have even given it 15 minutes of thought and I still do not get it.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Time or Creative Resources, which is the limited resource
A bottleneck is any point in the process, which slows the process, derails the process or adds costs unnecessarily to the process. “A potential exists to manage the resources better by allowing a cost structure where the resources are shared among a group of customers…, it is still a valid argument that a customer paying for the resource mismanagement of a company will have a negative impact on the business. Following this logical argument, activity based costing does not suggest assigning the cost of under-utilized resources to the customers. Therefore, the cost of resource under-utilization does not get its due attention. ..resource under-utilization cost to be an important consideration in order to identify potential bottlenecks in the manufacturing systems for a better resource management… provides an activity based costing model to identify resource under-utilization assuming normally distributed demands. The main justification for picking the ABC methodology to identify potential bottlenecks lies in the fact that we need activities in order to manufacture a product. These activities in turn need resources.” (Gill, 2008, pg. 165)
The process being study is my ability to carve out 4 hours per week for focused creative writing; there are two main sources of bottlenecks in this process, time and creativity. Sometimes those two resources feed one another and sometimes they can be identified in distinct ways. Most writers would not view their writing process as manufacturing, but in fact that is in essences what the writing process is, manufacturing a document, a creative work, a work product, the summation of hours of labor.
An expert opinion on the matter of creativity in this writing process holds, “Given that a lot of good writing is achieved through this day-after-day, draft-after-draft, down-to-earth manner, calling what we do the "creative" process is a bit of a misnomer, and a dangerous one at that. The term leads us to believe that we actually need to be feeling creative in order to write successfully. As such, we wait for inspiration to get started… and there goes another month or year with no pages to show for it.”(Cole, 2009, p. 26)
In a careful review of the data collected, the study reveals no lack of creativity on my part; I have notes and notes, drafts of poems, partial poems, made carefully on the days I simply could not be at my computer. The true bottleneck in this process is too little time. Some days it may be lack of careful discipline on my part, some days it is being too tired, given the demands of the day and over the period of the study, issues have cropped up, which have eaten into the carefully created weekly process plan. Could these issues have been mitigated, in part no, some are well and truly outside of my control, such as ill children and my mother needing additional supportive care. Going forward, I may need to revise my planning process or accept that for as long as I am attending the University of Phoenix, my expected creative writing time, may well need to be pared back. There truly are only so many hours in the day.
References
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Writing Style
I posted this to the team forum this morning. They are wasting time obsessing about who is going to write the hell out of each bullet point and wondering why their grade last round was not what they had hoped. I truly believe what I wrote below. There is a time and place for list based writing, like an RFP response for example, a how to manual, or guide. At the graduate level, however, you have to take a position, synthesize the facts and and add to the discourse. The style may vary based on the area of study, but regurgitation is not the path to an A. It just isn't.
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Since I have no professional insight on the topic of this class, I will offer you this, as a writer...
I think the biggest mistake people make in writing is being too literal. So when I hear the team obsessing about each bullet point, I think, well they have to be in the paper but not as a hit list. I think a true sign of a professionally written paper, a graduate level paper is synthesis. Can you blend, braid and explain a complex idea in a complex and fresh way. Can you make meaningful connections. Can you take a concept and present it in a fresh way. can you combine "bullet points" in a single section of the paper seamlessly.
Teacher, I am willing to bet understands all of this material. I bet she can lecture on it in her sleep. There is no reason to spoon feed it back to her. That merely demonstrations that you can paraphrase from primary sources. Setting up a paper with headings that equal the bullet points is not exactly what she has in mind, I am willing to bet.
The papers I have been most successful with at UOP, and in thinking about it now, were the ones with vague guidelines, where I simply tried to tell the story. I took what I had read and thought about and applied it. It is harder and it is scarier I think, because it means taking a risk. It means taking an opinion and really selling it in terms of the writing. It means not pulling punches and not hedging and second guessing. When I read back over last weeks paper, I was like - ok, I get it, I see how I managed something I thought I was failing at...
So I think we need to read her lists, think about them critically and then apply them as we tell our story. What is it that we are going to do with the knowledge we have enmassed together. A "term paper" in my experience does not merit an A... I would not, if I were in her shoes give a "term paper" an A. If I got a paper, which merely answered the questions I asked in the order I asked them, would not give that an A either...
We need to, in the business setting, surprise and delight her.
******
Since I have no professional insight on the topic of this class, I will offer you this, as a writer...
I think the biggest mistake people make in writing is being too literal. So when I hear the team obsessing about each bullet point, I think, well they have to be in the paper but not as a hit list. I think a true sign of a professionally written paper, a graduate level paper is synthesis. Can you blend, braid and explain a complex idea in a complex and fresh way. Can you make meaningful connections. Can you take a concept and present it in a fresh way. can you combine "bullet points" in a single section of the paper seamlessly.
Teacher, I am willing to bet understands all of this material. I bet she can lecture on it in her sleep. There is no reason to spoon feed it back to her. That merely demonstrations that you can paraphrase from primary sources. Setting up a paper with headings that equal the bullet points is not exactly what she has in mind, I am willing to bet.
The papers I have been most successful with at UOP, and in thinking about it now, were the ones with vague guidelines, where I simply tried to tell the story. I took what I had read and thought about and applied it. It is harder and it is scarier I think, because it means taking a risk. It means taking an opinion and really selling it in terms of the writing. It means not pulling punches and not hedging and second guessing. When I read back over last weeks paper, I was like - ok, I get it, I see how I managed something I thought I was failing at...
So I think we need to read her lists, think about them critically and then apply them as we tell our story. What is it that we are going to do with the knowledge we have enmassed together. A "term paper" in my experience does not merit an A... I would not, if I were in her shoes give a "term paper" an A. If I got a paper, which merely answered the questions I asked in the order I asked them, would not give that an A either...
We need to, in the business setting, surprise and delight her.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Audience Particpation
Please take my survey. This is for my MBA Business Research class. You can copy and paste it in an email or copy it and paste it in the comments section of this blog. Thanks!
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Instructions
Please review the chart provided and answer the following questions, based only on the information provided in the paragraph and each chart.
AFLAC Accident Plan
The accident plan is designed to help cover the expenses associated with an accidental injury. Accidents range from food poisoning and sprained ankles to something more serious like a car accident. The plan pays money directly to you if you, your spouse or child has an injury. You can use this money for whatever you wish and it is paid even if your medical plan pays all of the doctor or hospital bills.
| Employee | $ 12.05 per Bi-monthly paycheck |
| Employee + Child(ren) | $ 17.55 per Bi-monthly paycheck |
| Employee + Spouse | $ 16.15 per Bi-monthly paycheck |
| Employee + Spouse + Child(ren) | $ 21.65 per Bi-monthly paycheck |
| 1) | | Based upon the example above, I would rate AFLAC supplemental Accident plan insurance as: |
| | a. | A good value |
| | b. | A reasonable value |
| | c. | Not at all a value |
| 2) | | Based upon the example above, I would find the option of AFLAC supplemental Accident plan insurance: |
| | a. | As an attractive option in the benefits menu |
| | b. | As an interesting option in benefits menu |
| | c. | As no value in the benefits menu |
| 3) | | Based upon the information above, How likely would you be to purchase AFLAC supplemental accident insurance |
| | a. | Very Likely |
| | b. | Likely |
| | c. | Not at all likely |
| 4) | | Would knowing that AFLAC pays most claims within one business day make you: |
| | a. | more Likely to purchase a policy |
| | b. | Less likely to purchase a policy |
| | c. | Not at all likely to purchase a policy |
| 5) | | Purchasing an AFLAC accident supplemental policy would not impact the cost of your health insurance or its coverage. AFLAC supplemental insurance is additional insurance. Is having the option to purchase additional insurance something which adds value to the benefits menu available to you currently? |
| | a. | Very valuable |
| | b. | Somewhat valuable |
| | c. | Not valuable at all |
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Let's indulge in a little Business 101-- which I am qualified to teach-- seeing as I have earned an MBA...
Insurance Company Profit = earned premium + investment income - incurred loss - underwriting expenses.
So this is the basic business model for ALL insurance. The idea behind insurance is transferring or sharing risk. We can quibble all day-- about earned premium and how to define it, in terms of health insurance it is the money we pay in premium from our pay combined with our employer contribution (which is why COBRA is so blooming expensive-- you pay the whole entire amount... yours and your former employers.)
When a independent business owner(solo practitioner) or freelancer goes to an insurance provider, often times they purchase an individual contract, the rules for those are different, there is more risk to the insurance company, they are insuring one person or one family. Group insurance, like what most of us have at work, the rates are based on the pool of people and not the individuals. As such this is why there are no physicals and many of these plans are covered by ERISA-- which is a complex set of Federal guidelines which cover all manner of employee benefit plans. (Big Gov't is already nosing around your insurance. Has been since the 60s.)
So even though I am fit and active and eat a super healthy mostly organic diet, the person two cubes over might well smoke, gobble Doritos, never drink anything but Coke, and refuse to climb stairs. They might well choose to do drugs on the weekends or on the flip side engage in weekend warrior behaviors that their body is really not up for... I get no say in that. They get to make their own choices. We all pay a premium based on the group's overall costliness annually.
Let's go back to our formula:
Insurance Company Profit = earned premium + investment income - incurred loss - underwriting expenses.
Ever since insurance companies became publicly traded companies, the Profit is basically guaranteed. No CEO is going to steer the company in a direction that does not generate shareholder (his) wealth. Not. Going. To. Happen.
So the Insurance company will do their best to control costs of underwriting and administration (aka loss), they will seek to curb the benefits paid out (EOB with bullshit exclusions and other delay tactics designed to just not pay claims) and other limits to what they will and won't pay for. I am not saying fairly and disclosed limits are not kosher. They are. Asking people to pay a portion of the costs is fair-- if it is clearly disclosed.
(self funded plans are another animal, but the idea is the same... yearly surplus is substituted for Insurance company profits and ERISA governs the proper use of this as well.)
Another way to ensure profit is to continually raise premium costs to participants. I have never not had a premium increase on a year over year basis. Once-- at my first job out of college, we got a rebate. A small one. Not nearly equal to what we paid a month in premium.
So we all pay for life style choices we may not agree with. Most major religions come with prohibitions and some overlap and others are in direct opposition. We all pay for our co-workers' lifestyle choices which are in direct conflict with our own.
I say for as long as our employers demand we pay a portion of the premium, any portion, then we all should have a say in the coverage. Or there should just be a standard of coverage which is universal. Sex is no more a risky or costly choice than smoking. They both have known and frankly quantifiable, in terms of costs, possible outcomes which impact the underwriting of insurance. Insurance companies have priced out the cost of every sneeze and hangnail.
So I think we have a few choices-- nix group health insurance and have it be every man, woman and child for themselves. Individual policies all around. Which would be pricey, but technically speaking no one would be paying for other people's choices. (although that likely isn't exactly true. Insurance companies pool their premium dollars, so this would be to their benefit, they charge more for individual policies and still have a pool of dollars to invest and pay out, but technically speaking your premium would be based solely on you and your families health and choices, and age.)
Or we just take some time to understand how group insurance works and accept that discrimination isn't really in any of our best interest, because I am not all that tolerant of smokers and I know I have shouldered the burden of their "choices" to poison themselves and their loved ones for years... way longer than I was ever on birth control... and I am willing to bet next month's premium it costs us all alot more to cover smokers and smoking related illness than comprehensive gynecological care ever will.
So unless we are going to not cover people who are smoking because of the choices they are making-- I think the argument that childbearing and birth control and family planning are "choices" is bogus.