I've been refraining from saying it, but I'm just going to go ahead with it already. Can you imagine how apeshit everyone would be going with The White House right now over this oil spill were The Great Satan George Junior still in office right now?
I am hoping that we finally see The Magician grow a pair over this oil spill when he speaks to us tonight. It kinda seems like he's been laying the foundation over the past few days to finally get in BP's face.
While I do understand how after blaming The Bush for eight years, it can be the go to response for Democrats that are appearing on The TV to talk about the oil spill, but really, you are going to need to do better than that. We need to take a long, hard look at oil drilling, its regulations, lack of regulations, and lack of adherance to regulations. Blaming The Great Satan George Junior for this isn't going to get us anywhere. We need to determine if our regulations did enough, if BP met them, and what we do if they did not. We need to quickly ensure all of our offshore drilling rigs have met regulations and get back on track.
Another thing I have noticed that some folks out there are starting to do is to compare the oil spill with Hurricane Katrina. Apples and oranges. Katrina was a swift-moving hurricane that killed people who could not, or just refused to, evacuate out of its path. Katrina's devastation was quick and deadly - killing a large number in a short period of time. It's economic and environmental impact will last for decades.
This oil spill, on the other hand, despite the fast-gushing oil we see at its source, moved relatively slowly over the water. There was well over a month of warning to react to ensure that this oil did not reach the coastline. The spill's devastation will be quick and deadly to a lot of wildlife, but to humans, it's devastation will take some time. Economic impacts will take months and health issues will take years to surface. The environmental impact may be around for well over one hundred years.
But, if we are going to make a comparison, here are some things to think about:
- Think reasonably about all of the other natural disasters that hit America (hurricanes, floods, earthquakes) and you will see that the response to those disasters before, during, and immediately after, all falls into the hands of local and state officials. The federal government doesn't usually get involved until the point at which the state's governor asks for federal assistance. Yet, with Katrina, the blame for a lack of planning, action, and response fell on the federal government, especially after the fact. Why was Katrina different than any other hurricane and who could have possibly known for sure what was going to happen before hand?
- This oil spill is different. This is a man-made disaster that occurred on federal "land" on an offshore oil rig that was OK'd by and regulated by the federal government. Do you see how this was the responsibility of the federal government from the very beginning? Have not, historically, the problems of the federal government fallen at the feet of whoever is President at the time?
- The Great Satan Geroge Junior called for a mandatory evacuation before Katrina hit, and while criticized, it is generally accepted that federal relief efforts were well underway four days after the hurricane hit with emergency funding signed and FEMA engaged. What is often overlooked is that both Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans and Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco refused to issue mandatory evacuations of the city despite being advised to do so by the federal government.
What is also overlooked is that in the case of natural disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, standard emergency management protocol calls for local and state officials to be prepared to manage the situation for three days until a federal response can be made. That would mean that the planning to ensure proper warning, mandatory evacuations, and transportation for citizens would be responsibility of the officials in the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana, not the federal government. Local officials don't really get any of the blame for what happened before, during and after Katrina, though, do they?
- I must say that within four days of the start of this oil spill, I did not see a massive response from the federal government, i.e. the current administration. It really seems like it took them a couple of weeks to even get up to speed on what was really going on and about 45 days before you could see them finally realizing what a big deal this was going to be.
- Bush went to New Orleans eight times in the first 46 days, and was condemned for not visiting enough. Obama took 49 days to visit the Gulf region three times.
The Great Satan George Junior will continue to be criticized for not getting out of his chair on the morning of 9/11 for eight minutes and not getting aid to New Orleans for four days, but I do believe in the long run, history will better remember this oil spill and will better remember that it took The Magician 45 days to realize that this was going to have an effect on his Presidency...oh, I mean, the American people.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
It's Finally Time To Comment On The Magician & This Oil Spill...
I have done my best to give this thing time. I have done my best to not be reactionary. I have done my best to not be swayed by media sources. I have still reached the following conclusion, though:
I am not impressed with this administration's efforts to date. While you cannot accuse them of doing nothing, and I do see that significant efforts are being made, I feel that these efforts were not undertaken as quickly as they should have been and while in an "unprecedented" volume, the efforts I am seeing are still not enough. While your efforts on any task may be the most by volume that have ever been done in history, it does not automatically mean that you are doing enough by default.
The Magician says that they explored every alternative, have done all that they could have, and would have tried anything that they know would have worked. I argue that they could have authorized the building of sand barriers along the coastlines much sooner than they did, could have better ensured that more resources were fighting in the water and not waiting until the oil reached the shore. When you are in a crisis, it is wise in the best of circumstances to not undertake efforts that you know will have no effect on the situation, but at the same time, if there is a chance that something will have an effect, you try it. You don't just sit there and wait for a better alternative to be suggested.
I must admit, also, I am bothered by the fact that The Magician has not had a direct conversation with BP's CEO at this point. I don't think the American people are asking you to pick up the phone and shout at the guy, but they are asking you to take command of the situation in the manner that you claim to have done. How do you command a situation when you have not had a direct conversation with the person that is in charge of the most important part of your operations?
I think that we need to take a long look at the fact that while drilling at these "incredible" depths, there are not enough safeguards in place, obviously, to make sure that this does not happen. We should take a long hard look at our drilling policies as a whole. While I understand some people's argument that a lapse in regulation and governance is to blame, we also need to look at the market and supply and demand as it relates to our current environmental policies. We're still using gas, which requires oil. We don't want to see oil rigs off our coastlines, so we force the oil companies to drill further and further out at deeper and deeper depths, then get upset when they cannot repair wells that are too deep. Do you not think that BP would much rather be drilling oil that is under the beach than under a mile of ocean? Why aren't they? Because we've told them that they can't, yet at the same time, demand low gas prices.
While I do appreciate the fact that The Magician has visited the area, I do still make the argument that he has not done so enough. Regardless of the fact of what he can and cannot do personally while there, the American people want to see him down there fixing this thing. A three hour stay on four hours of flight time so that he can get back home for the holiday weekend does not impress me.
Again, whether or not he is effecting the situation, the people of the Gulf Region would have at least liked to have known he was in the area, working well into the night and early morning with local officials, not see him stroll on the beach for a few hours and then go home. How in the world does a politician like The Magician not understand that? Also, I still think The Magician flew to California more times for campaigning this election season than he flew to the Gulf Region since this spill started. That says a lot to me.
The bottom line, Mr. Magician, is that we are not asking you to perform for the cable shows, we are asking you to perform for the American people, especially those that are being directly effected by this oil spill. Sometimes, when you need to get things done, you just don't take the time to figure out exactly whose butt to kick, you kick them all until people and resources get moving and start fixing the problem. Empowering local resources, moving federal resources, taking the time to be cool, calm and collected, you are doing, but commanding, you are not.
I am not impressed with this administration's efforts to date. While you cannot accuse them of doing nothing, and I do see that significant efforts are being made, I feel that these efforts were not undertaken as quickly as they should have been and while in an "unprecedented" volume, the efforts I am seeing are still not enough. While your efforts on any task may be the most by volume that have ever been done in history, it does not automatically mean that you are doing enough by default.
The Magician says that they explored every alternative, have done all that they could have, and would have tried anything that they know would have worked. I argue that they could have authorized the building of sand barriers along the coastlines much sooner than they did, could have better ensured that more resources were fighting in the water and not waiting until the oil reached the shore. When you are in a crisis, it is wise in the best of circumstances to not undertake efforts that you know will have no effect on the situation, but at the same time, if there is a chance that something will have an effect, you try it. You don't just sit there and wait for a better alternative to be suggested.
I must admit, also, I am bothered by the fact that The Magician has not had a direct conversation with BP's CEO at this point. I don't think the American people are asking you to pick up the phone and shout at the guy, but they are asking you to take command of the situation in the manner that you claim to have done. How do you command a situation when you have not had a direct conversation with the person that is in charge of the most important part of your operations?
I think that we need to take a long look at the fact that while drilling at these "incredible" depths, there are not enough safeguards in place, obviously, to make sure that this does not happen. We should take a long hard look at our drilling policies as a whole. While I understand some people's argument that a lapse in regulation and governance is to blame, we also need to look at the market and supply and demand as it relates to our current environmental policies. We're still using gas, which requires oil. We don't want to see oil rigs off our coastlines, so we force the oil companies to drill further and further out at deeper and deeper depths, then get upset when they cannot repair wells that are too deep. Do you not think that BP would much rather be drilling oil that is under the beach than under a mile of ocean? Why aren't they? Because we've told them that they can't, yet at the same time, demand low gas prices.
While I do appreciate the fact that The Magician has visited the area, I do still make the argument that he has not done so enough. Regardless of the fact of what he can and cannot do personally while there, the American people want to see him down there fixing this thing. A three hour stay on four hours of flight time so that he can get back home for the holiday weekend does not impress me.
Again, whether or not he is effecting the situation, the people of the Gulf Region would have at least liked to have known he was in the area, working well into the night and early morning with local officials, not see him stroll on the beach for a few hours and then go home. How in the world does a politician like The Magician not understand that? Also, I still think The Magician flew to California more times for campaigning this election season than he flew to the Gulf Region since this spill started. That says a lot to me.
The bottom line, Mr. Magician, is that we are not asking you to perform for the cable shows, we are asking you to perform for the American people, especially those that are being directly effected by this oil spill. Sometimes, when you need to get things done, you just don't take the time to figure out exactly whose butt to kick, you kick them all until people and resources get moving and start fixing the problem. Empowering local resources, moving federal resources, taking the time to be cool, calm and collected, you are doing, but commanding, you are not.
Monday, June 7, 2010
The "Unbanked" Walk Among Us
They are called the "unbanked", and as crazy as it may sound to the rest of us, they are the 25.6% of U.S. households that have no standing bank accounts.
Ever wonder how those horrid payday loans and places like CashCall (R.I.P. Gary Coleman) stay in business? The one out of every four households that does not give themselves an alternative because, for whatever the reason, they would rather, or must, pay high fees and loan costs because they do not have a checking account.
A recent FDIC survey shows that this group now includes over 30 million households.
Imagine...no bank to put your money in...no debit card...no credit card...just cash and some hiding places in your house somewhere.
The survey found that the group is made up mostly of the so-called "minority" groups and 71% of the "unbanked" households earn less than $30,000 per year.
As you can imagine, only 18% of America's banks are making efforts to capture this demographic, as most banks do not seek to open branches in "underbanked" areas.
As part of a 2005 law, however, the FDIC is required to track and report industry efforts to bring banking services to the "unbanked".
Ever wonder how those horrid payday loans and places like CashCall (R.I.P. Gary Coleman) stay in business? The one out of every four households that does not give themselves an alternative because, for whatever the reason, they would rather, or must, pay high fees and loan costs because they do not have a checking account.
A recent FDIC survey shows that this group now includes over 30 million households.
Imagine...no bank to put your money in...no debit card...no credit card...just cash and some hiding places in your house somewhere.
The survey found that the group is made up mostly of the so-called "minority" groups and 71% of the "unbanked" households earn less than $30,000 per year.
As you can imagine, only 18% of America's banks are making efforts to capture this demographic, as most banks do not seek to open branches in "underbanked" areas.
As part of a 2005 law, however, the FDIC is required to track and report industry efforts to bring banking services to the "unbanked".
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Some Questions That Popped Into My Head Last Night...
When you change political parties, don't you end up with two sets of people that don't want to re-elect you?
What do you do if you have an allergic reaction to allergy medicine?
Isn't people assuming that I am pro-illegal-immigration racial profiling?
Isn't people assuming you're a racist if you're anti-illegal-immigration a type of racial profiling as well?
Why is it when I take a survey and select that I am of Hispanic dissent, and the survey then asks me what my country of origin is, I have to select "Other" and type in "The United States of America"?
How many other people have a great grandmother that was born in the United States?
Is it not also racial-profiling when people come up to me, start speaking to me in Spanish, then get upset when I cannot understand them? How about when I am at Wal-Mart, wearing a blue shirt, and people think I work there?
Was it really all that crazy after 9/11, when 15 of the 19 hijackers were determined to be from Saudi Arabia, to start stopping people that "looked" Saudi? Would it have made more sense to start stopping everyone with blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin?
What about when a crime is committed and the suspect description is a "male Hispanic" so law enforcement starts looking for a male Hispanic...Is that racial profiling? What else are they supposed to do?
Are you going to tell me in all of your life that there has never been a single time when someone has stopped you because it "looked" like you didn't "belong" there? (You must have never driven an old beat up car through Newport Beach before, then.)
Can I share just one night's worth of questions without offending too many people?
What do you do if you have an allergic reaction to allergy medicine?
Isn't people assuming that I am pro-illegal-immigration racial profiling?
Isn't people assuming you're a racist if you're anti-illegal-immigration a type of racial profiling as well?
Why is it when I take a survey and select that I am of Hispanic dissent, and the survey then asks me what my country of origin is, I have to select "Other" and type in "The United States of America"?
How many other people have a great grandmother that was born in the United States?
Is it not also racial-profiling when people come up to me, start speaking to me in Spanish, then get upset when I cannot understand them? How about when I am at Wal-Mart, wearing a blue shirt, and people think I work there?
Was it really all that crazy after 9/11, when 15 of the 19 hijackers were determined to be from Saudi Arabia, to start stopping people that "looked" Saudi? Would it have made more sense to start stopping everyone with blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin?
What about when a crime is committed and the suspect description is a "male Hispanic" so law enforcement starts looking for a male Hispanic...Is that racial profiling? What else are they supposed to do?
Are you going to tell me in all of your life that there has never been a single time when someone has stopped you because it "looked" like you didn't "belong" there? (You must have never driven an old beat up car through Newport Beach before, then.)
Can I share just one night's worth of questions without offending too many people?
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Sending A Proposal To UPS Via FedEx?
I am not going to sit here and say that I completely cover every eventuality every time, but c'mon, business world, pay attention to the details!
In a recent Inc. Magazine article in which writers asked decision-makers from some of the world's toughest customers how to get your foot in the door if you are a small business, Kathy Homeyer, director of supplier diversity for UPS, offered the following advice:
"The biggest no-no is not knowing our competition. People will say, 'I've got this really exciting proposal I want you to look at.' I'll say, 'Go ahead and send it to me.' Then, they send it to me by FedEx. It happens everyday. Just be smart. Know the company you are pitching to and know their likes and dislikes. You get such brownie points with me when you come in with a UPS envelope and have an account all set up. It's just the little things like that, the icing on the cake."
In a recent Inc. Magazine article in which writers asked decision-makers from some of the world's toughest customers how to get your foot in the door if you are a small business, Kathy Homeyer, director of supplier diversity for UPS, offered the following advice:
"The biggest no-no is not knowing our competition. People will say, 'I've got this really exciting proposal I want you to look at.' I'll say, 'Go ahead and send it to me.' Then, they send it to me by FedEx. It happens everyday. Just be smart. Know the company you are pitching to and know their likes and dislikes. You get such brownie points with me when you come in with a UPS envelope and have an account all set up. It's just the little things like that, the icing on the cake."
Monday, May 17, 2010
Stupid Banks, Leave Me Alone Already About Your Damned Overdraft "Protection"!
They email me once a week. They send me a letter once a week. Leave me alone already, Chase!
An amazing improvement in banking is going to happen on August 15, 2010. Banks will no longer be able to honor debit card transactions that exceed the amount that you actually have in your account without your permission. This means that a $1 purchase will not overdraw you and come with accompanying $34 overdraft fee (well, that's what Chase's letter says they charge - your bank might charge even more). Many Americans have felt the sting of that $35 candy bar, but from now on, unless you tell the bank to authorize transactions in this manner, they can longer stick it to you like that.
So, in accordance with the new credit and debit card laws enacted by the U.S. Congress, I received a letter in the mail from one of the banks I have a debit card from, Chase, telling me that I needed to make a choice...Overdraft, or nor overdraft? A declined $1 purchase, or a paid $1 purchase with a $34 overdraft fee? Needless to say, I quickly went online and told Chase where they could stick their overdraft protection and their $34 fee.
Here's where Chase started really getting on my nerves. Since electing for NO OVERDRAFT, I have been getting email after email and letter after letter warning me of the serious, life-altering mistake that I have made. Naturally, Chase is worried because they are about to no longer be able to literally steal millions and millions of dollars from its customers with these b.s. overdraft charges on debit card purchases $34 at a time. They've never made a dime off of me in fees, and the emails and letters continue!
"When you don't have enough money to make a purchase or pay for something unexpected," the most recent letter exclaims, "Chase Debit Overdraft Coverage may allow your everyday debit card transactions to be authorized at our discretion."
If you're in a real emergency and you need some serious help, that debit card is not going to buy you a ticket home, or a $500 part for your car. The overdraft "protection" that Chase is offering is not going to be enough money to help you out if you are in a real jam. The overdraft "protection" offered to you by these banks on your debit card is designed to make money for the banks from your mistake, or your misfortune.
For any reason, if you overdraw, they will authorize it - oh, you better believe it - but it's not to help you! It's to generate revenue for the bank.
While Chase now limits its $34 dings to three per day, that is not always the case at every bank. Sometimes, there are no daily limits to fees. Imagine if you started your day overdrawn without knowing it and you went in the morning and bought coffee or breakfast. Then, later in the day, you buy a magazine at the book store and lunch to eat while you're reading that magazine. Even later in the day, you stop at the grocery store on the way home, stop and get your dry cleaning, stop and buy pet food, and finally buy dinner at a take-out place.
Oh, you'd better believe your bank is going to pay for your debit card purchases, my friends. In the course of the day, they'll loan you the money because you owe them $34 x 7 transactions to the tune of $238. Don't believe me? Ask around. We've all got at least one friend that has fallen victim to this debit card overdraft "protection" b.s. Again, I have to point out that some banks are starting to limit the number of transactions per day they will ding you with a fee, but for Chase's three times a day limit, that is still $102.
America, don't overdraw - know what's in your account, but more importantly, if you make a mistake and don't know how much you have in your account, don't give these banks the right to gouge you with their overdraft "protection" by agreeing to let them keep this revenue generator on your debit card!
Also, there is a loop hole of which you should be aware. It's hidden in the fine print of your notices, so they hope you get bored with reading the Bank-ese before you get to it, but even though you may COMPLETELY OPT OUT of overdraft "protection", if you have recurring automatic charges set up to bill to your debit card and one or more of those recurring charges causes you to be overdrawn, the bank does still have the right to pay it because your recurring payment has authorized them to do so, regardless of what you have and have not agreed to in terms of Overdraft. So, don't put your recurring automatic charges on a debit card. Put then on a credit card instead.
Again, the bottom line is that the best thing you can do is always know exactly what is in your accounts at all times, know what transactions are hitting the bank automatically, and be conscious of all of this when you are out and about town spending money with your cards. Needless to say, we're not perfect, so in the case of an unexpected event, make sure you've declined that overdraft protection so the bank cannot take you for hundreds of dollars in fees.
Oh, and by the way, Chase, if you're reading this - stop emailing me and stop sending me letters, trying to scare me into giving you free money!
An amazing improvement in banking is going to happen on August 15, 2010. Banks will no longer be able to honor debit card transactions that exceed the amount that you actually have in your account without your permission. This means that a $1 purchase will not overdraw you and come with accompanying $34 overdraft fee (well, that's what Chase's letter says they charge - your bank might charge even more). Many Americans have felt the sting of that $35 candy bar, but from now on, unless you tell the bank to authorize transactions in this manner, they can longer stick it to you like that.
So, in accordance with the new credit and debit card laws enacted by the U.S. Congress, I received a letter in the mail from one of the banks I have a debit card from, Chase, telling me that I needed to make a choice...Overdraft, or nor overdraft? A declined $1 purchase, or a paid $1 purchase with a $34 overdraft fee? Needless to say, I quickly went online and told Chase where they could stick their overdraft protection and their $34 fee.
Here's where Chase started really getting on my nerves. Since electing for NO OVERDRAFT, I have been getting email after email and letter after letter warning me of the serious, life-altering mistake that I have made. Naturally, Chase is worried because they are about to no longer be able to literally steal millions and millions of dollars from its customers with these b.s. overdraft charges on debit card purchases $34 at a time. They've never made a dime off of me in fees, and the emails and letters continue!
"When you don't have enough money to make a purchase or pay for something unexpected," the most recent letter exclaims, "Chase Debit Overdraft Coverage may allow your everyday debit card transactions to be authorized at our discretion."
If you're in a real emergency and you need some serious help, that debit card is not going to buy you a ticket home, or a $500 part for your car. The overdraft "protection" that Chase is offering is not going to be enough money to help you out if you are in a real jam. The overdraft "protection" offered to you by these banks on your debit card is designed to make money for the banks from your mistake, or your misfortune.
For any reason, if you overdraw, they will authorize it - oh, you better believe it - but it's not to help you! It's to generate revenue for the bank.
While Chase now limits its $34 dings to three per day, that is not always the case at every bank. Sometimes, there are no daily limits to fees. Imagine if you started your day overdrawn without knowing it and you went in the morning and bought coffee or breakfast. Then, later in the day, you buy a magazine at the book store and lunch to eat while you're reading that magazine. Even later in the day, you stop at the grocery store on the way home, stop and get your dry cleaning, stop and buy pet food, and finally buy dinner at a take-out place.
Oh, you'd better believe your bank is going to pay for your debit card purchases, my friends. In the course of the day, they'll loan you the money because you owe them $34 x 7 transactions to the tune of $238. Don't believe me? Ask around. We've all got at least one friend that has fallen victim to this debit card overdraft "protection" b.s. Again, I have to point out that some banks are starting to limit the number of transactions per day they will ding you with a fee, but for Chase's three times a day limit, that is still $102.
America, don't overdraw - know what's in your account, but more importantly, if you make a mistake and don't know how much you have in your account, don't give these banks the right to gouge you with their overdraft "protection" by agreeing to let them keep this revenue generator on your debit card!
Also, there is a loop hole of which you should be aware. It's hidden in the fine print of your notices, so they hope you get bored with reading the Bank-ese before you get to it, but even though you may COMPLETELY OPT OUT of overdraft "protection", if you have recurring automatic charges set up to bill to your debit card and one or more of those recurring charges causes you to be overdrawn, the bank does still have the right to pay it because your recurring payment has authorized them to do so, regardless of what you have and have not agreed to in terms of Overdraft. So, don't put your recurring automatic charges on a debit card. Put then on a credit card instead.
Again, the bottom line is that the best thing you can do is always know exactly what is in your accounts at all times, know what transactions are hitting the bank automatically, and be conscious of all of this when you are out and about town spending money with your cards. Needless to say, we're not perfect, so in the case of an unexpected event, make sure you've declined that overdraft protection so the bank cannot take you for hundreds of dollars in fees.
Oh, and by the way, Chase, if you're reading this - stop emailing me and stop sending me letters, trying to scare me into giving you free money!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The Changing American Landscape
Deliver Magazine recently reported that the 2010 U.S. Census will find 309 million people living in the United States. The magazine, which provides insight for direct marketers, reports that the concept of the "Average American" is being replaced by a "complex, multidimensional society that defies simplistic labeling," according to demographics expert Peter Francese. Here are some of the facts about America's changing landscape:
In the two largest states by population, California and Texas, and in all of the 10 largest U.S. cities, no racial or ethnic category holds a majority.
Only 22% of U.S. households are made up of a married couple with children.
There are 50 million people of Hispanic descent living in the U.S. They are the nation's largest and most rapidly growing marketing category.
By 2015, white non-Hispanics will no longer account for a majority of the births nationwide.
85% of the nation's growth in population over the past decade occurred in the South and West.
5 million U.S. residents moved from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and West in the past decade. Is that why my roads and beaches are 300% more crowded than they were when I was growing up?
2/3 of the immigrants who arrived in the past decade (about 10 million) settled in the South and West.
3/5 of all U.S. residents live in the South and West today.
In the two largest states by population, California and Texas, and in all of the 10 largest U.S. cities, no racial or ethnic category holds a majority.
Only 22% of U.S. households are made up of a married couple with children.
There are 50 million people of Hispanic descent living in the U.S. They are the nation's largest and most rapidly growing marketing category.
By 2015, white non-Hispanics will no longer account for a majority of the births nationwide.
85% of the nation's growth in population over the past decade occurred in the South and West.
5 million U.S. residents moved from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and West in the past decade. Is that why my roads and beaches are 300% more crowded than they were when I was growing up?
2/3 of the immigrants who arrived in the past decade (about 10 million) settled in the South and West.
3/5 of all U.S. residents live in the South and West today.
Monday, May 10, 2010
How Faux Is Your Faux Fur? Chances Are It's Not 100% Fake...
In 2000, the U.S. Congress passed a law that banned the sale of dog and cat fur in the United States.
This law was designed to stop Chinese manufacturers from a practice of sneaking in cheaper dog and cat fur into garments labeled as "faux fur".
While commendable, the problem is that the U.S. Congress, as it usually does, left a bit of a loophole. Any garment trimmed with $150 or less worth of real fur can be sold without any label, therefore, giving manufacturers in China the ability to substitute faux fur with real dog and cat fur and not have to put a label on the garment stating that they had done so. Without a label stating that a garment was made using real animal fur, American consumers just assume that the garment was made with faux fur.
Both the House and the Senate are currently working on bills that will close this loophole, stating that garments with ANY amount of animal fur must be labeled. Over 75 million animals are killed around the world for their fur each year, with 2 million dogs and cats being killed in China alone.
Hopefully, this legislation will help to reduce those numbers.
This law was designed to stop Chinese manufacturers from a practice of sneaking in cheaper dog and cat fur into garments labeled as "faux fur".
While commendable, the problem is that the U.S. Congress, as it usually does, left a bit of a loophole. Any garment trimmed with $150 or less worth of real fur can be sold without any label, therefore, giving manufacturers in China the ability to substitute faux fur with real dog and cat fur and not have to put a label on the garment stating that they had done so. Without a label stating that a garment was made using real animal fur, American consumers just assume that the garment was made with faux fur.
Both the House and the Senate are currently working on bills that will close this loophole, stating that garments with ANY amount of animal fur must be labeled. Over 75 million animals are killed around the world for their fur each year, with 2 million dogs and cats being killed in China alone.
Hopefully, this legislation will help to reduce those numbers.
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Ours Is Not A New Struggle...
What is the one thing that my Great-Grandmother remembers most about the family business my Great-Grandfather had in the 1940s and 1950s? You guessed it. The ridiculous amount of taxes they had to pay. Ours is not a new struggle, my friends...
Saturday, May 1, 2010
May 1, 2010
Not only does May 1 have a wide array of meanings around the world, the meaning of the day itself is continually being modified and changed, even today.
In recent years, America's labor unions have been using the "May Day" holiday to showcase the plight of illegal immigrants, attempting to stay relevant in an America where an ever-growing portion of the GDP is no longer controlled by union labor.
For those of us who grew up during the Cold War, we may remember May Day as the day the Soviet Union paraded all of its nuclear weapons through Red Square as the Soviets celebrated the might of their workforce and took advantage of an opportunity to show the evil capitalists of the world what would be waiting for them were the stupid enough to invade their territory. It's also functioned as a great way to showcase Kremlin power to anyone within the family who was thinking of questioning their power.
Were you around in America in 1886, May Day would most likely signify the day in which the workers rose up against the evil industrialists and sacrificed wages, and even some, their very lives, to bring the work day down from 16 to 8 hours.
As I personally plow well into my 13th hour on the job for the day, hoping to compile some blog posts for the coming week, I decided to spend just a few minutes researching a bit more about May Day in America.
The U.S. version of May Day can trace its origins back to 1884. That October, after having been unsuccessful in obtaining a standard 8 hour work day for laborers, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions passed a resolution that called for a general strike on May 1, 1886, should the 8 hour work day not be in place by then. When May 1, 1886 finally rolled around, the 8 hour work day was still not in place, so large numbers of laborers walked off the job. There were 10,000 demonstrators in New York, 11,000 in Detroit, another 10,000 in Milwaukee, and at the movement's center in Chicago, over 40,000 workers took the streets. Today, estimates put the May 1, 1886 walk-outs at close to 500,000 people.
Two days later, still on strike, a group of laborers met near the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company in Chicago. Most of them had been locked out of their jobs since February in a labor dispute, replaced by non-union workers. While some non-union workers joined the strike on May 1, on May 3, there was still a good-sized non-union work force working at the company. When the end-of-the-workday bell sounded on May 3, union workers surged towards non-union workers and were fired upon by police. Two union workers were killed.
Outraged at this police action, anarchists who had been inciting both sides throughout the past few days, distributed flyers for a rally to be held on May 4 to protest the action of police and strikebreakers. Remarkably, the rally itself was very peaceful, but unfortunately, as the last speaker was finishing up his speech, a pipe bomb was thrown at a police line, killing an officer and wounding a number of others. Police fired on the crowd and an all-out riot ensued.
Eight men were arrested as being responsible for the incident, known as the Haymarket Affair. Seven were convicted and sentenced to death. Two men had their sentences commuted to life in prison, one man killed himself in prison, and ultimately, four were hanged for the death of the police officer.
I've done my best to summarize the Haymarket Affair here, but urge you to read more about it. It really is a long and complicated part of American history.
Despite the setbacks to American Labor Unions with the May Day strike in 1886, the unions continued to fight and many laborers in a number of industries were granted shorter and shorter work days, until, in 1916, the U.S. Adamson Act established the 8 hour work day for railroad workers. This was the first federal law that regulated the hours of workers in private companies. Then, in 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act under the New Deal, established the 8 hour work day for all Americans.
This is a truly fascinating story. I am more and more amazed with the more that I read. Most fascinating, clearly, is how the push and pull of outside influences helped to shape American labor policy. As many of you know, despite my interest in this segment of history, I continue to be troubled by the roles of labor unions and their leadership in the American landscape today.
As a six-month member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (1990, when I was 15 years-old) who gave well over 50% of the first paycheck I earned in my life to a labor union, let me be the first to stand up and say that while I understand there is a role for unions today in some circles, I tend to agree with the fact that, in many cases, they are just no longer needed.
Following my first job at Lucky's Grocery Store, during which I was required to be a member of the UFCW, I have gone on to what I believe to be a rather good career and a decent wage and decent work load, despite the fact that I have spent close to 20 years now as a non-union worker. I've watched strike after strike over the years and partially agreed with some, but honestly, for the most part, completely disagreed with most of them.
I think my biggest problem with labor unions is the political spin they tend to put on things. I think union members tend to believe that unions care much more about them and their families than they really do. Unions claim time and time again that strikes are not about the money, but I tend to disagree with that statement.
Unions use political posturing and political pressure to in turn get union members what they want so union leadership will appear to care, all the while, relying on the workers themselves for their own salaries.
The recent large May Day rallies that are put on by the labor unions, anarchists, and communists that sucker workers into marching for their "rights" have really helped to solidify my position on the labor unions and their May Day holiday. As I felt with the UFCW strikes over the years, these large May Day rallies are exploitation of a group of people and a cause for the political and monetary gain of union leaders. I just wish more people could see through the smoke and mirrors.
My research also led me down the path of another face of May 1. Did you know that in the United States of America, May 1 is officially Loyalty Day? The holiday was first observed in 1921 as "Americanization Day" and was intended to counterbalance the celebration of Labor Day in the US. Labor Day is an internationally celebrated holiday that was perceived at the time to be a communist threat to America. While May Day's modern origins were here at home in 1886, by 1921, the day was being celebrated around the world as Labor Day, particularly by the growing communist world.
Loyalty Day was enacted as an official holiday in 1958 by President Eisenhower and first officially observed in 1959. Today, Loyalty Day is celebrated with parades and ceremonies in several U.S. communities, although many people in the United States remain unaware of it. Although a legal holiday, it is not a federal holiday, and is not commonly observed. Well, guess who is going to start observing Loyalty Day today?
I join a host of Eisenhower's successors who issued official proclamations in support of Loyalty Day, including H.W. Bush, The Great Satan George Junior, Uncle Ronnie, Gerry Ford, and even...are you ready for it?....JFK and Willy Jeff.
So, this year on yet another exploitative May Day, as I have been up for about 20-and-a-half-hours (working close to 17 of them), I am already celebrating the second hour of Loyalty Day! Loyalty to these United States of America. Loyalty to capitalism. Loyalty to the values that built this nation. Loyalty to the law of the land, which I have been known to adhere to on 99.9% of occasions.
In recent years, America's labor unions have been using the "May Day" holiday to showcase the plight of illegal immigrants, attempting to stay relevant in an America where an ever-growing portion of the GDP is no longer controlled by union labor.
For those of us who grew up during the Cold War, we may remember May Day as the day the Soviet Union paraded all of its nuclear weapons through Red Square as the Soviets celebrated the might of their workforce and took advantage of an opportunity to show the evil capitalists of the world what would be waiting for them were the stupid enough to invade their territory. It's also functioned as a great way to showcase Kremlin power to anyone within the family who was thinking of questioning their power.
Were you around in America in 1886, May Day would most likely signify the day in which the workers rose up against the evil industrialists and sacrificed wages, and even some, their very lives, to bring the work day down from 16 to 8 hours.
As I personally plow well into my 13th hour on the job for the day, hoping to compile some blog posts for the coming week, I decided to spend just a few minutes researching a bit more about May Day in America.
The U.S. version of May Day can trace its origins back to 1884. That October, after having been unsuccessful in obtaining a standard 8 hour work day for laborers, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions passed a resolution that called for a general strike on May 1, 1886, should the 8 hour work day not be in place by then. When May 1, 1886 finally rolled around, the 8 hour work day was still not in place, so large numbers of laborers walked off the job. There were 10,000 demonstrators in New York, 11,000 in Detroit, another 10,000 in Milwaukee, and at the movement's center in Chicago, over 40,000 workers took the streets. Today, estimates put the May 1, 1886 walk-outs at close to 500,000 people.
Two days later, still on strike, a group of laborers met near the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company in Chicago. Most of them had been locked out of their jobs since February in a labor dispute, replaced by non-union workers. While some non-union workers joined the strike on May 1, on May 3, there was still a good-sized non-union work force working at the company. When the end-of-the-workday bell sounded on May 3, union workers surged towards non-union workers and were fired upon by police. Two union workers were killed.
Outraged at this police action, anarchists who had been inciting both sides throughout the past few days, distributed flyers for a rally to be held on May 4 to protest the action of police and strikebreakers. Remarkably, the rally itself was very peaceful, but unfortunately, as the last speaker was finishing up his speech, a pipe bomb was thrown at a police line, killing an officer and wounding a number of others. Police fired on the crowd and an all-out riot ensued.
Eight men were arrested as being responsible for the incident, known as the Haymarket Affair. Seven were convicted and sentenced to death. Two men had their sentences commuted to life in prison, one man killed himself in prison, and ultimately, four were hanged for the death of the police officer.
I've done my best to summarize the Haymarket Affair here, but urge you to read more about it. It really is a long and complicated part of American history.
Despite the setbacks to American Labor Unions with the May Day strike in 1886, the unions continued to fight and many laborers in a number of industries were granted shorter and shorter work days, until, in 1916, the U.S. Adamson Act established the 8 hour work day for railroad workers. This was the first federal law that regulated the hours of workers in private companies. Then, in 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act under the New Deal, established the 8 hour work day for all Americans.
This is a truly fascinating story. I am more and more amazed with the more that I read. Most fascinating, clearly, is how the push and pull of outside influences helped to shape American labor policy. As many of you know, despite my interest in this segment of history, I continue to be troubled by the roles of labor unions and their leadership in the American landscape today.
As a six-month member of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (1990, when I was 15 years-old) who gave well over 50% of the first paycheck I earned in my life to a labor union, let me be the first to stand up and say that while I understand there is a role for unions today in some circles, I tend to agree with the fact that, in many cases, they are just no longer needed.
Following my first job at Lucky's Grocery Store, during which I was required to be a member of the UFCW, I have gone on to what I believe to be a rather good career and a decent wage and decent work load, despite the fact that I have spent close to 20 years now as a non-union worker. I've watched strike after strike over the years and partially agreed with some, but honestly, for the most part, completely disagreed with most of them.
I think my biggest problem with labor unions is the political spin they tend to put on things. I think union members tend to believe that unions care much more about them and their families than they really do. Unions claim time and time again that strikes are not about the money, but I tend to disagree with that statement.
Unions use political posturing and political pressure to in turn get union members what they want so union leadership will appear to care, all the while, relying on the workers themselves for their own salaries.
The recent large May Day rallies that are put on by the labor unions, anarchists, and communists that sucker workers into marching for their "rights" have really helped to solidify my position on the labor unions and their May Day holiday. As I felt with the UFCW strikes over the years, these large May Day rallies are exploitation of a group of people and a cause for the political and monetary gain of union leaders. I just wish more people could see through the smoke and mirrors.
My research also led me down the path of another face of May 1. Did you know that in the United States of America, May 1 is officially Loyalty Day? The holiday was first observed in 1921 as "Americanization Day" and was intended to counterbalance the celebration of Labor Day in the US. Labor Day is an internationally celebrated holiday that was perceived at the time to be a communist threat to America. While May Day's modern origins were here at home in 1886, by 1921, the day was being celebrated around the world as Labor Day, particularly by the growing communist world.
Loyalty Day was enacted as an official holiday in 1958 by President Eisenhower and first officially observed in 1959. Today, Loyalty Day is celebrated with parades and ceremonies in several U.S. communities, although many people in the United States remain unaware of it. Although a legal holiday, it is not a federal holiday, and is not commonly observed. Well, guess who is going to start observing Loyalty Day today?
I join a host of Eisenhower's successors who issued official proclamations in support of Loyalty Day, including H.W. Bush, The Great Satan George Junior, Uncle Ronnie, Gerry Ford, and even...are you ready for it?....JFK and Willy Jeff.
So, this year on yet another exploitative May Day, as I have been up for about 20-and-a-half-hours (working close to 17 of them), I am already celebrating the second hour of Loyalty Day! Loyalty to these United States of America. Loyalty to capitalism. Loyalty to the values that built this nation. Loyalty to the law of the land, which I have been known to adhere to on 99.9% of occasions.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Here's My Quandary...
Here's my quandary, guy at the gas station asking for money while I am paying a ridiculous amount of money to put gas in my car: If you didn't have enough gas to get back to Riverside, why'd you come down here in the first place?
My favorite of these many incidents that I have been forced to endure occurred during my Quietly Working days.
I had pulled an all-nighter and was really sick to my stomach at the time. I needed to go down to the office to get some stuff to work on later in the day and on my way to the office, I had to make a detour to get some gas.
Before I could even make it to the gas station, I am behind a strip mall, hurling into a dumpster. After gaining my composure, I then head to get gas so I can get to the office and get home for some sleep before getting back to work. Those of you who know me know that I won't let a little thing like a stomach flu get in the way of getting my work done.
So, as the sun just starts coming up and I stop at the Chevron on PCH in Newport Beach, this guy comes over to me and asks me if he can have some money because he needs to get back to Riverside.
I found myself instantly sorry that I had wasted a good hurling in the dumpster instead of doing so on his shoes. I work for my money, Mr. Beggar, and I do it while sick as a dog. How dare you come ask me for some of my money, especially when you look like a healthy, able-bodied person, obviously of enough whit and determination to try to scam me of out some of my hard-earned cash! I do, however, love the look on their faces when I, unlike I am sure so many of their other victims, say, simply, "Nope," and keep going on about my business.
My favorite of these many incidents that I have been forced to endure occurred during my Quietly Working days.
I had pulled an all-nighter and was really sick to my stomach at the time. I needed to go down to the office to get some stuff to work on later in the day and on my way to the office, I had to make a detour to get some gas.
Before I could even make it to the gas station, I am behind a strip mall, hurling into a dumpster. After gaining my composure, I then head to get gas so I can get to the office and get home for some sleep before getting back to work. Those of you who know me know that I won't let a little thing like a stomach flu get in the way of getting my work done.
So, as the sun just starts coming up and I stop at the Chevron on PCH in Newport Beach, this guy comes over to me and asks me if he can have some money because he needs to get back to Riverside.
I found myself instantly sorry that I had wasted a good hurling in the dumpster instead of doing so on his shoes. I work for my money, Mr. Beggar, and I do it while sick as a dog. How dare you come ask me for some of my money, especially when you look like a healthy, able-bodied person, obviously of enough whit and determination to try to scam me of out some of my hard-earned cash! I do, however, love the look on their faces when I, unlike I am sure so many of their other victims, say, simply, "Nope," and keep going on about my business.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
"Work," I Said...
Teresa asked me what I used to do during Spring Break. She wasn't surprised at the answer..."Work," I said.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Happy National Stress Awareness Day!
Did you know that April is National Stress Awareness Month? Did you know that today, April 16th is Stress Awareness Day? Does it stress you out that you didn't know that? Now that we have reached the point in this country where we are stressing about stress, I thought I'd share some interesting numbers from Fast Company magazine with you:
1/3 of American children ages 8 to 17 say they worry about their family's finances.
2 other major sources of childhood stress are homework and teasing.
To cope, 44% of kids listen to music, 26% eat, and 22% actually talk to their parents.
Americans spend $14 billion on stress-relieving products each year.
There are actually 2 kinds of stress. Distress, which we all know, and eustress, a positive form that improves productivity and performance.
The word we know as "stress" has had its meaning since the 20th century, but can trace its roots back the Old French/Middle English word "destresse" or "distress".
3/5 of doctor visits around the world are as a result of stress.
Americans spend $22.8 billion on anxiety-related healthcare each year.
275 million work days are lost in the U.S. each year because of people taking "stress" days.
These "stress" days cost employers $602 per worker per year.
62% of Americans claim to be stressed about work.
Eating 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate every day for two weeks has shown to reduce stress, of course, according to a 30-person study done by a team of researchers from Nestle.
A study completed in 1938 and re-given in 2007 showed that high school and college students were 5-times more stressed out going into the Great Recession than they were during the end of the Great Depression.
2/3 of spoken curse words are a result of stress (the other 1/3 must be just for fun!).
80 of the 15,000 words typically spoken per person per day are swear words.
1/3 of American children ages 8 to 17 say they worry about their family's finances.
2 other major sources of childhood stress are homework and teasing.
To cope, 44% of kids listen to music, 26% eat, and 22% actually talk to their parents.
Americans spend $14 billion on stress-relieving products each year.
There are actually 2 kinds of stress. Distress, which we all know, and eustress, a positive form that improves productivity and performance.
The word we know as "stress" has had its meaning since the 20th century, but can trace its roots back the Old French/Middle English word "destresse" or "distress".
3/5 of doctor visits around the world are as a result of stress.
Americans spend $22.8 billion on anxiety-related healthcare each year.
275 million work days are lost in the U.S. each year because of people taking "stress" days.
These "stress" days cost employers $602 per worker per year.
62% of Americans claim to be stressed about work.
Eating 1.4 ounces of dark chocolate every day for two weeks has shown to reduce stress, of course, according to a 30-person study done by a team of researchers from Nestle.
A study completed in 1938 and re-given in 2007 showed that high school and college students were 5-times more stressed out going into the Great Recession than they were during the end of the Great Depression.
2/3 of spoken curse words are a result of stress (the other 1/3 must be just for fun!).
80 of the 15,000 words typically spoken per person per day are swear words.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
The Grandparent Economy
Grandparents.com, a site which is dispelling the myth about grandparents and computers, recently commissioned a study that it coined the Grandparent Economy. Here is what it found:
3 out of 10 adults are grandparents - an all-time high.
Grandparents spend $100 billion a year on entertainment and $77 billion a year on travel-related expenses.
The average net worth of households by 55- to 64-year olds (66% of which are grandparent led) is $254,000. This is the highest of any age group.
Grandparent spending has grown 7.6% per year since 2000 - nearly double the annual rate for other consumers.
Grandparents spend $2 trillion on goods and services each year, roughly 1/3 of all spending.
The grandparent population is larger then either the African-American or Hispanic population segments.
A recent article by Deliver Magazine urged marketers to get away from traditional advertising that showed grandparents sitting docile, staring off into the horizon and appeal more to the active lifestyle of today's early Baby Boomers. "Be authentic and honest," says David Martino, president of Martino and Binzer, a Connecticut-based agency that caters to direct mail clients. "Showcase a product's benefits and try an ageless marketing approach combined with hyper-tartgeting."
3 out of 10 adults are grandparents - an all-time high.
Grandparents spend $100 billion a year on entertainment and $77 billion a year on travel-related expenses.
The average net worth of households by 55- to 64-year olds (66% of which are grandparent led) is $254,000. This is the highest of any age group.
Grandparent spending has grown 7.6% per year since 2000 - nearly double the annual rate for other consumers.
Grandparents spend $2 trillion on goods and services each year, roughly 1/3 of all spending.
The grandparent population is larger then either the African-American or Hispanic population segments.
A recent article by Deliver Magazine urged marketers to get away from traditional advertising that showed grandparents sitting docile, staring off into the horizon and appeal more to the active lifestyle of today's early Baby Boomers. "Be authentic and honest," says David Martino, president of Martino and Binzer, a Connecticut-based agency that caters to direct mail clients. "Showcase a product's benefits and try an ageless marketing approach combined with hyper-tartgeting."
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Socialist Dreams Not Working Out In Venezuela
Venezuela and Hugo Chavez are on the ropes. Chavez's dream of spreading "21st century socialism" throughout Latin America is being stalled by a sluggish economy both at home and abroad.
When Chavez came to power in 1999, he quickly mobilized to make the most of the country's state-owned oil production, but has reportedly blown most of the windfalls of cash buying the favor of the world's other socialist nations.
Chavez's runaway spending on social programs amid declining state revenue is further putting the nation's economy into turmoil. In 2002, following a failed coup, Venezuela's economy experienced a sharp downturn when the government-owned oil company went on strike for two months to protest Chavez's regime.
While rising oil prices in the following years would help the economy recover temporarily, declining oil prices in recent years have had a substantial negative effect as well.
Add to the mix the fact that in response to the strike, Chavez implemented a policy forcing 10% of the state-owned oil company's profits be put directly into his social programs, and you have a recipe for financial disaster.
Oil accounts for 80% of Venezuela's exports, 50% of the government's income, and about one-third of overall GDP.
In 2007, Chavez nationalized the country's electricity grid with the plans of expanding production output at Venezuela's two large hydroelectric dams that provide 70% of the country's electricity. The expansion, however, never came to pass, and the government was forced to order rolling blackouts. A lengthy drought is also further impacting electricity output at the dams.
The latest threat to Venezuela's economy is inflation. The country's economy shrunk by 4.5% last year and will shrink another 2% this year, making it the only Latin American nation still in full recession.
In Venezuela, the exchange rate between the country's bolivar and the dollar is also set by the government. It had been set at 2.15 bolivars per dollar in 2005, but in January 2010, Chavez set the rate to 2.6 bolivars for food, medicine, and other important imports, and to 4.6 bolivars for non-essential goods. This devaluation of the bolivar will have Venezuela seeing 45% inflation in 2010 and 27% inflation in 2011.
Chavez is trying to fight the inflation he caused by forcing 70 businesses to close for increasing their prices to keep up with costs, hoping to scare other businesses into eating the cost of his inflation, but panicked buying continues.
Chavez has also nationalized about 25% of Venezuela's banking system to try to get the economy back under control as well, but it would seem that nationalization of more and more of Venezuela's economy is not doing the trick.
Despite a rapidly failing economy, however, most likely driven by the country's growing social programs, Chavez's popularity rating remains close to 50%. Proof positive that popularity polls have no reflection on the true financial stability or health of a nation.
When Chavez came to power in 1999, he quickly mobilized to make the most of the country's state-owned oil production, but has reportedly blown most of the windfalls of cash buying the favor of the world's other socialist nations.
Chavez's runaway spending on social programs amid declining state revenue is further putting the nation's economy into turmoil. In 2002, following a failed coup, Venezuela's economy experienced a sharp downturn when the government-owned oil company went on strike for two months to protest Chavez's regime.
While rising oil prices in the following years would help the economy recover temporarily, declining oil prices in recent years have had a substantial negative effect as well.
Add to the mix the fact that in response to the strike, Chavez implemented a policy forcing 10% of the state-owned oil company's profits be put directly into his social programs, and you have a recipe for financial disaster.
Oil accounts for 80% of Venezuela's exports, 50% of the government's income, and about one-third of overall GDP.
In 2007, Chavez nationalized the country's electricity grid with the plans of expanding production output at Venezuela's two large hydroelectric dams that provide 70% of the country's electricity. The expansion, however, never came to pass, and the government was forced to order rolling blackouts. A lengthy drought is also further impacting electricity output at the dams.
The latest threat to Venezuela's economy is inflation. The country's economy shrunk by 4.5% last year and will shrink another 2% this year, making it the only Latin American nation still in full recession.
In Venezuela, the exchange rate between the country's bolivar and the dollar is also set by the government. It had been set at 2.15 bolivars per dollar in 2005, but in January 2010, Chavez set the rate to 2.6 bolivars for food, medicine, and other important imports, and to 4.6 bolivars for non-essential goods. This devaluation of the bolivar will have Venezuela seeing 45% inflation in 2010 and 27% inflation in 2011.
Chavez is trying to fight the inflation he caused by forcing 70 businesses to close for increasing their prices to keep up with costs, hoping to scare other businesses into eating the cost of his inflation, but panicked buying continues.
Chavez has also nationalized about 25% of Venezuela's banking system to try to get the economy back under control as well, but it would seem that nationalization of more and more of Venezuela's economy is not doing the trick.
Despite a rapidly failing economy, however, most likely driven by the country's growing social programs, Chavez's popularity rating remains close to 50%. Proof positive that popularity polls have no reflection on the true financial stability or health of a nation.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Time To Start Using & Measuring Social Media
If your organization is not Tweeting, Facebooking, YouTubing, or LinkedIn-in', then you are really behind the curve! I know you may not want to hear that, but it is true.
The 2008 Presidential Election showed that technology can have a real impact on campaigns, and the 2010 Mid-Term Elections will be no different. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has offered to teach Tweeting to anyone in his party who does not know how.
Businesses throughout the world are quickly clamoring to get Tweeting, get Facebook Fan Pages up and running, get videos on YouTube, and to quite literally, get LinkedIn. If your enterprise is not doing the same, you'd better get caught up quickly. Social media needs to start becoming part of all of your advertising and marketing campaigns.
You may be asking yourself what the value of putting your time into social media really is. Let me tell you right now, I'm not saying to stop paying for web site hosting, throw out your collateral, stop networking in person, and stop making phone calls, but I am saying that if you want to stay viable in your market, social media should be playing a larger and larger part of your advertising and marketing efforts.
With each passing day, more and more people are signing up on Twitter and Facebook and are bookmarking those pages as their home pages and/or using smart phones to check them as regularly as email.
Instead of starting out on a search engine to find your business, more and more often, web users are starting out with your Twitter or Facebook page. If you are not ensuring that anything of importance that you are uploading to your web site is also going onto the social media sites, you may be missing out on an ever-increasing segment of your potential customers.
Stop reaching potential customers and you are going to stop making sales. Sales aren't going to dry up overnight, but they may gradually over time if you don't jump on the social media bandwagon.
How do you get started? Get signed up. Go to http://www.twitter.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/ and start pages for your business. Start tweeting and posting any newsworthy events and start inviting your customers and prospects to follow you or become a fan of your Facebook page.
You will be amazed at how many of your contacts are not only using these sites, but are spending quite a large amount of time on them. If you have any business videos, go to http://www.youtube.com/, get a YouTube channel set up and get your videos posted.
Also, go to http://www.linkedin.com/ and make sure that you have a LinkedIn page set up for both you personally and your business. Customers will have greater confidence in you and your products and services when they see that you are in tune with the growing importance of social media.
It will be difficult to keep up with posting and you will be very tempted to just let it fall by the way side, but create a campaign schedule and set aside time each day to post, read and respond on the major social media sites.
While you may not get a phone call right away that says, "I saw your tweet and now I want to buy something," you will begin to notice that social media is helping to keep the buzz about your business going strong. It keeps your name out in front of customers, showcases your expertise, and adds just the right amount of icing to the cake.
To get a clear view of the value of your efforts, start tracking your results. Record on a daily or weekly basis, the number of followers, number of fans, number of video hits, etc. Record the number of posts that you are making and the number of times people are either re-tweeting, re-posting, or somehow sharing your tweets and posts with others. Be sure that you are using Twitter's hash tags and the other valuable tools the social media sites offer for tracking.
In a March 8 B to B Magazine article, Mitch Wagner stated, "Despite marketers' widespread use of Web analytics, social media remains largely unmeasured by b-to-b companies." This fact gives you a great opportunity to catch up to the herd by beginning your social media efforts, then to quickly move to the front of the pack by tracking your results.
Now, keep in mind, this is a high-level overview. You are going to have to set aside some time to spend visiting the social media sites, signing up, using them, and discovering what works and does not work.
Despite your reservations about spending the time it will take, I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the results of how well social media may work for you and your business.
The 2008 Presidential Election showed that technology can have a real impact on campaigns, and the 2010 Mid-Term Elections will be no different. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele has offered to teach Tweeting to anyone in his party who does not know how.
Businesses throughout the world are quickly clamoring to get Tweeting, get Facebook Fan Pages up and running, get videos on YouTube, and to quite literally, get LinkedIn. If your enterprise is not doing the same, you'd better get caught up quickly. Social media needs to start becoming part of all of your advertising and marketing campaigns.
You may be asking yourself what the value of putting your time into social media really is. Let me tell you right now, I'm not saying to stop paying for web site hosting, throw out your collateral, stop networking in person, and stop making phone calls, but I am saying that if you want to stay viable in your market, social media should be playing a larger and larger part of your advertising and marketing efforts.
With each passing day, more and more people are signing up on Twitter and Facebook and are bookmarking those pages as their home pages and/or using smart phones to check them as regularly as email.
Instead of starting out on a search engine to find your business, more and more often, web users are starting out with your Twitter or Facebook page. If you are not ensuring that anything of importance that you are uploading to your web site is also going onto the social media sites, you may be missing out on an ever-increasing segment of your potential customers.
Stop reaching potential customers and you are going to stop making sales. Sales aren't going to dry up overnight, but they may gradually over time if you don't jump on the social media bandwagon.
How do you get started? Get signed up. Go to http://www.twitter.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/ and start pages for your business. Start tweeting and posting any newsworthy events and start inviting your customers and prospects to follow you or become a fan of your Facebook page.
You will be amazed at how many of your contacts are not only using these sites, but are spending quite a large amount of time on them. If you have any business videos, go to http://www.youtube.com/, get a YouTube channel set up and get your videos posted.
Also, go to http://www.linkedin.com/ and make sure that you have a LinkedIn page set up for both you personally and your business. Customers will have greater confidence in you and your products and services when they see that you are in tune with the growing importance of social media.
It will be difficult to keep up with posting and you will be very tempted to just let it fall by the way side, but create a campaign schedule and set aside time each day to post, read and respond on the major social media sites.
While you may not get a phone call right away that says, "I saw your tweet and now I want to buy something," you will begin to notice that social media is helping to keep the buzz about your business going strong. It keeps your name out in front of customers, showcases your expertise, and adds just the right amount of icing to the cake.
To get a clear view of the value of your efforts, start tracking your results. Record on a daily or weekly basis, the number of followers, number of fans, number of video hits, etc. Record the number of posts that you are making and the number of times people are either re-tweeting, re-posting, or somehow sharing your tweets and posts with others. Be sure that you are using Twitter's hash tags and the other valuable tools the social media sites offer for tracking.
In a March 8 B to B Magazine article, Mitch Wagner stated, "Despite marketers' widespread use of Web analytics, social media remains largely unmeasured by b-to-b companies." This fact gives you a great opportunity to catch up to the herd by beginning your social media efforts, then to quickly move to the front of the pack by tracking your results.
Now, keep in mind, this is a high-level overview. You are going to have to set aside some time to spend visiting the social media sites, signing up, using them, and discovering what works and does not work.
Despite your reservations about spending the time it will take, I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the results of how well social media may work for you and your business.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
"This Things I Believe..."
I do not support raising taxes for the sake of fairness, regardless of the negative impact it is likely to have on the economy. In fact, I support equal taxation by percentage across the board, regardless of income levels.
I believe the federal government has gone too far in bailing out the auto, insurance and finance industries.
I do not support illegal immigration. I also realize that a solution that is completely in line with my principles and ideals is not practical. I support a registration program that includes a fine as penalty and requires the payment of estimated back taxes implemented simultaneously with a new guest worker program.
I believe that English should be the official language of the United States, though we have to give new arrivals a chance to learn the language, even if we help them on the government's dime.
I have not completely agreed with the large expansion in social spending and welfare that we have seen over the past decade and I believe that the time to start cutting back benefits is just around the corner. There should be length of time, education and work requirements for all able-bodied Americans on welfare programs.
I believe that if the effort that recently went into socialized medicine had gone into creating jobs, we would be better off today.
I did not support the creation of a national health insurance program administered by the U.S. Federal Government. While recognizing the need for reform, a completely partisan bill rammed through the congress was not the right solution, especially from a man who said he was going to unite the country. I believe that once the federal government is dictating prices and eligibility to doctors and hospitals, the quality and availability of healthcare will be greatly reduced. Those with no insurance will now have insurance at the cost of the 50% of Americans that actually pay income taxes and those who already had insurance will see the quality of their care decline. I also believe that the development of new medicine and treatments will greatly suffer under the weight of this new federal health insurance program.
I believe that we should eliminate teacher tenure and increase the use of performance standards and accountability.
I believe that our armed forces should remain an all-volunteer force.
I do not believe that federal employees should be allowed to unionize if they serve in positions critical to safety and security. I do believe that union elections and initiatives should have secret ballots.
I believe the federal government has gone too far in bailing out the auto, insurance and finance industries.
I do not support illegal immigration. I also realize that a solution that is completely in line with my principles and ideals is not practical. I support a registration program that includes a fine as penalty and requires the payment of estimated back taxes implemented simultaneously with a new guest worker program.
I believe that English should be the official language of the United States, though we have to give new arrivals a chance to learn the language, even if we help them on the government's dime.
I have not completely agreed with the large expansion in social spending and welfare that we have seen over the past decade and I believe that the time to start cutting back benefits is just around the corner. There should be length of time, education and work requirements for all able-bodied Americans on welfare programs.
I believe that if the effort that recently went into socialized medicine had gone into creating jobs, we would be better off today.
I did not support the creation of a national health insurance program administered by the U.S. Federal Government. While recognizing the need for reform, a completely partisan bill rammed through the congress was not the right solution, especially from a man who said he was going to unite the country. I believe that once the federal government is dictating prices and eligibility to doctors and hospitals, the quality and availability of healthcare will be greatly reduced. Those with no insurance will now have insurance at the cost of the 50% of Americans that actually pay income taxes and those who already had insurance will see the quality of their care decline. I also believe that the development of new medicine and treatments will greatly suffer under the weight of this new federal health insurance program.
I believe that we should eliminate teacher tenure and increase the use of performance standards and accountability.
I believe that our armed forces should remain an all-volunteer force.
I do not believe that federal employees should be allowed to unionize if they serve in positions critical to safety and security. I do believe that union elections and initiatives should have secret ballots.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
As The Highest NASDAQ Closing In History Turns 10 Years Old...
Today marks the 10th Anniversary of the NASDAQ Peaking at 5,048.62.
An entire decade has passed and we are nowhere near the numbers when the tech bubble burst in 2000. Right now, the NASDAQ is at 2,431. Some things have changed since then, though. Fast Company has given us the following to reflect upon:
World's Richest Man Then: Bill Gates
World's Richest Man Now: Bill Gates
U.S. Cell Phone Penetration Then: 34%
U.S. Cell Phone Penetration Now: 89%
Number Of Daily Newspapers In The U.S. Then: 1,480
Number Of Daily Newspapers In The U.S. Now: 1,422
No. 1 Web Site Then: AOL
No. 1 Web Site Now: Google
Internet Users Worldwide Then: 360 Million
Internet Users Worldwide Now: 1.7 Billion
No. 1 Auto Manufacturer In The World Then: General Motors
No. 1 Auto Manufacturer In The World Now: Toyota
An entire decade has passed and we are nowhere near the numbers when the tech bubble burst in 2000. Right now, the NASDAQ is at 2,431. Some things have changed since then, though. Fast Company has given us the following to reflect upon:
World's Richest Man Then: Bill Gates
World's Richest Man Now: Bill Gates
U.S. Cell Phone Penetration Then: 34%
U.S. Cell Phone Penetration Now: 89%
Number Of Daily Newspapers In The U.S. Then: 1,480
Number Of Daily Newspapers In The U.S. Now: 1,422
No. 1 Web Site Then: AOL
No. 1 Web Site Now: Google
Internet Users Worldwide Then: 360 Million
Internet Users Worldwide Now: 1.7 Billion
No. 1 Auto Manufacturer In The World Then: General Motors
No. 1 Auto Manufacturer In The World Now: Toyota
Monday, March 1, 2010
Keep Your Eye Out For The Brown M&M's
A recent Fast Company Magazine article pointed out some different ways that people are looking at data for tell-tale signs of what the future may hold. For instance, Johns Hopkins University researchers took a look at the attendance patterns and grade patterns of students who had dropped out of high school and found that students who missed more than one out of every five days of class, or students who had failed either an English or math class were most likely to not finish high school. 78% of those missing one out of five days, and 75% of those who had failed either an English or math class were destined to drop out. By knowing this pattern, educators can begin to identify troubled students earlier and, perhaps, turn that student around before it is too late.
Credit card companies are now spending a good deal of money ensuring that they are able to track your "normal" spending patters because it helps them identify when someone is using your card, perhaps, even before you come to the realization that it has been lost or stolen.
The article also pointed out that data that can foretell the future doesn't have to be high tech, and in some cases, doesn't even have to be numerical. As the magazine points out, consider how Van Halen would determine whether or not their equipment had been set up properly during their 1980s-era heyday concerts...brown M&M's. Due to the large amount of equipment and minute details that were required to put on one of these extremely large, extremely costly, and potentially extremely profitable concerts, the band needed to ensure that their set-up instructions had been followed precisely by the venue. How did the band know whether they were good to go, or whether they needed to quickly avoid show disasters by having all of their equipment (nine full-size truck trailers worth, by the way) re-checked? According to David Lee Roth, all he had to do was look at the bowl of M&M's in the dressing room and see whether or not it had brown M&M's in it.
The contract between the band and the concert venues was often so large that required steps were often missed or skipped due to time constraints, so in order to give themselves a clear view of whether or not these instructions were followed properly, the band inserted what they called "Article 126," which read, "There will be no brown M&M's in the backstage area, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation." So, if David Lee Roth didn't see brown M&M's, the band was confident the contract had been read and followed, but if he saw brown M&M's in the bowl, that meant it was time to yell at some venue reps because chances were, the band's equipment had not been set up properly.
Credit card companies are now spending a good deal of money ensuring that they are able to track your "normal" spending patters because it helps them identify when someone is using your card, perhaps, even before you come to the realization that it has been lost or stolen.
The article also pointed out that data that can foretell the future doesn't have to be high tech, and in some cases, doesn't even have to be numerical. As the magazine points out, consider how Van Halen would determine whether or not their equipment had been set up properly during their 1980s-era heyday concerts...brown M&M's. Due to the large amount of equipment and minute details that were required to put on one of these extremely large, extremely costly, and potentially extremely profitable concerts, the band needed to ensure that their set-up instructions had been followed precisely by the venue. How did the band know whether they were good to go, or whether they needed to quickly avoid show disasters by having all of their equipment (nine full-size truck trailers worth, by the way) re-checked? According to David Lee Roth, all he had to do was look at the bowl of M&M's in the dressing room and see whether or not it had brown M&M's in it.
The contract between the band and the concert venues was often so large that required steps were often missed or skipped due to time constraints, so in order to give themselves a clear view of whether or not these instructions were followed properly, the band inserted what they called "Article 126," which read, "There will be no brown M&M's in the backstage area, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation." So, if David Lee Roth didn't see brown M&M's, the band was confident the contract had been read and followed, but if he saw brown M&M's in the bowl, that meant it was time to yell at some venue reps because chances were, the band's equipment had not been set up properly.
Friday, February 12, 2010
The Tulip Depression (1634-1637)
Holland experienced the first widely-recorded economic collapses of the modern western era from 1634 to 1637.
In 1593, tulips were brought from Turkey to Holland. The new flower was quickly one of the most sought-after items throughout the country. Soon after, a non-fatal virus rocked the tulip populations throughout Holland, altering the colors and shading of the flowers’ petals.
While already yielding a premium price before the virus starting altering the flowers' look, certain types of tulips eventually reached a point where some were more valued than entire large estates. The Dutch quickly began to believe that the sky was the limit for the tulip market.
Needless to say, as the market reached such ridiculous prices, growers began to over plant and stockpile the tulips that they expected to yield the highest prices. Speculators began to liquidate assets, including family fortunes, life savings, and their estates in order to buy and sell tulips.
During the ramp-up, tulips prices went up 20 times over in just one crazy month. Needless to say, a market price that put a single special tulip at a price equivalent to an entire estate were unsustainable, especially once the hoards of tulips that speculators had liquidated to grow and buy flooded the market. Once the selling started, prices went into a freefall and contracts began to fall apart. Dealers just could not pay the prices they had promised growers and speculators.
In a futile attempt to quell the market, the Dutch government began offering 10% of the face value of contracts that were no longer being honored, but as prices continued to fall, the government had to halt the program and let the market correct itself (There was no selling treasury notes to China like today).
The Tulip Depression would have economic effects upon Holland for decades into the future.
In 1593, tulips were brought from Turkey to Holland. The new flower was quickly one of the most sought-after items throughout the country. Soon after, a non-fatal virus rocked the tulip populations throughout Holland, altering the colors and shading of the flowers’ petals.
While already yielding a premium price before the virus starting altering the flowers' look, certain types of tulips eventually reached a point where some were more valued than entire large estates. The Dutch quickly began to believe that the sky was the limit for the tulip market.
Needless to say, as the market reached such ridiculous prices, growers began to over plant and stockpile the tulips that they expected to yield the highest prices. Speculators began to liquidate assets, including family fortunes, life savings, and their estates in order to buy and sell tulips.
During the ramp-up, tulips prices went up 20 times over in just one crazy month. Needless to say, a market price that put a single special tulip at a price equivalent to an entire estate were unsustainable, especially once the hoards of tulips that speculators had liquidated to grow and buy flooded the market. Once the selling started, prices went into a freefall and contracts began to fall apart. Dealers just could not pay the prices they had promised growers and speculators.
In a futile attempt to quell the market, the Dutch government began offering 10% of the face value of contracts that were no longer being honored, but as prices continued to fall, the government had to halt the program and let the market correct itself (There was no selling treasury notes to China like today).
The Tulip Depression would have economic effects upon Holland for decades into the future.
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