Harassment
8.28.10
In order to cover their posteriors, most companies ask (read that to mean force) their employees to participate in some kind of harassment training. Such training includes sexual harassment as well as intimidation in the workplace.
Of course intimidation grown up style is the same as bullying among children and teens. But one cannot help but wonder if the bullies in the workplace are trapped in a time warp of perpetual childhood. Whether they are children or presumed adults, bullies are slime balls who delight in the misery of others, especially the misery they cause.
Nowadays, what used to be a playground sport has gone into cyberspace. In fact, bullying has become such a problem that several states have enacted bullying laws. Once again the government caused the problem with all its "sensitivity" to the itty bitty feelings of gnats and the resulting laws. Now government steps in because its laws have tied the hands of parents and other authority figures when it comes to discipline. Consequently, lack of discipline allows bullies to thrive and multiply, just like bacteria.
The harassment training has evolved over the years. Probably because certain aspects of the initial harassment training classes were offensive to the trainees. In fact, the trainers seemed to enjoy "pretending" to harass the "volunteers" (for teaching purposes only, of course).
After the harassment classes concluded, one high mucky muck suit remarked, "I thought they were going to teach us "how" to harass."
To which one plainspoken soul replied, "They don't teach professionals." Fortunately, everyone laughed, including the suit. Later, several of the more timid employees congratulated the smart aleck on his "bravery" in giving voice to what they were thinking.
In the past few years the training has gone online, probably because the trainees find it pointless to argue with a computer generated quiz. This situation generates frustration, especially if one does not agree with the "required" answers. As a bone of sorts tossed to the masses (even though everyone is required to take the course), employees can take the training and test as time permits (which is quite comical when the test itself is a waste of time).
The interesting thing about all such required training/tests is that one can take the tests over and over again, until you pass. Sure learned a lot in that training!
The Shovel-Ready Man
3.20.10
The United States started out as an agrarian country and even back then, George Washington and other leaders of the young country must have been familiar with the stuff that was considered shovel-ready on a farm. Therefore, it is fitting that politicians today draw upon the country's past with their near-daily discussion of all their shovel-ready programs (and inadvertently remind us of the time when our Constitution was conceived and written).
Truth is, the only things which are most definitely shovel-ready are our beloved politicians and their Shoveler-In-Chief ("SIC"). A lot of doo doo, to be sure. Deep and stinky.
This certainly is a change, but not what the voters expected from the SIC's pie-in-the-sky promises prior to his ascendancy to the National Porcelain Throne.
It would be nice to get rid of the shovel unless SIC plans to shovel the sidewalk in front of the White House (which would be a much more productive effort on his part than we have seen so far).
Speeches delivered in any-place-but-DC have worn thin -- too much hot air and very little substance.
Stay home and try to act like a leader (if you can). On second thought, don't bother. We already know that all you are capable of is running for office, but not performing any job you were ever elected to do.