Did you know:
a. Labor unions account for a small percentage of the workforce.
b. 82% of non-unionized workers do not want their jobs to be unionized, according to the Center for Union Facts.
c. Unions are too expensive for employers and employees.
1. Employers have to pay into unions for non-insured retirement plans.
2. Employees have to pay an initiation fee, plus monthly dues. If you're making under $14 an hour, this can be too expensive for families.
d. Employees lose their rights to talk to their supervisors or managers about wages and/or working conditions.
e. With union representation, there's no guarantee that you'll end up with more than you started with.
f. During a strike, you'll lose your right to work, costing you money.
Those are just a few things that a union brings into the work place. The main thing is that a union will not help you keep your job during a lay-off or labor dispute. If you belong to a union today, your only guarantee is that you'll lose your money as fast as a gambling casino.
A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE
In December, 2009, I had a heart attack at work (a union job) and subsiquent triple by-pass operation during open heart surgery. During my recovery I tried contacting my union representatives for find out what kind of benefits I had. For months afterward, I was handed off from one idiot to another, with no knowledge of my benefits or anything. The most common answer I received was: "That's not my department. You should call such and such," who passed me on to someone else then back to the beginning. Meanwhile, my bills kept piing up even with my insurance company. In fact, just the ambulance company's charge for hauling me less than a mile to the hospital cost me $2,000.My boss wouldn't help pay part of the cost even when I told him not to call an ambulance.
In the meantime, my hospital stay, surgery, angiograms, medications and everything else cost me a $50 co-pay, with my insurance picking up the rest of the tab. The union was nowhere to be found. Today, I'm fighting two types of cancer, and the union is nowhere to be seen.
Back in the 30s, 40s and almost into the 50s, labor unions were excellent. They established minimum wages, working conditions, and child labor laws. Today they're useless. The only good thing about them is keeping an honest employer honest. A crooked employer is going to screw you even with a union present.
If a union representative comes to your workplace, just TELL THEM NO!!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Labor Unions Suck Big Time
Look for a new "Sucks" website starting up soon. I'm pissed at SEIU union and I want the world to know that labor unions suck, with SEIU in particular.
When I had my heart attack and subsiquent tripple by-pass open heart surgery, the labor union, of which I was a member, did absolutely nothing.
BTW: I now have to use hearing aids, thanks to working around jet engines while I was in the Air Force. Since I'm already a disabled veteran, the addition of this "new" disability will be added to the compensation I'm already receiving. I'm still waiting for the percentage amount that will be added; however, the two $1,000 hearing aids were provided by the Veterans Administration. Plus, they'll supply me with a lifetime of batteries.
When I had my heart attack and subsiquent tripple by-pass open heart surgery, the labor union, of which I was a member, did absolutely nothing.
BTW: I now have to use hearing aids, thanks to working around jet engines while I was in the Air Force. Since I'm already a disabled veteran, the addition of this "new" disability will be added to the compensation I'm already receiving. I'm still waiting for the percentage amount that will be added; however, the two $1,000 hearing aids were provided by the Veterans Administration. Plus, they'll supply me with a lifetime of batteries.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Gotta Watch Your Diet!!!
On Thursday, December 10th, I suffered a major heart attack while at work. My boss called 911 and an ambulance was dispatched. I was hauled off to Anaheim Memorial Hospital, where I spent the night attached to a heart monitor. Since I was back to full power the next morning, I went home against the doctor's better judgement. Since my health care provider is familiar with my medical history, I contacted her who set up an admission at Arcadia Methodist Hospital. I was admitted that night (Friday, December 11th).
On Monday, December 14th, I had an angiogram which found three blocked arteries. Since they were in areas where stents wouldn't work without causing additional problems, I was consoled about open heart surgery. On Thursday, December 17th, I underwent a tripple by-pass operation. On Mondy, December 21st, I was well enough to be discharged from the hospital.
But, that isn't what I wanted to write about. I wanted to write this as a warning. A warning to those of you who enjoy tobacco products; who enjoy foods high in sodium, cholestrol and other "nasty" stuff. Just because it tastes good doesn't mean it's good for you.
AT RISK
What does it mean to be at risk? You can be at risk of a heart attck or stroke because of your age, if you're a smoker, or have a family history of heart trouble. Any one or a combination of all three can put you at risk.
The wrong diet can put you at risk if you consume the wrong foods. I'm not advocating that you should quit going to your local supermarket and going to a health food store, because I'm not. You can find the wrong foods in a health food store too. The food may be low in fat and cholestrol; however, it's above the danger level with sodium. And sodium increases blood pressure.
SO, WHAT"S ALL THIS ABOUT SODIUM?
Sodium is a preservative used in packaged foods, especially meats and dinners. Look at the sodium content of a can of Spam to see what I mean. We humans need a small amount of sodium in our diets. It helps to regulate a few systems; however, we Americans have a bad habit of overdoing the amount of sodium that we consume. We salt our meats and vegies way too much; so we taste the salt more than what it's sprinkled on. I'm not advocating that we should eliminate salt from our diets; but, what I am saying is that we should cut bck on the amount of salt we use.
SUGAR
Sugar is another substance we use too much of. We sprinkle sugar on our breakfast cerial, which is already sugared by the manufacturer. We add sugar to our morning coffee; and drink sugared drinks throughout the day. Almost everything we consume contains sugar. Sugar isn't bad for you if you use moderation. The same goes for alcohol. It's OK to have a drink or two; however, we have a tendency to overdo the drinking. Alcohol has no nutritional value.
OK - SO WHAT AM I SAYING?
Believe it or not; but, I have more energy now than I have had in the past 25 years, and I'm on a "cardiac" diet. A cardiac diet conists of a major reduction in sodium, cholestrol, cafiene, and sugar. My cardio specialist suggested that it's OK to have a McDonald's burger every once in a while; however, don't make it part of your daily routine or diet. The same goes with the so-called health foods.
Lean beef is a must. The same with lamb, or any other red meat. Pork is OK as long as it hasn't been processed into ham, bacon or pork sausage. Foul (chicken, turkey, duck, etc) is lean to begin with; however, it must be thoroughly cooked to kill any lingering bacteria.
Stay away from packaged meats, meals, canned soups, deserts. Anything packaged is usually loaded with sodium, because it's a preservative. I used to joke about junk foods keeping me alive. Wow, was I wrong! Junk foods were part of the problem. My angiogram showed blockages in areas where stints would create more problems than they would fix; which is why the need for a tripple by-pass operation. All of which was brought on by a poor diet, smoking and a lack of sleep. I was stupid.
On Monday, December 14th, I had an angiogram which found three blocked arteries. Since they were in areas where stents wouldn't work without causing additional problems, I was consoled about open heart surgery. On Thursday, December 17th, I underwent a tripple by-pass operation. On Mondy, December 21st, I was well enough to be discharged from the hospital.
But, that isn't what I wanted to write about. I wanted to write this as a warning. A warning to those of you who enjoy tobacco products; who enjoy foods high in sodium, cholestrol and other "nasty" stuff. Just because it tastes good doesn't mean it's good for you.
AT RISK
What does it mean to be at risk? You can be at risk of a heart attck or stroke because of your age, if you're a smoker, or have a family history of heart trouble. Any one or a combination of all three can put you at risk.
The wrong diet can put you at risk if you consume the wrong foods. I'm not advocating that you should quit going to your local supermarket and going to a health food store, because I'm not. You can find the wrong foods in a health food store too. The food may be low in fat and cholestrol; however, it's above the danger level with sodium. And sodium increases blood pressure.
SO, WHAT"S ALL THIS ABOUT SODIUM?
Sodium is a preservative used in packaged foods, especially meats and dinners. Look at the sodium content of a can of Spam to see what I mean. We humans need a small amount of sodium in our diets. It helps to regulate a few systems; however, we Americans have a bad habit of overdoing the amount of sodium that we consume. We salt our meats and vegies way too much; so we taste the salt more than what it's sprinkled on. I'm not advocating that we should eliminate salt from our diets; but, what I am saying is that we should cut bck on the amount of salt we use.
SUGAR
Sugar is another substance we use too much of. We sprinkle sugar on our breakfast cerial, which is already sugared by the manufacturer. We add sugar to our morning coffee; and drink sugared drinks throughout the day. Almost everything we consume contains sugar. Sugar isn't bad for you if you use moderation. The same goes for alcohol. It's OK to have a drink or two; however, we have a tendency to overdo the drinking. Alcohol has no nutritional value.
OK - SO WHAT AM I SAYING?
Believe it or not; but, I have more energy now than I have had in the past 25 years, and I'm on a "cardiac" diet. A cardiac diet conists of a major reduction in sodium, cholestrol, cafiene, and sugar. My cardio specialist suggested that it's OK to have a McDonald's burger every once in a while; however, don't make it part of your daily routine or diet. The same goes with the so-called health foods.
Lean beef is a must. The same with lamb, or any other red meat. Pork is OK as long as it hasn't been processed into ham, bacon or pork sausage. Foul (chicken, turkey, duck, etc) is lean to begin with; however, it must be thoroughly cooked to kill any lingering bacteria.
Stay away from packaged meats, meals, canned soups, deserts. Anything packaged is usually loaded with sodium, because it's a preservative. I used to joke about junk foods keeping me alive. Wow, was I wrong! Junk foods were part of the problem. My angiogram showed blockages in areas where stints would create more problems than they would fix; which is why the need for a tripple by-pass operation. All of which was brought on by a poor diet, smoking and a lack of sleep. I was stupid.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
This is kinda creepy.
From: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29012946/
SAN FRANCISCO - With an upgrade to its mobile maps, Google Inc. hopes to prove it can track people on the go as effectively as it searches for information on the Internet.
The new software to be released Wednesday will enable people with mobile phones and other wireless devices to automatically share their whereabouts with family and friends.
The feature, dubbed "Latitude," expands upon a tool introduced in 2007 to allow mobile phone users to check their own location on a Google map with the press of a button.
"This adds a social flavor to Google maps and makes it more fun," said Steve Lee, a Google product manager.
It could also raise privacy concerns, but Google is doing its best to avoid a backlash by requiring each user to manually turn on the tracking software and making it easy to turn off or limit access to the service.
Google also is promising not to retain any information about its users' movements. Only the last location picked up by the tracking service will be stored on Google's computers, Lee said.
The software plots a user's location — marked by a personal picture on Google's map — by relying on cell phone towers, global positioning systems or a Wi-Fi connection to deduce their location. The system can follow people's travels in the United States and 26 other countries.
It's left up to each user to decide who can monitor their location.
Opinion mode: on.
This can make people's locations known to anyone that can hack into the system. Also, a cheating spouce's location could be learned by the simple click of a button.
At first I thought that this was a cool idea. My wife could track my progress from work to home. But, in the wrong hands, this could cause more problems than what it solves.
Let's say that a school kid is being bullied at school. The kid tries to escape. Meanwhile, the bulley could be tracking the kids location, and can lay in wait for the bullied kid to show up. More harm would follow.
With the lack of ethics, this is a dangerous tool.
Opinion mode: off.
SAN FRANCISCO - With an upgrade to its mobile maps, Google Inc. hopes to prove it can track people on the go as effectively as it searches for information on the Internet.
The new software to be released Wednesday will enable people with mobile phones and other wireless devices to automatically share their whereabouts with family and friends.
The feature, dubbed "Latitude," expands upon a tool introduced in 2007 to allow mobile phone users to check their own location on a Google map with the press of a button.
"This adds a social flavor to Google maps and makes it more fun," said Steve Lee, a Google product manager.
It could also raise privacy concerns, but Google is doing its best to avoid a backlash by requiring each user to manually turn on the tracking software and making it easy to turn off or limit access to the service.
Google also is promising not to retain any information about its users' movements. Only the last location picked up by the tracking service will be stored on Google's computers, Lee said.
The software plots a user's location — marked by a personal picture on Google's map — by relying on cell phone towers, global positioning systems or a Wi-Fi connection to deduce their location. The system can follow people's travels in the United States and 26 other countries.
It's left up to each user to decide who can monitor their location.
Opinion mode: on.
This can make people's locations known to anyone that can hack into the system. Also, a cheating spouce's location could be learned by the simple click of a button.
At first I thought that this was a cool idea. My wife could track my progress from work to home. But, in the wrong hands, this could cause more problems than what it solves.
Let's say that a school kid is being bullied at school. The kid tries to escape. Meanwhile, the bulley could be tracking the kids location, and can lay in wait for the bullied kid to show up. More harm would follow.
With the lack of ethics, this is a dangerous tool.
Opinion mode: off.
The Day That Music Died
People associate "the day the music died" with the deaths of Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and J P (The Big Bopper) Richardson; as reflected in the Don McLean ("American Pie") song.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on point of view) the music didn't die. Three entertainers did. The Big Bopper was a one-hit wonder; however, he wrote other material for other singers. Valens and Holly were singer/songwriters, nothing more and nothing less.
Some could say that music died with the murder of John Lennon, which could hold true to an extent; however, most of the Beatles music was co-written by Paul McCartney and Lennon, with George Harrison and Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr) writing additional material. Music didn't die, two song writers/entertainers did.
I do agree that it's nostalgic to look back on music in general and rock music in particular. However, as long as song writers continue to produce songs, and entertainers continue to sing them, music will never die.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on point of view) the music didn't die. Three entertainers did. The Big Bopper was a one-hit wonder; however, he wrote other material for other singers. Valens and Holly were singer/songwriters, nothing more and nothing less.
Some could say that music died with the murder of John Lennon, which could hold true to an extent; however, most of the Beatles music was co-written by Paul McCartney and Lennon, with George Harrison and Richard Starkey (Ringo Starr) writing additional material. Music didn't die, two song writers/entertainers did.
I do agree that it's nostalgic to look back on music in general and rock music in particular. However, as long as song writers continue to produce songs, and entertainers continue to sing them, music will never die.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
If this is true, we won't be able to hide.
BY: Jeff Levy
A United Nations agency is quietly drafting technical standards, proposed by non other than the Chinese government, to define methods of tracing the original source of Internet communications, potentially curbing the ability of users to remain anonymous.
The U.S. National Security Agency is also participating in the "IP Traceback" drafting group, named Q6/17. Members of Q6/17 have declined to release key documents, and meetings are closed to the public.
The potential for eroding your rights to remain anonymous on the Internet, which is, by the way, protected by law in the United States and recognized in international law by groups such as the Council of Europe, is setting off alarms for some technologists and privacy advocates.
What's really distressing here is that it doesn't look like there has been any real consideration of how this type of capability could be misused.
Most of us agree that there are, at least in some circumstances, legitimate security reasons to uncover the source of Internet communications. The most common justification for tracebacks is to counter distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attacks.
But implementation details are important, and governments participating in the process -- organized by the International Telecommunication Union, a U.N. agency -- may have their own agendas. A document recently submitted by China said the "IP traceback mechanism is required to be adapted to various network environments, such as different addressing (IPv4 and IPv6), different access methods (wire and wireless) and different access technologies (ADSL, cable, Ethernet. To ensure traceability, essential information of the originator should be logged."
Another document to be considered by this traceback group holds that if a political opponent to a government publishes articles putting the government in an unfavorable light, the government, having a law against any opposition, will try to identify the source of the negative articles but because the articles were published using a proxy server, can’t do so, thereby protecting the anonymity of the author.
So it looks like we have the same old my rights to privacy” vs. “we need to find the bad guys. On a personal note, I wouldn’t ever support this kind of tracing – Currently we here in the U.S. have methods by which law enforce can and does find individuals on the Net. We just don’t need any more legislation designed to make us more visible to prying eyes.
A United Nations agency is quietly drafting technical standards, proposed by non other than the Chinese government, to define methods of tracing the original source of Internet communications, potentially curbing the ability of users to remain anonymous.
The U.S. National Security Agency is also participating in the "IP Traceback" drafting group, named Q6/17. Members of Q6/17 have declined to release key documents, and meetings are closed to the public.
The potential for eroding your rights to remain anonymous on the Internet, which is, by the way, protected by law in the United States and recognized in international law by groups such as the Council of Europe, is setting off alarms for some technologists and privacy advocates.
What's really distressing here is that it doesn't look like there has been any real consideration of how this type of capability could be misused.
Most of us agree that there are, at least in some circumstances, legitimate security reasons to uncover the source of Internet communications. The most common justification for tracebacks is to counter distributed denial of service, or DDoS, attacks.
But implementation details are important, and governments participating in the process -- organized by the International Telecommunication Union, a U.N. agency -- may have their own agendas. A document recently submitted by China said the "IP traceback mechanism is required to be adapted to various network environments, such as different addressing (IPv4 and IPv6), different access methods (wire and wireless) and different access technologies (ADSL, cable, Ethernet. To ensure traceability, essential information of the originator should be logged."
Another document to be considered by this traceback group holds that if a political opponent to a government publishes articles putting the government in an unfavorable light, the government, having a law against any opposition, will try to identify the source of the negative articles but because the articles were published using a proxy server, can’t do so, thereby protecting the anonymity of the author.
So it looks like we have the same old my rights to privacy” vs. “we need to find the bad guys. On a personal note, I wouldn’t ever support this kind of tracing – Currently we here in the U.S. have methods by which law enforce can and does find individuals on the Net. We just don’t need any more legislation designed to make us more visible to prying eyes.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Off the top of my pointy little head.
As I type this I'm listening to some cool Jazz that I've either downloaded or ripped from CDs. A lot of it is from "unknown" or unsigned artists. Some is from unheard of artists, such as Yoko Kanno (she did the soundtrack music from the "Cowboy Bebop" animated series and movie).
The thing is, why aren't radio stations playing this stuff? Some of my music is from the turn of the 20th Century (yes, it's on composition or bakelite, or whatever they used way back then), and continues up to the present. This is great stuff! It's not being heard, and that's a shame.
The thing is, why aren't radio stations playing this stuff? Some of my music is from the turn of the 20th Century (yes, it's on composition or bakelite, or whatever they used way back then), and continues up to the present. This is great stuff! It's not being heard, and that's a shame.
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