F--- 2003
RER calls it "The Year of My Ass." I can't top that, of course. Here on the Edge, this was The Lost Year, a year of working too much, spending too much money with too little reward, and cleaning up after some bad decisions.
But:
We've successfully cleaned up after the bad decisions. We fixed the house situation. We're trying to fix the work situation. (We might have some news on that in a few days, in fact.)
In short: We're fixing to wipe 2003 very cleanly from the books. We've torn the pages out, and they're a few hours away from the shredder. Never has the riddance been better.
Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Tuesday, December 30, 2003
Audio text
Sounds all around me. Real sounds, imagined sounds. For example:
... the sound of a phonograph needle skipping on a microscopic crack in the acetate, pop ... pop ... pop ... 33 and one-third times a minute, every minute ...
... the clear, resonant tone of a Telecaster being played through the neck pickup, the notes ever so slightly out of tune, being picked by a dime and pulled by fingers with more confidence than technique ...
... a car door closes, an engine starts, at 2:25 a.m. ...
... the ringing in the ears that never quite goes away ...
... the most beautiful woman in all the world inhaling, exhaling, inhaling again, in the warm arms of a satisfying slumber ...
... the annoyed, urgent tapping of fingers on a keyboard, seeking inspiration and finding none ...
... the door closing softly, signaling the end of another cycle, and waiting patiently to be reopened so the next one can begin.
Sounds all around me. Real sounds, imagined sounds. For example:
... the sound of a phonograph needle skipping on a microscopic crack in the acetate, pop ... pop ... pop ... 33 and one-third times a minute, every minute ...
... the clear, resonant tone of a Telecaster being played through the neck pickup, the notes ever so slightly out of tune, being picked by a dime and pulled by fingers with more confidence than technique ...
... a car door closes, an engine starts, at 2:25 a.m. ...
... the ringing in the ears that never quite goes away ...
... the most beautiful woman in all the world inhaling, exhaling, inhaling again, in the warm arms of a satisfying slumber ...
... the annoyed, urgent tapping of fingers on a keyboard, seeking inspiration and finding none ...
... the door closing softly, signaling the end of another cycle, and waiting patiently to be reopened so the next one can begin.
Monday, December 22, 2003
Random stray thought
Brought to you today by one of the wisest men of the 20th century, George Orwell:
"Language becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish. But the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts."
"Language becomes ugly and inaccurate because our thoughts are foolish. But the slovenliness of our language makes it easier for us to have foolish thoughts."
Sunday, December 21, 2003
Killing America, one store at a time
Wal-Mart is, of course, the classic American success story. Simple fellow opens a five-and-dime somewhere in the Arkansas Ozarks. Fellow builds five-and-dime into retail empire by selling his stuff cheaper and in greater volumes than the other five-and-dimes. Fellow becomes billionaire, still chooses to drive old F-150 around the streets of Bentonville, Ark. Fellow dies, leaves his family his retail empire and his billions. Now, the little five-and-dime is the world's largest corporation.
That little yellow smiley face who bounces around Wal-Mart's television advertising packs a pretty heavy punch. Yeah, he's making life easier for you, the consumer. But when he bounces off one of Wal-Mart's suppliers, or one of its employees, we all feel the impact.
Full disclosures: My house spends close to $5,000 a year at Wal-Mart. I do not now nor have I ever worked in the service industry. I'm not a member of a union, and I spent years in vocal opposition to the union concept.
But after I stumbled across this in the Los Angeles Times, I could barely control my anger -- or my fear.
By the company's own admission, a full-time worker might not be able to support a family on a Wal-Mart paycheck. ...
[but t]hose who accuse Wal-Mart of shortchanging its employees, company spokeswoman [Mona] Williams suggested, don't understand the modern service economy.
"Retail and service wages are what they are," she said, "whether you look at a department store, a discount store, the local dry cleaners, the bakery or whatever.
"Wal-Mart is a great match for a lot of people," Williams added. "But if you are the sole provider for your family and do not have the time or the skills to move up the ladder, then maybe it's not the right place for you."
This is how Wal-Mart treats its associates. Don't like working for $8 an hour? Tough. Get in our management program or go away. And good luck finding a better job. Remember, we're in complete control of the U.S. economy. Have a nice day.
Wal-Mart has made itself the nation's largest retailer by aggressively cutting costs. The company builds its stores on cheap land -- often squeezing sweetheart deals out of city governments, who are willing to misuse the power of eminent domain to gain the tax revenue a Wal-Mart would generate. They build and operate their stores in an energy-efficient manner. If you're a supplier, and you want your goods on Wal-Mart's shelves, you won't get top dollar for those goods. The company doesn't tolerate waste in any form.
This mindset led Wal-Mart managers in several states to fudge employees' timecards to keep labor costs down. An Oregon jury smacked Wal-Mart for forcing hundreds employees to work unpaid overtime in violation of the Federal Labor Standards Act. Damages for the 290 plaintiffs will be determined next year. The Times noted that Wal-Mart settled similar suits in Colorado and New Mexico for undisclosed amounts, and more than 40 other cases are awaiting trial. It's going to be up to these juries to make it less cost-effective for Wal-Mart to settle suits than to screw employees.
No American expects to get rich working a service-industry job, any more than Americans expected to get rich working in factories in the 20th century. But there's no reason to expect the employees who make the economic wheels turn to have to go begging for the necessities. The factory workers found a way to make sure this happened for them, back in the day. They formed unions and stopped the work at the factory. The companies learned they kind of needed the workers -- at least up to the point where they could send the workers' jobs to other countries, where the labor force was damn happy to be making 13 cents an hour.
America needs a healthy middle class. I thought we learned that in the 1930s, when too few of the people had too much of the money and those who had busted their ass to make sure those who didn't have didn't get any of theirs. The concept of the disposable work force is very, very bad for the country. You can't build an entire economy on white-collar jobs; somebody has to do the actual work. Some of us just want to go in and turn the wheels or stock the shelves or cut the meat or keep the assembly line moving. In a better world, those people could work an honest 40 every week, and have enough money to have a decent house, good healthcare and a little bit of fun on the weekends.
Wal-Mart, like most American corporations, is aggressively anti-union. (Full disclosure: I'm a manager at another American corporation that is aggressively anti-union.) I'm sure it would close a store before it allowed that store's workers to organize. Let's play out that scenario for a second. Let's say the workers in, say, Aurora, Mo., a semi-rural outpost with one Wal-Mart, voted to unionize. Wal-Mart, detecting the start of what could be a bad trend, says, "Fuck you, we'd sooner close the store." The good people of the city of Aurora would rise in opposition to the union effort, not wanting to lose the ability to buy a pair of socks, a box fan, a set of jumper cables and a pound of hamburger all in one stop, at the lowest possible prices. The government of the city of Aurora would also rise in opposition to the union effort, to protect that massive tax base -- and, not incidentally, because they're Wal-Mart shoppers, too. Enough of the workers decide their $8-an-hour Wal-Mart job is indeed better than those other $8-an-hour jobs, because Mona Williams tells them that is so. End of organizing effort. Wal-Mart wins.
I can't argue that the Wal-Mart way isn't capitalism at its very finest. It is. Offer a better deal to the customer, and by doing so, you make money for yourself. Sam Walton died in 1992 as America's richest man. That's the goal, right? The Times writes that current Chief Executive Lee Scott Jr. made almost $18 million in salary last year, plus stock options with an estimated value of $11.3 million. That's a lot of Sam's Choice soda. Still, Scott tells the Times in his defense, "I drive a Volkswagen Bug."
So Wal-Mart is controlling costs. Meanwhile, its CEO is raking in $18 mil a year. If there was any way he could possibly live on $9 million, for starters, I'd bet that Wal-Mart's pass-the-savings-on formula that worked so well in building the empire might work well for its work force.
Profit is good, and profitable companies are good for America. But I'd still like to think that profitable companies that mistreat their employees and think it's OK that to pay them wages on which they have no hope of supporting a family would someday pay the price for that stinginess.
But maybe we're becoming trained to believe that it's beneath us as a society to work at Wal-Mart. If that's the case, we're doomed.
Wal-Mart is, of course, the classic American success story. Simple fellow opens a five-and-dime somewhere in the Arkansas Ozarks. Fellow builds five-and-dime into retail empire by selling his stuff cheaper and in greater volumes than the other five-and-dimes. Fellow becomes billionaire, still chooses to drive old F-150 around the streets of Bentonville, Ark. Fellow dies, leaves his family his retail empire and his billions. Now, the little five-and-dime is the world's largest corporation.
That little yellow smiley face who bounces around Wal-Mart's television advertising packs a pretty heavy punch. Yeah, he's making life easier for you, the consumer. But when he bounces off one of Wal-Mart's suppliers, or one of its employees, we all feel the impact.
Full disclosures: My house spends close to $5,000 a year at Wal-Mart. I do not now nor have I ever worked in the service industry. I'm not a member of a union, and I spent years in vocal opposition to the union concept.
But after I stumbled across this in the Los Angeles Times, I could barely control my anger -- or my fear.
By the company's own admission, a full-time worker might not be able to support a family on a Wal-Mart paycheck. ...
[but t]hose who accuse Wal-Mart of shortchanging its employees, company spokeswoman [Mona] Williams suggested, don't understand the modern service economy.
"Retail and service wages are what they are," she said, "whether you look at a department store, a discount store, the local dry cleaners, the bakery or whatever.
"Wal-Mart is a great match for a lot of people," Williams added. "But if you are the sole provider for your family and do not have the time or the skills to move up the ladder, then maybe it's not the right place for you."
This is how Wal-Mart treats its associates. Don't like working for $8 an hour? Tough. Get in our management program or go away. And good luck finding a better job. Remember, we're in complete control of the U.S. economy. Have a nice day.
Wal-Mart has made itself the nation's largest retailer by aggressively cutting costs. The company builds its stores on cheap land -- often squeezing sweetheart deals out of city governments, who are willing to misuse the power of eminent domain to gain the tax revenue a Wal-Mart would generate. They build and operate their stores in an energy-efficient manner. If you're a supplier, and you want your goods on Wal-Mart's shelves, you won't get top dollar for those goods. The company doesn't tolerate waste in any form.
This mindset led Wal-Mart managers in several states to fudge employees' timecards to keep labor costs down. An Oregon jury smacked Wal-Mart for forcing hundreds employees to work unpaid overtime in violation of the Federal Labor Standards Act. Damages for the 290 plaintiffs will be determined next year. The Times noted that Wal-Mart settled similar suits in Colorado and New Mexico for undisclosed amounts, and more than 40 other cases are awaiting trial. It's going to be up to these juries to make it less cost-effective for Wal-Mart to settle suits than to screw employees.
No American expects to get rich working a service-industry job, any more than Americans expected to get rich working in factories in the 20th century. But there's no reason to expect the employees who make the economic wheels turn to have to go begging for the necessities. The factory workers found a way to make sure this happened for them, back in the day. They formed unions and stopped the work at the factory. The companies learned they kind of needed the workers -- at least up to the point where they could send the workers' jobs to other countries, where the labor force was damn happy to be making 13 cents an hour.
America needs a healthy middle class. I thought we learned that in the 1930s, when too few of the people had too much of the money and those who had busted their ass to make sure those who didn't have didn't get any of theirs. The concept of the disposable work force is very, very bad for the country. You can't build an entire economy on white-collar jobs; somebody has to do the actual work. Some of us just want to go in and turn the wheels or stock the shelves or cut the meat or keep the assembly line moving. In a better world, those people could work an honest 40 every week, and have enough money to have a decent house, good healthcare and a little bit of fun on the weekends.
Wal-Mart, like most American corporations, is aggressively anti-union. (Full disclosure: I'm a manager at another American corporation that is aggressively anti-union.) I'm sure it would close a store before it allowed that store's workers to organize. Let's play out that scenario for a second. Let's say the workers in, say, Aurora, Mo., a semi-rural outpost with one Wal-Mart, voted to unionize. Wal-Mart, detecting the start of what could be a bad trend, says, "Fuck you, we'd sooner close the store." The good people of the city of Aurora would rise in opposition to the union effort, not wanting to lose the ability to buy a pair of socks, a box fan, a set of jumper cables and a pound of hamburger all in one stop, at the lowest possible prices. The government of the city of Aurora would also rise in opposition to the union effort, to protect that massive tax base -- and, not incidentally, because they're Wal-Mart shoppers, too. Enough of the workers decide their $8-an-hour Wal-Mart job is indeed better than those other $8-an-hour jobs, because Mona Williams tells them that is so. End of organizing effort. Wal-Mart wins.
I can't argue that the Wal-Mart way isn't capitalism at its very finest. It is. Offer a better deal to the customer, and by doing so, you make money for yourself. Sam Walton died in 1992 as America's richest man. That's the goal, right? The Times writes that current Chief Executive Lee Scott Jr. made almost $18 million in salary last year, plus stock options with an estimated value of $11.3 million. That's a lot of Sam's Choice soda. Still, Scott tells the Times in his defense, "I drive a Volkswagen Bug."
So Wal-Mart is controlling costs. Meanwhile, its CEO is raking in $18 mil a year. If there was any way he could possibly live on $9 million, for starters, I'd bet that Wal-Mart's pass-the-savings-on formula that worked so well in building the empire might work well for its work force.
Profit is good, and profitable companies are good for America. But I'd still like to think that profitable companies that mistreat their employees and think it's OK that to pay them wages on which they have no hope of supporting a family would someday pay the price for that stinginess.
But maybe we're becoming trained to believe that it's beneath us as a society to work at Wal-Mart. If that's the case, we're doomed.
Friday, December 19, 2003
Not necessarily the news
The U.S. administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, said he had escaped an assassination attempt in the country in early December.
My guess is, any American who survives a day in Baghdad can be said to have "escaped an assassination attempt."
The U.S. administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, said he had escaped an assassination attempt in the country in early December.
My guess is, any American who survives a day in Baghdad can be said to have "escaped an assassination attempt."
Ok, I'll bite
This is a cheap way to fill space when I can come up with nothing on my own. Because I'm working on being a "glass-half-full" person, I look at it as "using my resourcefulness to come up with an alternative solution."
So, a dreaded list. Copy this whole list into your journal.
Bold the things that you have in common with me.
Whatever you don't bold, replace with things about you.
Things I have in common with Lynniechan are in bold.
001. I walked around for three months with a stress fracture in my foot.
002. I'm indifferent towards animals.
003. I'm rapidly losing my hair.
004. I procrastinate.
005. I was 12 the first time I crossed a state line.
006. I procrastinate a lot.
007. I am old enough to have seen Star Wars in a movie theater when it first was released. However, I have seen none of the other "Star Wars" movies.
008. My favorite color is black.
009. I often have trouble falling asleep.
010. I eat a lot, but I'm very picky.
011. I dated a girl for four years in high school and college -- and, thankfully, married someone else.
012. My favorite subject in school was history.
013. I'd rather be outside.
014. In grade school, a boy once asked me why I was so small.
015. I spend much of my free time on a computer.
016. My parents divorced when I was 12.
017. I use instant messenger at work.
018. I rarely watch TV.
019. I hate shopping for clothes.
020. I am disgusted by trash on a table when I am eating.
021. I don't smoke, but I'm not bothered by people who do.
022. I have seen Bon Jovi in concert three times -- all three times as an opening act.
023. I have never had a pet of my own.
024. Not counting times that I have been ill, I have slept as long as 14 hours of a day.
025. I use AIM.
026. I'm liberal in some ways and arch-conservative in some others.
027. I dislike crowds.
028. Growing up, I loved educational toys, especially science, radio and aeronautical kits.
029. If I had an absurd amount of money, I'd own several cars.
030. I would love to have more time.
031. I have never stayed overnight in a hospital.
032. I have "run" a 5K.
033. I live with my wife, three children, three dogs and a cat.
034. I really need to clean my house.
035. I got two Fs in college. One class I forgot to drop. The other, I showed up only for the tests -- I had enough test points for a "B," but the professor also graded on attendance.
036. I hate roaches.
037. I love storms.
038. I have my own computer.
039. I wish I owned more books.
040. Mainstream pop music of the '80s drove me away from commercial music.
041. I really enjoy thoughtful gifts, even if they cost nothing. Still, I'll like almost anything just because the person took the time to pick it out.
042. I get along with most members of my family.
043. I like laughing.
044. Sometimes LiveJournal creeps me out.
045. The only kind of jewelry I like is watches.
046. I am a nonconformist.
047. I designed my own Web page.
048. I'm old enough to have used the original TRS-80 computer.
049. I designed the graphic on this site.
050. I love to burn CDs.
051. I once played the violin.
052. I am opinionated.
053. I have "leave me alone face."
054. I have fired a gun.
055. I've never gone hunting.
056. I don't exercise enough.
057. I have taken tennis lessons.
058. I take great pride in my handwriting.
059. I wish I read more books.
060. I've never swum with dolphins.
061. I've never been to a foreign country.
062. I love food.
063. I can't dance.
064. I am angered by closed-minded people.
065. I'll drink from a juice box if that's all that's available.
066. I like to give gifts, but I don't do it often enough.
067. I have to have at least a sheet covering me at night, even if it’s really hot.
068. I don't have a regular bar.
069. I hate routines.
070. I own few DVDs.
071. I am constantly battling boredom.
072. I need some alone time to stay sane.
073. I'm online a lot.
074. I want to travel more.
075. I'm old enough to have played Atari games.
076. Most of my friends from college are of the opposite gender.
077. I rarely get drunk.
078. I've never had a DUI.
079. I have never been arrested.
080. I think too much.
081. I love wood and tile floors.
082. I carry a laptop almost everywhere I go.
083. I think I am boring.
084. I have an average size car.
085. I enjoy talking about current events.
086. Most days, I'd rather be around kids than adults.
087. I have a low tolerance for loud people.
088. I see "floaters" almost all of the time.
089. There is probably something else I should be doing rather than this.
090. I haven't been to a doctor since 2000.
091. I've never tried sushi.
092. I grew up in a rough neighborhood.
093. I hate getting my picture taken.
094. I would like to someday hear somebody sing a song I've written.
095. I love long, sleek black hair.
096. I love scrambled eggs.
097. I didn't fly on a commercial airliner until I was 25.
098. I dislike the beach but will go if friends are going.
099. I like to say swear words.
100. I always get kissed good night.
This is a cheap way to fill space when I can come up with nothing on my own. Because I'm working on being a "glass-half-full" person, I look at it as "using my resourcefulness to come up with an alternative solution."
So, a dreaded list. Copy this whole list into your journal.
Things I have in common with Lynniechan are in bold.
001. I walked around for three months with a stress fracture in my foot.
002. I'm indifferent towards animals.
003. I'm rapidly losing my hair.
004. I procrastinate.
005. I was 12 the first time I crossed a state line.
006. I procrastinate a lot.
007. I am old enough to have seen Star Wars in a movie theater when it first was released. However, I have seen none of the other "Star Wars" movies.
008. My favorite color is black.
009. I often have trouble falling asleep.
010. I eat a lot, but I'm very picky.
011. I dated a girl for four years in high school and college -- and, thankfully, married someone else.
012. My favorite subject in school was history.
013. I'd rather be outside.
014. In grade school, a boy once asked me why I was so small.
015. I spend much of my free time on a computer.
016. My parents divorced when I was 12.
017. I use instant messenger at work.
018. I rarely watch TV.
019. I hate shopping for clothes.
020. I am disgusted by trash on a table when I am eating.
021. I don't smoke, but I'm not bothered by people who do.
022. I have seen Bon Jovi in concert three times -- all three times as an opening act.
023. I have never had a pet of my own.
024. Not counting times that I have been ill, I have slept as long as 14 hours of a day.
025. I use AIM.
026. I'm liberal in some ways and arch-conservative in some others.
027. I dislike crowds.
028. Growing up, I loved educational toys, especially science, radio and aeronautical kits.
029. If I had an absurd amount of money, I'd own several cars.
030. I would love to have more time.
031. I have never stayed overnight in a hospital.
032. I have "run" a 5K.
033. I live with my wife, three children, three dogs and a cat.
034. I really need to clean my house.
035. I got two Fs in college. One class I forgot to drop. The other, I showed up only for the tests -- I had enough test points for a "B," but the professor also graded on attendance.
036. I hate roaches.
037. I love storms.
038. I have my own computer.
039. I wish I owned more books.
040. Mainstream pop music of the '80s drove me away from commercial music.
041. I really enjoy thoughtful gifts, even if they cost nothing. Still, I'll like almost anything just because the person took the time to pick it out.
042. I get along with most members of my family.
043. I like laughing.
044. Sometimes LiveJournal creeps me out.
045. The only kind of jewelry I like is watches.
046. I am a nonconformist.
047. I designed my own Web page.
048. I'm old enough to have used the original TRS-80 computer.
049. I designed the graphic on this site.
050. I love to burn CDs.
051. I once played the violin.
052. I am opinionated.
053. I have "leave me alone face."
054. I have fired a gun.
055. I've never gone hunting.
056. I don't exercise enough.
057. I have taken tennis lessons.
058. I take great pride in my handwriting.
059. I wish I read more books.
060. I've never swum with dolphins.
061. I've never been to a foreign country.
062. I love food.
063. I can't dance.
064. I am angered by closed-minded people.
065. I'll drink from a juice box if that's all that's available.
066. I like to give gifts, but I don't do it often enough.
067. I have to have at least a sheet covering me at night, even if it’s really hot.
068. I don't have a regular bar.
069. I hate routines.
070. I own few DVDs.
071. I am constantly battling boredom.
072. I need some alone time to stay sane.
073. I'm online a lot.
074. I want to travel more.
075. I'm old enough to have played Atari games.
076. Most of my friends from college are of the opposite gender.
077. I rarely get drunk.
078. I've never had a DUI.
079. I have never been arrested.
080. I think too much.
081. I love wood and tile floors.
082. I carry a laptop almost everywhere I go.
083. I think I am boring.
084. I have an average size car.
085. I enjoy talking about current events.
086. Most days, I'd rather be around kids than adults.
087. I have a low tolerance for loud people.
088. I see "floaters" almost all of the time.
089. There is probably something else I should be doing rather than this.
090. I haven't been to a doctor since 2000.
091. I've never tried sushi.
092. I grew up in a rough neighborhood.
093. I hate getting my picture taken.
094. I would like to someday hear somebody sing a song I've written.
095. I love long, sleek black hair.
096. I love scrambled eggs.
097. I didn't fly on a commercial airliner until I was 25.
098. I dislike the beach but will go if friends are going.
099. I like to say swear words.
100. I always get kissed good night.
Random stray thought
I'm often accused of oversimplifying things. I only do so because most things are really very simple.