Big company=bold mediocrity?

Is the CEO of a large-cap company the equivalent of the monarchs of centuries past? Would a reasonable person believe the CEO is capable of understanding a representative sample of customer needs? Let’s consider, for example, a company with 40,000 employees, and 50 million customers; What could an executive possibly accomplish in an 80-100-hour week, 42 weeks each year that could be said to represent the best interests of the customer, much less the best interests of the employee? Corporate America is not democratic, and never will be. A reasonable person would likely find the disparities between the lives of the corporate executive and the illegal immigrant rendering chickens quite similar to the disparity that once existed between the monarchs of the old world and the “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” which prompted the creation of an immigrant nation called the United States of America. Would Emma Lazarus (1849-1887), who penned the sonnet “Give me your tired, your poor…” be more likely than today’s American citizens to recognize the executives of coporate America as the de facto monarchy of the 21st century? It’s late; I am tired; Perhaps that explains my idle thoughts upon (unconstitutional?) taxation and the great beast that is a multi-national corporation. How did it happen that corporations were endowed with the rights of an human being? I am thinking, “What could happen if the huge company with 50 million customers was split into 5,000 companies with 10,000 customers each? I am wondering “What if the 40,000 employees worked for 5,000 companies?” Me and eight of my close friends doing what we do best–taking care of the customer. You and your 5 employees doing the same–as you see best. The employee wins. The customer wins. The government doesn’t need to bail out a Delta, an AT&T Wireless–get the idea?

What if the great people that live in the Americas wrested control from the corporations, politicians & lobbyists as they once wrested control from the European monarchs who aspired to subject the colonies?

Wouldn’t that be the equivalent of world revolution for human rights?

What if it could be done peacefully, legally & in my lifetime?

Celebrate the birth of Christ

We take time to celebrate the birth of “the Christ” but many, most devout, in their celebration have never come to ask how it came to be this celebration happens in December.

no shaving

The last shave this year was beginning of October, prior to the hardware upgrade. It was nice to skip the daily oblations with the razor and sip a few extra minutes off the top of every day. The time spent shaving is better spent on more lucrative, or fulfillinf avocations. In any case, as long as there are any number of cigarette-smoking, white-sock-wearing, reading-the-newspaper-in-the-bathroom types at work I am unconcerned about the impact of facial hair upon my career.

out of the sick ward for a week

People have been coughing for the last month–or longer–at work. They even passed that bacteria over to me–twice! This Friday I got out of there for a week, vacation, and picked up a presciption on the way home that in three days has kicked the coughing to the curb. Good to go, yo.

practise to become a student

The Dogwood Aikikai permitted me to practise with them years ago. For a few brief months during the 90’s I participated in training and ever since, my heart has been looking for a way to become a student of aikido.

There are set-backs that we go through to achieve momentum in the direction of heart-desire and I find myself upon the verge of once again beginning practise. The path has led about and around and after several ankle surgeries I can believe in the possibility, that soon I will be in the dojo again. Time will tell.

i am determined to give supermemo a fair shot

The lead off comment in my daily memorization tool indicates that by making a daily effort 95% retention is available to me for anything I choose to study. The trick has been learning how this program is set up and using it effectively (for instance, despite my best efforts the program uses my least favorite font for all elements). The thing is that 95% promise is most alluring and if it’s accurate would make learning Japanese in ten years a viable objective.

The thing is, daily practise, which takes an hour or more, has been difficult to schedule and even more elusive to become consistent in. I ordered GTD in hopes that what I don’t know about getting things done can be learned. More on that as it unfolds.

Meanwhile, back to the races…

doc in the box ‘needs’ SSN

I spent some money at the immediate care facility closest to home this weekend, in response to four days of flu-like symptoms and feeling beaten down. The sign on the counter said “Social Security number required” and the patient information form (in caps) reiterated. Why? I refused, and they provided service anyway, but why would I give my tax identification number to my physician?