Are you going to vote? Are you going to have your opinion count? Are you going to vote on the issues? Are you going to vote based on fear?
Vote.
Author Archives: Karl
A City Still Split
If there is to be a road to victory for Katz, it runs through the overwhelming white and blue-collar wards in the Far Northeast, and nine other wards in places such as Mayfair, Frankford and Holmesburg. Katz won more than 75 percent of that vote four years ago. He needs to do that again and better.
For Street, the path to keeping power runs through the 10 wards in North Philadelphia that he carried with more than 90 percent of the vote in 1999, as well as in the eight in West Philadelphia where he won more than 80 percent. All of those wards are overwhelmingly African American.
So there it is: two cities, one largely white and one largely black, separate and equally powerful – but that depends on who turns out Tuesday.
Read the rest in The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Of course, instead of listening to calls of corruption from Katz or calls of victimhood from Street – you could study their stands on the issues . The issues matter. At the local level our representatives have huge responsibilities and can do much for positive or negative change.
How Good Is Google?
Are we about to see the Netscape story played out all over again? Or will Google become a Amazon or eBay? That’s the crux of what The Economist is asking and I think within the next year or so – you will have your answer.
The Nation Still Split
A terrorist attack, a downturn in the economy, two military campaigns, and two tax cuts later – we are still divided 50/50.
What does that mean? Well if the Democrats could front a candidate that could connect – they would win. That requires getting behind somebody however.
Temp Job, No Health
In the first in a series over at Burningbird, Shelley posts about the state of the IT job market.
Related: The Philadelphia Inquirer: Subcontractors gave Wal-Mart illegal workers.
Learning Actionscript
The tutorials over at Actionscript.org have been very handy.
How Offshore Outsourcing Failed Us
The software development group leader at Life Time Fitness shares their experience. via BillSaysThis.
Related: CNet asks Who wins in offshoring?
What Would They Say About You At Your Funeral?
What a crazy thing to ask. But that’s the ultimate question Steven Covey confronts you with when he talks about Habit 2 of the Seven Habits – “Begin With The End In Mind”:
People often find themselves achieving victories that are empty, successes that have come at the expense of things they suddenly realize were far more valuable to them. People from every walk of life – doctors, academicians, actors, politicians, business professionals, athletes, and plumbers – often struggle to achieve a higher income, more recognition or a certain degree of professional competence, only to find that their drive to achieve their goal blinded them to the things that really mattered most and are now gone.
How different our lives are when we really know what is deeply important to us, and keeping that picture in mind, we manage ourselves each day to be and to do what really matters most….
…If you carefully consider what you wanted to be said of you in the funeral experience, you will find your definition of success.
That’s a direct quote from the book. In the not distant past I had put friends and family on the sidelines while I pushed as hard as I could for individual career success – and I’ve come very far. Shit – I am proof the American Dream exists. But along the way I became an asshole to the people that really mattered – the people that will think of me longer then five seconds and go “oh, that’s a shame”, when my ticket is punched.
The last two years I’ve walked down a different path. With it comes new insecurities I didn’t have before – or cared to think about. With it even comes career risk – I still do my best – but now first at home.
Sadly I’ve done this largely out of shock, not noble purpose. The death of my nephew, my wife’s grand parents, 9/11. How many vowed to look at life different and quickly forgot how important the short time we have with our loved ones is? I know I have on a few occasions.
Modern America doesn’t seem structured for thinking this way. Haven’t you felt guilty for not spending time on work when you are spending time chatting to a friend or family member? During off the clock hours I’m talking about! Hasn’t your mind wondered to work issues when someone is talking to you? Mine does almost instinctively sometimes. It’s wrong.
To be a family man is to be a rebel and out of the mainstream. Who woulda thunk it? When did this happen? According to this week’s NYTimes Magazine, a growing number of women are deciding to be rebels too. Maybe there is hope after all.
Read the quote again. It kinda says it all doesn’t it?
Some Site News
My new job has been a challenge – transitioning from a backend business systems developer to a customer applications developer is not as easy as I thought. New technologies, a different focus, a different work environment.
Software engineering is so much like guitar playing – it’s not even funny. When you are not practicing it daily – and facing new challenges regularly – your skill atrophies in the worst way. It’s great to be doing something new – I need to shake off my rust – and that is why my posts have slowed down recently.
Russell Beattie has been commenting recently on the effect his weblog had on his job search. I’ve had a similar experience, for those that have actually read my site and got to know me in advance thru it. For the most part however – I’d have to say it had little direct influence over their hiring decision.
Prediction: This Guy Is The Next Out Of A Job
Richmond Federal Reserve President Alfred Broaddus: “…A lot of these job losses are probably permanent structural job losses…”: Reuters: Richmond Fed’s Broaddus-Many job losses permanent.
That guy’s a gonner.