Slip-slidin' away...

Slip-slidin' away...

We're buried under 3 or 4 inches of slush. Its cold and wet and yucky.

Sometime tonight I'm driving two hours east to Archbold - Arch-i-bold as we like to say it around here - to pick up #1 daughter and friend and smuggle them across the Hoosier line. Only it will probably be about 3 hours east tonight. Could be a late and slippery night.

11:45pm Update - Home again. Toll road was clear and dry. Worst part of the trip was getting in and out of my alley, and that was just get a good running start and don't stop now. Nice to have L under my roof for the night.

Close to home...

Close to home...

Sigh. Yesterday I got news from a friend that her husband was being offered voluntary severance from his job. Twenty-seven years gets you one week's notice.

I had heard over the weekend that there were layoffs at his company, and, I see in retrospect, I blocked the idea that he might be one of them.

Part of what bothers me is that his company was doing all the right things. They are even one of my customers. A good customer. I've been personally involved with them and I'm proud of the work we've done for them. We've helped them compete world wide. Most companies in their space shut down US manufacturing years ago and shipped it to China. This company was shipping their products to China and keeping the jobs here.

Up 'till now.

They are a victim of something bigger than themselves: the credit crunch hit them with a hard right to the solar plexus. It is hard not to rail against the system that allowed this to happen. The lack of regulation. The seeming failure of the $700,000,000,000 bailout. (It looks bigger when you put the actual number there, doesn't it - instead of $700B?) The greed and corruption that made it possible.

And even though my friend is also a victim of this particular brand of trickle down economics, she seems to know that one can't stay there:

We're doing okay, after the initial shock and awe. We're far better off than those with young families, trying to put kids thru college, etc. We're looking forward to new opportunities for simple living and creative wage-earning :-) .

Check out...

Check out...

Check out this post and watch the two videos. I guess sometimes I do miss something by not owning a TV.

Damn... maybe the Cubs should sign him up.

Christmas...

Christmas...

I've been wondering what to get my mother for Christmas. What do you think? Is this the cat's pj's or what?


If you don't know what you're looking at, don't feel bad.

Its a 9mm hand gun, designed for people with arthritis or other handicaps so they too can defend themselves against terrorists and gangsters.

The word is that it this handy little device will be covered by medicare. Meanwhile the gun lobby is chortling.

One can hope this is a hoax.

Sigh...

Hoax or no, you only find this in America.

Actually, I shouldn't dis my mother. She could handle the real thing if she had to.

Road trip...

Road trip...

Everyone is buzzing about the CEOs of the big three driving from Detroit to DC. Good for them, I say, even if they had to be shamed into it.

Of course we'll never know for sure if they are cynical or sincere. Do we get to judge that?

Speaking of cynical... A couple of posts caught my eye earlier today. This retelling of an old Ford/Toyota joke would be funny any other day of the week.

The comment about the oracle isn't funny. In about 1982 someone asked W. Edwards Deming which companies would be practicing his philosophy in 50 years. He responded with a growl "The ones that are left."

Then if that isn't enough, check out this list of the 10 worst companies of 2008. I'm not sure if my favorite quote is from Roche (“We are not in business to save lives, but to make money. Saving lives is not our business.”) or Chevron (“We can’t let little countries screw around with big companies like this.")

What do you think?

On a less cynical note...

In my own corporate life, I've launched a new blog. Check it out. A prize to anyone who reads the first posts, understands them, and doesn't fall asleep. I'm also dipping my toe in other social media like LinkedIn and Twitter.