LIBERTY: What kind of libertarian?

Sunday, October 28, 2007

DTOMlib

***You Are a “Don’t Tread On Me” Libertarian***

You distrust the government, are fiercely independent, and don’t belong in either party.
Religion and politics should never mix, in your opinion… and you feel oppressed by both.
You don’t want the government to cramp your self made style. Or anyone else’s for that matter.
You’re proud to say that you’re pro-choice on absolutely everything!

What’s Your Political Persuasion?
http://www.blogthings.com/whatsyourpoliticalpersuasionquiz/

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:-)

You’re surprised?

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FUN: “A Few Good Salesmen”

Sunday, October 28, 2007

http://msgboard.snopes.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=21;t=001076;p=1

“A Few Good Salesmen”.

*** begin quote ***

Sales: “You want answers?”

Finance: “I think we are entitled to them!”

Sales: “You want answers?!”

Finance: “I want the truth!”

Sales: “YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH!!!”

Sales (continuing): “Son, we live in a world that requires revenue. And that revenue must be brought in by people with elite skills. Who’s going to find it? You? You, Mr. Operations? We have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You scoff at the sales division and you curse our lucrative incentives. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what we know: that while the cost of business results are excessive, it drives in revenue. And my very existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, drives REVENUE! You don’t want to know the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at staff meetings … you want me on that call. You NEED me on that call! We use words like comps, pipelines, discounts, value add & global purchase agreements. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent negotiating something. You use them as a punch line! I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to people who rise and sleep under the very blanket of revenue I provide and then question the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said “thank you” and went on your way. Otherwise I suggest you pick up a phone and make some sales calls. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you’re entitled to!”

Finance: “Did you expense the lap dances?”

Sales: “I did the job I was hired to do.”

Finance: “Did you expense the lap dances?”

Sales: “YOU’RE DAMN RIGHT I DID!!!”

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ROFL!

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INTERESTING: a “vacation” home?

Sunday, October 28, 2007

http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/multimedia/2007/10/gallery_instant_housing?slide=2&slideView=3

Slideshow: Instant Housing and Designing for Disaster
By Jenna Wortham
10.22.07 | 12:00 AM

*** begin quote ***

One of the biggest obstacles to emergency-shelter design is finding the right balance between providing a temporary shelter like a tent and working to rebuild permanent homes.

“You can’t design for disaster after the fact,” notes Kate Stohr, co-founder of the nonprofit humanitarian design firm Architecture for Humanity. “Unless it’s strategically thought about in advance of disaster, these ideas don’t work.” Often, what’s needed most is a central station where basic necessities — water, food, medical supplies and information — can be doled out. The trick is to design a transportable, sustainable structure that can support a sizable community and requires little maintenance.

Enter the Clean Hub, a self-sustained, portable machine built into a recycled shipping container. It rolls a power station and water-purification plant into one unit, making it ideal for deployment to any disaster-stricken area lacking basic facilities. Intended more as a base from which to distribute necessities rather than a residential unit, the Clean Hub can provide enough energy, water and sanitation for up to 150 people.

The Hub can be fabricated and shipped anywhere in the world in a few days — and once at its destination, takes less than an hour to erect. Design perks: a V-shaped roof collects rainwater, 16 solar panels generate electricity, and an underground reverse-osmosis filtration system recycles and stores water. When in use, the Hub produces enough compost to sustain a small vegetable garden. Designed by John Dwyer, founder of Shelter Architecture, a Minneapolis-based design studio, the first prototype was built in June 2007 and delivered to New Orleans, where it is currently in use as part of an urban agriculture project.

*** end quote ***

If I was a survivalist and I had my retreat land, I’d be interested in this one since it could be folded up into something that could be locked up and concealed. And, it appears that you could site it without a lot of local help. imho.

There are twelve photos and stories. Each looks “interesting”. Some are easier than others. Looks like you could do “something” for under a thousand dollars. It wouldn’t be the Ritz, but “good enough”.

Certainly a better solution than putting a mobile home on the back of your hummer and pulling it through rioting indigenous sheeple as you good to your “plan b” fallback retreat location.

:-)

from behind the lines in
occupied socialist Nu Jerzee

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MONEY: AMT for all; free for all

Sunday, October 28, 2007

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20071024%5cACQDJON200710242253DOWJONESDJONLINE001107.htm&

UPDATE:Rangel Tax Plan’s Centerpiece Is 30.5% Top Corp Rate
(Updates with source saying all industries included in proposal to tax financial managers’ carried interest as regular income)
By John Godfrey
OF DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

***Begin Quote***

Absent a patch, the alternative minimum tax will expand to hit roughly 25 million taxpayers, up from 4.4 million in 2006, increasing their taxes by a total of nearly $50 billion, according to congressional estimates.

***End Quote***

Ahh good old charlie, just looking out for the folks!

“barbara streisand”

Bear in mind, that companies don’t pay taxes. Only people do!

Bear in mind, that taxes are the drag on the economy. Every dollar extracted in taxes to be wasted by the gooferment represents choices that were silently precluded!

Bear in mind, that politicians follow three imperatives: get reelected; feather their own nest; and reward friends / punish enemies. You don’t even figure in their hierarchy of values.

Any questions?

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PRODUCTIVITY: Understanding what social networking is

Saturday, October 27, 2007

http://www.commoncraft.com/transcript-social-networking-plain-english

Transcript: Social Networking in Plain English

***Begin Quote***

Networks get things done. Whether it’s sending a letter or lighting your home. Networks make it happen.

***and***

This solves a real world problem because your network has hidden opportunities. Social networking sites make these connections between people visible.

Like a map for a highway, they can show you the people network that can help you get to your next destination, whether it’s a job, a new partner, or a great place to live. Your network is suddenly more useful.

***End Quote***

One think that basic explanations do is force one to examine one’s thinking. The memes that we are operating under.

In this case, using a social networking website is NOT imho networking. It may facilitate networking, but it ain’t getting out an establishing that “weak bond” of mutual cooperation.

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JOBSEARCH: How do you invest in yourself?

Saturday, October 27, 2007

http://www.nofluffjuststuff.com/blog/ted_neward/2007/10/a_conversation_on_architecture.html

***Begin Quote***

Do many/most developers at F500 companies not go to events like local JUGs or conferences like NFJS?

Unfortunately, far too many developers don’t treat their careers as a work-in-progress, but believe that once they’ve landed the job, they’re on a track to moderate financial success for life. In fact, lots of developers fit the demographic of “male, 18-30, and single”, which is the absolute worst demographic for future planning. Lots of these guys think that “Hey, I’m smart, the money will always flow in, right? Java/.NET/C++/COBOL will always be the tool of choice, right? What, me worry?”

Unfortunately, it’s my experience that it doesn’t get better with age. Developers in the age range of 31 and up have seen one (or two) generations of languages/platforms go by, and have had to re-tool themselves, and are still pissed about it. The ones who realize that no matter how much they learn, there’s still a lot more to take on, those are the ones going to JUGs and NFJS and TechEd and JavaOne and whatever else comes their way. Those are the same ones who see training classes as opportunities for advancement, not opportunities to play 8 hours of uninterrupted Solitaire. And, unfortunately, those developers are the exception, not the rule, it seems.

Which means, if you take the time to invest in yourself, you will never be in the bottom of the candidate pool for your next job. Period.

***End Quote***

Well said. Many moons ago, Frau Reinke, the CFO of our partnership, “decided” that I should have a budget for training and toys. Now bear in mind that she has no use for this “technology stuff”, is a tight with “wasting” money as I have ever seen, (She’ll spend it like water; just never “waste” a drop), so I had a budget. And, I HAD to spend it. I was figuring a $100. What do I know? She allocated 1% of my annual gross to training and 1% to “technology toys”. Wow!

So, I got a lesson in investing in your self.

How do you invest in yourself?

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text


TECHNOLOGY: The web warns

Saturday, October 27, 2007

http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north579.html

 

What To Learn From Maytag
by Gary North

***Begin Quote***

They did not perceive that the Web would allow bad news to circulate by word of mouse.

***End Quote***

Cute phrase that absolutely captures the meme. The web acts like Paul Revere. Ignore that at your own peril.

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LINKEDIN: anything more than an activity trap?

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Vincent Wright
Staffing Manager, Quoin, Inc.

*** begin quote ***

What Would A Multi-Billion Dollar Linkedin Look Like?

I dare you to repeat that title three times, fast! ?

What would a multi-billion dollar Linkedin look like?
What would a multi-billion dollar Linkedin look like?
What would a multi-billion dollar Linkedin look like?

All kidding aside: In looking at the profile of Linkedin CEO, Dan Nye, there is an ultra-compact but highly powerful one sentence statement describing his current mission: “Leading LinkedIn to become a multi-billion dollar company and the most customer driven company in the world.” ( http://www.linkedin.com/in/danielnye )

SO???…

“a multi-billion dollar company”?

Does it borrow from Facebook? MySpace? Google? Yahoo? eBay? Amazon? Neither?

What do you think a multi-billion dollar Linkedin would look like?

*** end quote ***

It might be able to tell me the last time a person was “active” and it might let me keep some notes about my contacts (i.e., like how I know them — my memory isn’t so good — what was the question?). And, I’ll go way out on a limb here, it might allow me to measure “days outstanding” (i.e., how long since I last interacted with you) and sort by who I need to “freshen up” with.

Now back to reality. Jury is still out -imho- if LinkedIn, Facebook, or even MySpace is anything more than an activity trap!

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POLITICAL: Restore the Republic!

Saturday, October 27, 2007

Great Ron Paul video

*** begin quote ***

*** end quote ***

Restore the Republic!

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LIBERTY: Think she’ll be a victim?

Saturday, October 27, 2007

FROM A FRIEND’S (DOTCOMERADEN’S) FACEBOOK

***Begin Quote***

Home on the range

***End Quote***

Now assuming you are a bad guy, would you rather run up against this sovereign individual or that silly girl making vending machine costumes?

Who’s having fun?

Who’s in control of their own destiny?

Who’s intentions will be mistaken?

Note the Cooper’s stance. Not like in the movies.

She’s the progeny of the American Pioneer women!

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