INTERESTING: demonstrated willingness to defend other’s liberty

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2007/tle443-20071111-03.html

Starship Troopers Revisited
by A.X. Perez
Attribute to The Libertarian Enterprise

***Begin Quote***

Starship Troopers is arguably Heinlein’s preachiest novel. This is because it is a rite of passage novel in which Johnny Rico progresses from a snot nose rich kid who “wouldn’t recognize civic virtue if it bit you in the ass” (to quote the movie version of ST which is vastly inferior to the book) to an adult who values his fellow man’s rights enough to voluntarily risk dying to defend them. Surprise, this includes a lot of internal debate in which Heinlein clearly demonstrates why ST is not a fascist book and instead is one in which the values held by a libertarian who chooses to serve his fellows through the state are spelled out.

Starship Troopers is not a fascist novel, instead it is an argument that only those who have demonstrated their love of and willingness to defend their brethren and sistern’s liberty should be trusted with political power. Golly, gee How dare Heinlein argue that?

***End Quote***

Did I mention that this is my favorite book?

Seriously, it was the first book I read that explained my thinking to me.

If only veterans could vote and hold office, then I bet a buck we would not be mired in losing war after losing war. I bet we be very careful about using the word “war” for anything.

We have a far better country if we were following Heinlein’s prescriptions.

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JOBSEARCH: JibberJobber running a sale

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

www.jibberjobber.com

***Begin Quote***

We are offering a special buy-one-get-one-free upgrade right now on the one year and two year packages, which expires on Monday, November 19th at midnight.

***End Quote***

This is one of the few things that I think a seeker might spend some buxs on. That list is very very short. So in case you were waiting for a sale to do “something”, here’s a sale.

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JOBSEARCH: Feedback on a resume

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

A TURKEY SENT ME THEIR RESUME. SO I WAS OBLIGED TO COMMENT.

*** begin quote ***

May I make some observations?

Thanks, (I would anyway, but I’m working on my pushy image!)

For a project manager to be in a time bind, isn’t such a good admission. I try to answer every email or phone call in 24 hours. It might be just a quick response, but never never ever let them see you sweat.

:-)

I know I know easier said than done.

Now about your resume.

Sorry, but it “screams” I did it myself from a book.

I don’t have a slot free in my turkey farm http://tinyurl.com/lxu93 currently (I have five slots for my “turkeys” (i.e., people in job search) where I dedicate a short block of time to work with them 1on1 about their search.) but let me steal a few minutes from my morning coffee to give you some ideas. (Actually the ideas are precanned snippets of advice that I can use a macro to put up at a moment notice. Didn’t want you to think I was feeding you a load of “barbara streisand”.)

Here’s what I saw when I opened your resume and some thoughts.

* A resume’s only purpose is to get read and motivate the reader to action.

* You have to break the 15 second barrier and the 60 second barrier. You have 15 seconds to make the reader invest the next minute. Then, you have one minute to make the reader put your resume on the “keep stack”.

* Name address block takes far too much of the top real estate. Get it all on one line in unbolded ten point font. If you’re the right candidate, the hunter will break out a magnifying glass to read your contact info if needed.

* “summary” doesn’t summarize. Should be “objective”; and it’s not your objective it’s the reader’s.

* Upon further review “highly effective” should have been stroked out as well.

The balance of the resume is far too wordy. You need to make it easy to read. Think movie cliff hanger. Think “how’s she do that?”. Think “Wow!”.

You want to play par golf. In resume land, that is PaaR! Problem, analysis, action, results. Write down in each position what are the three major problems I was handed, what analysis did I do, what actions did I take, and what results I achieve. Then you throw out the Analysis and Action (They get that when they hire you.) and put in the Problem and Results.

So, for example, I found that the whatchamacallit project was late, over budget, and under functional. So I did an resource analysis and found that there were no left handed paper hangers assigned! Since fifty percent of the wall were right handed and the rest left handed, there were right handed paper hangers struggling to paper the left handed walls where they had to reach over their bodies to paper. I fired half the right handed ones and hired an equal number of left ones. Then you write: “The whatchamacallit project was late, over budget, and under functional. The project was back with in spec in 4 months at no additional cost after I was hired.”

See the diff! I can hear the recruiter getting on the phone know. “How did you do that?” “Hire me and I’ll tell you. I’m not a free consultant that can be had for an interview.”

*** end quote ***

People are enamored by their own name. That block of text can easily occupy 100% of that incalculably valuable resume real estate. When I see a resume like that I cringe. Because I know what is coming. I, I, eye, I, I, eye. Everything will be about them. When it should be about the hiring manager who’s reading it.

fwiw

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LINKEDIN: an email about LinkedIn

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

FROM AN EMAIL ABOUT LINKEDIN

*** begin quote ***

>Second, what is the 5 strikes and you’re locked rule that you refer to below?

LinkedIn has a policy, about a year old, that if five people that you invite say “Don’t know”, you’re account is locked out. Depending upon how well you kowtow to “customer (dis)service”, they will unlock you. A second offense, and you may not be unlocked.

>Third, I like your “I am not accepting your request ..”

Contrary to the impression my large count gives, I am NOT an open networker. (I run an alumni ezine and have been “in transition” five times and ran a networking group.) I try to only connect with kindred spirits.

>Speaking of LinkedIn, I had an interesting conversation with a recruiter last week on the topic of having recruiters as LinkedIn connections.

I’d think that was “interesting” because recruiters have a completely different set of objectives than real people.

> I told her my take on how I see it being a one-way street (at least from a career networking point of view)

I’m not so sure I agree with you. LinkedIn for seekers allows one to find and be found.

>and she basically agreed as she said “I would never put my clients in my linkedin connections”.

Sure, because she can’t compete with all the recruiters out their chasing a diminishing world of hiring managers and job seekers. If I can id someone who needs my brand of poison then why should they hire a recruiter to find me. Or visa versa.

There’s a lot of sleeze tactics on LinkedIn.

*** end quote ***


RANT: … and I thought the Indian casinos were the only ones who abused us

Monday, November 12, 2007

http://wcbstv.com/local/yonkers.raceway.strip.2.565987.html

Great Grandmother Strip-Searched At N.Y. Casino
Woman, 65, Furious Over Treatment At Yonkers Raceway
Reporting John Slattery

*** begin quote ***

YONKERS (CBS) — A great-grandmother from Mount Vernon is filing suit for allegedly being strip searched at the Yonkers Raceway casino. As CBS 2 HD has learned, the angry woman says it was over a winner’s slip that was missing.

*** end quote ***

This is unbelievable. For $80! Eighty thousand maybe. 80?

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TECH SERVICE: Purchased MLB Game Downloads ?

Monday, November 12, 2007

http://joyofsox.blogspot.com/2007/11/mlb-game-downloads-still-inaccessible.html

11.06.2007
If You Purchased MLB Game Downloads Before 2006, Your Discs/Files Are Now Useless; MLB Has Stolen Your $$$ And Claims “No Refunds”

*** begin quote ***

2nd Update: Baseball Think Factory has publicized the discussion.

Update: Just got off the phone with a MLB customer service supervisor.

“MLB no longer supports the DDS system” that it once used and so any CDs with downloaded games on them “are no good. They will not work with the current system.”

Great. Just effing great. … As I told the supervisor, this is right in line with how wrong-headed and stupid and ass backwards MLB does everything.

I was told there is absolutely nothing MLB can do about these lost games. Plus, they said my purchases were all “one-time sales” and thus “there are no refunds”.

No refunds? As Lee Elia would say: “My ******* ass!”

My info has been submitted to some other MLB department which will review things and see what they can do about either getting me the games I paid for or refunding my $280.45.

So if you have downloaded any games prior to 2006, get those discs out and try to watch them … then call MLB at 866-800-1275 and demand they refund your money.

*** end quote ***

Hence, my policy, no drm ever. Period. No excuse. No way; no how!

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PRODUCTIVITY: have a life plan

Monday, November 12, 2007

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/110707-10-career-killers-to.html?t51hb

10 career killers to avoid
By Thomas Hoffman, Computerworld, 11/07/07

***Begin Quote***

1. Failing to have a life plan. “This is the No. 1 biggest mistake that I run into with my clients. I work with a number of clients in IT, many of whom are in C-level roles. A life plan is a business plan, in the same way that a company leader creates an annual business plan for what the future is going to bring from a corporate perspective. Three life aspects to focus on include one’s career, personal and family, and financial goals.

***End Quote***

Great advice.

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POLITICAL: Rudy Giuliani endorsed by Rev. Pat Robertson?

Monday, November 12, 2007

http://www.covenantnews.com/abortion/archives/034971.html

November 07, 2007
TV Evangelist Pat Robertson Endorses Giuliani, Despite Abortion and Homosexual Stance

*** begin quote ***

WASHINGTON — Rudy Giuliani Wednesday morning won the endorsement of the Rev. Pat Robertson, one of the evangelical Christian movement’s most recognizable leaders, who said he put aside his differences with Giuliani over abortion because he believes the ex-mayor will appoint staunchly conservative judges. Robertson said he was willing to overlook Giulani’s pro-abortion stance because he takes him at his word that he will appoint “strict constructionist” judges to the Supreme Court and federal bench — a widely accepted term for judges likely to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion rights ruling.

*** end quote ***

Sort of shows them up for what they are … “hippo critics”!

On one hand, how important is abortion then? And, otoh, believe a politician? How naive! How quaint!

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RANT: Esterday said “nobody got tipped that day”

Sunday, November 11, 2007

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16143435

*** begin quote ***

Not so the reference to Hillary Clinton and the tip. As soon as that story aired in the 5 o’clock hour Eastern Time, it was picked up by a number of political blogs. And the Clinton campaign immediately contacted news organizations to tell its side of the story. Clinton spokesman Phil Singer wrote to NPR in an e-mail: “The campaign spent $157 and left a $100 tip at the Maid-Rite Restaurant. Wish you had checked in with us beforehand.”

Esterday said “nobody got tipped that day,” and NPR should have checked with the Clinton campaign before the story aired to see if any tip was left and how it was done. We regret that this was not done. On Thursday, Esterday was sticking by her story.

*** end quote ***

:-)

Don’t ya just luv politicians!

Who do you believe a waitresses who’ve been doing it for decades or a politician?

In the grace scheme of things, it is a small matter. But it’s an insight into the soul.

You would think that there would be a campaign policy.

:-)

By their fruits, ye shall know them?

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LINKEDIN: Personalizing your LinkedIn url

Sunday, November 11, 2007

What is a personalized LinkedIn url?

Personalizing your LinkedIn url allow you to customize the web address of your LinkedIn public profile. You can include this personalized LinkedIn url in the signature of emails you send, post it on other web sites, or whatever. (Put it on your resume?) You “personalize” it by getting to the “Edit My Public Profile” page. Then choose what will appear after the last slash in www.linkedin.com/in/ “at least five letters”! “first come, first served”! “one to a user”!

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