RANT: Social Media Ban

Sunday, December 14, 2025

FROM 1440 https://join1440.com/

*** begin quote ***

Australia’s nationwide ban on social media use for children under 16 takes effect today, making it the first country to prohibit underage users from major platforms outright.

*** end quote ***

Sorry, but as LAUDABLE as the goal is  —  and tyranny ALWAYS starts from good intentions  —  it’s not the role of Gooferment to police the conduct of children.  

For example, the Gooferment COULD force ISPs to give parents tools to protect their children.  When the inet first started, the ISP were under that pressure but avoided / evaded it by claiming is was “infeasible” or “not cost effective”.  They could have created “MINOR ACCOUNTS” EASILY.  (I know I supported the pitch at Comcast when I was working there.)

The UK countries have a terrible record on “free speech” and this is just another example of Big Gooferment “thought police” taking more power.

Argh!

Gooferment at all levels is always seeking to extend its power over the “We, The Sheeple” with “… it’s for the children”.

— 30 —


JOBSEARCH: “Nothing is 100% risk free”

Sunday, October 12, 2025

<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2025-10-08>>

FROM 1440 https://join1440.com/

*** begin quote ***

Back Pay Uncertainty

President Donald Trump signaled yesterday that furloughed federal workers may not be guaranteed retroactive compensation when the government reopens, a potential shift from previous policy that covered roughly 750,000 employees.

*** end quote ***

https://reinkefaceslife.com/2025/02/13/jobsearch-federal-governemnt-employees-are-learning-that-nothing-is-100-risk-free-the-hard-way/

*** begin quote ***

I remember that Gooferment employees would tell me that they’re 100% secure in their Gooferment GS13 position.  Wonder how they would evaluate that now with DOGE chainsawing whole departments and agencies.  I used have heated discussions with those poor confused souls that “Nothing is 100% risk free”.  I pointed to my and my mother’s experiences at AT&T.  We both had “gold watch” syndrome (i.e., the good corporation would care for its valued people from cradle to grave).  I took the buyout and she didn’t.  And she never realized that the “rules” had changed.

*** end quote ***

Seems like a past prediction is coming back to haunt Gooferment bureaucrats.  

No matter what you want to believe, reality intrudes.

Sad to say, “told you so”, but as a recovering “gold watch” syndrome victim myself, you can’t trust your future to anyone but yourself.

— 30 —


JOBSEARCH: Federal government employees are learning that “Nothing is 100% risk free” the hard way

Thursday, February 13, 2025

FROM 1440 https://join1440.com/

*** begin quote ***

Cruise to slash workforce by nearly 50%, or roughly 1,000 employees, after owner General Motors ended funding to robotaxi unit (More) | Estee Lauder to trim up to 7,000 jobs, or around 11% of workforce; shares drop 16% on the news (More) 

*** end quote ***

# – # – # – # – # 

Given the wholesale downsizing of Gooferment employees, every one of the “wage slaves” in the USA should reassessing their unemployment risk profile.

*** begin quote ***

JOBSEARCH: Your reputation as a master networker has qualified you

Get started. When the axe does fall, as it always does, you’ll have bought yourself time, help, goodwill, and possibly some wisdom. I’ll probably have landed in my final spot before I hear from you. But be advised, I’ll be rooting for you from upstairs or down, where ever I’m sent.

*** end quote ***

And …

*** begin quote ***

JOBSEARCH: The risk inherent in the status quo of employment

I counsel job seekers and potential job seekers that they must rigorously and honestly evaluate just how much is at risk in their current state. One tool is my “how much money do I need to have to get another job”. Age, level of education, hotness of field, hotness of your geography, level of position you’d accept, what’s your burn rate, how do you look, and unfortunately sex all combine in strange complex calculus to determine the risk of the status quo. In more than one instance, 

*** end quote ***

As you can see, once I woke up to the  “status quo is not risk free” after my first “promotion outside”, I preached to anyone who would listen that “wage slaves” were at great risk of “downsizing”, “rightsizing”, or just a plain old corporate bankruptcy,

I remember that Gooferment employees would tell me that they’re 100% secure in their Gooferment GS13 position.  Wonder how they would evaluate that now with DOGE chainsawing whole departments and agencies.  I used have heated discussions with those poor confused souls that “Nothing is 100% risk free”.  I pointed to my and my mother’s experiences at AT&T.  We both had “gold watch” syndrome (i.e., the good corporation would care for its valued people from cradle to grave).  I took the buyout and she didn’t.  And she never realized that the “rules” had changed.

One piece of advice that often preached:

“Success for your generation is: (1) ruthless financial discipline — no bad debt; (2) a life long interest in learning — education — a degree — they can’t take it away from you; (3) a NON-OFFSHORABLE white collar job in order to save big bux; (4) a blue collar skill for hard times — never saw a poor plumber; (5) one or more internet based businesses — your store is always open; (6) a free time hobby that generates income; and (7) a large will-maintained network of people who can “help” you.

has held up very well over the decades.

Hope this helps and is not seen as “dancing on graves”.

As always, YMMV.

—30—


ENCOURAGING: A foreign good soul puts in a lot of effort to help someone they don’t know

Sunday, February 9, 2025

FROM 1440 https://join1440.com/

<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2025-02-08>>

*** begin quote ***

Today, we’re sharing a story from reader Richard B. in Springfield, New Jersey.

“My daughter left her handbag with her phone and passport in the back of a taxi in Paris on the eve of a Sunday. Flight with her family was scheduled for 1 pm the next day. At 2:30 am, our phone rings in New Jersey with a 510 area code. When it rings a second time, my wife answered. A voice says, ‘Please don’t hang up as I have been trying to call someone for the last 6 hours. I work for Boeing in Seattle and my sister lives on the outskirts of Paris and has Felice U.’s pocket book. She doesn’t speak English but would like to return it. Her husband found it in the back of his cab.’”

“Our daughter contacted her concierge and arrangements were made for the brother-in-law to come to the hotel. This was accomplished by 10 am and they made the plane home in time. We still are not sure how the man in Seattle was able to trace us to NJ but his detective work and persistence in attempting to find someone is amazing. Upon their return, my daughter and her family found multiple calls from him on the home phone and my son-in-law’s cell phone documenting his persistent efforts. There are, indeed, good people in this world.” 

*** end quote ***

I’d call what these folks did a “mitzvah”!

https://www.solonchabad.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/294114/jewish/A-mitzvah-is-not-just-a-good-deed.htm

*** begin quote ***

… … a mitzvah, even one he didn’t understand, is a connection n a way to get closer to G‑d that transcends logic. We affix a mezuzah to our doorposts, not just because it makes sense to us, but because this is G‑d’s wish. When we fulfill the request of G‑d, we are strengthening our bond with Him. Next time a mitzvah comes your way, make the connection! 

*** end quote ***

More than just a “good deed”, these folks really made a “connection” with more people than they know or imagine.

—30—


RANT: Anyone want to argue that the non-profit NCAA is nothing more than the NFL “farm teams”?

Thursday, December 12, 2024

FROM 1440 https://join1440.com/

*** begin quote ***

College Football Playoffs

The field for the inaugural 12-team college football playoff was revealed yesterday, with Big Ten champion Oregon capturing the top seed. The Ducks are followed by No. 2 Georgia, No. 3 Boise State, and No. 4 Arizona State, with each of the top four receiving a first-round bye.

Under the new system, the opening round will have the higher-seeded teams host games on campus: No. 5 Texas will host No. 12 Clemson; No. 6 Penn State will welcome No. 11 SMU; No. 7 Notre Dame faces No. 10 Indiana; and No. 8 Ohio State will take on No. 9 Tennessee. The biggest debate of selection day was SMU, which lost the ACC championship on a last-second field goal, nudging out Alabama.

A significant amount of money is at stake. Roughly $115M will be distributed across the conferences based on which teams advance (see details).

The first round will be held Friday, Dec. 20, and Saturday, Dec. 21. See the full schedule of bowl games here; see a playoff bracket here.

*** end quote ***

Sorry but all this chatter about “non-profit”, “amateur athletes”, and “student athletes” is just a “Barbara Streisand” smoke screen for Gooferment Skrules to rake in big bucks from “We, The Sheeple”.

Time to divest “education” from “entertainment”.

Argh!  Now that “amateur athletes” can make big bucks from “Name, Image, and Likeness”, lets cut the <synonym for excrement> and stop fooling everyone.

This is nothing more than gambling by Gooferment institutions using Taxpayer money and defrauding those same Taxpayers at the same time.

If you use my Tax dollars, then you can’t use them for anything but “education”!  Privatize these “State Actors” away from the font of Taxpayer money.

—30—


ConspiracyTheories: Several Conspiracy Theories on UHC CEO shooting death

Thursday, December 5, 2024

FROM 1440 https://join1440.com/

<< EDITOR ADDED DATE 2024-12-05>>

*** begin quote ***

UnitedHealthcare CEO Killed

Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare, the insurance division of UnitedHealth Group, was shot and killed yesterday in what police called a targeted attack in Manhattan.

The company was holding its annual investor day at the Hilton Hotel. A search for the suspect is underway. The 50-year-old Thompson was arriving around 6:45 am ET when the suspect, wearing a ski mask and a dark hooded sweatshirt, fired three shots at his back and leg using a handgun before escaping on an e-bike. Police say the suspect was lying in wait for several minutes before the killing. Authorities have not publicly identified a motive as of this writing, but they say Thompson had recently faced several threats.

UnitedHealthcare is the largest private health insurance provider in the US, serving roughly 50 million customers. Thompson had worked at the company for more than 20 years, becoming CEO of UnitedHealthcare in April 2021. 

*** end quote ***

To early to classify yet.

  1. Disgruntled insurance CustomerHe was going to testify in exchange for immunity on insider trading
  2. He was going to inform about the political pressure to pay for Covid shots
  3. He was going to spill the beans on the Covid financial scams
  4. He had some evidence on HRC
  5. Jealous lover or spurned wifeSome connection to organized crime

While it’s still early, stay tuned to your favorite Conspiracy Theorist reporter for news as it breaks.

p.s., don’t just dismiss Conspiracy Theories because they have a habit of becoming true

—30—


INTERESTING: NLRB has begun to end the amateur model of college sports

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

FROM 1440 https://join1440.com/

Dartmouth Athletes Unionize

The Dartmouth men’s basketball team voted to unionize yesterday, the latest step in challenging the long-standing amateur model of college sports. The 13-2 vote means the players will be allowed to negotiate on issues like compensation and working conditions, including practice hours. Dartmouth has until March 12 to file an objection to the union.

Last month, the National Labor Relations Board ruled the players are employees of the university after the varsity players submitted a petition in September to the NLRB requesting to unionize. Dartmouth filed motions last week to ask the NLRB office to reconsider its ruling.

The union vote comes amid a broader effort to cut back restrictions on compensation for student-athletes. The NCAA has historically barred college athletes from receiving compensation beyond scholarships (athletic scholarships are banned in the Ivy League) and some related costs of education. The NCAA proposed in December a new subdivision that would allow some schools to enter into name, image, and likeness deals directly with their students.

# – # – # – # – # 

Well, it’s about time to end the farce of “amateur student athletes”.  Everyone in this charade is make a lot of money except the athletes.  It’s slavery.

—30—