Big article this morning on Yahoo about President Obama being related to Sarah Palin. Really?! Apparently so. They traced it back to a 17th century gentleman, John Smith, I believe (because there was only ONE John Smith back then).
Is this really a big deal? I am a little surprised I even took the time to read that article. I'll never get those 30 seconds back. Why the cynicism, you ask?
Does it really matter that Obama and Palin are reported to be 10th cousins? Or that Obama is related to Brad Pitt (wait, Brad Pitt?!?)? Or that former President Bush is realted to both Obama and Palin? Oh, the horror!! In my opinion, there is nothing of value in reporting that information. There is no value in looking for that information! What will we do with it once we have it? Nothing.
Except write an article and hope it ends up in some random blog somewhere where it can live in cyberspace infamy.
Now, back to Brad Pitt's family tree.....
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
The Price of Halloween
According to this article on www.msnbc.com (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39346852/ns/business-retail/), Americans will spend an estimated $5.8 billion on Halloween this year. The National Retail Federation indicates that people are going to spend about 18% more on Halloween this year than last, totaling about $66 per person. The break out is approximately $24 for a costume, $20 on candy and $20 on decorations.
Are you kidding me?! $20 on candy?! $20 on decorations?! And PAYING for a costume?!
When we were kids, we always dressed up as gypsies: pulled out the ‘dress clothes’, put on an old wig, lots of costume jewelry and a fancy scarf, and have big red rosy cheeks. Even my brother. Cutest little gypsy ever! Every once in a while, one of us was allowed to wear something that made us look like a pirate. Or a gypsy pirate, really. Candy? Big bag of suckers. Since we didn’t like suckers, every last one got handed out. And decorations? Decorations were simply the already-fallen leaves in the yard and carved pumpkins; nothing more, nothing less. Oh, and flashlights. Back then, that was plenty!
So what happened? When did this change? I’m not going to get into consumerism and how that’s changed over the years, blah, blah, blah. I think the focus is more about losing perspective. Wasn’t Halloween supposed to be a time for the kids to play dress up and hang out on a school night collecting candy that we would not normally ever let them eat? And didn’t the parents walk in groups themselves? Warm drink in hand; far enough away to let the kids have fun but close enough to comfort them when they tripped and fell.
The past couple of years have taught us a lot about scaling back, minimizing and becoming good neighbors again. We’ve been working on putting things back into perspective. We’re getting there; slowly but surely, we’ll get there.
This year, I think we’ll be gypsies and hand out suckers. Yea, that sounds good.
Are you kidding me?! $20 on candy?! $20 on decorations?! And PAYING for a costume?!
When we were kids, we always dressed up as gypsies: pulled out the ‘dress clothes’, put on an old wig, lots of costume jewelry and a fancy scarf, and have big red rosy cheeks. Even my brother. Cutest little gypsy ever! Every once in a while, one of us was allowed to wear something that made us look like a pirate. Or a gypsy pirate, really. Candy? Big bag of suckers. Since we didn’t like suckers, every last one got handed out. And decorations? Decorations were simply the already-fallen leaves in the yard and carved pumpkins; nothing more, nothing less. Oh, and flashlights. Back then, that was plenty!
So what happened? When did this change? I’m not going to get into consumerism and how that’s changed over the years, blah, blah, blah. I think the focus is more about losing perspective. Wasn’t Halloween supposed to be a time for the kids to play dress up and hang out on a school night collecting candy that we would not normally ever let them eat? And didn’t the parents walk in groups themselves? Warm drink in hand; far enough away to let the kids have fun but close enough to comfort them when they tripped and fell.
The past couple of years have taught us a lot about scaling back, minimizing and becoming good neighbors again. We’ve been working on putting things back into perspective. We’re getting there; slowly but surely, we’ll get there.
This year, I think we’ll be gypsies and hand out suckers. Yea, that sounds good.
Friday, October 1, 2010
Are White Lies OK?
We were told Santa Claus existed. We were told the Easter Bunny existed. We were told our dog went to live on a ‘farm’ where he would be happier. And we believed them, unquestioningly, until we learned otherwise. We didn’t hold it against our parents for lying to us; we may have gotten upset, but we got over it. So a couple little white lies were told, big deal! Or is it?
In a recent conversation on LinkedIn, one participant posed a question, the gist of which could be construed as a little white lie. The issue at hand was that an applicant lied about their current employment status and it was only discovered after the offer letter was sent. Apparently even the references of the supposed current employer went along with the ruse to help her gain employment.
Little White Lie or major offense? According to the application, all information should be provided or it could result in rejection of application, termination, etc. The candidate clearly lied on her application. Do we need to consider the motivation behind it? Maybe. Do we need to have another conversation about it? Maybe. Do we need to sit her down and explain that because she lied, we now have a concern regarding trust, integrity and honesty? Maybe. Are we spending a lot of extra time on a candidate who misrepresented themselves? Definitely. Is it worth it? You tell me.
People say HR lies to employees all the time. How many times have we all heard, ‘No, there won’t be any more layoffs’, ‘It’s not a major issue, we’ll address it’, or ‘I’m sure this won’t be held against you’? When, in fact, just the opposite happens. But we continue to believe HR, because they are the ‘Human’ side to the company. If we can’t trust the Human side, who can we trust?
Should the same sort of forgiveness be extended to candidates? Depends on how you look at it. If you consider lying about current employment status to be a little white lie, you may forgive. If you consider it to be a major offense, you probably won’t.
Times are still tough, not just here in Detroit, but all over the country. Desperate times call for desperate measures, some say. If you have to compromise your integrity is it worth it? Won’t you forever be known as ‘the one who lied’? Is that the legacy you want to leave, even just through the interview process?
That’s up to you. It’s YOUR integrity in question. The truth will eventually come out. Where does that leave you then? Probably unemployed again, this time with a bit of a true blemish. Unless you decide to lie again…..
Wouldn’t it be easier, and more beneficial in the long run, to just be honest from the start? Tell me the truth and you’ll have an advocate for life. Lie to me and it’s over. Your choice.
In a recent conversation on LinkedIn, one participant posed a question, the gist of which could be construed as a little white lie. The issue at hand was that an applicant lied about their current employment status and it was only discovered after the offer letter was sent. Apparently even the references of the supposed current employer went along with the ruse to help her gain employment.
Little White Lie or major offense? According to the application, all information should be provided or it could result in rejection of application, termination, etc. The candidate clearly lied on her application. Do we need to consider the motivation behind it? Maybe. Do we need to have another conversation about it? Maybe. Do we need to sit her down and explain that because she lied, we now have a concern regarding trust, integrity and honesty? Maybe. Are we spending a lot of extra time on a candidate who misrepresented themselves? Definitely. Is it worth it? You tell me.
People say HR lies to employees all the time. How many times have we all heard, ‘No, there won’t be any more layoffs’, ‘It’s not a major issue, we’ll address it’, or ‘I’m sure this won’t be held against you’? When, in fact, just the opposite happens. But we continue to believe HR, because they are the ‘Human’ side to the company. If we can’t trust the Human side, who can we trust?
Should the same sort of forgiveness be extended to candidates? Depends on how you look at it. If you consider lying about current employment status to be a little white lie, you may forgive. If you consider it to be a major offense, you probably won’t.
Times are still tough, not just here in Detroit, but all over the country. Desperate times call for desperate measures, some say. If you have to compromise your integrity is it worth it? Won’t you forever be known as ‘the one who lied’? Is that the legacy you want to leave, even just through the interview process?
That’s up to you. It’s YOUR integrity in question. The truth will eventually come out. Where does that leave you then? Probably unemployed again, this time with a bit of a true blemish. Unless you decide to lie again…..
Wouldn’t it be easier, and more beneficial in the long run, to just be honest from the start? Tell me the truth and you’ll have an advocate for life. Lie to me and it’s over. Your choice.
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