Respect and Gen Y: What’s Age Got To Do With It?

At a job interview (Photo credit: Arroz y Asado)

 

This is an article by a young woman, Kayla Cruz, who is teaching leadership in college, and I really like it. She says something here that far too many young people forget, to demand respect for yourself.

 

OK, I admit I have some difficulty with her formulation, in my world respect is something you earn. But part of that is that I’ve been around long enough that I’m not threatened by people coming up behind me. It’s a small but important distinction

 

I’m one of those bosses who likes to shove responsibility down as far as possible, and help people grow. Why? It makes my life easier if I don’t have to babysit you. I doubt I’m alone, either, this is the model that works in the real world. Sure, I realize you’re not going to come out of High School/ Trade School/ College knowing everything it’s taken me 40+ years to learn but, if you have a reasonable level of intelligence, a desire to learn, and decent work habits, you’ll go far in my organization.

 

The thing is you will screw up, if I’m doing my job correctly, it may cost a bit of money, but the effects will be limited, and then we’ll talk about it and see how to do it better, and we’ve (hopefully) both learned something.

 

I believe it is my job to bring you along, praising you to my superiors when justified and taking the blame for your mistakes, both of which I will do, if you do your part. It is summed up very neatly: Always make new mistakes.

 

One thing I have noticed with the young people coming up today is that, they seem to have little confidence in their own judgement, and maybe a lack of self-confidence. I think this is a by-product of modern education. If everybody succeeds and no one fails, how can you make a judgement, which in my world is essential. Granted my world, electricity, is quite unforgiving, it’s either right or wrong, and sometimes the answers come back literally in the form of life or death, but keeping your risk manageable is my job, which is why you should listen to us old-timers, we’ve seen a lot.

 

[...] 

Alright… so in an effort to find the right topics to discuss and the right stories to share with these students, I’ve had to reflect a lot on my experiences in the workplace.

And well…that hasn’t been fun.

It hasn’t been fun because I’ve realized something.

I’ve realized that although there are a lot of things that I can teach these students, there’s no way that I can control the hardships that they’ll continue to face as young professionals.

There’s no way that I’ll be able to rid them of the label that they’ll often be given:

YOUNG & INEXPERIENCED.

[...]

Know your worth.

Be professional.

Do good work.

And always make sure to stand up for yourself.

Because if you don’t demand that respect for yourself, no one else will.

 

Read it all Respect and Gen Y: What’s Age Got To Do With It?. It’s a super article, as are her other articles. She’s good, very good. Respect her.

 

But remember this too: In the last analysis, most of us will give you the respect you earn, no more, no less. Act accordingly.

 

Bill Gates Workplace Rules

 

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From the E-mail- Hah, best answer of the week

Stupid question, excellent response! For those that don’t know him, Major General Peter Cosgrove is an Australian. General Cosgrove was interviewed on the radio recently. Read his reply to the lady who interviewed him concerning guns and children. Regardless of how you feel about gun laws you have to love this! This is one of the best comeback lines of all time. In a portion of an ABC radio interview between a female broadcaster and General Cosgrove who was about to sponsor a Boy Scout Troop visiting his military Headquarters. FEMALE INTERVIEWER: So, General Cosgrove, what things are you going to teach these young boys when they visit your base? GENERAL COSGROVE:! We’re going to teach them climbing, canoeing, archery and shooting. FEMALE INTERVIEWER:  Shooting! That’s a bit irresponsible, isn’t it? GENERAL COSGROVE: I don’t see why, they’ll be properly supervised on the rifle range. FEMALE INTERVIEWER: Don’t you admit that this is a terribly dangerous activity to be teaching children? GENERAL COSGROVE: I don’t see how. We will be teaching them proper rifle discipline before they even touch a firearm. FEMALE INTERVIEWER: But you’re equipping them to become violent killers. GENERAL COSGROVE: Well, Ma’am, you’re equipped to be a prostitute, but you’re not one, are you? The radiocast went silent for 46 seconds and when it returned, this interview was over.

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Restoring Confidence| Cagle Post, Michael Reagan

I’ve very little to add to this except to reiterate that when the people have no confidence in the government, it is most likely because the government deserves no ones confidence.

Making Sense, by Michael Reagan

Help us, we’re falling and we can’t get up again.

Once upon a time — in 1988 and 1998 to be exact — the United States was the best country for a baby to be born and raised in, at least according to The Economist magazine.

But the 2013 edition of the magazine’s “where-to-be-born” index has us down at No. 16 — tied with Germany and one spot ahead of the United Arab Emirates.

Switzerland, Australia, Norway, Sweden and Denmark — nice countries but not exactly world famous as destinations for millions of people seeking opportunity — are ranked 1 through 5.

The Economist’s annual ranking tries to quantify what country “will provide the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in the years ahead.”

It crunches and weighs the numbers for 11 indicators — everything from geography and demography to GDP per capita, the cost of living and future economic growth prospects. And, unfortunately for the United States, it weighs government debt.

The Economist doesn’t factor a debt-related reason America will likely continue to slide in these rankings — no one today has any confidence in our political leaders to solve our economic problems.

Continue reading Cagle Post – Political Cartoons & Commentary – » Restoring Confidence.

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Saturday Morning: 60s Music Style

We accomplished a lot here this week so let’s have some fun. When I was looking for that Byrds’ clip that I ran the other day, I ran across some of my old favorites, so I thought I’d share.

Of course we have to start with my first girl singer crush, Petula Clark. Some things never change in my favorites, notice how much she looks like your profile picture, Jess?

If you’re old enough I’ll bet you remember how our music came from all over the world, so we’ll jump from England to Australia.

But we had local bands too, here’s one I heard before they even made it onto the radio.

These guys I had breakfast with one night after the bar closed, Chicagoland was a good place to be.

And then, of course, there is my all time favorite piece of popular music.

Enjoy, and have a great day!!

Cold Hard Facts On Gun Bans: “The Cost Of Liberty Can Be Measured In the Loss of Life” [Video]

 

 

Not much to add here, since I concur wholeheartedly.

By Mac Slavo | August 3, 2012 | SHTFplan.Com

“Laws that forbid the carrying of arms…disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Such laws make things worse for the assaulted and better for the assailants; they serve rather to encourage than prevent homicides, for an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed one.”

Thomas Jefferson

While anti-gun advocates put forth every argument under the sun for why you should not be able to own a “high capacity” magazine that holds more than 10 rounds, or that you shouldn’t be able to buy ammunition online, or that police should stop going to work until guns have been completely banned, the evidence for disarmament of law abiding citizens as a failed policy is overwhelming.

In Chicago, where guns have essentially been banned for personal defense, the murder of innocents has risen so sharply in recent months that Mayor Rahm Emanual has been left with no other option but to call on criminals to look to their morals and values to stop the carnage. Washington D.C., which bans the carrying of concealed weapons, has maintained one of the highest gun crime murder rates in the country for over three decades – since the legislation was passed in 1975. As the Washington Post notes, the disarming of local residents has been wholly ineffective noting that the “guns kept coming, and bodies kept falling.”

These localized examples of the detrimental effects of restrictive gun policies are nothing, however, when compared to what’s happened in Australia, where the government implemented a “buy back” program in 1997 that completely banned gun ownership for the general population. While Australia’s politician promised a lower crime rate once the ban was in place, the disarming of its citizens has led to exactly the opposite effect.

A right stolen by their government, promising safety in return for its gun ban. But now citizens know the frightening truth. The cost of lost liberty can be measured in the loss of life.

“It’s become very, very obvious… that the expenditure of half a billion dollars has done absolutely nothing to reduce crime.”

“It certainly didn’t do what the government touted it would do, which was to reduce crime. It hasn’t done that at all. In fact, there has been more.”

…

“What’s happening today is that the offender, the bad buys, are happy to break into somebody’s house. They’re not frightened to break into somebody’s house while they’re at home.”

…

“It’s very bad at the moment. It’s never been worse.“

Here are the cold hard facts from Australia that anti-gun forces can no longer escape:

Armed Robberies are UP 69%

Assaults Involving Guns are UP 28%

Gun Murders are UP 19%

Home Invasions – a crime for which Australia didn’t even have laws before the gun ban because it never happened – are UP 21%

Like Chicago and Washington D.C., Australia’s gun laws have back fired. The statistics above are rarely if ever reported by mainline news channels in America because the evidence is clear: If you take away guns from law abiding citizens, the only people with guns will be the criminals.

Not only is the evidence regularly buried, but harrowing stories of self defense where individuals have taken it upon themselves to protect their lives and property are often downplayed. When a 65 year old jewelry shop owner took matters into her own hands and opened fire on five gun-toting armed robbers recently, what did the local CBS affiliate mention repeatedly in their report?

“As much as those cops like seeing bad guys having the tables turned on them, they still caution everybody that down-range, beyond the target, there’s often an innocent bystander.”

Video via The Daily Sheeple:

There is always a risk of an innocent bystander being hit by a rogue bullet, but not one example of such an outcome is ever identified by news reporters citing such information. More often than not, it’s the criminals who shoot indiscriminately that maim or kill a child or other innocent passer-by.

Explaining to the anti-gun activists that the benefits far outweigh the risks is like pulling teeth. But, as the 65 year old jewelry store owner, or the patron of an internet cafe, or the mom who acted to save her kids by shooting an armed intruder show, one person with a gun is all it takes to prevent scores of others from being hurt or killed.

We can continue down this road of stripping Americans of their liberty and right to defend themselves, and we can be assured that we’ll continue to measure the subsequent fallout by counting it in the loss of innocent life. Or, we can put the power back into the hands of the people and send a message to those who would do harm to others. In Australia, criminals are more empowered than ever before when they see statistics like armed robberies being up 69% or murders being up 21%, because they know the people have no ability to defend themselves.

But what if the statistics reported by the media were more like those of Detroit, where self defense killings have jumped 2200% and justifiable homicide is up 79% year-over-year?

If local and national news agencies were reporting that crime was falling and more would-be criminals were ending up taking celestial dirt naps when engaged in violent criminal activity, the psychological effects of being aware of these statistics would be a very powerful deterrent indeed.

The American people are perfectly capable of defending themselves, they need only to have the boot removed from their throats and be allowed to breathe.

Author: Mac Slavo
Views: Read by 12,294 people
Date: August 3rd, 2012
Website:www.SHTFplan.com

Copyright Information: Copyright SHTFplan and Mac Slavo. This content may be freely reproduced in full or in part in digital form with full attribution to the author and a link to http://www.shtfplan.com. Please contact us for permission to reproduce this content in other media formats.

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Cold Hard Facts On Gun Bans: “The Cost Of Liberty Can Be Measured In the Loss of Life” [Video] – John Malcolm.

 

ANZAC Day

Poppies, a symbol of remembrance (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

97 years ago today the ANZAC Corp landed at Gallipoli. It was supposed to be a daring thrust to take Constantinople (Istanbul) but it bogged down almost immediately becoming a slugging match that lasted until 9 January 1916. It was a decisive defeat for the Allies and had many repercussions. Including for the First Sea Lord, Winston Churchill. It was also very important to the Turks in founding the Turkish Republic under Ataturk who was one of the commanders.

It is often said that this campaign marked the beginning of national consciousness for Australia and New Zealand, much as the War of 1812 did for us Americans. It is the main memorial holiday in both countries, surpassing Remembrance Day, much as Memorial Day surpasses Veterans Day for us.

It is also commemorated in England, Canada, the United States, Thailand, India, France, Turkey, and several other countries.

And so we should take a moment today to remember those heroes who have stood with us in Europe (twice), in the Pacific campaign, in Korea, in Vietnam,in the cold war,  in Iraq (twice) and in Afghanistan, and probably elsewhere that I’ve forgotten as well.

Here is what Atatürk himself had to say in 1934.

“Those heroes that shed their blood
And lost their lives.
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country.
Therefore rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies
And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side
Here in this country of ours.
You, the mothers,
Who sent their sons from far away countries
Wipe away your tears,
Your sons are now lying in our bosom
And are in peace
After having lost their lives on this land they have
Become our sons as well.”

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.

 

ANZAC Day service in Portsmouth.

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