Against The Wind

The heading is taken from the Bob Seger song, in which he says

“Well those drifters days are past me now
I’ve got so much more to think about
Deadlines and commitments
What to leave in, what to leave out
Against the wind
I’m still runnin against the wind
Well I’m older now and still
against the wind “

Having worked in the Government for all these years, I have had good Managers and poor Managers.
My present Manager is one of the terrific ones. Yes, he has his faults, but he is a “people” person and knows the art of politics. His often says “I guide people, but I manage things”. Well, he dropped the bombshell in a meeting yesterday afternoon, with a simple statement that he will be retiring within a year.
All ten of us in the Department are dumbstruck and walking around like zombies.
We are running against the wind.
When a high ranking Head of a Department (HD) retires in the Government, they are often replaced with an appointee with his/her own political agenda. So we know that after he leaves, we will not be treated with the fairness that we have enjoyed in the past.
We will not be shielded from the political masters, to which we serve, although the axiom in our Department is that our clients are the taxpayers of this country.

As Bob Seger says in his song:

“Moving eight miles a minute for months at a time
Breaking all of the rules that would bend
I began to find myself searchin
Searching for shelter again and again
Against the wind
A little something against the wind
I found myself seeking shelter against the wind”

I am still running against the wind.

Walk Good

The Week That Was .......

You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things -- to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals.
Edmund Hilary

He came, He saw and He charmed
The shortest layover of the century.
The President of the USA came to Ottawa for a visit and all I was praying for, was for him to be safe and return home in one piece. (This world is full of some very sick people). The security was tight, but that is expected in this city with its array of embassies and visiting dignitaries, the RCMP and the Ottawa police know how to provide security. Last week, they stepped it up to another level, and it was a joy to see the military precision that the security was executed.
The building where I work is adjacent to the American embassy; and a 5 min. walk to Parliament Hill, needless to say we felt the effects of the security. We were given permission to join the crowds, but we all declined …. I detest crowds.
The day that he arrived was fresh, (-2C) not cold, however, the US media thought it was extremely cold. I wonder if they want me to invite them up when it is REALLY cold, like -45C ….. jeez, set of wimps. The American Media has no idea what, who or where Canada is located. Proof is in this article US Media Struggles with Obama Visit to Canada
There were busloads of people from Montreal and Toronto, who came here, just to see this inspiring President. This is remarkably different from when his predecessor (Dubya) came for his visit. We almost had riots with demonstrations saying that he should go home. President Obama’s visit was one of welcome and awe, with many ordinary people shaking his hand in the Byward Market and where he bought his BeaverTail pastry.
I wish him well (he will need it) and may God’s Blessing be with him (this is mandatory) during his tenure as President and during these troubling times.

Walk Good

But unu see mi dying trial - Part III

Young Gifted and ...........

What is good for the goose is not good for the gander.

Casuistry, cloaked in bigotry. What else is new.

Walk Good.

SYSboombah

Technological stuff that really bugs me, but shouldn’t
Issue #1
iPhone Apps
As the proud owner of an iPhone (I got it free to try for a year), I am well aware there are approximately 27,145,692 apps for my device. Many are worthwhile, most are not.

For instance, one makes your iPhone seem like you are drinking a glass of beer. As you tilt the phone, the liquid appears to vanish down your gullet. That is so clever. Why are people bothering with this? Why am I even writing about it?

I made a comparison with the Blackberry flip. A young cherub-faced sales guy – I believe a requisite is to be under the age of 22 AND not able to shave yet – boasted that there would be far more apps available on the Blackberry.

I answered, “So”?

To which he responded, “Lots more choices”

Then I said, “So”?

He didn’t get it. For the record though, I’ve spent two bucks on apps and got three for free.

Issue #2
My Wireless Mouse/Keyboard
Nothing wireless about it. It connects remotely to a connector thing that plugs, with a wire, into a USB port. The mouse also uses two AA batteries and the keyboard also uses two AA batteries. I have to replace them every few months. I have now spent enough on batteries to buy a new PC.

Issue#3
Passwords
Comedian Jonathan Winters (you may remember him) did a routine a long time ago about his difficulty recalling all the numbers in his life. It was quite funny, until passwords came along.
Today’s computer programs inform me that my chosen password is not strong enough. Evidently the same geek who wants to hook into my Bluetooth (teeth), also plans to invade my cell phone bill. Go for it buddy, and while you are there consider paying for it.
Theraininspainstaymainlyintheplain is catchy for My Fair Lady; it is not a very strong password.
This one is: gptruie54@#$*WWxO981vc?2. It is created by a password generating program. No one is expected to actually memorize this gibberish, so I wonder about its usefulness.
I have come up with a clever formula for my passwords that deals with the ones I need. This is a partial list: Banking, Online bill payments, e-mail accounts, PayPal, Apple, buying tickets online and the security codes for NATO.
It seems though that no matter where you go online, you need a password. There are only so many combinations I can come up with and writing them down seems counter-productive.

Walk Good

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

Source: The Gleaner

"JAMAICA has become an environment in which life is cheap. There appears to be a lack of compassion and a fascination for the macabre. As a nation, we have become desensitised to death and suffering."

It would appear that the nation has lost its collective aspirations. The experts call it BPD, however, my term for it is "The Culture of Death".

The article speaks for itself.

Walk Good.

The Sheer Stupidity

This is from an article written by Andrew Manis, an associate professor of history at Macon State College in Georgia

Source Shreve Port Times

"For much of the last 40 years, ever since America "fixed" its race problem in the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, we white people have been impatient with African-Americans who continued to blame race for their difficulties. Often we have heard whites ask, "When are African-Americans finally going to get over it?" Now I want to ask "When are we white Americans going to get over our ridiculous obsession with skin color?"


"Until this past Nov. 4, I didn't believe this country would ever elect an African-American to the presidency. I still don't believe I'll live long enough to see us white people get over our racism problem. But here's my three-point plan during the Obama administration: First, every day that Barack Obama lives in the White House that Black Slaves Built, I'm going to pray that God (and the Secret Service) will protect him and his family from us white people."

It makes an interesting read together with the comments.
Enjoy

Walk Good