Obama administration apologizes for firing Shirley Sherrod

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/07/21/97918/obama-administration-apologizes.html

Of course, the bigger question is why Sherrod would want to work for an employer that has proven itself to have an administration that is populated with jerks.

Any employer willing to fire you without knowing the facts of the situation or bothering to investigate clearly does not deserve competent employees. Any employer who acts on the obviously tainted "reporting" of Fox (rather like Food Network in that it's an "entertainment" channel; decidedly not an "information" channel) is not an employer who has any right making hiring decisions.

Furthermore, in the now infamous video clip of Sherrod speaking at the NAACP conference, she clearly did NOT state that she refused to give a white client the full extent of services possible because of his skin color. It was because of his attitude. You know, the same thing that makes a traffic cop decide whether he's going to let you go with a warning or give you a speeding ticket with a hefty fine.

And Obama is for the "working American" ...how,. exactly?

I really don't get how the right is against Obama. He's one of them, doncha know. Man up, Barack. Do what you know is right, not what the rabid right wants you to do. When you cave, they win.

Fantastic Book Sculptures

I mentioned Heather's book sculptures to an email loop I'm part of. Then I took another look at her blog and her Etsy store and marveled all over again at the sheer amount of creativity and originality it took to create these things. Then I decided that perhaps the American Library Association would be interested in highlighting her work to show what could be made of  "de-selected" library books.

Here is the letter I sent to ALA:

I wanted ALA to know about my friend Heather, who is both a skilled librarian and fantastic book artist. By “book artist” I mean that she uses discarded library books and transforms them into the most amazing sculptures.

I first met Heather in 2001 when I had been hired at the reference department at Stanislaus County Library in Modesto, California. She was then a library assistant and part-time MLIS student at San Jose State University. Since she completed her MLIS, she became a branch manager at one of the Stanislaus County branch libraries, then eventually married and moved to Bakersfield, where she is now a librarian with Kern County Library.

Frankly, between her full-time job and full-time family responsibilities, I have no idea how she has either the time or energy to devote to her craft. Her book sculptures are decidedly entrancing. And as if that weren't enough, she also developed the idea of making beads out of strips of paper and then creating jewelry from those beads. I was astounded the day I opened a package from her that contained a pair of earrings made from those beads. One earring had beads that said “Book Slut.” The other said “I'll Read Anything.” I was so touched that she remembered me saying that about myself and was thoughtful enough to send me this gift.

I thought that since Heather is a librarian and her craft involves a clever way to re-purpose something that would otherwise probably just end up in the recycling bin, ALA might possibly consider doing a story on her.

Heather's magnificent book sculptures may be viewed at her blog:

http://rhymeswithmagicart.blogspot.com/

and her paper bead jewelry here:

http://rhymeswithmagic.etsy.com/

Thank you very much for your consideration.

More Identity Theft Masquerading as Employment Offer

This is the second or third attempt to get me to send in a copy of my credit report so an employer can then tell me where to go for orientation for a job I never applied for. LOL. Nice try.

This time, instead of replying as I did with Janice from "getjudgement.com" I went to the FBI's Internet Crime Division to file a complaint. Yes, kiddies, this is a crime. They have no job; what they do have is the intent to steal your identity. Don't you think someone with a legitimate job offer would be someone you'd remember applying to? Don't you think your Social Security Number would be sufficient for them to establish your identity? Don't you think they would interview you before making an offer? And looking at it from a logical/grammatical point of view, if they were busy moving at first and they didn't contact anyone, how on Earth is this the second attempt to contact me?

BTW, their IP address is 174.121.45.44.

*** This is our 2nd attempt to deliver this message to you ***

Dear Applicant,

You had recently expressed an interest in a position at FBG Services, Inc.  At the time, we were in between moving to a new location and weren't able to easily conduct interviews.  Now, we are completely moved and ready to bring on new employees.  You were one of the candidates that we were closely looking at for the position.  This is a full-time position which offers a competitive starting wage, plus health, dental, and retirement benefits.  Paid training is provided.

To accept these terms and move on to the final stage of the recruitment process, we need you to provide a current copy of your credit report to go in your employment file. FBG Services, Inc. has a zero-tolerance policy in regards to theft of company property. Your credit scores or payment history are not important to us; rather it is a means of verifying your identity, and will also serve as your acceptance of the position. Once you fill out the report, an email is automatically generated that notifies us of your acceptance of the position, that in turn will email you new hire paperwork and give you times for new-hire orientation. Be sure to bring 2 forms of identification with you to the orientation.

Your free report can be obtained here: http://usareports.org/employee018274/

This tentative offer will expire in 72 hours from the time sent. If you choose not to accept it, or have any questions, please email me directly.

We appreciate your interest in joining the team at FBG Services, Inc. and hope you decide to come aboard!

Sincerely,


Amanda Miller

Human Resources Director
FBG Services, Inc.



This message contains information from FBG Services , Inc. that may be confidential and privileged. If you are not an intended recipient, please refrain from any disclosure, copying, distribution or use of this information and note that such actions are prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error, please notify the sender immediately.

Let me reiterate: do not apply for jobs at blind addresses on Craiglist. If it is a legitimate employer with a legitimate job, they won't be afraid to give real contact information.

She Just Can't Leave Well Enough Alone

Wouldn't you think a righty like Sarah Palin would be all about "property rights?" She seems to be, at least when she wants to build a big tacky house on a lake. But she doesn't seem willing to extend that same right to her new neighbor.Joe McGinniss.


I don't quite understand why she thinks the world is obsessed with her kids. If she hadn't shoved them in our faces for political gain to begin with, in all probability, no one would give a damn about little benighted Piper and a neighbor who Palin has apparently slandered by referring to him as a peeping Tom.

But then, she also tried to accuse David Letterman of being a child molester.I just see this as one more of the many already document instances of Palin wanting to play with the big boys, but when something happens that she doesn't like she pulls out the gender card and whines about how she's been victimized. Just go away already. You are doing absolutely nothing for women.

You know, Sarah, perhaps Piper can avoid the issue by. -- you know. -- closing her curtains?

Ali Velshi on AOL's 30th Anniversary

On CNN today, Ali Velshi did a bit on the 30th anniversary of AOL. He interviewed Steve Case, former CEO and discussed AOL's meteoric rise in the early and mid-90's how and how their membership numbered in the millions, and howby purchasing Time Warner it became the world's largest media conglomerate.

Then, predictably, he asked what happened? Why did people suddenly leave AOL in droves?

As a former AOL tech support rep, I think I can answer that. AOL is fine for people with no clue. However, as they become more sophisticated, they begin to see the many ways in which AOL is lacking. They begin to get tired of the inherent limitations of AOL's proprietary software. They tire of the advertising slapped onto every damn bit of virtual real estate available. They become annoyed that AOL doesn't play nice with other software.

For me personally, the cutting point was calling America Online for support with a password issue and getting a rep with an obvious Indian accent who called himself "Sean." I called back with a follow up question and got a girl with an obvious Indian accent calling herself "Betty." Glad to see that AOL's Albuquerque call center, which employed 1200 people when I worked there, is no longer there -- and AOL is a primary out-sourcer of jobs to India.

Jesus. At least when I answered the phone, it was with my real name.

Great going.