Hot (90's) with violent thunderstorms and heavy rain.
"The warehouses are dehumanizing hives in which Bezos has produced his own Kafkaesque sequel to Modern Times." Jim Hightower, writing about Amazon.com
01. Taylorism or Bezosism?
When I first hired on at the Social Security Administration, I was given lots of information on the reason for Social Insurance and Unemployment Compensation. Part of that information was about the theory of "scientific management" developed back in the 1880's by Frederick Taylor. Fred tried to show how craft workers could be turned into tools of mass production. Maximum efficiency from each worker was seen as the overriding value in any business. Taylor was the "efficiency expert" who clocked everything that employees did.. a lot like the "time saving guy" in the 1957 musical, Pajama Game, which had a remarkable portrayal of the life in a New England pajama factory. My late wife, Elaine, worked in one of them when she was in her teens and said that the musical's portrayal was exactly right. "Hurry Up! Hurry Up! Can't waste time.. while we're racing with the clock!"
Jim Hightower says that life for Bezos' warehouse employees is a lot like life in a pajama factory. And, everything that they do is timed and examined and questioned.. "Could a robot do this? Faster? More efficiently?" Robots don't need time off and work for peanuts (well maybe nuts and bolts.)
02. The President's Record
Progressive Populist: John Young writes about the achievements of President Obama:
"...shepherding the nation out of the Great Recession,
winding down two wars,
leading the way to equal rights for gays and lesbians,
ordering an unprecedented move toward alternative fuels and energy conservation,
and... the Affordable Care Act.
It is deplorable to me that our peace-loving President is being pushed to war-like action by Congressional and Military hawks.
03. Local Politics
Carroll County Times: David Grant writes that Commissioner Frazier, who lost in the primary, may yet "rise from the ashes and return to the board as a write-in candidate in November depending (so she says) on what God directs her to do." (Why do some people think that God speaks directly to them? Isn't this a form of Hubris?)
04. Spokesmen?
Speaking of talking directly with God, Pope Francis recently said: "All this (war like activity) gravely offends God..." How does he know that? Well, its because he is the Pope and God does speaks directly to him. (Or so I'm told.)
How about the Muslims in ISIS.. do they talk directly to Allah? If so, doesn't he advise them that brutally killing people is not the way to go.
What factor is in the middle of almost every major conflict in the world today? That's right:
Religion!
Everyone thinks that their version is correct. Will any kind of religious compromise ever be accomplished? Do we need a Messiah with world-wide clout to get this all settled? Or, why don't we let the space aliens being held in a secret U.S. Government Airplane Hangar free, so they can tell us what we need to know about the universe?
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) said it: "Men never do evil so cheerfully and completely as they do so from religious convictions."
05. Prisoners' Rights?
Carroll County Times: In Norway, prisoners keep their rights as citizens, including the right to vote. Citizen and mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik is serving 21 years in prison for murdering 77 people in 2011. Mr Breivik thinks that he is really Adolph Hitler and wants to set up a Fascist Party similar to Naziism. (Just imagine Anders legally establishing a Fascist party which could be voted on in one of Norway's elections. I wonder if current generation Norwegians remember how hard Norwegians fought the Naziis before the Quisling takeover.)
06. New Maryland Law.
On October 1, 2014, drivers will have to "move over" for tow trucks, like they have to do now for emergency vehicles and police cars. If they don't, they will be subjected to a heavy fine.
07. *Obama Care .. The Suit
Progressive Populist: Will Durst says: "The excuse given for the lawsuit is Obama illegally delayed the implementation of Obama Care. Seriously. That's what they claim to be mad at. Not just the very same Obama Care the Speaker and his buddies tried to scuttle over half a hundred times.
But the very same delayed implementation to Obama Care the speaker and his buddies tried to pass. If irony were bananas, Boehner's House would be Brazil.
Obviously something had to be done. Getting way too close to the midterms to try and repeal Obama Care anymore. Turns out people like it."
08. Maybe
The Week: Aldous Huxley said it: "Maybe this world is another planet's hell!"
09. The Piano
BBC Music: Betcha didn't know about Bartolomeo Cristofori (1655-1731). Old Bart invented the piano as we know it. In 1700, he created an "arpicimbalo" which was a harpsichord-like instrument with an ingenious hammer-action that made it capable of dynamic gradations. This was the model that piano makers used for years to come.
10. Strauss Scam
Victor Book of Musical Fun: In 1872 Johann Strauss was invited to come to Boston. He was the musical sensation of the day. He was known as the Waltz King. At first, he didn't want to come, but when he was offered $100,000, and transportation for his wife, his two servants and his Newfoundland dog, he changed his mind.
He gave performances in both Boston and New York and fans "fell over one another" to acquire locks of Strauss' hair. One of his servants did a thriving business selling it.. except that it wasn't legitimate Strauss hair.. it was clipped from his Newfoundland's ample coat.
11. Carroll County By-Ways
On a trip to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, I kept track of the roads we passed, going and coming. Some of these names must have stories connected to them. When I have time, I hope to look the stories up.
Mud College Road
Black School House Road
Baptist Road
Bull Frog Road
Blue and Grey Highway
Crystal String Lane
Hoffman House Road *
*This is the road to Hoffman House, named after Bob Hoffman, the owner of York Barbell. He was a philanthropist in his old age and founded a place in the country for city boys who needed help. He was a great big man with lots of York Barbell muscles. Once, we visited Williamsburg, Virginia for the Mr. America contest, and as we drove by one of the hotels, Bob was having fun with some of his body builders, and we saw him jump up on the hood of a car and start bouncing up and down. We didn't wait to see the damage, but I'll bet it was considerable.
Somewhere on this blog I have written about the time my son, Chris accompanied me to York Barbell to buy some weights. It's a great story, but to read it, you'll have to search for it among my 377 blog entries. Good luck.
12. Sleep Facts
Social Security Administration Brochure: When we sleep:
First: our bodies ease into a state of sleep called Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep;
(this lasts from five to thirty minutes.. all the time our eyes move very rapidly)
Next, a deeper sleep kicks in, called Slow Wave Sleep (SWS);
(this lasts up to 90 minutes)
Next, the situation repeats itself.. normally for four or five times each night.
(Well, I wish that my sleep was like that. Sometimes people ask me: "How did you sleep last night?"
My answer: "Like a baby. I woke up every two hours and cried."
I do wake up every two hours.. and have been doing so for many, many years.. but when I wake up, I don't cry.)
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