Messages

I heard from a guy, who knows another guy (So you know this is a reliable source!), who claims that the horrendous, nonstop vibrations from Junkenstien's demolition is the reason that old Egyptian statue in the Manchester Museum keeps moving around.

[Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father]

Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father

As per the article:

"The president has long sold himself as a self-made billionaire, but a Times investigation found that he received at least $413 million in today's dollars from his father's real estate empire, much of it through tax dodges in the 1990s.

President Trump participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s, including instances of outright fraud, that greatly increased the fortune he received from his parents, an investigation by The New York Times has found.

Mr. Trump won the presidency proclaiming himself a self-made billionaire, and he has long insisted that his father, the legendary New York City builder Fred C. Trump, provided almost no financial help.
But The Times's investigation, based on a vast trove of confidential tax returns and financial records, reveals that Mr. Trump received the equivalent today of at least $413 million from his father's real estate empire, starting when he was a toddler and continuing to this day."

Here's the link: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/02/us/politics/donald-trump-tax-schemes-fred-trump.html

I find it telling that Trump refutes this article, but , to my knowledge, has not threatened to sue the NYT for libel.

I love New York!

[not]

I recall that it was about 35 years ago that smaller manufacturing companies became skittish about poaching executives from GE. Even that far back, the GE boys had acquired a reputation for being "short-term, bottom line only managers."

So, now we can see how that worked out for them long-term.

Funny thing about this is that you can repeat the lesson as often as you like, and humans will not learn.

I have basically been given control over 3 other director's reserve budgets, because they cannot be shown that you have to spend money.  I have watched the F&B guy more or less bankrupt his department "saving money".

This must be a new, 21st Century management strategy. I never saw, or heard, of anything like it during my career.

Are managers now being given some kind of tangible reward for doing this? 

Back in the day, managers were unwilling to not spend every single cent of their budgets, for fear those budgets would be cut by higher level management for the next fiscal year. But, I'm sure you've seen more than your share of that old management style.

The F&B guy is one of those guys that's so sharp he cuts himself.  He is in a position in which he is expected to lose about a third of a million a year, and he keeps trying to be profitable, at the expense of what he's actually supposed to do.

It is an article of faith with me that budgets are for people who worry about budgets.  I get things done right the first time, most often, and what do you know?  At the end of the year, my budget looks pretty damn good.

Thanks. Now I understand about your F&B guy.

Our work experiences differ. I spent most of my career as a project manager on capital and construction projects. I got dragged into maintenance projects on a kicking-and-screaming basis, and managed to avoid most of them, with the exception of real emergencies (I didn't begrudge helping out, when the situation was critical.).

After learning (the hard way) to refuse any project that I had not personally estimated, I had minimal budget concerns. And, as I also learned (by no longer really giving a shit) that the consequences of refusing under-budgeted projects were really no worse than the consequences of doing those projects and going over budget, life was good.   

You will notice that nowhere in that description does the word "Mexico" occur.

Do you know what you're doing to my spare time?

When you necrobump a thread, I start reading it.  If it's interesting, I can end up reading the whole thing.  Then that thread links to another, and another, and the next thing I know, I'm reading about an orange eating contest and wondering what the hell kind of forum I've signed up for.

That "no grapefruit" rule is totally bogus.

I feel your pain.

[not]

I recall that it was about 35 years ago that smaller manufacturing companies became skittish about poaching executives from GE. Even that far back, the GE boys had acquired a reputation for being "short-term, bottom line only managers."

So, now we can see how that worked out for them long-term.

Funny thing about this is that you can repeat the lesson as often as you like, and humans will not learn.

I have basically been given control over 3 other director's reserve budgets, because they cannot be shown that you have to spend money.  I have watched the F&B guy more or less bankrupt his department "saving money".

This must be a new, 21st Century management strategy. I never saw, or heard, of anything like it during my career.

Are managers now being given some kind of tangible reward for doing this? 

Back in the day, managers were unwilling to not spend every single cent of their budgets, for fear those budgets would be cut by higher level management for the next fiscal year. But, I'm sure you've seen more than your share of that old management style.

I recall that it was about 35 years ago that smaller manufacturing companies became skittish about poaching executives from GE. Even that far back, the GE boys had acquired a reputation for being "short-term, bottom line only managers."

So, now we can see how that worked out for them long-term.

Syphilis ate the POTUS's brain.

[UCF Selling Experimental Martian Dirt — $20 a Kilogram, Plus Shipping]

Get your genuine, artificial Martian dirt here!

UCF Selling Experimental Martian Dirt — $20 a Kilogram, Plus Shipping

As per the article:

'This is not fake news. A team of UCF astrophysicists has developed a scientifically based, standardized method for creating Martian and asteroid soil known as simulants.

The team published its findings this month in the journal Icarus.

"The simulant is useful for research as we look to go to Mars," says Physics Professor Dan Britt,  member of UCF's Planetary Sciences Group. "If we are going to go, we'll need food, water and other essentials. As we are developing solutions, we need a way to test how these ideas will fare."
For example, scientists looking for ways to grow food on Mars — cue the 2015 film The Martian — need to test their techniques on soil that most closely resembles the stuff on Mars.'

Hardcore dirt enthusiasts can download the UCF scientific paper, "Mars global simulant MGS-1: A Rocknest-based open standard for basaltic martian regolith simulants," from the following site:


https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103518303038?via%3Dihub

[Cable new commentator fired for being too gross, even for Fox News]

Cable new commentator fired for being too gross, even for Fox News

As per the article:

"Now-former Fox News commentator Kevin Jackson, who managed to successfully find the line that not even his employers would be willing to cross in regards to attacking women willing to stand up to powerful men, specifically with some of his Twitter commentary today about Dr. Christine Blasey Ford."

and:

"The network is presumably now casting around for someone capable of expressing their unease at the idea of female autonomy in the more gentle, chipperly smiling form to which its viewers are accustomed."

Here's the link: https://news.avclub.com/cable-news-commentator-fired-for-being-too-gross-even-1829376861

[Jim Carrey Mocks 'Entitled Little S**t' Brett Kavanaugh In New Artwork]

Jim Carrey Mocks 'Entitled Little S**t' Brett Kavanaugh In New Artwork

As per the article:

"Jim Carrey has aimed his latest piece of art at Judge Brett Kavanaugh, President Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee who has been accused of sexual assault.

The actor/artist and star of the new series "Kidding" suggested that Kavanaugh add a ski mask to his judge's robes. Along with savaging Kavanaugh, Carrey also called out universities for not taking action to protect rape victims:

Colleges care more about donors than the victims of on-campus rape. That's why women don't report it and why ENTITLED LITTLE SHITS like Injustice Kavanaugh get to party and pillage their way to the Supreme Court.I'd like to suggest a new uniform for the highest court in the land. pic.twitter.com/9piWob4jGh

— Jim Carrey (@JimCarrey) September 24, 2018"

Here's the link: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jim-carrey-brett-kavanaugh_us_5ba9ba00e4b0375f8f9feda1

As far as Jim Carrey the comedian goes, I can take him, or leave him. But, in the case of Kavanaugh, Carrey is absolutely spot on.

I caught part of Kavanaugh's testimony this afternoon, and I have to say that I've never seen anything like it from a person seeking a high government office.

I came away convinced that that ENTITLED LITTLE SHIT really thinks the world owes him a Supreme Court seat!

[Trump exploded when he learned presidential transition would cost millions: 'F*ck the law — I want my money!']

Trump exploded when he learned presidential transition would cost millions: 'F*ck the law — I want my money!'

As per the article:

"A new article by journalist Michael Lewis claims that Donald Trump in 2016 went on a furious tirade when he learned that his campaign was required by law to fund a presidential transition team.

Writing in the Guardian, Lewis explains that former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie explained to the future president in April 2016 that he would need to either pay to hire a transition team himself or would have to use campaign funds to pay for it.

Trump grudgingly agreed to let Christie set up a separate fund aimed solely at raising money for the transition.

Here's the link: https://www.rawstory.com/2018/09/trump-exploded-learned-presidential-transition-cost-millions-fck-law-want-money/

No real surprise here.