A theory of layoffs

Silicon Valley does layoffs periodically regardless of the state of the economy. It is clear that our current recession is sufficiently serious that layoffs are necessary to reduce costs and ensure survival.

Layoffs don't happen in the way that you think they should.

You would think that the senior management of the company would look at the overall operation and figure out which groups perform the least essential function of the company, and either eliminate the group or retain just a few key staff from each group.

But that is not what happens.

The senior management abdicates the responsibility for the layoffs to the second level managers (and sometimes first level managers are included). These managers use a different set of criteria; they consciously or unconsciously select the people on their teams who are the most difficult and most challenging to manage.

We all know who these people are.

Some of them are eccentric and quirky, maybe not socially gracious, maybe not poised, but at the same time they have insights, ideas, and points of view that no one else has. Those ideas can lead to breakthroughs that are essential to the future of the company.

Some of them are very passionate about their ideas and aspirations for the company's product or service; they openly argue with their manager to do what they think or feel is right. They are managing from the bottom up; they like to figure out the game plan and persuade their manager. They do not want to carry out orders from above.

So what happens? These are the people who get laid off because they are the most difficult to manage; they are "the problems". The first and second level managers have made their life a lot easier. All the remaining staff know their place, are socially gracious, and everything is lovely without those troublemakers.

However, over the next three to five years, the company does not have any breakthroughs, new ideas, new dynamic product and service offerings. The company just becomes a resting place for drones. Then it dies a slow death.

The solution is that the senior management should not abdicate; they should identify the creative quirky individualists with their passion and their ideas. They should take steps to protect them from the layoff process.

Tiger Woods: Meet Jesus

What does Tiger Woods do now? His wife is divorcing him and who can blame her? Her husband is a philanderer with ten mistresses, so far. It is a pity. Tiger Woods had such a wonderful image. He was successful in a sport dominated by older, rich, white men. He was a breath of fresh air.

What advertiser would not want a handsome, talented, competent young man to represent a company and its products? Well ... no one... not now. Tiger's ... ahem... excessive infidelity would not be the type of image an advertiser would want.

What can Tiger do now?

As far as golf goes, Tiger is a pariah. Actually, as far as anything goes, he is a pariah. So what can he do now?

He needs to get through his divorce. He needs to lay low for about one year. He needs redemption. The only way he can redeem himself is to perform gracious, selfless, charitable acts. He must repent and he must find Jesus.

Then in about two years, he can go back to professional golf, but he had better get counseling for his infidelity.

NYC Charter Schools Like Silicon Valley?

Here is an excerpt from today's Wall Street Journal (22Sep2009), in an article titled "Charter Schools Pass Key Test in Study":

"We want to make New York City the Silicon Valley of charter schools," says schools Chancellor Joel Klein, who supports lifting statewide caps. "This study shows that when districts aren't antagonistic to charter schools, and instead welcome them, the results are very powerful."

Like Silicon Valley? With 12% unemployment? Massive traffic problems? Unaffordable housing?
I suppose Klein meant "innnovation" -- that he wants the charter schools to be innovative. It is a strange simile, though. Perhaps Klein could set his aspirations higher.

The Second Great Depression - Government Bailout

Just like the stock market crash of 1929 ushered in the Great Depression, so has the real estate crash of the Fall of 2008 ushered in the Great Depression II.

I was thinking that in Great Depression I, the US Government did NOT bailout any banks or other businesses. Instead, the US Government created work projects to put people back to work and into a spending mood.

This time, in Great Depression II, the government IS bailing out banks and other businesses. The US Government is giving banks and businesses money, and propping them up. BUT, the US Government is NOT doing anything for people. There are no programs to put people back to work.

Did the US Government change from 1929 to 2009? Did it change from a democracy for the people into a government of big businesses? Are our elected officials merely "corporatists"?

Manda Bala (Send a Bullet) to the Wall Street Journal

Antonio Regalado wrote an article for today's (9/9/2009) Wall Street Journal, titled "On Sao Paulo's Mean Streets, the Rich Roll in Armored Splendor". The article is all about the high tech industry of adding armor to cars. This doubles the price of the car, but keeps the wealthy clientele safer than a non-armored car. About 30,000 cars in Brazil are armored and about 120 companies provide armoring services. One of the featured young ladies in the article has a pink VW beetle that is armored.

This is not the story. Antonio Regalado, and/or his editors, have blown it big time. The real story is that Sao Paulo is a very densely populated city with 11 million people, and a huge gap between rich and poor. It is more effective and easier in Sao Paulo to kidnap a wealthy person, cut off their ear as proof that you have them, and send the ear with a demand letter to their family. You can get $20,000 - $50,000 this way. This is more profitable and gets better results than robbing a bank.

Why have the poor and destitute taken this path? To truly understand the dynamics of life in Sao Paulo, one should see the documentary film, "Manda Bala (send a bullet)".

To write a story for the Wall Street Journal describing armored cars in Sao Paulo as a new status symbol is completely irresponsible. It does not address the terrible fear of possible kidnapping by the wealthy. It does not address the political system in Brazil that fails to address the desperate poverty of the majority of Brazilian people.

This is the real story.

Santa Cruz Fire of August 2009

Here's a photo of the fire from space:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=39817

Start: Aug 12 2009
Number of firefighting personnel: 2,000
Cost to contain: $26.6 million
Acres burned: 7817
Square miles burned: 10
End: Aug 26 2009

Kathleen Pouls - Acupuncturist from Hell

About three weeks ago, I pulled a rib in my back. It affected the muscles in my collar bone, and my shoulder, and my rotator cuff in my right arm. I was doing squats and lifting a 10 pound medicine ball. It was an exercise routine I've been doing for almost three months. Suddenly, that morning, a sharp pain zinged down my collar bone, about six inches down my back and stopped. I dropped the medicine ball. I went home. My upper back felt like it was off its tracks.

I went to see a chiropractor who was highly recommended. He did some adjustments and got the rib mostly back into place. I have had three follow up visits, because "the adjustment" does not "last".

Now the thing about this is, I am a personally conservative woman. I do not like strange men touching me. Chiropractors do this thing where they kind of whack your limbs and shoulders and neck around. Almost like they are beating you up. So for me, it becomes an act of physical violence from a strange man directed at me. It makes me very uncomfortable and very fearful. I know I am not the only woman who feels this way. The whole thing is really unpleasant. I don't think I could go back and do it again unless I was under anesthesia.

Problem is I am good for a few days and then the pain is back. A lot of pain. Intense pain on the right side of my back at T3.

The chiropractor recommended I get acupuncture to try and bring down the inflammation. Today I went to Kathleen Pouls, one of the acupuncturists he recommended.

This is only my second time getting acupuncture. The first time (15 years ago) was great. This time was a nightmare.

First, the needles really hurt. Ms. Pouls never asked me "does this hurt?" "are you uncomfortable?" She just stuck the needles in and left the room. For 15 minutes! Gee how about coming back and checking on me after a minute? Maybe I am not okay ... did that cross your mind?

So there I am face down with my head over the side of the table, pulling on my neck muscles in a terrible way. I realize I am in a bad position for me. I could not turn over and get up because of all the needles and if I turned the wrong way, I might drive them in further! (Shudder.) The pain in my neck muscles is causing me to tense up which probably is counteracting any effect the needles have.

I cannot cry out for help because of the way my neck and head are wedged into the table bed, and I doubt anyone would hear me over the newage music.

I tried to scoot down --- kind of wriggle myself further down the table so my head can have some support. As I lifted my legs a little, the pain from the needles really intensified, so I quickly dropped back. So there I was, stuck in this horrible awkward position, causing me to tense up even more.

Finally, I just gritted my teeth, bore the pain and got my body moved down about three inches so I can have some support for my head and neck.

Then Ms. Pouls entered the room. She is blabbing on about some kind of laser treatment. What? Lasers for inflammation? I thought she was an acupuncturist. So I turn to look her and she says "I need to identify your greatest area of pain so I can shine the laser light at it." She then shines this laser right in my eyes! Hey! My eyes are not in pain!!! Unbelievable! So now I can have terrible back pain, go blind, and pay for the privilege.

I think it is the same type of laser I use when I play with my cats and they think the red laser light is some kind of new mousey.

As far as I know, there is zero scientific evidence that laser light shows directed at one's back alleviate back pain. Perhaps there is a placebo effect in some individuals. On me, there was no effect.

Well let's see... does that about cover it? No. I got a lecture about how I should "get on top of the pain". I have no idea what that means. The pain is actually behind me, in my back. How do I get on top of what is behind me? I don't think I am flexible enough to stand on top of my back. Maybe those Cirque du Soleil performers could do that. Not me.

So I wonder if she realizes that my purpose in seeing an acupuncturist was to alleviate the pain? I suppose I never spelled this out. Perhaps she thought I was there for some other purpose?

Ms. Pouls concluded with a newage lecture on all the stuff I should be taking and doing etc. to manage this.
Strangely, she never asked any follow up questions. For example: "Are you feeling better?" "Do you feel some relief?' "Was there any effect from my laser light show?"

It was kind of like she went through her perfunctory performance/routine and I was kind of incidental collateral. Or perhaps I was just life support system for a credit card. In other words, my role in her life was to have a piece of plastic from which she could appropriate $85.

For $85, I could have purchased a fabulous bottle of very fine wine. If I had two glasses of the very fine wine, I know I would be out of pain.

I do NOT recommend Kathleen Pouls, Acupuncturist.