I was wrong

I was wrong. Apparently John McCain has chosen Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Veep, not me. Oh well.
And can I just say good for him? Because basing your entire campaign strategy on convincing people your opponent isn't experienced enough, then turning around and picking someone with even LESS experience as your number 2 takes a lot of cajones. Especially when you are closer to death than any other presidential contender in the last 100 years. Hats off to you Johnny Mac.

From what I've read about Palin I like her: She's the mother of 5, played high school basketball, isn't afraid to stand up to the oil industry (even though her husband is in it), looks kind of like Daphne from Frasier, and as a schoolgirl regularly woke up at 3:00 AM to hunt moose with her father. This is outstanding.

So even though it's an obvious gimmick choice from a desperate McCain (Hey, look! We're not all old white men either! We have women and minorities too! Vote Republican!), I like it. I don't think it will work, but I like it. If for nothing more than the moose hunting thing.

Men in Black

So men in black suits with sunglasses and ear pieces have been walking around the perimeter of our building today, gazing suspiciously at employees and passing college students. Which can only mean one thing: John McCain is finally coming over here to ask me to be his VP.

That or the Secretary of Health and Human Services is dropping by to say hi to the fam. One of those.

Memorial Walk

Work has been a little different this week. It's been harder for everyone to focus on the normal job stuff.

Me and a couple other people have put together a memorial walk for the families of the victims of the plane crash. It will be next Friday from 5:30 to 7:30 at the Canyon Park Trail in Cedar. Anyone who reads this from the Cedar/St. George area and who can make it please help get the word out. Tonight the governor of Utah, Elder Snow (one of the General Authorities of the LDS Church), and Dane Leavitt will be speaking at a community gathering at SUU of around 5,000 people and will announce it for us. We're also working with the local papers and business networks. The mayor has been great and is supporting us. We were hoping to get 200-300 people there, but it's looking like we may get up to 1,000.

I guess the hardest part about something like this is that you want to help but you don't know what you can do. Though it may not be much, it feels good to at least be doing something.

Plane Crash

Last Friday our company plane crashed just outside of Moab. 10 people died, including the pilot who, in addition to flying the company planes, also worked part-time as an I.T. Tech for us. The other 9 people were the staff of a local dermatology office who rented out the plane every month to reach clients in Moab. The cause of the crash is still unknown. Seeing as there was no blackbox, eye-witnesses, or survivors it doesn't look like we will ever know.

I still can't believe this. The pilot's name was David White. I talked with him at his cubicle not a day or two before the crash. Even joked around with him for slacking off in our fitness program.

I've flown with him in the very same plane that is now nothing more than a mass of charred metal. The first time I was in the co-pilots seat and he showed me what all the instruments did and talked about how much he loved flying. I even asked him about his craziest flying stories and he told me about one of his engines going out and having to land on a narrow stretch of I-15 just north of St. George. He was a great pilot and an amazing person. Now he's gone and his wife and four kids are without a husband and father.

Life can change pretty fast.

These, too, are also funny

This is despicable...and funny

I think most of us have seen the 1955 Housekeeping Monthly: The good wife's guide by now (if not, click here). Here's an article along that same vein that another HR guy sent to me. This was written back in WWII when businesses were having to deal with the labor shortage from the draft and is ripe with just as much condescension, misogyny, cluelessness, and unintentional comedy as The Good Wife's guide (particularly number 3).


The funny part is that in my recruiting experience women generally make better employees than men (in the office setting, anyway), as men often refuse to do certain tasks and are constantly in competition with each other.

Eleven Tips on Getting More Efficiency Out of Women Employees

There's no longer any question whether transit companies should hire women for jobs formerly held by men. The draft and manpower shortage has settled that point. The important things now are to select the most efficient women available and how to use them to the best advantage.

Here are eleven helpful tips on the subject from western properties:

1. If you can get them, pick young married women. They have these advantages, according to the reports of western companies: they usually have more of a sense of responsibility than do their unmarried sisters; they're less likely to be flirtatious; as a rule, they need the work or they wouldn't be doing it — maybe a sick husband or one who's in the army; they still have the pep and interest to work hard and to deal with the public efficiently.

2. When you have to use older women, try to get ones who have worked outside the home at some time in their lives. Most transportation companies have found that older women who have never contacted the public, have a hard time adapting themselves, are inclined to be cantankerous and fussy. It's always well to impress upon older women the importance of friendliness and courtesy.


3. While there are exceptions, of course, to this rule, general experience indicates that "husky" girls — those who are just a little on the heavy side — are likely to be more even-tempered and efficient than their underweight sisters.


4. Retain a physician to give each woman you hire a special physical examination — one covering female conditions. This step not only protects the property against the possibilities of lawsuit but also reveals whether the employee-to-be has any female weaknesses which would make her mentally or physically unfit for the job. Transit companies that follow this practice report a surprising number of women turned down for nervous disorders.

5. In breaking in women who haven't previously done outside work, stress at the outset the importance of time — the fact that a minute or two lost here and there makes serious inroads on schedules. Until this point is gotten across, service is likely to be slowed up.

6. Give the female employee in garage or office a definite day-long schedule of duties so that she'll keep busy without bothering the management for instructions every few minutes. Numerous properties say that women make excellent workers when they have their jobs cut out for them but that they lack initiative in finding work themselves.

7. Whenever possible, let the inside employee change from one job to another at some time during the day. Women are inclined to be nervous and they're happier with change.

8. Give every girl an adequate number of rest periods during the day. Companies that are already using large numbers of women stress the fact that you have to make some allowances for feminine psychology. A girl has more confidence and consequently is more efficient if she can keep her hair tidied, apply fresh lipstick and wash her hands several times a day.

9. Be tactful in issuing instructions or in making criticisms. Women are often sensitive; they can't shrug off harsh words the way that men do. Never ridicule a woman — it breaks her spirit and cuts her efficiency.

10. Be reasonably considerate about using strong language around women. Even though a girl's husband or father may swear vociferously, she'll grow to dislike a place of business where she hears too much of this.

11. Get enough size variety in operator uniforms that each girl can have a proper fit. This point can't be stressed too strongly as a means of keeping women happy, according to western properties.

In Memoriam: Brett Favre's Legacy

This is to officially honor the passing of the man we would have remembered Brett Favre as: a rugged, exuberant, talented Super Bowl champion who was the face of one of the most historied NFL teams for over a decade.

Instead that man has been replaced by a flaky, indecisive semi-diva who lost his touch years ago, throws as many interceptions as touchdowns, and struggles over career decisions the same way old people struggle with deciding what to order at Panda Express.

RIP, old Brett Favre.

Why I Love the Gov'ment, episode 2

So I got another gem for you:

As HR guy I am told by the government not to ask job candidates or employees about race, gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnic background, religion, etc., as those things are unrelated to job performance. Yet as HR guy I am also told by the government to submit an annual EEO-1 report that lists, you guessed it, race, gender, age, etc. of each employee and job candidate.

Now how am I supposed to do that for 1600 people without asking them? Seriously, how? If I didn't know any better, I would almost think congress passes laws without considering the impact those laws will have on actual people.

It's amazing to me that, as a country, we want to forget about race, age, and other superficial differences, yet these differences are continually thrust in our faces by the people claiming to keep them away.