GAS & PRODUCE PRICES

Images in this blog from: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When I think of getting gas for my car or truck and drive around and for the past 2 days have seen the prices go on the rise, again, I cannot help but think to myself the words WTF! I am sure I am not the only one to think the same. These are some harsh economic times for a lot of people and I am NO EXPERT on gas but come on! Because of one fire or some incident , does that make it right to automatically raise the price of gas?? The cost should stay the same until the next shipment of gas purchased by the gas station is delivered, not a second after an incident. When a cow dies, does the price of milk soar that same instant? Hmmm, maybe better off not asking that one. Don’t want give anyone any ideas.

I do believe we import a lot of our oil. Why? Not sure. Not sure if it’s more of a political thing. Can we just not drill our own off shore? I mean, no matter how you look at it and what anyone can do, we are all going to get screwed with prices sky rocketing. I remember about a year ago or so one of my uncles, who is business savvy, turns to me and says do you know that by next summer gas will hit $5 a gallon? I looked at him and just said yeah, ok, sounds about right, jokingly, but it did make me think. Well, he was not off by much! Who knew?? We have already toppled the $4 mark and then some not too long ago. Recently, it seemed that gas prices were slowly going down a couple of cents here and there and I’m sure we all thought there would be some relief and hopefully the gas prices would keep dropping.

Well guess again people. Now, because of a recent incident I am not familiar with and I have no idea what impact that would have on gas, the price jumped up a few cents already. Am I missing something here? Am I the only one questioning what is going on with gas? Is anyone really monitoring this industry to put some type of control in place or are we being crooked while losing more of our hard earned money? Seriously! I have been unemployed for 2 years and was just offered a position and accepted the offer. Only thing now is, I have to pay a toll both ways for a bridge, pay for gas and pay for a big chunk of my family medical plan. It’s not like the job is paying even close to what I was really making, but it’s a job with potential and I really needed to also get out of the house! My out of pocket expense will only go up now and will take money out of my family as well. I cannot have my wife stay home full time with the kids because we need noth incomes. Something I’m sure alot out there can relate to. Am I the only person that is stressed out about the gas gorging? Can anyone stand up for the average Joe and say “Hey, enough is enough” and put something in place to control the cost of gas?

I would not hold my breath. The Gas companies would be the only ones benefiting, someone say corporate greed? We do not benefit anything, not you, me or even the Gas Station. They charge more because they are being charged more and they make almost nothing from what I hear off of has and we the consumer, have to bite our lips every time we fill up our gas tanks and watch that cost dial roll up, up and up! What else is there to do? Maybe take a bus or train to work? Get a Motorcycle or Vespa? Walk? Some of us really do not have a choice but to drive to work. I’m sure a lot of people have not traveled or driven far for vacation due to the cost of gas. I’m sure a lot of us either went to close locations to stay, just going to your local beach or maybe did what I did; get an above ground pool to keep the kids occupied during the summer while I spent time job searching. Whatever the case, all those vacation spots I’m sure are hurting in today’s economy. I’m sure people who were able to travel did a lot of window shopping at gift stores instead of the usual let me buy this and that.

Anyways, not to fall off track here, I have been feeling pretty nauseous and irritated whenever I see my Gas low light turn on or level hitting bottom and know it’s time to refill. It does not pay to drive around looking for cheap gas. Why? Because you’re wasting gas and $$$ doing so! Hopefully things will settle down and the prices start to drop again instead of it rising. Who Knows?

Well, just heard on the news today about the Midwest not getting enough water and causing drought that is effecting the growth of corn. Who knew that corn was that important economically? This is also playing a factor now with Gas prices as well as the produce we buy at the supermarkets. CNN reports a possible 6% increase on produce. This increase would be due to the Mississippi River being the lowest in water level ever! Cargo barges carrying a lot of items cannot carry as much anymore due to the weight and already the bottom of these barges are lightly touching the floor of the river. It was even considered that they may close the river to barges all together! This will in the end make getting goods to us harder and being delivered by land which costs a lot more money.  

So, I guess we all will see worse in our current economic crises before even thinking that things will eventually be turning around for the better and until then, we must try and get by.

Today’s Kids & Teens

 Images in this blog from: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

How many parents today feel the same as I do about how easy our kids have it today? Really, it’s incredible. Between the Cell phones, Computers, Texting, Facebook and other Social media networks, our children have become too dependent on technology.

Sure, I remember growing up there was Atari… and think that was the one main technology thing that kids went crazy for. You either owned one or you spent a lot of time at a friend’s house who had one. Today, you cannot have just one gaming system.

How many of your kids have at least “2” of the following: iPod, iPad, Mac Laptop/Notebook, Desktop Computer, Wii, Playstation 2, 3 and or handheld, Gameboy, Xbox, Cube, etc. etc. and ETC. PLUS probably a cell phone with internet access. Then you have each game that costs the average of $60 each and other costs factors for each of these items like accessories that we are told they need.  I’m going crazy to just keep up with my kids. Who knew that it seems that they can never have too much?

Thank goodness for GameStop. I became a Power Rewards Member there and it has been worth it. You can return old games, gaming systems or accessories and you can at least get something of value back from them. That is not to say they give you top dollar unless that game you’re returning is still in High Demand. Sometimes if you know you can get more, place the item for bids on EBay or other Bid sites. You can also buy used games at Game Stop. Games would be a couple of dollars to half or more off of a more recent game. You can sometimes try and sway your kid from buying that $60 game and pick up a couple of used games that would keep them occupied. You may not always succeed because I always hear “But Dad, everyone has this with the bonus pack and are online playing it”, but it’s worth a shot.  

Then we have our kids in somewhat of a trans with texting and social media. I don’t know, I can say I also have been texting and using Facebook and other Social Media’s but somewhere in the transition, our kids seem to be living via texting 23 hours a day. Do you notice even if you are a room away in the same house, our children may text us instead of coming to us to talk about something? I guess it is the in thing to do. Everybody is doing it. I will tell my daughter when she goes out with her friends to “call me when you’re ready and I’ll come pick you up” and I get from her “K, Bi.” 

The following seems to be the usual routine during pickup time:

Daughter Txt: COME IN 5 MINUTES

My TXT: OK, WILL BE THERE IN 5 MINUTES

5 SECONDS LATER…..

Daughter Txt: COME!! WHERE ARE YOU!!

My TXT: OK, LEAVING NOW

5 SECONDS LATER, WITH BACK TO BACK TXT’S….

Daughter Txt: HURRY!!!

Daughter Txt: R U ALMOST HERE??

At this point, I’m driving and I really do not want to txt while driving so I wait until I’m at a red light and txt quickly

My TXT: YES, PLEASE WAIT.

Daughter Txt: K BI

Phew, glad that is over with. When I try to call her before I left the house to verify, I get her voicemail stating it is full. She never cleans out her voicemails which drives me nuts. When I texted her to call me back, most of the times I get a text back stating “My battery is dying”. Now I know a few of you if not most of you know what I’m talking about. But we as parents put up with it.

Then we have the Facebook, Tumbler and Twitter craze. Either on a laptop, desktop, or handheld, they always seem to be posting, replying or following their friend’s status, if they are not in the middle of texting that is. I guess that we as parents are to blame. One, for wanting to give them everything we never had. Two, for not standing behind our “NO’s!”. Some do, some don’t but I usually at the end give in, but not always. What can I say? Three, so our kids do not feel embarrassed by their friends of not having that means of communications and last, we also do not want them to fall behind in the tech world as it is changing on a daily basis and would help them in the future by staying on top of technology.

Another fun thing our kids are getting involved with is sleep away camps in the summer. I have no problem with this and wished my parents thought of doing this for me when I was a kid. This to me is a good way to make new friends and learn about responsibility.  My daughter who is going to be 15 in the matter of days has been going the last 3 years. First year for one week and the last 2 years for 2 straight weeks. She Loves It!!! She goes with her best friend every year and with some girls from school. Now that this year was her last year as a camper because she will be considered too old for this camp, she wants to become a Camp Counselor but first has to be accepted and start out as a CIT (Counselor In Training).  My son, who is currently 11 yrs. old will be going to this camp next year for his first time. I’m sure that will be fun to have them both at camp at the same time…..

One of the most important things we have to be aware while our kids are growing up during these times is to make sure they eat healthy, get enough exercise and stay in shape. Get them involved with sports like Soccer, Baseball, Football, Lacrosse or any other sport that will keep them busy and moving, not stuck in front of a gaming system, computer or Internet enabled phone most of the day.

As kids get older, there mindset change for the better. They know that hygiene is important, getting enough sleep at night by not staying up too late watching TV or being on the Internet and even the choice of clothes to wear. My son never liked wearing anything but a T-Shirt and shorts. He never liked wearing jeans, just maybe sweatpants. This year, he will be going to middle school for 6th grade. I think now also that his mind set changes on his view of things, such as girls, it also has changed his view of clothing and presenting yourself. We went shopping last weekend and for the first time, he said he wanted to buy jeans. On his own! Without his mom or dad forcing him to. I think he is getting to the age that he also wants to impress the young ladies and dress appropriately during the winter. I cannot help but to chuckle, I knew one day he would get older and his mentality would start maturing.

We have to keep an eye on our kids and insure we help them make the best choices. It is hard, especially when they hit the “TEEN” years. They think they know it all and have all the answers already. They do not want to be bothered and just want to do whatever they want. We all have been through that and can understand that those years are the hardest to deal with various situations. From what I see in today’s “TEENS” is that they may have just a little too much freedom for comfort and we need to insure to try to keep them safe, on the right path and hope that they grow up and become a productive member of the community.

Last note I will make on this blog because this just happened today, I was driving my daughter back from someplace and had the radio on a station she listens to often and is popular with the Teen community. There was a song called You Can Blow My Whistle. The words in the song, I could not believe what I was hearing and was embarrased listening to with my 15 yr. old daughter next to me. I usually just change the channel when something like this happens. As I’m sure you can probably figure it out from the song title what it was in reference to, an explicit sexual act! This is not the only song that I feel is not appropriate for young teenagers or even anyone under 18. The words literally blew me away! This is not limited to the music our kids may hear; some of the TV shows like on MTV are outrages! Is anyone actually broadcasting these types of music or show’s ever think about what age audience would be exposed to this? I cannot believe what our kids are exposed to today to what I had growing up. But kids do not know any better. They are still young, trying to fit in with their friends. They hear their friends talk about a show or sing a song and they think it is ok.

Bottom line Parents, Please be aware of what your kids are exposed to and explain to them why a song, show or anything explicit on the Internet is inappropriate for them. Some kids will listen and try to avoid these and some will not but as Parents, we need to try. Unfortunately, with stuff like this being exposed on public radio, TV or the Internet to our kids today only scares me to think of what they will hear and see when they get older and have kids and what they would be exposed to…

 

WHERE ARE ALL THE JOBS??

All images in this blog are from:  FreeDigitalPhotos.net

That is today’s question. Some may ask what do you mean? There are plenty of jobs out there. Well, Yes and NO. Let’s first discuss the 3 main methods of job hunting. First one is looking and searching on the Internet, second is using Recruiters and third is Networking.

First the Internet.  There seems to be a lot of open jobs on sites like Careerbuilder, Dice, Monster, Simplyhired, Indeed, LinkedIn and so on but when you’re searching on the web and apply to multiple jobs, realistically, and this question are for those currently unemployed looking for a Corporate job or really, just any job. The question is what percentage of positions you applied for on the internet did you actually have gotten a reply or even interests from either a recruiter or a hiring company? How many times have you seen the same position day after day relisted? Sometimes those positions make you wonder if it is really an opening. Who knows? I also question some of the Job Description’s to the position. Sometimes it seems to be a lot more then what the position or title may make you think. This either tells me that the poster either does not understand what they are looking for or trying to find that one person to do the job of 5 people which seems to be the norm today. Maybe that is why a lot of those positions are relisted on a daily basis with no closure.

To me, I feel and it does seem that most of my applications end up in a black hole. By that being said and from what I also understand is that certain sites you apply for a position also having what I think is a “Weeding Out Process”. This means  that the system you applied on can either look for choice words relating to the position or just simply put you in a trash folder or similar so your application may never have been seen by the actual recruiter or hiring manager. I think that this process is unfair but it is what it is. How can a company or recruiter simply push your application to the side without actually taking a peek, seeing your qualifications and even possibly meeting you face to face, or at least a phone interview to see what you are about? But I guess they must have some sort of good reason. I am sure they are bombarded with resumes for all sorts of position in today’s high unemployment climate. But will say this is pretty frustrating to the average job seeker such as myself.

So, that is my take on Internet Job Searching.  I’m sure you all have your own opinions.

Second, Recruiters. I personally must have about 30+ recruiters I currently use. Some are those who I dealt with during my years as a hiring manager while others are new contacts that either found my resume on the web or have actually contacted me via applying for a position. Recruiters are probably one of the best means to finding and landing a job. They usually have a lot of Human Resource connections in companies and may even deal with hiring managers directly. They would usually call you to find out about your background, what have you been doing and what you’re looking for. Then they see if they have any current openings available to consider you for. So you know a phone interview or face to face with a recruiter could be just as important as an actual interview with a company.

But also be aware, Recruiters do work on commission so if they do not currently have something open for you now, they could easily brush you to the side to find the right candidate for their current openings. That is how they get paid, commissions. You cannot blame them really; they also must make an income. For the Recruiters you do have a good relationship with, they have you on there “Radar” and will reach out to you if they see something that would fit your background. If you’re fortunate enough to get a Job Interview scheduled, then you’re on your way hoping to land the position. Only thing you would need to slightly worry about are the other candidates applying for the same position and hoping you are the best candidate that stands out of the crowd.

The biggest worry, which I can personally say has happened on more than one occasion is losing out on an offer because the other candidate was referred to by an internal employee. That would be part of the next method I will touch base on below. Overall, Recruiters to me are a valuable resource.

Word of advice. Try and apply for positions of equal or better levels. Reason I say this is because personally I have applied to many positions, even on the lower end but in most cases, I have been deemed “Over Qualified”.  For some other positions I have interviewed for, I got the sense when asked what I did and I could see it in the hiring managers eyes, I maybe bringing too much in and in turn, job security clicks in for them. Not saying that this happens a lot, but does happen. Some of us have done the job of a few people so bringing too much to the table may actually hurt your chances of being considered. Who knew that being “Over Qualified” would be a bad thing?

                                                        

Third, Networking. One site which is great for Professional Networking is LinkedIn. I have heard both pros and cons to LinkedIn but to me it’s a great site to setup a profile and explain who you are, where you work, provide information and some details of your professional background and skills. There is also a Job Search section which can be useful and you can apply directly to those positions using your LinkedIn profile and can create or join a group as well as follow companies. You can connect to former and current colleagues, family, friends and other professional business contacts. You can also have Recommendations posted that would give an insight of the type of worker you are to anyone who would be interested in you. Unlike Facebook which is more for posting pics, videos and for other more personal use, LinkedIn is the Professional Business Site for Networking. 

Another Networking method is your current contacts. Possibly managers you worked for in the past or co-workers that maybe in other companies, friends and family. In today’s world of hiring, it’s pretty much of whom you know and you could possibly get a referral that will give you an edge against other candidates. This does not mean that their company would have any current positions available for you but it’s nice to have these connections in case anything should arise and have a slight edge. Networking can be means of meeting with recruiters, business associates or anyone else. Maybe going to an after work social Network gathering of business people near your location to try and network with people and present yourself to possible clients or company representatives. Hey, you never know.

To end this blog “Where Are All The Jobs”, I’m using this as a figure of speech to those saying you can find anything, anytime, anywhere? Really? Unless you’re not currently unemployed, sorry to say that, you truly do not understand today’s harsh ongoing job search for millions out there so this is why I wanted to post this to hopefully try and explain it a little better. Day after day I hear more and more negative possible job losses, corporations still looking to trim or outsource employees or that employee’s are not truly happy working at their current jobs because of being overworked and not appreciated but they have no choice but to stick it out and hope for the best. Trust me, I have hear this from various people in various business fields so there has to be some truth to this.

So before anyone says or thinks you can snap your finger and get a job, ask any unemployed person how easy it really is today to find one. It’s not a question of laziness, or going back to school to get that degree or online certificate and definitely not because a person does not care to bother to get a job. Even with utilizing the above methods looking for a job, it just seems to be a losing battle.

Let’s be real here. Really, think about it. Anyone who had a job of course wants to work and bring in some kind of income, pay those bills and provide for their family. It’s not just that simple anymore. Things have drastically changed, for the worse and it will be a long time before it turns around and get any better. It is a new corporate world out there now. Is it only going to get worse? Answer is who knows where this is going and will there eventually be enough jobs out there to trim that Unemployment Rate down!!!

Well, I thought I was done with this blog until I noticed this article posted this morning that the title caught my eye from CNBC, written by Jeff Cox: “Economy Creates 163,000 New Jobs but Rate Rises to 8.3%”. It sounded like there were alot of jobs out there being created but then why was the unemployment rate rising also? That only means that 163,000 people that may have just lost their jobs or a combination with already unemployed people may have gotten a job but there are still plenty of people out there still unemployed and it’s growing. Supply does not meet the demand. You can create a million jobs but if the Unemployment Rate stays the same or increases, does it really make a difference? Slightly, just less people in the unemployment line. Are these jobs actually held by US Citizen’s or are they being outsorced overseas? Who knows? Would like to find an actual Statistic breakdown on that online. So to finally end this blog, again I state, WHERE ARE ALL THE JOBS??

 

 

Biggie Size My Soda Please. What? It’s against the Law?

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So, Mr. Bloomberg has come up with a brilliant idea to help New Yorkers control their weight problem. A Big Soda Ban Proposal Law that will limit restaurants, fast foods, venues and everywhere to the maximum size of soda purchase to 16 oz. That’s the ticket. That is one of the main reasons why many of us are overweight. We do nothing but drink Super Size Soda’s all day. Who knew that it has nothing to do with fast food chains, eating late, all you can eat buffets, large frozen fatty drinks. Nothing at all Mr. Bloomberg. In fact, when I go get myself a Double cheeseburger with fries and order that Extra Large Soda, which is a DIET SODA, the Big Soda apparently your insinuating  will get me the extra pound or 2 on calories, not the fatty double cheeseburger and fries from your local fast food chain.

Wow, now I see on how this all makes sense. Thank goodness. I guess this means that now I can enjoy without fear my burgers, fries, buffalo wings, Phillies cheesesteaks, pizza, all you can eat buffets, cheese, garlic breads, donuts, cakes and everything else under the sun and knowing not having a Super Size or Biggie soda of more than 16oz., a diet soda on top of that which is my soda of choice, I do not have to worry too much about gaining any weight? Who Knew? Oh, that is not what you insinuated Mr. Bloomberg? OK….

All kidding aside. I don’t have any issues with our Mayor and I understand Mr. Bloomberg’s intention to do something right that he feels that does contribute to gain weight for a lot of people but does this also have to affect Diet Soda Drinkers? If anything, I’m  saving calories by drinking Diet Soda so I believe this was not in the consideration panel, at all. As far as Not having a Soda machine in school for the youngsters to drink I recall hearing not too far back, I’m all for that. Have the machines dispense plastic water bottles instead.

                                       

You see the 3 pictures above, which I got from FreeDigitalPhotos.net. You see a Regular Size soda in each one right? Not a Super Sized Soda.  Do you see anything else standing out in these pics besides the big belly in Pic #1? Like, let’s say that Huge sandwich, the fries, donuts, pizza, buttered popcorn, cake, this, that and everything else! I do not see a Super Sized soda near that belly which I do not believe is the major concern for Obesity. Look at the second picture with the Cheeseburger and the Stethoscope. That pretty much says it all. I think this law is just taking away from the bigger picture of weight control than just passing it off on the size of a soda one can purchase. I believe each person is responsible for their own personal intake. They should decide on what is good or bad for them and understand on what they are eating or drinking and how healthy it really is. I cannot recall seeing dozens of people walking the streets shoving Twinkies down their throats. Why? Because they know it’s not a healthy item to eat. I am also at fault, as I’m sure a lot of people out there are, that may not think twice about ordering that greasy double cheeseburger meal and Super Sizing it. Why do I it? To tell you the truth, it’s more for the larger size of Fries that come with it more than the Soda. Who knew that would probably be the case for most of us who Biggie or Super Size our meals?

Anyways, I do not want to harp on this item too much but we all have our own opinions on what we should and should not do. We all know right from wrong…. Well, most of us. If a “law” is being passed due the concern of overweight people, keeping in mind that I could shed a few pounds myself, on the size of sodas we are allowed to purchase, then why stop there? What about the 2 Liter bottles in the supermarkets? Should they also be banned and only sell 1 Liter? Is that next? Then what, remove all regular soda and only serve Diet Soda’s? I would not mind but others would.

There are a few things I can think of off the top of my head that would not only possibly save a few pounds, but save LIVES and should take precedence. Hmmmm, let me think here and see….. SMOKING? Now, there is something that should have just be banned all together and should have been done many, many years ago. Increasing the price of cigarettes just put more money in the pockets of the wealthy and politicians to spend on nonsense. This is coming from yours truly, A SMOKER. I’m NOT proud to be one. I have tried many times to quite but have not successfully done so, yet. It is an addictive drug! I now know this was a bad choice in my life to start, back when I was about 15 yrs old, but back then when they were cheaper, easy to get and everyone I knew who I thought were cool were doing it, who knew? If I never started or knew now what I knew then, I would not be smoking today. I applaud all the negative adds and etc. relating to kids not smoking. I only wish they did that when I was a kid. Again, a choice, a decision I have to live by. Anyways, just saying. There are bigger things in life we should work on to better our health and lives. Not the “legal” serving size of Soda. People will just buy that extra soda or 2 if needed, or unless for some chains that may serve and may also get rid of “Free Refills”? Really??

Today’s Economy

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Who knew that we are where we are in today’s economic catastrophe.

Let’s begin with the Corporate Financial firms making millions & billions while also getting “stimulus packages” to help those corporations from avoiding filing Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. Where did all the stimulus money go? Executive corruption? Trading fraud? Huge excessive executive bonuses and payouts? Money laundering? Who knows where all the money went and if it will ever be paid back?? Did the President not state prior to giving out the stimulus packages that every penny would be accounted for?  There is a site kind of stating where the money went at http://www.recovery.gov/Pages/default.aspx but No Break Down do I see which business companies got how much and how it was used. Should I really be surprised? Nope. Who suffers the most? Tax Payers.

Then we have the housing collapse. Value of homes that were overvalued. Mortgages given to those spending well beyond their income and not insuring that the loans would be paid back? So in turn, homes for sale or being foreclosed are at an alarming rate. Home building put on hold and even stopped due to lack of home buyers.Who knew how much of a negative impact would be put on the housing situation due to the negative economic fallout.

Mom and Pop shops, as we know them, and other small businesses in serious trouble. With the economy spending less and watching every penny, these shops as well as others are closing like there is no tomorrow. Every one of us has seen or knows someone who had a business who had to close their doors due to the economy and people just not spending. It is a sad thing to witness driving around and seeing For Sale, Rent or Lease signs on store fronts. Even seeing “Going Out Of Business, Everything Must Go”. Who knows if and when these stores will ever re-open?  I’m wondering how the owners of such stores and buildings can survive without having income come in to pay for the real estate taxes and other bills.

The economy today leaves most of us today in awe, job insecurity and wondering if and when things will change for the better. At this point, I don’t think it would matter who will be President as these issue’s will do not have an easy fix. It will take years or maybe even decades to try and get back to some type of normalcy. This is not just for a state or our country alone. This is affecting the Whole World! Some worse of then others. Who knows how things will pane out over the next year or decade or ever!

But we all hope for the best for our retirement, children and our future! May God Help Us All.

DoomsDay Preppers – Are You Ready??

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There is a show on the National Geographic Channel called Doomsday Preppers. It was about a month or so ago I was channel flipping during the evening and landed on this show as the title caught my eye. The philosophy of this show is to prepare for any catastrophic event, such as major bad weather, an economic crisis or for the end of the world as we know it.

When watching this show and seeing on how some families are preparing, you cannot help sitting there and wondering to yourself, “Who Knew or would even have thought of something like this? What would I do if this type of scenario would actually happen and would I be prepared?” Some families build underground bunkers. Some use a Cargo Crate which is inexpensive, some go to the extreme and build a small underground bunker facility like city.

Cargo Crates are buried underground, hidden from site. This could be in someone’s backyard or another remote location. It is in most cases setup with shelving to store beverages, food, medical supplies, weaponry and other necessities to survive. They try and make it livable by adding in some furniture, TV, a bath and try to make it as homey as possible. They would also need to stay in touch with the outside world while inside so maybe a CB Radio or some other form of communication equipment is generally on site. One important factor is also safe guarding their family and access to their “Bunker”. Insuring a heavy steel door that can withstand a blast, gun shots and even fire.  Fear of a crisis and unprepared population to handle such a crisis would have intruders willing to do whatever they need to survive. Who knew that it could someday come to this point?

An underground bunker facility was pretty impressive and expensive. In one case, an old missile silo was being transformed into an underground city. They were called Silo Homes. Some could be built for one family but others had at least 6 levels of Condos,  Equipment Level, Aquaculture & Hydroponica Level,  Library & Classroom Level, Theater & Lounge Level, Workout Area Level, Pool Level and of course a Mechanical Level on the bottom floor. All this with a military style bunker cover entrance with a stainless steel door that can withstand a blast, gun shots and even fire to deter intruders and in some cases, a defense of flame throwers if anyone would breach the door. Well, all this does come with a price. Anywhere from 250K into the millions. Also, each occupant in this Silo City would be responsible and have a specific job to do to insure that the Silo is protected, maintained and running smoothly. Who knew that you can turn a missile silo into an underground city?? What a great idea.

At the end of the show, the National Geographic Channel evaluates all the setups with a rating and provides their own helpful insight on what they should do or enhance to be better prepared.

Some did not go to these extreme. There were some doing light prepping such as putting together a grab bag or also known as a Bug-out Bag. These bags are back pack style filled with necessities in case you needed to evacuate ASAP.  Some of the items include enough food & water for 72 hours, a First Aid kit, Fire Starting tool and a whole list of other items that can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bug-out_bag.

So, with getting an idea of what Doomsday Prepping is about, Who Knew? Are you ready, prepared to protect yourself and your family? If you never watched this show, I would have to say you should catch a glimpse, it’s worth a watch.

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Welcome to whoknew.com. Currently on this site, I am just putting out some blogs relating to today’s economy and other information. These are my sole feelings and opinions based on my current  status as well as what I see and hear from other’s daily, but also does make you think.

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An Unemployment Tsunami

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WHOKNEW? Why me? Why you? Why any decent working professional. Well, I think the title of this article says it all. Unemployment, what a very, very harsh and scary word. But yet living up to its name through these trying times we face.

I’m sure we all know of at least one person who is currently unemployed. We all know of at least one person who has been out of work for at least 6 months, a year or longer. Who knew that it would get so bad? Losing your work for whatever reason; position eliminated, lack of work, downsizing or just plain fired.

Some of us, including myself being unemployed going on 2 years were at least fortunate enough to get a little severance package from work during our departure. Most of us probably just got a “Can you come into my office please” and being told of cutbacks and layoffs and leaving empty handed. Either way, there is never a good way to leave a job, but is much worse leaving empty handed. You have a mortgage or paying rent, you have to provide for your family or self, you have bills and other possible unforeseen expenses; you have to worry about Medical Insurance. Who knew how much of a negative impact, burden and stress losing a job could have on a person and family? If you are fortunate not to know, just ask the person you know unemployed.

On top of this, there are not many jobs out there aside of working maybe at a pizzeria, fast food restaurant, or some other odd job you normally would not do. By this, I do not mean that these jobs are worthless, not at all. But to those coming from the corporate world with specializations and a skill set for other types of work, this is not the answer for most. For the short term to bring some kind of income in, it will have to do. But for the long run, you most likely want to get something you have been learning and doing most of your career. Yes, some may change their career due to the current economic and unemployment situation, but most may not want to start a new career, especially when they have been doing the same type of work for over 20 or 30 years. Who knows.

Some major problems to unemployment is Job Security, Outsourcing and Off Shoring jobs. To me, job security means there is no turn around in the work force. Turn around is when people usually will leave their current jobs to go work for another company for either a better position, salary or challenge. In today’s world, people are struggling just to keep their current job, no matter how much they may hate their existing job. Outsourcing or Off Shoring is a way for a company to think they will save money and thinking that they will get back more, financially. With this being said, I’m sure you have noticed when you call a support or help line number, you get someone halfway around the world? Not understanding what they may say or having to repeat yourself numerous times? Who knew this would happen? Well, you can thank those company executives who think they were doing us all a favor. I only wished those Executives would call them on a daily basis to see how ridiculous this makes their company look.

 I remember a few years back recruiters used to knock at my door; I could walk out of my office, go the next floor or building and get a job with almost no problem. Today? Well, it’s unfortunately a new world out there and I really mean a new World out there. This is not just affecting us here in the US, but all across the world, impact is being felt both economically and unemployment wise. Who knew that we would have been in this situation just a few years back?

 

 

Job Eliminations & Corporate Values

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To have a successful technology customer service group providing superior quality of service to their customers and users, there has to be a mutual joint respectfulness between Management and there sub ordinates.  Really, who knew? IT does give you an idea of what to think about at your work place and see if the Corporate Culture is true to their employees.

In this day and age, in some cases, this may be somewhat scarce as it seems that all anyone does is what is best for themselves, not the group or company. Unfortunately, this in turn would provide average to below average service, no respect amongst colleagues and would really damper the culture and atmosphere of any work place.  Workers will complain more, management and upper management in most cases are never satisfied and in turn, everyone is out against everyone and who knows what outcome may lie ahead?

What is even worse? Company mergers. It’s like a Star Wars movie when everything turns to the Dark Side. When new Management (Darth Vader) comes in from the company that was acquired and in turn, do whatever they want, right or wrong, just to show they have control. No matter how long the original employee(s) has been there, years of sweat, burning the midnight oil, caring for the company, staff and work, building a solid reputation, it all goes out the window in a blink of an eye. When new management feels threaten of these types of employees, they try to get rid of them, without question even from Human Resource and bring in their own people, without regard.

Who knew on how savage the Corporate environment could be. What does this say about management-employee relation? I bring this up because it is related to Management relations that for me turned out to be the worst case scenario. With the new management in place, when you have meetings to discuss major projects and they decide to take the wrong path to accomplish them successfully and you give your opinion to do the right thing; you get “Why are you always fighting us?” Excuse me? Is this not a meeting of open discussion to express our views? Fine, let’s do it wrong so you can learn a lesson. Then, before you know it, at the end, their wrong decision making is pinned on you, the scapegoat and only then do you realize what they really wanted to accomplish. 

But I will say this. When at the end after you are let go and then find out sometime after that the company realized what type of person, or in this case, looser(s) they brought in, not doing their job(s) and even doing something that would get them fired at the end, does bring a little satisfaction. Who knew this would happen? I knew by their work ethic. This also confirms a saying I pretty much live by: “What goes around, comes around”. Another good saying is if you “talk the talk, walk the walk”. I am one that has always done this. I Lead by Example.

It is really a shame with today’s economic issues, unemployment rising with no end in sight; lose of security in the job market and no turn over making getting another job more difficult. Who knew that we would get to this point today, not just in the U.S., but all over the world? But, I still value good relations & Networking. We are all part of a Team! One fails, we all fail. Management has to look beyond themselves and need to realize what is best not just for themselves, but for their employees and the company by taking on the Ownership and Responsibility!