No I am not talking about the factual errors and faulty editing that you occasionally find there. More on this eventually.
I have had a couple of interesting days checking out things on the Internet about the Netherlands (where I lived for nine years). Last night I was checking out some of its more notorious criminals of recent years - the late Klaas Bruinsma, the late Sam Klepper, the late John Mieremet ....
Which brought me by a side road to the former mayor of Amsterdam, current leader of the Dutch Labour Party, and renowned fighter against organised crime, Job Cohen. From him we went through other leading Dutch politicians, Mark Rutte (the current Prime Minister), Alex Pechtold, Geert "kick Islam out of the Netherlands" Wilders ....
I noted then that Geert Wilders is on a list of individuals internationally, who are under threat of permanent extinction by a group of Muslim fanatics, along with, among others, Kurt Westergaard. In case you do not know who Kurt Westergaard is, he was one of the cartoonists who produced a series of cartoons of Mahomet in the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, in 2005, which caused riots in, and the emanation of very nasty unwarranted threats from, many parts of the so-called "Muslim world".
As one tends to do with Wikipedia, I followed the link to the article about the cartoons. There, staring at me, was a copy of the page from the Jyllands-Posten displaying the "offending" cartoons of Mahomet.
Well if the reward for publishing these cartoons is that these fanatical idiots can try to kill Scandinavian cartoonists, attempt to destroy Danish embassies in various countries, and generally attempt to influence what the press can and cannot publish, what will happen to Wikipedia? It is difficult to do much damage to an electronic encyclopedia (any more than what hackers already succeed in doing). Threaten the founder maybe, or what employees they have?
Of course the controversy has died down and people might have forgotten about all this (although fanatics tend to have long memories), and nobody would have noticed after this time. And then comes my insignificant little blog and .... wham! Riots in Rawalpindi, Riyadh and Sanaa? And not over democracy either!
Ah well - never overestimate your own significance!
The other thing that interests me about this is the silly old "Left" versus "Right" political debate (as everyone knows, I despise the terms and dismiss them as meaningless).
The "Right" though were up in arms that freedom of the press was threatened when these cartoons first appeared. Intriguingly the second media outlet to publish them was the very "Left" oriented French satirical magazine "Charlie Hebdo", which also published cartoons poking fun at all religions (there is nothing like religious fervour to rouse the sceptical, and mainly agnostic or atheistic, French "Left"!). All which shows, though, how blurred these political distinctions are, and how meaningless the terminology is.
Finally, at the risk of having some fanatic coming round to rid me of the last vestiges of this life (which is going nowhere anyway - come round, I have little left to lose! - so it would be more symbolic than anything else), I will admit to being on the side of those who published the cartoons. Not so much on the grounds that nothing is sacred, but rather down to the fact that the tolerant atheist in me refuses to accept that you can get away with imposing your fanatical (and IMHO silly and superstitious) beliefs by violent means.
Monday, 11 April 2011
Sunday, 10 April 2011
If I were running my country, what would I do?
This is an enhanced version of an answer that I produced on MyLot.com nearly two years ago. Much of the original thinking has not changed, but there are one or two necessary gaps which needed covering.
The country could be any country incidentally.
1. Do everything possible to get the rate of unemployment down to zero - without resorting to underemployment (i.e. no sending qualified scientists to work at McDonalds, just to get them off the dole queue).
2. Do everything possible to ensure that nobody was living below the poverty line.
3. Ensure that all local authorities had a policy to house the homeless and provide more effective treatment to deal with alcoholics and drug addicts.
4. Bring in a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years for dealing in hard drugs (the jury is out on "soft drugs", though the words "Joran van der Sloot" come to mind when I hear of people being "stoned" on marijuana. It is very much a bad advert for legalisation). Possession should require treatment, though, not incarceration.
5. Ensure that any pedophile who had ever molested a child would be jailed for life without the possibility of parole.
6. Ensure that the armed forces were spending money efficiently.
7. Double the salaries of teachers, but ensure that there was an annual test to see that they were competent to do the job.
8. Make sure that every school and hospital in the country is fit to serve the people who had to go there.
9. Make sure that banks are forced to behave like banks, not like casinos.
10. Introduce a minimum kilometres per litre (miles per gallon if you must) for any car that was sold.
11. Ensure that the government did not run up a deficit of any kind. And while we are there, discourage private debt, which is the road to poverty.
12. Ensure that juvenile misfits cannot wreck the educational system for kids who are willing to learn - if that means restoring corporal punishment (very likely IMHO, and for both sexes incidentally), so be it!
13. Ensure that the justice system at all levels was both effective and fair - which means giving the police and the prison system everything needed to maintain necessary law and necessary order, increasing manpower and training staff effectively. Jailbirds should be given the chance to reform and educate themselves in skills that they can use outside, but they must also be aware that they are being punished, justly, for the crimes that they committed - no soft options should be available.
The country could be any country incidentally.
1. Do everything possible to get the rate of unemployment down to zero - without resorting to underemployment (i.e. no sending qualified scientists to work at McDonalds, just to get them off the dole queue).
2. Do everything possible to ensure that nobody was living below the poverty line.
3. Ensure that all local authorities had a policy to house the homeless and provide more effective treatment to deal with alcoholics and drug addicts.
4. Bring in a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years for dealing in hard drugs (the jury is out on "soft drugs", though the words "Joran van der Sloot" come to mind when I hear of people being "stoned" on marijuana. It is very much a bad advert for legalisation). Possession should require treatment, though, not incarceration.
5. Ensure that any pedophile who had ever molested a child would be jailed for life without the possibility of parole.
6. Ensure that the armed forces were spending money efficiently.
7. Double the salaries of teachers, but ensure that there was an annual test to see that they were competent to do the job.
8. Make sure that every school and hospital in the country is fit to serve the people who had to go there.
9. Make sure that banks are forced to behave like banks, not like casinos.
10. Introduce a minimum kilometres per litre (miles per gallon if you must) for any car that was sold.
11. Ensure that the government did not run up a deficit of any kind. And while we are there, discourage private debt, which is the road to poverty.
12. Ensure that juvenile misfits cannot wreck the educational system for kids who are willing to learn - if that means restoring corporal punishment (very likely IMHO, and for both sexes incidentally), so be it!
13. Ensure that the justice system at all levels was both effective and fair - which means giving the police and the prison system everything needed to maintain necessary law and necessary order, increasing manpower and training staff effectively. Jailbirds should be given the chance to reform and educate themselves in skills that they can use outside, but they must also be aware that they are being punished, justly, for the crimes that they committed - no soft options should be available.
Friday, 8 April 2011
So where now?
1. Continue plugging away at the IT market hoping against hope that my talents will find recognition and a home?
Positives: in recent weeks, there have been several opportunities, and P&G did actually offer me a position before withdrawing it (on very dubious grounds after 1 day). The others might all have worked out as well.
Negatives: nothing that I really want to do (a permanent position in the Rhein-Main Gebiet remains the objective). Age always tells against me. And my main skillset (EDI/EDIFACT) tends to be very particular and not greatly in demand.
2. Manual labour (including absolute dinge jobs at McDonalds, Burger King and the like): NO WAY!
3. Selling/Promoting/PTCS: NO WAY!
4. Elance / Freelancer.com /ODESK: Been trying this for the last two years. Three short-term jobs (2 proofreading, 1 translating) bringing in 540 Euro. There has to be someone who says "yes", offers me something that I would do well, pays enough (i.e. 1500 Euro a month after stoppages), and offers it fairly long-term. We can keep looking, but to date, pickings are thin and competition is fierce.
5. Writing - you spend a great deal of time, and earn comparatively little. Helium did pay me some 120 Euro before they changed the system, but I am not a competitive writer (does anyone want two to twenty versions of "MacBeth" or "A Tale of Two Cities" anyway?) - it strikes me as far too arbitrary - and that seems to be what they want.
There is, of course, this blog, which is little known and does not attract readers or advertisers (given my views, the latter does not surprise me, and I will not compromise my intellectual honesty!).
6. Translation work. I need certification to work properly here anyway. That still needs investigation - nobody has come up with anything that I can use. Freelance work is providing very little, and again, competition is fierce.
7. Anything else - Forex trading and the like. New ideas? Any practical suggestions (no internet scams, thank you) welcome!
8. Back to the dole queue? UGHHHHH! NO THANKS!
Nothing obvious, nothing promising. I am about as likely to get a night of unbridled passion with the gorgeous Rio Sakaki as I am to get anything positive moving forward.
The curious thing is that I do not want so much from this life - a minimum of 1500 Euro a month after stoppages have been deducted (preferably something like 3000 would be nice), long-term security, my sex drive acting like I was still 25 and the chance to use it regularly, a television service that worked when I want it (if only to watch the Bundesliga highlights), occasional journeys to interesting places (Florence, Helsinki, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, the Kenyan safari parks) if possible.
Not much else really. Mega-wealth has no appeal with its need for security guards, large dogs and electronic fences, and anyway, enough is good as a feast! There is nothing in my life that would not improve with a degree of certainty, though.
Positives: in recent weeks, there have been several opportunities, and P&G did actually offer me a position before withdrawing it (on very dubious grounds after 1 day). The others might all have worked out as well.
Negatives: nothing that I really want to do (a permanent position in the Rhein-Main Gebiet remains the objective). Age always tells against me. And my main skillset (EDI/EDIFACT) tends to be very particular and not greatly in demand.
2. Manual labour (including absolute dinge jobs at McDonalds, Burger King and the like): NO WAY!
3. Selling/Promoting/PTCS: NO WAY!
4. Elance / Freelancer.com /ODESK: Been trying this for the last two years. Three short-term jobs (2 proofreading, 1 translating) bringing in 540 Euro. There has to be someone who says "yes", offers me something that I would do well, pays enough (i.e. 1500 Euro a month after stoppages), and offers it fairly long-term. We can keep looking, but to date, pickings are thin and competition is fierce.
5. Writing - you spend a great deal of time, and earn comparatively little. Helium did pay me some 120 Euro before they changed the system, but I am not a competitive writer (does anyone want two to twenty versions of "MacBeth" or "A Tale of Two Cities" anyway?) - it strikes me as far too arbitrary - and that seems to be what they want.
There is, of course, this blog, which is little known and does not attract readers or advertisers (given my views, the latter does not surprise me, and I will not compromise my intellectual honesty!).
6. Translation work. I need certification to work properly here anyway. That still needs investigation - nobody has come up with anything that I can use. Freelance work is providing very little, and again, competition is fierce.
7. Anything else - Forex trading and the like. New ideas? Any practical suggestions (no internet scams, thank you) welcome!
8. Back to the dole queue? UGHHHHH! NO THANKS!
Nothing obvious, nothing promising. I am about as likely to get a night of unbridled passion with the gorgeous Rio Sakaki as I am to get anything positive moving forward.
The curious thing is that I do not want so much from this life - a minimum of 1500 Euro a month after stoppages have been deducted (preferably something like 3000 would be nice), long-term security, my sex drive acting like I was still 25 and the chance to use it regularly, a television service that worked when I want it (if only to watch the Bundesliga highlights), occasional journeys to interesting places (Florence, Helsinki, Sydney, Rio de Janeiro, the Kenyan safari parks) if possible.
Not much else really. Mega-wealth has no appeal with its need for security guards, large dogs and electronic fences, and anyway, enough is good as a feast! There is nothing in my life that would not improve with a degree of certainty, though.
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Would you employ someone like that?
Always a difficult question.
Different scenario, though. We are not talking about people of different ethnic origins, religious conviction, or sexual orientation, though.
We are talking about .... INTROVERTS!
Yes - INTROVERTS. Shock! Horror!
Quiet, often silent people, who are usually shy and do not communicate much. They must have dangerous thoughts, we do not want THEM around the office! Yes they do answer customers on the 'phone when it rings, but they seem to give short, sharp, precise answers and not say much else. And (horror!), they probably prefer using emails to 'phone calls!
What will they do to our reputation? I mean, all this sticking to the subject and having nothing else to say! It will ruin our repuation for cameraderie and small talk!
Anyone who read my previous post earlier today will remember my concern about my professional repuation being besmirched as I thought that P&G were breaking their contract with me as I was technically incompetent.
From what the recruitment agent told me this morning, that is not the case (thankfully!). Rather they believed that I "would not fit in". My assessment is that they thought that I would be too introspective and self-analytical to fit into a people-facing role. The fact that I have done this very successfully in the past was not a factor. That they would rather pay me off (enough money to keep me alive for two months anyway - according to the careful, non-spendthrift lifestyle we have adopted in recent years) than have my introspective intelligence and "stick to the point" style of communication with customers, says something.
If you want a job in this world, in other words, you had better be a brash extrovert. The fact that you can think through the customers' actual concerns, seems a far less significant criterion than being forward and in their face with a cheerful smile and something to say about everything under the sun.
Quite what you do with the world's introverts is another matter. Perhaps someone has a suggestion, but employing them sounds like something to be definitely avoided!
Different scenario, though. We are not talking about people of different ethnic origins, religious conviction, or sexual orientation, though.
We are talking about .... INTROVERTS!
Yes - INTROVERTS. Shock! Horror!
Quiet, often silent people, who are usually shy and do not communicate much. They must have dangerous thoughts, we do not want THEM around the office! Yes they do answer customers on the 'phone when it rings, but they seem to give short, sharp, precise answers and not say much else. And (horror!), they probably prefer using emails to 'phone calls!
What will they do to our reputation? I mean, all this sticking to the subject and having nothing else to say! It will ruin our repuation for cameraderie and small talk!
Anyone who read my previous post earlier today will remember my concern about my professional repuation being besmirched as I thought that P&G were breaking their contract with me as I was technically incompetent.
From what the recruitment agent told me this morning, that is not the case (thankfully!). Rather they believed that I "would not fit in". My assessment is that they thought that I would be too introspective and self-analytical to fit into a people-facing role. The fact that I have done this very successfully in the past was not a factor. That they would rather pay me off (enough money to keep me alive for two months anyway - according to the careful, non-spendthrift lifestyle we have adopted in recent years) than have my introspective intelligence and "stick to the point" style of communication with customers, says something.
If you want a job in this world, in other words, you had better be a brash extrovert. The fact that you can think through the customers' actual concerns, seems a far less significant criterion than being forward and in their face with a cheerful smile and something to say about everything under the sun.
Quite what you do with the world's introverts is another matter. Perhaps someone has a suggestion, but employing them sounds like something to be definitely avoided!
How to destroy one person's life without trying too hard
Three or four weeks ago I was offered a job - an eight month contract with Procter and Gamble - with more than a little help from a recruitment agency.
P&G seemed happy enough with me after the telephone interview. They wanted an EDI specialist to work on an EAI to SAP conversion. I have 15 years worth of EDI knowledge gathered in a whole range of different environments on a number of different platforms.
I actually worked on the project to set up the EDI system for them on EAI in 2006. That is not something that I remember with any great happiness (the management of the project left something to be desired, and my own performance did not always survive the stress involved as it should have). I have though, again, proved my resilience and potentially enormous talents on a couple of projects since.
I know EDI extremely well. SAP, I indicated during the telephone interview, I know at a basic level (some of the modules required, mainly in order processing) and that was about it.
During the interview, that fact was accepted. Nobody complained. They proceeded to offer me a contract, which I duly signed (and which I presume they also signed). I did not sign it, incidentally, without reading it - these days I do not make that sort of mistake.
On March 28th, I turned up for a one-day introduction/training course/onboarding session. The first lasted 40 minutes, the last 20, the middle bit (the training course - much of which I already knew) some 7 hours. Not much time to make anything of an impact! Or show what I could do. I am generally a very shy, self-conscious individual (as I get older I revert more and more to introversion), and do not try to be overly positive, though I will also stay polite and, if given a chance, to show off my deep intellect (my one great strength), I will.
I said very little that I had not said during the telephone interview. Maybe there were a few nervous, hardly offensive, jokes in there, I cannot recall (I had to deal with three people - a German guy, a Polish lady, and an Italian man - all spoke English, but only as a second language, so getting any jokes might have been difficult for them, or so it appears in retrospect).
Everything seemed in order, nobody showed a great deal of concern, I gave them all my personal email and telephone data. They in turn were due to send me project documentation that I could study. I was due back today for a couple of days more training and then I was expected to start full-time on Monday.
Last Friday afternoon I received a telephone call from the agent, who found me this position, indicating that P&G were cancelling the contract with immediate effect. He was confused to say the least, but indicated that they had made noises about "technical incompetence" on my part.
This is, by any stretch of the imagination, ludicrous. They saw me for all of one day, I never sat down in front of a computer, I never even once looked into their system. How can I be, in such circumstances, technically incompetent?
Maybe they took references from HP about the project in 2006? They did not ask me for them, or advise me that they were doing so, and anyway that should have been done before the contract was signed. And the references would not have indicated total incompetence.
Two other possibilities remain.
Firstly they suddenly realised that the in-depth SAP knowledge was not there as it stands (given my approach to working, I would have made sure that I had, in my own time, covered a lot of bases on the missing areas before actually starting the project - and in Norway in 2007 I had worked on a project using Webmethods, which I had never before seen in my life. That project was a great success, as references would have shown!), and it was more significant than they had previously realised.
Maybe this is the case, but again they should not have signed the contract without taking full account of this, and anyway it might have made sense for them to give me at least one month to prove a point.
Second alternative is that they have budget problems. They are due, according to the contract, to make a severance payment if they end the contract early. If they can prove "technical incompetence", they might be able to reduce the amount or avoid paying it entirely.
Whatever the case may be, they have left me in a difficult, if not impossible, situation. Assuming I get the maximum severance payment (which is very unlikely, given the shenanigans going on - I do not think that they have acted at all honourably to date, so why should they on this matter?), it will bind me over for a few weeks.
There are practical issues involved here though. I cannot express the great joy that I felt when I got myself on the unemployment line. As I have to be covered for medical insurance on a 365 day a year basis following my heart attack in 2008, I can only allow myself so much time before re-registering as unemployed, no matter how much they give me. This frankly I do not want to do under any circumstances, and the chance of another job coming along quickly? As a quirk of timing I turned down two interviews after I got the P&G offer came in. Those opportunities have gone. There is one unlikely iron in the fire, and then .... nothing much again.
I am facing a severe financial crisis as it is. I agreed to a 10-Euro a month increase in the service offered by Deutsche Telekom (which would allow us a television connection), based upon this job coming in. It may sound a trivial amount, but my wife is furious about it (yes, her reaction does appear over the top), and wants me to cancel it, which will be very difficult to do - more stress that I do not need.
Without the prospect of another job coming in, the insult about my technical abilities, and the growing stress with my wife over a number of financial issues (I understand her concerns - it is not her fault and I still love her), I have started to get, to put it bluntly, suicidal.
There seems little point in continuing, I am fed up with the constant battles with an increasing level of poverty, I have lost faith entirely in the way that companies conduct business, my future looks extremely bleak - what is the point of just surviving - particularly if I am dependant upon the state for my existence?
If I survive the next 48 hours, I will survive anything. At my age, I need something positive to happen to prove that there is something left to fight for - whatever it may be. As of the last two days, I cannot see anything even remotely positive happening, accordingly .... One less person on this overcrowded, overpopulated planet will hardly be missed, and in economic terms, my disappearance would be one (admittedly small) liability less to consider.
P&G seemed happy enough with me after the telephone interview. They wanted an EDI specialist to work on an EAI to SAP conversion. I have 15 years worth of EDI knowledge gathered in a whole range of different environments on a number of different platforms.
I actually worked on the project to set up the EDI system for them on EAI in 2006. That is not something that I remember with any great happiness (the management of the project left something to be desired, and my own performance did not always survive the stress involved as it should have). I have though, again, proved my resilience and potentially enormous talents on a couple of projects since.
I know EDI extremely well. SAP, I indicated during the telephone interview, I know at a basic level (some of the modules required, mainly in order processing) and that was about it.
During the interview, that fact was accepted. Nobody complained. They proceeded to offer me a contract, which I duly signed (and which I presume they also signed). I did not sign it, incidentally, without reading it - these days I do not make that sort of mistake.
On March 28th, I turned up for a one-day introduction/training course/onboarding session. The first lasted 40 minutes, the last 20, the middle bit (the training course - much of which I already knew) some 7 hours. Not much time to make anything of an impact! Or show what I could do. I am generally a very shy, self-conscious individual (as I get older I revert more and more to introversion), and do not try to be overly positive, though I will also stay polite and, if given a chance, to show off my deep intellect (my one great strength), I will.
I said very little that I had not said during the telephone interview. Maybe there were a few nervous, hardly offensive, jokes in there, I cannot recall (I had to deal with three people - a German guy, a Polish lady, and an Italian man - all spoke English, but only as a second language, so getting any jokes might have been difficult for them, or so it appears in retrospect).
Everything seemed in order, nobody showed a great deal of concern, I gave them all my personal email and telephone data. They in turn were due to send me project documentation that I could study. I was due back today for a couple of days more training and then I was expected to start full-time on Monday.
Last Friday afternoon I received a telephone call from the agent, who found me this position, indicating that P&G were cancelling the contract with immediate effect. He was confused to say the least, but indicated that they had made noises about "technical incompetence" on my part.
This is, by any stretch of the imagination, ludicrous. They saw me for all of one day, I never sat down in front of a computer, I never even once looked into their system. How can I be, in such circumstances, technically incompetent?
Maybe they took references from HP about the project in 2006? They did not ask me for them, or advise me that they were doing so, and anyway that should have been done before the contract was signed. And the references would not have indicated total incompetence.
Two other possibilities remain.
Firstly they suddenly realised that the in-depth SAP knowledge was not there as it stands (given my approach to working, I would have made sure that I had, in my own time, covered a lot of bases on the missing areas before actually starting the project - and in Norway in 2007 I had worked on a project using Webmethods, which I had never before seen in my life. That project was a great success, as references would have shown!), and it was more significant than they had previously realised.
Maybe this is the case, but again they should not have signed the contract without taking full account of this, and anyway it might have made sense for them to give me at least one month to prove a point.
Second alternative is that they have budget problems. They are due, according to the contract, to make a severance payment if they end the contract early. If they can prove "technical incompetence", they might be able to reduce the amount or avoid paying it entirely.
Whatever the case may be, they have left me in a difficult, if not impossible, situation. Assuming I get the maximum severance payment (which is very unlikely, given the shenanigans going on - I do not think that they have acted at all honourably to date, so why should they on this matter?), it will bind me over for a few weeks.
There are practical issues involved here though. I cannot express the great joy that I felt when I got myself on the unemployment line. As I have to be covered for medical insurance on a 365 day a year basis following my heart attack in 2008, I can only allow myself so much time before re-registering as unemployed, no matter how much they give me. This frankly I do not want to do under any circumstances, and the chance of another job coming along quickly? As a quirk of timing I turned down two interviews after I got the P&G offer came in. Those opportunities have gone. There is one unlikely iron in the fire, and then .... nothing much again.
I am facing a severe financial crisis as it is. I agreed to a 10-Euro a month increase in the service offered by Deutsche Telekom (which would allow us a television connection), based upon this job coming in. It may sound a trivial amount, but my wife is furious about it (yes, her reaction does appear over the top), and wants me to cancel it, which will be very difficult to do - more stress that I do not need.
Without the prospect of another job coming in, the insult about my technical abilities, and the growing stress with my wife over a number of financial issues (I understand her concerns - it is not her fault and I still love her), I have started to get, to put it bluntly, suicidal.
There seems little point in continuing, I am fed up with the constant battles with an increasing level of poverty, I have lost faith entirely in the way that companies conduct business, my future looks extremely bleak - what is the point of just surviving - particularly if I am dependant upon the state for my existence?
If I survive the next 48 hours, I will survive anything. At my age, I need something positive to happen to prove that there is something left to fight for - whatever it may be. As of the last two days, I cannot see anything even remotely positive happening, accordingly .... One less person on this overcrowded, overpopulated planet will hardly be missed, and in economic terms, my disappearance would be one (admittedly small) liability less to consider.
Wednesday, 6 April 2011
To remember
It is very easy to be opposed to something.
It is very easy to fail to make something work.
The problem in this world is not to be against something, but to be for something, and in a way that is positive, pragmatic and proactive all at once.
How you get there in a world of carping critics and small-minded morons? No idea - please let me know.
It is very easy to fail to make something work.
The problem in this world is not to be against something, but to be for something, and in a way that is positive, pragmatic and proactive all at once.
How you get there in a world of carping critics and small-minded morons? No idea - please let me know.
Tuesday, 5 April 2011
When you can't think of anything better to do, bash teachers
It was one of those typical MyLot.com discussions.
The Americans at the moment have one of those situations where teachers are (and are not) the flavour of the month.
There is a dispute going on in Wisconsin (where, incidentally, I lived for a time) between the state government and the teachers' union.
As a result, now, every teacher there is seems fair game for criticism. Every time a story arises in which an individual teacher looks bad, the entire profession is condemned.
Ridiculous nonsense - but typical of the media driven society we have increasingly worldwide.
I tried to produce an answer that moved away from this individual situation, and the number of silly stories in the media, and looked instead at the people in the profession as a whole - not just in Wisconsin, but in the USA as a whole, not just in the USA, but across the world.
My view (as an ex-teacher, but I do not admire incompetence in any area, so I am not that biased) is that the majority of teachers (say 90%) are honourable, industrious, committed professionals who are dedicated to the education of their charges. They may have different ways of handling this, but the commitment is there.
There are exceptions - some are just plain incompetent and should be advised in their own interest to leave the profession (though a sugar-coated pill in the form of retraining in another area might help. The prospect of unemployment might well keep them otherwise in teaching, which is to nobody's benefit). Others are just lazy, going through the routines, making no more effort than is necessary to achieve the minimum results. They too need geeing up and informing that better is expected of them.
In the light of my own experience though (I spent six years teaching in secondary schools in England during the 1970s), most teachers teach because they are committed to the job and everything that it involves. You don't do it for the money (compare what they make with people in other "liberal professions" - lawyers, accountants etc.). Can you imagine going to teach in a run-down school in a run-down area with classes full of demotivated and often disruptive kids - unless you were committed to it? It makes no sense, there must be an easier way to make a living.
For that matter could you see any of their critics (particularly in the media) being able to handle classes full of 15-year-old ne'er-do-wells and misfits for one day, never mind the usual 200 in a year? (In passing I would myself agree with those who wish to cut the number of school holidays and make that 220 - but, I digress).
Unfortunately the quality of debate on this subject leaves a lot to be desired. One person answering my MyLot piece started with the Wisconsin situation, ended with Wisconsin situation, and used all the standard arguments as presented by the media lately.
The professor in my university days who taught me Aristotelian logic, would be cursing in Welsh by now. You do not take a particular case and make a general rule from it. Period! Because the teachers' union is insisting upon some silly clauses (and I would agree totally with those who say that teachers should not be taking holidays during the school term!), all teachers are idle, good-for-nothing, unprofessional, incompetent, dissolute, money-grubbing scoundrels!
Sorry - totally illogical - and totally wrong!
But bashing teachers is the flavour of the month, so ....
Where the majority of teachers are concerned, I was reminded of the famous Mark Anthony quote from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar":
The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones.
Except in this instance the good is simply buried during their lifetime!
It is not all bad news. The MyLot Indian community offer some fascinating insight into how teachers are considered in their country. They are held in such esteem, it is almost unbelievable. One wonders why, and why it is so different from the opinion held in many western countries. This is simultaneously fascinating and a cause of immense sadness - to me anyway. The Indians may not be totally right (some critical standards are necessary), but they are surely more on the right track than we are in the west.
The Americans at the moment have one of those situations where teachers are (and are not) the flavour of the month.
There is a dispute going on in Wisconsin (where, incidentally, I lived for a time) between the state government and the teachers' union.
As a result, now, every teacher there is seems fair game for criticism. Every time a story arises in which an individual teacher looks bad, the entire profession is condemned.
Ridiculous nonsense - but typical of the media driven society we have increasingly worldwide.
I tried to produce an answer that moved away from this individual situation, and the number of silly stories in the media, and looked instead at the people in the profession as a whole - not just in Wisconsin, but in the USA as a whole, not just in the USA, but across the world.
My view (as an ex-teacher, but I do not admire incompetence in any area, so I am not that biased) is that the majority of teachers (say 90%) are honourable, industrious, committed professionals who are dedicated to the education of their charges. They may have different ways of handling this, but the commitment is there.
There are exceptions - some are just plain incompetent and should be advised in their own interest to leave the profession (though a sugar-coated pill in the form of retraining in another area might help. The prospect of unemployment might well keep them otherwise in teaching, which is to nobody's benefit). Others are just lazy, going through the routines, making no more effort than is necessary to achieve the minimum results. They too need geeing up and informing that better is expected of them.
In the light of my own experience though (I spent six years teaching in secondary schools in England during the 1970s), most teachers teach because they are committed to the job and everything that it involves. You don't do it for the money (compare what they make with people in other "liberal professions" - lawyers, accountants etc.). Can you imagine going to teach in a run-down school in a run-down area with classes full of demotivated and often disruptive kids - unless you were committed to it? It makes no sense, there must be an easier way to make a living.
For that matter could you see any of their critics (particularly in the media) being able to handle classes full of 15-year-old ne'er-do-wells and misfits for one day, never mind the usual 200 in a year? (In passing I would myself agree with those who wish to cut the number of school holidays and make that 220 - but, I digress).
Unfortunately the quality of debate on this subject leaves a lot to be desired. One person answering my MyLot piece started with the Wisconsin situation, ended with Wisconsin situation, and used all the standard arguments as presented by the media lately.
The professor in my university days who taught me Aristotelian logic, would be cursing in Welsh by now. You do not take a particular case and make a general rule from it. Period! Because the teachers' union is insisting upon some silly clauses (and I would agree totally with those who say that teachers should not be taking holidays during the school term!), all teachers are idle, good-for-nothing, unprofessional, incompetent, dissolute, money-grubbing scoundrels!
Sorry - totally illogical - and totally wrong!
But bashing teachers is the flavour of the month, so ....
Where the majority of teachers are concerned, I was reminded of the famous Mark Anthony quote from Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar":
The evil that men do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones.
Except in this instance the good is simply buried during their lifetime!
It is not all bad news. The MyLot Indian community offer some fascinating insight into how teachers are considered in their country. They are held in such esteem, it is almost unbelievable. One wonders why, and why it is so different from the opinion held in many western countries. This is simultaneously fascinating and a cause of immense sadness - to me anyway. The Indians may not be totally right (some critical standards are necessary), but they are surely more on the right track than we are in the west.
Sunday, 3 April 2011
The Bad Nauheim pieces - 3. The economic facts of life
You start, you try, you do your very best, things still do not work out.
They pay you a pittance, you cannot live on a pittance, you borrow, you have more available short-term, more to pay out long-term. The pittance and the debt start to strangle you eventually.
You try, you do your very best, your efforts are not appreciated, things just get worse.
Someone, who is fond of clichés, tells you to start your own business.
To run your own business you have to sell things. The one thing in life you do really badly is selling things, you are far too shy. The credits are few, the debits are large, the credits diminish, the debits begin to strangle you, the business fails.
Back to the grind and someone else in control. The pittance does not increase, costs do (and how!), life becomes unbearable.
You try your best, who cares? You end up unemployed, you get older, people are less and less interested in what you have to offer.
Poverty, debt, what else remains????
They pay you a pittance, you cannot live on a pittance, you borrow, you have more available short-term, more to pay out long-term. The pittance and the debt start to strangle you eventually.
You try, you do your very best, your efforts are not appreciated, things just get worse.
Someone, who is fond of clichés, tells you to start your own business.
To run your own business you have to sell things. The one thing in life you do really badly is selling things, you are far too shy. The credits are few, the debits are large, the credits diminish, the debits begin to strangle you, the business fails.
Back to the grind and someone else in control. The pittance does not increase, costs do (and how!), life becomes unbearable.
You try your best, who cares? You end up unemployed, you get older, people are less and less interested in what you have to offer.
Poverty, debt, what else remains????
The Bad Nauheim pieces - 2. So what is there to fear?
I fear being forced to live in debt more than I fear death.
I fear poverty more than I fear death.
I fear being forced to live in pain more than I fear death.
I was brought up as a Christian - a non-conformist, Protestant, Methodist.
At the age of 17, I was persuaded by friends that no God could exist, and I became an atheist.
In 1995, a very good friend from Scotland (and a devout Roman Catholic) persuaded me that, logically, I could not prove that God did not exist. Consequently I became an agnostic - an atheistically-inclined agnostic - a position I adopted until this illness overtook me.
The atheistic tendencies once more predominate (I nearly died during the second operation in hospital last month - nothing happened to persuade me that any after-life or beings "from the other side" were there during that experience). All this is the case, my wife's Buddhist views notwithstanding (and she is a wonderful lady).
That anyone with the slightest degree of intelligence could convert to something as superstitious and fundamentally brutal as Islam, baffles me - though all religious teaching is essentially flawed.
If you do need any religion at all, though, Buddhism is the least ridiculous creed to follow, and could well be adopted purely for its philosophical precepts, regardless of any religious dogma.
I fear poverty more than I fear death.
I fear being forced to live in pain more than I fear death.
I was brought up as a Christian - a non-conformist, Protestant, Methodist.
At the age of 17, I was persuaded by friends that no God could exist, and I became an atheist.
In 1995, a very good friend from Scotland (and a devout Roman Catholic) persuaded me that, logically, I could not prove that God did not exist. Consequently I became an agnostic - an atheistically-inclined agnostic - a position I adopted until this illness overtook me.
The atheistic tendencies once more predominate (I nearly died during the second operation in hospital last month - nothing happened to persuade me that any after-life or beings "from the other side" were there during that experience). All this is the case, my wife's Buddhist views notwithstanding (and she is a wonderful lady).
That anyone with the slightest degree of intelligence could convert to something as superstitious and fundamentally brutal as Islam, baffles me - though all religious teaching is essentially flawed.
If you do need any religion at all, though, Buddhism is the least ridiculous creed to follow, and could well be adopted purely for its philosophical precepts, regardless of any religious dogma.
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