Slow Day

It's a slow day in the small town of Pumphandle, Saskatchewan - the streets are nearly deserted. Economic times are tough so everybody is in debt and everybody is living on credit.
A tourist visiting the area drives through town, stops at the motel, and lays a $100 bill on the desk saying that he would like to inspect the rooms upstairs before picking one for the night.
The motel owner gives him a key and as soon as he walks upstairs, the owner grabs the bill and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher. The butcher takes the $100 and runs down the street to retire his debt to the pig farmer. The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads off to pay his bill to his supplier, the Co-op.
The guy at the Co-op takes the $100 and runs to pay his debt to the local prostitute, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer her "services" on credit. The hooker rushes to the motel and pays off her room bill to the motel owner. The motel owner then places the $100 back on the counter so the traveler will not suspect anything.
At that moment, the traveler comes down the stairs, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, so he picks up his $100 bill and leaves.
No one produced anything. No one earned anything ... However, the whole town is now out of debt and now looks to the future with a lot more optimism.
......................And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how a Stimulus package works.

Even Americans Cannot Spell

For those of you who study English as a second language, you must find spelling a really pain. Unlike Spanish that spells as it reads, English spelling is without definite rules. Here is an example of a "public display" of bad spelling. The picture was taken from a stretch of road leading to Southern Guilford High School in North Carolina. It proves that even Americans cannot spell.

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Foxcomm Suicide Spree: an Organization Point of View

Dr. Chen of my organization sociology class gave us his opinion on the Foxcomm suicide spree. He attributed the problem from organization point of view, which he pointed out as extreme Taylorism.

Foxcomm, in its pursuit for efficiency and cost reduction might have purposely refined the entire production line into simple but monotonous steps that any non-skilled labor can perform with least amount of training.

Employee quarters were built close to the factory so the deployment of extra labor can be mobilized in a whim. Securities are tight in these compounds in fear of industrial espionage. In the sense, these employees are merely paid captives of the company whose only goal is to produce.

He further added that workers are isolated socially, emotionally, and physically. The isolation lent its way to magnify any personal problems within which caused enough despairs that lead to eventual suicide.

My buddy Freddie found me in Facebook

The biggest present I got for the New Year is hearing from a long lost friend. My friend Freddie contacted me on Facebook couple of weeks ago. I have not heard from him for almost 14 years. I knew Freddie when I was 17. We were roommates.

I remembered contracting German measles and had to be confined in isolation for a week. I reacted to measles badly; I didn’t have any appetite and was too weak even to stand up. Thank God Freddie was there, he was the one who nursed me to health. He brought me water and food and helped me to walk about in my room. I remembered seeing him seating by my bed, praying for my recovery. In between my sleeps, I often hear him reading the scripture to me. I believed that God spoke to me through him and it was because of him I became a Christian.

We were in touch all the way through my early working years in the United States. I couldn’t even remember how we lost touch of each other. I did try to look for him couple of times on the internet but with no avail. But now I know he is in Singapore so it’s time for me to plan my next vacation to meet him. So Freddie, my buddy, I am coming soon.