Disqus - Latest Comments for gfoster

Re: Lawyers: US-born kids harmed by denial of birth certificates

Gary F. — Sat, 22 Aug 2015 13:35:37 -0000

The Supreme Court of the United States of America says you are wrong. See "United States vs. Wong Kim Ark" to remove your ignorance before you embarrass yourself further.

Re: How to be a better manager by remembering 5 simple phrases

Gary F. — Wed, 19 Aug 2015 12:03:58 -0000

While at Sun, we were taught to visibly put our phone on mute and turn our computer screen off when giving a 1-1. It sent a very clear message "I am focusing this next hour on *you*" and it was very powerful.

Another thing I like to do is if I need to take notes, I use pen and paper, not my computer. That way there's no doubt that I value what they are saying, they can see me writing down the notes and they know I'm not playing solitaire or sneaking in some email.

Re: Theatre of the American Absurd

Gary F. — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:59:23 -0000

Yes, but they're not sending Joe to *solve* the problem. They're sending Joe to report on it, try to get a basic understanding of it and attempt to explain it to the farmers and office workers of middle america as a *reporter*, not as a policy maker.

I think we're conflating two different roles here.

Re: Theatre of the American Absurd

Gary F. — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:45:29 -0000

I'm not celebrating mediocrity here at all. I think Rob sums it up better with his "doesn't have a dog in the fight" statement (thanks for reminding me of that pithy saying, it sums up exactly what I was feeling). My statement isn't that Joe is the right person (I personally think it's ridiculous) but I do believe that a person who doesn't have ANY preconceived notions or opinions is the one best equipped to come up with a more reasonable solution than, say, an Arab or a Jew with generations of cultural hatred fueling their emotions.

Lest we forget, no side in this conflict is without blood on their hands. I'm not condoning any action by any side, I'm just saying that the whole travails of the mideast is a thorny knotty problem with generations of mistakes on every side of the issue and it's not something that anyone can say "oh it's all THEIR fault".

I have found in the past that the best way for me personally to understand a problem thoroughly is to explain it to someone who doesn't have a clue what any of the background information is. If I can give them enough information to understand the problem enough to be able to start thinking about a solution, I *personally* begin to understand the problem better myself just through the act of breaking it down and stripping away the emotions.

Do we need a plumber to solve this problem? No... it's arrogant in the extreme to assume that *we* either need or are qualified to solve the problem at all and it's our meddling in affairs that are none of our concern that has helped inflame problems worldwide. We may not need a *plumber" to solve the problem, but we also need someone who's not a Jew or an Arab, someone who couldn't tell the difference between a palestinian and an ice cream cone, between a Jew and a corned beef sandwich. We (the world, not "we America") need someone who, as Rob puts it, "doesn't have a dog in the fight"

It's also important to remember that Joe's not going over there to solve anything. He's going over there to give a "common person" perspective on the situation. I personally think it's grandstanding and ridiculous, but I'd really like to have someone who is neutral and a blank slate go over there, try to understand what's going on, and then explain it to me instead of having Jews scream at me about Hamas rocket attacks on Israeli villages in one ear while Palestinians scream about Israeli airstrikes and bulldozing of settlements in the other ear. That person doesn't have to be mediocre, and it's insulting to say that common sense and a common person's perspective is anything like "mundane" or "mediocre". It's just as arrogant as assuming that all of us lefties are hand-wringing intelligentsia, or that all those right-wing wackos are commie baby-killers. Damnit, *I* am a common man and I'm damned proud to be one. There's more of us than there are beanie-wearing propellor heads who've already mucked things up beyond belief. Being common doesn't mean being dumb (and I personally despise dumbness).

I don't hear a DAMNED thing when everyone's shouting for blood. That's all that's going on right now and it's sad because the best way to get someone to listen to your words is to LOWER your voice, not raise it.

Oh and one final thing... I don't think bombing people *ever* accomplishes what you intend it to. I think violence is a tool of extreme last resort. Unfortunately, as human beings it seems to be the one tool we keep ready and close to hand and the FIRST one we tend to reach for. I am in no way shape or form condoning any actions on either side of this equation and I for one just wish EVERYONE would stop bombing, rocketing and shooting people in this world.

Re: Theatre of the American Absurd

Gary F. — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:20:11 -0000

Ok, I think there's a lot of idiocy involved, but if you step back and think about it... why NOT have the perspective of someone unclouded with hatreds or agendas on either side of the coin? Why not take this as an opportunity to send a real "tabula rasa" in, gather impressions and try to understand both sides of the craziness that is the mideast?

Not that I think Joe is agenda-free or the right choice, mind you...

-- Gary F.

Re: Facebook Epic Email Fail - Loses Settings

Gary F. — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:56:21 -0000

Just because you don't pay money for something doesn't mean you don't have the right to bitch about it if it breaks... and believe me, facebook isn't providing their service out of the kindness of their hearts either. They're selling your information and your eyeballs.