How To Lose Your Fear Of Being Fired

The fear of being fired is what keeps many employees in perpetual career limbo. Fear of being fired often causes an employee to cowtow to superiors--even when the boss makes bad decisions (look at the people who surround President Bush).

Which brings me to this article, "How To Lose Your Fear Of Being Fired". The article shows how you can prepare yourself for the inevitable day so that it rolls off your back like water off a duck's butt.

Want To Be Liked?

Have you ever wanted more people to like you? Not like you like you, but be the kind of person that others like to hang around and take to a sushi bar?

Then, you should read and practice the Five Tips To Increase Your Likeability. After you've finished, come back here and read CTCN's Five More Tips To Increase Your Likeability:

#6 Dress as though you're a D-list celebrity. People fawn over celebrity even if it is faux celebrity. Name drop. Spew exotic sounding celebrity type names to make yourself look hip and trendy, "You'll never believe who was in the same room with me. ____from that huge English band, the _____. They're fantastic. Have you heard their new hit?" Of course, they haven't and they'll look to you for hip leadership.

#7 Randomly hand out twenty dollar bills to people you don't know. Let them know that "there's more of where that came from". Soon, you'll have gaggles of people who'll follow you like puppies.

#8 Set up your own blog. Put pictures of yourself all over it. Write uplifting and witty information about yourself. Make sure plenty of people link to your site. Manufacture popularity. Be controversial.

#9 Have your picture taken and make sure you partially expose your genitalia. Post in on your blog and all over the web. Worked for Paris Hilton, didn't it?

#10 Legally change your name. Pick out something like Madonna Hilton, Brangelina, or Filliam H. Muffman.

Top 10 Ugliest Fashion Trends

Never having been a fashion maven (wife says my clothes are designed by SLOB Inc.), it was with great interest that I perused the top 10 ugliest, most embarrassing fashion trends of the past 25 years.

As I ran down the list, I wondered how guilty I was of these fashion infractions.

I nodded in agreement with number 10, shoulder pads, because I played football.

A yes on number 9 and ill fitting hats. My head's so damn big that hats never fit.

No on #8 although I have enough hair that I wouldn't require leg warmers.

No on # 7, #6, #5, #4, and #3

I have had clothes fall down around my hips so I'd have to say yes on #2. Every fat man is guilty of this.

Definitely no on #1

By the way...you can buy that snazzy outfit in the picture by visiting I Can Only Imagine in Roscoe Village.

Twenty Ways To Save Energy

Beyond the ecology and money savings associated with saving energy, there's the whole nagging reliance on other government thing.

One quick look around and you see our country embroiled in multiple conflicts, both physically and rhetorically, with oil producers who use our oil weakness to their advantage. Our oil reliance pumps petro profits into nations which often use said dollars to arm themselves with a multitude of weaponry (good for weapon producers, bad for soldiers and civilians).

I guess it's up to us, the citizenry, to cut our nation's oil reliance since the politicians don't have the guts to piss off the corporation's who pay for the politician's election campaigns. Think about this for one minute.

If oil consumption dropped by one third, do you think prices would come down?

Coshocton, you can start today. Here's a Consumer Reports list of twenty ways to conserve energy.

Seven Year Old Gets Alleged Police Threat

Recently, the Pittsburgh Courier reported a story about a police officer allegedly pulling a gun on a seven year old child and "threatening to blow out her brains".

Remind me to scratch Pittsburgh off of my places to visit list.

Banksy Rocks L.A.

When Angelina Jolie spends, people listen.

The art world is abuzz over the Los Angeles Banksy art exhibit, Barely Legal, has drawn numerous celebrity buying types. Jolie purchased $400,000 worth of art, including this painting of a family enjoying a picnic amidst starving Africans, from the well known guerilla artist.

Banksy has gained notoriety with graffiti art placed on building worldwide.

Recently, he punk'd Paris Hilton's recently released CD and posted the the results on YouTube. He's painted a live elephant and placed a Guatanomo figure in Disneyland.

His marriage of conflicting imagery offends the stuffed shirt status quo by making people look at our world's loss of innocence due to progress. Also, much of his work shows the human devastation wrought by corporations and governments.

Banksy has a website where you can view more of his work. Stuffed shirts need not apply.

Teacher's Win Germiest Job Award

I never would have guessed it, but teacher's have the dirtiest jobs, and I'm not referring to Debra LaFave.

Although, when you consider that they interact with germ infested, booger eating, dirty handed kids all day, it's easy to understand why teachers are under a constant bacteria barrage. I suppose at the first sign of a bird flu outbreak, teachers will have to dress like Homer Simpson at the nuclear plant.

#8 on the list, publicist, certainly confused me. I didn't think the list factored in morals and lack of truth telling.

One more thing. As I perused the list, I didn't see drive up window worker. Talk about a germy profession. I sure wouldn't want to take change from a butt scratching, snot wiping on the hand contractor type who just had his hand down a porta-john because he saw something shiny.

Why Joy Padgett Loses My Vote

Bob Ney's hand picked successor, Joy Padgett of Coshocton, secured her spot for the Republican side of the Congressional ticket by winning a special election. I guess the election was special because not many Republicans showed up to vote.

Ms. Padgett faces an uphill battle although she's in a Republican heavy district. In an era of mudslinging politics, questions about her ties to Ney and a recent family bankruptcy will keep the Democratic spin machine busy.

I've talked with people, mainly Republican types, from around the community. Padgett's popular. Everyone says she's a nice person. Heck, I've seen her around town, grocery shopping at Buehler's, and she seems like an everyday Joe. But is that enough?

Not for me.

It's her staunch loyalty to "Freedom Fries" Ney that will cost her my vote. She stood by Ney, chin held high, and didn't waver in her support.

Yes, loyalty carries weight in my book.

But when blind loyalty to a political party and a confessed criminal outweighs the interests of her district residents, then I have to, regardless of her qualifications, withhold my vote.

It started becoming obvious months prior to Ney's confession that something was amiss. Her skewed loyalty should have been used to seek the truth regarding Ney. Yet, Joy Padgett put her party interests first and that loyalty earned "Freedom Fries" nod. Her loyalty to Ney will not earn a nod from me.

Coming To Your Community: Shouting Surveillance Cameras?

The world gets a little spookier every day.

If case you haven't noticed the vast number of surveillance cameras (public and private) throughout the U.S., just know the Brits have a leg up on us. Not only do the Brits have cameras everywhere, they're using methods I'm sure will filter into this country soon.

In one British community, not only are you being watched, but if you do something like littering, the ever watchful eye will shout at you.

Also, the Brits have surveillance throughout their highway system. Cameras are used to catch speeders, cell phone offenders, seat belt non users, and uninsured motorists. Those ever resourceful Brits are watching the how much mileage you drive and charge you accordingly.
Of course, the British wrote the book on taxation without representation.

Don't think it won't happen here. Oregon is testing a pay to drive system funded by the feds.

The Bastardized Voting Process

Voting has long been a cornerstone of our country. While politicians are passing laws to protect the flag, what they should be doing is protecting the voting rights of the citizenry.

I suspect the two parties in power have rigged the system to the point that other political parties can never present a serious challenge to the political status quo. But what's even more distressing is the disenfranchisement of numerous voters. Will voting once again become the domain of the rich and powerful?

Just how big is this problem? The following article outlines the ten worst places to vote.

Things You Didn't Know About Death

I must confess that while reading the story 20 Things You Didn't Know About Death, I began to feel a tad queasy.

I kept thinking I'm happy that I'm not a Zoroastrian.

I think the kids might be distraught with the thought of ol' dad being consumed by vultures. But then again, maybe not.

Dealing With Stolen Lunches

What do you do when a lowdown co-worker pilfers your food or drinks from the company refrigerator? Have you ever sabotaged a sandwich or caught somebody ham handed? How do you keep thieves from swiping that prized ice cold can of coke?

Here's how some Houston workers kept the Ali Baba's away from their chow.

I threw this scenario out to the staff here at CTCN (namely myself) and came up with a few ideas to prevent workplace food thievery.

• How about a little clear super hot sauce on a sandwich? Nothing like a little mouth pain to prevent thievery. Plus, you'll identify the thief...they'll be the one running around screaming, sweating, and cursing profusely.
  
• Make put head cheese, tripe, or sweet breads in your glorious sandwich mix. Write a warning on you lunch bag, "Caution, sandwich contains intestines and or brains. Chow down hog."
  
• Use multiple types of seafood critters. Can you imagine the offenders look when they bite into octopus, fresh squid, or a fish eye? Mmmmm.
• Have your employer install a spy camera and present the offender with the video evidence. Lobby your employer to make refrigerator thievery a firing offense. Post the company policy on the refrigerator and let them know they're being watched.
• If none of the above work, there's nothing like a dead rodent between two slices of bread.
  

Urban Legends Debunked

How do urban legends begin? You know...wild stories which seem to have credibility because someone you know, and perhaps trust, relays the tale to you.

Coshocton has a couple stories which have grown into urban legends, Cletus Reese and Mary Stockum. I'll never forget the first time I heard the Reese story; a demented man cruising up and down Coshocton county roads in search of broken down cars with innocent victims. The Reese legend had grown into a horrendous nine murders and a cannabalistic chow down.

Talk to some are long timers and you'll hear a totally different story. Why did the Reese murders grow into a more horrific urban legend? Live Science takes a stab at why and wherefore of the urban legend phenomena. Once you've completed the story, take a look at their list of top debunked urban legends.

Once you've ingested the info, call your cousin and say, "Hey, I thought you said you knew someone who knew someone who _____."

The One Hundred Angriest Cities

One more list. I know Coshocton didn't make the 100 angriest cities lists, but I know a few people who do travel outside the county, occasionally. They need to read the list and plan accordingly.

A couple of angry city observations.

Florida has 5 of the top 12 angriest cities. I guess too much sun makes Jack an angry boy. After all, this is the state that Katherine Harris wants to represent as a senator. If you've ever read Fark,
you know that Florida rates its own icon and the icon rarely represents a positive story. Of course, this is a state that says, if you feel threatened, you can use deadly force to remedy the situation. Kiss kiss, bang bang.

The other observation: Fargo is listed as only the 98th angriest city. I guess the list makers never saw, Fargo.

How to Lie Without Being Caught and How to Catch People Lying

I guess you could call this a "both sides of the coin" post.

While I'm not one to advocate lying, a thought occurred to me. Perhaps, those who toil inside the Beltway should bone up on their lying skills. While lying has always been a fact of Washington politics, the brazen lying by today's politicians astounds me. With lying, you get corruption. With corruption, you get a higher tax bill and a bigger deficit. If you want to become a superior liar and beat a lie detector, here's how.

On the coin's other side, you should know how to catch people lying. You can observe facial expressions, eye movement, and sweating to ferret out untruths. Of course, you can yell "Liar, liar, pants on fire" and watch how a person reacts. I wonder what Tony Snow would say if Helen Thomas used that phrase?

Majority of People Are Descended From Kings

Here's an interesting article which shows how many of us are related. The article states that odds are you are related to royalty.

Think about it. You're here because somebody before you survived. Your lineage has survived plagues, wars, pestilence, etc...so that you could watch Monday Night Football or Rescue Me.

read more | digg story

11 "Don't-Tell-The-Husband" Secrets All Women Keep

Here's an interesting article about secrets that women keep from their husbands.

As I read the list, I started wondering, "Hmmmm, wonder which of these secrets "mah peach" keeps hidden from me? Heh, heh, now there's an early morning conversation starter.

read more | digg story

Kid's Minds Held Hostage By Advertisers

If you've ever grocery shopped, you've probably witnessed the "nag factor".

It's when a small child nags a parent for a specific item, often an item the child doesn't even like. I've watched the phenomena with my own kid. He hones in on an item, usually one that he saw on TV, and later, won't eat the item he HAD to have.

"Son, why haven't you eaten the yogurt in a tube?"
"I don't like it."
"You haven't opened up one yet."
"It's too sour, I've had it before."
"Then why did you want it?"
"Ummm, I wanted to win the $10,000 contest. You can eat the yogurt."

Advertisers have become more agressive with their offerings. In my opinion, not only are they setting up parent/child conflict, the contest offerings develop a gambling mentality. Yes, I know gambling is legal in many states, but we're talking about the manipulation of a child's immature mind. What can we do?

Turning off the television starts the process. But we both know, a television free home is unrealistic. How about letter writing campaign and boycotting product manufacturers who play these games? Money talks.

What do you think?

Overprotective Parents From The Good Old Days

Here's an interesting story about how parents have become more protective of their children.

I, for one, am guilty of overprotectiveness. But, as many parents/grandparents do, I don't sit around and wax nostalgically about how great things use to be.

Writing about Coshocton a century ago ago has reminded me life hasn't changed much. Things move faster and I think we're overstimulated to the point of paranoia, but people are people.

What I've found during my six months of writing this blog:

There were numerous attacks on females, multiple burglaries, constant train fatalities, illness, hardships, dictatorial-like local government, extremely low wages, constant workplace injury and death. You couldn't walk in the evening for fear of being run over by a car which had no head lamps. Drunkeness was rampant as was domestic violence. A man could beat the crap out of his wife and would receive a $10 fine. If you became ill, good luck. Health care was primitive and most often dangerous. Hucksters were everywhere as was mass homelessness.

Look throughout our country in the same time period. If you were a minority, forget it. Lynchings were a daily occurence, and poverty ruled. Mortality rates were high and in many cities, gangs ruled the roost. Government and corporate corruption ran rampant.

Of course, none of it was on TV...or radio...or a computer...or a podcast. It seems as things were more civilized then because it wasn't being shoved down your throat 24 hours per day.

But now, it's a great big game of fear factor. Fear sells. Fear is why we gut our expendable income. You have to have the latest and greatest to protect yourself from terrorists, anthrax, Republicans, Democrats, real and imagined disease, pollution, accidents, electrocution, gangs, crackheads, alcoholics, pedophiles, and on and on.

You fear for your children's safety because your force fed this crap minute-by-minute. Hey, we're only human and therein lies the exploited weakness. Remember, an old salesman's adage, you motivate people only two ways; through desire of gain or fear of loss. Next time you watch an advertisement or a political speech, see if you can figure out how you're being motivated.

The movie might be new, but it's the same soundtrack.

Wired Wig Wearers Get Busted For Cheating

I guess Vietnamese college wanna-be's haven't figured out that cheating while wearing a "Carmen Miranda Memorial Fruit Wig" or a "I Wanna Be Like Bozo The Clown Wig" will get you noticed.

Too bad they didn't have the Bush presidential debate technology, huh?