Dignity

As the operator of a resume writing service I’ve interviewed thousands of clients over twenty years – everyday people in the process of gaining or changing employment. No matter how many I’ve interviewed, or what their profession, I find each client brings something unique to the table.
Recently I interviewed a 30-year-old medical sales rep. He talked, [...]

AK-47; want cream or sugar with that?

An old high school friend of mine married a pro-Western Afghan she met while running a hospital in Pakistan. For several years they lived in the US, but following the fall of the Taliban they moved to Afghanistan, hoping to help with the rebuilding of that country.
Since their return there, they’ve opened the Kabul Kafe, an Afghan “Starbucks” [...]

Who’s to blame for the $hape we’re in?

You. Me. Us.
I met three friends for lunch yesterday at the Cheese Cake Factory, that chain restaurant expanding around the country. Nice restaurant. Nice waiter – a gung-ho college kid who acted as if there was nothing he’d rather be doing than waiting on us. Good food. Nice presentation.
The bill was $75.00. Four people, simple lunch [...]

Farrakhan calls for ‘new beginning’

Am I the only one who has seen this headline in several places and mistook it for more racially-colored denouncements of our society?
On Monday, October 20, I finally had a chance to read a Chicago Tribune article by Jeff Long that, to me, spelled a welcome relief.
The Nation of Islam’s Louis Farrakhan spoke to a crowd [...]

A gunner shoots from the hip: observations, statements, warnings

Two gun-related posts in a row doesn’t necessarily mean I’m pro-gun. I just think these are interesting and I always like to give each side a voice.
Here goes…
To all you old law dogs lying in the shade, current pistoleros, and other fervent Second Amendment believers:
The purpose of fighting is to win.
There is no possible victory in defense. [...]

Gun fighting rules

These rules are from a former Marine who became a police officer. They were given to me by a retired Rochester NY police officer.
Rules of gun fighting:
1 ) Be polite. Be professional. But have a plan to kill everyone you meet.
2 ) Have a gun. Preferably have at least two guns.
3 ) Bring all your friends who [...]

Palefaces versus Indians

When the first European explorers arrived and confronted the residents on the shores of the Western Hemisphere they called them Indians; they thought they’d landed in India. These Indians and their strange tongues weren’t mentioned in the Bible – the major cultural reference point among Eurpopean countries – so the explorers didn’t know how to classify them. [...]

Living with a non-elected governor

When I first learned that Eliot Spitzer was going to resign as governor of New York, I feared the worst. This man – this strong leader with a track record of driving positive change as New York’s attorney general - was going to be replaced by someone I’d never heard of prior to the election. To boot, this “someone” [...]

Culture based on credit

A mortgage company  purchased the office building in which my resume writing business is located. The mortgage company and its employees all moved in recently, taking over the second and third floors. And the parking lot.
Their vehicles can be immediately spotted as one scans the parking lot. Unlike the usual sedans of the doctors, therapists and [...]

Lawsuits

Just so we’re on the same page, I’m calling a lawsuit a means of resolving civil issues through monetary settlement. I’m particularly interested in the fact that settlements often seem disproportionately large compared to the alleged “damages.”
In the 21st century people are seeking to resolve every possible issue through lawsuits. We are all undoubtedly familiar with the [...]