FireUpChips10
FireUpChips10's JournalEaster Greetings from President Obama
This Sunday, Michelle and I will join Christians across the country and around the world to celebrate Easter and give thanks for the all-important gift of grace. Easter is a time to reflect on both Christ’s suffering and ultimate triumph, as the anguish of the cross continues to give way to the victory of resurrection. So to all those celebrating with us, we extend our warmest Easter greetings and best wishes in the days ahead.
Not bad for a Muslim! (just kidding!)
Thomas Kinkade, one of nation's most popular painters, dies in Los Gatos
Source: San Jose Mercury News
Thomas Kinkade, the "Painter of Light" and one of most popular artists in America, died suddenly Friday at his Los Gatos home. He was 54.
His family said in a statement that his death appeared to be from natural causes.
"Thom provided a wonderful life for his family,'' his wife, Nanette, said in a statement. "We are shocked and saddened by his death.''
His paintings are hanging in an estimated 1 of every 20 homes in the United States. Fans cite the warm, familiar feeling of his mass-produced works of art, while it has become fashionable for art critics to dismiss his pieces as tacky. In any event, his prints of idyllic cottages and bucolic garden gates helped establish a brand -- famed for their painted high lights -- not commonly seen in the art world.
Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/los-gatos/ci_20344195/thomas-kinkade-one-nations-most-popular-painters-dies
Wow. I'm surprised.
Rant: Having connections isn't exactly helping my job search
You know what they say about looking for a job: It's not so much what you know, but who you know.
Well, that's not exactly helping either.
Until recently, Organization A (as we shall call it) had nine staff across the state, including three here in my area. As it happens, I am connected with all three staff in my area, and I also know one of the organization's board members. All four of these people (three staffers and one board member) know that I am looking for full-time work.
Well, lo and behold, one of the aforementioned staffers posted on Facebook that today (yesterday) was the first day for their newest staffer, and that they're looking forward to working with them, etc., etc.
Yep. They had an opening, they hired somebody, and I didn't even know about it.
One of the other staff members at Organization A called me a couple weeks ago to tell me about a job opening, and they wanted my permission to forward my resume to someone. But what I remember from that conversation was that the job opening was with a certain political campaign. Perhaps I misheard (or the staffer misspoke), and the job was with Organization A? Either way, no interview, no job.
Oh, but that's not all.
Organization B is currently in the hiring process for a position. This position was first posted two weeks ago (March 22 or 23), and the deadline to apply was last Friday, the 30th. I called them Tuesday to follow up, and they said they were setting up interviews. Two more days have passed, and I haven't heard back from them. (Does it really take several days to set up interviews?)
Oh, and the hiring manager? The person to whom I sent my application? Turns out I've interviewed with him/her before. I applied for a similar job at a different organization, and I went in for an interview earlier this year (as in, 2012). And (s)he was one of the interviewers. They just landed their current position at Organization B.
Oh, and not only does the hiring manager know me from a recent interview, but I was also able to get a few people to recommend me for this position, including....... one of the staff members AND one of the board members from Organization A!
Two job openings. Lots of qualifications and skills to fit each job. Five connections. But so far, zero interviews.
I wish I knew what I was doing wrong.
Anyway, rant over.
Nation's smallest town sold for $900,000
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/05/us/wyoming-town-auction/index.html?hpt=hp_c1The population of the least populous town in the United States appeared to at least double Thursday when two mysterious businessmen from Vietnam won the tiny hamlet with a bid of $900,000 at auction.
About a dozen bidders gathered around the town's one business to bid on Buford, Wyoming, which consists of a gas station, a three-bedroom house and a few small outbuildings on 10 acres along Interstate 80.
The bidding began at $100,000 and quickly escalated. The winning bidders were immediately whisked away by auction officials, who would not let them speak to the media.
The town's only resident, Don Sammons, watched from the sidelines. He moved to Buford in 1980 with his wife and son. His wife died in 1995, and his son moved away in 2007. He had bought the town in 1990.
TIGERS WIN!! Magic number: 162!
Networking? Having connections? Not helping my job search!
You know what they say about looking for a job: It's not so much what you know, but who you know.
Well, that's not exactly helping either.
Until recently, Organization A (as we shall call it) had nine staff across the state, including three here in my area. As it happens, I am connected with all three staff in my area, and I also know one of the organization's board members. All four of these people (three staffers and one board member) know that I am looking for full-time work.
Well, lo and behold, one of the aforementioned staffers posted on Facebook that today (yesterday) was the first day for their newest staffer, and that they're looking forward to working with them, etc., etc.
Yep. They had an opening, they hired somebody, and I didn't even know about it.
One of the other staff members at Organization A called me a couple weeks ago to tell me about a job opening, and they wanted my permission to forward my resume to someone. But what I remember from that conversation was that the job opening was with a certain political campaign. Perhaps I misheard (or the staffer misspoke), and the job was with Organization A? Either way, no interview, no job.
Oh, but that's not all.
Organization B is currently in the hiring process for a position. This position was first posted two weeks ago (March 22 or 23), and the deadline to apply was last Friday, the 30th. I called them Tuesday to follow up, and they said they were setting up interviews. Another day has passed, and I haven't heard back from them.
Oh, and the hiring manager? The person to whom I sent my application? Turns out I've interviewed with him/her before. I applied for a similar job at a different organization, and I went in for an interview earlier this year (as in, 2012). And (s)he was one of the interviewers. They just landed their current position at Organization B.
Oh, and not only does the hiring manager know me from a recent interview, but I was also able to get a few people to recommend me for this position, including....... one of the staff members AND one of the board members from Organization A!
Two job openings. Lots of qualifications and skills to fit each job. Five connections. But so far, zero interviews.
Anyway, rant over.
Couple fakes murder; 4 police departments respond
A man and woman in Newaygo County set up a murder scene to trick their friends -- and the prank worked a little too well.
Sheriff's deputies from Newaygo and Oceana counties and police from the Fremont and Hesperia police departments responded to a residence in the 9000 block of West 8th Street in Fremont on Tuesday after a report of a murder, according to a release from the Newaygo County Sheriff's Office.
A 911 caller had told police that he and another man had gone to the residence to visit the homeowner. Upon their arrival, he said, they found the homeowner lying face-down in the hallway with what appeared to be a gunshot wound to the back. A woman in the house was still in possession of a gun.
When police arrived on the scene, they found that no one was dead. Instead, the man and woman had simply played a prank.
http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/nw_mich/newaygo-county-fremont-homicide-hoax
Obama clinches Democratic nomination!
President Obama clinches Democratic presidential nomination by winning DC, MD primaries, CNN projects. #CNNElections http://on.cnn.com/HeI5jg
https://twitter.com/#!/search/cnnbrk
"The person who sent the alert wrote: Frivolous Alert."
I know it's April Fool's Day, but... wow.
Swing States poll: A shift by women puts Obama in lead
Source: USA Today
President Obama has opened the first significant lead of the 2012 campaign in the nation's dozen top battleground states, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, boosted by a huge shift of women to his side.
In the fifth Swing States survey taken since last fall, Obama leads Republican front-runner Mitt Romney 51%-42% among registered voters just a month after the president had trailed him by two percentage points.
The biggest change came among women under 50. In mid-February, just under half of those voters supported Obama. Now more than six in 10 do while Romney's support among them has dropped by 14 points, to 30%. The president leads him 2-1 in this group.
Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-04-01/swing-states-poll/53930684/1#.T3jAbMmy4go.twitter
A poll is a poll, and we have 219 days to go. Still, Republicans are not helping themselves by attacking the gender that usually comprises a majority of the electorate.
See you on the campaign trail!
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Gender: MaleHometown: Kentwood, MI
Home country: USA
Member since: 2001
Number of posts: 23,980
