“The fashion of the world is the standard by which men in general regulate their conduct: but the Christian takes the word of God for his guide, and the example of Christ for his pattern;”
Charles Simeon (1832-63)
News
News,Tuesday, December 06, 2005
San Jose State University (SJSU) and the San Jose Public Library (SJPL) joined forces to create the King library in downtown San Jose. It has a lot of accolades, largest west of the Missisipi, $170 million dollar price tag, one of a handful jointly run by both public and university systems, 12,000 visitors a day.
It’s an impressive building. I attended SJSU for Computer Engineering, so I’m familiar with the SJSU library books. I also visited the old downtown SJPL, so I was familiar with their books. When the new building was finished, I felt it was an amazing building, but it just seemed like a new building with a bunch of old books.
Today, they are continuing to struggle with finances for expanding the book collection. Many students who used to go to the student union to hang out are now in the library. Many people from the public are coming to enjoy the new library. A total of 12,000 visitors a day creates a very expensive staff to manage all the people. The SJSU and SJPL staff had wanted more money to go the books rather than employees. This is their biggest issue they are addressing today.
The retired dean, Sean Breivik had this final not to say about the library in an article posted on the library website
Finally, Breivik notes the potential impact on children and minorities and low-income adults who come to the library and are introduced to a college environment. “When you come in from the city side and look through the atrium,” she says, “you see the campus. What that’s saying to families where no one’s gone to college is: You can get a college education that’s only one step beyond your public library. To me, that is architecturally the most important message this building gives out.”
Many other institutions around the country are watching to see if this library is a success. Let’s hope that they can get the funding and the books needed. So far, local voting has been very favorable to approve funding for libraries, let’s hope it continues. I have a few books checked out and overdue. Aside from the taxes I pay, I’ll be contributing my $2.00 late fee. 
News,Wednesday, November 30, 2005
A new study shows that people, and particularly men, who work in a noisy environment have a mild to moderately increased risk of heart attack. If you?re a man with many other factors working against you, then your risk is even higher. For example, overweight, with high blood pressure, stressed, and working in a noisy environment. Read the complete article on WebMD
News,Monday, November 28, 2005
Walmart take the low-road model and Costco take the high-road. Costco is much better for our society and Walmart is destructive.
A recent editorial in Seattle times outlines the “low-road” model and the “high-road” model. Walmart, taking the low-road, aims to make prices the lowest by paying employees the least possible and paying the least possible for the products that they sell. Everything is taken on the low road. Costco, on the other hand, pays much more for their employees, with health packages and higher hourly rates, and they support unions for their employees. Costco takes the high road.
Costco is seeing employees stay much longer and Costco actually experiences higher profits per employee. Read more in an editorial column in Seattle Times.
Indeed, a Business Week analysis shows Costco’s average hourly wage is $15.97, far above the Wal-Mart (Sam’s Club) $11.52 figure (even excluding the 25 percent of Wal-Mart workers who are low-paid part-timers). The yearly employer contributions to health care ? Costco, $5,735; Wal-Mart, $3,500. Of Costco employees, 82 percent are covered by the health plan; Wal-Mart, 47 percent. Employee turnover at Wal-Mart is three times higher than Costco’s.
And then comes the clincher, suggesting the low-road approach may not be so clever after all: Costco’s profit per employee is $13,647; Wal-Mart’s, $11,039.
News,Thursday, November 24, 2005
Perhaps you’ve heard the warnings or just intuitively known. America is on a losing path with respect to the global economy. Now a comprehensive report and proposal has been drafted and set before Congress.
America is on a losing path in the global front of science and technology. This is not just related to the outsourcing that we have seen, but it’s related to the huge increase in highly educated people in other countries and the decline of the quality of highly educated workers in the United States. The report was commissioned by Congress and created by a committee of science and technology professionals. It can be downloaded for free from the National Academic Press website.
Read More »
News,Friday, November 18, 2005
A consulting firm, 5-D Leadership released has found that adopting a
command style of leadership as a general way to lead, causes widespread low
morale, high turnover, and mediocre performance.
I’m willing to bet that this style of leadership wouldn’t work well in a
family. The problem with family, is they don’t quit, you don’t fire them,
and you don’t go out of business if they have poor performance. However,
life can really turn into a living hell.
Read the full article
