So, as if oil weren’t already horrifyingly expensive on the world markets, according to Bloomberg, British Petroleum shut down a North Sea pipeline due to a strike at a Scottish  refinery and, in separate news, gunmen attacked a Nigerian export terminal in an area already beset by strikes and terrorism. At the end of the day, the world was paying up to $119.93 for a barrel. Trading is up 79% over a year ago with 25% of that increase coming this month.    The British...

Read More "Labor Union Leverage at Play in Oil Prices"

I bought gas yesterday at $3.29/gal. This morning at the same station it was $3.39. Oh, yeah, can’t forget the 9/10 of a cent. Anyway, a week ago that gas was $3.19. I know, I know – that’s below the national average, but when the price goes up $0.20 in about a week, and you’re driving 100 miles a day, you tend to notice these things and it doesn’t matter if you were paying less or not – an increase is an increase.    Less than...

Read More "Waiting in Line to Buy Gas at $3.25 a gallon"

I guess this falls under the category of not biting the hand that feeds you, but if you read my recent entry on "Blogging for fun and profit", you'll recall that it's not a terribly big hand that's giving me some snacks every now and again, so I don't feel too badly about this one. Yeah, I run some Google Ad Sense ads on these pages...never really amounts to much, and for the most part they're unobtrusive and kind of relevant - although when you're all over the place with your subject...

Read More "You've Got To Be Kidding Me - The Water Car"

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled on "Brian David Sanderson d/b/a ABS Heating and Cooling and Local 7, Sheet Metal Workers International Association, AFL-CIO" on April 7, 2008. The decision can be found at the NLRB website. On April 2, NLRB Chairman Schaumber, testified to a congressional subcommittee that 15% of the NLRB's cases are being turned away because of unfilled vacancies on the board, and that those vacancies are limiting decisions to opinions on which he...

Read More "Possible Affirmative Defense Against Labor Charges: Paranormal Infestation?"

660,000 2003-2004 vehicles manufactured by the New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) plant, a joint venture of General Motors and Toyota Motors, are being recalled due to bolts in the power window system that may loosen and cause the door glass to separate from the window regulator. Replacement of the driver and front passenger door glass bolts will be done at no charge. Cars with manual windows are not affected by the recall. The recall affects 539,500 Corolla and Matrix passenger...

Read More "Toyota and GM Recall 660,000 Vehicles"

Drivers have long been crafty at hiding what they've been doing from public safety officials. The latest product to sell itself as being able assist them in doing so is "AntiPoleez." Have one of these mints and "no one will know that you've been drinking." Sen-sen gum was a common masking agent for alcohol on the breath back in the day, and over time breath sprays have been used with the intent of masking alcohol on one's breath to avoid a driving under the influence (DUI)...

Read More "AntiPoleez: No One Will Know That You've Been Drinking"

Holy crap – oil prices are up to $112.21 a barrel today. It really wasn’t that long ago that OPEC suggested that the optimum price for a barrel of oil was $25 – anything more would have the tendency to negatively affect the US economy.    Over this year, oil has increased by 80% and has increased by 9% THIS MONTH. According to Bloomberg, that’s the second only to wheat’s increase on an index of 19 commodities.  Wheat has doubled, but when...

Read More "Oil at $112 a barrel"

I stumbled upon an interesting article on ZDNet about the world of blogging and how stressful it can be. While my page views and certainly any advertising revenue are miniscule, I can't imagine being stressed out over this, but then again, this isn't my life; it's not my career, not my job.  It's my hobby.   Over the lifetime of this blog, my AdSense effective earnings per 1,000 page views is $0.29 and there have been 15,925 views . For the uninitiated, that means over a...

Read More "Blogging for Fun & Profit"

n testimony to a Senate subcommittee on April 2, the newly appointed chair of the National Labor Relations Board Peter Schaumber, revealed that about 15% of the NRLB's cases are being turned away because of vacancies on the board. These vacancies are not likely to be filled any time soon, due to political posturing. The NLRB should have 5 members appointed to 5-year terms, with a staggered expiration schedule such that a members' term expires each year, however currently there are 3-vacancies...

Read More "NLRB Suffering Due to Political Wrangling Over Appointments"

"The New Employee Verification Act" (H.R. 5515) was introduced by Rep. Sam Johnson of Texas February 28, 2008. "NEVA" would amend the Social Security Act and the Immigration and Nationality Act to prevent unauthorized employment, and it would improve coordination of the provisions of these laws. It creates a mandatory employment verification system for all US employers. This bill, sponsored by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) led interest group "Human...

Read More "New Employee Verification Act (NEVA) Introduced in Congress"

An employee handbook is the synopsized policies and procedures of an organization. One of the most important aspects of any employment relationship is the communication between the employer and the employee, and the employee handbook is an integral part of that communication. It presents an opportunity to present the organization and create a positive connection with employees, but also presents some danger as well. The employee handbook sets forth company expectations as well as the expectations...

Read More "The Employee Handbook"

The very first piece of legislation signed by President Bill Clinton, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) established the right to take 12 weeks of leave from your job if you have worked for a covered employer for at least a year and have worked 1250 hours.    The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) signed into law by President Bush on January 28, 2008 (HR 4986) has amended the FMLA by creating two new categories of leave in addition to those already covered:   An...

Read More "FMLA Expanded to include Military Service"

So you’re considering writing for Associated Content submission. The most important thing to remember is that while AC calls itself “THE PEOPLE’S MEDIA COMPANY” it is not. Associated Content, is, however, a content site powered by inexpensive content that relies on ad revenue. The largest question to ask yourself if you decide to submit content to AC is whether or not the earnings potential associated with earning $1.50 per 1,000 page views with monthly payouts...

Read More "Writing for Associated Content"

We have learned one more truth about ourselves: when we think an object is worth more, we enjoy it more.  When told a bottle of wine is worth $90, researchers have found our brain tells us it’s more enjoyable than the same bottle of wine priced at $10.  As if we don’t already have enough inflation to worry about - $3.10 gallons of gas, $4.00 gallons of milk, and Starbucks coffee costing more – we have to worry about the damage to the pocketbook we’re self-inflicting. ...

Read More "Perceived Value Affects Enjoyment"

The environmentally friendly building movement has been gaining in notice as our concern with climate change and the effects of our nation's increasing impact on the environment come into view. Homeowners seem more willing to pay more for an environmentally friendly home than ever before, making "green" home improvements to existing homes that much more important for those who are seeking to add value to those homes. A 2005 article in Realtor Online Magazine reported that a kitchen...

Read More "Eco Friendly Home Renovation"

This might actually encourage me to check out a Guinness.

In my writings on Associated Content, I've developed a series of articles on Employment issues:

Keeping Employment Benefits Up-to-Date describes information you will need to have updated at life changes: divorce, marriage, new babies, etc.  It's important to update your information so beneficiary information is current and your insurance covers those who you think it does.

The EEOC has described steps to avoid illegal discrimination on the basis of Caregiving status.  As the baby boomers get older and care for their parents and the "Gen X" generation continues to define what it seeks in "work/life" balance, this will become an increasingly important issue.

It happens even to the best people, what to do and not to do when getting fired is a helpful guide on walking through the hardest conversation you will likely ever have in your work life.  The opposite side of this is interviewing for your next job when you've left your last job under less than auspicious circumstances.

If you're planning a career change (perhaps you've just been fired??) this article addresses how to go about searching for a job and how to present yourself.

Choosing the correct resume is such an important piece of your job search and sadly choosing how to present credentials is the least of many people's concerns.  Another piece for which you need to account is how to present your information for non-human eyes - the scanner - in "What you need to know about writing scannable resumes."  You also need to know how to write about your previous experience - how to write about the action in your jobs, not just use action words.

A company being charged with an unfair labor practice under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) does not necessarily mean that the company has actually done anything wrong.    For instance, Starbucks Coffee was recently charged with an unfair labor practice at Region 2 of the National Labor Relations Board in New York by the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or “Wobblies”) for interfering with workers right to organize under the NLRA.    The IWW is one...

Read More "A Little Color Between the Lines"

Building your resume should be one of the most time consuming parts of any job search. Your resume is the document that will either land you an interview or will wind your expression of interest in a company in the pile that nets you the dreaded "Thanks for your resume" letter. The first thing to remember is that your resume is a brochure, a sales pamphlet. It is important to remember that your resume will not get you a job; it will get you an interview. You should think long and hard...

Read More "Building a Text Resume"

You've bought something on eBay and paid using PayPal. Upon receipt, you find the item you have bought isn't exactly as advertised. It's unusable. It's wrong. It just doesn't match anything about the description. Recently, I purchased a phone on eBay to replace a broken one. I paid $130 (thereabouts) on my credit card through PayPal. It is important to remember that PayPal is owned by eBay. From the start, I was unhappy with the time required to ship - it arrived one day after eBay's dispute...

Read More "Disputing a Charge with PayPal"