You've got to be fucking kidding me.
So the gist of the article is that Boy Scouts of America has created a new merit badge for learning about piracy and choosing one activity from a list, which includes "visiting a movie studio to see how many people can be harmed by film piracy" or creating a "public service announcements urging others not to steal movies or music."
That second activity seems kind of... a bit much.
"The movie industry has developed the curriculum."
Edit: It's not an actual merit badge, nor is it really a part of the BSA. It's a "merit patch", and it's a local initiative with some group in Los Angeles. Of course, it is a disturbing indication of a possible trend.
Dannii Minogue vs Flower Power -- You Won't Forget About Me
2006-10-20
Other notable things said by or of the most hated man of our time
"I was working on the assumption, that every filmmaker works on, that the film will be a disaster."
Narrator: "As he began work on the final installment, he knew expectations from fans and critics would be higher than ever." Harrison Ford: "I thought Han Solo should die. I thought he should have sacrificed himself for the other two characters." Mark Hamill: "As we finished the third one, we really had a sense that it was the end, that it was going to tie up all the loose ends." "In 1997, he would revisit and perfect his vision, at last." "Things I couldn't afford to do at the time, things I didn't have the time or money for... Now I could have them, pretty much the way I wanted them to be." "I'm finishing this for the love of Star Wars. I like Star Wars." "What I was trying to do was stay independent so that I could make the movies that I wanted to make." "I feel good that I'm able to make my movies the way I want them to make." "Though Lucas has always remained true to his vision..." "I've committed myself to making these movies, I believe in these movies." |
2006-10-10
Chori chori kare dhadak dhadak jiya jiya
Tough decisions were never my strong suit; heck, look at my waffling over college for the easiest proof of that statement.
Now, I have a different choice I have to make: Working. Not whether or not to work, obviously, but where. Here's what's going down: I applied at Wal-Mart on a lark after my successful (or so I thought) interview with HEB.
HEB never called. They said they would, approved or denied (But that something really weird would have to happen for me to get denied at that point). There's a few possibilities there - first, I put the wrong phone number. Unlikely, for a few reasons. I double-checked the apartment phone number that I put down, and it's correct. Failing that, I definitely know my cell-phone number; I've had that for a few years now and am not likely to get that one wrong. Second, that they lost my paperwork, that it got misplaced, shuffled around incorrectly, something along those lines. Quite possible, especially given my luck lately. Third, that they rejected me and never called. Also quite possible, but Lisa - the supervisor that conducted my interview - assured me that they would call me either way; I asked because of this very possibility. I've tried calling back to explore the chance that they lost my paperwork, forgot about me, or rejected me, but I haven't had much success treading that path. I looked them up in the phone book, but the number that it gave me doesn't seem to work very well. The first time I called it, I got an answer, but the lady told me to wait a few days. Ever since, the phone has just continued to ring with no answer. Very disheartening.
So Wal-Mart called, i've gone through two interviews and a pre-NHO paperwork session/drug test. Haven't been called back conerning the results on that, expecting a call this week or very early next week.
CRI went very well - I went the pre-employment screening, did very well on all the testing. Impressed the lady with my typing test skills - got a 97 wpm with 94% accuracy. Not the best, but almost four times the 25 wpm they required. Good to know that I do have decent typing skills, and I'll use that fact on future job applications. So that was a few days ago, had my NHO yesterday. Have my first real shift today.
Here's where the complications begin. CRI's shifts end at eleven. Walmart's shifts begin at 10. Obviously, I can't work both on the same day. There's the chance that I can get them scheduled on alternating days - I have a set schedule at CRI already, I'd have to see if Walmart would let me take the other days. The immediate problem I foresee with that, though, is that when I was talking to Louis during one of my interviews, he specifically confirmed that I didn't need specific days off, and mentioned that that was one of the problems they were having in filling this position. At the time, I didn't, but now, I do, and it sounds like it might be a problem. Given their large corporation status, they're also less likely to work with me and make concessions towards my specific needs.
That's where the decision stuff comes in, if Walmart can't accomodate my scheduling request, which I would totally understand, given that they didn't exist when I applied. That all means that it sounds like here shortly, I'll have to decide between CRI and Walmart.
Note: Yes, I realize that these are both fairly crappy jobs, especially if they're my primary occupation and the only major thing filling my time right now. I fucked up bad, I know that. I'm working on it. Moving on.
Each job has its own benefits. CRI, I'll have no problems getting 40 hours a week. It's a lower base pay, but much more incentives for high productivity. Heck, you get a higher base pay just for working 30 or more hours a week. However, they don't allow overtime, which sucks. I've always been a huge fan of overtime. Additionally, the people at CRI all seem a lot cooler than anyone that works at Walmart. It's hard to say which job will pay me more. I don't know if Walmart has productivity incentives, but I suspect it doesn't. I imagine there's a raise after a certain period of time, but that's about it. I don't know how they feel about overtime. Eitehr way, I think I really want a second job, since it appears that these two are incomptible. Wal-Mart would be a lot easier to get a second job that has more traditional hours, since my availability would be something like 8 am - 9 pm, contrasted with 12 am - 2 pm at CRI. About the same number of hours available, just shifted four hours or so. There's just no real clear-cut victor after looking at everything, and I don't like having to make these types of decisions. I guess, though, that's a huge part of being "grown-up" - making these tough decisions that are going to have both an immediate and long-lasting impact on your ilfe.
Luckily, I have a little bit before I really have to make this decision. Walmart probably won't finish processing my stuff for another few days, either the end of this week or early next week (not that I'm entirely confident in corporations' ability to process paperwork; thanks, HEB). I suppose I need to start looking for a second job either way, I'm just not sure which hours of availibility to put down. I guess I'll put down CRI's, see what happens.
Oh, the one thing I forgot is that I can still turn down Walmart and not feel like a total shitbag. I've been on the clock at CRI, I've committed to these hours. I'm not exactly eager to just say "Yeah, well, fuck you!" to them. I've never really espoused integrity, not that it's ever come up, though, in retrospect, I guess that's why I've left both Sonic and Domino's. I think I'd enjoy the work more at Walmart, I'm not entirely certain doing phone surveys will leave me feeling terribly satisfied. Well, restocking a large retail store won't either, but I think the argument could be made about *relative* satisfaction and all.
I'm just frustrated at the whole situation - one that I created, not trying to shuffle blame off on anyone else (though HEB not calling when they said they would is a little annoying). It's really easy for that to spill over and color other things - lack of a social life, religious presecution, the current administration, school prospects, you name it.
Aneela ft Arash -- Chori Chori (Great Barrier Radio Edit)
Now, I have a different choice I have to make: Working. Not whether or not to work, obviously, but where. Here's what's going down: I applied at Wal-Mart on a lark after my successful (or so I thought) interview with HEB.
HEB never called. They said they would, approved or denied (But that something really weird would have to happen for me to get denied at that point). There's a few possibilities there - first, I put the wrong phone number. Unlikely, for a few reasons. I double-checked the apartment phone number that I put down, and it's correct. Failing that, I definitely know my cell-phone number; I've had that for a few years now and am not likely to get that one wrong. Second, that they lost my paperwork, that it got misplaced, shuffled around incorrectly, something along those lines. Quite possible, especially given my luck lately. Third, that they rejected me and never called. Also quite possible, but Lisa - the supervisor that conducted my interview - assured me that they would call me either way; I asked because of this very possibility. I've tried calling back to explore the chance that they lost my paperwork, forgot about me, or rejected me, but I haven't had much success treading that path. I looked them up in the phone book, but the number that it gave me doesn't seem to work very well. The first time I called it, I got an answer, but the lady told me to wait a few days. Ever since, the phone has just continued to ring with no answer. Very disheartening.
So Wal-Mart called, i've gone through two interviews and a pre-NHO paperwork session/drug test. Haven't been called back conerning the results on that, expecting a call this week or very early next week.
CRI went very well - I went the pre-employment screening, did very well on all the testing. Impressed the lady with my typing test skills - got a 97 wpm with 94% accuracy. Not the best, but almost four times the 25 wpm they required. Good to know that I do have decent typing skills, and I'll use that fact on future job applications. So that was a few days ago, had my NHO yesterday. Have my first real shift today.
Here's where the complications begin. CRI's shifts end at eleven. Walmart's shifts begin at 10. Obviously, I can't work both on the same day. There's the chance that I can get them scheduled on alternating days - I have a set schedule at CRI already, I'd have to see if Walmart would let me take the other days. The immediate problem I foresee with that, though, is that when I was talking to Louis during one of my interviews, he specifically confirmed that I didn't need specific days off, and mentioned that that was one of the problems they were having in filling this position. At the time, I didn't, but now, I do, and it sounds like it might be a problem. Given their large corporation status, they're also less likely to work with me and make concessions towards my specific needs.
That's where the decision stuff comes in, if Walmart can't accomodate my scheduling request, which I would totally understand, given that they didn't exist when I applied. That all means that it sounds like here shortly, I'll have to decide between CRI and Walmart.
Note: Yes, I realize that these are both fairly crappy jobs, especially if they're my primary occupation and the only major thing filling my time right now. I fucked up bad, I know that. I'm working on it. Moving on.
Each job has its own benefits. CRI, I'll have no problems getting 40 hours a week. It's a lower base pay, but much more incentives for high productivity. Heck, you get a higher base pay just for working 30 or more hours a week. However, they don't allow overtime, which sucks. I've always been a huge fan of overtime. Additionally, the people at CRI all seem a lot cooler than anyone that works at Walmart. It's hard to say which job will pay me more. I don't know if Walmart has productivity incentives, but I suspect it doesn't. I imagine there's a raise after a certain period of time, but that's about it. I don't know how they feel about overtime. Eitehr way, I think I really want a second job, since it appears that these two are incomptible. Wal-Mart would be a lot easier to get a second job that has more traditional hours, since my availability would be something like 8 am - 9 pm, contrasted with 12 am - 2 pm at CRI. About the same number of hours available, just shifted four hours or so. There's just no real clear-cut victor after looking at everything, and I don't like having to make these types of decisions. I guess, though, that's a huge part of being "grown-up" - making these tough decisions that are going to have both an immediate and long-lasting impact on your ilfe.
Luckily, I have a little bit before I really have to make this decision. Walmart probably won't finish processing my stuff for another few days, either the end of this week or early next week (not that I'm entirely confident in corporations' ability to process paperwork; thanks, HEB). I suppose I need to start looking for a second job either way, I'm just not sure which hours of availibility to put down. I guess I'll put down CRI's, see what happens.
Oh, the one thing I forgot is that I can still turn down Walmart and not feel like a total shitbag. I've been on the clock at CRI, I've committed to these hours. I'm not exactly eager to just say "Yeah, well, fuck you!" to them. I've never really espoused integrity, not that it's ever come up, though, in retrospect, I guess that's why I've left both Sonic and Domino's. I think I'd enjoy the work more at Walmart, I'm not entirely certain doing phone surveys will leave me feeling terribly satisfied. Well, restocking a large retail store won't either, but I think the argument could be made about *relative* satisfaction and all.
I'm just frustrated at the whole situation - one that I created, not trying to shuffle blame off on anyone else (though HEB not calling when they said they would is a little annoying). It's really easy for that to spill over and color other things - lack of a social life, religious presecution, the current administration, school prospects, you name it.
Aneela ft Arash -- Chori Chori (Great Barrier Radio Edit)
2006-10-03
Your body and your soul
There are things that frustrate me much more than others. For example, I hate being ignored, having uncertainty, and being led along. In the context of my current job search, I feel that I'm experiencing all of those, and that all three are somewhat similiar.
I had my second interview at the HEB Distribution Center on Friday, September 22nd. Near the end of the interview, Lisa, the supervisor conducting the interview, said something along the lines of "At this point, if I wasn't going to approve you, I would stop the interview. However, I'm approving you, and at this point, we're going to go on a short tour of the facility." After the tour, she told me the Director (?) of HR was out of town, since he handled operations for both San Marcos and San Antonio; otherwise, he'd review and approve my application then, and I could go take my drug test. However, since he was out of town, I'd have to wait for him to get back, and that I should be receiving a call Monday or Tuesday. She also mentioned, at another point in the interview, that they did Orientation on Tuesdays, and that they had a rather large one scheduled for Tuesday as well (tangental, but it comes into play slightly later.) I asked her whether I'd be receiving a call if, for whatever reason, they denied my application at that point; she said yes, I would.
I waited anxiously Monday and Tuesday; there was no call. I figured that they might have a lot to deal with with the large orientation and have a lot of stuff to process, so I gave them Wednesday as well. Still no call. I looked up their number Thursday morning and gave them a call. I explained my situation to the lady on the other end; she asked me if I had taken my drug test yet. I told her that I was told to wait on the call to get approved so that I *could* go do that. She told me to just wait a few more days.
Here we are Tuesday, October 3rd. I was supposed to get a call, approved or denied, a week ago. I've been trying to call them, but there hasn't been any answer whatsoever to my calls. It's REALLY frustrating. I mean, if I'm being denied, I don't mind, but I'd like to know. That's why I made a specific point of asking my interviewer whether I'd be still be called should I be denied, and she answered both definitely and affirmatively. It makes me a little hesitant to apply at other places, when I'm already this far into the interviewing process there, when it's such a good job, and I seem to be making good progress towards obtaining it. I don't mind rejection so much as I detest not knowing what's going on. They gave me the timetable of when to expect a call, so I don't feel it's entirely unreasonable of me to expect them to adhere to that timetable, especially with the leeway I've already given them. Certainly, they expect punctuality of their employees, shouldn't they exhibit it? It's somewhat similiar to the issues Lilie and I have had. She (for lack of a better way to put it) led me on through refusing to reject me. I hesitate to put it on those terms, for they tend to cast the blame entirely on her, when I certainly bear a share of it as well, for allowing myself to be led on. It also harkens back to the conversation(s) we had concerning lying now to spare someone pain, versus the pain that comes later upon discovering the lie. It's just a total lack of respect, and that's not a word I use very often, and I feel is somewhat over-used in a lot of situations.
I'm also two interviews into the overnight stocking position at Wal-Mart, which has also been... interesting. Testing, perhaps. I received a call about four days ago, on Thursday, concerning the position, and told to come to the layaway department at 1 pm on Friday and ask for Trish.
I did.
There seemed to be a lot of confusion, and I overheard someone saying "Well, I'm still at lunch." So I ended up waiting about half an hour. Now, I don't mind waiting half an hour - I'm a patient person. I understand things take time, that unexpected delays crop up, that certain things can't wait while others can. I kept getting asked if I was waiting for someone, if I'd been helped, and each time, I told them what I knew so far. Eventually, someone asked, and it came out that someone else was conducting my interview. So, I finally got in and got to do it. Ten minutes, total. It was just a bunch of questions concerning my actions in various situations, phrased very neutrally. Some of them, I'd already encountered in the interviews at HEB, some, I hadn't. After he was done, he told me that he was taking this to (someone) and that they'd review it, and in a few minutes, he'd come let me know if my next interview was about to take place, or would be tomorrow. I went back out and sat down; he came out within about two minutes and told me to come back Monday at 1, ask for Trish.
So I did.
I was told she was supposed to come in at seven, but she hadn't been there all day. So I sat and waited; my interview would be conducted by Louis (I don't recall the person who conducted my first interview.) Basically the exact same as the first interview, same style of questions, if a few less this time around. He seemed satisfied with all of my answers, I guess; he said that the next person I needed to talk to was in a meeting, and if I could wait outside, they'd be with me shortly. So I waited. It was about forty-five minutes before the first interview, so it was around 2 at this point.
3 o'clock rolls around, the person working the layaway counter asks me what's going on; I tell her; she goes to find out what's going on on my behalf. She comes back out and tells that they're still in a meeting, and I can leave, and they'll call me.
So at this point, I'm waiting on calls from two different companies, both of whom are fairly large, and I'd expect to have better systems in place for handling this kind of thing. It's rather demeaning to be told to come in at a certain time for an interview, and have to wait forty-five minutes. Now, I should clarify that. I'm patient. I don't mind waiting in long lines, waiting my turn, waiting through delays. But none of those waits had to do with people in front of me. They told me to be there at that time. Meetings run on, I understand that. Forty-five minutes? I guess I just HATE being told to wait on a call. It really plays to my insecurity - when someone tells me that they're going to call me, I have trouble believing them. Isn't that a line used by someone being pursued by someone else that they don't want attention from? "Can I have your number?" "No, I'll call you." It's the uncertainty, the waiting, that also gets to me. I'd hate to apply somewhere else, be accepted, start going through the process there, then get called back from the previous job, one I'd much prefer, and have to bail on the second one. I don't like doing that.
Now, I understand about putting in an application and never hearing back concerning it - that was the standard method of rejection at both places I've worked, and I understand it. We receive so many applications, it'd be a huge pain in the ass to call back every one and reject them, then have to listen to them asking why. I feel that that's a different situation, though, since in both of these that I'm talking about, they called me back, I've gone through two interviews, and they told me, and I quote, "We'll call you." It always amused me when people would call either place and ask "about the status of my application." I always wanted to tell them if we wanted them, we'd call them, because that was the case. Calling back didn't help at all. So I don't know why I'm calling back HEB repeatedly - they're not answering today at all, for whatever reason - except that they told me they'd call, and I want to know why they haven't. What worries me the most is that they intended to hire me, but misplaced my file, or think that they've called, and are waiting on me. I'm ready to do whatever I need to to expedite the process as soon as they provide me with the necessary information on what I need to do. (Just tried calling them again, no response.)
It's really frustrating. False modesty aside, I'm a hard worker. I'm punctual, I enjoy working long shifts, I don't begrudge the time spent at work, nor do I view it as an onerous burden placed upon me. I *want* to work, to have a job. I've heard "If you can't find work, you're not looking hard enough" tossed around, and I certainly tend to agree with it. It's just driving me nuts, seeming to do well in interviews, being told to expect a call-back, when it doesn't come. I hate calling them, because I know from my experience that that's not really helpful, though it is in somewhat different situations.
So anyway, what now? Well, I am still waiting to hear back from HEB, which is my first choice, and Wal-Mart, which I guess is my second? Other than that, I've called Corridor Cab, who's looking for weekend drivers, which I can do - I know the town, I have a clean driving record, but I fear the message I left was a little weird; I had some breathing issues, because I was nervous. I'm going to call CRI at one, when they're taking calls for some position or something. I know Aubrey and JD both worked there at one time or another, I think James did too. I'll probably end up picking up an application for Quality Inn as well, they need a front desk person, and I could do that. I remember hanging out with Katie when she was doing it at Red Roof Inn. I wouldn't mind working the overnight on that one, though the pay isn't great. I'll probably end up getting a second job, maybe something part-time, depending on what I get as my primary. With the HEB job, I probably wouldn't have to, though depending on how static or dynamic my schedule was, it would still be a possibility.
Still haven't heard from Chelsea, it'll be interesting to see what she says, *if* she responds, which I'm certainly not taking as a given. That's about the only thing going on in my life other than my search for a job. Haven't talked to Lilie in about a week or so. Well, once, I'm not entirely sure when it was, but it was a fairly short conversation. Haven't talked to Rose in a little longer, except for one conversation where she asked me about a few mods and their location.
Starstylerz -- Keep on Moving
I had my second interview at the HEB Distribution Center on Friday, September 22nd. Near the end of the interview, Lisa, the supervisor conducting the interview, said something along the lines of "At this point, if I wasn't going to approve you, I would stop the interview. However, I'm approving you, and at this point, we're going to go on a short tour of the facility." After the tour, she told me the Director (?) of HR was out of town, since he handled operations for both San Marcos and San Antonio; otherwise, he'd review and approve my application then, and I could go take my drug test. However, since he was out of town, I'd have to wait for him to get back, and that I should be receiving a call Monday or Tuesday. She also mentioned, at another point in the interview, that they did Orientation on Tuesdays, and that they had a rather large one scheduled for Tuesday as well (tangental, but it comes into play slightly later.) I asked her whether I'd be receiving a call if, for whatever reason, they denied my application at that point; she said yes, I would.
I waited anxiously Monday and Tuesday; there was no call. I figured that they might have a lot to deal with with the large orientation and have a lot of stuff to process, so I gave them Wednesday as well. Still no call. I looked up their number Thursday morning and gave them a call. I explained my situation to the lady on the other end; she asked me if I had taken my drug test yet. I told her that I was told to wait on the call to get approved so that I *could* go do that. She told me to just wait a few more days.
Here we are Tuesday, October 3rd. I was supposed to get a call, approved or denied, a week ago. I've been trying to call them, but there hasn't been any answer whatsoever to my calls. It's REALLY frustrating. I mean, if I'm being denied, I don't mind, but I'd like to know. That's why I made a specific point of asking my interviewer whether I'd be still be called should I be denied, and she answered both definitely and affirmatively. It makes me a little hesitant to apply at other places, when I'm already this far into the interviewing process there, when it's such a good job, and I seem to be making good progress towards obtaining it. I don't mind rejection so much as I detest not knowing what's going on. They gave me the timetable of when to expect a call, so I don't feel it's entirely unreasonable of me to expect them to adhere to that timetable, especially with the leeway I've already given them. Certainly, they expect punctuality of their employees, shouldn't they exhibit it? It's somewhat similiar to the issues Lilie and I have had. She (for lack of a better way to put it) led me on through refusing to reject me. I hesitate to put it on those terms, for they tend to cast the blame entirely on her, when I certainly bear a share of it as well, for allowing myself to be led on. It also harkens back to the conversation(s) we had concerning lying now to spare someone pain, versus the pain that comes later upon discovering the lie. It's just a total lack of respect, and that's not a word I use very often, and I feel is somewhat over-used in a lot of situations.
I'm also two interviews into the overnight stocking position at Wal-Mart, which has also been... interesting. Testing, perhaps. I received a call about four days ago, on Thursday, concerning the position, and told to come to the layaway department at 1 pm on Friday and ask for Trish.
I did.
There seemed to be a lot of confusion, and I overheard someone saying "Well, I'm still at lunch." So I ended up waiting about half an hour. Now, I don't mind waiting half an hour - I'm a patient person. I understand things take time, that unexpected delays crop up, that certain things can't wait while others can. I kept getting asked if I was waiting for someone, if I'd been helped, and each time, I told them what I knew so far. Eventually, someone asked, and it came out that someone else was conducting my interview. So, I finally got in and got to do it. Ten minutes, total. It was just a bunch of questions concerning my actions in various situations, phrased very neutrally. Some of them, I'd already encountered in the interviews at HEB, some, I hadn't. After he was done, he told me that he was taking this to (someone) and that they'd review it, and in a few minutes, he'd come let me know if my next interview was about to take place, or would be tomorrow. I went back out and sat down; he came out within about two minutes and told me to come back Monday at 1, ask for Trish.
So I did.
I was told she was supposed to come in at seven, but she hadn't been there all day. So I sat and waited; my interview would be conducted by Louis (I don't recall the person who conducted my first interview.) Basically the exact same as the first interview, same style of questions, if a few less this time around. He seemed satisfied with all of my answers, I guess; he said that the next person I needed to talk to was in a meeting, and if I could wait outside, they'd be with me shortly. So I waited. It was about forty-five minutes before the first interview, so it was around 2 at this point.
3 o'clock rolls around, the person working the layaway counter asks me what's going on; I tell her; she goes to find out what's going on on my behalf. She comes back out and tells that they're still in a meeting, and I can leave, and they'll call me.
So at this point, I'm waiting on calls from two different companies, both of whom are fairly large, and I'd expect to have better systems in place for handling this kind of thing. It's rather demeaning to be told to come in at a certain time for an interview, and have to wait forty-five minutes. Now, I should clarify that. I'm patient. I don't mind waiting in long lines, waiting my turn, waiting through delays. But none of those waits had to do with people in front of me. They told me to be there at that time. Meetings run on, I understand that. Forty-five minutes? I guess I just HATE being told to wait on a call. It really plays to my insecurity - when someone tells me that they're going to call me, I have trouble believing them. Isn't that a line used by someone being pursued by someone else that they don't want attention from? "Can I have your number?" "No, I'll call you." It's the uncertainty, the waiting, that also gets to me. I'd hate to apply somewhere else, be accepted, start going through the process there, then get called back from the previous job, one I'd much prefer, and have to bail on the second one. I don't like doing that.
Now, I understand about putting in an application and never hearing back concerning it - that was the standard method of rejection at both places I've worked, and I understand it. We receive so many applications, it'd be a huge pain in the ass to call back every one and reject them, then have to listen to them asking why. I feel that that's a different situation, though, since in both of these that I'm talking about, they called me back, I've gone through two interviews, and they told me, and I quote, "We'll call you." It always amused me when people would call either place and ask "about the status of my application." I always wanted to tell them if we wanted them, we'd call them, because that was the case. Calling back didn't help at all. So I don't know why I'm calling back HEB repeatedly - they're not answering today at all, for whatever reason - except that they told me they'd call, and I want to know why they haven't. What worries me the most is that they intended to hire me, but misplaced my file, or think that they've called, and are waiting on me. I'm ready to do whatever I need to to expedite the process as soon as they provide me with the necessary information on what I need to do. (Just tried calling them again, no response.)
It's really frustrating. False modesty aside, I'm a hard worker. I'm punctual, I enjoy working long shifts, I don't begrudge the time spent at work, nor do I view it as an onerous burden placed upon me. I *want* to work, to have a job. I've heard "If you can't find work, you're not looking hard enough" tossed around, and I certainly tend to agree with it. It's just driving me nuts, seeming to do well in interviews, being told to expect a call-back, when it doesn't come. I hate calling them, because I know from my experience that that's not really helpful, though it is in somewhat different situations.
So anyway, what now? Well, I am still waiting to hear back from HEB, which is my first choice, and Wal-Mart, which I guess is my second? Other than that, I've called Corridor Cab, who's looking for weekend drivers, which I can do - I know the town, I have a clean driving record, but I fear the message I left was a little weird; I had some breathing issues, because I was nervous. I'm going to call CRI at one, when they're taking calls for some position or something. I know Aubrey and JD both worked there at one time or another, I think James did too. I'll probably end up picking up an application for Quality Inn as well, they need a front desk person, and I could do that. I remember hanging out with Katie when she was doing it at Red Roof Inn. I wouldn't mind working the overnight on that one, though the pay isn't great. I'll probably end up getting a second job, maybe something part-time, depending on what I get as my primary. With the HEB job, I probably wouldn't have to, though depending on how static or dynamic my schedule was, it would still be a possibility.
Still haven't heard from Chelsea, it'll be interesting to see what she says, *if* she responds, which I'm certainly not taking as a given. That's about the only thing going on in my life other than my search for a job. Haven't talked to Lilie in about a week or so. Well, once, I'm not entirely sure when it was, but it was a fairly short conversation. Haven't talked to Rose in a little longer, except for one conversation where she asked me about a few mods and their location.
Starstylerz -- Keep on Moving
2006-10-01
My legs, my nose, my back, my toes
The MPAA funded and published a studdy that claims "movie piracy causes a total lost output for U.S. industries of $20.5 billion per year, thwarts the creation of about 140,000 jobs and accounts for more than $800 million in lost tax revenue". According to the study, 38% of piracy occurs on the Internet - with counterfeit DVDs accounting for the rest. I read through all the comments on Broadbandreports.com, with people coming in on both sides of the issues, and a bunch of people totally missing the point. So I wanted to just kind of ramble a little about how I feel about the issue. Feel free to skip this one, there's nothing interesting in it.
First off, I should point out that yes, I download stuff. A lot. Movies, music, software, Celebrity Jeopardy, you name it. Thus, the things I say will probably have a pro-piracy bias; however, I recognize that without the paying customers, for the most part, the industry wouldn't exist.
That being said...
First, I think their numbers are highly inflated. I would guess that they're using some bizarre, highly unscientific method to guess the number of copies of movies downloaded (perhaps tying it to sales of blank media, never mind the numerous legitmate uses?), then multiplying those by the full retail value (19.99? 25.99? I wouldn't know, I've only bought like two dvds in my life) of a commercial dvd. That's abusing the highly incorrect assumption that each copy of a movie downloaded equals one movie ticket sold or (more likely) one dvd sold. There are a lot of movies that people wouldn't pay to see, but if presented to them free, are more likely to kill a few hours watching it. Now, I'm not saying that makes it right, nor am I trying to rationalize the morality of it. The same thing goes for jobs and tax revenue, highly inflated by the amount of sales. The other point with those two is that yes, their industry is losing that money, but the country as a whole isn't. It's not as though that the money in question, not being spent on movies, is simply disappearing. As that income is disposable, it's most likely being spent on other things, other forms of entertainment. It's just the movie industry that's not getting part of it. While it's still a valid complaint, the fact that they try to project it onto a nation-wide tax revenue issue is very annoying.
I think people who complain about actors and high-powered executives being paid outrageous sums of money are missing the point, somewhat. I mean, yeah, it's odd to complain about losing profits when your highest paid workers receive extravagant sums of money, but that's not certainly unique to the movie industry. High-profile sports stars are the first comparison that comes to mind. So yes, it's a valid complaint that those people are highly overpaid (maybe it'd be better to say highly paid?), but I highly doubt the majority of people downloading movies are saying to themselves, "Haha! Suck it, movie executive!" and are pirating simply out of moral outrage at those inflated saleries. Well, in retrospect, I suspect a lot of people *are* thinking that, but it has little to do with their actual motivation for pirating. It does annoy me to hear them complaining about lost jobs due to losses from piracy with those saleries, though.
I think my opinions are a lot less clear-cut than I thought. Forgive me.
Then there's the people complaining about the lack of quality coming out of Hollywood, how most movies lately seem to be sequels, adaptations, or remakes, and/or really, really crappy. That, and highly formulaic. I'll agree to that, for the most part. I personally think it stems from the higher-ups being afraid to take a risk, put their comforts on the line. Of course, it's very amusing to follow that line of reasoning, when you have movies like The Hulk, which was atrocious. Incredibly atrocious. God, that movie sucked. I even payed to see that one, on opening day. It's something about superhero/comic book movies that I just love. Anyway. People use that to try to rationalize their theft, saying it's not worth paying for. I think that assertion really weakens the entire anti-MPAA movement. It allows the opposition to really latch on to that particular argument, bash it into the ground, and claim victory.
Related to that is the MPAA's fear of emerging technologies. The RIAA had it at first too - being highly against radio stations playing commercial music, blank media being available for sale, dual-head cassette players, and CD-R/RWs. However, they've at least taken baby steps towards making concessions towards the technological onslaught. Of course, their trying to shut down file-sharing sites, incredibly heavy-handed DRM, and suing individual downloaders makes me question whether the positive steps they *have* taken are sheer luck. The MPAA, however, seems to be unwilling to accept even that marginal change. I mean, download services that cost as much as retail DVDs, have lower quality, and can only be played on the computer you downloaded it on? That's ridiculous. What really cracks me up is their circular logic - they refuse to embrace new technologies because they fear it will cost them sales, then point to lost sales due to their refusal as justification. I mean, I know that a lot of people download things simply because they don't want to pay for them. But I know there are those who download things because it's more convenient, and they're accustomed to obtaining information that way. The question comes up again and again - if the movie industry is losing so much money to internet piracy, why not embrace it and recoup some of that lost revenue? I'm not making that assertion, just mentioning it as a usually unanswered argument.
Another frequent criticism is both industries price gouging. I don't recall the exact numbers, but the cost of producing CDs and DVDs has dropped significantly as their techniques are refined, improved, and spread out. That cost, however, doesn't seem to have been passed on to the consumer. Again, they often use the arguement that they're trying to recoup losses from piracy, when some of that piracy is frustration at that very sentiment. I find it amusing that one of the arguments made in support of those high prices, at least on DVDs, is the various bonus features and extras found on the dvd. What if the consumer doesn't want those? I mean, some releases have "Collector's Editions" with even more bonus features, but most dvds tend to include at least some. However, a lot of movies downloaded are just that - no extras. (As broadband spreads, that becomes less true, and it's more likely to find entire dvd rips, but speaking for myself, I really don't care for most movies' extras. I just want the movie.)
My favorite counter-argument is that most people against the MPAA/RIAA and criticizing these reports are just trying to rationalize theft. I'll admit, some detractors are doing just that - "Fuck you MPAA! Your movies suck! I'm not paying for them!". Now, I'll concede that point. It's still stealing, even from an industry doing the things I've already talked about. The 'virtuous bandit' myth that many might try to appeal to is really hard to sympathize with, in this situation. However, in focusing on the theft-rationalization point, they tend to ignore the other points and declare victory. That's a straw-man fallacy, and really leads to the entire thing devolving, and quickly.
So I'm not really sure where to go from here. Obviously, if everyone pirated their non-tangible entertainment, people wouldn't produce it. At least, not the people in it for the profit. Of course, you then have the issue of artists needing the means to support themselves. Most propose a borderline socialist solution, where they're given grants by the government. I mean, we have that in the Arts, and it draws a lot of criticism. It's really hard for people to do possibly offensive things, or really cutting-edge things, because people start doing reports like "Your tax dollars are being wasted on this crap!" So I'm not to sure about that one.
The Beach and Tia -- Suntan (Freemasons Club Mix Edit)
First off, I should point out that yes, I download stuff. A lot. Movies, music, software, Celebrity Jeopardy, you name it. Thus, the things I say will probably have a pro-piracy bias; however, I recognize that without the paying customers, for the most part, the industry wouldn't exist.
That being said...
First, I think their numbers are highly inflated. I would guess that they're using some bizarre, highly unscientific method to guess the number of copies of movies downloaded (perhaps tying it to sales of blank media, never mind the numerous legitmate uses?), then multiplying those by the full retail value (19.99? 25.99? I wouldn't know, I've only bought like two dvds in my life) of a commercial dvd. That's abusing the highly incorrect assumption that each copy of a movie downloaded equals one movie ticket sold or (more likely) one dvd sold. There are a lot of movies that people wouldn't pay to see, but if presented to them free, are more likely to kill a few hours watching it. Now, I'm not saying that makes it right, nor am I trying to rationalize the morality of it. The same thing goes for jobs and tax revenue, highly inflated by the amount of sales. The other point with those two is that yes, their industry is losing that money, but the country as a whole isn't. It's not as though that the money in question, not being spent on movies, is simply disappearing. As that income is disposable, it's most likely being spent on other things, other forms of entertainment. It's just the movie industry that's not getting part of it. While it's still a valid complaint, the fact that they try to project it onto a nation-wide tax revenue issue is very annoying.
I think people who complain about actors and high-powered executives being paid outrageous sums of money are missing the point, somewhat. I mean, yeah, it's odd to complain about losing profits when your highest paid workers receive extravagant sums of money, but that's not certainly unique to the movie industry. High-profile sports stars are the first comparison that comes to mind. So yes, it's a valid complaint that those people are highly overpaid (maybe it'd be better to say highly paid?), but I highly doubt the majority of people downloading movies are saying to themselves, "Haha! Suck it, movie executive!" and are pirating simply out of moral outrage at those inflated saleries. Well, in retrospect, I suspect a lot of people *are* thinking that, but it has little to do with their actual motivation for pirating. It does annoy me to hear them complaining about lost jobs due to losses from piracy with those saleries, though.
I think my opinions are a lot less clear-cut than I thought. Forgive me.
Then there's the people complaining about the lack of quality coming out of Hollywood, how most movies lately seem to be sequels, adaptations, or remakes, and/or really, really crappy. That, and highly formulaic. I'll agree to that, for the most part. I personally think it stems from the higher-ups being afraid to take a risk, put their comforts on the line. Of course, it's very amusing to follow that line of reasoning, when you have movies like The Hulk, which was atrocious. Incredibly atrocious. God, that movie sucked. I even payed to see that one, on opening day. It's something about superhero/comic book movies that I just love. Anyway. People use that to try to rationalize their theft, saying it's not worth paying for. I think that assertion really weakens the entire anti-MPAA movement. It allows the opposition to really latch on to that particular argument, bash it into the ground, and claim victory.
Related to that is the MPAA's fear of emerging technologies. The RIAA had it at first too - being highly against radio stations playing commercial music, blank media being available for sale, dual-head cassette players, and CD-R/RWs. However, they've at least taken baby steps towards making concessions towards the technological onslaught. Of course, their trying to shut down file-sharing sites, incredibly heavy-handed DRM, and suing individual downloaders makes me question whether the positive steps they *have* taken are sheer luck. The MPAA, however, seems to be unwilling to accept even that marginal change. I mean, download services that cost as much as retail DVDs, have lower quality, and can only be played on the computer you downloaded it on? That's ridiculous. What really cracks me up is their circular logic - they refuse to embrace new technologies because they fear it will cost them sales, then point to lost sales due to their refusal as justification. I mean, I know that a lot of people download things simply because they don't want to pay for them. But I know there are those who download things because it's more convenient, and they're accustomed to obtaining information that way. The question comes up again and again - if the movie industry is losing so much money to internet piracy, why not embrace it and recoup some of that lost revenue? I'm not making that assertion, just mentioning it as a usually unanswered argument.
Another frequent criticism is both industries price gouging. I don't recall the exact numbers, but the cost of producing CDs and DVDs has dropped significantly as their techniques are refined, improved, and spread out. That cost, however, doesn't seem to have been passed on to the consumer. Again, they often use the arguement that they're trying to recoup losses from piracy, when some of that piracy is frustration at that very sentiment. I find it amusing that one of the arguments made in support of those high prices, at least on DVDs, is the various bonus features and extras found on the dvd. What if the consumer doesn't want those? I mean, some releases have "Collector's Editions" with even more bonus features, but most dvds tend to include at least some. However, a lot of movies downloaded are just that - no extras. (As broadband spreads, that becomes less true, and it's more likely to find entire dvd rips, but speaking for myself, I really don't care for most movies' extras. I just want the movie.)
My favorite counter-argument is that most people against the MPAA/RIAA and criticizing these reports are just trying to rationalize theft. I'll admit, some detractors are doing just that - "Fuck you MPAA! Your movies suck! I'm not paying for them!". Now, I'll concede that point. It's still stealing, even from an industry doing the things I've already talked about. The 'virtuous bandit' myth that many might try to appeal to is really hard to sympathize with, in this situation. However, in focusing on the theft-rationalization point, they tend to ignore the other points and declare victory. That's a straw-man fallacy, and really leads to the entire thing devolving, and quickly.
So I'm not really sure where to go from here. Obviously, if everyone pirated their non-tangible entertainment, people wouldn't produce it. At least, not the people in it for the profit. Of course, you then have the issue of artists needing the means to support themselves. Most propose a borderline socialist solution, where they're given grants by the government. I mean, we have that in the Arts, and it draws a lot of criticism. It's really hard for people to do possibly offensive things, or really cutting-edge things, because people start doing reports like "Your tax dollars are being wasted on this crap!" So I'm not to sure about that one.
The Beach and Tia -- Suntan (Freemasons Club Mix Edit)
