Oh man.

[kyburg]

It's so fucking August.

The joys of working for a small company include - well - some really off the wall reasons people stop working for them. I can say that, right?

Such as 'so and so was really unhappy with everyone and when the order came down to reduce headcount by one, he was the one chosen...and he knew it was coming months ago.'

Well, I didn't know. And if you aren't aware, when people leave the company? In my book, you might as well have lined them up and shot them because I'll never see them again.

No, I didn't get to say goodbye. And again, I might be the only one to miss the poor guy - and he's likely ecstatic from all reports.

I'd be a fool not to be relieved. At the same time, I'm more than a little sad. This was the guy it was going to be mission critical to successfully work with when I started...and he's the one out the door instead.

I'm inheriting his spot on the safety committee. They should all fear.

Does anyone have room for a really sweet Cocker Spaniel down on his luck? I'd seriously consider this one for myself, except for the fact we are 1) Full UP and 2) Do not have a new dog safe environment due to underage child. (No, I would not introduce a new animal into this house for at least three years. Watch me be very firm on this one.)

If you saw this regarding the CEO of Whole Foods yesterday, perhaps you could stroll over to that over at the LA Times for some pushback. Delicious, all of it.

I need to make some calls. Starting tonight, I am scheduled for every waking hour until Sunday afternoon at 4:30 PM. Really really.

Anyone coming out for Nisei Week this weekend? See you there. Coming out next weekend? We can talk!

Comments

[redqueenofevil.livejournal.com]

You know, it's never been a secret that this guy's always been a douche. He's been doing douchey things for years, and it's been reported. I do have to admire the fact that he's ballsy enough to say what he says, and that he stands by it. That said, he's always been anti union, has done his best to wipe out the competition in the organic market (RIP, Wild Oats and other places of the ilk), and he's never been clean about it. So if people are just NOW getting upset over it, it's because they were never paying attention in the first place.

And yes, a lot of the problem can be attributed to people eating way too much processed food. That's not some random hypothesis that was drummed up by this guy- scientists and doctors have been drumming that in for years too. I don't think like the LA times writer says, that it means that everyone should go to WF, but maybe if Americans started eating better, things might be different. I'm not defending Whole Foods at all, because I've always had disdain for Mackey. But Americans are indeed missing the point.

When and if a new health care plan is passed, people are really going to have to change their diets, and stop sitting in front of the tele so damned much. Obama's plan is to put preventative measures in place, not the stupid crap we have now. For that, I applaud. I know I eat too much crap, and as a vegetarian who tries to eat at home more than out (not always successful, but I try), I think I'm better at it than a lot of folks who dine at Mc Ds on a daily basis, or worse.


Anyway, bummer about the person being let go without so much as a good bye. That's really tough, and I hear it's happening more often these days across the board, than not.

Have a good weekend. I'm probably not hitting Nisei this year, for reasons I already posted about- I am sticking close to home, and away from crowds. If you find yourselves in our area though, we can try to meet up. Just give us a ring.

[the-paulr.livejournal.com]

Isn't that the same CEO who wrote anonymous online attacks against a rival company in order to bring it's stock price down so he could buy it out?

Yeah. Real classy there dude. Like I'm going to listen to anything he has to say now.

[neintales.livejournal.com]

but maybe if Americans started eating better, things might be different. I'm not defending Whole Foods at all, because I've always had disdain for Mackey. But Americans are indeed missing the point.


Of course a lot of people who complain about Americans 'missing the point' when the ZOMG AMERICANS ARE LAZY AND OBESE AND CLUELESS also miss points about the costs of healthy vs unhealthy foods, the availabilities, oh and of course the various many many things other than "not eating right" and "not exercising" that lead to obesity.

Plus, this leads to the nice, slippery slope of, "So you're saying someone who doesn't, for whatever reason, push themselves possibly in order to get lean and trim, and who wants to live in a way that ok, might not be healthiest for them overALL but does not, actually, hurt more than the aesthetic eye/feelings of people around them, DESERVE TO HAVE CRAP CARE." thing.

I know too many people who went to doctors, looked overweight, and were told "Diet & Exercise" only to eventually, when they were just about kaput, to finally be diagnosed with thyroid, for example.

And that's even without the weight gain side effects of just about every drug that's pushed at me to deal with dibilitating mental disorders and other health problems.

If people want to make those *lazy* fatties suffer, are they also interested in well, testing and ensuring it's you know, the lazy ones who suffer?

I think it'll be cheaper to just get a freaking universal single-payer plan up. Than to create some bureaucracy where only the intelligent/useful/deserving get care.

[redqueenofevil.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I don't think that the processed food binging that we do can be equated to the lazy fat people. Many of the people who abuse their bodies the most aren't obese or overweight at all. As I said, I'm not defending Mackey's claims either.

The point that Americans are missing is that while one guy is public about his disdain for the health care issue, several other heads of giant corporations are silently agreeing with him. Typically, corporations in the US are amoral, if they want to adhere to their capitalist ideals. That's the point people are missing. If Americans are pissed at Mackey, they should be equally pissed at the heads of Kroger, Safeway, Mal-wart, Target, etc. I began to start paying attention after the 2004 election, when it was noted that so many of our beloved corporate sponsors were giving generously to the W campaign. The 'Buy Blue' campaign was a great starting point for many. Problem is, that they see a group like Whole Foods, and think, "Wow. They're into marketing organic food, they must be liberal." Really, they're not. Mackey has considered himself Libertarian at best. He has been known for some shady dealings in the past, and it's not exactly private. What makes Kroger (Ralphs, King Soopers, City Market, Food 4 Less, etc) any better than Mackey? For all the touting people do of Trader Joes, no one even blinks an eye when it's mentioned that they are STAUNCHLY as anti-union as Wal-Mart.

So really, the point that Americans are missing, is that all corporations are the same. Boycotting one chain isn't going to exactly make things better. Really, if we're to make any difference at all, we would need to start going directly to the farmers, dairies and butchers. In some places though, that's just not possible. And that's why corporate giants reign supreme in their amoral ways.

I do think that (and maybe it's from all the reading of authors like Schlosser, Pollan and others I've done) our risk of diseases like cancer, diabetes, etc might be lower if we could devote the time to make our meals from scratch with good ingredients. I also think our government is doing a terrible job at making sure the stuff that makes it to the shelves is contaminant free (note all the recalls we've had in California alone in 2009 due to salmonella and ecoli). Unfortunately, it's really tough to plan all meals from scratch daily, and there are days where a grilled cheese from In N Out is just easier than any number of better for us meals.

I do think that if the government is serious about getting health care to the American masses, they're going to have to start laying the smack down on companies that create the processed items we love, and the agri-business that is presently getting away with murder. But that's a whole different matter.

And certainly, there are many things that can con

Sorry to interrupt...

[redqueenofevil.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is. And that's why Tuesday's letter came as no surprise to me. I miss Wild Oats so much...

[neintales.livejournal.com]

Ah ok, I think I suffered some reading comprehension fail about the point you were seeing being missed.

(I've seen too many links to op-eds about how health care phail is the fault of those horrible fatties who raise our insurance costs because they need medical help more... it's probably about time for me to take time away from blogs for a day or so. ^^;)

[redqueenofevil.livejournal.com]

No worries, I've been writing badly lately, and put that in the wrong paragraph. I think it's cool that you brought it up for questioning.

[the-boyfriend.livejournal.com]

So, should he be punished for stating what he thinks and coming up with a possible solution?
I don't agree with him, but at least he has tried to contribute. It didn't seem disrespectful, but now people are talking about boycott till he retracts his statement?

This makes me really uncomfortable....

[kyburg.livejournal.com]

I don't think I'd be satisfied with him retracting his statement.

I think consequences for being who he is is more in line - and boycott? Eh. I think never shopping there again is more like it.

(Like I could afford it anyway, right?)