Happy Labor Day

Labor Day or Labour Day is an annual holiday to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. Labour Day has its origins in the labour union movement, specifically the eight-hour day movement, which advocated eight hours for work, eight hours for recreation, and eight hours for rest.

Fired Microsoft employee is mad but at the wrong things

By Debra Littlejohn Shinder

April 25, 2012, 11:53 AM PDT

Takeaway: Lashing out at your former employer is not really helping the situation, whether that employer is Microsoft or not.

Sometimes it seems as if the tech press really goes out of its way to “dig up the dirt” on Microsoft. The “big story” this week - reported by Computerworld, the Seattle Times, and even our own CNET - is a TechCrunch blog post by an employee who was fired, blasting the company. This is breaking news? Aren’t fired employees, more often than not, mad at the companies that fired them?

Some will point to the post as proof positive that Microsoft is (still) the Evil Empire that sucks in bright and promising young talent and then chews them up and spits them out into the cold, harsh world of the unemployed. But reading the rant made me wonder how even a staunch Microsoft-basher could see it as anything other than the commonplace efforts of a disgruntled ex-employee to shift the blame for his current situation from self to others.

I don’t know Max Zografos (his pen name) but his description of the corporate culture that stifles all original thinking and isn’t interested in creativity doesn’t align with what I’ve personally observed for nine years as an MVP and over two years as the spouse of a Microsoft FTE.

Have those observations left me with biases of my own? Sure; our personal experiences with someone or something (such as a company) always influence our views of that entity. But I think it’s useful, after reading a post like that, to hear from someone on “the other side” to lend some perspective to all the negativity. Besides, analyzing is what I do for a living, so I can’t help but want to dig into and analyze the content of the blog post. In the end, I think it says more about its author than it says about Microsoft.

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Corporate culture shock

Over my fifteen year career in the tech industry, I’ve seen many friends who were authors, consultants, or employees at other companies join the Microsoft family. Many (most) have stayed for the long term and love their jobs. Sure, as they climb the corporate ladder, they complain about too many meetings - but that’s a complaint that’s hardly unique to Microsoft. In a former life, I worked in government; if you really want to experience the meaningless meeting maelstrom, get promoted into a management job in the public sector.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia.org

I’ve also seen some folks wash out after a short time at Microsoft, and I know one or two who are still there but are not shy about sharing their “frustration, disappointment, and apathy” with anyone who wants to listen. Perhaps not coincidentally, those folks tend to be people I’d describe with the same words Zografos used to describe himself; they’re mostly comfortable (stupefied, even) and yet at the same time, rebellious.

It’s a bad combination. In any big organization, there are plenty of people who are slackers and yes, I know there are some of them at Microsoft. They “coast from meeting to meeting,” and they’re perfectly happy to do as little work as possible. They often coast right on through to retirement. There are also rebels with a legitimate cause, creative and knowledgeable folks who don’t do things the way they’ve always been done, and who are not punished but rewarded for it. Contrary to what Zografos says, they get big bonuses and “1s” on their evaluations and fast-track promotions.

The difference is that these “rebels” aren’t slackers. They’re go-getters. They aren’t complainers; they’re persuaders. They work within the corporate culture, not against it.

I wasn’t exactly surprised when I got to the “Getting Fired” section of Zografos’ blog post, where he notes that his performance reviews said he “lacked respect for authority.” That lack of respect was evident in everything he’d written up to that point.

Are there too many managers at Microsoft? Sure, probably. Every organization seems to get top-heavy as it grows. But to me, it seems ironic that Zografos seems to think Microsoft managers are heavy-handed. I’ve always thought that, if anything, there is way too much emphasis on the “team” approach and allowing lower level employees to make or influence decisions. That undoubtedly stems from my background in law enforcement, where chain of command is a sacred concept and you’d darn well better respect authority, regardless of your opinion about whether those in positions of authority deserved it.

The lesson in all this

My intent here isn’t to argue that Mr. Zografos wasn’t (or shouldn’t have been) miserable at Microsoft. He obviously was. He also obviously made some bad decisions (to join the company in the first place when his personality clearly wasn’t suited for the extant corporate culture, to - as he acknowledged - not leave on his initiative when he found himself unhappy there, to complain about senior executives to their superiors).

Photo Credit: Wikimedia.org

I believe the blog post was another bad decision. I don’t think it makes Microsoft look bad; it makes the company look like a typical corporation. Similar charges were recently levied against Google by a former employee who now works for Microsoft. The post is not going to hurt Microsoft’s ability to recruit new employees (although, if it scares off others who have problems with authority and are prone to slack off and coast through meetings when the opportunity to do so is present, it will actually be beneficial to the company). It’s highly likely it will hurt the author’s chances of getting a job elsewhere.

One of the top ten things that job search experts will tell you is to never criticize your former company or bosses. Potential employers figure that if you blast your past employer, you’ll do the same to them. If you’re an IT pro reading this, let Zografos’ blog post serve as a blueprint for what not to do if you want to succeed in the tech industry.

There’s nothing wrong with having a personality that’s not suited to the corporate lifestyle. Many successful entrepreneurs are a bit rebellious, impatient with bureaucratic red tape, and unable to accept the snail’s pace at which changes sometimes seem to come about in a large organization. Perhaps Mr. Zografos will go out and found a new company that will become the next Microsoft.

Meanwhile, indications are that there are a lot of exciting things going on at the company, and next week, in my last weekly Microsoft InSights column, I’ll talk about some of the Microsoft initiatives that many people don’t even know exist.

Starbucks Logo Secrets Revealed

Today's article is kind of crude, so some of you may not want to read it.  I'm not a big fan of crude things either, but this topic is interesting.

When you see that Starbucks logo, you probably think the same thing as me:  "There's that 'smiling mermaid' logo, there must be some good, but overpriced, coffee nearby", or perhaps "There's that evil Starbucks corporation that's helping to destroy the world".

Well, today for the first time I decided to look at the Starbucks logo with the mindset that there may be some hidden symbolism there, designed for the subconscious mind but not the conscious mind. 

(Does the subconscious mind actually exist?  Absolutely.  When you dream, those are all the thoughts of your subconscious id surfacing, without the usual censorship of your conscious ego, as Sigmund Freud would phrase it).

As I looked for the Starbucks symbolism, I believe I found it.  Others would charge that I had a predetermined goal so I merely saw what I wanted to see.

When I tell you what I found, their message will go from your subconscious mind, where you have no danger filters whatsoever, to your conscious mind, where you can judge for yourself how appropriate or inappropriate their manipulation of your senses is.

Or you can disagree with me, but nevertheless the logo's alleged hidden meaning can never again be sublimated from your conscious memory back to your unguarded subconscious level.

Incidentally, the original masters of subconscious thought and manipulation, prior to the MK-Ultra brainwashers of Manchurian Candidates and their ilk, are Sigmund Freud (who had more hang-ups than Woody Allen's closet, incidentally) and Hitler's favourite, Edward Bernays.

When I say "breakfast", do you think "bacon and eggs"?  That's Edward Bernays.

Why have bananas always been cheap (until now) and why is Guatemala still ruined?  Because of the Chiquita banana company, US secret agents, and Edward Bernays, according to Wikipedia.

Why did cigarettes, once "forbidden" for women, become popular with women, seemingly overnight, in the 1940s, addicting and killing millions of innocent female victims over the years?  Once again, the subconscious advertising campaigns of Edward Bernays.  But I'm getting off-topic here.   

Question:  Have you ever seen a mermaid with two tails?

Answer:  Yes, but you may not have noticed.  Look at the Starbucks logo:

It features a mermaid with two "tails".  How could a mermaid swim  with two tails?  She couldn't. 

But are they really "tails"?  Or is it a masonic image of a woman spreading her serpentine "legs" apart for the sex act?

Sounds about par for the course for perverted sex-obsessed corporate leaders, doesn't it?

And are the black-and-white stripes on her "tails" perhaps masonic striped leggings, as featured in the highly masonic Alice in Wonderland movies?

(I haven't seen the Johnny Depp version, but I'm sure it is filled with mirrors, Saturnalian reversals of logic, black-and-white checkered floors, chess games, twins, hookahs, magic mushrooms, pills, and other assorted hallucinogenic drugs, to name only a few of their symbols).

Also notice that the mermaid's wavy hair forms a sort of mirrored 333/333, or "666".  Her hair also resembles the waves of the ocean (Pisces, Aquarius, Atlantis).  The mermaid forms a fancy "peace sign" as well.  The peace sign, of course, doesn't really symbolize peace at all, it is an ancient rune symbolizing death, also known as the Broken Cross, the Crow's Foot, and the Witch's Foot, and used on Nazi graves.

Here is the logo from the Order of Baphomet (satan).

Note the double circle with two stars.

Mermaids are said to drown humans by dragging them underwater, sometimes purposely, sometimes by accident. In British folklore, mermaids are unlucky omens.

The "Voodoo Child" Jimi Hendrix wrote a song called "1983 (A Merman I Shall Be)", about his desire to be a male mermaid in Atlantis, or possibly a reincarnation of Ethel Merman.

Speaking of voodoo (aka "vodou"), Canada's Governor-General Michaelle Jean's coat-of-arms has two "Simbi", mermaid spirits from Haitian vodou, as supporters.  Why was a practitioner of voodoo chosen to represent the Queen in Canada?  Her coat-of-arms has been mysteriously removed from the "Public Register of Arms, Flags, and Badges of Canada", where it was once available for viewing.  Here it is from another source:

Does the "double mermaid" logo of Starbucks also represent the twin mermaid spirits of voodoo witchcraft?

Are voodoo "Simbi" (singular:  "Simba") related to Disney's "Lion King", who was also called "Simba"?  Yes, "Simba" is Swahili for "lion", but why is their "hero's" name also a voodoo term?  Is the "magic" guiding Disney's immoral movies these days really the spirit of voodoo?

Modern references to "Atlantis" refer to the desire for an ancient occult-based "master race" to be re-established on Earth.  The implication is that the inhabitants were half-alien and half-human, like the Nephilim (fallen angels) in the Bible or the demonic Navi in Avatar.

The Atlantis space shuttle is a good example of the occultists' love of Atlantis (notice that NASA rockets and space shuttles always have occult-based names).  Also recall the lame tv show "The Man from Atlantis", starring Patrick Duffy as an "Aquaman" type character.

The Nazis were enthusiasts of the Atlantean "master race" concept, for obvious reasons, as are new age occultists.  The Starbucks logo is very "Atlantean", since its inhabitants are said to be half-fish and half-human.

The circle within a circle often symbolizes a secret society.  The outer circle is unaware of what the "inner circle" does.  How many circles do you see in the Starbucks logo (not counting the letter "o" or the Register mark)?  I see six.

Circles also symbolize the sun, the egg (fertility), and the female anatomy.

Does the Starbucks mermaid really have two sets of "tailfins" in the logo? Or are those demonic cloven hooves, similar to those that Pan and the devil are usually depicted with?

And are those perhaps two Papal "Fish God" mitres below the occult/communist pentacle on the mermaid's tiara?  The Papal mitres were also chosen for their resemblance to the female anatomy.  I'm referring to this:

The image to the left is a follower of the Philistine luciferian fish-god Dagon.

And so is the image to the right. 

What exactly does "Starbucks" mean, anyway?  I guess that's what they worship:  "Stars" (occult astrology) and "Bucks" (Mammon, the god of money), with two communist pentacles between "Starbucks" and "Coffee", the same communist pentacles, by the way, that Wal-Mart and many other corporations now use.

Here is the original 1971 Starbucks logo:

The cloven hooves and the mitre analogies are missing, but she now has bare breasts, and the parted legs analogy is now pretty obvious, no? 

So obvious, in fact, that there is a group of 3,000 Christians online protesting the remergence of this old logo.  (So much for trying to write about topics that nobody has written about before.  Oh well.).

I did not know about this old logo when I wrote this article, but it confirms for me that my original suspicion was correct.

An inverted Starbucks logo

or a crowned horned demon devouring a naked woman?

A biscione similar to the Alfa Romeo logo?

Does the Starbucks logo represent "the dawning of the Age of Aquarius" (the anti-Christ), symbolized by the Starbucks mermaid? It wouldn't surprise me.

Here are some areas that Aquarius traditionally rules: electricity (blackouts), computers (hacker attacks), flight (invisible "volcanic ash cloud" over Europe), modernization (Avatar's paganism), rebels and rebellion (FEMA camps), mental diseases, nervous disorders (anyone who questions authority or believes in the Bible is said to have a "mental disease" or to be a "terrorist").

Aquarius is also said to rule over democracy, freedom, humanitarianism, and idealism (the new world order).

According to David Williams, the Aquarian Age is when wars and revolutions lead to Socialism, Communism, and Fascism.

According to Vera Reid and many other new age astrologers, the Aquarian Age is the time when all of Humankind becomes the "Son of God" (aka "We are all God, therefore we don't need God"). It is also a time of "cosmic consciousness" (mystic occult luciferianism).

Robert Zoller believes that in the Aquarian Age, religion will be replaced by "secretive power-hungry elites seeking absolute power over others. Families will dissolve completely...religion will be seen as offensive [it already is]...scientists may even be able to precipitate earthquakes for military means"
[HAARP:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkLTzesBxGE].

Albert Amao says that the Aquarian Age includes science [falsely] explaining the mysteries of religion, and ultimately leads to the revelation of the (Babylonian) Mystery.

Neil Spencer says that scientific rationalization will replace religious influence. Media will be dumbed-down [hard not to agree with that] and he also warns against rampant consumerism and rapacious corporations.

Louis MacNeice forsees the spread of worldwide organizations, international collaboration, and the "fellowship of humankind" [aka "new world order slavery"].

Ray Grasse says we should resist consumerism, remain compassionate, become more self-reliant and "avoid being hypnotized by the group trance" [television, movies, music, false media] and adds "How do we know if the Age of Aquarius will be a utopia or an Orwellian nightmare?".

Paul Wright predicts a spread of "disinterested humanitarianism" [secular humanism], individually catered religion [the ecumenical 'mix-n-match' movement], and our "evolution to higher levels of consciousness" [luciferian influence].

According to these "experts", the Age of Aquarius is perfect for the rise of luciferian influence and the new world order. Coffee, anyone?

The Bible, however, warns about the dangers of using astrology to determine future events: "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire (human sacrifice), or one who practises witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead, for all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord. (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).

The Starbucks mermaid also resembles a snake or a serpent. Many polytheistic mystic occult religions embrace the Serpent as a god. Buddha was shielded by "heroic" serpents. The Serpent King coiled around Buddha for seven days. Quetzalcoatl was the winged serpent god of the Aztecs and Mayans. In Hinduism, Vishnu slept on a cosmic serpent. The serpent of the Universe was said to sing Vishnu's praises.

In voodoo (vodou), the "Rainbow Serpent" is the wife of their god. The energy of yoga chakra centres is called Serpent Power, also a means of occult astral projection. Ancient Egyptian and Greek mythology had many serpent gods and goddesses. Modern occultists revere all these polytheistic serpent-based religions because they are all based on mystical occult knowledge and are all an abomination to God.

Dragons (winged serpents, demons) are constantly being promoted by Hollywood as "harmless friends" that children can control ("Pete's Dragon" by Disney 1977, "Avatar" 2009, "How to Train Your Dragon" 2010, "Dragonriders of Pern" coming in 2011). In China, Japan, Korea, India, and Persia (Iran), dragons are considered "good luck".

Other serpent-based movies include "Alien" (1979), "Dune" (1984), "Lair of the White Worm" (1988), "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (2006), and "Clash of the Titans" (2010). Release the Kracken! 

(Also notice that "Davy Jones" in the occult-filled "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie is based in part on the satanic squid-faced Cthulhu character from H.P. Lovecraft's horror writings.  More satanism brought to you by Walt Disney.  Metallica wrote a nine-minute instrumental to "honour" Cthulhu ("Ktulu") in 1984).

The movie "Splash!", about a mermaid, was partly filmed at the skating rink in front of the highly occultic statue of Prometheus (lucifer/satan) at Rockefeller Plaza in New York.  The Statue of Liberty holding a torch is another occult symbol which was originally intended for Egypt.

The Bible says the opposite of what polytheistic religions do and warns that the serpent is an evil manifestation of the devil. In Genesis 3, the serpent that tempts Eve is satan. Throughout the Bible, satan is referred to as a snake, a serpent, and a dragon.

Yet the ecumenical movement insists that "all religions are the same" and "equal" and "interchangeable".  They are basically pretending that "all spiritual roads lead to Heaven".  Yeah, right, nice try. 

Unfortunately, many unknowledgeable individuals believe the ecumnical lies and are led astray.  If you try to warn them, they accuse you of "not respecting their beliefs" and being "close-minded".  Avoiding evil influences is in no way being "close-minded".

So Starbucks seems to be branding itself with the "Cult of the Serpent".  Reminds me of Duran Duran and their "Union of the Snake".

In astrology, Pisces is symbolized by two fishes. The Starbucks logo, one "fish" divided into two halves, is also reminiscent of pisces. It is considered a "feminine" water sign.

The secret message is obvious:  "Drink Starbucks coffee and get twice as much tail" (really, I'm not a fan of crude humour, but I coudn't resist that one).

And don't forget to try their new Pike Place Roast, as in Albert Pike.

The Starbucks mermaid could be Melusine, the sea sorcerer, or it could be Merovee, as in the Merovingian bloodline that many believe includes fallen angels (demons).  Whatever she is, she's bad news.

The designers of the logo called her a siren, but what is a siren?  A siren is a woman who draws men to their death.  Sirens were said to be nymphs who seduced sailors on passing ships through their singing and led them to destruction.  The sirens were said to sing prophecies related to the Kingdom of Hades (Hell).  Siren information fromhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4NnhcEWWbA.

What's wrong with sirens and mermaids? They are pagan goddesses that blaspheme against God. Other than that, they're fine.

Starbucks cup+Starbucks cup holder=uncapped pyramid (Egyptian mysticism).

Thanks to Nothing Blinded Sight for this photo.

Note that this article is just about the logo.  I never said that Starbucks is an evil corporation.  It may be, of course, or it may just be successful, which is hardly reason to attack it.

Why half of all PR students will be working at Burger King in 3 years

Why half of all PR students will be working at Burger King in 3 years

I was asked to be a part of a University of Minnesota PRSSA event last week. Speed dating for PR folks. It was pretty cool actually. They had six PR pros who sat at different tables and they asked the students to switch tables every 7-8 minutes. The idea, of course, was for the students to ask questions and seek advice from the pros in a more relaxes, non-threatening setting.

I don’t know about the other pros, but I loved it. I’m the guy who would have loved speed dating if it had been available when I was younger (don’t worry–my wife knows this; in fact, she feels the same way!). I shared advice. Tips. Thoughts. But, I dropped one line that I think pretty much scared the bejesus out of a few students.

Half of you will be working at Burger King in three years.

Wait, what?

Yeah, I said that. And I meant it. Not really sure if it’s true (but, according to reports today, it’s actually right on), but the concept I was trying to get across is simple. To get into–and survive–in this business, it’s all about survival of the fittest. And, an insane drive to be the best (and by the way, I don’t mean to impune Burger King here–just trying to illustrate a point).

I see it every day in my business partners. In my clients. In my colleagues.

Those who win in PR are incredibly driven. They HAVE to work in PR. It’s not a job for them. It’s a way of life. There is a difference.

And, I see it in a lot of students these days. Kids just going through the motions. Kids who talk about a rough job market. Kids who talk about taking time off after graduation. Kids who just “want a job.”

Then you meet students like Morgan Hay-Chapman. She’s on schedule to be the next president of the MN Daily (a 30-hour-a-week job). She’s the social media intern at theALS Association. She’s the philanthropy director for the U of M PRSSA chapter. She’s had internships with the Guthrie Theater and the Science Museum of Minnesota. Oh, and she’s also taking a full course load at the University of Minnesota. Oh, and she’s only a junior.

These are the kind of kids who get jobs. These are the kids who HAVE to work in PR. Anything less is unacceptable.

Want to work in this business? Adopt that mindset. You NEED to work in PR. This industry isn’t for people with weak stomachs.

Remember, those classmates you’re graduating with? They might be your friends now. But in a few months when you graduate, they’ll be your mortal enemies. You’ll be competing head-to-head against them for jobs. And, while we all want the best for our friends, we also want to win, right?

So, in three years, where will you be? Working in this great industry? Or, flipping burgers for a fast food chain? Make sure you’re doing everything you possibly can to remain the right side of that 50 percent mark.