A Pound of Thoughts

I have heard a lot of people squawking this week about the $35 billion deal that Northrop Grumman won against Boeing.  These certain people are accepting what the MSM are saying about the deal, that a "foreign" country has won the contract and Americans will "lose their jobs".  I must say that this is far from the truth.

Northrop Grumman Corporation is headed in Los Angeles, California.  EADS is headquartered in Paris.  But get this:  Northrop Grumman is the prime contractor.

So what does this mean?  Well, think of a pyramid.  NGC is on top.  EADS is a subcontractor.  And what’s more, here’s a look at all the subcontractors:

• EADS-North America
• General Electric - HQ is in Fairfield, Connecticut
• Honeywell - HQ is in Morristown, New Jersey
• AAR Cargo Systems - HQ is in Wood Dale, Illinois
• Sargent Fletcher - HQ is in El Monte, California
• Knight Aerospace Products - HQ is in San Antonio, Texas
• Parker and Telephonics - HQ is in Irvine, California

As you can see, EADS is the only subcontractor that is not in the United States.  Yet, they are the ones that supposedly "won" the contract.  Uh, nope.  Northrop Grumman won the prime contract.

Now to address the jobs issue:  No one is losing their jobs, and no jobs are moving overseas.  As a matter of fact, the project will be based in Mobile, Alabama, at Brookley Field.  It will create approximately 1,500 to 2,000 direct jobs in the U.S., with another 23,000 indirect jobs being created in the United States.  And here’s the kicker:  The KC-45A tanker program does not transfer any jobs from the United States to France or any other foreign country.

If you want some more disclosure, go here:  Northrop Grumman Sets the Record Straight Concerning the U.S. Air Force KC-45A Misinformation.

Just thought I’d help get the word out about this deal.  And here’s another thing:  I live 30 minutes from Mobile, so the potential positive impact of this deal on my neighborhood is immense.  A lot of people I know could possibly have jobs because of this.  It is a major boost to my local economy.  So the next time someone says that America is outsourcing its defense contracts, you just refer them to this post.  It’s about time some people need to be educated.

…Okay, maybe not a “thesis”.  I have a little page-a-day calendar on my desk here at work, called “Motivational Moments”.  I am a person who enjoys reading quotes as well as learning new words and languages.  (I’m currently trying to learn German - don’t ask me why ‘cuz I don’t know!)  Well, today’s word is “individuality”.  So just for fun, I’m going to include some links to different articles and websites on this little word!

• Merriam-Webster Dictionary Entry
• Some Art Posters on Individuality
• A comparison of collectivism vs. individualism
• An IT firm called Individuality!

I’m sorry…are we bored yet?!  Remember this quote:  “I am never bored anywhere: being bored is an insult to oneself.”  –Jules Renard

I hope this post entertained you (and enlightened you)!  After all, that’s what I’m here for…to entertain, enlighten, and embiggen!  (What, you’ve never heard of that last word??)

Oh well.  Time to head “back to work”…Not that I’m complaining!

Update (4:20 P.M.):  As if one test wasn’t enough, I took it again through another website.  Guess what?  I’m still an ISTJ.

  I got to reading this post over at Kat Coble’s place, and I couldn’t remember what I tested as…Well, I’m officially an ISTJ.  I must say - it fits:

When their skills at maintaining the structures that they believe hold up society fall short of achieving the security they are striving toward, ISTJs become tired and weary. If the stress becomes overwhelming, ISTJs become immobilized and cannot fill the responsibilities that they consider necessary for rightful membership within their community. They become incapacitated by concerns of a bankruptcy. ISTJs may then further increase their attention on the details of the situation that is causing them stress. This sometimes results in accusations by those around them that the ISTJ is becoming over-demanding, irritable, inflexible, and impatient with others.

Fearing the breakdown of a trustworthy system and dreading becoming an outcast, the ISTJ may feel like energy is being drained from their bodies. Fatigue will set in and it will be exacerbated by a loss of sleep and of appetite. Depleted of their resources, ISTJs will be unable to meet many of their obligations or fulfill their duties to their work and to others. Not being able to fulfill this basic need, the ISTJ becomes further stressed and almost incapacitated by listlessness —making it all the more difficult be responsive to others.

Careers:  This lists represent careers and jobs people of your type tend to enjoy doing. The job requirements are similar to the personality tendencies of your personality type. It is important to remember that this is not a list of all the jobs possible. And it is very important to remember that people can, and frequently do, fill jobs that are dissimilar to their personality… this happens all the time…and sometimes works out quite well.

management
accounting
auditing
efficiency expert
engineer
geologist
bank examiners
organization development
electricians
dentists
pharmacist
school principals
school bus drivers
file clerk
stock broker
legal secretary
computer operator
computer programmer
technical writer
chief information officer
police officer
real estate agent

So…What personality are you?

Well, the first half of my wife’s Praxis test went well, I take it.  However, she did say that the test admins were very slow and didn’t know what they were doing.  She had to report there at 7:30 this morning.  She said the test didn’t get started until 8:30 as a result of them being newbies.  Murphy’s law.

After the first session, we left for home (which is only 45-50 minutes away from UM) to drop off some stuff from our trip to Gulf Shores.  We were able to relax at home for about an hour and a half. She had to report back to Univ. of Mobile at 2:15.  We got there at 2:25.  We anticipated that the afternoon session would run late based on this morning’s performance.  Hopefully it won’t run too late.

I’m ready to get back to the cottage.  Tonight is my night to cook;  I’m fixing up gourmet hamburgers and Johnsonville brats (pronounced “brahts”).  Yum yum!!

Later on I’ll post a photo of the spread.  It won’t be as big as it was last time, but it’ll be just as delicious!!  Until later…

I just came across this on Fox News.  I’m one of the ones who was assisted in my reading by “The Cat”.

At least three generations of Americans have fond memories of the famous rhyme — and with this year marking the 50th anniversary of the book’s publication, many took the time to celebrate and remember it.

My wife and I were just looking and reading through this book the other day.  Since she is going to be an elementary school teacher (She graduates May 2008), she has been buying books like “The Cat in the Hat”.

Born in Springfield, Mass., in 1904 to a German father and Bavarian mother (he died in 1991), Theodor Seuss Geisel began his career as a children’s writer with “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” published in 1937. Seuss gave himself the mock-scholarly “Dr.” title.

You can also send The Cat in the Hat a birthday card.  Click here to do so.  According to the article, for every birthday card sent, Project 236 will donate a book to First Book.  Project 236 is a literacy initiative started by Random House, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, and First Book.  First Book provides disadvantaged children the ability to read and own their first books.

This article gets a person to think. So, in keeping with the “theme” of my blog, I decided to include this as a post.

Here’s my opinion of the “summation” of the article:

Independent thought is not popular — it is absolutely, pricelessly, rare. Nothing you read about in the papers or see on the television is independent. Whatever we take in from the popular media is regurgitated conventional knowledge. There is nothing independent about most of the world.

Read more below.

read more | digg story

I find this very interesting.  Given my interest for several “historical” languages - like Icelandic - this really got my proverbial ears perked. 

A controversial research project is trying to trace all human language to a common root. Many scientists think that fully modern human language enabled a “great leap forward” 50,000 years ago. And because scientists surmise that language arose only once, they believe that before leaving Africa to colonize the world, all humankind spoke as one.

Click the link below for the original USA Today article.

read more | digg story

Bro. Tommy Mitchell at the Rurban Church blog has a good post on the A’s one needs to have a blessed Christian life. I recommend you read over it, meditate on it, and let it soak in. It’s a good, quick lesson.

This is something I’m going to jot down and remember…

I’ve never really participated in a meme, but this sounds pretty interesting, so here we go!

Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of bread?

Sourdough bread.

Soup
When was the last time you bought a new pillow?

Hmm..Hard one. Probably about a year ago - do those little bitty pillows count?

Salad
Approximately how many hours per week do you spend surfing the ‘net?

Umm….Well, it varies. This week has probably been around 50!

Main Course
What’s the highest you remember your temperature being?

About 101. And that was two weeks ago.

Dessert
Fill in the blanks: When I ____________, I _____________.

Okay. Let’s see. When I watch the news, I wanna barf. How’s that?

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Bro. Tommy Mitchell is a pastor of a local church who provided assistance after the Pearl High School shootings in October 1997.  He gives a list of items that, I think, are immensely important to remember re the Virginia Tech shootings.

Go here to read his post.  I believe it summarizes what is currently going on right now very well.