17512 Columbia

Archive for January 9th, 2012|Daily archive page

today’s news … Monday, January 9, 2012

In Uncategorized on January 9, 2012 at 5:13 am

today’s news and information gleanings from here and there! 

Quote for today…“In times of disorder and stress, the fanatics play a prominent role; in times of peace, the critics. Both are shot after the revolution.” – Edmund Wilson, Memoirs of Hecate County, 1949.

  • LEGAL NOTICE published in the Lancaster Intelligencer Journal/New Era, January 9, 2012: “LEGALNOTICE Notice is hereby given that a Special Meeting of the Columbia Borough Community Development Committee will be held on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in the Borough Municipal Building, 308 Locust St., Columbia, PA to address Economic Strategic Plan actions and any other business. If you are a person with a disability wishing to attend and require an accommodation to participate in the meeting, please contact the Borough Office at 684-2467. Norman B. Meiskey III Borough Manager”
  • Bigge$t Lo$er … “The (Saturday) night’s big loser (in the GOP debate in New Hampshire) , in fact, was Rick Santorum, who didn’t have a single memorable moment and forfeited the chance to build on his virtual tie in Iowa before a national audience. – The Daily Beast
  • Gonna’ get worse before it gets better – “Tucson’s housing market has fallen so hard so fast that more than one in three homes sold last year went for less than $100,000. Only five or six years ago, at the height of the housing boom, not a single home in the market could be had for less than $100,000 … ” – Arizona Daily Star (Tucson, AZ)
  • On the move! Yesterday’s gas prices (regular) showed a bigger jump at the “east side of town” pumps. [NOTE: The pumps at the Turkey Hill convenience store at the intersection of Lancaster Avenue and Prospect Road are "roped off" and not in operation at the moment. Appears to be having some sort of maintenance being done."]
  • Tazer dependent cops – “Electroshock weapons fired more frequently by city (Chicago), suburban cops” - Chicago Tribune

“The Secret Power of Destroying Secrets”

In Everyday Living, Lists, Opinions on January 9, 2012 at 4:40 am

(SOURCE: leadershipfreak.com)

This article comes from the Website, www.leadershipfreak.com. It equally applies to all organizational relationships including business, not-for-profits and government.

“Manipulators, backstabbers, and poor performers love organizations with secrets. In fact, they create, nurture and protect environments where secrets are normal, even virtuous.

“Most organizations have too many secrets. Too many conversations are reserved for insiders. Too much information is held by too few. Secrets create elitism.

“Why we fear transparency:

  1. We play favorites and favor insiders. Lee Benson, owner and CEO of Able Engineering, told me, “If transparency scares you, you have too many inequities in your organization.”
  2. We fear losing control. The old way of doing business included using information to control people by keeping secrets. Those days are over. Additionally, transparent environments undermine the power of undermines, backstabbers, and manipulators.
  3. We don’t understand the difference between personal issues and performance. Performance is for public consumption, personal issues are private. (Personal issues that negatively impact performance are sticky issue for another post. However, ethical and moral breaches that result in termination should become public information.)

“Power of transparency:

“Transparent organizations make (stakeholders and) employees feel:

  1. Valued.
  2. In control.
  3. Their choices matter.
  4. They belong.
  5. Respected.
  6. Responsible.
  7. Accountable.
  8. Motivated. Information creates ownership; it motivates. Secrecy demotivates.

“Creating transparency:

  1. Make the journey public. Creating transparency requires a transparent process. You can’t expect people to own something they haven’t helped create.
  2. Identify true secrets and don’t expose them. Let everyone know you aren’t letting everything out.
  3. Go slow. It takes time. Rushing transparency is a fiasco that drives people underground.
  4. Model it. Transparency is protected and sustained by leaders.
  5. Use organization values, mission, and vision to determine scope

“How would you feel if your organization (business, government, not-for-profit) became more transparent? What can you do today to enhance healthy transparency?”

Click here to be directed to the Website to read this article and others on leadership strategies.

Opinion: “THE INAUGURATION OF POLICE STATE USA 2012. Obama Signs the ‘National Defense Authorization Act’”

In Government, History and Heritage, Opinions on January 9, 2012 at 4:36 am

By Michel Chossudovsky, Global Research, January 1, 2012

(SOURCE: truthaholics.wordpress.com)

With minimal media debate, at a time when Americans were celebrating the New Year with their loved ones,  the “National Defense Authorization Act ” H.R. 1540 was signed into law by President Barack Obama. The actual signing took place in Hawaii on the 31st of December. [NOTE: See these previous postings about NDAA - editorial - article.]

According to Obama’s “signing statement”, the threat of Al Qaeda to the Security of the Homeland constitutes a justification for repealing fundamental rights and freedoms, with a stroke of the pen.

The controversial signing statement (see transcript below) is a smokscreen. Obama says he disagrees with the NDAA but he signs it into law.

“[I have] serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected terrorists.”

Obama implements “Police State USA”, while acknowledging that certain provisions of  the NDAA are unacceptable. If such is the case, he could have either vetoed the NDAA (H.R. 1540) or sent it back to Congress with his objections.

The “National Defense Authorization Act ” (H.R. 1540) is Obama’s New Year’s “Gift” to the American People. Read the rest of this entry »

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