Champion of the Month!
At the end of every month Charley "Kayo" Nelson (that's me) raises a hand in victory and declares that person to be Champion of the Month. It will always be someone who has made a positive difference in this world. For November of 2014 that champion is a 12 year old boy named Devonte Hart!
You don't know who that is? Oh, but you do. Google search the name. Or better yet do an image search for Devonte. You'll find a now very famous photo.
Well done young man. Thanks for reminding us that when we get past all the rhetoric, when we get past all the arguing, when we get past all the "I know what really happened and you don't," when we get past all of that, we're all in this ride together.
Devonte Hart: Kayo Nelson's Champion of the Month!
Sunday, November 30, 2014
100 years ago (1914) Henry Ford took the extraordinary step of increasing his workers' pay to $5 a day while reducing their hours from 9 to 8 hours a day! Ford's average worker had his pay nearly double while working a shorter day!
Ford was no dummy. By increasing his workers' pay he helped increase wages around the country. Ford famously asked who would be able to buy his cars if we didn't pay good wages to the average worker. He was correct. You can't build an economy if workers cannot afford to buy anything other than rent and food.
Let's put in another way: You can't build an economy with minimum wage jobs.
But Ford had another reason for his $5 a day rate: To cut down on his turnover rate. Working an assembly line is a difficult and monotonous job. He had a bad attrition rate until he increased wages and cut down on the hours. Increase your employees satisfaction and you cut down on turnover. Simple enough. This is a lesson many in corporate America could stand to learn today: Sometimes if you pay a bit more up front you save money in the long run. By paying more you actually end up paying less.
Ford was no dummy. By increasing his workers' pay he helped increase wages around the country. Ford famously asked who would be able to buy his cars if we didn't pay good wages to the average worker. He was correct. You can't build an economy if workers cannot afford to buy anything other than rent and food.
Let's put in another way: You can't build an economy with minimum wage jobs.
But Ford had another reason for his $5 a day rate: To cut down on his turnover rate. Working an assembly line is a difficult and monotonous job. He had a bad attrition rate until he increased wages and cut down on the hours. Increase your employees satisfaction and you cut down on turnover. Simple enough. This is a lesson many in corporate America could stand to learn today: Sometimes if you pay a bit more up front you save money in the long run. By paying more you actually end up paying less.
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Saturday, November 8, 2014
It occurs to me that I haven't yet commented on the Minnesota Twins hiring of Paul Molitor as their new manager. So I will do so right now. And actually I just did.
Paul was pretty much who we expected all along. I think the reason he was added to the coaching staff a year ago was to take over the reigns if Gardy faltered. What kind of manager he will end up being is anybody's guess right now, but he definitely has the pedigree. There are few people out there more knowledgeable of the game than Mr. Molitor.
So I will be anxious to see what he can do. Right now the Twins are young enough that they can allow their new manager to grow with them, much like they did with TK back in the 80s. Actually, the Twins grew up pretty fast under TK, but I think it will take a little more time with PM.
World Series by '16? Or maybe '17? Or...someday.
Paul was pretty much who we expected all along. I think the reason he was added to the coaching staff a year ago was to take over the reigns if Gardy faltered. What kind of manager he will end up being is anybody's guess right now, but he definitely has the pedigree. There are few people out there more knowledgeable of the game than Mr. Molitor.
So I will be anxious to see what he can do. Right now the Twins are young enough that they can allow their new manager to grow with them, much like they did with TK back in the 80s. Actually, the Twins grew up pretty fast under TK, but I think it will take a little more time with PM.
World Series by '16? Or maybe '17? Or...someday.
Ebola mania strikes again!
After my blog praising Kaci Hickox I had a couple people write me asking the following: What was the harm of having Kaci serve her three weeks in quarantine? Maybe it's being overly cautious, but shouldn't we error on the side of caution? What's the harm?
It's a good question and I don't want to minimize it. At first glance it seems like a great argument. Hey, she probably doesn't have Ebola, but why not make completely sure? Again, where's the harm?
I would like you all to do a news search on Susan Sherman, a teacher from Louisville. I'll give a quick recap. Susan returned from a trip to Kenya and was asked to take a 21 day leave of absence from her school to quarantine herself. Why not, right? What's the harm? Let's be absolutely 100% certain. The problem is that there is no Ebola in Kenya. That's the wrong side of the continent.
This is what happens when we let fear and ignorance rule our lives. Susan Sherman poses no more of a threat returning from a trip to Kenya than she would have returning from a trip to Alaska. And there is the harm, folks! We are letting fear get in the way of reason. "Kenya is in Africa! Oh my God! Run for your lives!"
Sure Kaci could have served her three weeks, but what then? How about another three weeks? Some have suggested the longest possible incubation period for Ebola is actually around 45 days. Let's be absolutely sure, right? What's the harm, right? When does the madness end?
The point about Kaci, and Susan too now, is that we should not let ourselves be ruled by unreasonable fears. We should not let ourselves be ruled by politicians playing into those fears. Honestly, who should decide when Kaci and Susan are safe to be around the general public? When medical doctors and the CDC decide that X is the best course of action, do we really want politicians and a mob of fearful parents overruling that and saying "No, let's do Y instead?"
Only two people have contacted Ebola here in the USA. Both were health care workers taking care of a sick Ebola patient. And both have now fully recovered. There is no Ebola problem in the USA.
It's time for this Ebola mania to end.
After my blog praising Kaci Hickox I had a couple people write me asking the following: What was the harm of having Kaci serve her three weeks in quarantine? Maybe it's being overly cautious, but shouldn't we error on the side of caution? What's the harm?
It's a good question and I don't want to minimize it. At first glance it seems like a great argument. Hey, she probably doesn't have Ebola, but why not make completely sure? Again, where's the harm?
I would like you all to do a news search on Susan Sherman, a teacher from Louisville. I'll give a quick recap. Susan returned from a trip to Kenya and was asked to take a 21 day leave of absence from her school to quarantine herself. Why not, right? What's the harm? Let's be absolutely 100% certain. The problem is that there is no Ebola in Kenya. That's the wrong side of the continent.
This is what happens when we let fear and ignorance rule our lives. Susan Sherman poses no more of a threat returning from a trip to Kenya than she would have returning from a trip to Alaska. And there is the harm, folks! We are letting fear get in the way of reason. "Kenya is in Africa! Oh my God! Run for your lives!"
Sure Kaci could have served her three weeks, but what then? How about another three weeks? Some have suggested the longest possible incubation period for Ebola is actually around 45 days. Let's be absolutely sure, right? What's the harm, right? When does the madness end?
The point about Kaci, and Susan too now, is that we should not let ourselves be ruled by unreasonable fears. We should not let ourselves be ruled by politicians playing into those fears. Honestly, who should decide when Kaci and Susan are safe to be around the general public? When medical doctors and the CDC decide that X is the best course of action, do we really want politicians and a mob of fearful parents overruling that and saying "No, let's do Y instead?"
Only two people have contacted Ebola here in the USA. Both were health care workers taking care of a sick Ebola patient. And both have now fully recovered. There is no Ebola problem in the USA.
It's time for this Ebola mania to end.
Monday, November 3, 2014
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