I have applied for about 18 jobs since March 10, one day less than 2 weeks. I said about 18 jobs because while I sent out at least 18 applications, I may have sent a couple or few more that I did not include on my job applications list and because at least one of the 18 job offers was bogus. got an email from Careerbuilder.com telling me not to answer any correspondence relative to one job I applied to after finding on their website. They claim the offer was fraudulent. Great, now some dirtbags probably have every bit of my information from that application, including every bit of my resume! Time to get some identity theft insurance, I'll have to look into it.
Well, anyway, I have at least sent in what still appear to be 17 valid applications for employment. I have applied for jobs ranging from Campus Director of Security with CUNY, to Internal Investigator with NY State Office of People With Developmental Disabilities, to safety and security officer with the same as the last outfit mentioned, to insurance company investigator jobs, to a collections job with a cable company, to sales associate at a sporting goods store in the firearms department, to a part time and temporary field interviewer spot, to a cleaner of medical equipment job. (That was the bogus offer, maybe I should have known since the starting pay was listed as about $17.00 per hour.)
So far, I have heard back from exactly one of them, the Office of People With Developmental Disabilities relative to the Internal Investigator position. The lady to whom I addressed my cover letter and resume was nice enough to inform me she had received it, as I had requested. It took a week to receive the acknowledgement but that was fine by me, I was happy someone looked at my application. I am hopeful I will get that job, it is probably the best of all for which I have applied, close to home, pays well, and is a job in which I can really do something to help people with developmental disabilities. it has great benefits too, but I would hope they would be willing to let me do without many of those benefits in trade for more vacation time. I already have health insurance, life insurance and such. So, vacation time is a premium benefit for me. Of course, I would take it regardless of them allowing for such.
I have not heard from one other potential employer except for automated response saying they received my application. The reply from the lady at OPWDD was not an automated one, she actually wrote me a note saying she had received the application.
I think, I am done looking for work for this week. It is a true pain in the arse going through anywhere from 700 to 1,000 plus brief job titles and some descriptions too if a job title seems of interest, just about every day. There are jobs out there, being qualified for them is another thing. I am not qualified for most, am over qualified for many and not interested in some. I will point out, I am willing to take almost any kind of job and may start to look in local supermarkets and other local businesses next week. I am guessing I will stop at the few local gun shops even though I am pretty sure they are not short handed right now. Although, I guess it cannot hurt to inquire.
As far as salary goes, am hoping to get something at around $20 to $25 per hour, or up, but I will settle for something lower, say $10 per hour to start, if I can not find something in the desired range. If nothing else, I may even apply for jobs at Wendy's and McDonald's. Heck, even minimum wage, sounds great when not working and needing to supplement my annuity, especially since my retirement checks currently are only being paid at about 55 to 58% the amount I should get when paid fully. That may take months yet; I have been receiving a partial retirement check for 4 months already. It's a bit difficult to make the adjustment to so much less than what I had been making while still paying the same or more for everything. In the long run, if the government does not go bust, we will still do okay and eventually the Office of Personnel Management will figure out my full pension and pay me what they owe in back pay. Mind you, no complaints from me on this, just pointing out what is going on with my pension.
If the government goes broke and says "No Pension" then maybe it will be time to do things I would never have considered before. I sure do have the tools for a very different line of work than I am used too. Funny those tools are the same as those I needed in law enforcement! (LOL as I typed that one.)
For now, the job hunt goes on. I am looking for work not only to supplement my annuity but to keep me busy. I cannot imagine myself doing little to nothing for the rest of my retirement. Can you imagine, I am retired and I still have a work ethic - no unemployment for me unless it is the legal option of last resort. As for my work ethic, it certainly is not the type that makes me want to do chores around the house. I'd like to get those chores done too but I have only some very little know how to do home repairs and less confidence about doing them to actually get those jobs done reliably. So, I need to earn enough dough to pay the carpenter, the roofer, the plumber, the electrician and anyone else I need (painting I can do).
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, March 23, 2012
Trayvon Martin Killing - Trying To Uncover The Facts Behind This Case
Was the shooter, of Trayvon Martin, white? I have heard that out of the mouths of black activists and reportedly the police department lists him as such but that is not what I have heard on the news coming from the shooter's family. Mr. Zimmerman, despite his name, is reported in the media as being not of Caucasian origins but as being Hispanic as per statements made by his family. It was fairly typical though how the black community and many in the mud slinging media had at first immediately assumed he was white and thus as a racist. Of course, anyone of any race can be a racist but according to Zimmerman's family that is about as far from the truth as possible in his case and they reportedly base that upon his past interactions with other races. Then again, as I said, anyone can be a racist and labelling him as the evil white man sure sounds like it might be verging on racism. It certainly has caused an outcry in the black community with people comparing this shooting to years of lynchings of blacks by whites. Is it really a case of racism though?
Myself, I think Zimmerman was an overzealous asshole if even half of what has been said about the incident by witnesses is true. He seemingly went overboard in his reported pursuit of this kid. That he pursued him at all is not, as I understand, part of the stand your ground law in question. The 911 operator even told him, in essence, that they did not need Zimmerman following the kid once Zimmerman called him in. As far as I am aware, he did not see the Martin commit any crimes, he just thought him suspicious. Yet, none of that makes him a racist and, and this is very important: None of that necessarily makes him a murderer either. He still could have shot Mr. Martin in self defense as he claims . Even if he instigated the situation, if Martin over reacted to what Mr. Zimmerman was doing and then attacked Zimmerman as he himself claims, well it could have been self defense n Zimmerman's part. I am not defending Zimmerman, mind you, I am just saying it could have been self defense. It could have been manslaughter or murder too. What I am saying is we need to find out the facts before we damn anyone.
For example, we know someone was crying out or pleading as heard on the 911 tape. If in fact, it winds up being proven that it was the child's voice crying, I think Zimmerman winds up not only being arrested but going to jail. If it was Zimmerman crying, as he himself claims, well then maybe he will wind up being committed to an asylum or maybe found not guilty of any crime. I think though, that in the long run, Zimmerman is going to lose in this one. I think so mostly because of emotional outbursts on almost all fronts except for some reason from the police department, they may be his ace in the hole for all of this because they apparently have not gone overboard with emotions. They seem to be convinced that Zimmerman fired in self defense and thus they did not arrest him. They say there is evidence, or so it has been reported, to support Zimmerman's claim of self defense.
Still though, right now, this shooting does not sound like a good one to me and I am most certainly not being emotional. Of course, I do not know all the facts, only what the mud slinging media has allowed us to hear but those facts seem almost damning but isn't it often the case that the media releases what facts seemingly suit them. The media, in many cases, seemingly builds it up as racist whether it is so or not. It is also a fact that black activists also almost immediately march in protest in similar cases just as they have done in this one. That such is done without knowing all of the facts is jumping to conclusions at best and racist at worst. Still though, in this case, I can see both sides. I understand why, after hearing at least 2 witnesses say the kid was crying and then they heard shots, people are outraged. I understand why some people are confused as to why Zimmerman was not arrested, when reportedly, no weapon was found (no weapon used by Martin). I understand how they are in disbelief and very angry that after Zimmerman was, in essence, told by the 911 operator not to follow Martin, he kept doing so and it led to the shooting. No it does not look good for Zimmerman.
Please bear in mind, I am not judging him, I am a real believer in everyone getting their day in court, I am just pondering this whole thing and giving my thoughts based on what little I know of the case. Regardless of me thinking it does not look good for Zimmerman, there is the fact that the police, who probably know much more facts than were released, did not arrest or even charge him. For all we know, there are several witnesses who saw the Martin attack Zimmerman as Zimmerman claims, or there are defensive type wounds found on Zimmerman and Martin's DNA found in those wounds or Zimmerman's DA found under Martins fingernails. I am not saying it is so, I am saying the police probably have more evidence and I am hypothesizing, based upon the police saying there was evidence to support his claim of self defense, that then yes there is other evidence of some sort. Still though, I find that a bit unsettling that such evidence has not been released for public review. I would think such information would have been released by the police to at least calm the crowds but then again there could be legal reasons for not doing so.
I have to point out though, the whole claim, as Zimmerman reportedly made it, that he was attacked by Martin as Zimmerman returned to his vehicle, seems far fetched on the face of it. If that happened, there probably has got to be more to it that we have not yet heard about. It would seem likely that the Martin would have kept going, once Zimmerman stopped his pursuit to return to his vehicle but what is likely does not always happen. Zimmerman, according to the Christian Science Monitor, is making that claim. He reportedly said that he was returning to his vehicle and Martin attacked him - "Zimmerman told police Martin attacked him after he had given up on chasing the teenager and was returning to his sport utility vehicle." (See: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0323/Trayvon-Martin-case-More-protests-Friday-in-Florida/(page)/2). According to the same article, police have reportedly said that Zimmerman's story has been supported as to the self defense claim - "Lee has said evidence supported Zimmerman's assertion that the shooting was in self-defense".
As usual there is more here than meets the eye and community leaders ought to be trying to calm their communities. They should be demanding that the evidence be released as opposed to threatening retaliation if Zimmerman is not arrested, or as opposed to calling for the resignation of local authorities. Since he has not been arrested, I think the police are at liberty to divulge whatever information they have and I think that they should do so, that is unless they are awaiting presentation of the case to a grand jury. If there is no such evidence, well then that would be another story altogether but I think that info should be divulged also. The thing is, we need to know the facts before we know what happened and before we call for any one's head. Those facts should be, need to be, released as soon as possible.
All the best,
Glenn B
Myself, I think Zimmerman was an overzealous asshole if even half of what has been said about the incident by witnesses is true. He seemingly went overboard in his reported pursuit of this kid. That he pursued him at all is not, as I understand, part of the stand your ground law in question. The 911 operator even told him, in essence, that they did not need Zimmerman following the kid once Zimmerman called him in. As far as I am aware, he did not see the Martin commit any crimes, he just thought him suspicious. Yet, none of that makes him a racist and, and this is very important: None of that necessarily makes him a murderer either. He still could have shot Mr. Martin in self defense as he claims . Even if he instigated the situation, if Martin over reacted to what Mr. Zimmerman was doing and then attacked Zimmerman as he himself claims, well it could have been self defense n Zimmerman's part. I am not defending Zimmerman, mind you, I am just saying it could have been self defense. It could have been manslaughter or murder too. What I am saying is we need to find out the facts before we damn anyone.
For example, we know someone was crying out or pleading as heard on the 911 tape. If in fact, it winds up being proven that it was the child's voice crying, I think Zimmerman winds up not only being arrested but going to jail. If it was Zimmerman crying, as he himself claims, well then maybe he will wind up being committed to an asylum or maybe found not guilty of any crime. I think though, that in the long run, Zimmerman is going to lose in this one. I think so mostly because of emotional outbursts on almost all fronts except for some reason from the police department, they may be his ace in the hole for all of this because they apparently have not gone overboard with emotions. They seem to be convinced that Zimmerman fired in self defense and thus they did not arrest him. They say there is evidence, or so it has been reported, to support Zimmerman's claim of self defense.
Still though, right now, this shooting does not sound like a good one to me and I am most certainly not being emotional. Of course, I do not know all the facts, only what the mud slinging media has allowed us to hear but those facts seem almost damning but isn't it often the case that the media releases what facts seemingly suit them. The media, in many cases, seemingly builds it up as racist whether it is so or not. It is also a fact that black activists also almost immediately march in protest in similar cases just as they have done in this one. That such is done without knowing all of the facts is jumping to conclusions at best and racist at worst. Still though, in this case, I can see both sides. I understand why, after hearing at least 2 witnesses say the kid was crying and then they heard shots, people are outraged. I understand why some people are confused as to why Zimmerman was not arrested, when reportedly, no weapon was found (no weapon used by Martin). I understand how they are in disbelief and very angry that after Zimmerman was, in essence, told by the 911 operator not to follow Martin, he kept doing so and it led to the shooting. No it does not look good for Zimmerman.
Please bear in mind, I am not judging him, I am a real believer in everyone getting their day in court, I am just pondering this whole thing and giving my thoughts based on what little I know of the case. Regardless of me thinking it does not look good for Zimmerman, there is the fact that the police, who probably know much more facts than were released, did not arrest or even charge him. For all we know, there are several witnesses who saw the Martin attack Zimmerman as Zimmerman claims, or there are defensive type wounds found on Zimmerman and Martin's DNA found in those wounds or Zimmerman's DA found under Martins fingernails. I am not saying it is so, I am saying the police probably have more evidence and I am hypothesizing, based upon the police saying there was evidence to support his claim of self defense, that then yes there is other evidence of some sort. Still though, I find that a bit unsettling that such evidence has not been released for public review. I would think such information would have been released by the police to at least calm the crowds but then again there could be legal reasons for not doing so.
I have to point out though, the whole claim, as Zimmerman reportedly made it, that he was attacked by Martin as Zimmerman returned to his vehicle, seems far fetched on the face of it. If that happened, there probably has got to be more to it that we have not yet heard about. It would seem likely that the Martin would have kept going, once Zimmerman stopped his pursuit to return to his vehicle but what is likely does not always happen. Zimmerman, according to the Christian Science Monitor, is making that claim. He reportedly said that he was returning to his vehicle and Martin attacked him - "Zimmerman told police Martin attacked him after he had given up on chasing the teenager and was returning to his sport utility vehicle." (See: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2012/0323/Trayvon-Martin-case-More-protests-Friday-in-Florida/(page)/2). According to the same article, police have reportedly said that Zimmerman's story has been supported as to the self defense claim - "Lee has said evidence supported Zimmerman's assertion that the shooting was in self-defense".
As usual there is more here than meets the eye and community leaders ought to be trying to calm their communities. They should be demanding that the evidence be released as opposed to threatening retaliation if Zimmerman is not arrested, or as opposed to calling for the resignation of local authorities. Since he has not been arrested, I think the police are at liberty to divulge whatever information they have and I think that they should do so, that is unless they are awaiting presentation of the case to a grand jury. If there is no such evidence, well then that would be another story altogether but I think that info should be divulged also. The thing is, we need to know the facts before we know what happened and before we call for any one's head. Those facts should be, need to be, released as soon as possible.
All the best,
Glenn B
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