Making Baby Jesus Cry - Page 127

Penske_Account · 08-16-2005, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
Hmph. One of our components sells lovely Christmas cards every year, and I think their profits, er, proceeds from those are in the multi-millions. Plus, fundraising always increases around the holidays. People are generous around that time of year for some reason.

You are not in the business of Christmas cards.

As for fundraising, my take is people are going to give the same amount, Christmas may dictate an easy time to do it.

Penske_Account · 08-16-2005, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gattigap
Yeah, yeah. The Balkans didn't have oil, for one thing.

Who are you worried about having to fight for the oil? The French? The Japanese?

Sexual Harassment Panda · 08-16-2005, 08:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Penske_Account
You are not in the business of Christmas cards.

As for fundraising, my take is people are going to give the same amount, Christmas may dictate an easy time to do it.

Do the associates in your group gripe about your refusal every December to allow them an extra lump of coal in their furnaces ?

baltassoc · 08-16-2005, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Penske_Account

As for fundraising, my take is people are going to give the same amount, Christmas may dictate an easy time to do it.

I think this is incorrect. Many people do not budget their giving, or if they do, they can be goaded into giving more through emotional appeals. If it didn't matter, you wouldn't see all those ads on tv asking you feed starving kids. Starving kids is a year round motivator, but people are especially susceptible to the cries of help from the Baby Jesus around Christmas, and he is often used by others to admonish people to giving even to non-Christian causes.

baltassoc · 08-16-2005, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Penske_Account
Who are you worried about having to fight for the oil? The French? The Japanese?

The Chinese?

Replaced_Texan · 08-16-2005, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Penske_Account
You are not in the business of Christmas cards.

Happy by-product of some art therapy. You wouldn't want to get in the way of art therapy, would you?

Quote:

As for fundraising, my take is people are going to give the same amount, Christmas may dictate an easy time to do it.

I dunno. Maybe, maybe not. The formula works, though, and I'm pretty sure that our development department doesn't really want to fuck around with it.

Gattigap · 08-16-2005, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by baltassoc
The Chinese?

No dice, Balt. They're gonna step out of the way, if they know what's good for them.

Actually, so will the producing nations. They're gonna be so fucking impressed with our prestige and credibility and feardom and shit, that they're gonna LOWER the price of the oil they sell us, just to keep us happy enough to decide not to invade their leetel country. For today, anyway.

SlaveNoMore · 08-16-2005, 08:54 PM

Quote:

baltassoc
We're riviled in the Muslim world.

When the fuck weren't we?

Quote:

We've squandered the goodwill we gained post 9/11.

This is rubbish. WHAT goodwill?

If you try point to that famous Le Monde headline, let me point you to the actual words of that editorial, which law blame for 9/11 on America itself ("...might it then be America itself that created this demon")

Sexual Harassment Panda · 08-16-2005, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Replaced_Texan
FWIW, here, it's a lot harder to schedule meetings and/or get anything done in June, July and August than it is in December. The summer holidays are spread out over twelve weeks and no one has a clue what anyone else's schedules are. I have about six or seven projects on hold until summer is over and done with and I'm assured that most people involved are going to be around. During the winter holidays, everyone is pretty much on the same schedule and it's only the week between Christmas and New Years that causes any problems. It's easy enough to plan around that week.

I think it's very hard to unravel what goes on at the end of the year. I think a bigger drag on the economy is all the year-end reporting that has to get done. Reports, reports, reports. It pretty much kills the last six weeks or so of the year.

On the plus side, in my company we link performance to achievement of objectives, and around December is when everyone is working like crazy to fulfill them. I don't know if that's typical but it's what I see.

Hank Chinaski · 08-16-2005, 08:58 PM

quote:
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baltassoc
We're riviled in the Muslim world.
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Quote:

Originally posted by SlaveNoMore
When the fuck weren't we?

i can't believe he actually postd that. When did he and in what context?

It shows the disconnect that leads to the head in the sand.

80% of Saudis hated the US before 9/11 before Iraq. 90% thought Israel and the US pulled off 9/11 as a frame up of the Arabs. Oh, and early 2002 Osama was the most popular name for baby boys in the middle east.

So his point is they like us less.

notcasesensitive · 08-16-2005, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
quote:
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baltassoc
We're riviled in the Muslim world.
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i can't believe he actually postd that. When did he and in what context?

It shows the disconnect that leads to the head in the sand.

80% of Saudis hated the US before 9/11 before Iraq. 90% thought Israel and the US pulled off 9/11 as a frame up of the Arabs. Oh, and early 2002 Osama was the most popular name for baby boys in the middle east.

So his point is they like us less.

Context? You ask for context? Why would that matter on the PB?

Penske_Account · 08-16-2005, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sexual Harassment Panda
Do the associates in your group gripe about your refusal every December to allow them an extra lump of coal in their furnaces ?

I am heartless capitalist oppressor, do you expect something different?

Penske_Account · 08-16-2005, 10:01 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by baltassoc
I think this is incorrect. Many people do not budget their giving, or if they do, they can be goaded into giving more through emotional appeals. If it didn't matter, you wouldn't see all those ads on tv asking you feed starving kids. Starving kids is a year round motivator, but people are especially susceptible to the cries of help from the Baby Jesus around Christmas, and he is often used by others to admonish people to giving even to non-Christian causes.

Without looking at empirical data around giving, I am not sure if I agree or disagree. There is a logic there, although since I tend to operate on a different logic, i.e. I have general amount I am going to give and I parcel it out over the year, but when I hit my limit the emotional appeal would be wasted on me. I do think, from perspective, year end giving could be influenced by the tax deduction factor, i.e. its December 15th, I just did a rough estimate of my taxes and I am looking to have to pay 3K, 5K 10K whatever, I may as well make a big charitable donation for the deduction (better a cause than the govt).

I have given on that basis.

The bulk of my giving these days tends to go for scholarship funds for economically disadvantaged kids and I know going into the year how much I am going to give and I parcel it to the various fund request over the year. A couple grand to miscellaneous causes that come up here and there (eg: I am going to a charity auction on Thursday-I'll probably spend $300-500 to create the appearance of caring).

Penske_Account · 08-16-2005, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by baltassoc
The Chinese?

Sooner or later we are going to have to confront our balance of power with the Chinese. The Middle East would seem to be a more advantageous place for that confrontation than say Taiwan, where they have a greater stake. In fact, I would be willing to trade Taiwan for a non-aggression pact in the ME.

Penske_Account · 08-16-2005, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gattigap
No dice, Balt. They're gonna step out of the way, if they know what's good for them.

Actually, so will the producing nations. They're gonna be so fucking impressed with our prestige and credibility and feardom and shit, that they're gonna LOWER the price of the oil they sell us, just to keep us happy enough to decide not to invade their leetel country. For today, anyway.

If only we used our power more aggressively this might be the case. Our window of opportunity as the sole superpower is closing fast. Bush I and Clinton truly squandered the opportuntity Reagan's policies handed them, now Bush II has had to play catch-up with the added complication of 911. It didn't have to be like this. I hope those blow jobs in teh Oval Office were worth it.