Shared posts

10 Jul 20:20

Sen. Angela Paxton files for divorce from Attorney General Ken Paxton

by By Eleanor Klibanoff
In a statement, Angela Paxton said she moved to end her 38-year marriage “on biblical grounds,” citing “recent discoveries.”
10 Jul 20:19

Emergency crews rescue 31 after Los Angeles tunnel collapse

The workers were rescued safely after about an hour thanks to over 100 emergency responders.
10 Jul 20:19

Trump Burger Kemah sued by landlord after filing its own lawsuit in ownership dispute

by Kyle McClenagan
The lawsuit filed in Galveston County this week by the restaurant landlord comes a few weeks after Trump Burger Kemah sued the landlord in Harris County.
10 Jul 20:02

SportsRadio 610 Raised $27,240 Benefitting the Houston Food Bank During Inaugural “Reggie and Ron Radiothon”

by mike@mikemcguff.com (mikemcguff)
SportsRadio 610 (KILT-AM), an Audacy sports station in Houston, raised $27,240 during its inaugural “Reggie and Ron Radiothon” benefiting the Houston Food Bank. All proceeds go toward the Houston Food Bank’s mission to eliminate food insecurity in southeast Texas and ensure Texans have access to nutritious food to fuel a healthy life. “We are committed to using our voice to make a difference
10 Jul 20:02

let’s talk about your mortifying moments at work

by Ask a Manager

It’s almost time for Mortification Week 2025, and in preparation we need to hear your stories of mortifying experiences at work — yours or other people’s. Maybe you mistakenly emailed erotica to your entire team … or accidentally told a coworker it was “great to hear” of a colleague’s death … or accidentally threw condoms all over your interviewer’s desk … or gave a person two noses in an interview Photoshop test. Maybe you still lie awake at night thinking about the time you accidentally wrote in a job application that you “answer the phone throughout my shits.”

Mortification makes us human and is often hilarious, and it’s in this spirit that we celebrate Mortification Week every summer.

Please share your own stories of workplace mortification — yours or other people’s — in the comments!

The post let’s talk about your mortifying moments at work appeared first on Ask a Manager.

10 Jul 20:00

Librarians Convene to Develop Strategies for Documenting Their Community’s Digital Heritage

by Anna Trammell

A group of librarians and cultural heritage workers from across the country recently convened at two events hosted by Internet Archive’s Community Webs program. Made possible in part with support from the Mellon Foundation, the meetings allowed librarians from across the country to discuss shared challenges and opportunities around documenting, preserving, and sharing the unique culture and digital heritage of their communities.

Community Webs members in Philadelphia for the 2025 Community Webs National Symposium

Launched in 2017, Internet Archive’s Community Webs program provides public libraries and similar organizations with the tools and support they need to document local communities. Members of the program receive access to Internet Archive’s Archive-It web archiving service and Vault digital preservation service, have coordinated on funded digitization projects to bring local history collections online, and receive training, technical support, and opportunities for collaboration and professional development. There are now over 260 members of the program from across 46 states, 7 Canadian provinces, and a growing number from outside of North America.

Attendees at a workshop led by Queens Memory Project founder Natalie Milbrodt

The first of these events was held on May 9 at Internet Archive Headquarters in San Francisco and brought together a small group of public librarians interested in launching new community-focused local preservation initiatives. As local information hubs and community connectors, public libraries play a critical role in the preservation and access of local history. Over the course of the day, attendees engaged in exercises and discussions that helped them develop plans to support this work in their communities. 

Community Webs members view highlights from the Parkway Central Library Special Collections

The 2025 Community Webs National Symposium was held on June 25 and 26 in Philadelphia ahead of the American Library Association annual conference. This two-day event brought together 40 Community Webs members representing a range of cultural heritage institutions. Attendees participated in workshops on community archiving and digital preservation led by Queens Memory Project founder Natalie Milbrodt and Digital POWRR instructor Danielle Taylor, listened to presentations from Community Webs members on local projects they are leading in their communities, and toured the Parkway Central Library Special Collections

A main goal of the Community Webs program is to create opportunities for multi-institutional collaboration across organizations devoted to preserving local history. In-person events like these provide a forum where members can build relationships, exchange ideas, and develop skills. By supporting the work of these cultural heritage practitioners to preserve local knowledge, Internet Archive is able to move closer to achieving its mission of “Universal Access to All Knowledge.” 

Interested in learning more about Community Webs? Explore Community Webs collections, read the latest program news, or apply to join!

10 Jul 20:00

Texas Politicians Used Burner Email To Request FEMA Funds

by The Onion Staff

AUSTIN, TX—In an effort to avoid humiliating themselves in front of their fellow conservatives, elected officials in Texas used a burner email to request funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency following last week’s devastating floods, sources reported Thursday. “I set up an anonymous account, floodmoney@hotmail.com, and shamefully requested more than $70 million in disaster assistance for Texans,” Gov. Greg Abbott admitted in a private conversation, saying he used a browser in Incognito mode and typed “DISCREET” in the subject line. “Asking for handouts to assist grieving families is really embarrassing, so I looked over my shoulder constantly while writing the email and asked FEMA to put the money on prepaid cards that victims could easily cut up afterwards. I’m confident no one will find out about our state’s disgraceful need for food and shelter, because I wrote ‘delete after reading’ at the end of the message. Of course, I also destroyed my laptop once I was done.” At press time, Texas officials reportedly remained too ashamed of the funds to distribute them to any of their constituents.

The post Texas Politicians Used Burner Email To Request FEMA Funds appeared first on The Onion.

10 Jul 19:57

useyourimagination2020: (via Pin on Retro PC & Tech)

10 Jul 19:57

Photo



10 Jul 16:55

Something Forbidden Stirs Deep Within Trump After He Sees Political Cartoon Depicting Him As Chicken

by The Onion Staff

WASHINGTON—A warm rush pulsing through his body as he stared at the clean white feathers that covered the rendering of his body, something forbidden reportedly stirred deep within President Donald Trump on Thursday after he saw a political cartoon depicting him as a chicken. White House sources confirmed that Trump barked, “Out, everybody out,” to a group of advisers in the Oval Office when the sight of his face on a cartoon chicken caused him to stop ranting about tariffs on China and break into a cold sweat, after which he stared silently at himself in the mirror for several minutes. The president is said to have whispered to himself about how proud and striking the chicken appeared, and he slowly ran his hands over his arms and closed his eyes, letting out a hushed “bawk, bawk” behind his closed office door. According to reports, Trump has since ordered the Department of Agriculture to find out how to cover every inch of his body in chicken feathers, providing at least a dozen theoretical mock-ups of what he might look like.

The post Something Forbidden Stirs Deep Within Trump After He Sees Political Cartoon Depicting Him As Chicken appeared first on The Onion.

10 Jul 16:55

Pros And Cons Of Defunding Medicaid

by The Onion Staff

GOP lawmakers in the House and Senate officially passed Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” including provisions that slashed funding for public health care programs by more than $1 trillion. The Onion examines the pros and cons of these steep cuts to Medicaid.

PRO

Will finally motivate poor Americans who’ve been putting off becoming billionaires

Fewer people alive to compete for defunded SNAP benefits

U.S. poised for renaissance of shamanic healing

Street value of expired medicines about to skyrocket

Just jumped 17,000 spots on liver transplant list

Scenic, 200-mile drive to local hospital

A portmanteau? Tacky


CON

Sidewalks clogged with people “walking it off”

Housekeeper too sick to come clean

MrBeast now only chance of getting insulin

Need backhoe certification to dig mass grave

Already too many ghosts

The post Pros And Cons Of Defunding Medicaid appeared first on The Onion.

10 Jul 16:53

Poilievre worried there won’t be enough government left for him to cut

by Luke Gordon Field

“Save some for me Mark!” Luke and the Panel (Nile Séguin and Clare Blackwood) break down Mark Carney enacting spending cuts that even Harper wouldn’t dream of, and then dive into the biggest sports stories going on in the world: The Blue Jays are soaring, Rogers is screwing over the Raptors, and the Mitch Marner […]

The post Poilievre worried there won’t be enough government left for him to cut appeared first on The Beaverton.

10 Jul 16:53

Oh, I see you’ve found my avalanche viewing platform.

Oh, I see you’ve found my avalanche viewing platform.

10 Jul 14:49

How much longer will the mostly quiet tropical Atlantic stay mostly quiet?

by Matt Lanza

In brief: More flash flooding may occur today for parts of the Mid-Atlantic or New England, as well as back into much of Iowa. The tropics are quiet for now, but things may slowly tick up some by later this month, as we investigate below.

Note: Most of the data in these posts originates from NOAA and NWS. Many of the taxpayer-funded forecasting tools described below come from NOAA-led research from research institutes that will have their funding eliminated in the current proposed 2026 budget. Access to these tools to inform and protect lives and property would not be possible without NOAA’s work and continuous research efforts.

Wednesday flooding recap & Thursday forecast

A whole heck of a lot of severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings were issued yesterday. The Durham area saw quite a bunch of street flooding on Wednesday. Flooding required some water rescues in Chadds Ford, PA as well. Even in Houston, where we know flooding probably better than anywhere else in America, we had some questionable decisions.

I don’t want to demean anyone for choosing to make a rash decision, but it’s so, so important to not drive through roadways when you are not 100% certain of the depth. And even then, you probably shouldn’t do it. And these overpasses in Houston are often well-marked in terms of water depth.

Anyway, rain totals yesterday were on the order of 2 to 4 inches across parts of the Carolinas and Virginia, as well as up into Maryland and southeast Pennsylvania. Another round of potentially heavy storms will be possible today, this time even a little farther south and east.

Slight risks (2/4) of heavy rainfall exist today in the Carolinas and Virginia — again. There is also some potential up toward Boston and Providence. (NOAA WPC)

Isolated areas could see upwards of 3 or 4 inches of rain, but most areas will see a fair bit less.

The Midwest will also have the risk of some flooding today with slight risks from just west of Chicago into Iowa and the Plains.

A slight risk (2/4) exists from Wisconsin and Illinois back into most of Iowa and parts of eastern Nebraska today. (NWS WPC)

That slight risk area may see more of a widespread 1 to 3 inches of rain and locally higher amounts. More risks for heavy rain in the Midwest tomorrow.

Tropics

All is quiet for now. We continue to see some noise in the northeast Gulf or off the Southeast coast next week. But nothing has progressed any further along in the modeling to a point where there’s any additional concern. But we’ll keep watch.

Looking ahead

So, it seems like every day this post says “no tropical activity for the next 7 days.” I’m not sure anyone is complaining, but other than these 3 quick(ish) storms this season that have emerged on shorter notice, it has been pleasant thus far. This isn’t abnormal. In fact, by July 10th, we typically average roughly 1.5 storms. The second storm on average does not form until the 17th. Yes, we are three deep this season, but overall this season has behaved within the realm of normal.

To this point, the Atlantic has been filled with stable air, dust, and generally nothing of note. As we head toward later July, that pattern may ease up some, which may allow for slightly more favorable conditions for development — but I am not yet willing to say they will become truly “favorable.”

The background state in the Atlantic Basin is expected to become somewhat less hostile after the 20th, though not yet particularly favorable for development. (StormVista)

You can see from the annotated image above that there is a slight shift from sinking air broadly in the background of the tropical Atlantic to rising air, or at least less sinking. To get tropical systems, one ingredient would be some element of rising air in the background. It doesn’t always have to be that way, but it doesn’t hurt.

So will late July or early August be busy? History tells you that regardless of anything it should begin to get a little more active. That’s the “duh” answer. But if we look at the extended European model there is a bit of a tendency toward perhaps some chance at activity off the East Coast or in the middle of the deep Atlantic.

Euro weekly outlook for tropical system potential in the last full week of July shows some slight potential off the East Coast or out at sea. (ECMWF)

The probabilities are by no means high, but it’s not zero. But generally speaking, this is not an overly concerning look at this point. So we’ll see. Things can change quickly, but for now look for just a slight uptick in “noise” perhaps to close July.

10 Jul 13:54

Dad Spends Retirement Untangling Big Mess Of Wires

by The Onion Staff

WALNUT CREEK, CA—Expressing relief that he finally had the free time to explore his interests and hobbies, local 64-year-old dad Peter Hopkins announced Thursday that he was spending his retirement untangling a big mess of wires. “I’ve been wanting to go through this stuff for ages,” said the former account director, who reportedly paced back and forth to get a good visual on the jumbled mix of Ethernet cables, old phone chargers, and RCA connectors, noting that the task should keep his mind sharp and body active for a good 10 to 15 years at least. “My plan is to start with the TV wires, then slowly work my way through the computer cords, until all that’s left is the stuff I don’t recognize. Looks like there’s a good pair of USB headphones and a practically brand new VGA cable, too. Hopefully, I can get those loose within two or three years.” At press time, Hopkins was said to have thrown the heap of wires to the floor and cursed, declaring he would get back to the task after a long nap.

The post Dad Spends Retirement Untangling Big Mess Of Wires appeared first on The Onion.

10 Jul 13:54

Study: 97% Of Average American’s Day Spent Retrieving 6-Digit Codes

by The Onion Staff

CHICAGO—Shedding light on how technology increasingly shapes everyday life, a study published Thursday by the American Journal Of Sociology revealed that the average American dedicates 97% of their day to retrieving six-digit validation codes. “Our findings suggest that U.S. residents spend roughly 23 hours each day—or 160 hours every week—attempting to log in to online services, being told they need to check their phone for a six-digit code, and then entering that code into the website or app for verification,” said lead researcher Andrew Singh, adding that many Americans have to skip meals and forgo showering in order to find time to read and transfer over the hundreds of codes needed daily to access their medical records, work emails, and food delivery accounts. “There’s likely a link here between most Americans only getting 20 or 30 minutes of sleep each night and the amount of their lives now given over to frantically pressing ‘Resend’ after they fail to receive a particular code, then receiving far too many codes and being unable to figure out which one is still valid. Unfortunately, it seems this problem is only getting worse.” Singh added that his study did not even factor in the many hours Americans spend standing up from their laptop and walking over to their phone after remembering they left it in the other room.

The post Study: 97% Of Average American’s Day Spent Retrieving 6-Digit Codes appeared first on The Onion.

10 Jul 13:53

Six things Trump should know about Liberia after he praised leader's 'good English'

Liberia was founded by freed slaves and the country has long-standing historical ties with the US.
10 Jul 13:21

Top Five: July 10, 2025

by Glasstire

Glasstire counts down the top five art events in Texas.

For last week’s picks, please go here.

A cropped photograph of a painting by David McGee featuring a Black woman flanked by parrots who are each holding weights.

David McGee, “Weight and Balance,”(detail). Image courtesy of the artist and Inman Gallery. Photo: Allyson Huntsman

1. Figurative Histories
Moody Center for the Arts at Rice University
May 30 – August 16, 2025

From the Moody Center for the Arts:

“Featuring works by Letitia Huckaby, Earlie Hudnall, Jr., David McGee, and Delita Martin, Figurative Histories spotlights a select group of Texas-based artists whose work is figurative in nature and characterized by a heightened sensibility toward personal histories and socio-political events. The selected works center on the human body, specifically the Black body, as a means of mining the past to more fully understand the present.

With imagery inspired by friends, family members, neighbors, and local communities, the compositions of these four artists employ a wide range of media, including photography, watercolor, and printmaking, in order to claim space for their subjects. Acknowledging the historical absence of Black bodies in Western art, their works invoke generational interconnections and highlight untold stories based on the artists’ personal experiences of living and working in Texas.”

A bold graphic abstract painting with four central circles between three larger circles top and bottom, all with intersecting colors making independent shapes.

Vicente “Chente” Rodriguez, “Untitled,” 1976, acrylic on canvas, 67 x 124 inches

2. Beyond the Shape: El Arte de Chente Rodriguez
Mexic-Arte Museum (Austin)
April 11 – August 3, 2025

From Mexic-Arte:

Beyond the Shape: El Arte de Chente Rodriguez invites viewers into the intricate world of Vicente “Chente” Rodriguez. The exhibition showcases the bold, dynamic artistry of Rodriguez. Known for his innovative use of shape, texture, and cultural symbolism, Rodriguez’s work redefines traditional forms with a contemporary perspective – highlighting his profound impact on Chicano/a/x art and the Austin community.”

Read a review of this exhibition here.

A complex abstract painting with interweaving forms in burnt sienna, yellow, white, blue and purple with a variegated background.

Aubrey Williams, “Maya Dynasty,” 1980, oil on canvas

3. Platform 1 Feeling Color: Aubrey Williams and Frank Bowling
Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
March 15 – July 27, 2025
Lecture by Dr. Eddie Chambers on Friday, April 11 at 6 p.m.

From the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth:

“The museum’s inaugural Platform exhibition showcases two integral artists within the canon of twentieth-century abstraction. Feeling Color: Aubrey Williams and Frank Bowling, organized by the Modern and Curator María Elena Ortiz, puts both artists in conversation, illustrating Williams’s powerful commitment to investigating abstract forms and Bowling’s painterly and experimental approach. Williams (1926–90) and Bowling (b. 1934) migrated from British Guiana (now Guyana) in South America to European and American cities in the 1950s, escaping social upheavals in their native country. Expanding on the international legacies of abstraction that are among the Modern’s central concerns, these artists’ works demonstrate that, even in moments of despair, art creates a space for refuge, reckoning, and imagination.”

A close-up of a multimedia artwork featuring beads, jewelry, fabric, and rope.

Shawne Major, “Syzygy” (detail), 2022, mixed media on fabric

4. It’s All in the Details: Selections from the Permanent Collection
Art Museum of Southeast Texas (Beaumont)
June 28 – September 21, 2025
Opening reception Friday, July 11 from 5-7 p.m.

From the Art Museum of Southeast Texas:

“The Art Museum of Southeast Texas presents its summer 2025 permanent collection exhibition, It’s All in the Details. Each summer, AMSET organizes an exhibition that showcases artworks in its permanent collection of over 1,700 objects representing the depth and breadth of regionally focused artists, American folk artists and Mexican folk artists. The exhibition includes works by notable artists such as Mary McCleary, Al Souza, and Jacobo and Maria Angeles, with an emphasis on artworks with complex and highly detailed surfaces and compositions. In this exhibition, visitors are encouraged to practice slow looking, pausing and observing an artwork in detail, noticing aspects that might otherwise be missed.”

A hockey helmet covered in blue, light blue and pink crocheted yarn in a classic rose pattern.

Sophie Inard, “First base en rose,” 2023, vintage hockey helmet with cotton yarn

5. Sport and Spectator
McNay Art Museum (San Antonio)
March 1 – July 27, 2025

From the McNay:

“Highlighting the unique intersection of contemporary art and sports, Sport and Spectator features works by artists Brandon J. Donahue-Shipp, Jeffrey Gibson, Raul Rene Gonzalez, Sophie Inard, Brian Jungen, Justin Korver, Esmaa Mohamoud, Betsy Odom, Hank Willis Thomas, and Tyrrell Winston. Artworks transform everyday sports equipment into the extraordinary while inviting viewers to consider athletics’ role in shaping society.”

The post Top Five: July 10, 2025 appeared first on Glasstire.

10 Jul 13:13

Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariff and demands Bolsonaro's trial end

Trump accused Brazil of "attacks" on US tech companies and conducting a "witch hunt" against its former president Jair Bolsonaro.
10 Jul 13:13

Watch: Trump praises Liberian president's English, the country's official language

Trump told Boakai he speaks "such good English", asking where he went to school.
10 Jul 13:11

rejecting someone for including “servant of god” on their resume, I can’t do my team’s important work on my own, and more

by Ask a Manager

It’s five answers to five questions. Here we go…

1. Can you reject someone for including “servant of god” on their resume?

I recently saw a question come up somewhere else about receiving a candidate’s resume that included the phrase “servant of god” prominently under their name, with no connection to work experience or job-relevant context. I understand that religious identity cannot be used as the basis for hiring decisions, but can you consider a person’s judgment in including something like that on their resume or must you entirely disregard it?

Technically you should disregard it. I completely get what you’re saying — you wouldn’t be rejecting them for their religion, you’d be rejecting them for their bad judgment in injecting religion somewhere it doesn’t belong — but you risk being on shaky legal ground if you’re trying to split those hairs in court one day. If the person otherwise would be someone you’d advance to an interview, theoretically you should do that and then probe into how well they’ll be able to work respectfully with people with different beliefs. (That said, in my experience the people who include stuff like this on their resumes tend not to be the strongest candidates anyway, even when you remove that.)

2. I’m new, my team is leaving, and I’m alone with super important work that I can’t do on my own

I work part-time for local government in the UK doing a very niche job. My colleagues, Amy and Clara, have been here for 20-30 years. I was brought in, initially temporarily, because new legislation meant the amount of work might be a stretch for two full-timers, but wouldn’t quite justify three. I was made permanent at the start of this year.

About 60% of our work needs to be handled immediately or as close to it as possible, definitely on the day it arrives. 25-30% can be delayed slightly, but there is a 28-day statutory time limit so not by much. The rest is “nice to have” but can be ignored indefinitely. I’m still learning to do parts of the job – when I started, there were no process documents because Amy and Clara had been doing it so long. I’m writing them as I learn.

Unfortunately, Clara had a medical emergency this spring. She’s currently signed off until September, but she may end up being medically retired. Until we know for sure, her job can’t be replaced. Amy and I have been working alone since then and it’s busy but just about manageable. Amy applied for partial retirement for this year, working part-time with a job share coming in to make up the full-time role, but was refused so she will be taking full retirement come September. Her job won’t be advertised until she leaves. That means come September I might be the only one in the department.

I have a couple of energy-limiting disabilities which mean I can’t do more hours and management is aware of this. I had to spend a week alone at the beginning of this month and I’m still recovering from it. There were draining things happening at home as well, but a couple of times I closed my laptop for the day and burst into tears because I was too tired to stand up. Trying to keep up with work that was a stretch for two full-timers in my 21 hours a week will be almost impossible and could lead to a terrible physical crash. I know my boss, River, will support me any way she can. She tried to getting our professional contacts to only call during set hours and either email or leave a voicemail if I couldn’t answer, but they just wouldn’t stick to it. Hiring moves at a snail’s pace so I could be alone for a while. We deal with bereavement so not everyone wants the job, though I love it. I don’t want to drop any balls when we deal with people at the worst time in their lives.

I’m fortunate to have time for us to plan. I know if I ask for any accommodation River will fight to get it for me. I can already WFH whenever I need to. But I don’t know what would help other than more staff sooner. What can I ask for that will help protect my health and keep at least a skeleton of the service running?

There are only two real options that will solve this, and that’s how you should frame it to River: they either bring in more temporary help (like they did with you originally) or everyone accepts that the amount of work being produced will be one-third what it was when there were three of you (or, more realistically, less than one-third because you’re still learning the job). If there are statutory requirements for when things must be handled by, the only option is for them to bring in more temporary help. If they choose not to, that does not mean that you need work yourself to exhaustion to somehow handle an unrealistic workload; what it means is that you need to be very up-front with your management about what will and won’t be getting done and let them decide how to handle that.

Anything else will just be a band-aid on the problem, and not even a very good band-aid.

3. I think one of my employees might be trans — how can I signal support?

I have reasons to think one of my reports might be trans. Without going into too much detail, I discovered this entirely by accident. I went to YouTube looking for streams of a video game I enjoy, and found a small channel was streaming that game. The streamer had their camera on, and I recognized both their face and their voice; but when I know them as, shall we say, Jane, the chat called them Tarzan. The chat referred to them with he/him pronouns, and their bio said that they were called Tarzan and used those pronouns.

I didn’t reveal myself, first because if I were streaming in my free time, I certainly wouldn’t want coworkers to pop into the chat, let alone someone I report to. Then because if they are actually a trans man, and not a cis woman as they present themselves as at work, I wouldn’t want to cause them anxiety by telling them I know.

I believe it’s everyone’s right to reveal their gender identity in their own time, or to not reveal it at all. The company we work for is known to lean on the conservative side, although the workers themselves have progressive views.

There is no reason to fear they could lose their job if they came out; we are not in the U.S. and there are strong laws against such discrimination. However, they could have a multitude of reasons not to come out. At the same time, I assume forcing yourself to be closeted at work would be terrible for your mental health, and I’d like to let them know it’s safe to do so. I’m not sure how to balance “wanting to let them know it’s safe to come out” and “respecting their privacy”. What would you recommend?

Yeah, definitely do not tell them what you found or put them in a position where they have to talk to you about it if they didn’t choose that 100% on their own. However, you can certainly do things to indicate that you’re a safe person and an ally — which could include putting up a rainbow sticker, wearing a t-shirt with an equality message, adding pronouns to your signature, making sure your whole team knows your company offers same-sex partner benefits and trans-affirming healthcare if they do, or so forth (and obviously making a point of speaking up if someone says something bigoted and of not tolerating bigotry on your team).

These are good things to do regardless, because you may have other LGBTQ+ employees on your team who would appreciate knowing you’re an ally.

4. Colleagues complain to me about RTO when I have no control over their area

I work at one of the largest national telecoms. About 2.5 years ago, there was a company-wide mandate for return to office three days a week. The policy, which we all had to sign and was rolled into our yearly code of conduct training, very explicitly called out that there was no proration. If you missed a day because of vacation, holiday, or illness, you still had to go into the office three days a week. How the three days worked was up to each VP, and if the VP didn’t care, their directors would make the decision for their org. My VP has taken the coffee badge approach and as such, my org has a very easy “go into the office three times, stay for a meeting, and then just go home” practice. My VP has also directly call the lack of proration stupid to his boss, who has agreed but is not wasting his time on trying to change that. Other VPs have taken a firmer stance of specific days.

Recently, HR announced that they would be reaching out to every employee and their VP who are under 60% year-to-date in office presence. They will have to get enough in-office days until they are at 60% in office by the end of the year.

My org is spread out across the country in different offices, and I go to a small office where there are a lot of different orgs. One is a small cluster of a back-office team for the customer care team. Their VP has very specific days in office and those who are below 60% will be put on a PIP. The six members of this team have complained heavily about this. Their leadership team is physically located elsewhere but appears to heavily involved with them remotely.

Due to the lack of their leadership’s physical presence, they have targeted their complaints at the senior leadership in the office, although none of us are in their orgs. We have no overlap, oversight, or knowledge on how their org works.

I have suggested telling their manager, their director, or HR their complaints. I have advised them that the policy has said that since day one, and while it hasn’t been enforced, it’s not unknown or a surprise. I know other people in senior leadership have explained this as well.

I got accused of writing their complaints off and not helping them today. Which is true. Do I think their VP is overly strict with the policy? Yes. Is the VP within their rights? Also yes.I have no desire to get involved in this and wouldn’t appreciate the outside involvement from a director not in my department in my org. Besides just repeating myself, is there any other way to handle this? I’m literally just a director in the same physical office space — we say hi at the coffee station.

“Like I’ve explained, I have zero ability to influence this in your org. You’d need to take it the people who can do something about it — your management or HR.”

If you say that a couple of times and the same people keep raising it with you anyway, you might need to just keep saying, “Again, I don’t have any control over this, and it doesn’t make sense to be raising it with me.”

5. How do I network in limited time?

I am currently one of the many federal employees searching for a new position. I have heard of the 80% / 20% rule — that when looking for a job, you should spend 80% of your time networking and 20% applying for positions. However, I never know how to keep in contact with someone new I meet networking other than offering to volunteer for them. As I’m looking mainly in the environmental and climate fields with a lot of nonprofit organizations, this makes sense as an offer. However, I only have a limited amount of time to volunteer and am already involved with multiple organizations! How can I build and continue a professional relationship with people that I wouldn’t have in my current job without making endless offers of my limited time?

Whoa, no! Volunteering is definitely one way to network — and it’s a great one — but it can’t be your default offer to everyone you want to network with or you’d have no time for the rest of your life.

The idea that 80% of your job search should be networking isn’t true for the vast majority of fields. (I do think it’s true in some, but not most.) You should spend some time networking, but you definitely don’t need to aim for it to be 80% of your efforts, or even 50% of them.

Keeping in touch with contacts mostly means checking in periodically, seeing how they’re doing, giving them an update on your own work, helping them out when you can, and letting them know what you’re looking for when you’re searching. With some people, it’s only going to be appropriate to do that once or twice a year and more frequently would be annoying — and that’s okay! You can aim for once or twice a year with most people unless something specific comes up that makes them an obvious person to get in touch with again.

Related:
is networking overrated?
how do I stay in touch with former managers?

The post rejecting someone for including “servant of god” on their resume, I can’t do my team’s important work on my own, and more appeared first on Ask a Manager.

10 Jul 13:03

Meet the new CEO of X: this ouija board that speaks directly to Hitler’s ghost

by Clare Blackwood

TEXAS – Following Linda Yaccarino’s departure as CEO of X this morning, Elon Musk wasted no time holding a press conference to announce her successor: a ouija board with a direct supernatural connection to the ghost of Adolf Hitler. “This ouija board was Linda’s natural successor!” Musk yelled into the microphone, brandishing the board above […]

The post Meet the new CEO of X: this ouija board that speaks directly to Hitler’s ghost appeared first on The Beaverton.

10 Jul 13:03

H-E-B, James Avery embrace their Kerrville roots with support for flood victims

by Gabby Munoz
Two Texas companies loved by Texans return the love to flood victims.
10 Jul 13:02

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10 Jul 13:02

popularmodernism: Arne Jacobsen matching table and chairs...



popularmodernism:

Arne Jacobsen matching table and chairs (Asko, 1971)

10 Jul 00:43

Insurers Aren’t Saying Whether They’ll Cover Vaccines for Kids if Government Stops Recommending Them

by Elisa Muyl
RFK Jr.’s vaccine advisory board could stop recommending some routine childhood immunizations, leaving insurers to decide whether to still cover them. For now, most are remaining tight-lipped.
10 Jul 00:42

flat circle

flat circle

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[img]:licach

Mata_Independent_Reporter is interviewing Cirno.

Bot: "Metacity Independent. Miss, how do you feel about the current X11 Libre situation?"

Cirno: "I don't know anything about that, but it reminds me - in '92 they sent me to Rio with 4000 7.62 caliber rounds as a missionary... To save the natives, you know."

Bot: "Uh.. we'll be right back..."

https://analognowhere.com/_/licach

09 Jul 21:31

opendirectories:

09 Jul 21:18

H-E-B, James Avery embrace their Kerrville roots with support for flood victims

by Brian Kirkpatrick, Texas Public Radio
Two Texas companies loved by Texans return the love to flood victims.
09 Jul 21:03

Elon Musk Scrubs X Of Jewish Users Who Made Grok Mad

by The Onion Staff

BASTROP, TX—After news broke that the company’s AI tool had shared several antisemitic posts to X, Elon Musk announced Wednesday that he’d scrubbed the social media platform of the Jewish users who made Grok mad. “We are aware of several inappropriate posts made by our xAI chatbot, and we are working to remove the Jews who set it off,” said X spokesperson Emma Payne, adding that Musk and his team were working around the clock to purge several million users so that Grok never again had to encounter and spew hate speech at a religious minority. “We want to be very clear. We here at X will not tolerate any user who upsets our large language model because they are not Aryan, Christian, or of the purest of bloodline. We regret the error, and we will do everything in our power to update our code to ensure no Jew uses this social media site in the future.” At press time, Musk announced that he had also preemptively purged the platform of Black users just in case Grok started to get any ideas.

The post Elon Musk Scrubs X Of Jewish Users Who Made Grok Mad appeared first on The Onion.