Roger's View of the World, Love and Seafood Gumbo!
Seize the Day! Put no trust in the morrow! — Horace
Today is my daughter Karla’s birthday.
Karla had certain expectations for her special day… an Ostruducken followed by a special Milk Chocolate Cake with Cream cheese and peanut butter frosting… plus some special things. Oh yes, she wanted her own web domain although the world may not be ready.
Happy Birthday, Karla.
Dad
Karen had her big presentation at the Reputation Institute in Beijing, yesterday and she sounded like she was ready to go to sleep when it was all over! Kristin said she did a great job… and I know how much that means to Karen.
Here’s Karen’s Blog on the event complete with paper and power points! She was discussing Yahoo’s public relations relatively recent nightmare.
Have fun, ladies!
Dad
For those folks who know me, I rather be spending time cooking! In fact, I just came back from a fun trip to Hawaii & Chicago where the culinary delights were a wonderful distraction… however, all good things come to an end and here I am back in Cal Poly Folly land.
As I mentioned before my trip, Cal Poly has a way of getting caught up in their own misspoken statements ( ‘lies’ sounds so judgemental and may not be completely accurate… ahem!)
As it happens a lot, certain incriminating ’emails’ were leaked. I have seen them and they are enlightening in their apparent eagerness to skirt the law and seal the deal. The Cal Poly Mustang Daily did a reasonable job in reporting the issue as did our own investigative favorite reporters at uncoveredslo.com. Check it out!
Cal Poly’s aging President Warren Baker has a tough time talking before any group larger than 1, which is why we don’t see him very often… anywhere. This is why he sent in ‘the clowns.’ Unfortunately, they know what their objective is… but they can’t get there by telling everyone what’s going on. Looking at the emails, we can certainly see why. Here’s one example as quoted by uncoveredslo.com:
“I really, really hope we can avoid asking for a clarification of this phrasing and simply tell them we’re ready to sign. I’m quite afraid that another round of ‘pickiness’ on our part could be the proverbial straw on the camel’s back.”
So, let me understand a few things here:
1) This contract appears to involve direct or indirect hiring discrimination… but we’re not supposed to know about it?
2) We’re just supposed to ‘sign’ the Arabic version of the contract (also the ‘binding version’) without knowing what it says? What independent source is doing the translation?
3) If this contract really doesn’t benefit our students, but will actually replace our faculty with first year grad students, why are we doing this?
4) Who is this REALLY benefiting? Cal Poly? or a key donor? I hope this doesn’t depend on what the meaning of ‘is’ is?
Cal Poly’s administration — including Warren Baker and Mohammad Noori — have failed to provide a transparent process, have not been forthcoming when questioned, and apparently continuing to push forward regardless of long term consequences.
Let’s just say, if any of them worked for me… they’d be long gone.
Roger Freberg
Here is Karen… or should I call her by her Chinese name “Kailin”?
‘Kailin’ is posing at the Great Wall with her Jenny Craig Breakfast. ‘Kailin’ is a mere shadow of herself from the days she held 4 National Powerlifting Records! Now she wants to continue dropping weight until the size 10’s she has on now are ‘baggy’ and she has to get smaller sizes!
Both she and Kristin ( or ‘Ki-li-si-tan’ in Chinese ) are off Jenny a time or two in order to sample the local cuisine which I here is wonderful.
They thought that the most recognizable picture from China would be with the Great Wall which at it’s closest point — they tell me — is only 50 miles or so from the outskirts of Beijing!
By the way, my daughters don’t pack things as well as I do when it comes to shipping things and I tease them a lot if anything comes to me crunched, dented or as mush. I used to think that my packing superiority was due to the fact that I moved so much as a child ( 5 different second grades for example). However, I now know that this completely inherited… because look what I received in the mail from their aunt ( my wife’s sister):
It’s hard to imagine that this was once an exquisite marble clock, ;however, with time and a little patience I’ll get it put together… after all, unbelievably, the mechanism still works! Laura has a nice family… just don’t let them touch anything.
Roger Freberg
Well, my daughters are in Beijing… two of them anyway.
They send me text messages and pictures so it feels like I am there… sort of.
Karen has been blogging on the subject…. so check it out!
Thanks Ladies!
Dad