...catching up on the past few days...
I don't blame him:
SADDAM TO SUE OVER PICS OF HIM IN UNDERWEAR: LAWYER
Saddam Hussein's lawyer says the former Iraqi dictator plans to take legal action after a British and an American newspaper published front page photos of him in his underwear.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/05/20/saddampics0520.html
Almost there:
SAME-SEX COUPLE SUES N.W.T.
A same-sex couple in Yellowknife is suing the Northwest Territories government over the right to get married, saying that refusing them a licence is a violation of their charter rights.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/05/20/samesexsuit0520.html
FROMMER PENS GUIDE TO LOOS ACROSS U.S.
The second most frequent plea from the back seat during a road trip, after "Are we there yet?" is perhaps: "I've gotta go!"
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/05/20/loo050520.html
U.S. TREND FOR FIRMS TO SCREEN SMOKERS TROUBLES ETHICISTS
A tactic used by some U.S. companies to screen out smokers may begin to take hold in Canada, but it faces stiff opposition from puffing advocates and medical ethicists.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/science/national/2005/05/20/smokers050520.html
SMOKERS NEED NOT APPLY
Some Canadian companies are following an American trend of refusing to hire smokers, even if they smoke in their off hours.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/05/20/Smokers_050520.html
Hmmm... I think I support something along these lines, but it would be better to help applicants to quit, or tell them they have x amount of time to satisfy the requirement. (I'm sorry, but smokers smell really bad.)
This'll make a dent in your livelihood, if you're a fisherman:
LAKE VANISHES OVERNIGHT IN RUSSIA
Villagers in central Russia are mystified by the sudden disappearance, overnight, of the town's lake.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/05/20/RussianLake_050520.html
Can you imagine waking up to find a "permanent" feature of your neighbourhood had simply vanished? I would have serious doubts as to whether or not I actually was awake!
Sorry we bombed you, here, have a rock:
U.S. EVENT TO HONOUR CANADIAN SOLDIERS
Four Canadian soldiers who died in Afghanistan after a U.S. military pilot dropped a bomb on them will be honoured Monday at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/05/20/soldiershonoured0520.html
Home, sweet home:
CHANCE TOUCHES DOWN IN WHITEHORSE
Chance the baby muskox has ended his roaming days, completing the long trip from the far north to his new home, a wildlife preserve near Whitehorse.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/05/21/chance_safe050521.html
I wish I knew a way to fix my hometown's inner city:
WINNIPEG BOY, 10, SET AFLAME
Winnipeg police have laid assault and other charges against two teenagers after lighter fluid was poured on a 10-year-old boy's shoes and set on fire.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2005/05/22/winnipeg-burn050522.html
*sigh* ...clothing doesn't define the man:
BAN ON 'HOODIES' SPARKS DEBATE
Several shop owners in Britain have banned youths wearing hoods and baseball hats in an effort to combat what they say is a growing problem with crime and intimidation of customers.
FULL STORY:
http://www.cbc.ca/story/world/national/2005/05/23/britain-hoodies050523.html
6 comments:
On the smoking thing, I guess that's where my libertarian tendencies kick in. Unless and until smoking is illegal, I have a hard time with companies refusing to hire or retain smokers based on what they do outside of work. I MIGHT be okay with charging them higher health insurance premiums (depending on how that was implemented), but I don't believe that people should be prohibited from engaging in legal activities on their own time.
Yeah, my views are a bit extreme here. I recognize that as a personality flaw. I still can't stand sitting beside smokers. I might be more forgiving if they didn't affect my airspace.
Hmmm... what do you think of people showing up to work drunk or hung-over? The drinking of alcohol was on their own time too.
You know, if someone has had a drink or two and comes to work and can still do their job up to the required standard, I don't really have a problem with it. On the other hand, if they're doing their job sloppily, being belligerent, or any number of other things that come along with being drunk, then they are not performing up to standards and should be disciplined. Coming to work drunk or hung-over should be handled like any other discipline problem.
I believe that in Europe it's fairly standard for people to have a beer or two at lunch and then go back to work. That's generally not the case here, but I don't really see why not. Individuals should learn how they handle alcohol and behave accordingly.
I don't much care for the smell of smokers either, but I don't think you can ban smoking on someone's personal time just for that. You'd also have to ban people who wear strong perfume and people who don't take baths in order to be consistent and fair. Plus, not all smokers smell like smoke all the time ... I work with one, and I don't think I've ever smelled smoke on her. I don't generally smell it on my housemate either, unless I'm giving her a hug or something.
Well, to be nit-picky, I did specifically say drunk or hung over... not just having a lunch-hour drink. ;)
And yes, I hate BO and perfume too. I've actually told students that if they know, when they leave their house, that they want to come ask me for help, not to wear perfume... since I have a lot of trouble concentrating on their problem when I'm sneezing and my eyes are watering.
Somehow I suspect people with bad BO get discreetly passed over in the interview process.
Well, to be nit-picky back at ya, I did address drunk or hung over, just talked about other stuff too. ;) If being drunk or hung-over is affecting their job performance, then they should be disciplined. If it's not, then I don't see a need to discipline them. Plus, it is quite possible to drink and smoke outside of business hours and not show any signs of it when you actually show up for work. Casual smokers/drinkers who do so only on weekends or after work, for example.
But I can agree to disagree here. :)
Yep, I saw that. ;)
Not only would casual drinkers/smokers probably not smell at the workplace, they probably wouldn't have the same health issues that heavy smokers would.
And I can agree to disagree too. Especially how hypothetical this is... it isn't like I'm hiring someone. (However, I hope I don't have to one day advise someone who reeks... :P )
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