Monday February 20, 2006 by Hal
This is a bit off my normal topics - but since I’ve worked with port terminals, I thought I’d add my $0.02 worth. This is the text of an email to a friend who asked the question.
I am somewhat surprised at the reaction of everyone to this issue and, at the same time, not really surprised.
A little background: the largest port in North America is the combined Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach - which is really just one huge area. This area, while owned by the cities, is leased out to terminal operators to build and operate the massive infrastructure needed. This includes massive civil works, entire railroad systems and multi-million dollar crane systems.
Most if not ALL of the individual terminals are joint ventures by companies from several nations - WBCT (West Basin Container Terminal) in Long Beach is a joint venture of China Shipping, Hanjin, and others - all Asian. P&O Ports [the company being bought] operates numerous east and west coast terminals and they are an Australian company.
The combinations of these companies are more for economies of scale than for something sinister, I think. Every large port terminal operator is an amalgam of purchases and acquisitions over decades.
That having been said, I still maintain that all the searching that goes on at airports doesn’t hold a candle to the amount of searching it would take to cover every container that enters the US from overseas.
Sunday February 27, 2005 by Hal
For some reason I’ve been getting more email lately about the “stuck-in-a-rut†syndrome. The problem I have in commenting on being in a rut is that everyone’s rut is different. Your rut might be someone else’s happiness and bliss! This evening’s email is a response to my article “Rutbusting”.
Hello Mr. Warfield,
Recently, I read your article on rut busting and I was hoping to gain some insights from you.
I finished undergrad in 1997, yet I have found myself stuck in a major job rut.
I have over this period applied to countless jobs within my major, yet the only jobs I have worked over this span have been in such “ex con” type jobs as a security guard, overnight stocker, front desk clerk and as a gopher at a private club.
To a large degree I have felt defeated by not getting a job within my major and this has internally caused me to be miserable in spirit. I’ve taken I feel a proactive step towards getting back in school starting in Jan and chasing my dream vocation — film.
What else besides going back to school to further my education, can I do to avoid having another rut? I certianly don’t wish this but feel its a valid concern after the way my job track has unfolded over the last 8 years.
Thank you, for your insights Mr. Warfield.
And I reply:
Everyone’s rut can be different. First, you don’t say what kind of undergraduate degree you received. Did you take the courses you did because YOU wanted to or because you thought it would help you in some specific career field? What approach did you take upon finishing school to find a job that was interesting? Your comments make me think you didn’t focus on jobs in your area of expertise.
Did you “take some time off†after college and lose momentum? Were you unsure how to proceed with a career search? While it’s good you’re returning to school, this can also sometimes be a further delaying tactic for not pursuing your true calling.
Do you know your true calling? Do you know your basic temperament type – if not I suggest you read some articles on temperament on my site – I’m gonna keep on lookin’. If you are a Phlegmatic type you will often have to struggle with laziness and lack of direction.
I don’t know if any of this helps. You might want to explore your “innards†a bit more by reading these articles -–
Let me know if you have further questions and best wishes.
MWJ 2005-08-10:
Alternative presentation of recommended articles for further reading —
Wednesday November 24, 2004 by Hal
This article on Kuro5hin struck a nerve this week. It discusses the idea that we have become a people whose focus is on simply maintaining our comfort.
He says that comfort is when we have no “itch” to scratch. I hadn’t thought of it in that way but it does seem that many of us (many of me?) do avoid discomfort. But this seems to narrow the world so much.
Does this mean I should seek out discomfort? Should life not be more than an avoidance of discomfort? And is comfort actually an addiction?
If you were reading this for answers, you’ll have to wait until I have some …
Friday November 5, 2004 by Hal
Some of you’ve probably noticed the paypal and amazon links up at the top of the page. It’s a good thing I do this for the joy of it! Because evidently nothing I’ve written is of any value to anyone (based on donations)!
But this is my first blatant “ad” herein posted. As I’ve said before, I am a professional career counselor and work with clients from every walk of life. It’s my job to put their experience and their achievements into the best possible light.
So I’ve signed up on Elance as a provider of Executive Resumes. If you know of anyone who is looking for a new resume or a resume re-write, would you do the kindness of letting them know of this page.
The following link will take them to my profile page where they can see sample resumes I’ve done that have gotten “real people” “real jobs”.
The price, believe it or not, for the work that it takes is quite reasonable. The finished product is based on current knowledge of what it takes to get noticed.
There are some additional “bells and whistles” that the client gets but they can read about those on Elance.
And now back to our regularly scheduled programming already in progress … (fading to black).
Monday October 11, 2004 by Hal
For many years I’ve been a fan of Tony Buzan’s brainstorming technique called MindMapping. This is a technique of writing ideas on paper and connecting them with circles, lines and other symbols in order to create order out of chaos.
And, as with so many other manual processes, there are software versions for doing mind mapping. While some are commercial, I’ve discovered FreeMind which is a Java app that has all the same functionality.
Give FreeMind a try and cause your brain to storm!
Wednesday October 6, 2004 by Hal
Do you know your heart? Do you follow your heart? Or does your head win out? At least once a week I see profile of a successful person; usually printed in the business section. And almost without fail when asked “what helped make you so successful?”, they answer, “I followed my heart, I’m passionate about what I do, I’d do this even if I wasn’t paid.”
This bothers me - for so long I;ve done the “have-to-do” - that I’m not even sure what my heart is. How many of you are like me - you’ve always done the “responsible” thing. You’ve toed the line, took the serious approach, did what you were supposed to and were a very responsible person.
I’m concerned that I’ve done the “right” thing for so long that I may not be able to recover my “dream” or even be sure I ever had a dream. Now I make the house note, the car note, the utility bill and any other bill that comes in. I sit and wonder what I would do if I followed my heart - but when you are a responsible person you realize that it might be foolish to spend time wondering in that way.
I don’t have any answers here - just questions.
If you are young, I might suggest that you do not let life’s responsibilities fence you in too early. Test your heart; try to live life from that which makes your heart sing. Once you start down the ‘responsible road’ you may find that it’s a limited access highway with very few exits.