FIRE RANT: Booster Shots for What?

So, the big news recently has been the fact that booster shots for covid-19 are becoming available for various citizens in the USA.  However, I have issue with this.  First, we have folks that are vaccinated getting covid-19 multiple times which means the vaccine isn’t some immunity pill.  So, listen double or tripled down on it and get more shots in the arm.  Yes, the vaccine pretty much stops you from dying from covid-19 but it clearly doesn’t make getting it impossible.  Second, they expect the same folks that already got shot in the arms several times to get vaccinated again while we still haven’t addressed the rest of folks that aren’t vaccinated and don’t wear masks.  Essentially, it seems they are trying to back into herd immunity by hoping if they make the vaccinated folks have lower infection rate maybe that compensates for those that have high infections rate.  Ladies and gentlemen, its just math.  100% protection rate in best case scenario averaged with 0% (folks with no vaccine and no mask) the best you will get is 50%.  Weighted average doesn’t matter because I think we’re barely at 50% of country vaccinated so my simple math is directionally correct.  Third, I’m not interested in getting vaccinated when my kids still aren’t eligible.  Maybe instead of trying to figure out they can keep exploiting for shots they should have put more energy to making rest of population vaccine eligible.  So again, not interested in getting vaccinated a 3rd time for incremental protection, not interested in compensating for the non-vaccinated-non-masked folks, and not getting vaccinated again, when my kids aren’t taking care of.

If I Ruled the World – 3rd Party Home Showings

When it comes to home appraisals it’s not hard to read or hear about horror stories where people didn’t get fair value on their home due to discriminatory practices.  Situations where if an Asian man shows his house to an appraiser versus his white friend doing it the home value calculated by the appraiser differed $30K.  Folks, that’s straight forward discrimination.  In an ideal world, home sellers wouldn’t have to worry about terrible and predatory practices like this.  However, this is America and we’ve learned in the post Obama days that discrimination and racism is as alive as it’s ever been in some instances.  Therefore, we are either putting the burden on home sellers to home they get an honest appraiser, hope they have a white friend to show their house, or just deal with under appraisals.  Well, if I ruled the world there would be another way to combat this.  I would require someone that isn’t the home seller to show the home when it get appraised.  It would be the responsibility of the realtor or some new company that works with realtors to show homes.  The money to pay for these folks would just become part of the home selling process.  I think the small fee it would take to charge someone to provide this service would be nothing to the thousands of dollars that would be added in value from fair home appraising.

Business 101: No Shame in Diversified Work Experiences

              Continuing the topic from last week I will share more tips on the benefits of operating outside your comfort zone.  This time from a professional lens.  In my life, I’ve had the privilege of working across many different industries.  Prior to college my first official regular job was a housekeeper at an assisted living facility.  In addition to that, I launched my own lawn service and did odd jobs around the neighborhood.  I held all 3 jobs until I went away for college.  During college, I did engineering co-ops and internships in construction, composites, pharmaceutical, automotive, and paper industries.  At the same time, I worked on campus in catering, cafeteria, coffee shop, gym janitor, and as a resident assistant.  I even put out a rap mixtape and sold copies of that.  Present day, I’ve been working in food industry for years and have blogs, apps, a book, and podcast as my side industry hustles.  Each industry and job I held gave me something I can carry with me later in life.  Whether it was the strength of composites versus regular steel, importance of commitment when cutting lawns, surviving in a dying paper industry, or how everything that is produced requires packaging in my automotive co-op.  The varied experiences have allowed me to have versatile core and provided me confidence in jumping into unfamiliar opportunities.  I challenge you to learn about different industries.  Furthermore, I encourage you to not turn people away when hiring or interacting with folks that don’t have similar experiences to what you are used to.  We don’t learn much when everyone around us and the people that work with us are all the same.

FIRE RANT: Urban Meyer Bar Scandal

I’m not sure what the big deal is with the Urban Meyer bar scandal.  After losing a football game on Thursday night a few weeks ago he went out to bar and sat in a chair while some chick danced on him.  Secondly, he was later in another video trying to put a finger up the same girl’s butt at same bar.  Yes, Urban Meyer is married and what he did was wrong.  However, we have celebrated celebrities for doing worse.  Whether its artists in music videos, award show performances dancing immorally or being too explicit or public affairs, some athletes and other entertainers engage in.  We sometimes even get excited when one celebrity takes another person’s significant other or spouse without demanding apologies. Not sure why this has been news going on nearly several weeks now.  The coach felt the need to apologize multiple times in public, apologized to the owner, and the players of the Jacksonville Jaguars several times. The most outraged person should be his wife which would be a public matter.  Yes, the incident was disruption for the football team.  However, it’s growing as a distraction mainly because the team keeps talking about how many folks got apologized to.  We don’t watch football or any kind of sport or entertainment because the people on the screen are great human beings and have the highest of morals.  In fact, when I think about some of people I like musically or from sports perspective I probably wouldn’t keep their company in real life.  We fall in love with a character someone plays on the screen or the image the present in their art or sport and think that’s their identity all the time.  Newsflash, it isn’t.  Urban Meyer lusted and sin like some of us do when we go to a bar, game, work, or grocery store.  We just don’t have someone video taping it for a quick buck.  Move on and chase the next ambulance.

If I Ruled the World – Give All Community Budgets Equivalent Funding for Public Services

One of the biggest struggles in the country is the disparity of resources between various counties, cities, and communities.  Seems that some cities have everything figured out and needs are being met while others experience the opposite.  If I ruled the world, I would try to get more balanced results for things like crimes, fires, amount of homeless, etc.  I would do this by looking at the cities that have some of the best results in those areas and use them as benchmarks.  Essentially, I would start by having similar spending percentages and staffing and see how that drives results.  I would then monitor the results and make adjustments under the advisement of some of the gurus from the benchmark cities.

Business 101: Network Outside Your Background

Over the past few years, I’ve made efforts to start networking in the city of Milwaukee.  Now that I lived in the city for years, established professional career, and am looking for additional business opportunities I started looking for ways to put myself out there.  I started out with organizations like NAACP and NSBE but also stumbled on WAAL (Wisconsin Association of African American Lawyers).  I liked the idea of getting to know professional individuals outside of my immediate engineering background.  I encourage everyone to not be siloed to your familiar background.  At worst when you interact with folks that differ from you, you have a contact in a different industry and learn something.

ACCOUNTABILITY MONDAY – Week of 9/26/21

I set 6 goals for myself the week of 9/26/21 and to be transparent I’ve posted what they were. The red “x” indicates which ones I actually completed. I executed 3/6 of the goals.

I started out the week strong but the week seemed to go by fast and get ahead of me.  I put together a financial plan for the months of October and November.  Several key features for the U-Prayer App were greenlighted and in progress.  I didn’t obtain a quote for the Fantasy Block App fixes due to marketing firm having to reschedule meeting.  While I started working on reloading the que for the bizzyjimme website I didn’t schedule the posts yet.  I fail short of reading a full book from the bible.  Lastly, I wrote and recorded the God and You Podcast episode 21 – Rebirth.

Bizzy Jimme

TONE SETTING SUNDAY – Week of 10/4/21

I challenge you all to make at least 4 non-routine goals for the upcoming week and reference them daily.  Use them to guide your actions when you have free time.  These are my goals for the week of 10/4/21.⁠

There will be 6 goals again this week.  I will work on the marketing plan for the U-Prayer app.  A quote will be obtained to fix some of the functionality issues with Fantasy Block App.  Finalize some social media maintenance.  The scheduled post que for bizzyjimme.com will be reloaded with content.  I will read at least one book from the Bible this week.  Lastly, I will write and record God and You Podcast Episode #22.

Bizzy Jimme

FIRE RANT: Brainless Afghanistan Exit Plan

Well, I’ve been waiting to get back to it and share my thoughts on the grand Afghanistan exit plan our President ordered.  Yeah, I get that Donald Trump previously set a date for ending the war in Afghanistan.  At the same time, President Biden took over adjusted some dates and assumes accountability for the orders and plan he okayed.  Why the heck, would we start evacuating majority of our armored manpower before securing the safety of all US citizens and affiliates?  It makes zero sense.  I guess we were depending on the Afghanistan soldiers we trained to have more of a backbone but for the local army to cave as quick as it did there had to be tale signs that some security, knowledge, and heart gaps existed.  We left billions of dollars in military gear in hands of our enemies, we basically let them run us out their country.  Leaving before something could escalate too bad which stranded people that didn’t want to be there.  Has everyone even made it out the country that desires to leave?  I doubt it.  We had 13 additional soldiers on our military get killed due to a poorly planned exit plan!  13 families impacted for no reason and its being unacceptable.  What’s most disappointing is the way the administration try to sell the plan to the public as competent and well thought out.  Anyone can see the Afghanistan exit plan didn’t pass the commonsense test.  We ended the war on terror with tails between our legs literally heading for the hills.  My heart goes out to those who gave their lives for a war that we ended disastrously.

TONE SETTING SUNDAY – Week of 9/26/21

I challenge you all to make at least 4 non-routine goals for the upcoming week and reference them daily.  Use them to guide your actions when you have free time.  These are my goals for the week of 9/27/21.⁠

There will be 6 goals this week after a long hiatus.  I will put together my financial plan for the months of October and November.  Some additional features will be adding to in development U-Prayer app.  A quote will be obtained to fix some of the functionality issues with Fantasy Block App.  The scheduled post que for bizzyjimme.com will be reloaded with content.  I will read at least one book from the Bible this week.  I will decide on the mobile app upgrades that will happen on the Fantasy Block App.  Daily I will complete my core routine.  Lastly, I will write and record God and You Podcast Episode #21.

Bizzy Jimme