Retreads, Zane Smith, RealTime Publishing, 2009
This novel takes an unflinching look at present-day career services firms, companies who say that they can find jobs for people in their 40s and 50s, who have recently been laid off. The reality is very different.
Harry Kiernan is a twenty-something with plenty of drive to succeed. He talks his way into a sales job with Executive Careers International, Atlanta's most prestigious careers company. They specialize in executive-level jobs, but they also charge a hefty fee of several thousand dollars. From the beginning, Harry realizes that he has walked into a pit of vipers.
ECI exists mainly to collect that several thousand dollar fee. There are two small provisions in the contract (which clients are pressured to sign) which state that ECI does not guarantee the client a job. In meetings with the client, which are recorded without the client's knowledge, the salesman walks right up to the line, but never actually promises the client a job. ECI's "exclusive access" to people who do the hiring is nonsense; the client can do most of the work themselves on the Internet. Almost all of the glowing letters from satisfied customers shown to new clients, are fake.
ECI is a place of fear; there is no camaraderie or team spirit. George is the public head of the company, but Alex is the power behind the throne. He is a thoroughly dislikable person who cares only that an employee makes their monthly sales quota of older people signing away their last several thousand dollars. If yes, the employee is safe until next month. If no, they are summarily fired. Alex lets Harry in on an offshore tax evasion scheme. The number of customer complaints is growing, along with penalties paid to small claims court and the state of Georgia. Alex tells Harry to reduce the number of complaints, while raising the number of clients, or else. When Harry is arrested by the IRS, he learns just how badly Alex and George have screwed him.
The author does not mean to imply that all such firms are corrupt, but this is a pretty strong cautionary tale for anyone thinking of signing on the dotted line. Don't be seduced by fancy ads; be doubly and triply sure that a firm can deliver on its promises. Do as much of the job searching research as you can on your own. Somewhere along the way, read this book. It's worth your time.
Showing posts with label smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label smith. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Thursday, October 25, 2012
America Unraveling
America Unraveling, L. Scott Smith, Father's Press, 2008
This book defends the expression of public faith in America, and has many unpleasant things to say about the present state of American culture.
The Founding Fathers intentionally created a "godless Constitution," because they knew that establishing
any sort of state religion, or mandating religious tests as a prerequisite for holding public office would
ultimately be a really bad idea. But that doesn't mean that religion was not an important part of their lives, because it was. Everyone talks about the line of separation between church and state; it would be helpful if there was one overall definition, on which everyone could agree, as to just where that line is located.
Liberalism and secularism espouse that religion should play no major role in public life. They also promote the neutrality of the state toward religion, and the autonomy of the individual to worship any way they wish. They may sound reasonable, but they certainly haven't worked that way.
In the late 20th century, the US Supreme Court ruled on several high profile cases concerning expression
of public faith. Among them were cases which looked at religion in school. Part of the justification for
bringing the cases through the legal process was that the students involved were coerced into participating,
or made to feel different if they didn't take part. The truth is that there was no coercion at all, and the
students were more than free to not participate. The author also thinks very little of present-day
immigration, which started courtesy of a law passed more than 40 years ago, and is leading to the destruction of Anglo-Christian culture. Multiculturalism says that all religions, and therefore, all religious practices, are equally valid. Does that include female genital mutilation, and the stoning to death of women convicted of adultery?
The author is not advocating that America be turned into a Christian fundamentalist state, or any other type
of religious regime. But, is some expression of public faith in American life really such a bad idea? It is an interesting book that does a good job at staying non-partisan.
<a href="issue45.html"><h3>Top of Page</h3></a>
<a href="page1.html"><h3>Nain Page</h3></a><p><p>
This book defends the expression of public faith in America, and has many unpleasant things to say about the present state of American culture.
The Founding Fathers intentionally created a "godless Constitution," because they knew that establishing
any sort of state religion, or mandating religious tests as a prerequisite for holding public office would
ultimately be a really bad idea. But that doesn't mean that religion was not an important part of their lives, because it was. Everyone talks about the line of separation between church and state; it would be helpful if there was one overall definition, on which everyone could agree, as to just where that line is located.
Liberalism and secularism espouse that religion should play no major role in public life. They also promote the neutrality of the state toward religion, and the autonomy of the individual to worship any way they wish. They may sound reasonable, but they certainly haven't worked that way.
In the late 20th century, the US Supreme Court ruled on several high profile cases concerning expression
of public faith. Among them were cases which looked at religion in school. Part of the justification for
bringing the cases through the legal process was that the students involved were coerced into participating,
or made to feel different if they didn't take part. The truth is that there was no coercion at all, and the
students were more than free to not participate. The author also thinks very little of present-day
immigration, which started courtesy of a law passed more than 40 years ago, and is leading to the destruction of Anglo-Christian culture. Multiculturalism says that all religions, and therefore, all religious practices, are equally valid. Does that include female genital mutilation, and the stoning to death of women convicted of adultery?
The author is not advocating that America be turned into a Christian fundamentalist state, or any other type
of religious regime. But, is some expression of public faith in American life really such a bad idea? It is an interesting book that does a good job at staying non-partisan.
<a href="issue45.html"><h3>Top of Page</h3></a>
<a href="page1.html"><h3>Nain Page</h3></a><p><p>
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
We Need Madmen
We Need Madmen, Sam Smith, Skrev Press, 2007
This story takes place in a near-future Europe that has recently gotten over a new war, caused by a man named Soper.
It came about because of the newest attempt to purge Europe of "undesirables," like welfare spongers,
slackers and social benefit scroungers. The generally accepted myth in Europe is that minority migrant
workers are the culprits. In France, the problem is with the Algerians; in Britain, it's the Blacks and Asians; in Denmark, it's the Cypriots. All of them went to the Camps. They no longer try to hide them with names like Internment Camps or Re-education Camps; they're just Camps.
Henry is your average petty thief who spent time in the Camps. Now that he's out, he goes back to his
old ways, and hides the Camp tattoo on the back of his hand as much as possible. One day, Henry decides
to become a serial killer, targeting members of the Soper regime. There is no blinding flash of inspiration,
or sudden righteous anger to go along with it. Henry patiently and methodically cross-references phone
book addresses with newspaper articles and tax records. His target is not the high-level members of the
regime, but the low-level clerks and prison guards, those who were simply "doing their job."
In a last-ditch effort, Soper launched Europe's nuclear missiles to all parts of the globe. The world had gotten together to oppose him, so space-based lasers took care of the missiles. After Soper was gone for good, the rest of the world, led by America and Russia, decided that building weapons against each other was no longer necessary. It took six months for the world to disarm, and not much longer for a World
Constitution to be established.
This is a short book that says a lot. I would have preferred a bit more background into Soper and the Camps, but this is still a gem of a story.
This story takes place in a near-future Europe that has recently gotten over a new war, caused by a man named Soper.
It came about because of the newest attempt to purge Europe of "undesirables," like welfare spongers,
slackers and social benefit scroungers. The generally accepted myth in Europe is that minority migrant
workers are the culprits. In France, the problem is with the Algerians; in Britain, it's the Blacks and Asians; in Denmark, it's the Cypriots. All of them went to the Camps. They no longer try to hide them with names like Internment Camps or Re-education Camps; they're just Camps.
Henry is your average petty thief who spent time in the Camps. Now that he's out, he goes back to his
old ways, and hides the Camp tattoo on the back of his hand as much as possible. One day, Henry decides
to become a serial killer, targeting members of the Soper regime. There is no blinding flash of inspiration,
or sudden righteous anger to go along with it. Henry patiently and methodically cross-references phone
book addresses with newspaper articles and tax records. His target is not the high-level members of the
regime, but the low-level clerks and prison guards, those who were simply "doing their job."
In a last-ditch effort, Soper launched Europe's nuclear missiles to all parts of the globe. The world had gotten together to oppose him, so space-based lasers took care of the missiles. After Soper was gone for good, the rest of the world, led by America and Russia, decided that building weapons against each other was no longer necessary. It took six months for the world to disarm, and not much longer for a World
Constitution to be established.
This is a short book that says a lot. I would have preferred a bit more background into Soper and the Camps, but this is still a gem of a story.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
The Four Day Weekend
The Four Day Weekend, George Henry Smith, Belmont Books, 1966
Earth of the early 21st Century has been taken over by the automobile. Cities are full of parking lots for cars, garages to store cars and streets up to 20 lanes wide for cars. Parks and other green spaces in cities are long since gone. Think of it as car worship gone wild.
Charles Hyde, of Los Angeles, is one of the last of the holdouts, those who use mass transit because they are actually afraid of cars. They are built by machine, and are bigger and wider than ever, with actual blades and scythes sticking out everywhere. The newest model, El Toro, has actual horns like a bull on the front bumper. Because of this, auto-related deaths and injuries have skyrocketed over the last few years, with thousands of casualties each weekend.
On the last trip of the city's train system, before it closes due to lack of riders (because everyone is driving a car), Charles meets a man named Enders. He seems like your average crank, talking about how cars are going to wipe out humanity. That is, until the cars, run by electronic brains, really do start killing everyone. The word "slaughter" comes to mind. What makes it worse is that a four day weekend is coming, so everyone will be out and about in their cars. Charles and Enders make it to the harbor, and take a small boat to an island just off the coast. There, a famous cyberneticist has joined a colony of beatniks who refuse to believe that anything is wrong. They are convinced when they see El Toro, who has followed them from Los Angeles, come very close to adding Charles to the casualty list.
They fly to Detroit on a mechanical plane piloted by an ex-military man who is convinced that the Communists are to blame. Their destination is The Great Computer, a supercomputer under the city that has been building the cars for the last 100 years. Needless to say, it is very well guarded. They manage to reach the Inner Sanctum, and find that The Great Computer is controlled by aliens who are simply speeding up what humans are already doing to each other, which is killing each other with their cars. Therefore, what is the problem?
This is a really good novel, that is surprisingly thought-provoking. Think of the number of computer circuit boards in the average car. In the not-too-distant future, all cars will be built by robots. Consider the number of people killed and injured on America's roads (tens of thousands). Read this book (it's very much worth it), then put it all together. Hmmmmm. . .
Earth of the early 21st Century has been taken over by the automobile. Cities are full of parking lots for cars, garages to store cars and streets up to 20 lanes wide for cars. Parks and other green spaces in cities are long since gone. Think of it as car worship gone wild.
Charles Hyde, of Los Angeles, is one of the last of the holdouts, those who use mass transit because they are actually afraid of cars. They are built by machine, and are bigger and wider than ever, with actual blades and scythes sticking out everywhere. The newest model, El Toro, has actual horns like a bull on the front bumper. Because of this, auto-related deaths and injuries have skyrocketed over the last few years, with thousands of casualties each weekend.
On the last trip of the city's train system, before it closes due to lack of riders (because everyone is driving a car), Charles meets a man named Enders. He seems like your average crank, talking about how cars are going to wipe out humanity. That is, until the cars, run by electronic brains, really do start killing everyone. The word "slaughter" comes to mind. What makes it worse is that a four day weekend is coming, so everyone will be out and about in their cars. Charles and Enders make it to the harbor, and take a small boat to an island just off the coast. There, a famous cyberneticist has joined a colony of beatniks who refuse to believe that anything is wrong. They are convinced when they see El Toro, who has followed them from Los Angeles, come very close to adding Charles to the casualty list.
They fly to Detroit on a mechanical plane piloted by an ex-military man who is convinced that the Communists are to blame. Their destination is The Great Computer, a supercomputer under the city that has been building the cars for the last 100 years. Needless to say, it is very well guarded. They manage to reach the Inner Sanctum, and find that The Great Computer is controlled by aliens who are simply speeding up what humans are already doing to each other, which is killing each other with their cars. Therefore, what is the problem?
This is a really good novel, that is surprisingly thought-provoking. Think of the number of computer circuit boards in the average car. In the not-too-distant future, all cars will be built by robots. Consider the number of people killed and injured on America's roads (tens of thousands). Read this book (it's very much worth it), then put it all together. Hmmmmm. . .
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Twilight Dynasty: Courting Evil
Twilight Dynasty: Courting Evil, Barry H. Smith, Erica House, 1999
Set near present-day Toronto, Canada, Kyle Morrow is a hot-shot private attorney who has become involved in past-life regression. He has been searching his previous lives looking for answers to the usual contemporary problems: women, money and a stagnant career. His niece, Mandy, comes to him with a story that she was chased, and almost killed, by some sort of demonic entity.
A series of unsolved murders point to the estate of Victor Janus, extremely rich media mogul, and his spiritual guru son, Thomas, who has started a local spiritual college. Mandy was a student at that college. Father and son are the type who have the money, and power, to buy and sell judges, politicians and members of the media, so they are practically untouchable. Thomas is also going through past-life regression, through the same beautiful female psychic as Morrow; she is also being stalked by an unknown person. Thomas has learned a lot about using demonic forces and hypnosis to get what he wants; it seems that he and Morrow were enemies back in Atlantis. As Morrow gets too close for comfort, he learns first-hand just how good Janus is at long-distance hypnosis. Thinking that he was back in Atlantis, about to murder a female captive, Kyle learns, too late, that he has just murdered Jennifer, his common-law wife, on the grounds of the Janus estate. It becomes a battle for Morrow, not just against evil, but, for his life, his soul, and ultimately his sanity.
There is a considerable amount of violence in this novel, including several human sacrifice murders. There is also a considerable amount of New Age thinking here, along with a large amount of Christian theology. This isn't for the faint of heart, but it has something for everyone. It's well done, thrilling, thought-provoking, and very much worth reading.
Set near present-day Toronto, Canada, Kyle Morrow is a hot-shot private attorney who has become involved in past-life regression. He has been searching his previous lives looking for answers to the usual contemporary problems: women, money and a stagnant career. His niece, Mandy, comes to him with a story that she was chased, and almost killed, by some sort of demonic entity.
A series of unsolved murders point to the estate of Victor Janus, extremely rich media mogul, and his spiritual guru son, Thomas, who has started a local spiritual college. Mandy was a student at that college. Father and son are the type who have the money, and power, to buy and sell judges, politicians and members of the media, so they are practically untouchable. Thomas is also going through past-life regression, through the same beautiful female psychic as Morrow; she is also being stalked by an unknown person. Thomas has learned a lot about using demonic forces and hypnosis to get what he wants; it seems that he and Morrow were enemies back in Atlantis. As Morrow gets too close for comfort, he learns first-hand just how good Janus is at long-distance hypnosis. Thinking that he was back in Atlantis, about to murder a female captive, Kyle learns, too late, that he has just murdered Jennifer, his common-law wife, on the grounds of the Janus estate. It becomes a battle for Morrow, not just against evil, but, for his life, his soul, and ultimately his sanity.
There is a considerable amount of violence in this novel, including several human sacrifice murders. There is also a considerable amount of New Age thinking here, along with a large amount of Christian theology. This isn't for the faint of heart, but it has something for everyone. It's well done, thrilling, thought-provoking, and very much worth reading.
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