Number Six. SHRM dot org. Gen Z says they work the hardest.
For those of you who have bought into the lie that the generation born after 1997 are only marginally productive, and who prefer to interact only through the smartphones that are organically welded into the palms of their hands, take note. You have it all wrong.
This collection of well-adjusted producers is the hardest working group in the West.
We know this is true, because over 30% of them believe it.
Hardest. Working. Ever.
To prove this is true, for those of you who have no idea how to work really hard, such as Dads who work construction, and Moms who do all the laundry, cleaning and cooking, and also do the shopping and manage kids’ schedules, and don’t forget to make their lunch, and help with their homework, and also hold down a fulltime job, just consider the demands this survey says that Gen Z’ers have:
They demand a say over their work schedule.
They won’t tolerate working when they don’t want to.
They won’t tolerate being denied vacation time.
They refuse to work back-to-back shifts.
But it’s not all rosy for these intensely engaged artisans: They also report high anxiety, especially when confronted with negotiating, networking, public speaking, or the need to resolve conflicts. In other words, things that require actual talk with actual people.
This is why they are most productive when managed by a supportive boss who understands them and can make them feel better about their worries. And also when they have access to professional mental therapy.
So, it is time for you to re-think your presumptions about who is doing all the work around here. Get with the program! This is our future!
Number Five. Electrek dot co. Half of EV owners will go back to an ICE vehicle.
Well, so much for that really good idea! Electric Vehicles have taken the car-buying world by storm in the last 5 years, and those which have not been abandoned mid-vacation for running out of juice, or exploding into flames from defective lithium ion batteries, are deeply appreciated by their loyal owners.
Their owners are so loyal, in fact, that about half of them say they will buy another EV in the future.
Given that virtually 100% of EV owners will buy another car sometime in their lives, this means that the other half are throwing in the towel and going back to the ICE (internal combustion engine).
Those numbers are only reflective of non-Tesla sales. The Tesla has a much more loyal customer base. Three-fourths of Tesla owners will remain Tesla owners.
On the other hand, 2/3 of Ford Mustang Mach-E owners will go back to an ICE.
The numbers are a little skewed by those who step up to a pickup-truck or large SUV. Most of those buyers, understanding the limited payload and (virtually non-existent) towing capacity of EV trucks, are looking for something a little more beefy than currently available.
For conventional car buyers, high EV prices, limited charging stations and short cruising range were the main reasons for going backward down the electricity food chain.
Someday, the EV day will come. But maybe not today.
Electric streetcars used to have overhead wires that a boom on the car would ride against when moving down a city street.
Just trying to think outside the box, here.
Number Four. Moneywise dot com. Home Depot CEO warns retail theft is a big problem.
The ease of walking into the big-box home improvement store, roaming the aisles to find just the right DIY item, and walking out with your merchandise has gotten so much easier for certain shoppers, because they not only walk out, they skip the cash register line.
Theft at Home Depot retail stores is up double digits over last year, as some who live the American dream are realizing how easy it is to start up online businesses without the bother of having to finance their inventory.
A Florida pastor was arrested this year for running a multi-million-dollar theft ring targeting Home Depot locations. One wonders if he preached on Proverbs chapter 6: “Consider the ant, you sluggard, who stores up his treasures in time of harvest!”
What better harvest than the electrical components aisle at Home Depot, where small circuit breakers, handfuls of which easily fit in your cargo pockets, can bring 50 bucks each through an anonymous on-line retailer?
Plus, if you’re caught by some self-righteous, moralistic chump who wears a sissy-looking orange apron for $18 an hour, you can always just murder him when he gets in your way. A couple of those makes the rest of them keep a healthy distance.
Meanwhile, Home Depot has allocated resources to more security guards, more parking lot lighting, and more cameras. None of which does much good without more prosecution and real jail time.
It may not be all that long before store owners start shooting back. Which makes the online shopping experience all the more attractive.
Number Three. The Western Journal. Canadian military chaplains not to invoke God in public prayer.
Don’t take this as an inhibition on free speech. It is merely a way to show tolerant sensitivity to those who may be offended by expressions of faith, at the small cost of muzzling those who are not.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has directed that Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) chaplains refrain from public prayer which addresses God by name.
There is no report as to Whom the prayer should be directed instead. Just don’t say God, or worse, Jesus.
In settings where service members are required to attend an assembly, the chaplain may offer a spiritual reflection, but it must be one that respects the diversity of religious or spiritual beliefs of those gathered, including those gathered who do not hold any religious or spiritual beliefs.
Claiming that press accounts of this policy were badly misinterpreted, Minister of National Defense Bill Blair took to TwiXXer to clarify the matter: “Let’s be very clear. CAF chaplains are not banned from prayer. The directive seeks to ensure that a chaplain’s public address reflects the spiritual and religious diversity of all Canadians.”
Well, that seems clear, because he said it would be clear.
And it is certainly clear to the chaplain corps, which sees the policy as a complete ban on referring to scripture or mentioning God.
And, of course, as we would expect, the directive also forbids the use of a gendered pronoun, such as “Heavenly Father,” when not referring to the God to Whom the chaplain is not referring.
All of which, it seems obvious, will be most comforting to the military service member called upon to potentially lay down his life for his fellow Canadian.
Number Two. AP News. A man, a plan, a chainsaw: Argentina’s presidential race.
Argentina, during the 20th century the bastion of South American prosperity and growth, has in the last 40 years sunk into economic disaster. Inflation has raised costs over 120% since last year.
The annual income poverty line is 280,000 pesos, about $750 a year. Many families are living on less than 90,000 pesos, inadequate to pay for rent and food.
Which creates a ripe opportunity for a dynamic, bombastic populist to run for president.
Javier Milei, on a platform of making drastic cuts to government bureaucracy, wields a running chainsaw at public appearances. This, along with videos showing bank buildings exploding, has caught the attention of a starving people who see little hope of lifting out of poverty.
Fans show up at political rallies with cardboard chainsaws to show their support.
Milei calls himself the anarcho-capitalist candidate. I don’t know if anyone in Argentina knows what that means, but the phraseology sort of fits the picture of the chainsaw thing.
Milei’s opponent, Economy Minister Sergio Massa, has attempted to gain votes the traditional way, by buying them. Massa has proposed direct cash payments to citizens, amounting to $250 U.S. split into two different payments.
The first round of elections was held this week. Massa, seen as the establishment candidate, edged out Milei, but under Argentine law the two now head into a run-off election.
I wonder if Donald Trump has considered the chainsaw image?
Number One. DCIST dot com. Goats wear solar-powered GPS collars to clean up Chesapeake Bay.
It’s all about the manure.
Sam and Molly Kroize run a 90 acre farm in Loudoun County, Virginia. The land has been in Sam’s family for almost 300 years, allowing the modern descendants to make a good living with a goat dairy operation.
From goat’s milk, they produce cheese, gelato, caramel, soap and fudge.
But a herd of goats can destroy pastureland and produce a small mountain of manure. The goats must be moved periodically from one part of the pasture to another.
While the manure is good fertilizer for grass, if manure stays collected in one place, rainwater washes the excess away, polluting streams and, eventually, the Chesapeake Bay.
Microbes in the manure, good for the soil, are bad for the water. Manure there carries excesses of nitrogen and phosphorus, feeding algae blooms.
Moving the herd from one electric-fenced field to the next is time-consuming and labor-intensive.
Enter a GPS solution.
Exactly like modern dog collars, each goat is outfitted with a GPS unit. Sam Kroize uses a smart phone to prescribe the outline of each grazing section of the pasture. When the goat gets close to the satellite-identified boundary, a mild electric shock pulls her back.
It is part of a pilot program from Nofence, a Norwegian company. It is currently used on only 43 farms in the U.S., but expansion is planned.
This also solves the problem of lost or wandering goats.
And ask yourself: If farm animals can be tracked so safely and effectively and with minimal investment, can your second grader be far behind?
I’m just asking.
And that’s The Alligator New Roundup for this week.
Enjoy your weekend!
Curt
The Alligator News Roundup